Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 739 Order to Punish the Rebels

Looking at Wu Wang, who still had the strength to fight, Lu Zheng thought to himself that this monk in the Dao Inquiry Realm was different from those in the Profound Realm.

The power of the Taiping Code was still not strong enough; it had not formed a true set of principles and could not overwhelm the heinous and unjust.

As soon as Lu Zheng had a thought, countless golden sword energies appeared, their aura containing the righteous energy of heaven and earth, all locked onto Wu Wang.

Golden light shone brightly, and sharp sword energy poured down on Wuwang in an endless stream.

Wu Wang was slightly startled. He tried his best to circulate his Buddhist power to avoid being suppressed by the space, and at the same time took out one magic weapon after another to resist.

Most of the magical artifacts, which were forged from human sacrifices, were reduced to ashes and could not withstand the powerful offensive.

With another wave of his hand, a golden Buddhist scripture appeared before him.

The Buddhist scriptures were laid out, and the words within radiated light, forming a golden barrier that enveloped Wuwang.

This Buddhist scripture is imbued with a strong Taoist spirit. It was created by the eminent monks of Dawu Temple after their deaths, using their physical bodies as paper and their blood as ink.

Now that Wuwang has brought out this scripture, his expression is quite unpleasant.

After all, the enemy he was facing was the Buddha, the origin of Buddhism and Taoism. No matter what methods he used, he was in a state of complete suppression, similar to the power of bloodlines.

This made Wu Wang feel extremely frustrated.

Even when facing the power of other Great Dao Saints, he might not be at such a disadvantage.

Now, forced to take out this treasured scripture, he knew it was likely to become a consumable item and be destroyed.

But Wu Wang had no other choice but to try and wear Lu Zheng down, to see who would give in first.

He didn't believe that this young man could continue to invoke Buddha's power and use Buddha's influence.

With the help of the Buddha, Lu Zheng also sensed that the scripture Wu Wang had taken out was extraordinary—a scripture containing Buddhist and Taoist elements, but the aura within it was not so pure.

According to Lu Zheng's standards, this should be considered a heretical scripture, a book that has no reason to exist.

Lu Zheng tried to attack Wu Wang with the power of the scriptures, but each attack was slowly worn away by the power of the scriptures.

For a time, the two sides were deadlocked, neither able to gain the upper hand.

Wu Wang was far from calm, and his expression grew increasingly grim.

Because he felt that Lu Zheng seemed to have inexhaustible strength, and the fight was getting smoother and smoother.

It was as if the other party was using him as a sparring partner, constantly practicing his skills there—this was an unfounded, intuitive feeling.

Seeing this situation, Wu Wang realized that he could not continue to defend himself and passively take hits.

His eyes flashed with a fierce light, and the essence and blood within his body, accumulated over many years of cultivation, surged wildly and burst into flames.

Wu Wang was enveloped in golden flames, his aura soaring to the heavens.

He was willing to risk falling into lower realms and shortening his lifespan in an attempt to break free from this spatial cage.

Otherwise, if we continue to slowly deplete ourselves like this, it's no different from waiting to die.

Wu Wang's eyes were filled with killing intent as he looked at Lu Zheng. After so many years of cultivation, this was the first time he had been forced to this point by a young man.

However, Wu Wang dared not look directly at the unmoving, mountain-like phantom of Buddha in the distance.

After all, he knew in his heart that the Buddhism he practiced was not a proper Buddhism.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so frightened by the appearance of the orthodox Buddhist sect that he fled to such a remote place as the Northern Region.

Lu Zheng sensed that Wu Wang's momentum was growing stronger and stronger, to the point that even this space was about to be unable to suppress it, and he knew that he had to finish the battle quickly.

Lu Zheng couldn't help but take a deep breath, his body churning with the classics of modern poetry.

Another wisp of power containing the power of the sacred realm was added to the body.

The longsword in Lu Zheng's hand trembled, flashing with lightning light.

An even more oppressive atmosphere filled the entire space, overshadowing even Wu Wang's imposing aura.

So many things are urgent; the world turns, and time presses on.

ten thousand years is too long, fight for now.

The seas are churning with furious clouds and waters; the five continents are shaking with thunder and lightning.

We must eradicate all harmful pests and be invincible!

In an instant, the entire golden space seemed to freeze.

The towering Buddha phantom slightly opened its eyes, glanced at Lu Zheng standing in front of it with his back to it, and then transformed into a golden light that entered Lu Zheng's body.

Lu Zheng stood there like a blazing sun, and with a single swing of his sword, he unleashed a domineering display of heavenly and earthly thunderous power.

Wu Wang only saw the dazzling white light before his eyes, and a sense of despair had already arisen in his heart.

It gave him no chance to dodge; the mighty power of heaven swept across the entire space, leaving nothing but dust and debris in its wake.

Its imposing presence even overwhelmed the Buddhist aura, and the originally golden Buddhist scripture vanished in the blink of an eye.

The impure elements contained in the Buddhist scriptures were completely eliminated, and the remaining power of the Dharma returned to the ethereal and boundless space.

At the same time, Wuwang was instantly struck by a backlash and severely injured.

Then, the might of Heaven descended, enveloping Wuwang entirely.

The flames surrounding Wu Wang were instantly dispersed, as if thousands of swords had slashed across him. His clothes were first torn to shreds, and then his body became a bloody mess.

Then the flesh and blood melted away, revealing a stark white skeleton, which then shattered in the blink of an eye, turning into countless tiny, invisible dust particles.

All of this happened in a very short period of time.

But Lu Zheng, whose cultivation was not weak, saw it clearly.

After Wuwang's body dissipated, his soul remained, flickering like a candle in the wind.

Looking at Lu Zheng standing between heaven and earth, Wu Wang felt an indescribable shock.

He hadn't expected Lu Zheng's methods to be so terrifying. Not only could he summon Buddha to possess him, but he also had other powerful methods that were no less powerful than the origin of Buddhism and Taoism.

A moment later, the innocent soul was completely obliterated by the might of Heaven.

The space returned to calm, leaving only Lu Zheng present.

Lu Zheng raised his hand, and the surrounding aura surged forth.

In the blink of an eye, Lu Zheng appeared outside Wohu Mountain, at the spot he had just left.

On Lu Zheng's right palm, a golden mark slowly disappeared.

It took considerable effort to kill a monk seeking enlightenment, but in doing so, I also absorbed some of his Buddhist power to maintain the Buddhist seal. All things considered, I didn't lose anything.

Shi Hu was still anxiously waiting for Lu Zheng on the ground. When he saw Lu Zheng suddenly appear, he was stunned.

Shi Hu blinked hard to make sure he wasn't mistaken.

He rushed over excitedly, "Young Master Lu... are you alright?"

After what had just happened, Shi Hu really didn't have the nerve to call Lu Zheng a brother anymore. Lu Zheng smiled slightly and said, "It's nothing."

Seeing that Lu Zheng seemed to be no different from before, Shi Hu felt slightly relieved.

He couldn't help but ask curiously, "Where is that old monk?"

Lu Zhengdao: "He died naturally, we can't let him get away, can we?"

Shi Hu's heart skipped a beat. Although he had expected it, hearing Lu Zheng say it so casually still made him uneasy.

Whether it's a powerful cultivator or a Buddhist monk, they could easily crush ten demons like him.

In just that short time, before he even knew what had happened, a powerful expert had perished.

Shi Hu said softly, "That old monk just now said that one of them was Buddha?"

Lu Zheng nodded. "It is indeed Buddha. What's wrong?"

Shi Hu exclaimed in disbelief, "Buddha, how could it be Buddha...?"

Logically speaking, shouldn't Lu Zheng have invited a Confucian sage? This really puzzled him.

Lu Zheng smiled and explained, "Because using Buddhism to control Buddhism is the most suitable approach."

The most suitable… Shi Hu’s expression changed. Because it was the most suitable, he invited the Buddha to appear?

If that's the case, next time we encounter an evil Taoist priest, should we specifically invite the Taoist Ancestor to descend?

Shi Hu felt his mind was a little confused. He thought to himself, "So Lu Zheng is very familiar with those Heavenly Saints, right? He can invite any one of them and they will come down."

He had heard all sorts of rumors before, but he had never heard such an outrageous story. No one else could have made it up.

After all, if someone were to go around saying that a Confucian scholar had invited Buddha down to suppress Buddhist monks, even a fool would think that person was a fool...

Regardless of whether Lu Zheng was familiar with him or not, Shi Hu felt that no matter how much he shouted, he would definitely not get a response from the will of any saint.

Shi Hu didn't want to ask in detail how to invite the saint, probably because he figured he couldn't learn it even if he wanted to.

He then asked curiously, "What's this about the orthodox Buddhist sect you were talking about? What happened in Wei?"

Lu Zheng briefly recounted the changes that had occurred within the Buddhist community of Wei.

Shi Hu suddenly realized that such a great dynasty had experienced such a shock, and that the world was becoming increasingly turbulent.

I thought that great dynasties could live peacefully and steadily, but it turns out that the old monk who asked the question just now came here to seek refuge. It sounds unreal.

The thought that more and more monks might come to the Northern Region in the future made Shi Hu feel that this was very detrimental to the Northern Region.

Shi Hu's mind raced, and he said with a smile, "Well... Young Master Lu, you saved our clan, and we have no way to repay you. How about we merge our Crouching Tiger Mountain into the Taiping Domain, and do as Young Master Lu commands..."

Now Shi Hu felt it was very necessary for him to lead his entire clan to latch onto Lu Zheng, this powerful figure.

He wasn't particularly interested in joining the Taiping Domain before, but now he's eager to dedicate himself to it, showing that he's quite willing to contribute to the development of the Northern Domain.

Lu Zheng's expression remained calm upon hearing this, and he said, "Let's talk about it later. We don't have time to take over here for the time being."

Lu Zheng wasn't in a hurry; things had to be done step by step.

Upon hearing this, Shi Hu felt a little disappointed, thinking that he hadn't performed well enough.

To be honest, he really didn't do anything. He was suppressed by that old monk and had no power to resist at all. Now that he thinks about it, it's really embarrassing.

Shi Hu quickly replied, "It's alright, we can wait! Young Master Lu, rest assured, I will take good care of Wohu Mountain during this time so that everyone can adapt to the rules of Taiping Domain as soon as possible."

Lu Zheng said unhurriedly, "Let me give you another task."

Shi Hu's spirits lifted, and he quickly replied, "Tell me, and I, Shi Hu, guarantee to handle things properly."

Lu Zhengdao: "When you have time to go to the nearby forces to advocate for Buddhism, please also tell them that anyone who accepts a non-orthodox Mahayana Buddhist monk from Wei will be regarded as harboring a traitor to Buddhism and will be punished as a traitor.

Shi Hu's expression changed slightly. After thinking for a moment, he said, "This is... the statement from the Wei court?"

Lu Zhengdao said, "That's also my idea. Let them be careful, so that one day when I or someone from Wei comes, it will be too late to regret it."

Shi Hu swallowed hard and nodded emphatically, saying, "Don't worry, I will pass on the message."

He had personally witnessed Lu Zheng using his skills to deal with a powerful expert, and he had no doubt about Lu Zheng's abilities.

Shi Hu pondered that apart from those few great demon kingdoms in the Northern Region, probably no one would dare to associate with those Buddhist rebels.

Otherwise, if this person came knocking, there would be a good reason to easily deal with them.

Just then, two streaks of light flashed across the sky in the distance.

A grayish-brown aura, and a crimson light.

Looking closely, Shi Hu could vaguely see two figures chasing each other.

Although they were some distance apart, their presence was already emanating from them.

There was a hint of demonic energy, and another kind of intense heat.

Soon, the two beams of light collided, radiating dazzling brilliance in all directions.

Shi Hu blinked and saw that only a fiery red glow remained in the sky.

The red light arrived again at lightning speed.

Shi Hu was slightly startled. He could sense that the newcomer was at the Tongxuan Realm, but his aura seemed to be stronger than his own.

Upon closer inspection, Shi Hu discovered that it was a petite, teenage girl carrying the corpse of a powerful demon, which was still warm.

The girl approached Lu Zheng and grinned, revealing a bright smile.

Lu Zheng stepped forward lightly and smiled, "It's Qingyi, chasing after someone again."

Qingyi said, "Hmm, there's another one being naughty!"

Lu Zheng raised his hand and gently rubbed Qingyi's head, saying softly, "Thank you for your hard work."

Qingyi smiled, feeling Lu Zheng's caress.

Lu Zheng quickly withdrew his hand and gave Shi Hu a brief explanation.

Qingyi is now the patrol and law enforcement officer of the entire Taiping Domain. Once she finds someone who does not follow the rules, she will immediately take righteous action against them.

Qingyi worked very hard on the job Lu Zheng gave her and didn't feel tired at all.

As for whether she would encounter any danger, Qingyi was not worried at all. If she encountered an enemy, she would fight. Her fiery temper was just like her background.

However, she was quite well-behaved in front of Lu Zheng.

Recently, Taiping Domain has taken over some areas, and inevitably some people have tried to deceive the authorities while outwardly complying.

The great demon that Qingyi was carrying had only nominally submitted to the Taiping Domain. It didn't want to do any work and was planning to steal the region's sealed treasures and escape. However, Qingyi sensed the situation, caught it red-handed, and chased it all the way here.

Qingyi decided to leave the other party with a complete corpse, or take him back to show him to the public as a warning to others.

This isn't the first monster to break the rules in the new district; there are always some people who are delusional and think they can escape punishment for breaking the rules...

Hearing Lu Zheng's description, Shi Hu felt a little uneasy. He felt that the current Taiping Domain was probably a place where hidden talents were lurking. Besides Lu Zheng, he didn't know what other experts were doing things.

It's possible that even figures from those dynasties or top sects would be at the beck and call of the Taiping Domain. (End of Chapter)