Chapter 496 495 Is No Longer a Threat (Two Chapters in One)

Chapter 496 495. No longer a threat (two chapters in one)

There are currently five Grand Secretaries in the Ming Dynasty.

In addition to the leading Prime Minister Zhou Mingzhe, the current Second Prime Minister is Zeng Kui, an old minister of similar age and high moral character.

In the battle in Penglai, he was injured by the Pu Guang Master who temporarily revealed his true identity.

In that battle, Zhou Mingzhe also lost his most proud disciple Xi Zhichang.

Zeng Kui rested for a long time afterwards, and today, he has basically recovered his old appearance.

If he changed to another Taoist tradition, at his current age, it would be extremely difficult for him to maintain his strength, let alone heal his injuries.

Emperor Han Zhining looked at Zeng Kui at this time: "Prime Minister is busy, please take a trip to summon Shushan to send Yuan Qing to Beijing."

Zeng Kui immediately stepped out: "I obey your order."

Standing next to him was Chao Feng, the third Grand Secretary in the cabinet.

Compared with Zhou Mingzhe and Zeng Kui, he is much younger.

He is the favorite student of the former Prime Minister Chen Yu.

As early as when Chen Yu was still alive, he pushed Chao Feng to join the cabinet.

In terms of order, he is still before Zeng Kui who has been reinstated.

However, after Chen Yu died and the Wu Party suffered a heavy blow, Chao Feng was quite low-key, respectful of the elderly and the virtuous, and willing to fall behind Zeng Kui.

Now he has gradually regained his foothold in the Ming Dynasty court and become the new leader of the Wu Party. Although it is no longer as grand as when Chen Yu was in power, it is also not to be ignored.

However, in terms of time, it is still a bit rushed.

Under the blessing of the Ming Dynasty Neo-Confucianism etiquette, there are countless people waiting for their predecessors to move to fill the vacancy.

Under normal handover, everything is stable and orderly.

It’s just that the one-time loss in the battle of the Western Expedition to Xumi was too serious.

Therefore, after Chao Feng and others came to the fore, the progress was rapid, but it still took some time to accumulate the hard work.

Chao Feng entered the cabinet early. Although he is not as good as Zhou Mingzhe and Zeng Kui, he has also reached the fourth level of the ninth heaven.

On the other side stood a university scholar who was younger than him and looked like a middle-aged man. His name was Sima Cheng, and he was the most proud student of Liu Chong, the former cabinet university scholar.

Liu Chong, the leader of the Qin Party, also died in the battle of the Western Expedition to Xumi.

Fortunately, Sima Cheng, as his successor, quickly took over the sect and gathered the remaining members of the Qin Party.

But compared with Chao Feng and the Wu Party, who have gradually recovered their vitality, Sima Cheng and the Qin Party are more low-key at present, and are still quietly recuperating. Sima Cheng himself is also the last among the five cabinet university scholars.

At this moment, he stood quietly, as low-key and silent as Chao Feng.

However, when they heard the Prime Minister Zhou Mingzhe mention that the Taoists were promoting the Ming Shushan Sect and asking for the inherited magic weapon, Chao Feng and Sima Cheng remained calm, but they had similar questions in their hearts:

Those Taoists...or rather, the Tang Dynasty and Longhushan Tianshi Mansion behind them, really just think this way?

After Emperor Han Zhining first ordered Yuan Qingci, the head of the Ming Shushan Sect, to come to Beijing for an audience, he looked at the Prime Minister Zhou Mingzhe again: "Although the north is very important, in this special situation, the south cannot be relaxed, and it is not appropriate to be like before."

Zhou Mingzhe: "Your Majesty is wise."

Emperor Han Zhining pondered: "The capital should send someone to the southwest to take a look, and the nine borders...may have to move."

Zhou Mingzhe: "Jiliao and Xuanda should not act rashly at the moment, it is better to transfer people from Shaanxi and Gansu, as for the capital..."

He glanced at them.

Chao Feng and Sima Cheng were silent.

Li Rui, the fourth-ranked Grand Secretary in the cabinet, stepped out and saluted Emperor Han Zhining calmly: "This is related to the country and cannot be taken lightly. I am willing to share your worries."

Han Zhining: "Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Li."

After the court was dismissed, Zhou Mingzhe was ordered to meet the emperor alone again.

Emperor Han Zhining's face was as gloomy as water: "Those evil Taoists are afraid of my great cause, so they come to obstruct it."

Zhou Mingzhe sighed in his heart.

If it was just for the Qiankun Sun and Moon Pot and the Xianxiao Bell, the other side would not need to detain Zheng Qing, the governor of Sichuan and Guizhou in the Ming Dynasty.

If it was just to use force to suppress others, it would be enough for a group of Taoist Mahayana masters to appear in the world of the Ming Dynasty.

Even if it was just a simple verbal hint to the abbot Guangshu of the Ming Bodhi Temple who had previously been sent to Kongsang to explore the other party's thoughts.

It is true that it is inconvenient for people in the fairyland to walk in the human world.

But it is not absolutely impossible.

Tang Xiaotang personally chased into the human world and killed the Venerable Shanzhihui, which has fully proved this point.

Although it may be a loss of national dignity, facing such a powerful enemy, the Ming Dynasty may not necessarily hold back the Qiankun Sun Moon Pot and Xianxiao Bell.

At best, they will ignore it on the surface and quietly send the magic weapons back to the Ming Dynasty Shushan in private without making it public.

If the other party does not intend to make further advances, they will not make it public either, and there is a possibility of further exchanges between them in the future.

But as it is now, not only a group of Mahayana masters have come to the Ming Dynasty, but they have also broken the governor's office of Sichuan and Guizhou in the Ming Dynasty. The attitude they show is actually...

The visitor is not friendly!

At least, their appetite is definitely not just the Qiankun Sun Moon Pot and Xianxiao Bell.

Zhou Mingzhe and Ming Emperor Han Zhining's guess is the same. The other party came to obstruct Han Zhining's current arrangement of becoming a saint on the spot.

Ming Emperor Han Zhining wants to become a saint on the spot, so he can only turn around and shake the mountains and rivers to a greater extent.

In this way, the movement will inevitably be difficult to hide from everyone's eyes and ears.

"At present, the only thing we can do is to delay time and stabilize the opponent as much as possible."

Zhou Mingzhe said: "I am incompetent and cannot share your worries. Please forgive me."

Ming Emperor Han Zhining looked serious, but not angry: "What are you talking about? This is a difficult problem that the whole Ming Dynasty should face together."

He stood up and paced slowly in the hall: "Southern Xinjiang, the other side of the world, Biluo and Lingshan, what is the current situation?"

Zhou Mingzhe: "At present, there is no response."

This is not surprising.

I think the Taoists who came to Ming this time are mainly from the Danding and Refining Sects, and this is the reason.

Not to mention the two great Dongxuan immortals from the Tianshi Mansion of Longhu Mountain, even the masters of other talisman sects did not show up.

Tang Emperor Zhang Wantong, and another Yuanshen immortal from the Danding Sect, who was rumored to be, are also silent at the moment.

Obviously, they are guarding against the old Tiangong.

It's a pity that even so, the power that Taoist monks can gather at present is already very considerable.

If Lei Jun and Tang Xiaotang never stepped into the mortal world, and everything was confined to the affairs of the mortal world, the Ming Dynasty would not be afraid.

But they had to consider that there might be other problems that would break out at the same time.

For example, the White Lotus Rebellion, which had been suppressed with great difficulty before, would certainly start again this time.

Although the Four-winged Heavenly Snake King, the top demon in the human world of the Ming Dynasty, was no longer there, there were still a large number of powerful demons active in all directions of the Ming Dynasty.

Then there was the Vajra Realm Karma Tribe, which had previously merged with the foreign tribes on the grassland and retreated to the eastern part of the northern border.

That was originally the most important concern of the Ming Dynasty.

As a result, before the Ming Dynasty could personally pacify it, the Kongsang Buddhist Sect was directly defeated by the Tianshi Mansion of Longhu Mountain.

Unfortunately, the Ming Dynasty had no time to celebrate this good news, and the enemy was replaced by the more terrifying Tang Dynasty cultivation world.

In this case, Han Zhining and Zhou Mingzhe could not even consider using the enemy to defeat the enemy, uniting the weak to fight the strong, and instead joined forces with the Vajra Realm Karma Tribe.

It's not that they can't turn this corner.

The Celestial Empire drives out invaders and defends against enemies. As long as it holds the righteousness of "I am the master and the four barbarians are submissive", there is nothing wrong with turning around.

But on the one hand, the Buddhist holy land of the Ming Dynasty is rarely able to get along with the Longhu Mountain Tianshi Mansion because of the White Lotus Sect. The Ming Dynasty court needs to consider the attitude of the Buddhist holy land, and the relationship between the Chinese Buddhism and the Western Buddhism is also not harmonious.

On the other hand, it is because...

The Longhu Mountain Tianshi Mansion has just captured Kongsang, and Tang Xiaotang, who has ascended to the immortal world, is willing to enter the human world to hunt down the Venerable Shanzhihui.

If the Ming Dynasty accepts the Vajra Realm Karma Department at present, it may lead to Lei Jun and Tang Xiaotang to enter the human world in person.

This is not good for the Ming Dynasty at present.

"They came here to prevent me from becoming a saint right away."

Minghuang Han Zhining stopped and stood in the hall: "The more so, the more it shows that our step is crucial, and... must succeed."

Zhou Mingzhe: "I am willing to share your worries."

Han Zhining: "Yuan Fu thinks that the two Taoist magic weapons can buy how much time?"

"The Xianxiao Bell is fine, but the Qiankun Sun and Moon Pot is the founding treasure of the Shushan Sect. Not only Taoist Yuan Qingci, but other people in the Shushan world will not easily accept the ending of a jade-stone destruction."

Zhou Mingzhe said: "Since there is a request, there is room for maneuver, but we need to be wary of the other party's fairyland people making an exception to come to the human world, so the degree of heat needs to be carefully grasped."

Having said so, Zhou Mingzhe actually didn't have much confidence in his heart.

The situation is not as good as others, what can we do?

Now we can only try and try to delay as much time as possible.

"This degree of control mainly needs you, Yuanfu."

Minghuang Han Zhining said: "After the Yuanqingci arrives, you will handle it carefully. I will continue to study behind closed doors."

He looked dimly: "Putting the Qiankun Sun and Moon Pot together with the ritual sacrifice can not only provide assistance, but also prevent others from coveting it.

Whether it is Kongsang in the north or Guizang in the southwest, or the void portal leading to the other side of the world in the south, we must keep a close eye on it.

The arrival of immortals will make a lot of noise and it will be difficult to hide. If you find it, you must report it to me immediately!"

Zhou Mingzhe: "I obey your order."

…………………………

The southwest changed suddenly, and Guizang returned to the world.

While the Ming Dynasty was shocked, they wanted to block the news in other places.

Especially to stabilize the White Lotus Sect currently in Qingzhou and Xuzhou.

But the White Lotus Sect still got the news quickly.

The arrival of immortals is difficult to hide from the outside world because of the dissipation of immortal essence.

On the contrary, the Nine Heavens masters who have a high enough level of cultivation and are good at restraining themselves come and go in the human world, and their whereabouts are more secretive.

So, Huiyin, the White Lotus Saint of the Tang Dynasty, who originally studied the Buddhist hand seals in Kongsang, came to the human world of Daming again.

This time, he not only met the future Maitreya monk Tianshu of the Great White Lotus Sect, but also met the current White Lotus Saint of the Great White Lotus Monk Jianhai in person.

"Where will the Tang Dynasty go in the future?" Monk Jianhai asked slowly.

Monk Huiyin: "Just practice with peace of mind."

Monk Jianhai and Monk Tianshu heard this and pondered for a while, and did not speak at the first time.

Monk Huiyin did not mention much about the Tang Dynasty, but only introduced the situation to Monk Jianhai and Monk Tianshu about the relevant matters of the Taoist people entering the human world of Daming this time.

The people of the Great White Lotus Sect were all refreshed when they heard this.

But at the end, Monk Huiyin talked about the news that Lei Jun had told him about the Emperor You Zheng Baiyu.

After hearing this, Monk Jianhai and Monk Tianshu both looked solemn.

After a while, Monk Jianhai spoke again: "I have had a lot of contact with Youyin over the years, but I feel that my knowledge is still limited."

He slowly introduced the relevant information he had and exchanged information with Monk Hui Yin.

Later in the evening, Monk Hui Yin said goodbye to the other party and left.

Although Monk Jianhai and Monk Tianshu were shocked by what the other said about what happened in Youyin, they accurately grasped the opportunity for a group of Taoists to enter the world of Ming Dynasty, so Dabailian Sect immediately took action again.

However, Monk Jianhai soon ran into an old enemy who also rushed back from Kongsang.

Abbot of Daming Bodhi Temple, Guangshu.

So the two eminent monks who had reached the perfect state of Dharmakaya in the Nine Heavens Buddhism once again started an unprecedented battle.

The White Lotus Sect regained momentum, causing the Ming Dynasty to feel a headache.

Although Abbot Guangshu and Buddhist masters fought against him, this still affected the energy of the Ming Dynasty.

However, the exchanges between the Ming Dynasty and Gaozhen were not smooth.

Yuan Qingci did not refuse the Ming Emperor's summons and went to Beijing calmly.

When he interviewed Zhou Mingzhe, the chief minister of the Ming Dynasty, he also frankly and directly stated the purpose of the Taoist sect's high-spirited visit:

"The turmoil in the mountains and rivers is getting worse and worse. If things go on like this, the people will inevitably be in dire straits. The Heavenly Master is deeply worried about this."

When Zhou Mingzhe heard this, he immediately felt the bad premonition in his heart:

The other party came precisely to prevent the Ming Dynasty from giving birth to a fairyland master.

He looked into Yuan Qingci's eyes quietly: "Do Master Yuan and other Masters of the Shushan Sect also have the same view?"

Yuan Qingci calmly said: "It is the blessing of the common people to be blessed by the Heavenly Master, and all of us in the Taoist cultivator respect it.

The treasure of Shushan is naturally extremely precious, but God has the virtue of a good life, and we, as cultivators, should obey God and act in accordance with others.

If your majesty can be kind and Yuan Fu shows mercy and helps our sect's treasure return to Shushan, that will be the greatest blessing among great blessings, and I will be extremely grateful. "

Zhou Mingzhe said slowly: "The common people are the most important thing, and the Ming Dynasty is also important. The two sides are one and two, two and one. Why bother to distinguish between ourselves and the enemy?

All the people in the world are His Majesty's subjects. They regard the King as their father, and Your Majesty also loves the people like his sons.

Your Majesty has been studying hard recently, precisely because the current situation is constantly changing, and saints are needed to protect the country and the people.

In the turmoil of the mountains and rivers, it is our duty as ministers to work together to share His Majesty's worries, stabilize the situation, and overcome the difficulties together.

At this time, it is especially important to avoid suspicion and be wary of rumors from the outside world that alienate the emperor, his ministers and his son! "

Before Yuan Qingci was about to speak, Zhou Mingzhe said first: "Lei Zhenjun, the head of Longhu Mountain, is often heard by old people. He has a good life, but he left the world and does not know the truth about our dynasty, which may give rise to some misunderstandings, or even Some people misinterpret their true words and act accordingly.

Master Yuan Zhenren has always been indifferent to peace, and now he needs your kind and noble attitude to mediate and act as a bridge to resolve this catastrophe caused by misunderstandings! "

After saying that, Zhou Shoufu stood up and bowed directly to Yuan Qingci.

Yuan Qingci stepped aside and said, "Yuan Fu doesn't have to be like this."

Zhou Mingzhe: "The emperor humiliated his ministers and died, and the old man shared his duties for your majesty."

Yuan Qingci looked at the other party and said slowly: "The first assistant's loyalty to the emperor is clear, but... what I said just now is that I underestimate Lei Tianshi too much?"

Zhou Mingzhe straightened up: "I don't dare to underestimate Mr. Lei Zhenjun who has reached the Immortal Realm. It's just... Mr. Lei Zhenjun wants to conquer the world?"

Yuan Celadon: "Although Pindao has not had much contact with the Celestial Master, Lei Celestial Master is quiet and indifferent, and has a broad mind. He is recognized by all parties in the world. If he has the intention to gain access to heaven and earth after he ascends to immortality, Pindao will not believe it.

It's just that what your Majesty is doing right now is going against nature and acting in troubled times. He is asking for it by force, and there is little hope. I hope Yuan Fu can give me more advice. "

Zhou Mingzhe: "It seems that Longhu Mountain really cannot tolerate the Ming Dynasty having its own Confucian sage."

Yuan Qingci shook his head: "Your Majesty and Yuan Fu, please think twice."

After a brief pause, he said with some emotion: "The Heavenly Master once said that Yuan Fu was a great Confucian of his time, with soaring talents. If he practiced other Confucian traditions, he might have become a saint after so many years..."

Opposite Zhou Mingzhe heard this, his face darkened.

He didn't say much on this topic, but said coldly:

"It is true that there are more than one person in Longhu Mountain who pushed open the Immortal Gate, but it is just a dream for me, the Ming Dynasty, to bow down and humiliate the country by losing power.

The emperor's humiliation and his minister's death are nothing more than the result of the death of both jade and stone. Our country has never lacked loyal people who sacrificed their lives for the country. Although they are old and incapable, they must share the worries of the emperor.

Yuan Celadon, what about you? "

The leader of the Shushan Sect of the Ming Dynasty in front of him sighed lightly, and suddenly said: "Brother Zhenwu Guanmu Taoist, after so many years, it is rare to return to the Ming Dynasty."

Zhou Mingzhe's tone was cold: "In the past, he had ulterior motives. If not, Mr. Chen might not be able to survive Xumi."

Yuan Qingci continued: "Just after the Ming Dynasty's Western Expedition to Xumi, the mountains and rivers were in turmoil and civil unrest broke out. It was the time when the country was at its weakest, but Brother Mu Dao did not choose to return to the Ming Dynasty at that time.

Just because the Ming Dynasty was suffering from internal and external troubles at that time, in addition to its internal weakness, there were also a large number of powerful demon clans raging on the four borders.

At that time, if Brother Mu Dao returned to the Ming Dynasty, he might cause the evil problem to expand and poison the people, so he suppressed it by himself. It was not until now, many years later, that he returned to his homeland..."

Hearing this, Zhou Mingzhe didn't speak this time and stared at the other party firmly.

Although there are no big demons such as the Four-Winged Sky Snake, there are still many tyrannical demon clans operating in all directions of the Ming Dynasty.

The master of Zhenwu Temple, Mu Chunyang, used to be afraid that his joining would lead to the expansion of internal unrest in the Ming Dynasty, which might lead to the big monsters taking advantage of the situation.

But now, he and other Taoist masters from the human world have returned to the human world of the Ming Dynasty with a swagger, looking like a large army approaching the border.

He no longer cares about the threat of the monsters?

As the leader of the Chu Party, Zhou Mingzhe is the most important court official in the Ming Dynasty who has had the most contact with the master of Zhenwu Temple, Mu Chunyang.

Based on his understanding of Mu Chunyang, the other party would not compromise with the monsters or even collude with the monsters in order to be an enemy of the Ming Dynasty.

That is to say, according to Mu Chunyang's current judgment, the big monsters in the four directions of the Ming Dynasty are no longer a threat?

What is he relying on?

Are there more high-level cultivators from the Tang Dynasty's cultivation world or other human worlds who have quietly sneaked into the human world of the Ming Dynasty?

Do they no longer care about the old members of the Heavenly Palace?

Or are Lei Jun, Tang Xiaotang and others going to the human world in person just to help the human world of the Ming Dynasty eliminate monsters?

Zhou Mingzhe was shocked and doubtful for a while.

At this time, his student Nie Song came and looked at Zhou Mingzhe and Yuan Qingci, wanting to say something but stopping.

"What happened?" Zhou Mingzhe asked.

Nie Song hurriedly replied: "Urgent news from the southwest, there are signs of demons gathering and demon chaos.

The Snow Mountain Violent Ape from the Snowy Plateau and the Tree Sea Golden Toad from Nanzhao seem to have left their original places, and the specific details are unknown!"

…………………………

The Snow Mountain Violent Ape is a top demon with a great reputation in the world of the Ming Dynasty. It is almost equivalent to a master of the Nine Heavens Perfection Realm of the human race. It has always been as famous as the Four-Winged Sky Snake.

At this moment, it rarely left the Snowy Plateau and went south, passing the Hengduan Mountains and approaching the Nanzhao area.

There were also a large number of snowy demons traveling with them, all of whom were extremely fierce and had always been the biggest border threat in the southwest of the Ming Dynasty.

The Snow Mountain Violent Ape stopped in the Hengduan Mountains and looked into the distance.

It left its traditional range of activities to come to Nanzhao, not to go to war with the demons here.

On the contrary, it came to form an alliance with the overlord of the Nanzhao demon clan, the Golden Toad of the Sea of ​​Trees.

A new chaos has recently occurred within the Ming Dynasty.

Now is the time for their demon clan to act.

In order to ensure the results, the Snow Mountain Violent Ape did not act alone this time, but persuaded the Golden Toad of the Sea of ​​Trees.

Although the opponent's strength is not as good as it and the Four-winged Sky Snake, it is also a powerful demon, commanding the Nanzhao demons.

The two sides will join forces, and then avoid the current chaos in the Bashu area of ​​the Ming Dynasty, and can further penetrate the territory of the Ming Dynasty to hunt.

The Snow Mountain Violent Ape is looking at the surrounding environment.

Suddenly, in his field of vision, it seems that there is a stream of light, crossing the sky.

The stream of light is fleeting, as if it is illusory.

But in the daytime, it is still dazzling and bright.

It's just that its speed is too fast and the flashing time is too short.

The demons with lower cultivation can hardly perceive its existence.

Only the Snow Mountain Violent Ape himself saw it, and even doubted whether it was an illusion just now.

But...

After that streak of light fell from the sky and crossed the sky vertically, a warning suddenly emerged in the heart of this incomparable demon that was rampant in the world, making it feel extremely dangerous.

Just as the thought came to this, it suddenly felt that the earth and mountains seemed to be shaking violently from afar.

The Snow Mountain Violent Ape looked around and saw no danger.

It looked into the distance again and felt vaguely that the existence that made it feel dangerous was the streak of light that had just broken through the sky and landed.

A meteorite from outer space?

After a slight hesitation, the Snow Mountain Violent Ape did not personally approach to check, but ordered a snow ape under his command to go and check.

After a while, the snow ape that was sent to check came back safely.

But it stumbled, lost its soul, and was extremely terrified.

Before he got close, the snow ape roared: "Dead! Dead! The Golden Toad of the Tree Sea is dead!!"

The Snow Mountain Violent Ape was shocked and raised his giant claws to hold the other party down: "What the hell is going on!"

The Snow Ape: "The Golden Toad of the Tree Sea was waiting there just now, but... but it's dead, killed by the sword!"

The Snow Mountain Violent Ape was even more shocked, and looked far away. At this time, he could vaguely see that there seemed to be fireworks rising in the distance.

There was only a deep valley at this moment.

The thunder and fire were still raging, and the trees in the jungle had been turned into nothing in the first time.

Many local monsters in Nanzhao were now in pieces, with heavy casualties. Even if they were still alive, they were wailing.

In the center of the deep valley, there was an extremely huge body, like a huge rock, and the limbs of the toad could barely be seen, but at this moment its huge body had been split in half, and it was in tatters. There was no blood and flesh, only charred pieces, and the thunder and fire were still spreading, burning its remains.

Below the giant demon toad's split body, in the center of the valley, a seven-foot giant sword flashing purple light stood alone, the sword light was as bright as a star.

A slightly short figure, wearing a purple Taoist robe, slowly went down to the bottom of the deep pit, and with his furry bear claws, helped his master to lift the seven-foot Arctic sword that was inserted diagonally into the valley bottom.