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

"From now on, you and your daughter can move freely in this spirit palace. There is no one here to serve you, so you must take care of yourselves. Also, these are places you must not approach."

A map drawn with spiritual energy appeared in the palm of the tuberose, with several areas specifically circled to indicate that they should not be approached.

In truth, Wanxiangyu herself did not know what was in these places. These were things she had gathered from her memories. In the past, the people here regarded these places as forbidden zones, and ordinary people could not easily approach them.

“Okay!” Little Zhu Yan readily agreed, her smiling eyes narrowing into slits, looking very well-behaved.

Now that Tulip had accepted them, she would no longer try to make things difficult for them. Instead, she asked the little fox about Chu Mingkong, inquiring how she knew that group and what their status and identity were in the outside world.

But what she saw was a little fox with a blank expression.

Zhu Yan shook her head vigorously, even asking her in return:

"I don't know. Lord Chu and his sisters all came from the forbidden area. My mother and I are not knowledgeable and have never heard of Lord Chu's name. But we feel that Lord Chu is someone who has lived in seclusion in the deep mountains and forests. He is very powerful!"

I thought you, Sister Tuberose, already knew.

Wan Xiangyu listened to Xiao Zhuyan recount in detail her encounter with Chu Mingkong and the others, and only then did she realize that the white fox mother and daughter were not originally with Chu Mingkong, but had only received his help and guided him.

The relationship isn't very deep...

Tuberose felt even more appreciative of the white fox and her daughter, since Xiao Zhuyan's encounter with him was out of necessity, as she had come to this area out of desperation to save her mother.

"Sister Wanxiangyu, why is the entrance to the forbidden valley so dangerous? I heard from Lord Chu that I was under an illusion spell and almost died there. I was nearly smashed into some kind of little fox!" Xiao Zhuyan leaned closer, her tone becoming more relaxed, and she began to complain in a resentful tone.

Tuberose shook its head:

“That area is not under my control; it has been taken over by something in the demonic miasma. Many who attempt to trespass into the forbidden area of ​​the Illusion Palace often die at the mouth of the valley before even reaching my controlled area. Over the long years, the demonic miasma has tried to approach the forbidden area, but it has been powerless and can only be confined to the area at the mouth of the valley.”

"So that's how it is! The demonic miasma is indeed terrifying!" Little Zhu Yan said, still shaken.

"But that doesn't mean the valley outside the Spirit Palace is a place you can just walk around at will. There are many hidden restrictive formations there, which even I find difficult to control."

"Understood~"

"Then, little Zhu Yan, you may wander around the Spirit Palace on your own. If you encounter anything you don't understand, you can ask the surrounding flowers, plants, and spirit plants."

Wanxiangyu eagerly examined the cultivation technique, then left without further conversation with the little white fox.

------------

Yanling City, one of the ancient cities in the Heavenly Realm, has stood for countless ages.

Although it is no longer one of the major powers in the Heavenly Domain, it still maintains a considerable level of prosperity thanks to the many training grounds around it and the carefully protected teleportation array. It serves as a transit point for many mid-level cultivators to go out for training and honing their skills.

On this day, a series of surprised sounds arose from the taverns and shops near the teleportation array.

Some of the visiting cultivators were puzzled by the commotion, and many asked what had happened.

"Why are you all so surprised? Could it be that something major happened during the cultivation technique just now?"

"No, they are surprised by this teleportation array. Did they see the fluctuations in that light screen? A big shot is coming to Yanling City. These fluctuations can only be generated when the teleportation arrays of the holy land masters of those major forces arrive here."

A major power would naturally have more than just one or two teleportation arrays. And the main teleportation arrays mentioned here, especially those in the palaces of the leaders of major powers, are definitely not for disciples to use when going out on business.

The current fluctuations indicate that at least a top-tier Saint Venerable level figure has arrived.

"Who will it be?"

"It is highly likely to be the Heavenly Demon Clan. I have heard that the Heavenly Demon Clan has been making great moves in Jianmu in recent years, but the Heavenly Demon Clan is also divided into factions. I just don't know what the current situation is."

"Even such important figures have been mobilized. The Heavenly Demons may be about to take over the Jianmu Tree. In the future, the Heavenly Demons' power ranking in the Heavenly Domain may be further improved."

"Wrong. Compared to the power rankings, the Heavenly Demon realm might experience internal turmoil first, with a possible change of leadership. In short, it won't be peaceful!"

Everyone stared intently at the direction of the teleportation gate, but several humans walked out of it.

"How rare! A pure human?!"

"Wait, which faction does this belong to? Why isn't it the Heavenly Demon?"

As soon as Chu Mingkong and Zuo Qiuchi and the others came out, they suddenly noticed countless gazes gathering in their direction, and instantly became alert.

"What's going on? Why is everyone staring at us?" Chu Mingkong asked in a low voice.

"Could this be some kind of den of bandits, villains, or cultivators? Is it forbidden for outsiders to come here...?" Zuo Qiuchi didn't want to become enemies with an entire city of cultivators the moment he stepped out of the teleportation portal.

This is too exhausting to deal with.

A once bustling ancient city with a teleportation array fell completely silent at this moment.

Chu Mingkong made a decisive move, unleashing his full power to activate his Annihilation Domain and quickly escaped outside the city to avoid being surrounded by the enemy!

Only after these people disappeared did the cultivators near the teleportation array dare to speak up and discuss the origins of those humans. They didn't seem to be important figures from any major power.

Someone approached the guards of the teleportation array and asked which side this person came from.

The person in charge of the teleportation array can investigate who has used it.

After checking, the guards all doubted their own eyes.

"This place doesn't seem to have any cities, let alone teleportation arrays. I remember it being a forbidden area filled with illusions and fraught with danger. Could it be that they found the treasure and inheritance of that Illusion Palace Forbidden Area and used the teleportation array inside to leave?!"

Chapter 154 A Forging Furnace Isn't Necessary

Chu Mingkong and the others were still unaware of the situation, wondering why the commotion was so "grand." They hadn't done anything, yet they were receiving so much attention for no reason.

However, after sneaking out of the city and eavesdropping on some information in the vicinity, the group gained a preliminary understanding of the place and also understood the reason why they had attracted so much attention earlier.

Knowing the truth, Chu Mingkong was both amused and exasperated; it really was a false alarm.

"This really scared me. It turns out our teleportation portal has been discovered... Is it really necessary to make such a fuss? I thought something terrible had happened."

"When you, Mingkong, walked out of the depths of the Abyss so openly, the shock that others felt was probably the same as what we felt just now," Zuo Donglu said. She was one of the witnesses, but she was the one who was rescued by Chu Mingkong emerging from the depths of the Abyss.

Yun Nongyu was constantly aware of the unfamiliar world around her, and she said:

"It wasn't a false alarm. It's best not to reveal our identities as people from the lower realms for now. If we had lingered in the city for too long, we might have attracted the attention of the Heavenly Demon Clan."

That's true. Moreover, the news that someone found a teleportation array in the forbidden area and teleported out was quite sensational. Running away immediately was probably the wisest choice.

"Speaking of which, just now when you met the Celestial Realm people in the city, were you able to clearly sense the condition of those cultivators, their cultivation level, race, and so on?" Chu Mingkong asked.

When Zuo Qiuchi stepped out of the teleportation array, she noticed the few life forms nearby, and they were indeed not human. She muttered to herself:

"They were quite surprised by our human identity. Are pure humans really that rare in the Heavenly Realm? Since things are valued for their rarity, wouldn't I be considered royalty?"

"It's also possible that they think, 'How could a human cultivator with such a prominent head suddenly appear?'" Chu Mingkong said.

“I sensed a few sword cultivators, and their sword intent… was similar to Wu Yiling’s aura, like people from Sword Tyrant Mountain.” Zuo Donglu focused on sensing those auras from Sword Tyrant Mountain. “They weren’t particularly strong, and their cultivation level was probably comparable to that of the Great Fox Zhu Tong, but their cultivation techniques and combat power might be stronger than Zhu Tong’s.”

Each of them pondered the situation they had captured in that brief moment and was surprised to find that even in such an ancient city with a profound history, their cultivation level was among the best.

What they feared most was that once they came from the lower realms, they would immediately find that their strength and cultivation had become like frogs at the bottom of a well.

This won't dampen their spirits, but they'll definitely feel a bit frustrated, as they never expected to still be among the top performers after coming from the lower realms.

However, at this stage, they are not keen to rashly engage in combat with the people of the Heavenly Realm, as this could easily make them the target of everyone's attacks and create unnecessary trouble.

"I think it's better for us to pause our cultivation for now. It's a bit too easy to expose our position, and the improvement speed of this breathing exercise feels so slow! It's better to cultivate together with Mingkong." Zuo Qiuchi said that he would stop cultivating and breathing, but in reality, he had no intention of stopping.

Her saying this was clearly malicious competition; she wanted Zuo Donglu and Yun Nongyu to cultivate less, while she herself could refine more spiritual energy.

Zuo Qiuchi and the others are all cultivators with extremely high physical strength, but their spiritual strength is much lower. Now that they have come to the Heavenly Domain, it is like stranded fish returning to the water.

Moreover, since several people were standing together, it was almost like a siphon. Wherever they passed, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was drained to a thin level, which attracted some cultivators to approach and see who cultivated so boldly.

The usually taciturn Zuo Donglu didn't hold back when criticizing her sister, bluntly stating:

"If Qiuchi finds it too slow, then stop your breathing exercises and cultivate while hanging on Mingkong's body."

Upon hearing this, Chu Mingkong guessed that Aunt Donglu had probably heard about the "power bank" from some girl.

He glanced at his master's precious treasure. Zuo Qiuchi's spiritual veins were still in "full-blown heat." After warming up in the battle at the temple, she did not let her body cool down. Instead, she struck while the iron was hot and decisively increased the speed of refining spiritual energy. As a result, her body was still as delicate as warm jade, and sweat kept seeping from her smooth skin.

Before the sweat could even soak through the clothes, it was quickly scalded into a white mist by the scalding temperature.

"This is a rare opportunity. My dear Master, your body is so hot right now, I really want to try it out. Just think of it as experiencing what it's like to clamp iron bars in a high-temperature forging furnace."

"..."

The women fell silent at his words. Considering that he had just attacked Hua Rui, it was hard not to wonder if Chu Mingkong might turn on even more outrageous people in the future.

After staring at him for a while, Zuo Qiuchi smacked him on the forehead and gritted his teeth, saying:

"You think I have such a rare opportunity?!"

The banter didn't last long. The group circled around Yanling City, lingering for a few hours to slightly improve their spiritual cultivation.

After sensing that the spiritual energy around Yanling City had become thinner, they stopped lingering and headed straight for Jianmu.

Meanwhile, in Yanling City, a group of cultivators were bewildered by the sudden deterioration of their cultivation environment.

"What's going on? Why has the spiritual energy in Yanling City suddenly become so thin? It was fine yesterday!"

"As expected, this day has come. Yanling City is finally destined for decline..."

"Huh, the spiritual energy seems to be gradually recovering. What exactly happened just now?"

------------

Chu Mingkong and the others initially speculated that Jianmu was a secret realm.

Just like the Heavenly Gate in the Kunlun Taoist sect, one can only reach Jianmu by entering through that secret realm entrance.

But Chu Mingkong did not expect that the Jianmu tree actually had a physical form.

After leaving Yanling City, they traveled west at full speed for more than half a day, where Chu Mingkong and the others saw a deep, bottomless crack in the earth.

This is a deep abyss, seemingly dividing the earth into left and right banks, and a strange giant tree grows out of this abyss, its crown not even visible.

High in the sky, those layers of clouds are actually the shadows cast by the canopy and branches of trees.

When they first arrived, they thought there was a giant tower here, but it turns out it was just the trunk of a Jianmu tree!

"Look over there, there are several seventh-order Great Perfection Heavenly Demons guarding that place. That's probably the entrance to the Jianmu Tree on this side of the Heavenly Realm."

The group hid in inconspicuous places, not daring to look at each other for too long.

"Should we just charge straight through, or infiltrate?" Zuo Qiuchi had already made up his mind to take action, but he still pretended to ask.

"Let's try to infiltrate first. We don't know the situation or layout inside yet. If we are discovered, it would be best to force a breakout."