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

Even without any additional enhancements, Chu Mingkong still clearly saw the figure that walked out of the crystal jade coffin.

That was none other than Empress Yueqi, whom I had seen in the Lunar Eclipse Divine Kingdom, though she had changed somewhat.

Her long hair, flowing like a waterfall and as black as ink, seemed to awaken from a long, slumbering slumber, its ends slightly disheveled yet exuding a quiet madness in harmony with her calm demeanor.

The tall, slender figure rose from the ancient coffin, her gently flowing hair obscuring her empressly countenance. Her plain black dress, weathered by time and years, was slightly tattered, with ragged cuffs, yet her graceful and proud imperial bearing remained undiminished. Her fair, icy skin and jade-like bones seemed otherworldly.

As she stepped out of the coffin with her snow-white legs, it seemed as if the stars and the moon were all revolving around her.

Chu Mingkong held his breath. The woman was so familiar, yet she seemed so strange to him as she walked out like this.

Is this really Empress Yueqi? Is that coffin that appeared in the Yin-time celestial phenomena hers?

For thousands of years since the founding of the Moonlit Empire, she has been sleeping alone within it.

Was this her own choice, or did she suffer some injury and use the power of the stars to heal herself?

Numerous questions arose in his mind, but Chu Mingkong could only hold Yuehe's hand tightly, his throat slightly hoarse as he asked:

"Yuehe... what's going on?"

Yuehe also stared blankly at that direction, and similar questions flashed through her mind one after another.

Despite having acquired the knowledge of the Lunar Eclipse Greatsword, Yuehe would sometimes refer to herself as "the past me," but deep down she still believed that she was herself and not anyone's past.

She was equally puzzled about what had happened to her during the reign of Empress Yueqi, and what she was doing now.

However, she knew more than Chu Mingkong; the residual consciousness within the Lunar Eclipse Heavy Sword contained the various thoughts of Empress Yueyun at that time.

“This is an empty shell, a corpse. It probably knew what she wanted to do…” Yuehe murmured to himself.

Chu Mingkong was at a loss for words and could only ask with his eyes. He desperately wanted to know what this meant and what the appearance of Empress Yueyun meant.

Yuehe sensed Chu Mingkong's gaze and voiced her guess:

"This is probably going to manifest three lifetimes: the past, the present, and the future..."

But what about the future? Did she somehow entrust her future to the cat? If so, then it really was the right decision to have Fengying lead her away.

Faced with this unknown, Chu Mingkong appeared calm, but in reality, he was extremely anxious.

"What does that mean? Does Empress Yueqi want to be resurrected? And what will happen next?"

He also thought of Yuehe's unusually talkative behavior today, which must have been a sign of what was happening.

She also mentioned leaving the method to subdue powerful enemies in the Lunar Eclipse Greatsword. Could it be that the corpse of Empress Yueqi is the enemy she intends to deal with?!

Is this really possible?!

Skills can only slightly increase one's chances of winning when the strength is equal, but brute force can overcome all techniques. In the face of an absolute gap, no amount of skill is anything but a joke.

Chu Mingkong had previously thought that the people of the Heavenly Realm were merely as strong as ancient people, but Empress Yueqi...

Beside the crystal coffin, Empress Yueqi stretched out her jade-like arm towards the sky. With a gentle clench of her slender hand, she plucked the Yin-time star chart, condensing it into a ball in her palm. The ball of light in her palm seemed to be a world in itself.

The celestial phenomena of the Yin hour were held in her palm, as if she were holding a crystal ball of stars, and this ball of light generated an inexplicable attraction.

The beings that had just emerged during the Yin Time were sucked back into the sphere of light.

Yuehe was also within the range of this suction force, but the Empress's corpse didn't seem to be in a hurry to absorb Yuehe, and Chu Mingkong could barely hold onto her.

But this is only a temporary "leniency" for the Empress's corpse. What will happen next?

Yuehe stared at the corpse of the empress across the distance, his stunned gaze seemingly revealing a great deal from the other's eyes.

Immediately, Yuehe's expression changed from doubt and wariness to relief and acceptance, and finally he shook his head and chuckled.

"Yuehe, tell me what happened, what did she say to you!"

Chapter 446 Raising a cup to invite the bright moon, we become three with our shadows.

Yuehe let out a long breath, her complex expression revealing acceptance of the new situation. She began by speaking in the most relaxed tone:

"Simply put, it was a false alarm."

"..."

Yuehe, you call this oppressive imperial aura a false alarm? Am I having a nightmare because I'm still half asleep, or are you talking nonsense because you're groggy?

Yuehe found Chu Mingkong's anxious gaze rather amusing:

"Well, I really hate long explanations. How about I take you there and let her explain it to me?"

Chu Mingkong's gaze shifted from Yuehe to the woman beside the ancient coffin. Even though they were now at a great distance, her strong presence was still hard to ignore.

He suddenly stared at the sphere of light that contained the stars of the Yin Time, and questioned:

"After you go there, will it make it easier for her to absorb you? Just like those other creations from the Yin Time?"

In the instant they spoke, the Yin Shi false door that had caused them several days of melancholy was sucked into it like a withered leaf.

Yuehe looked troubled and bitter as she gazed at him.

"Why are you always so clever at these strange times... Shall we go together?"

These words sound like a question, but in reality, there isn't much of a choice.

Chu Mingkong could only nod for the time being. He wanted to know why all of this had happened so suddenly, including the Moon Empress who had emerged from the ancient coffin.

Under this gloomy sky, the wind stopped and the trees were still.

Countless eyes, both overt and covert, were observing this direction. Elders from the Daoist sects, and even the Supreme Elders who had been in seclusion for many years and whose fates were unknown, squinted their eyes, not daring to look directly at it. They could only glance sideways and observe this suddenly arriving visitor from outer space using various methods.

"Is that the corpse of Empress Yueqi? Does it still retain her will? Or is it actually her?"

"This... Your Highness actually dared to approach such a being so rashly! I can hardly even look him in the eye!"

"Will His Highness be in danger? Was he summoned by Empress Yueqi? How dare he walk towards her alone!"

Even the Buddhist sect, which had already suffered a loss, withdrew its arrogant gaze and quietly observed from behind.

"Most likely, it was a ritual he performed before assassinating the emperor that allowed him to see the real Empress Yueqi, and now the empress still treats him kindly!"

"You've seen the Eyes and Ears Arhat, haven't you? That's a soulless imperial corpse. No matter how friendly you are, it might not be of any use. How dare you approach it alone? You might be accidentally killed by the imperial corpse and not even notice him."

"He really got close to the ancient coffin, and the emperor's corpse didn't move him... It seems like it did! Can someone take a closer look and see what's going on?!"

Chu Mingkong was led by Yuehe to the vicinity of the ancient coffin, and then to the woman who looked very familiar.

Empress Yueqi's absorption of the Yin Time Creation in her hands seemed to be constantly replenishing her thirsty power, and her tattered and decaying night-colored dress "revived," regaining its former magnificence and nobility in the blink of an eye.

She raised her finger and gently touched his forehead.

The voice of Yuehe, or rather, Empress Yueqi, echoed in his mind, bypassing all the tedium of language and condensing complex matters into a meaning that went straight to his spine, conveying it to him.

[This is related to the Yin Time. The Yin Time is not formed by celestial phenomena, but by the combined power of some of the so-called gods and Buddhas in the celestial realm. The goal of the creator of the Yin Time is naturally the 'treasure' that appears within the Yin Time, and even the people of the Yin Time themselves are one of the 'treasures'.]

As for why this strange celestial phenomenon was created, it was naturally still about plunder. You have experienced much, and should know where the spiritual energy that filled the world in ancient times went, or rather, where it was plundered.

[The beings in the Celestial Realm are quite farsighted, clearly foreseeing the future: this place will decline and can no longer satisfy their demands. Thus, their gaze has turned to history, specifically to us 'people of the Yin Era'.]

Although Chu Mingkong knew very little about those mysterious matters, he still understood some basic principles of magic arrays. He looked at Empress Yueqi and asked:

"If you reappear by borrowing the power of the stars, then your power must also come from the power of the stars. So why not just 'devour' the stars directly instead of going through all this trouble?"

Empress Yueqi gently shook her head, her black hair as dark as ink, her deep eyes unmoving, making it difficult to tell whether she was listless and dazed or gazing intently.

You should know the power of will. The people of the moon on this land, whether women, children, or the elderly, even if they do not know the real me, will all call my name. For thousands of years, no one has been able to shake this name or take away the power of will from future generations.

When these wishes are absorbed, my memories and records will completely disappear from the stories passed down orally and the texts of ancient books and scrolls.

Although these acts of willpower are still inferior to rare treasures like spiritual energy that nourish the soul, is there anything else in this world worth continuing to exploit and plunder?

In Chu Mingkong's mind, several people who seemed to be from the Heavenly Domain whom he had met not long ago came to mind.

Their attitude was arrogant and contemptuous, and their words clearly indicated that they only regarded this place as a place to replenish their own nutrition.

"So, what are you planning to do now? I saw that you absorbed these Yin Time creations, and you even intend to take the Moon River with you... Since you can control Yin Time so well and bring it under your control, shouldn't you have a way to keep the Moon River here forever?"

You'll soon find out what I'm going to do. As for your suggestion to let Yuehe stay forever, that's impossible; it's a contradiction. It might seem like she could stay, but she really can't; it might seem like she could stay, but she still can't.

If you have anything you want to say, you can take this opportunity to tell her now.

Chu Mingkong opened his mouth but remained silent. He looked at Yuehe, whom he was holding tightly, and Yuehe was also looking at him with a gentle expression, silently waiting for his question.

Chu Mingkong finally turned his gaze back to Empress Yueqi:

"Actually, you absorbed Yuehe long ago; you just left a shadow for me to see?"

Upon hearing this, Yuehe, whose hand he had been holding, suddenly paused, then said with a mixture of helplessness and regret:

"You're always like this. Anyone who looks at you for a few seconds thinks that you've been dulled by the goddess behind you, but you're actually quite smart sometimes."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yuehe, whom he had been holding tightly, disappeared.

Empress Yueqi raised her chin, letting her black hair slide from her cheek to behind her ear, revealing a face that was more mature than Yuehe's, yet breathtakingly beautiful and majestic. This was Empress Yueqi as seen in the Lunar Eclipse Divine Kingdom.

Her red lips parted slightly, and her voice resonated deep within Chu Mingkong's mind, confirming that this was not an illusion:

[Regarding what you just said, what I left you with wasn't just a shadow. Hasn't the shadow always been by your side? And now there's the cat too!]

Shadow...is this referring to the Wind Shadow?

Before he could think any further, the sky suddenly changed.

The dark clouds rolled and surged, transforming into enormous gods and Buddhas, their hands capable of covering the sky and their eyes surpassing the sun and moon!

Under the vast sky and on the thick earth, all that dwells there is like an ant!

Several of them opened their gaping maws like wild beasts, a fierce wind howled, as if they were trying to devour something, but they sucked it all up!

These oppressive deities, whose power reached deep into the heart, were like true gods. Their gazes converged on Empress Yueqi beside the ancient coffin, and suddenly anger arose in their eyes as they spoke in a strange and captivating language.

In this world, only the tall woman beside the ancient coffin, surrounded by gods and Buddhas, exuded an aura of power that was not diminished.

Chu Mingkong didn't feel much pressure, because Empress Yueying blocked it all for him.

[They came so quickly. These past twelve days and twelve places, and we've only been to one place every three days – a bit short. Let's leave those disappointing things aside for now, but I still need to briefly mention a couple more things.]

"..." Chu Mingkong and she looked at each other in silence.

The Yin Time is inherently an illusion, so to be able to meet on this occasion is already a great blessing. Therefore, Mingkong, you need not feel regret. This should be considered one of the few acts of merit performed by the Heavenly Realm. Your current sadness will spoil this blessing.

Don't be alarmed, 'heaven and earth,' I've left this body here specifically to deal with these fellows.

"Past body, present body... future body is the Kazekage? You guys are really quite annoying."