Chapter 873
Going to Southeast Asia, Immortal's Residence
"We don't think we've ever been here before."
Chen Jie pointed to a location on the map. Upon hearing this, Zhang Sanfeng and Phagpa immediately looked over and fixed their eyes on the location Chen Jie had pointed to.
"Nanyang?"
Upon seeing the location pointed out by Chen Jie, Phagpa and Zhang Sanfeng focused their gazes and realized that this was indeed the location of Nanyang.
The South Seas have long been part of the territory of the Han Dynasty, including the islands and countries, all of which are under the jurisdiction of the Han Dynasty.
Phagpa then looked at Chen Jie and said, "We've been to the North and South Poles, and even the deep ocean trenches in the west, but we still couldn't find the ascension passage. Could it possibly be hidden in this small South Sea?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Jie looked at Phagpa and said, "Do you remember when I was at the third level of the Fusion God realm, I killed Bolotemur, the First Army Commander of the Great Qian Dynasty? Do you still remember, Master?"
Phagpa looked slightly embarrassed upon hearing this and said, "Why are we talking about this now?"
Phagpa certainly remembered this matter. You see, this incident caused quite a stir back then, as Bolotemur was the trump card of the Great Qian Dynasty.
When Bolot Timur died in battle, it angered the Living Buddha Phagpa, who personally left Dadu and went to Jiangnan to kill Chen Jiu Si.
However, they were stopped by Zhang Sanfeng midway and suffered a great defeat.
Looking back now, Phagpa sighed with emotion. If he had succeeded back then, Chen Jiusi would probably be dead. How could there be the unified world and the Han emperor Chen Jiusi today?
Thinking this, Phagpa looked at Chen Jie and asked, "Your Majesty has brought up this old matter again today. What is your purpose?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Jie asked, "Master, do you still remember back then? What abilities did I possess that allowed me to kill Bolotemur, who was at the fourth level of the Fusion God realm when I was only at the third level of the Fusion God realm?"
Upon hearing Chen Jie's words, Phagpa frowned and began to think seriously about how Chen Jiu Si had managed to kill Bolotemur back then.
As he pondered, he recalled what had happened back then, and looked directly at Chen Jie, exclaiming, "Divine blood! It's divine blood!"
Chen Jie nodded slightly and said, "That's right, it's the blood of an immortal. I obtained it in the cave of an ancient immortal. Does the master know where this immortal's cave is?"
Upon hearing this, Phagpa looked at Chen Jie and said, "Now that things have come to this point, if I still don't know that the immortal's abode is in Southeast Asia, wouldn't I be a bit too foolish?"
"But when did you go to Southeast Asia?"
Phagpa looked at Chen Jie and asked, "Does Master Zhang know when I went to Southeast Asia?" Chen Jie smiled slightly and looked at Master Zhang, saying, "Master Zhang, do you know when I went to Southeast Asia?"
Zhang Sanfeng looked at Chen Jie and said, "It was the time when my disciple Cuishan and Miss Fang went overseas to find the Dragon King Fang Guozhen, right?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Jie immediately nodded and said, "What you say is correct, Master. It was indeed that time. Do you remember that time? Was there anything different about it?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Sanfeng said, "I seem to remember writing a piece of calligraphy for you that time. Then, it seemed that something happened to that piece of calligraphy. That feeling was transmitted to me through the rules of heaven and earth, but I still couldn't quite feel it. It just felt like someone was showing their entire life to me."
After hearing Zhang Sanfeng's words, Chen Jie nodded and said, "That's right, that's the immortal who escaped from the Immortal Realm."
Zhang Sanfeng said, "Why would a perfectly good immortal from the upper realm insist on fleeing to the mortal world?"
Hearing this, Chen Jie was also a little puzzled. Why would a perfectly good immortal come down to the mortal realm?
The three looked at each other in bewilderment. Why would an immortal, who had finally ascended to the Great Thousand World, choose to flee to the Lesser Thousand World and establish this immortal cave?
The three thought this way, but they had already made up their minds that this place might really contain information about the ascension passage they were looking for.
So the three of them discussed it and decided to go to Southeast Asia to find the passage to ascension.
Phagpa was very nervous this time. It only had two years left to live. The rule of this small world was that the lifespan was only one hundred and fifty years. If it could not break free from the constraints of the rules of the small world, Phagpa would pass away normally at the age of one hundred and fifty.
So, seeing that he only had two years left to live, and understanding Phagpa's thoughts, he said, "Don't worry, since an immortal has descended to earth, he must have a way to return. Otherwise, how would he have come back?"
After hearing Chen Jie's words, Master Phagpa sighed: "Those immortals can enter this world with the Boundary-Breaking Hammer. The immortal who was left behind in the mortal realm may not have returned through the flying passage."
"If he returned using the Boundary-Breaking Hammer, then our efforts this time are destined to be in vain."
"Master, you should be more optimistic. There's always a way out. There aren't many dead ends in this world, only people who give up."
Seeing that Phagpa was not in good condition, Chen Jie offered some words of advice.
Phagpa chuckled upon hearing Chen Jie's words: "Your Majesty. You and I were mortal enemies back then, but I never imagined that after forty years, we would become such close friends. This is truly the unpredictability of life and the myriad twists of fate."
Upon hearing this, Chen Jie smiled and said, "Back then, we only had different stances, which is why that great battle happened. If we put aside our stances, we actually get along quite well, and it wouldn't be bad for us to be friends."
"Especially now that the three of us are in the same boat, we share the same fate, so Master, you don't need to have so many worries. Everything will be arranged in the best way."
Upon hearing this, Phagpa looked at Chen Jiu Si and said, "You Han people really have a lot of talented people. Unlike us Mulan people, we haven't produced a single person like you even now."
"What are you saying, Master? What Mulan people, what Han people? They are just code names. From now on, the Great Han Empire will only have people, not ethnic groups."
"Besides, if we really have to categorize ourselves, we should all be called people of the Lesser Thousand Worlds."
After Chen Jie finished speaking, Phagpa nodded slightly and said, "That's right, you're absolutely right. They are all people from the Lesser Thousand Worlds."
"Your Majesty, may I ask you for a favor?"
Phagpa looked at Chen Jie and said, and Chen Jie looked at Phagpa and said, "Master, please speak freely."
"If we still cannot find the ascension passage this time, my lifespan may be coming to an end. At that time, I hope Your Majesty will consider our friendship and not abolish our Tantric lineage of Mount Burkhan, allowing it to flourish. Then I will die without regret," Phagpa said. People often become sentimental when they know their lifespan is near. Although Phagpa was a terrestrial immortal, he was not immune to this. As death approached, he couldn't help but make his final arrangements.
Upon hearing this, Chen Jie looked at Phagpa and said, "Master, why are you so pessimistic? This time, we might actually find the ascension passage. If the ascension passage opens, we can ascend to the Great Thousand Worlds and our lifespan will be extended indefinitely. At that time, you can continue to spread your Tantric lineage in the Great Thousand Worlds. Why are you so pessimistic?"
Phagpa shook his head and said, “It’s not that I’m pessimistic, nor that I’m afraid of death. We Buddhist disciples are never afraid of death. We believe in reincarnation, and death may be a better beginning.”
"If I were to remain a frog in a well for the rest of my life, unaware of the vast world, unaware of the many realms and great paths above us, I would die without any resentment."
"Yes, now I know that there is still a road ahead and the possibility of progress. How can I be willing to fall on the road to victory? Death is not scary. What is scary is dying before dawn."
Phagpa slowly revealed his thoughts, and it must be said that what he said was very true: death is not scary. What is scary is dying before dawn.
Chen Jie looked at Phagpa and could clearly see his anxiety. At this moment, Chen Jie didn't know how to comfort him, after all, he was only in his sixties. There were still more than ninety years left before he reached the age of one hundred and fifty. He couldn't feel the approach of his lifespan; it's hard for people to truly empathize.
Zhang Sanfeng then glanced at Phagpa and said, "Master, please don't be like that. This time, I feel that we will definitely be able to find the path to ascension."
Phagpa looked at Zhang Sanfeng, somewhat moved, and said, "Master Zhang, we've known each other for nearly a hundred years. Let's be frank about some things. Actually, I really admire you. Your talent is something I can never match."
"The Jiazi Demon Extermination also shattered my heart and soul. Forty years ago, although my Great Qian still had the advantage, I knew that Great Qian was already in decline. As long as you are here, the Han people will eventually overthrow my Great Qian Dynasty."
"That's exactly what happened. Just as I imagined, the collapse of the Great Qian Dynasty was like an avalanche, and it was destroyed in an instant."
At this point, Phagpa sighed. Zhang Sanfeng looked at Phagpa and said, "These are all things of the past. Why are you bringing them up, Master?"
Phagpa said, "Please don't think I'm being long-winded, Master. Perhaps it's true that people speak the best words when they're about to die. Two years of life will pass in the blink of an eye. There are some things I don't want to keep to myself. Now that I've said them, I think I'll feel much better."
“Master Zhang, to be honest, I’m a little jealous of you. I’m jealous of your extraordinary talent. I always thought that your status as a terrestrial immortal was not much different from mine. Even if you were more powerful than me, it would only be by a limited margin. Who would have thought that you would overestimate me by more than one major realm?”
"If it weren't for the sudden arrival of this immortal in this world, I might have thought that our strengths were about the same until I died, which would have been quite laughable."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Sanfeng looked at Phagpa and said, "So-called strength is merely a byproduct of the path to enlightenment. As long as our hearts remain steadfast in our pursuit of enlightenment, we will reach this level sooner or later."
Phagpa sighed and said, "My devotion to the Dao is especially firm, but what can I do when this world confines me?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Jie said, "If the world is imprisoned, then break the world. Master, you have truly shown your weakness today."
Phagpa smiled bitterly: "I have been strong all my life, can't I be weak just this once?"
"Your Majesty, please forgive my embarrassment."
Upon hearing this, Chen Jie said, "There's no need to be so serious about such important matters. How many people can be so calm before death?"
"No, I've always believed that there's always a way out. If there is, then we'll just break through the heavens and forge a new path."
"Haha, Your Majesty is right. If there is no way out, we can just forge another one, can't we?"
At this moment, Zhang Sanfeng was also filled with heroic spirit. He believed that there was no road in the world, but only when the brave stepped out would a road be made.
Seeing Chen Jie and Zhang Sanfeng so excited, Phagpa was infected and said, "Alright, since you two have said so, then no matter what, I will accompany you through mountains of knives and seas of fire."
As they were talking, the three of them had already arrived at the location in Southeast Asia by boat. Based on the location that Chen Jie had sent people to survey and determine over the years, they quickly found the Qianlongyuan that Chen Jie and his party had passed by when they went to Southeast Asia.
The Qianlongyuan of today is no longer the pirate-infested place it once was. All the pirates have disappeared from the sea, replaced by the Nanyang Protectorate of the Han Dynasty.
The Nanyang Protectorate was at the provincial level in terms of administration. The first Protectorate Chief was Fang Guozhen, the "Dragon King of the Sea." He truly lived up to his nickname and was indeed like a dragon king.
With Chen Jie's enormous financial support, Fang Guozhen assembled the most powerful fleet in history, the Nanyang Fleet.
They virtually wiped out all the pirates on the surrounding islands, eventually unifying the entire Southeast Asian region and taking over the kingdoms of Siam and other places, making them part of the Nanyang Protectorate.
Chen Jie, Zhang Sanfeng, and Phagpa are currently aboard a special escort ship belonging to the Nanyang Protectorate.
At this moment, the three of them arrived at Qianlong Abyss aboard the escort ship. Chen Jie looked around and said, "That's right, it's down here. The dragon cave is down there."
After hearing Chen Jie's words, Zhang Sanfeng and Phagpa exchanged a glance, then released their protective qi and jumped from the deck into the water.
Seeing this, Chen Jie also jumped into the water. All three of them were at the Land Immortal Realm, and their protective aura instantly squeezed the water outward, forming a protective shield. Within a five-zhang radius of them, everything was dry, and the seawater could not get close.
And so, the three of them sank to the bottom of the water. The underwater world was still so sparkling and colorful. The seabed of the South Sea was so clear that the three of them felt relaxed.
At this moment, all sorts of marine life swam past them. Chen Jie identified a location and pointed in a direction. Soon, the three of them arrived at this place, where a huge cave appeared in front of them.
Chen Jie looked at the cave in front of him and said, "That's right, this is the place. This is the Flood Dragon Cave, and the Immortal's Abode is located deep within the Flood Dragon Cave."
Seeing this, Zhang Sanfeng said, "That beast is still sleeping in the cave. Let's capture him first."
Upon hearing this, Phagpa said, "Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? Leave this beast to me."
After saying this, Phagpa suddenly darted into the Dragon Cave. A moment later, a powerful burst of bubbles erupted from within the cave. The next instant, Phagpa emerged from the cave, followed by a massive dragon, its claws outstretched, as if it wanted to devour him. (End of Chapter)