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

A flash of light appeared before his eyes, and when his vision returned, Chu Mingkong found himself atop a mountain.

Outside the mountains, clouds and mist swirl around, and here there is only one pool that looks so familiar, it really looks like the Jade Pool.

For a fleeting moment, Chu Mingkong thought he had returned to the Kunlun Mountains, where the atmosphere was similar to the spiritual energy of the Kunlun Daoist sect.

However, his gaze was immediately drawn to several jade coffins. The coffins were placed in a peculiar way, as if arranged according to some kind of celestial arrangement, and cold air emanated from them.

To be honest, although the Queen Mother of the West had joked with him like that before, seeing so many coffins here really made Chu Mingkong feel heavy-hearted.

Even though it was only a few steps away, he didn't dare to go over and look, for fear of discovering something bad.

"Mingkong, don't just look at the jade coffin on the ground, look at the sky too."

Bai Niang's words reminded Chu Mingkong, and he subconsciously looked up.

The sky, which was a clear blue expanse when viewed at eye level, vanished into a vast starry night the moment Chu Mingkong raised his gaze.

Under the starry sky, another jade coffin hangs in the air.

That's not surprising at all. Chu Mingkong saw that enormous Lustful Immortal here!

Beside him were two similar beings. Chu Mingkong could confirm that they were the Chaotic Fear Immortal and the Bewitching Immortal that Yun Nongyu had mentioned before, but he did not expect them to appear here.

These three beings are in a deep slumber, their eyes lowered, their serene countenances displaying a compassionate and dignified countenance.

"Is this the One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones? Did these three Corpse Immortals all originate from that suspended jade coffin?"

Chu Mingkong forgot to breathe for a moment, his heart filled with utter shock.

So this is the true essence of Taoism?

But no matter how shocked he was, his focus always returned to the matter of "confirming the existence of the coffin".

He sighed, not wanting to see the person he knew in the coffin...

Reaching the first jade coffin, Chu Mingkong lowered his gaze with difficulty. He sensed unfamiliarity from the face of the woman inside, and let out a long sigh of relief.

He quickened his pace, rushing past each jade coffin, and found that none of them were the one who had always been by his side. The huge weight in his heart was finally lifted.

Coming to his senses, he also began to examine these stunningly beautiful female corpses. Each of these female corpses was dignified and beautiful, with a beauty that could topple kingdoms. More accurately, they resembled "Niangye," holding high positions, possessing unparalleled beauty, and having ethereal grace. Moreover, their presence on so many beautiful female corpses did not make them seem "cheap" or visually tiring.

Beneath their similar air of elegance and nobility, each of them possesses their own unique beauty.

Their peaceful sleeping faces seem to be admiring their own beauty, making it hard to associate them with "death".

Even though they were sleeping in coffins, Chu Mingkong suspected that they might have just chosen a place to be underestimated without any scruples, and that they might wake up from it at any time.

Chu Mingkong gently touched the slender hand of one of the mature female corpses. Her skin was delicate and smooth, cool yet warm.

It's like a beautiful woman strolling after a storm, her skin feeling slightly cool.

"My goodness, what does all this mean? What does it have to do with you? You're not going to tell me you're sleeping in that coffin up there, are you?"

Chu Mingkong finally couldn't help but voice his doubts.

The woman seemed to be deliberately teasing him, remaining silent for a long time, leaving only a silence in his heart, until a hint of panic and surprise appeared in his emotions, at which point the woman spoke again.

"That coffin up there is empty. You can go up and see for yourself, just don't disturb the Corpse Spirit~"

Chu Mingkong looked at the three corpse immortals, reconsidered his curiosity, and decided not to be reckless and to believe his mother's words for the time being.

"Are all these female corpses the Queen Mother of the West? I remember the current Yao Ji said that after the Queen Mother of the West ascended to heaven, she left behind her power, allowing Yao Ji to become the new Queen Mother of the West? Where did these corpses come from?"

"That statement is incomplete. To be precise, the Queen Mother of the West left behind divine essence as nutrients and fertilizer, allowing the divine tree to bear the immortal elixir of immortality, the peach. This was a necessary prerequisite for Yao Ji to ascend to the position of the Queen Mother of the West."

"The elixir of immortality... but in the end, didn't he still pass away? Is it only the physical body that is immortal?" Chu Mingkong sighed, pressing on to this point, and asked again, "Then, Mother, who are you? The one who is Yao Ji's superior?"

The woman's voice was still as gentle and languid as she explained:

"The Queen Mother of the West that Yao Ji knows is in the second jade coffin on your left. Which one am I...? I could actually be any one of them, I know the experiences of each and every one of them."

You said the elixir of immortality only makes the physical body immortal, but that's not entirely true. Their will also exists to some extent...

The woman carefully explained the complex reasons behind this. Chu Mingkong took a long time to understand, because many words had different inherent meanings, but were used in several eras. For example, the word "goddess" could refer to the real goddesses, or to a woman who had obtained the essence of a goddess and possessed the appropriate physique. Even in the New Moon Kingdom, Yuehe Maomao could be considered a goddess by the people of the moon.

The world doesn't have a strong taboo against using names or avoiding certain connotations, and respectable words will continue to be used.

That's why Chu Mingkong had to put in a lot of effort to figure out some of the details.

The one who always stayed by his side could be said to be the consciousness within the origin of the goddess, that is, the true goddess.

The Queen Mother of the West in the Taoist sect were all people who obtained the essence of the goddess. With such conditions, they could have become very strong. It would not have been difficult for them to cross the Heavenly Gate and cultivate in the Heavenly Realm, but no one did so.

Furthermore, the divine essence possessed by the Queen Mother of the West and her contemporaries is relatively complete!

It should be said that the original essence of the goddess that circulated in the two realms, apart from those parts scattered in the Abyss and Yang Valley, was originally quite substantial. However, due to various reasons, such as competition or inheritance, those original essences were divided into many scattered parts.

Only the Queen Mother of the West has maintained a relatively complete origin through the act of giving back to her.

However, the Queen Mother of the West did not use this opportunity to further her cultivation, and her lifespan was destined to be much shorter than that of the overlords of the Heavenly Realm throughout history.

When the Queen Mother of the West passed away, their act of returning their divine essence to the divine tree allowed their personal experiences and memories to flow into the goddess's origin.

Therefore, the mother who has been by Chu Mingkong's side for a long time would say that she could be one of the Queen Mothers of the West in the past, because none of them are unfamiliar to her. Having taken the elixir of immortality, they are immortal in another sense.

As for the three Corpse Immortals, they were the products of the first Queen Mother of the West after she severed her three corpses and cleansed her heart of impurities. At that time, there was no Taoist sect. It was this filth that was severed that became the "examiner" for people to test themselves in later generations.

If these three beings could be used as weapons by the Taoist sect, the Taoist sect would probably be invincible for a lifetime, and the Buddhist sect might not even dare to make a move.

"My God, you never told me about this before because you were afraid of these three Corpse Immortals appearing?"

Chu Mingkong had already sensed the gaze from above. Just as his mother mentioned these inside stories, the Corpse Immortals unknowingly opened their eyes, their eerie and malevolent gazes fixed on him.

If Chu Mingkong hadn't possessed such a formidable level of cultivation, being stared at by these three powerful figures all at once would have certainly caused problems.

If Mother were to discuss these matters outside, it would attract the attention of these three individuals, and not only Chu Mingkong but also those around him would suffer an undeserved disaster.

Returning to the issue of succession among the Queen Mother of the West, if we compare the Queen Mother of the West to a branch, then the one who has always been by her side is the main trunk.

"Then, Mother... what kind of being am I that you would possess my mind and soul? It can't be a coincidence, right?"

"It's not a coincidence, is it? Why do you think the current Queen Mother of the West, who has already passed away, didn't have any peaches of immortality on the divine tree, thus preventing Yao Ji from advancing to the next rank?"

Chu Mingkong pretended to ponder for a while, then revealed a look of sudden realization and said in a firm and powerful voice:

"I don't know! How would I know why there are no fruits?"

"That giant peach turned into you~"

Each peach needs to be nourished with enough energy to bear fruit, but the Queen Mother of the West wanted to change things, to alter that meaningless cycle of reincarnation, and so she created you, an extra premature peach. Now, Yao Ji has lost the opportunity to advance her cultivation level~

"..."

Chu Mingkong felt that his mother wasn't lying.

No wonder he felt an instant connection with Peach. I used to think it was just his lustful nature, but it turns out it was because he met someone from his hometown and felt an immediate sense of closeness!

This is not only our nature, but can also be traced back to our very essence!

So the reason he wasn't killed by the Abyss Disaster earlier was because the origin of his body was unusual.

"Alright, it's time for you to cultivate. If you want to break through your current physical limits, you need to start from the source. You can use the Queen Mother of the West here for cultivation. If you linger here too long, you'll waste time outside."

Chu Mingkong looked at the jade coffin, his heart filled with complex emotions: "I don't think this is a good idea."

"Isn't it the same as treating it as a puppet? Haven't you played with puppets enough?"

"But Bai Niang might mistakenly think I have some kind of peculiar fetish! Why don't you, Mother, show yourself and explain, or possess the body of the Queen Mother of the West and perform some..."

As Chu Mingkong faced the woman's gaze, his voice grew softer and softer.

"What are you saying? I can't hear you. Speak louder!"

Chapter 284 Stepping Forward to Return to His Hometown

Kunlun Daoist School.

Several elders who practiced astrology and divination found Yao Ji; they had recently been responsible for keeping an eye on the situation at the Buddhist sect.

"Lady Yaoji, there seems to be some movement from the Buddhist side. The Pure Land is absorbing spiritual energy from heaven and earth at a faster pace, and they seem quite impatient."

Another elder echoed this sentiment:

"Yes, the demonic energy near the Pure Land is too dense. Not to mention cultivators, even ordinary people who don't absorb spiritual energy are having problems. Plants, insects, birds and other creatures are being severely mutated."

Yao Ji calmed the elder down for the time being, and then said:

"Calm down. This is probably the one from the Pure Land of Buddhism about to awaken. Tell your disciples not to act rashly and to stay quietly in the Taoist sect. I will go and contact His Highness to inform him of this matter."

An elder stroked his beard and muttered with difficulty, "The disciples of the Daoist sect are fine, but there might be some movement from the Crescent Moon Kingdom..."

Yao Ji had already turned around, preparing to head towards Jianmu, but the elder's words made her stop in her tracks:

"What do you mean?"

"The Buddhist Pure Land and the Crescent Kingdom are two places that are barely adjacent. Many tribes in the Crescent Kingdom live by nomadic life and sometimes graze their livestock in places close to the Buddhist Pure Land."

Lately, quite a few people have gotten into trouble, and the other tribespeople, naturally enraged, have all gone to retaliate.

"That's right. Many tribes in the Crescent Moon Kingdom are on good terms with Xiling, and they also maintain good relations with the sects of Wenqing Pavilion. The cultivators of those sects have no intention of sitting idly by, but this only adds to the risk."

The elders were in a dilemma: should they protect themselves or offer assistance?

Those few were responsible for observing the movements of the Buddhist sect, and they had the clearest understanding of the perilous atmosphere over there.

That was a terrifying aura that could be felt even through the barrier of the Buddhist Pure Land. In other words, the barrier itself, used to block out the outside world, already had the power to threaten ordinary cultivators.

What if someone else's defensive measures are more intimidating than your own offensive measures?

However, the Taoist sect is not one that would gladly stand by and watch someone die...

Yao Ji quickly made up her mind without much hesitation:

“Send a team of disciples over to explain the dangers of the Buddhist Pure Land and dissuade them from approaching it.”

Even if they are our neighbors, we can only do our best to dissuade and explain. If they insist on going, then it is up to their own fate. We cannot force Taoist disciples to knowingly go to their deaths.

The lives of our disciples are not sacrifices for those in power to satisfy their own moral conscience.

While Xiaoxiang Qin Academy is relatively easy to persuade, as long as the acting sect leader Qu Wuyue is found, it's difficult to convince others. However, as for Wenqing Pavilion... the current pavilion master is Xiao Yunhan, who is with her younger brother Chu Mingkong in the Heavenly Domain and has no authority over the sect, making it difficult for others to issue orders.

Having received Yao Ji's consent, the Taoist elders no longer hesitated:

"Okay, I'll arrange it right away!"