Chapter 17 The Saint of the Church

"Real Person is in such a hurry, could it be to quell the Bozhou rebellion?"

"Recently, the imperial court has been busy with many affairs. In the south, suppressing various Dharma sects, in the north, reclaiming old Tang territories, in the east, Japanese daimyo surrendering, in the southwest, the Bozhou rebellion, in the northwest, secret sect activities, and I heard the imperial court is also vigorously recruiting those skilled in water..."

"Intending to take Luzon?"

The priests of the Catholic Church were not isolated from information. In fact, because of Matteo Ricci's presence as the current bishop of this region, they had much firsthand information that was difficult for ordinary people to grasp.

They could grasp most of the Ming Dynasty court's movements, but even if they spied on this intelligence, it wouldn't be of much use to them. After all, the gap in national power was still there. The Western fleets of this period, even if they tried their best, could not confront the Ming Dynasty head-on.

Although the times had changed, the gap wasn't too wide. After acquiring a large number of Western techniques, the firearms here in the Ming Dynasty also began to innovate.

So they could only unite with other forces that were favorable to them.

"You all certainly know quite a lot. This poor Daoist is indeed going to Bozhou. As for the Luzon matter, how could this poor Daoist know? This is a major military matter, how could a mere cultivator like me be clear about it?"

Ji Xiang casually made up a story, his heart as clear as a mirror, knowing what these priests were trying to find out.

Luzon, the former Gang Old Comfort Envoy Department of the Ming Dynasty, abandoned for hundreds of years, had long become the Frankish people's super base camp in the Far East. From this base camp, they constantly sent missionaries and colonizers to areas such as the Ming Dynasty, Japan, Korea, and Annam. Now, there were probably quite a few warships and cannons there.

The Frankish people didn't want to spit out this piece of fat and return it to the Ming Dynasty. If the Ming Dynasty wanted to forcibly demand it, then these priests would probably secretly send messages over there to prepare them for battle.

In naval battles near the coast, the Ming Dynasty, Korea, and Japan each had their strengths, but in large-scale battles in the distant seas, the Frankish people, who were skilled in ocean navigation, were clearly superior.

In the Ming Dynasty's maritime records, the Frankish people had a special kind of warship. In distant sea battles, all the cannons on the ship fired together, and the bullets fell like rain, invincible, called the "centipede ship."

And now, after decades of maritime trade, several counties in the South China Sea region, where the Dharma sects were entrenched, possessed a large number of firearms and cannons. Apart from some imported from the Frankish people, more were self-made by the people. Since the earliest battles with the Frankish people took place in the South China Sea, they later obtained the manufacturing methods for these cannons.

Therefore, Frankish cannons might be difficult to replicate in other places, but in the South China Sea, even small, unlicensed workshops could easily imitate them without any pressure, and their power was not weak.

"You priests, you wouldn't want to inquire about this news, and then see the imperial court's attitude? If the attitude is bad, you will prepare for battle? Surely, it wouldn't be like this, right?"

"Even if you really obtained this kind of news and passed it on to the Frankish people in Luzon, do you still expect to survive here yourselves?"

Ji Xiang, while laying his cards on the table, warned these priests not to inquire about things indiscriminately, lest they lose their heads. Although Matteo Ricci was deeply trusted by the emperor, he probably couldn't protect you all.

The priests were somewhat flustered for a moment, and many people's eyes darted around. Of course, the younger priests were relatively simple-minded and vowed that they would never do such a thing. They came here to preach with good intentions. In their words, they tried their best to exonerate the Frankish people in Luzon.

"Even the Frankish people come from different countries. The Ming Dynasty's term for us is too general. We are the Lord's monks, although we come from different countries, but under the protection of the Lord's halo, we have relatively detached ourselves from our original countries and belong only to the Vatican."

Father Pang Diwo said sincerely, and the young priest even said:

"Bishop Ricci has translated many classics of Christ the Lord, allowing more people to understand our religion. Now I am also preparing to follow his example and translate the geographical characteristics of some countries in the West, as well as their inherent cultures, into books so that people here can understand them."

Matteo Ricci had presented the Kunyu Wanguo Quantu (Complete Map of the Myriad Countries), which did mark many countries and translated them into Chinese using Chinese characters. However, only a little over a year had passed, and this map had not yet become widespread, after all, the printing factory had previously exploded, and the Ming people found it troublesome to distinguish various Western barbarians, and still uniformly used the term Frankish.

Apart from the famous Red Hairs, the flying Dutchmen had their own unique characteristics, probably because most of them loved to wear red clothes and their eyebrows and beards were all reddish, making them easy to remember and thus excluding them from the Frankish ranks.

Before Ji Xiang left, the priests jointly wrote him a letter of recommendation. After all, they attached great importance to Ji Xiang's creation of holy light. They hoped that Ji Xiang could further understand Catholicism in the St. Paul's College. In their words, it was "advanced studies."

"In St. Paul's College, there are many Chinese orphans who have received the Lord's baptism. If Real Person goes there, he will definitely bring them good and positive effects. This is a firsthand account. The Lord's glory not only protects believers, but as long as those who understand the Heavenly Lord's classics and have devout faith, even heretics, the Lord will also protect."

"This is the Lord's love."

Father Pang Diwo forcibly explained, but Ji Xiang grasped the most crucial point in his words:

"Chinese orphans?"

"Yes, in St. Paul's Church, there are many homeless orphans who have been adopted by our missionaries and are studying in the college."

Ji Xiang's brow furrowed slightly.

It sounded like a good deed.

But combined with the previous secret investigations into St. Paul's College...

"Well, I hope the power of the Heavenly Lord can protect these children and help them grow up safely."

"The Lord be with you." Father Pang Diwo made the sign of the cross in front of him.

.......

Southwest of the land, Bozhou.

Zhang Tianshi's (Celestial Master) yang spirit incarnation descended here. Among the mountains and fields, there were many village ruins. Yang Yinglong's rebellion had caused great turmoil here, plundering many people to his own "capital."

"Senior Brother said that there is a Tianxin realm (Heavenly Heart Realm) expert interfering here..."

"I don't feel any immortal aura."

The Celestial Master saw in the distance, Yang Yinglong's army appeared, and there were also cultivators inside. The Celestial Master's incarnation had eyes like torches, and saw that one of the cultivators was actually extracting people's three souls. He immediately pointed a finger down.

A bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, turning hundreds of soldiers into coke, creating great slaughter!

And those cultivators all turned their heads, but when they saw the Celestial Master's incarnation, not only did they not escape, but one of them laughed loudly and flew up, waving a mottled black banner.

"So you know a little bit of thunder magic and think you can act on behalf of Heaven? Where did you come from, little cultivator, dare to interfere with Grandpa's affairs!"

"Luhun (Soul Slaughter)!"

Several black qi were released from the black banner, and the black qi turned into dark clouds, enveloping the Celestial Master's incarnation!

And the cultivator who flew up was a Xiantian (Innate) existence, wearing a vermilion robe and a plain belt, looking majestic like an ancient celestial god descending. He came before the black qi and laughed wildly:

"The Luohun Fan (Soul Falling Banner) of the Five Pecks of Rice Sect, with one turn of the black qi, the three souls will be gone and the seven spirits will be extinguished, leaving only an empty shell of a body. Those three souls will be collected into the banner, even if the current Celestial Master comes here, he will suffer a loss! Hahahaha!"

"Opposing us is..."

Before he finished speaking.

A large hand stretched out from the black qi, grabbing the cultivator's head, and then a bolt of lightning erupted from his palm!

"Five Pecks of Rice Sect?"

"Insulting the Daoist ancestors, and daring to cause trouble in the ancestral land of Taoism?"

The cultivator's head was blasted apart by the lightning. The Celestial Master's incarnation waved his hand to tear open the black qi, captured the Luohun Fan (Soul Falling Banner), and his eyes widened. Thunderclouds surged in the sky, and lightning roared!

The mountains and ten directions trembled violently. The Zhu Yi (Vermilion Robe) cultivators who were just happy immediately changed their expressions.

"The Celestial Master will also suffer a loss when he arrives?"

"Then this poor Daoist will let you ignorant fools see the Celestial Master's methods!"

The Celestial Master's incarnation chanted words, and the clouds in the sky suddenly turned as red as fire!

The wind and clouds changed color!

And those lightning bolts seemed to come alive, the electric light enveloped the sky and descended to the world. A faint electric light appeared above each of the cultivators' heads, as if they were locked on!

"Dantian (Cinnabar Field) fire clouds, awe-inspiring heaven and earth. Ascending to capture demonic qi, descending to slay evil spirits..."

"Flying lightning shining, the wind never stops. Communicating with true transformations, paying homage to the Emperor!"

"Urgently, urgently, as the statutes command!"

Supreme Three Caves Divine Incantation, Flying Lightning Divine Incantation!

In an instant, within a hundred miles of the sky, red clouds covered the world, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled!

After a full half-hour of bombing, there were no more Zhu Yi (Vermilion Robe) cultivators here. And those people whose souls were extracted did not die under the protection of the Celestial Master, but the Celestial Soul among their three souls was lost, making these people seem foolish and silly.

Whether it is the Celestial Soul or the Earthly Soul, losing them has a certain impact on life and spirit. The Earthly Soul has the least impact, while the Celestial Soul governs a person's subconscious. It is equivalent to the Celestial Soul taking over the body when the Soul of Life is resting. If the Celestial Soul is lost, the person will be exhausted, thus appearing lost, foolish, and dull.

But what made the Celestial Master's incarnation even more concerned was the dress of these Zhu Yi (Vermilion Robe) cultivators, as well as their methods and self-proclaimed title...

The Five Pecks of Rice Sect, isn't that the predecessor of the Celestial Masters Dao?

But in the history of Celestial Masters Dao, there was no such dress or group with vermilion clothes and white headscarves.

As for this Luohun Fan (Soul Falling Banner), the Celestial Master's incarnation didn't care much. He had seen many soul-collecting magical instruments. There was nothing rare about this. Even the Yinshan (Yin Mountain) Sect among the Dharma sects had a pile of soul-retaining treasures.

The sky gradually darkened.

In the mountains of Shu, thick fog began to appear in patches. In that fog, many ghostly shadows floated, and each of those ghostly shadows held a Luohun Fan (Soul Falling Banner).

And these ghostly shadows were surrounded by three huge black shadows wearing crowns, like monarchs. And the rest of the ghostly shadows were calling out their names. If the Celestial Master heard it, he would be shocked and unbelievable.

Those were the Heavenly Official, the Earthly Official, and the Water Official, the Three Emperor Officials.

"The ghost officer holds the Three Officials' handwritten letter, writing the name of the person, explaining the meaning of confessing sins, making three copies, one submitted to the heavens, placed on the mountain; one buried in the earth; one submerged in the water."

A golden humanoid phantom waved his hand in front, and the surrounding fog and mountains and fields were all eliminated.

All of that was a future illusion.

"In the Ghost City, what Zhang Xiu left behind is not just the Three Officials' handwritten letter... Wait until Yang Yinglong brings out that giant stele..."

"The bones and Primordial Origin Throne once lost by the Jade Purity cultivator will then belong to me."

"Then..."

This golden figure suddenly waved his hand in another direction.

"The Celestial Master of the mortal world, you did not come to investigate the turmoil here."

"But because of your arrival, turmoil will happen here."

"And you were injured by these cultivators a long time ago."

After a few words fell.

Cause and effect were reversed.

The Celestial Master's incarnation maintained an astonished expression, twisting and disappearing into the current world. It turned into a part of history and was remembered in the hearts of everyone who recalled this history.

And far away on the Dragon Tiger Mountain south of the Yangtze River, suddenly trembled violently. At the same time, the Celestial Master in Shuntian Prefecture suddenly spewed out a mouthful of heart blood, staring wide-eyed, and disbelievingly felt his cultivation base decline.

"Someone in the Tianxin realm (Heavenly Heart Realm) changed cause and effect!"