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

"No, I should say that Xiling is the closest place to the Abyss. If you go deeper into it, you can go a long way."

I've searched for egg thieves in far-off areas before, but I haven't come across many outlying areas.

Chu Mingkong felt a chill run down his spine. Could it be that the inner space of the Abyss was really different from what he saw outside?

He felt uneasy without confirming this sudden discovery of doubt.

"Bai Niang, you stay here with Qing Ning. I'll go outside and take a walk around the Abyss. I won't walk the whole thing, just get a general idea, and I'll come back when it's about time."

Chapter 354 Mimicking the Master's Wife?

The Abyss occupies a considerable portion of the territory on the map of Xiling, and there are even some rather amusing things about it.

It is said that the original territory of Xiling was not so large. The area near Jiyuan, which is the current location of Jiyuan Border, was the habitat of some tribal peoples. However, they were bothered by the ferocious beasts of Jiyuan and surrendered to Xiling.

Since it's difficult to determine the ownership of places like the Abyss, the people who measured the territory circled the Abyss and simply considered the entire Abyss as Xiling's territory.

With the blessing of the Abyss, Xiling has risen to become a vast territory. Regardless of the truth, at least reporting that number is quite impressive!

Chu Mingkong walked out of the outer edge of the Abyss and returned to the westward route. Along the way, he saw some tribesmen from the Crescent Moon Kingdom wandering around, and they all looked at Chu Mingkong with puzzled eyes because he was heading towards the desolate area.

A place devoid of treasures, vegetation, water, opportunities, and even life itself would naturally be avoided even by seasoned cultivators.

Chu Mingkong flew a distance, silently comparing the distance to the Abyss in his mind.

"As long as there's no problem with this compass, I should be able to go straight into the Abyss from this position, following the same route I usually take. Can I get back to my previous position?"

If you think so, then you're overthinking it. The rumors Elder Jiu has heard are mostly fabricated lies, meant to amuse others.

Chu Mingkong thought about it for a while and felt it was not a good idea. It would be better to go a little further, preferably to a position equivalent to the edge of the deepest part of the abyss, and then cross over to see if he could return to his usual place smoothly.

Of course, Chu Mingkong actually wanted to go around to the other side of the Abyss at the border of Xiling and step into the Abyss from the opposite side to see if he could cross the Abyss and return directly to Xiling.

According to the distance on the map, Chu Mingkong could reach the other side in three days by flying sword without increasing his speed. However, using flying sword in the Abyss was a bit unstable. Even if he used his Abyss-transformed body to run, it would still take him four or five days to run through the Western Abyss.

But Chu Mingkong was afraid that he would get lost while running. Just as Bai Niang said, it would be difficult to encounter other outer areas as he went deeper, which would be a big problem. He might really get lost inside.

Bai Niang's body was much larger than Chu Mingkong's; if she ran at full speed, her physical speed alone would be faster than his ability to fly.

"White Lady, White Lady, can you hear me now?" Chu Mingkong silently touched the white snake on his arm; she was squinting.

Chu Mingkong was worried that they might be too far apart and experience a "bad signal".

Fortunately, Bai Niang's "signal" was much more reliable than his paper slip. Chu Mingkong only touched it twice before Bai Niang opened her beautiful snake eyes.

Those small, clear snake eyes possessed a captivating charm.

"I can hear you. What do you want to ask?"

"Where I am now is here on the map."

Chu Mingkong took out a map, pointed it out to Bai Niang, and after confirming that he had explained it clearly, Chu Mingkong continued:

"However, this is just how I perceive the distance. How do you perceive it, Bai Niang? Is it different from mine?"

"You cannot use ordinary concepts of distance to measure the distance to the outside world. Every route you take in the outer reaches of the Abyss, every subtle difference in direction, is different."

Do you remember what I told you, that when you're in the thick of it, you don't know what the world is like?

Judging from the distance I followed you from the outer edge of the Abyss, the route you took from the Abyss's border to its depths is exactly the size of the entire Abyss mentioned on this map.

Chu Mingkong was completely dumbfounded. What did Bai Niang mean by that?

He somewhat regretted not bringing his external brain, Rong'er, with him.

He pondered Bai Niang's words for a moment. The distance from the outer perimeter to the depths of the abyss was exactly the straight-line length of the Xiling Abyss marked on the ground.

Doesn't this mean that the West Abyss marked on the map is actually all the outer perimeter of the Abyss, while the depths of the Abyss that he came into contact with were actually outside the West Abyss on the map, belonging to a void outside the map, outside the world?

Bai Niang reminded:

"You can't use your 'ordinary understanding' of the outside world to understand the Abyss. Or you can imagine that there are many 'traps' on the ground outside the Abyss. These traps will make you shrink your distance to an inch without you realizing it. You will think that you have only taken one or two steps, but in fact you have walked a long distance relative to the outside world."

Sometimes you think you've come a long way, but relative to the outside world, you might have been standing still. My height allows for a clearer perception.

Chu Mingkong was still in a state of brain shutdown, with his pig brain overloaded.

The "trap" mentioned by Bai Niang is just a metaphor. In a hellish place like the Abyss, it's impossible to lay a trap for long, whether on the outskirts or deep inside.

Simply put, in the Abyss, even spatial distance can become part of the chaos and erosion.

The terrain is undulating and twisted everywhere, but the space is so large that those within it are completely unaware that the path they are on is winding.

Just like the blue planet Earth in the previous life, people on the ground could not feel that they were on a big sphere.

"Bai Niang, will it be difficult for me to go in from here and return to where Qing Ning and the others are?"

"If my physical body takes you there, it won't be difficult, but if you walk there, it will be very difficult."

"You can try it yourself later; the children are about to come out."

Chu Mingkong still couldn't suppress his curiosity:

"Then, Bai Niang, can your clone grow bigger now?"

"It's possible, but the clone's power is insufficient. You'll need to replenish my power significantly." Bai Niang's body swam across Chu Mingkong's body, moving downwards until her snake head came close to his large snake features.

This isn't the first time something like this has happened, and besides, can Bai Niang be compared to ordinary insects and snakes?

This is an elder!

“This time we need more, in the form of intertwined tails, so that I can let you take away a piece of the inheritance.”

Intertwined tails?

pay......

Chu Mingkong suddenly realized what this meant.

Even though they are elders, isn't this a little inappropriate?

Chu Mingkong's gaze unconsciously fell on the pink wound on Bai Niang's tail.

"Um... how about you try to transform into Aunt Li Lu's appearance, Bai Niang?" Chu Mingkong said reluctantly.

His cast steel belt was still fastened, tightly binding his black robe, but Bai Niang's soft, boneless body easily slipped through the restraints and coiled around Chu Mingkong's lifeline.

“Mingkong, didn’t you say you weren’t used to Li Lu? As for appearance, I can disguise myself as something else, like that ice-cold woman I saw at Qinghua Pond that day.”

"...?!"

Mimicking the teacher's wife?

Chapter 355 The Decline of Morality

"Um... Bai Niang, didn't you say you couldn't transform into human form yet? Why are you saying now that you can transform into someone else's appearance?" Chu Mingkong looked down at the person in front of him.

Bai Niang was no longer visible; she had already slipped into his clothes, leaving only a section of her fair and delicate snake tail peeking out from his collar. He could clearly feel Bai Niang's body clinging to his skin, smooth and tight against him, and within that softness, he could also feel an unusual strength.

"Transformation and mimicry are two different things. There are many spells that can change one's appearance, but those are easily recognized at a glance. Moreover, mimicry is more like an illusion, while transformation is a sublimation."

After Bai Niang finished explaining, she ended her words quickly, accompanied by a hissing sound, and the snake's forefinger temporarily went about its other business.

Chu Mingkong thought for a moment. What this meant was that mimicry was just a layer of skin or an illusion, but it was easy to detect and had no corresponding abilities, while transformation was a complete change of body, and spellcasting could also be improved, right?

Chu Mingkong felt that transforming into his master's wife like this, even if it was just an illusion, might not be a good idea.

However, Chu Mingkong found it difficult to say that he needed to refuse the offer, as he felt deep down that he couldn't refuse it.

Just as he was struggling with this internal conflict, Chu Mingkong heard Bai Niang's voice again. She said, somewhat indistinctly:

"Don't be patient... I haven't left this clone with much power, even the mimicry... needs to be replenished first."

Chu Mingkong realized that Bai Niang seemed to be much more skilled than Yongzhen in using the snake's tongue. Yongzhen had only just figured out the "tongue-coiling spear" technique, simply making use of the snake's tongue's slender and long advantage, like a snake coiling around its prey, using the snake's tongue to coil around him.

The remarkable thing about Bai Niang is that she can precisely control the forked tongue of a snake to become even thinner, and drill directly into its vital "eye hole"!

Don't listen to Bai Niang's gentle and tender reminders; she didn't give him any chance to endure and immediately began to pry open his skin...

Chu Mingkong was on high alert, frequently controlling his breathing to calm it down. Although he was told not to save time and not to be impatient, he was worried that if he lost his breath in just one or two breaths, it would damage his confidence!

--------

In the distance, several Crescent Kingdom herdsmen who had previously seen Chu Mingkong pass through the wasteland quietly followed him.

They didn't have any ulterior motives; they were mostly just curious.

In such a desolate and remote place, it's hard not to suspect that a man has discovered something by heading there with such a purpose.

For example, the cave dwellings and treasures left behind by great cultivators, ancient ruins and dojos, or the Yin Shi Gate that is frequently mentioned in the black market of the Crescent Moon Kingdom.

Anything is possible!

The people of the Crescent Moon Kingdom are not afraid of trouble, but they don't provoke it. When something happens, they will observe what is going on and then sell it as information on the black market to buy a couple of drinks. That's quite a treat!

Those who dare to wander near the Abyss are no ordinary weaklings, and these herdsmen naturally knew this, so they observed from a distance.

One person took out a trained falcon and used its eyes to observe, while another person took out a domesticated desert snake and placed it on the ground, also letting the snake observe for them.

They themselves wouldn't even peek out twice, not giving the other party a chance to notice their gaze, highlighting their professionalism!

"What did your bird see?" the herdsman asked, still waiting for the snake to return, as his companion's falcon had already returned to his shoulder.

The bird trainer and his falcon were talking amongst themselves, occasionally using totems as a medium to communicate.

His expression gradually became serious, as if he had been constipated for over a month.

“This is an eagle, not a bird! Show some respect. My eagle is saying that the man just now was doing some strange things with his pet snake by the edge of the abyss.”

"What's so strange?" the snake keeper asked, puzzled.

The bird tamer clearly didn't want to go into details, as it was a bit beyond his knowledge. While building trust with your spirit pet is indeed important, it shouldn't be done this way.

It's one thing to occasionally take care of a lamb, but taking a snake is a bit...

Soon, the snake keeper's snake returned, but it didn't look too good; it seemed a bit dazed.

"What do you see?" The snake keeper was communicating again, using his small totem pendant as a means of communication.

The desert snake first climbed to a tree branch, opened its mouth wide and bit the stick, and then its tail wrapped around the stick.