Who is spreading rumors that my filial piety towards them has changed?

For a moment, the main hall was brightly lit.

The Queen Consort of Chu had a face that seemed to be half-smiling, eyebrows that seemed to be holding back tears, a graceful figure, a body that moved with affection, and a carefree and unrestrained demeanor.

Chu Mingkong held the hand of the Princess of Chu.

Galloping on horseback, free to roam—

......

"drive--"

A swift horse galloped rapidly towards the border of the abyss.

Chu Mingkong never expected that the Buddhist sect, which he had been on guard against for so long, would act at this time. When the urgent message was sent to Tianya City, Chu Mingkong had not yet finished leaving the main hall of the Xiao family mansion, and the effects of the medicine on the Chu Princess had not yet worn off.

In a moment of desperation, Chu Mingkong cast a Dust-Free Talisman on her, concealing his presence, and took her with him out of Tianya City, heading towards the border.

Chu Mingkong felt this was an extremely wrong and reckless decision, but the effects of the medicine on the Princess Chu had not yet worn off, and it was impossible to leave her alone in the mansion. Asking Feng Ying to take care of her was also not appropriate.

However, it seems that this reckless behavior still has its merits. The Hehuan True Scripture, which was not yet fully circulated, was completed on the bumpy horseback. Otherwise, Chu Mingkong would not have been able to stay at the border for even the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

"Baby Pheasant, are you feeling better?" Chu Mingkong asked, supporting Princess Chu's lower back with one hand.

As the horse galloped, the rhythm of the jolting was rapid. The Chu princess was thrown back and forth, her delicate face flushed, and she breathed heavily.

"what happened......?"

“There’s been a problem at the border. I need to go check it out. I’ve placed a dust-free talisman on you, so you don’t need to worry about being seen.”

Even so, despite the invisibility talisman and Chu Mingkong's cloak covering Chu Princess's body, it was still very strange to Chu Princess. To cultivate together on horseback was utterly absurd.

They were almost at the border. Chu Mingkong didn't want to lose his composure after dismounting, so he slowed down his horse and stepped back. He then heard a soft groan from the Princess of Chu, and a sense of emptiness quietly crept into his heart.

Princess Chu feigned composure, trying to cover up her subtle embarrassment with some words. She quietly straightened her skirt and said:

"Mingkong, are you feeling any better from your injuries?"

“I wouldn’t dare approach this area unless things get better, but shouldn’t you be more concerned about the situation at the border?”

"I have no idea what happened, especially since it's on the border of the Abyss. I have no way of knowing what to do, so how can I care?"

That seems to be true, and even Chu Mingkong himself can't say he knows much about the situation there.

The news that came back only said that something had happened there, related to Buddhism, and that some strange abyssal beasts had appeared; other information was vague. Such intelligence in the military's intelligence system was undoubtedly a failure; how could it be so ambiguous? But when it came to the abyss, what could the scouts on the border do? They couldn't possibly actually rush into the abyss to see what was happening.

If we really want to go in and confirm the situation, we won't get much information if we get too close, and if we go too far in, the scouts will die on the way back before they can get the message out. There have been times in the past when people risked their lives to gather intelligence, with a large group passing the message around like a game of musical chairs, but that was a long time ago, during the time of the first King of Chu.

As they hurried into the border region of the Abyss, the surrounding environment suddenly changed. The clear blue sky of one moment turned gloomy in an instant, like a pot of rotten stew with unknown ingredients, containing yellow, red, and black colors.

Even the well-trained warhorses were not used to this change in atmosphere, and their neighing revealed their fear and unease.

Princess Chu's cultivation was not so much for actual combat, but to prove her talent. The extreme yang power in her body was boiling uncontrollably, stimulated by the sudden increase in the extreme yin energy. Fortunately, Chu Mingkong was by her side, guiding her on how to suppress it.

She had never been to such a place before. How could someone of her noble status approach such a dangerous place? Now that she had seen it with her own eyes, she truly realized how harsh the environment was.

“…Mingkong, you were so young back then, and you spent your time in a place like this?” A sense of self-reproach welled up in the heart of the Princess of Chu.

Chu Mingkong didn't bring her here to play the victim or show him how bad his living conditions were back then. In fact, he lived quite comfortably here, and his usual residence wasn't here, but rather at the rear defense line.

He reached out and grabbed Princess Chu's heart; the exquisitely soft touch almost made Chu Mingkong lose control of his strength.

However, his reckless move dispelled the Princess Consort's unease, and she scolded:

What are you doing all of a sudden!

"I'm sorry, the yin energy here is too strong. I couldn't control my emotions and couldn't help myself," Chu Mingkong said righteously. "So, my little pheasant, please don't say things that stir up negative emotions, or I'm afraid I'll lose control again."

"We're outside, don't call me that!" Princess Chu really wanted to pinch him to make him behave.

However, Chu Mingkong was now completely encased in iron, with only one part exposed just moments before, which was connected to Princess Chu heart to heart. Now that he had calmed down, he had quietly retracted into the iron shell, leaving no part of him that Princess Chu could pinch.

"Then call me that in private from now on?" Chu Mingkong saw that she was a little unsteady from the jostling, so he reached out and supported her peach-shaped buttocks, holding her steadily in his arms.

"Not even in private, and Wan Hua must not find out!"

Princess Chu couldn't even imagine what Consort Wan's expression would be if she found out that her son called her "baby." If Consort Wan really found out, she might make fun of this matter in the future.

"Okay, okay, then I'll call you that when we're alone."

As the horse galloped along, the wind stung his cheeks a little. Chu Mingkong instructed Princess Chu to bury her face under her cloak to block the wind, then suddenly asked:

"Is Mother still concerned about what happened that night? Now we should be even with Consort Wanhua, right? Please don't hold a grudge against Consort Wanhua in the future. It's not that I'm biased towards anyone, but I'm afraid that if I'm in the capital and can't reconcile you two in time, it will cause unhappiness at home, and I will be uneasy."

"You still have to leave after this? The injury shouldn't be in such a rush anymore, right?"

"It's not about the injury, nor is it an excuse to return to the capital to avoid you, Mother. It's just that I really have things to do... But I can stay a few more days."

Chu Mingkong thought to himself, if he really did it and then ran away, that would be a bit heartless.

With everyone spouting nonsense, Princess Chu's unease about the place lessened considerably. From time to time, retreating cultivators could be seen on the road. They hurriedly fled when they sensed something was wrong, while the sect disciples stayed behind to help resist.

It's hard to say who's right or wrong in this situation. The sect disciples stayed here for the sake of their sect's honor, which is worthy of respect. However, it's understandable that those rogue cultivators ran away to save their lives. Tianya Tower never relied on rogue cultivators; they were just temporarily filling in to give the soldiers stationed here more rest time.

When you really encounter problems, you still have to rely on your own strength.

Once the horses entered the military camp, Chu Mingkong showed the identification documents given to him by Tianya Tower and had someone help lead the horses into the stables.

"Mother, I'll find you a room to rest. My master and the others will be here soon, and they will protect you."

"No, I want to go with you. Although I'm not good at fighting, the abyssal energy here affects you. I can create an extreme yang barrier for you to block the extreme yin energy."

Princess Chu insisted on going with him, and Chu Mingkong had no other choice but to agree. He then purchased a large amount of Golden Crow Heart Essence from the Filial Piety Mall and had Princess Chu carry it into her storage bracelet as a supplement or firecracker.

Chapter 249 This is the wilderness!

The Golden Crow Heart Essence was originally used by Empress Pei to aid her cultivation. Now that there is no safe place for Princess Chu to cultivate slowly, using it to replenish her extreme Yang power is the best choice. If necessary, it can also be thrown at the face of the Abyss Beast, with the effect being no different from splashing lime on someone's face and then spitting on them.

After ensuring the safety of Princess Chu and providing her with adequate protection, Chu Mingkong assisted the border defense troops with some basic arrangements. Because of the large number of temporary workers like the scattered cultivators who had left, the officers were unsure how to manage them.

"Check if all the sect cultivators are present. Divide this group into one team and the independent cultivators into another. The key is to assign duties to the border soldiers as arranged before the independent cultivators arrived. Don't actually treat the independent cultivators as part of the border defense force..."

Seeing the chaos among the officers, Chu Mingkong was at his wits' end. It seemed these officers hadn't grasped Tianya Tower's true intentions. Tianya Tower wanted the rogue cultivators to act as temporary duty officers, giving their own people time to rest. In the event of a real emergency, they could simply pretend the rogue cultivators had never existed, and the officers could assign tasks as normal.

Now, when the sergeants take roll call, they find that there are far fewer people in the unorganized repair teams. They can't do anything if they find that the number doesn't match up, which is ridiculous.

After Chu Mingkong gave them a few pointers, the officers came to their senses, calmed down, and began to clarify the tasks for their subordinates.

The reason it is described as "clear" is that many soldiers have already returned to their posts on their own, without needing any arrangements from the sergeants; the only chaos is in the command structure above.

After the situation on the border returned to normal, the officers all looked at "Lord Zuo" with surprise, sighing inwardly:

This person was only here for the first time, yet he seemed to know everything about the place.

"Sir Zuo, where are you going?" an officer called out to him, noticing that he was about to order the city gates to be opened.

"I'm going out to see what new things the Abyss has come up with. Where else could I go? Do you think I'd come all this way just to take an even longer route to the Crescent Kingdom?" Chu Mingkong retorted.

The officers were naturally worried that "Lord Zuo" might encounter dangerous situations after going out. The border city walls had time-tested magic arrays, barriers, and city defense facilities, but anything could happen after he left the city gates.

Chu Mingkong didn't explain much to them, he just took out the orders from Tianya Tower and told them to do as they were told.

Despite the slight delay, Chu Mingkong still managed to lead Princess Chu out of the border. With the blessing of the Dust-Free Talisman, no one noticed that he was also holding the arm of a beautiful woman.

"Why do I feel... that the officers here don't know anything?" Princess Chu asked when she was a little further away from the border.

“The pressure on different lines of defense is different, and these officers all seem to be newly transferred. I’ve never met any of them before, and I don’t know where the older ones have gone,” Chu Ming said in a hollow voice. In fact, the change of personnel is the biggest influencing factor.

Princess Chu recalled the events, her face showing embarrassment; it seemed this matter was also related to her own decision...

At that time, the martial arts competition in Tianya City had not yet begun. The veteran officers there, upon hearing that the Prince of Xiling was to be replaced, refused to continue and requested to retire and return home. However, the Princess of Chu felt that Chu Mingkong had cultivated his own faction there for many years, so she allowed those officers to retire and return home. Moreover, many affairs here were originally handled by the Wei family, but the Wei family withdrew from Xiling around the time Chu Mingkong went to the capital.

After a while, the border fortress of the extreme abyss was really full of new sergeants, with not a single old one.

"Wouldn't it be better to... invite them back?" Princess Chu pondered.

Chu Mingkong squeezed her hand, pulling her deeper into the Abyss region, and comforted her:

"Let's talk about what happens next. But personally, I don't really want those old buddies to come back. After going from high pressure to a comfortable environment, who can stand coming back to a place like this? Let them live their own comfortable lives and don't call them back."

"Mother, your situation was special back then, and there was no other way. Besides, these officers will eventually be replaced. The new recruits at least did their jobs; they were just not skilled yet, but they'll get the hang of it soon."

From the moment she left the border, the Chu princess's extreme yang barrier never stopped. As she traveled further, she had to do everything in her power to maintain the extreme yang barrier.

In this dark and silent world, the extreme sunlight barrier she erected was like a sun in the darkness, dazzling and blinding.

The soldiers on the border city wall could no longer use their senses to follow "Lord Zuo" forward, but they could all see that distant yet dazzling golden light that had never faded.

This was the first time that Princess Chu had used such a high level of Yang energy. At first, she was worried about whether she could go down, but she felt that it might be because of her joint cultivation with Chu Mingkong that her control over the Yang energy was inexplicably much easier. The pressure from this Death Domain... did not seem to be as great as she had imagined.

However, she remained extremely nervous while moving around. Perception, as an extension of a cultivator's senses, was infinitely suppressed in the Abyss, leaving her to rely solely on her five senses to be alert to her surroundings.

Fortunately, Chu Mingkong gave her a great sense of security. Whenever there was any movement around them, he would briefly step out of the Extreme Yang Barrier, quickly deal with the approaching Extreme Abyss Beasts, and then walk back as if nothing had happened to continue protecting her.

If it weren't for the attitudes of those rogue cultivators and soldiers towards the Abyss, Princess Chu would have been afraid that she would have mistakenly thought that the Abyss was nothing to be afraid of.

During this brief departure, Chu Mingkong brought back something "new"—a humanoid abyssal creature.

This creature from the abyss resembled a skeleton soldier, its flesh completely corroded away, leaving only bones hollowed out by the power of extreme yin to desperately support its form. The skeleton soldier's limbs had been severed by Chu Mingkong, rendering it incapable of attack.

"Mother, do these soldiers' armor look familiar? Is it just my imagination or is there something else going on?"

Upon hearing this, the Princess of Chu moved closer to observe, and indeed, the face looked familiar:

"These look like the armor of the soldiers of the previous Xiling army."

Ancestors?

Does this mean our ancestors have escaped from their graves? Could the previous King of Chu have also escaped?

"When I first discovered these skeleton soldiers, they were killing each other. In the midst of the fight, they even started stabbing themselves. I wonder if they retained some of their will from when they were alive, and were hostile to the extremely yin energy."

Just as the Queen Consort of Chu was about to ask Chu Mingkong whether these former Xiling soldiers transformed into the Abyss were friend or foe, she heard him continue:

"But if there are living people, they will still attack the living first. If they can avoid them, they will try to avoid them. If they really can't avoid them, they will throw a bottle of Golden Crow Heart Essence out."

"Throw it away?" Princess Chu sensed the purity of the extreme yang energy in the liquid and couldn't help but say, "This is a treasure; it would be such a waste to just throw it away like that!"

It was precisely because she possessed the power of extreme Yang that the Princess of Chu was able to appreciate how rare this thing was.

"It's alright. Strictly speaking, the money comes from the people. These are all things you gave me, Mother. Just throw them away. Even if you cherish them, do you cherish them more than your own life?"

As soon as Chu Mingkong finished speaking, he threw a bottle out. There was a group of skeleton soldiers fighting in front of him, and among them was a giant plant that had become an abyss. The plant was also ferocious, and its tough, steel-like vines crushed many of the skeleton soldiers.

With the sound of a bottle shattering, the intense yang energy attracted the attention of these ferocious creatures, who swarmed forward like hungry dogs fighting over excrement, clearing a path for Chu Mingkong and his mother, Princess Chu.