Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 733 1 Competing to See Who Wins

Ao Jing tried his best to activate his water-based supernatural powers to stabilize his domain space.

At the same time, a storm was raging within him.

Ao Jing believes himself to be a member of the East Sea Dragon Clan, possessing true dragon blood, and that his talent for comprehending and mastering the Dao of Water far surpasses that of other races.

But now, facing Lu Zheng, he felt that he had not gained any advantage.

Lu Zheng's words, spoken by a sage, caused his domain to collapse, which is a terrifying thing.

After all, not everyone can recite the words of a sage and unleash their powerful effects.

This means that Lu Zheng's understanding of the Way of Water is no less than his.

For an ordinary cultivator, without that talent, even if they could recite those classic texts of sages backwards, it wouldn't be of much use.

Not only that, Ao Jing discovered that the water stream summoned by Lu Zheng was also extraordinary, containing a mysterious power that was constantly impacting his water domain.

Ao Jing opened his mouth and exhaled a ball of essence. The essence merged into the domain, and water dragons formed, rushing towards the edge of the domain with a powerful aura, counteracting the water power from Lu Zheng.

For a moment, the two sides were locked in a stalemate, causing ripples to spread across the two lakes that reflected the sky.

At this moment, a column of water emerged from the surface of the water, instantly transforming into a water dragon with transparent eyes staring straight at Lu Zheng. It spoke in human language, saying, "Your understanding of the Dao of Water is indeed quite good. If that's all, you won't be able to break through my domain."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the water dragon plunged into the water.

Suddenly, towering waves surged up on both sides of the lake, sweeping towards Lu Zheng.

Lu Zheng stood suspended in the center, and the strange phenomena of mountains in the small world trembled, and a powerful force enveloped Lu Zheng.

Huge waves crashed in from all directions, but Lu Zheng stood motionless, letting the water surge around him without affecting him in the slightest.

The endless flow of water, carrying a powerful impact, was constantly eroding and weakening Lu Zheng's defenses, determined to wear down the stone with each drop of water.

Lu Zheng calmly observed the chaotic flow of water around him, a flick of electricity flashing from his fingertip.

In an instant, violent lightning currents appeared around Lu Zheng.

The thunderous power, imbued with a special aura, instantly spread to the surrounding water.

The towering waves were instantly severed from their invisible connection by the power of thunder, collapsing and turning into a deluge of rain.

Lu Zheng was enveloped in lightning and plunged straight into a body of water, disappearing into it in the blink of an eye.

Countless tiny electric currents were released, tracing the origin of the remaining scent in the water.

Hidden in the water, Ao Jing inexplicably sensed a hint of danger.

Even from a distance, Lu Zheng's human form of lightning made him feel intimidated.

It was like a bolt of lightning, capable of eradicating all evil and filth in the world.

Lu Zheng slightly raised his hand, and a dazzling bolt of lightning transformed into a longsword in his hand.

The next instant, the Thunder Sword plunged into the depths of the water, as if entering an uninhabited place.

Ao Jing frowned as he saw a bolt of lightning imbued with divine might hurtling straight toward him.

He quickly summoned the surrounding water to transform into a thick ice wall to block it, and then swiftly shifted his position to hide in a different place.

"You really don't seem like a scholar..."

At the same time, Ao Jing couldn't help but comment on Lu Zheng.

Judging from the methods Lu Zheng used, it seemed more plausible that he was a master of the immortal Taoist sect.

Lu Zheng's eyes shone brightly, with lightning flashing within them.

Lu Zheng's eyes flashed like lightning as he constantly scanned the waters, trying to pinpoint Ao Jing's location.

However, Ao Jing was well hidden in his own waters, and his location was constantly changing, making it impossible to pinpoint his exact location for the time being.

Upon hearing Ao Jing's assessment, Lu Zheng responded calmly, "I've read more than just Confucian classics; it's normal for me to know other skills, isn't it?"

Normal? Ao Jing thought to himself, this is not normal at all.

It's quite normal for a Confucian scholar who is not yet thirty to be proficient in other Taoist arts.

If you were to say that Lu Zheng was an old scholar of advanced age, he could barely consider him normal.

Lu Zheng, who was in Ao Jing's domain, did not feel much pressure and slowly threw out a few more thunderous swords.

"All principles and methods in the world have commonalities; they lead to the same goal through different paths. Once you learn to apply what you've learned to other situations, nothing is truly difficult to learn. If you read more books in the future, you will understand the underlying principles..."

Ao Jing's expression was a little unnatural; Lu Zheng still had the leisure to give him a lesson at a time like this.

Ao Jing remained silent and simply waved his hand.

An extremely cold aura surged from within his body.

However, in the blink of an eye, the surrounding water froze extremely quickly and rapidly expanded to the area where Lu Zheng was located.

The once turbulent waters suddenly froze, turning into a glacier.

With a thought, Lu Zheng's surrounding lightning power receded, and in turn, a bright sun appeared in front of him.

The scorching heat enveloped the area, burning a vast expanse of land around Lu Zheng.

Lu Zheng was once again enveloped in a blinding white light.

Ao Jing's heart skipped a beat. Just now, the other party was using the power of water, but now he directly took out a small sun, and it was even a real Dharma form. Is this reasonable?

Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, Ao Jing asked, "How exactly do you cultivate?"

Lu Zheng smiled faintly and asked, "Do you want to learn?"

Ao Jing's expression shifted, and he couldn't help but say, "You think you can teach me?"

Lu Zheng said slowly, "Heaven and earth possess righteous energy, which manifests in various forms. Below, it becomes rivers and mountains; above, it becomes the sun and stars. In man, it is called the vast and righteous spirit, which fills the boundless sky..."

Righteous spirit? Ao Jing was stunned. If that was the case, then it would be almost impossible for him to learn to the level Lu Zheng was talking about. He didn't have Lu Zheng's talent.

Lu Zheng glanced at the surrounding icy area and said calmly, "If this is all you have, you won't be able to find out how much I'm capable of."

From the very beginning, Lu Zheng could sense that Ao Jing didn't really want to have a good fight with him; he was just observing what tricks Lu Zheng had up his sleeve.

However, Lu Zheng has many more trump cards up his sleeve, and the abilities he is showing now are just what he wants to reveal.

Upon hearing this, Ao Jing's expression turned slightly solemn. He had previously heard that when Lu Zheng suppressed the enemy, he inevitably used some powerful magical artifacts.

It's unclear whether those artifacts were gifts from powerful figures or originally belonged to Lu Zheng.

But now, he hasn't seen Lu Zheng take out a single piece of writing implement.

Thinking of this, Ao Jing felt that Lu Zheng had underestimated him.

In fact, Ao Jing was unaware that, for some reason, Lu Zheng did not carry some of the artifacts with him, but instead left them in the Taiping Domain.

Ao Jing took a deep breath and injected a wisp of his essence into the spear in his hand.

Instantly, the silver spear trembled and slipped out of Ao Jing's grasp.

A flash of silver light disappeared in an instant.

Lu Zheng held the White Sun in his hand and glanced to the side. He saw a silver dragon, hundreds of feet long, break through the thick ice and come toward him.

The silver dragon opened its mouth and let out a fierce roar, causing the entire space to tremble and tear open gaps in space.

An invisible, sharp aura enveloped Lu Zheng, carrying an immense pressure that shattered the surrounding ice into dust.

The White Sun in Lu Zheng's hand suddenly shone even more brilliantly, completely dispelling the powerful pressure.

Lu Zheng gazed intently into the depths of the icy realm and murmured, "It's still not enough." With that, Lu Zheng began to chant softly.

Ao Jing's eyes widened, and in a daze, he seemed to hear Lu Zheng reciting poems and essays.

The recitation was very fast; in just a breath, more than a dozen poems had already been recited.

All that could be seen was a hazy mist surrounding Lu Zheng, within which illusory yet towering figures appeared one after another, before merging into Lu Zheng's body.

Through the silver dragon, Ao Jing sensed that Lu Zheng's aura was growing stronger and stronger.

That comes from the power of war poems.

How could this be... Ao Jing was shocked. In his understanding, there were limits to how much Confucian and Taoist cultivators could use battle poems to empower themselves.

Using too many battle poems at once can overwhelm the body and soul with their immense power, potentially leading to a backlash afterward.

He had never heard of anyone using so many battle poems at once during a fight. This was a death-defying gamble. We agreed it was just a friendly exchange.

Lu Zheng concealed himself within a powerful aura, and amidst flashes of light, a ten-zhang-tall golden-armored giant materialized.

Although it was much smaller than the silver dragon, the armored man exuded an even greater aura of power and pressure.

A powerful killing intent filled the entire space.

It was as if an ancient and valiant warrior had awakened, capable of single-handedly defeating a million-strong army.

The golden-armored warrior raised his right hand, and a long, thunderous whip appeared.

The thunderous whip lashed out, striking the silver dragon with unstoppable force.

Sensing danger, the silver dragon transformed into a beam of light in an attempt to dodge.

However, in the next instant, the fleeing silver dragon was bound and entangled by lightning, making it impossible for it to escape.

Even Ao Jing couldn't see clearly how all of this happened.

The silver dragon was entangled in lightning, its massive body crackling with electricity as it was completely suppressed.

At the same time, the golden-armored man had already stood in front of the silver dragon's large head.

The man raised his right hand and pressed it against the silver dragon's head, releasing a burst of golden energy.

The terrifying battle aura overwhelmed the silver dragon, causing it to let out fearful cries.

Ao Jing was struck dumb and couldn't help but clutch his chest.

The next instant, the tall golden phantom vanished, and Lu Zheng raised his hand to grab it. The silver dragon in front of him revealed its true form, transforming into a silver spear.

The spear, once grasped by Lu Zheng, immediately severed its connection with Ao Jing and fell silent.

Lu Zheng said calmly, "Do you still want to fight?"

"I haven't lost yet!"

Ao Jing's voice came through his teeth.

Lu Zheng just took away one of his weapons like that, and seeing that Lu Zheng hadn't even put up much of a fight, Ao Jing was somewhat provoked.

This isn't a matter of gains or losses, but a matter of saving face.

If he were to admit defeat so easily, he would be too ashamed to face anyone.

Ao Jing's expression darkened, and the dragon pearl within his body vibrated, with strands of primal power surging into his limbs and bones.

Immediately afterwards, Ao Jing had a thought, and his own domain contracted, the power of the domain quickly returning to his body.

In the blink of an eye, Lu Zheng felt a subtle spatial fluctuation.

In the blink of an eye, Lu Zheng found himself back on Mirror Lake, with the real Mirror Lake below and a bright sky above.

At the same time, an incomparably powerful aura suddenly arrived.

Lu Zheng looked up slightly and saw Ao Jing's figure once again.

The opponent stood there exuding a terrifying aura, the fluctuations of power approaching the Dao Inquiry Realm, and even the surrounding space was in a state of confinement and closure.

Lu Zheng stood in mid-air, feeling as if he were in a muddy mess, unable to move.

Lu Zheng calmly stared at Ao Jing, noticing the fighting spirit in his eyes, a far cry from his previous casual demeanor.

Lu Zheng said leisurely, "This is probably the maximum you can achieve, right? Fortunately, you didn't actually ask the question."

Ao Jing's gaze sharpened. "You can talk after you've won against me with your own abilities!"

Ao Jing remained motionless, yet a tremendous force pressed down on Lu Zheng.

Lu Zheng remained calm and composed, and within the literary palace, new poems blossomed with dazzling brilliance.

A wisp of energy directly merged into Lu Zheng's body.

In an instant, the wind and clouds surged, and the world changed color.

Ao Jing, who had been so aggressive, suddenly changed his expression, a sense of foreboding creeping into his heart.

An even more powerful force surged directly from Lu Zheng's body.

The power of a Saint!

Ao Jing's pupils contracted, and he exclaimed in horror, "Saintly power! No, you didn't summon a saint, how could you..."

He never expected that Lu Zhengzhen could empower himself with holy power, and not by summoning a saint from heaven and earth, but by using holy power in the blink of an eye. It was unheard of.

Lu Zheng smiled calmly and said, "The book contains the wisdom of sages. Why do we need the help of sages in the world, or the help of others? It's too troublesome."

Lu Zheng originally intended to have a casual spar with Ao Jing, but since the other party was willing to sacrifice himself to forcibly increase his strength, he had no choice but to put in more effort to completely defeat Ao Jing.

As for revealing that he could control a wisp of Saint-level power, it wasn't a big deal, since Ao Jing didn't know how he did it.

This is too troublesome... Ao Jing's mind couldn't hold on any longer.

Lu Zheng raised his hand and made a grasping motion, as if holding an invisible weapon, then swung it in Ao Jing's direction.

"Come down you!"

Ao Jing felt a blur before his eyes, as if a saint as tall as a mountain was brandishing a weapon at him.

Suppressed by the power of the Holy Realm, Ao Jing was unable to move an inch to avoid it, and he couldn't even muster the courage to fight back.

Is this the power of a saint...? This is the first time Ao Jing has felt it so realistically.

"what!"

His eyes were filled with shock and unease. He stiffened his neck and roared, trying his best to fight against that invincible force.

However, all of this was ultimately in vain.

In the blink of an eye, Ao Jing was struck as if by a heavy blow, plummeting straight down from the sky and crashing into Mirror Lake, creating a splash.

Lu Zheng vanished from his spot in a flash and entered Mirror Lake.

He entered the water and came close to Ao Jing, watching Ao Jing's body slowly sink into the lake.

The other party is not dead. Lu Zheng had just withdrawn some of his power and had not fully invoked the Emperor's possession.

Ao Jingzheng lay slumped in the water, his eyes vacant, seemingly suffering a double blow to his mind and body, and wouldn't recover for a while... (End of Chapter)