Ming Dynasty: pacifying the rebellion and defending the border, dominating the world

Chapter 197 God? Buddha? Breaking Through the Barrier
"Your humble servant obeys the decree!"

Prince Ruyang nodded heavily, making few promises, but in his heart he was already prepared to die for his country.

Perhaps the Prince of Ruyang was not very shrewd in matters of power and strategy.

But his keen sense for war is undeniable.

It is clear that since the news of the Sui Dynasty's Heavenly Sword has reached even the Mongol Yuan Dynasty and shaken the world, it must also be affecting the hearts of the people. There is absolutely no way that the person can be brought back without bloodshed.

Bloodshed, or even annihilation, were the foreseeable costs of this expedition.

But whether for the sake of the Mongol Yuan dynasty or for his own daughter, Prince Ruyang felt it was his duty to act.

"To take Minmin away from those experts sent by Zhu Jinzhen is tantamount to snatching food from a tiger's mouth, or even a thousand times more dangerous." A faint voice suddenly echoed in the imperial study of the palace.

Immediately afterwards, a burly figure strode in through the darkness.

Meng Chixing appeared before the two like a ghost and continued, "Dozens of terrestrial immortals and hundreds of celestial grandmasters—such a force is not something we can shake by joining forces. Even if the Imperial Advisor were to uncover the secrets of heaven and man, it wouldn't change much."

"This..." Temur was stunned. He had been blinded by the news of the Heavenly Sword and his greed. Now, after being reminded by Meng Chixing, he suddenly realized that the combined forces of dozens of terrestrial immortals were no less than millions of iron cavalry, and were enough to sweep across all countries.

No matter how powerful Phagpa and Mengchixing were, and no matter how elite the Mongol cavalry led by Prince Ruyang were, they could not possibly take Zhao Min away from them!

"Is there really no other way?" Prince Ruyang asked, unwilling to give up. On one hand, he wanted to bring his daughter back, and on the other hand, he wanted to retrieve the Heavenly Sword for the Mongol Yuan Dynasty and forge an unparalleled glory for it.

"Amitabha!"

A single Buddhist chant resounded throughout the void.

However, they could only hear his voice, but never see him.

Meng Chixing looked at Temur and Ruyang Wang, who were looking around, and reminded them, "Don't look anymore. Phagpa is breaking through to the realm of the celestial being. Right now, he is just a wisp of the celestial being's thought. He is still thousands of miles away."

Can a single thought travel a thousand miles?

Temur and the Prince of Ruyang's eyelids twitched wildly. Suddenly, they understood why all martial arts practitioners in the world dreamed of and regarded the realm of the celestial being on land as their lifelong pursuit.

Such methods are no different from those of the legendary gods and Buddhas.
"I am aware of what you were discussing earlier. The truth of what happened in the First Emperor's Mausoleum is still hard to determine. As for the terrifying force that Zhu Jinzhen sent, even if we joined forces, it would be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. Even if I were to break through to the Celestial Realm, I would still be powerless."

"However, it's not necessarily true that there's no way to solve this."

The first sentence was addressed to the Prince of Ruyang and the Emperor, while the second sentence was addressed to Meng Chixing.

Seeing that the emperor remained silent, the Prince of Ruyang had no choice but to bite the bullet and bow deeply: "I wonder what advice the Grand Preceptor has for me?"

Even Meng Chixing quietly perked up his ears.

"The answer lies within the message," Phagpa's voice grew clearer.

The group was taken aback, but Meng Chixing was the quickest to react.

"Heavenly Sword?"

"Amitabha Buddha, it is the Heavenly Sword!"

Phagpa's divine thoughts were now disturbed by his inner thoughts and became blurred. It seemed that even he, who was in seclusion to comprehend the mysteries of the divine, could not control himself because of the words "Heavenly Sword" and was thus affected.

Meng Chixing was not surprised by this situation. If he had not suppressed the restlessness in his heart with great willpower, his emotions would have been a hundred times more obvious than Phagpa's thoughts of heaven and man.

"Please enlighten me, Grand Preceptor." Temur could not contain himself and asked. "If the Heavenly Sword truly has the power to control life and death, with the combined strength of this old monk, Meng Chixing, and Si Hanfei, we would be able to tear apart all the terrestrial immortals of this world working together. Even Zhu Jinzhen of the Ming Dynasty, that old Taoist priest on Wudang Mountain... and that despicable bastard overseas who claims to be a banished immortal from heaven, cannot stop us who possess immortality."

Phagpa's thoughts of becoming a celestial being were intermittent. When he finally spoke of the 'immortal body,' his emotions nearly spiraled out of control, and his thoughts of becoming a celestial being almost completely exploded, severing his path to becoming a celestial being. He was so frightened that he quickly focused his mind and dared not let his thoughts wander.

Although Phagpa's aspirations towards heaven and man were gone.

However, his words were firmly remembered by Meng Chixing, Temur, and the Prince of Ruyang.

Meng Chixing was even more decisive, staring directly at him and saying in an almost commanding tone, "Emperor, mobilize all the forces of the Wolf Guard. I need to know if it is true that outside Jiayuguan, the Heavenly Sword can manipulate life and death and bring the dead back to life without any side effects."

Meng Chixing always held himself in high esteem, and even Phagpa was never someone he disregarded.

But Meng Chixing wasn't stupid either.

Even if he possessed extraordinary abilities, his limit was dealing with three terrestrial immortals of the same realm. If there were one more, he would die, and there would be few chance of survival.

After all, not everyone is a prodigy like Zhu Jinzhen.

Having just entered the realm of terrestrial immortals, he dominated the world with his swordsmanship, nearly killing three terrestrial immortals.

Moreover, if Meng Chixing and his group were to leave the Mongol Yuan Dynasty to rescue Zhao Min, they would not be facing just one or two terrestrial immortals, but dozens of them. Even if they were evenly divided, each person would have to face eight to ten, or even more.

Meng Chixing was arrogant, but he wasn't stupid.

How could he possibly do something he knew was a sure path to death if he wasn't confident?

Upon hearing this, Temur did not summon the Wolf Guards, but replied in a resolute tone: "I can give my Imperial Uncle an answer to this matter right now."

"The news is true. The Wolf Guard confirmed it fifteen times before reporting it."

"Outside Jiayuguan, there are still huge craters left by the self-destruction of Pang Ban, Hong Ri Fa Wang, and others."

Meng Chixing didn't care about any of that; he only asked one question: "Can the Heavenly Sword really manipulate life and death at will?"

"That's certainly the case at present."

"it is good!"

Meng Chixing shouted and turned to leave, leaving behind a confident voice that echoed in the ears of the two: "As long as Zhu Jinzhen doesn't personally intervene, and Minmin isn't captured and the Heavenly Sword stolen before we arrive, this Heavenly Sword will surely be mine, Meng Yuan's!"

Facing Zhu Jinzhen, Meng Chixing knew that if he didn't make a hundred moves, there would only be one outcome for him: death.

But what if he and Phagpa and the others all possessed immortality?

Even if their opponent were Zhu Jinzhen, they might still be able to kill him.

The prerequisites are that the Heavenly Sword can truly manipulate life and death, truly grant them immortality, and that Zhu Jinzhen cannot arrive in advance and personally participate; otherwise, anything is uncertain.

Almost simultaneously, in a secluded courtyard in the Mongol capital, a one-armed old man, laughing wildly, soared into the sky, disappeared into the clouds, and sped towards the Sui Dynasty.

At the edge of the grassland, in the deepest part of the adjacent desert, a burst of Buddha's light broke through the obstacles and rushed towards the Sui Dynasty.

Faced with the allure of the Heavenly Sword and the First Emperor's Mausoleum.

Even the Temple of War, even those at the terrestrial celestial realm, are not worth mentioning.

(End of this chapter)