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

Chapter 473 A Frog in a Well: Experiments and Speculations on the Rat Talisman
The capital city was bustling with noise.

The powerful and influential figures in the capital, as well as the Eastern and Western Depots and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, were naturally always on high alert.

Even if the Northern Liang royal family sent hidden experts this time, a mere terrestrial immortal and a celestial grandmaster could not cause too much trouble in the capital.

However, if they cause trouble in the capital, at this crucial moment when Zhu Jinzhen is leaving the pass, they will likely suffer the consequences.

Among the carriages entering the city, there was one that was different from the others.

Xu Weixiong lifted the carriage curtain, gazing at the bustling traffic of the capital. His brows furrowed, and his lips moved as he asked, "This is the Great Ming? It's far superior to Liyang. Are those troops stationed around here the Tian Ce Army?"

"It's the Tian Ce Army."

Chen Zhibao's voice came through, filled with undisguised shock: "When the Crown Prince sent the message back, I didn't believe it. But seeing it today, I realize that the reputation is well-deserved. The Tian Ce soldiers stationed in various parts of the Ming Dynasty that we have seen along the way are already very formidable, but I never expected that these elite Tian Ce troops in the capital would be even more ferocious and terrifying."

"An army that everyone points to is nowhere to be found in the human world. No wonder the Central Plains sent a great message thousands of miles away to form an alliance with Li Yang to fight against the Ming Dynasty."

"They are not ordinary Zhi Xuan."

Xu Yanbing's voice reached their ears, filled with vigilance and surprise: "Ordinary Zhi Xuan warriors can't even last a single round against them. The blood and qi in these Tian Ce soldiers are more than ten times that of ordinary Zhi Xuan warriors, and their physical training is comparable to that of Zhi Xuan warriors."

Cultivating both inner and outer qualities leads to profound understanding?

Chen Zhibao and Xu Weixiong were not shallow people, and they naturally understood the meaning behind Xu Yanbing's words.

"If they are truly that terrifying, then wouldn't they all be comparable to Grandmasters of Celestial Phenomena?" Xu Weixiong's expression changed repeatedly. If Xu Yanbing was not mistaken, this was news that couldn't be worse.

They came from Liyang and had been gathering intelligence on the Ming Dynasty along the way, so they knew that there were no fewer than 100,000 Cangyun and Tiance soldiers stationed in the capital of the Ming Dynasty at this time.

The power of 100,000 fingers is enough to make the world tremble and all nations feel uneasy.

If it were truly 100,000 Cangyun Army or Tiance Army soldiers comparable to Grandmasters of Celestial Phenomena, then forget about alliances and counter-alliances. Even if all the countries in the world, the Central Plains, and all the countries at home and abroad were to gamble their national destiny and send all their young and strong men, they would ultimately be crushed into dust like dirt.

Three hundred thousand iron cavalry of Northern Liang?
An army of a thousand soldiers randomly selected from the capital of the Ming Dynasty could probably easily break through the enemy lines.

Xu Yanbing didn't speak again, because his gaze was constantly scanning all directions of the capital. Although the owners of those gazes did not show themselves, he still felt a terrible threat.

"Land-based immortals are everywhere?"

"Those gazes in the shadows, could they be... from the Land Celestial Realm?"

Xu Yanbing looked around and found that no matter which direction he was in, he could sense those threatening gazes. Moreover, there were many directions where just a glance from someone could send shivers down his spine and make him want to run away as fast as he could.

In Liyang, Xu Yanbing was known as the Half-Rifle Dao Martial Saint. He single-handedly hunted down the Ten Great Demons of Northern Mang, killing Vajra and Finger Profound with a single spear thrust, and casually slaying even the Grandmaster of Celestial Phenomena.

But when Xu Yanbing arrived in the Ming Dynasty, he finally understood what it meant to be a frog in a well.

In Liyang, they were considered the foundation of the nation, the top in the world, and even peerless terrestrial immortals. They encountered no fewer than a hundred people, openly or secretly, on their way from the port of Tianjin. Occasionally, one or two beings above the level of terrestrial immortals would even be watching them.

Things got even more incredible after they entered the capital of the Ming Dynasty.

Xu Yanbing could sense no fewer than a thousand gazes from the Land Immortal realm among those secretly watching them, and he also noticed those above the Land Immortal realm more than a dozen times.

With each step, Xu Yanbing felt as if he were walking a tightrope, where a single misstep could send him plummeting off a cliff to his death, never to be redeemed again.

This was something he had never experienced since he entered the realm of terrestrial immortals.

……

In the Qianqing Palace.

Before Zhu Jinzhen stood a jade statue, the size of a living person, with skin no different from an ordinary person. What was even more strange was that its eyes were bright and luminous, full of spirit, and the jade statue's gaze seemed to move toward him.

This was retrieved by Zhu Jinzhen through the Anywhere Door, with Yan Yimei's secret guards taking it from the Langhuan Paradise at the foot of Wuliang Mountain.

Changsun Wangqing and Yan Yimei curiously observed the jade statue, marveling at its undeniable artistry. But they were even more curious as to why their Emperor would be interested in such a piece. Zhu Jinzhen smiled, offering no explanation, but simply pointed, silently declaring, "Rat Talisman, imbue this object with life."

The next moment, a warm golden light suddenly emanated from Zhu Jinzhen's fingertips, flowing like water to every inch of the jade statue in front of him. Under the incredulous gazes of Changsun Wangqing and Yan Yimei, the pure white jade statue, which was transparent and white as jade, began to gradually develop blood vessels, as if the long-dormant goddess of the Luo River was awakening.

Transforming stillness into movement, giving life to inanimate objects.

The scene before my eyes was a marvel of nature's wonders.

The white jade statue in Langhuan Paradise gradually transformed before their eyes into a stunningly beautiful woman with skin as smooth as jade, more beautiful than peach blossoms, fair with a rosy glow, and crystal clear skin, capable of captivating a nation.

"嘤咛!"

"What is this...?"

Li Canghai opened his eyes, gazing blankly at the unfamiliar scenery and people around him.

She looked down at her fair, jade-like hands, her eyes filled with disbelief and confusion: "I'm still alive? No, I should be dead. Although the Jade Pendant has the power to bring the dead back to life, I..."

The next moment, Zhu Jinzhen flicked his finger, and a message entered her mind.

The statues in Langhuan Paradise embody the divine power of creation, transforming stillness into movement.

"So, I am already dead, and the one who is alive is just a jade statue in disguise?" Li Canghai's pupils contracted, and his stunningly beautiful face was filled with panic, confusion, and disbelief.

Although the Free and Unfettered Sect is similar to the cultivation of immortality in some ways, the idea of ​​turning a lifeless jade statue into a human is still far beyond her comprehension.

"Although it was transformed from a jade statue, it possessed the realm of a Grandmaster of Celestial Phenomena."

"That's really strange."

"Unable to surpass the cultivation level of the original body, could it be that Li Canghai possessed the realm of a terrestrial immortal when he was alive?"

Zhu Jinzhen stepped forward, reached out and lifted Li Canghai's chin, not feeling at all that this was frivolous. This was just a toy for him to test the rat talisman, nothing more than an experiment.

Although she was stunningly beautiful and pitiful to behold, Zhu Jinzhen's gaze towards Li Canghai remained completely unmoved.

He placed his hand on Li Canghai's conscience, and a surge of Qi and sword intent simultaneously penetrated his body, beginning to examine Li Canghai's current condition.

"True energy and flesh and blood are real."

"This martial art, imbued with the Taoist spirit of the Free and Unfettered School, is the Free and Unfettered Wind Riding Technique of the Free and Unfettered School?" With Li Canghai's unreserved cooperation, Zhu Jinzhen almost instantly grasped the energy flow path of this highest-level technique of the Free and Unfettered School.

"Yes...yes." Li Canghai nodded, his face flushed.

She still couldn't quite accept that she, with her own thoughts, the ability to feel her heartbeat, and the joys and sorrows of life, was merely a jade statue. She couldn't accept even more the hand that Zhu Jinzhen had placed on her conscience.

For some reason, although Li Canghai was extremely shy, he did not push her away or resist her at all. Instead, he felt a little secretly pleased.

She knew that this kind of thinking was wrong.

But I just can't bring myself to have any thought of harming the person in front of me.

"It seems that the Rat Talisman has changed because of me. The people I conjure with the Rat Talisman will naturally be close to me. No, perhaps... they have a loyalty and faith in me that is unimaginable to others?" Zhu Jinzhen thought to himself. He could sense that Li Canghai's gaze was different, and he could also sense Li Canghai's thoughts.

After a little thought, I understood what was going on.

Li Canghai was ultimately just a jade statue. She was born and lived because of Zhu Jinzhen, who was like her creator, the source of her life and everything.

That's why she didn't resist any of Zhu Jinzhen's inappropriate actions towards her, but instead felt secretly pleased.

(End of this chapter)