Zhu Yuanzhang: My second son is invincible!

Seven days later, the four sect leaders arrived in Beijing one after another.

Zhang Tianshi of Longhu Mountain arrived first, riding in a blue ox-cart and surrounded by thirty-six Taoist priests, entering the city through Zhengyang Gate.

The people lined the streets to watch, and saw that the old Taoist priest had a flowing white beard and an otherworldly air about him, truly possessing the appearance of a celestial being.

The Sword Saint of Shu Mountain, Dugu Sheng, arrived on horseback, accompanied only by two disciples.

He was dressed simply, like an ordinary swordsman, but the ancient sword at his waist exuded a chilling aura even from ten feet away.

The Holy Mother Yao Guang of Kunlun arrived on a white crane, landed outside the city, and then changed into a sedan chair to enter the city.

She wore a veil, revealing only a pair of cool, clear eyes, and a fragrant breeze followed her wherever she went.

Master Huiming of Putuo walked into the city, each step revealing a lotus flower in the shadows, with glimpses of Buddha's light appearing and disappearing, prompting many believers to kneel in worship.

All four were accommodated in a separate residence of the Honglu Temple, and were treated as state guests.

But that's not what they want.

On the day of his arrival, Zhang Tianshi submitted a memorial requesting an early audience with the Emperor to discuss important matters.

Zhu Yuanzhang replied: "No rush. The journey is tiring. Rest for three days first, and I will see you at Fengtian Hall in three days."

This is a show of force.

Zhang Tianshi looked at the receipt, his expression not looking good.

Dugu Sheng was practicing his sword in the courtyard when his sword energy sliced ​​through three locust trees, and the officials of the Court of State Ceremonial dared not utter a word.

Fairy Yaoguang remained indoors, but light emanated from her room throughout the night.

Master Huiming remained calm, meditating and chanting sutras in the courtyard. However, the chanting had a certain rhythm, which made the guards drowsy.

When the news reached the Crown Prince's Palace, Zhu Biao smiled and said, "He can't hold his temper."

He turned to Jiang Huan and said, "Let them make a scene. As long as they don't hurt anyone, let them be. We'll see what happens in the Fengtian Hall in three days."

Jiang Huan accepted the order.

Over the past three days, undercurrents have been swirling in Yingtian Prefecture.

The sect's disciples secretly contacted officials in the imperial court, offering them elixirs, precious swords, and cultivation techniques in an attempt to win them over.

But most officials pretended to be stupid. The blood from the execution ground in Yangzhou was still fresh. Who would step forward now? Wouldn't that be courting death?

Only a few bold individuals accepted the gifts and then delivered them to the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters as a pledge of loyalty.

Zhu Biao wrote down these people's names and left them for the time being.

On the morning of the third day, at Fengtian Hall.

The civil and military officials lined up, with Zhu Yuanzhang sitting high on the dragon throne and Zhu Biao standing below the steps.

The four sect leaders were summoned into the hall.

Zhang Tianshi walked at the front, his Taoist robe fluttering even without wind, and the whisk in his hand gleaming faintly.

Dugu Sheng walked with his hand on his sword, each step accompanied by the clang of the sword.

Fairy Yaoguang was still veiled, but her eyes swept over the officials, and some dared not look directly at her.

Master Huiming clasped his hands together, each step a lotus blossom, and chanted the Buddha's name softly.

The four walked into the hall and bowed slightly.

"Zhang Yuchu of Longhu Mountain pays his respects to Your Majesty."

"Dugu Sheng of Shushan greets Your Majesty."

"Kunlun Yaoguang greets Your Majesty."

"Huiming of Putuo greets Your Majesty."

He bowed, but did not kneel.

The civil officials were in an uproar, and the military officers were furious.

Zhu Yuanzhang wasn't angry; instead, he smiled and said, "You four have come from afar; you must be tired. Please take a seat."

The eunuchs brought in four chairs and placed them in front of the officials.

The four of them sat down.

Master Zhang spoke first: "Your Majesty, I have come here today to discuss matters concerning our sect and the imperial court. For a thousand years, the cultivation world and the secular world have each had their own territories and have not interfered with each other."

However, after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, officials frequently attempted to interfere in the internal affairs of sects, even demanding the registration of disciples and the payment of taxes. This action was likely contrary to the will of Heaven.

He spoke slowly and deliberately, but his meaning was clear: it's none of your business.

Before Zhu Yuanzhang could speak, Zhu Biao spoke first.

"Master Zhang is mistaken. Under heaven, all land belongs to the king, and all people within the borders are subjects of the king. Longhu Mountain is within the territory of the Ming Dynasty, so it must naturally abide by the laws of the Ming Dynasty."

"Registering disciples is to prevent evildoers from infiltrating; paying taxes is for building bridges and roads and protecting the people. This is a matter of course, how can it violate the way of Heaven?" he said in a gentle voice.

Zhang Tianshi frowned and said, "Your Highness, cultivators transcend worldly affairs and should not be bound by worldly laws."

"Transcendence?" Zhu Biao laughed. "Does Master Zhang eat? Does he wear clothes? Do the disciples of Longhu Mountain use copper coins to buy things when they go down the mountain? Since we live in the human world, we must abide by the rules of the human world."

Dugu Sheng suddenly interrupted, his voice cold and hard: "The Shu Mountain Sword Sect has been autonomous for a thousand years, never bowing to any imperial court. Does Your Highness intend to use force to suppress us?"

Zhu Biao looked at him and said with a smile, "It's not about coercion, it's about reason. Sword Saint Dugu, when you mine iron ore in Shu Mountain to forge swords and sell them for profit, have you ever paid a single penny of mining tax?"

When disciples of Mount Shu travel among the people and encounter disputes, have they ever gone to court...? This isn't called self-governance; this is called... lawlessness.

Fairy Yaoguang spoke softly, her voice ethereal: "Kunlun has distanced himself from the mortal world, seeking only a peaceful path of cultivation. Why must the court force him?"

"Fairy Yaoguang, three years ago, a disciple of Kunlun forcibly abducted a woman in Gansu to refine elixirs. When the government investigated, the man went into hiding in Kunlun Mountain and has not been handed over to this day."

"Is this what you call pure spiritual practice?" Zhu Biao turned to her and asked.

Fairy Yaoguang's eyes turned cold, and she remained silent.

Master Huiming chanted the Buddha's name for a long time: "Amitabha, Your Highness, the Buddhist temple is a pure place, and it is not suitable to be involved in worldly affairs."

"Master Huiming, last year, Putuo Mountain seized 3,000 mu of coastal mudflats to build a private dock and smuggled spices from Southeast Asia, involving 300,000 taels of silver."

"Is this what you call the purity of Buddhism?" Zhu Biao's tone remained calm as he recounted the sordid affairs of these sects.

The four of them changed their expressions.

They never expected that Zhu Biao had so much dirt on him.

Zhu Yuanzhang then spoke, his voice booming, "Gentlemen, I am a rough man, I don't understand those intricacies. I'll just ask one question: does this world belong to the Ming Dynasty, or to your sects?"

The hall was silent.

Zhang Tianshi took a deep breath and said, "Your Majesty, if the court insists on forcing us, it may lead to disaster."

This is a threat.

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed, a cold laugh: "Calamity...the thing we fear least in this life is calamity."

He stood up, walked to the imperial steps, and looked down at the four men: "Three days from now, we will hold a banquet in the Fengtian Hall. Please think it over carefully. If you have made up your minds, the Ming Dynasty will welcome you."

I can't figure it out...

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.

The four men rose, bowed, and took their leave.

As he walked out of the Fengtian Hall, Zhang Tianshi looked back once.

He saw Zhu Hui standing next to Zhu Biao.

That simple-minded young man was picking at his fingers out of boredom.

But Zhang Tianshi's third eye saw something different...

Behind Zhu Hui, there was a faint phantom of a headless war god standing tall and upright, holding a giant axe and shield, exuding a murderous aura.

That murderous aura made even Zhang Tianshi, a Nascent Soul cultivator, feel a chill.

His face turned pale, and he quickly left.

……

Back at the Honglu Temple courtyard, the four gathered in Zhang Tianshi's room.

"Brother Zhang, what did you see?" Dugu Sheng asked.

After a long silence, Zhang Tianshi finally uttered, "That King of Wu... is no ordinary person."

"What do you mean?"

"He carries the aura of an ancient war god. If we were to actually fight today, even the four of us working together might not be able to withstand a single axe blow from him," Zhang Tianshi said with a wry smile.

Not to mention the King of Wu, even the Hongwu Emperor couldn't break through a single move.

That is to say, they also have experts of the fifth realm protecting them, otherwise they would not dare to be so presumptuous.

Fairy Yaoguang frowned and said, "Is that so exaggerated?"

"More or less," Zhang Tianshi said, shaking his head.

Master Huiming chanted the Buddha's name and said, "Amitabha, according to Brother Dao's opinion..."

"Let's talk," Zhang Tianshi said, closing his eyes. "But we can't give in too easily, otherwise what will become of the sect's reputation?"

The three nodded.

Unbeknownst to them, Zhu Biao was also speaking with Zhu Hui in the Eastern Palace at that moment.

"Second brother, at the banquet in three days, you will sit next to me," Zhu Biao said.

"What are you doing?" Zhu Li asked, munching on an apple.

"You don't need to do anything, just sit there, eat and drink as you please, but you must have an axe in your hand," Zhu Biao said with a smile.

Zhu Hui gave an "oh," took out the bronze-colored Xing Tian Axe from his pocket, and casually placed it on the table.

The axe looked ordinary, but the candlelight in the room suddenly dimmed.

Zhu Biao looked at the axe and smiled.

"There'll be a good show in three days."

Outside the window, the night sky over Yingtian Prefecture was dotted with stars.

The arrival of the leaders of the four major sects was like a stone thrown into a calm lake.