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

"You dog emperor, you are indeed very cautious! You actually managed to use the crown prince's corpse and 'Fifth Prince Sauce' like that!" Chu Mingkong said calmly.

"Oh, you actually saw through my current state through the extreme yin energy? It seems that this tidal force, which is similar to the power of extreme yin, is indeed of great benefit to you. I am increasingly looking forward to the day when I can capture your soul and extract all your secrets—a supreme divine treasure!"

The emperor tore off his mask and removed his armor, laughing loudly. His true face was none other than the crown prince, who had been beheaded by Chu Mingkong in the street. His body bore stitches, some of which were human flesh and blood, and some of which were limbs of ferocious beasts from the abyss, just like the stitches on the Prince of Jin's body.

The flesh and blood remains of the Fifth Prince were stolen and used by the Emperor to refine a new body, using this blood relationship as another body to control!

He dared to leave the palace because what came out was not his true self.

"I'm a little disappointed that I can't kill you right away, but it's okay. I'll break your physical body first, and then I'll go to the capital to kill you right away. You won't see tomorrow..." Chu Mingkong looked at the sky and realized that he couldn't tell whether it was day or night anymore. He changed his words and said, "Anyway, you won't see the sunrise again!"

Chapter 256 Your father is here!

The Moon Eclipse Greatsword slashed down, its blade shimmering with moonlight on one side and dark currents on the other, severing the stitched-together figure that was difficult to distinguish from a human.

The severed head seemed to possess an independent life, still emitting a chilling, sinister laugh even after being separated from the torso.

"Is this all the progress you've made these past few days? Then you came to the capital just to die, or are you hiding some new escape method that you want to show me?" The crown prince's head, which was flying through the air, mocked with a twisted smile. Although it was the crown prince's face, the one controlling it was undoubtedly the emperor.

Chu Mingkong threw a bottle of Golden Crow Jade Marrow at his body, using the power of extreme yang to burn away the indestructible portion of the Abyss Beast. He looked at the severed head lying on the ground and said:

"You're overthinking it. My escape methods are all for stealing people. Do you even have anyone worth stealing right now? What are you showing off for? I want to see if His Majesty the Emperor, who has been hiding in his tortoise shell for so long, is planning to escape and find a new tortoise shell to hide in, or die in his current tortoise shell!"

After saying that, Chu Mingkong unceremoniously bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood onto the emperor's face. The blood, contaminated by the power of extreme yin, corroded the corpse that should have been dead.

Lividity and stench began to spread on the dry, dehydrated cheeks, eventually turning into a cloud of blood mist that exploded. However, the blood mist did not get close to Chu Mingkong before being covered and swallowed by the black tide.

Chu Mingkong took a deep breath, sheathed the Moon Eclipse Heavy Sword, and the various strange phenomena around him disappeared. The black tide on the ground receded, and he returned to the world of vast snow.

Looking at the once mighty army, now there is no trace of them, only the inconspicuous Tianji flag and the remains of armor and weapons as rotten as broken copper and scrap iron.

The tribespeople in the small town behind them were even more stunned than when they faced the massive army. They stood there dumbfounded, as if witnessing a miracle, forgetting to hide among the ruins and pretend to be ostriches after witnessing the danger they had just faced.

The power that stranger just displayed was so similar to the legendary power of the Moon God. Few have seen or felt the true power of the Moon God, but any Moon People would recognize that aura of past glory.

"The power of the Moon River Goddess! The Moon River Goddess has returned?!" Someone broke the silence first, and the tribespeople in the town seemed to wake from a dream, all showing expressions of admiration.

Chu Mingkong wasn't used to this kind of respect. He enjoyed the favor of stunning beauties, but he didn't enjoy the worship of strangers, mainly because it was meaningless.

He immediately wanted to deny it, saying that it wasn't the Moon River Goddess, but the Moon River God, or the father of the Moon River Goddess's child.

However, sensing that this might cause unnecessary trouble, he unleashed his Annihilation Domain and disappeared from everyone's sight.

"Was that power obtained from the Lunar Eclipse Divine Kingdom?" Feng Ying was very curious. She grew up on this land and couldn't possibly be completely uninterested in Empress Yue Qi.

"I suppose so. Part of it is the power of this sword, and then there's the influence of the Moon River Goddess on this land. Her influence is too great. Any force that opposes her on this land will be weakened. It was like fighting on home ground just now." Chu Mingkong explained, but concealed the part about the divine communication during the creation of the child in the Moon Eclipse Divine Kingdom.

But the master and apprentice both had unconventional ways of thinking, and Zuo Qiuchi wondered:

"Even if you obtained a divine weapon, you shouldn't have mastered it so quickly. Did you see the goddess's remains in the Lunar Eclipse Kingdom and then couldn't resist stirring them around, secretly using your evil arts to blaspheme against the gods?"

"Then I'm directly cursed by this sword!" Chu Mingkong retorted indignantly. What kind of person did they take him for? He was happy to enjoy life, but he wouldn't enjoy life to the point of death!

"That one wasn't an emperor?" Feng Ying returned to the matter at hand.

“Yes.” Chu Mingkong nodded: “When I killed his sons before, he secretly took back their bodies, since they were connected by blood. Then he refined them into clones to use. I thought the emperor would be even more anxious to leave the palace after knowing that I had obtained information about the Moon Goddess, but I didn’t expect that he would only dare to come out and act by using clones.”

Whether this was inspired by Chu Mingkong's use of puppets to transport the girls out of the capital is hard to say, but it was probably to some extent that it motivated him to create clones to carry out his activities.

This not only solidified their bottom line of developing steadily within the palace, but also allowed them greater freedom to move around outside. It's just a pity that these clones could only exert limited power.

Zuo Qiuchi complained about what had just happened: "You just came out of the Snow Mountain Temple and you immediately sent a note telling us to come over and help us deal with the emperor. You're so anxious. I've only just lain down for a short while!"

Chu Mingkong smiled apologetically.

Feng Qing, however, pressed on with a serious expression, "Ming Kong, are you really going to the palace now? Are you sure you can make it?"

Chu Mingkong found it difficult to answer this question. Having not fought for some time, he didn't know what progress the emperor had made in recent days, and he hadn't even found a way to counter some of the trump cards the emperor had shown when he escaped the palace.

Having only experienced the ancient aura and the power of all things in the universe under the guidance of the Moon River Goddess, he knew he could no longer be timid in front of the emperor.

The line between caution and timidity is very thin, as is the line between decisiveness and recklessness. Anyone, regardless of their position, will feel lost and unable to distinguish the difference between these two lines. Chu Mingkong was no exception. He said that the imperial city's timidity within the palace was excessive caution. But had Chu Mingkong himself unknowingly deviated from caution?

Since the Moon River Goddess had the ability to predict changes in the world, and her attitude at the time was to encourage him to face them head-on, Chu Mingkong felt that he should go.

The emperor's clone undoubtedly intended to test him, trying to force out his progress in recent days and to figure out his level in advance. However, Chu Mingkong was not going all out, as the clone's strength was not worth doing so.

After a moment's thought, Chu Mingkong replied, "I can't say I'm completely confident, but I'm certain I should do it."

"When will it be over? I guess it's now. You just said it was before sunrise, so I don't know what I can prepare for you." Fengying felt a headache coming on.

In the rush, there was no way to make a complete plan. Not to mention preparation, Feng Ying didn't even know in what ways she could help Chu Mingkong later.

She was definitely not suited to stand shoulder to shoulder with them as they walked into the palace; that would be a complete waste of her truly outstanding assassination skills.

"Then let's play it by ear. Why don't you go back to Kunlun Daoist Sect first and see if you can get some powerful talismans from Master Yun? I'll go and scout ahead."

Having hastily and temporarily decided on the plan, Chu Mingkong summoned the Asura Heavy Sword and the Lunar Eclipse Heavy Sword, using them as flying swords to travel through the air alone towards the Heavenly Capital.

He took out the note, opened it to the page with his teacher's wife, Shen Xuejun, pondered for a long time, and tentatively asked:

【Master's wife, I'm planning to deal with the Emperor. Do you have any suggestions?】

Chu Mingkong prayed that his kind-hearted master's wife would not go into seclusion, but thankfully she recovered.

[Shen Xuejun: If my source spiritual energy is insufficient, you can come over first.]

Chu Mingkong raised an eyebrow and checked it. Actually, it was enough. He hadn't used it much these days, and now it was more than enough. However, he needed to absorb more...

If we use the proverb "whoever feeds me is my mother" as a standard of judgment, then this teacher's wife is quite fitting...

[Enough.]

[Shen Xuejun: Then let's deal with this calmly. If we can't handle it, we can surrender and go to our master's wife.]

This is corrupting my unwavering will! But last time he even provided a map, so why didn't he say much this time? Does that mean he trusts me a lot?

Chu Mingkong decided to accept this interpretation.

---------

That pale snowstorm blew from the Crescent Moon Kingdom all the way to the Celestial Empire.

Those officers and soldiers who were preparing for the invasion knew this best. Every night, they were unable to sleep in the freezing cold, wrapped in iron armor. They were the first to feel the biting wind that stung their faces, but unfortunately, no one could send the message back to the capital that they should put on their armor in time.

The extreme cold and snow came suddenly, like a snowy morning when people opened their doors unprepared and were blown away by the cold wind.

A door in the capital was opened, and the cold air from afar became an uninvited guest, causing the people of the capital to put on thick clothes amidst sneezing, and reluctantly continue to work in the cold for their livelihood.

"It's so cold! What kind of weather is this cold that snow could be blown here?" The old man in the teahouse sighed, pulling the frozen snot off his nose.

His response was met with the howling wind and the empty silence of the teahouse.

After a while, a man who had been sitting in the corner was drinking hot tea. The sound of him sipping tea broke the silence. He said, "There are so few people here. I want to hear some lively chatter and gossip."

"It's cold and people don't want to go out, so there are naturally fewer people. About half a year ago, a particularly troublesome young prince came to my teahouse wearing a leather fur coat and carrying a small hand warmer. It seems that his attire was remarkably prescient!" The owner didn't turn his head, but sighed as he looked at the miserable ledger and counted the accounts.

This is the number of years since the fall of the Moonlit Empire, and the Heavenly Pole Empire has continued to exist. No one knows the exact number, because in the subconscious of the Heavenly Pole people, it can continue for many more years.

The turmoil at the border was known to the people, but it was still far away. Snow blowing from the land of the crescent moon painted the capital with a fresh hue, washing away the oppressive atmosphere of the past few days, as if everything would get better.

In the past few days, the silent fear and oppression that had spread from the capital seemed to have disappeared. The sunlight in the snow had a particularly precious and familiar warmth. The strangeness of the past few months was not enough to change the peace and stability that had lasted for thousands of years.

Chu Mingkong paid the bill and walked out of the teahouse. The capital city in front of him was both familiar and strange.

Looking around, the streets and wells were deserted, with few pedestrians and the ground covered in white snow. Occasionally, children, oblivious to the cold, would play in the snow, and thousands of trees were draped in silver.

His all-black attire clashed sharply with the white snow, while his magnificent python robe hinted at his extraordinary background, making him a head-turner wherever he went.

Some saw him lingering in front of the deserted gates of the Shangguan Mansion; some saw him passing by the struggling Zhang Family Restaurant; some saw him wiping dust from the dilapidated plaque of the Cui Mansion...

Then, the figure appeared in front of the palace gate.

The man pushed open the heavily guarded palace gates and shouted:

"You dog emperor, your father is here—"

Chapter 257 The Emperor of Finishing Touches (5000-word chapter)

"I thought you, you young brat, were just spouting nonsense, but I never expected you to actually be so reckless as to come here."

The emperor clasped his hands together, and the moment Chu Mingkong stepped into the palace, the barrier that had not been seen for many days reappeared. This time, it repaired the previous flaws in the formation, or perhaps it simply moved the flaws to a different location. It was no longer possible for Chu Mingkong to use the old trick to escape the palace.

"Yellow Hair, what I did was indeed a bit yellow-haired, but I said I was coming, and I'm definitely coming."

Chu Mingkong did not show any panic; he had come prepared for this. He looked at the emperor, whose skin was purplish-black, much like a rotting eggplant, with sores resembling lividity on his skin. The whites of his eyes were black while his pupils were red. He was dressed with his chest open and his upper body bare. To put it nicely, he was unrestrained and dashing; to put it bluntly, he had completely lost the solemnity and majesty of an emperor.

He could only rely on an evil aura and the two dragons coiled around his body to intimidate and threaten others, thus maintaining his arrogance and power.

The emperor's smile stretched from his lips to his ears: "Very well. If you had seen the fear on the faces of those sect elders, you would know that this is not a place for you to run wild. Now that you've come, don't even think about leaving!"

As the palace's protective barrier completely enveloped the area, a suppression that had not appeared before quietly arose!

This suppression is similar to the suppression of heaven and earth that the emperor's clone suffered in the Crescent Moon Kingdom. In the past month or so, the emperor has refined the small world of the imperial palace, just like the Moon River Goddess for the Moonlit Empire. Any enemy that appears within the territory will have their strength suppressed and their communication with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth cut off, like a lone boat adrift on the vast ocean, isolated and helpless.

However, there are still differences. The Moon River Goddess left her mark on the entire land, while the emperor, despite his efforts, could only refine the palace. This scope could not even be extended to the entire capital city. That is the difference!

This is a rotation between home and away games. The one who just suffered defeat due to the suppression of heaven and earth was the emperor's clone. Now that Chu Mingkong has lost the protection of the Moon Land, it is his turn to face the suppression.

"Is that all? With such a level of skill, you still dare to call yourself an emperor of all ages?" Chu Mingkong mocked, but his heart was heavy. He quickly used the Lunar Eclipse Heavy Sword to create a domain, recreating the phenomenon of a black tide giving birth to a white moon. Although he could no longer be as comfortable as when he received the blessing before, he was no longer affected by the Heavenly Pole of the Imperial Palace.

He launched the first attack, his figure disappearing into nothingness along with the strange phenomenon. In an instant, he approached the emperor's throne. With the blessing of the Sword Immortal realm, the heavy sword he held high shone with light, possessing the power to split mountains!

However, just as the sword was about to strike the emperor's head, a barrier narrowly blocked it at the last moment. The emperor reached out to block it, and although the sword's intent pierced through the barrier, leaving a shallow bloodstain on the emperor's palm, it did not truly harm him.

"Do you really think I've been stuck at the same level all these days? Back then, I could have killed you, but I couldn't have stopped that cowardly rat from fleeing in such a sorry state. Now, you can't even escape!"

Chu Mingkong had not yet emerged from the colorless shadow, but the emperor was staring directly at him. This confirmed one thing for Chu Mingkong: in the palace he had refined, the concealment effect of the extreme yin power was no longer effective.

The emperor roared, his aura surged, and thousands of dragon heads formed from black dragon energy flew out, like ten thousand ghosts rushing out of the underworld. Two dragons wrapped around his body transformed into countless swimming dragons and snakes, raising their heads and roaring. This made the emperor's aura look surging and boundless, like a demon emperor who could dominate the world.

He pushed forward, and the chaotic dragon-snake spearheads pointed directly at Chu Mingkong, rushing towards him in an overwhelming wave of energy.

"These little snakes contain extreme Yin power, I'll join them too!" Chu Mingkong activated the dormant extreme Yin power, and the mutated heart spread out a ring of wounds. At the same time, he used the method left by the Moon River Goddess in the sword to manipulate the extreme Yin power.

Although both utilize the devouring and annihilation properties of extreme Yin power, the method implies efficiency, maximizing the performance of a given power.

The black tide in the strange phenomenon changed, and the extreme yin fire spiritual energy filled the original black tide. Looking around, it was like a magma ocean in purgatory. The dragons and snakes that rushed towards Chu Mingkong disappeared into the magma in the blink of an eye, like mud oxen entering the sea.

In the clash of extreme Yin power, Chu Mingkong had the upper hand.