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

Chapter 433 Arrival at Penglai
Amidst widespread speculation and a frenzied infighting among court officials for a spot on the Investiture of the Gods list, the situation remained chaotic.

Zhu Jinzhen had arranged everything and was ready to travel to the so-called ends of the earth, to explore the world beyond.

"The ice fields to the north, the desert to the west, the boundless sea to the east, and the towering mountains to the south."

"At the northernmost point, continuing north from the far north through the Northern Barbarians, there lies the Tianjue Mountain Range, stretching for hundreds of thousands of miles. Further in, you reach the northernmost edge of the human realm."

Zhu Jinzhen soared into the air and stood above the capital, gazing towards the northern border. He quickly looked away, not because it was too far, but because it was difficult to find the true northern border without guidance.

Furthermore, with Su Baiyi guarding the northern border, there shouldn't be any problems in the short term.

"The western desert is the far west of the Thirty-Two Buddha Kingdoms in the north, and according to Li Changsheng, it is the land of sunset."

This was the first time Zhu Jinzhen had ever felt that this world was so absurd. He had seen the sun above his head again and again, always believing that it followed his pre-transmigration worldview and galactic perspective. But from Li Changsheng's mouth, he heard that the sun in this world actually had a place where it set??
This naturally made Zhu Jinzhen think, "In the east of the sky grows the Ruomu tree, beneath which sits a candle-holding dragon?"

"According to Li Changsheng, without the guards of the western border, even he doesn't know the true situation in the west. It may be safe or it may be full of dangers. He can't even guess what kind of backup plan the Ye family left behind back then."

"That leaves only the east and south..."

The Ten Thousand Mountains in the south stretch for hundreds of thousands of miles and are truly a place where no human habitation can be found. They are a paradise for poisonous insects and ferocious beasts and an absolute forbidden zone for humankind.

Even if the Grandmaster of the Mysterious Sect and the Grandmaster of Celestial Phenomena were there, they might still die silently.

The key is……

The true location of the Southern Territory is the most secretive; even Li Changsheng doesn't know where it is.

That leaves only the east!
"Penglai Immortal Mountain, the boundless sea."

"Immortal Mo Yi?!"

As soon as Zhu Jinzhen's thoughts arose, he tore through space and took a step. When he reappeared, he had traversed hundreds of thousands of miles and arrived at a secluded and beautiful place shrouded in clouds and mist.

He stood with his hands behind his back a thousand feet in the air, looking down at the fairy islands below and the boundless sea that stretched as far as the eye could see. For the first time, he had a feeling of glimpsing the vastness of the world.

"Um?"

Zhu Jinzhen sensed something, and his figure suddenly disappeared into the air, reappearing in a bamboo pavilion outside a peach blossom grove.

Here, an old man and a young man are making tea.

There is also a real Li Changsheng left here, who is currently lost in thought with his eyes closed.

"Ok?"

The old Taoist priest, dressed in a pure white robe, suddenly noticed a stranger appear before his eyes and immediately became alert: "Who are you, and why have you come to this Penglai Immortal Island?"

"The peach blossoms here are truly extraordinary, like spring all year round, never withering?" Zhu Jinzhen ignored him, stepping on the boundary between the fragrant peach grove and the bamboo pavilion. The falling peach blossoms landed in his palm, allowing him to see a miracle unlike anything in the world.

Mo Yi noticed Zhu Jinzhen's dragon robe, his pupils contracted, and he said calmly, "This is a paradise on earth, the end of the world, not bound by worldly laws. This peach grove and that bamboo grove are indeed as you said, spring-like all year round, without withering or dying."

Mo Yi began cultivating Taoism at the age of four, reached the profound realm at nine, became a terrestrial immortal at seventeen, and became a terrestrial celestial being at twenty-four.

But ever since he came to this Penglai Immortal Island with his master, Daoist Qingfeng, he has never seen the peach blossoms on the island wither. It has been the same every day and every year, without ever changing.

Daoist Qingfeng frowned slightly, looking at Mo Yi with some doubt: "You know him?"

"Ok!"

Mo Yi nodded slightly, looked at Zhu Jinzhen, and said, "If I am not mistaken, this should be the Prince Su of the Ming Dynasty, no, he should now be the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty."

Prince Su of the Ming Dynasty?

No, it's the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty?

Although Qingfeng Daoren had traveled all over the world and traversed the Nine Provinces and overseas in his life, and was not unfamiliar with the Ming Dynasty, he had spent most of his life growing up and living in Beili, so he did not react immediately.

When he realized what was happening, he couldn't help but gasp.

"It's hundreds of thousands of miles from the Ming Dynasty to here!" "Could he be the one Li Changsheng was talking about?"

“It’s him.” Mo Yi knew what Qingfeng Daoist was shocked about. Back when he and Li Changsheng were in the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, they were of one mind with Heaven. Although they did not actually meet Zhu Jinzhen, the strong sense of crisis that the Heavenly Heart warned them about was still unforgettable for Mo Yi.

Zhu Jinzhen's divine sense roamed freely in Penglai. The surrounding environment, the boundless sea, and the mysteries hidden on the island were all within his perception, making him linger there for a time.

"Wonderful, absolutely wonderful."

"At the ends of the earth, in a desolate place, the primordial energy of heaven and earth gathers within, while primordial energy from beyond the realm surges in like a tide."

"If one cultivates here, one year is equivalent to ten years of cultivation outside."

Zhu Jinzhen clapped his hands in praise, his face beaming with joy. It truly lived up to its reputation as a breathtaking paradise on earth, known as the Fairy Island of Penglai. Every blade of grass, every tree, every flower, and every fruit on the island perfectly matched the world's impression of it.

“What’s even more interesting is…”

"There really are heavens beyond heavens in this world!"

Zhu Jinzhen stepped forward, his figure disappearing from Mo Yi and his disciples' sight, appearing on the edge of a cliff outside Penglai Immortal Island, where a stone tablet stood: "The Heaven Has No End?"

Mo Yi's voice came from behind Zhu Jinzhen.

"The inscription on this stone tablet reads: 'The End of the World.'"

"But I think that the so-called end of the sky is only the limit of human vision, and that's where the end comes from."

"Beyond Penglai, there are heavens beyond heavens, so naturally the heavens should be endless."

"Indeed, it's a magnificent sight. A desolate place on earth, with no end in the sky—a perfect match." Zhu Jinzhen gazed at the breathtaking celestial scene before him, nodding and smiling as he asked, "Is this the end of the world?"

"With your keen eyesight, sir, you should be able to see it." Mo Yi didn't explain further, because he didn't know much about the scene and reality on the other side of the clouds.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jinzhen asked with some curiosity, "You have guarded Penglai for many years, have you never encountered any invasions by immortals from beyond the realm?"

"I've encountered this three times."

Mo Yi did not hide anything and replied frankly, "My master has encountered this twice. The first time was 112 years ago, when an immortal from beyond the realm, with the power of the heavens, stirred up thousands of feet of waves around Penglai, intending to destroy Penglai in the Eastern Territory."

"That time, thanks to the profound strength of Huanglong Mountain, we barely managed to repel them."

"My master was also seriously injured in that battle."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jinzhen turned his gaze to Qingfeng Daoist beside him: "These injuries are indeed not something an ordinary person could have done. A terrestrial celestial being can communicate with heaven and earth, can wield the heavenly Dao as a weapon, and can also use the power of heaven and earth to heal himself. To leave you with such an incurable Dao injury, it seems to be the work of an extraterrestrial immortal."

Qingfeng Daoist's aura was extremely weak, so weak that it didn't seem like that of a celestial being on land, and it was even weaker than that of an ordinary celestial being on land.

If it weren't for the fact that the foundation was still intact.

Ordinary people would not consider him to be a top-tier human expert in the terrestrial celestial realm.

They are terrestrial deities.

Qingfeng Daoist wore a wry smile, but didn't seem too disappointed.

Mo Yi continued, "The second encounter was when I was eleven years old. Immortals from beyond the realm suddenly invaded. A deafening dragon roar came from the bottom of the cliff, echoing for three thousand miles around the sea. The two immortals from beyond the realm were in great danger and left in an instant."

A dragon's roar from the bottom of the cliff?

Zhu Jinzhen looked down and saw the surging sea below the cliff. He searched the surrounding area for miles but did not detect any powerful dragons. Instead, he vaguely saw a dragon churning in the deep sea hundreds of miles away.

"The third time was when I was twenty-four years old."

"I attained the Dao of Earth Immortal in Penglai and entered the Realm of Celestial Being on the Land. The immortals from beyond the realm seemed to feel threatened and broke through the boundary to cut off my path and my way forward. Unfortunately, they were severely suppressed. Although they could unleash the strength of Celestial Being on the Land, they were still no match for me."

"I severely injured and repelled that immortal from beyond the realm, and he has not appeared since."

(End of this chapter)