Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 749 At Thirty

Feng Cheng and Feng Ming were unable to calm down. They had thought that they possessed the bloodline of the divine phoenix and that if they cultivated to the Dao Realm, they would be figures of great importance in the world.

But listening to the ancestor's words, it was simply outrageous that a young man could gain the approval of so many sages of heaven and earth to pass on his teachings.

In comparison, they cultivated for hundreds of years to reach their current level, and mostly relied on the power of their ancestors' bloodline. In terms of true talent, they are far inferior to others.

Feng Ming couldn't help but say, "This boy is quite ambitious; he probably really wants to unify the Northern Region and become its ruler. Ancestor, how should we deal with him?"

Lu Zheng has already dared to occupy Yongding City, which is jointly governed by several major powers. Who knows, he might personally visit Chaofeng Kingdom one day...

Fengming really didn't want to go through what had happened before again; the shadow in his heart hadn't even been lifted yet.

"Ambition?"

The old man chuckled and said, "An ambitious person wouldn't act like him; he has the heart of a saint."

How could an ambitious person possibly gain the approval of Heaven and the Sages?

Only those who possess a sacred heart can approach the thoughts of the ancient sages and worthies of heaven and earth...

From Lu Zheng's actions, the old man could tell what kind of person he was—a pure person who absolutely practiced the righteous path of sages.

If Lu Zheng continues his cultivation in this way, perhaps another true saint will emerge in this world.

Even though the old man had reached the realm of sainthood, he did not feel that he had reached the level of those saints who would be remembered in history. He thought that after he died, he would really be dead, and not even a wisp of his thought could remain in the world.

The old man's eyes were deep and thoughtful as he gently stroked his teacup with his fingers. He said, "Since his target is not just my Chaofeng Kingdom, but the entire Northern Region, let's just wait and see."

At this point, the forces that take the lead in retaliating against Lu Zheng will likely not have a good ending.

Some people might be waiting for a counterattack in Yongding City.

Upon hearing about Lu Zheng's deeds, the old man no longer thought of him as a reckless person, but rather as someone who was far-sighted and thoughtful in his actions.

Although he is a demon saint, does he really have absolute confidence in suppressing such a young man?

The higher one stands in the world, the more one fears certain consequences.

The old man looked at Feng Ming again and said calmly, "Some of his words are not without reason. You should also pay more attention to governing the country, lest you reach the point of national subjugation and extermination, and then it will be too late to regret it."

Feng Cheng and Feng Ming couldn't help but break out in a sweat. The ancestor's words were quite serious, expressing his dissatisfaction with them and feeling that they had not managed Chaofeng Kingdom well.

The two thought that the current Chaofeng Kingdom wasn't so bad after all; it was just that Lu Zheng's expectations were too high...

This has always been how things have been, and there haven't been any major problems.

However, they certainly wouldn't dare say it in front of their ancestor, so they could only agree repeatedly, indicating that they would give Chaofeng Kingdom a good dressing down.

As for the extent to which they would achieve this, they did not immediately provide a guarantee.

The old man waved his hand and said leisurely, "Alright, everyone go out. I'll take some time to go out and have a look around later."

Having stayed in the same place for decades, he was also curious about what the world had become.

Moreover, he always felt that there were some things he still had to do in person, as these juniors at the Dao Inquiry Realm were not so reliable.

After all, the opponents and problems they encountered this time were extraordinary, and they were really not comfortable entrusting Feng Cheng and the others with full responsibility for handling the matter.

Unaware of the old man's thoughts, Feng Cheng and Feng Ming quickly took their leave and departed from their ancestral home.

The old man sat there for a while longer and drank tea before slowly getting up and disappearing into the mountains.

After some time, the entire mountain trembled slightly, emitting an extremely terrifying Daoist aura.

Soon, that aura subsided again.

The old man flew out of the mountain, his expression slightly complicated.

"Could it be that this is predetermined by fate?"

After a while, the old man had a thought, and a phantom flew out from his body.

The illusory figure gradually solidified, becoming exactly like himself.

This was a wisp of sacred thought separated by the old man, and in the blink of an eye, this thought left the ancestral land and headed south.

As for the old man's true form, he remains in the Phoenix Clan's ancestral land to guard it, but he maintains contact with his secondary consciousness and can sense the situation outside.

……

Yongding City is brightly lit at night.

Everyone was temporarily housed in the city center, and all kinds of supplies in the city were piled up and categorized.

An Dingyuan excitedly found Lu Zheng with a list in hand.

"Among the survivors, some of the demons are royalty or nobles from several major demon kingdoms, and many are considering redeeming themselves, with guarantees of sufficient money..."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng asked, "What are you thinking?"

An Dingyuan's eyes darted around, and he couldn't help but say, "They survived because you showed them mercy, sir. How can we let them leave so easily? Let them work here first, and let them go after they've changed their ways... Of course, at that time, their families will still have to pay the ransom they're owed."

An Dingyuan paused, then continued, "I'm thinking we could have them write to their families to see how those families react. Keeping them in Yongding City would be a way of holding them hostage..."

"I've already decided on the messengers. I'll have those who come to investigate and gather information deliver the message. It just so happens that some of those people might be from those powerful forces."

Lu Zheng nodded and said, "Okay."

An Dingyuan said, "Okay, I'll inform them right away."

An Dingyuan then added, "Hey, do you think those forces would actually send someone at the level of a demon saint?"

He had heard that there were several reclusive demon saints in the Northern Region.

With the power of a Saint Realm expert, a region within a thousand miles can be turned into scorched earth in the blink of an eye.

If they really get angry, the aftershocks could even kill someone at the Dao Inquiry Realm.

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Who knows? But I'm really looking forward to it."

An Dingyuan's eyes flickered upon hearing this. Looking at Lu Zheng's calm and composed demeanor, he knew he could never do that.

An Dingyuan said in a low voice, "Sir, do you have the ability to deal with such an existence?"

Lu Zhengdao said, "I've never fought them, so I don't know. If a fight really breaks out, then we'll have no choice but to fight to the death. But this is between me and them, and it won't affect you."

Even if some powerful figure at the level of a demon saint came, it wouldn't be possible for them to be so reckless as to wipe out the entire Yongding City with a single move.

If that's the case, then the combined forces they've offended could turn the Northern Region upside down.

Even a Saint Realm expert has to consider the consequences. As for fighting a Saint Realm expert alone, Lu Zheng wasn't confident of winning, but sometimes he had to face it.

An Dingyuan moved a little closer to Lu Zheng and whispered, "To be honest, before I came to the Northern Region, His Majesty gave me a protective token containing the thoughts of one of my An family's Martial Saint ancestors. If a real battle breaks out, we can simply use the token to invite him over directly. It won't take An Guo long to get here..."

The An royal family has more than just one Confucian or Taoist semi-sage; they also have a martial arts saint, a grandmaster of immortal cultivation, and a true immortal...

The foundation of the royal family of the Great Dynasty is far beyond what these demon kingdoms in the Northern Region can match.

An Dingyuan felt that when a real crisis came, he could simply bring out his signboard and make the local bigwigs wary of him without even having to ask the old patriarch for help.

Lu Zheng couldn't help but smile and said, "Keep the things safe for yourself; there's no need to use them yet."

An Dingyuan said nothing more; it was best if it wasn't needed. He quickly went to take care of his business.

Time flies by.

The sun rises, and the sun shines brightly.

The news of what happened in Yongding spread very quickly.

This caused considerable anxiety among many local forces in the vicinity.

As for the major demon kingdoms, they are quite far apart, so they haven't caused much of a reaction yet.

Even if some people received the message, they hadn't figured out a response yet and didn't take any action for the time being.

It was quite unexpected that Lu Zheng took Yongding City so quickly, catching everyone off guard and leaving them somewhat bewildered.

A streak of light approached Yongding City from afar; it was Feng Xuan, who had come from Chaofeng Kingdom.

Feng Xuan was stopped as soon as she arrived outside Yongding City. Only after she revealed her identity was she allowed to enter the city to see Lu Zheng.

Fengxuan discovered that the entire Yongding City had begun to be planned and rebuilt, which meant that they were really going to take over the place completely.

However, judging from the appearance of the city as a whole, and the many survivors, there was no scene of it being razed to the ground by the power of a saint as one might have imagined.

She also sensed several relatives through the power of bloodline. They were members of the Phoenix Clan royal family, and some of them were quite close to her. She was surprised to find them still alive and working in the city. She didn't know if it was a blessing or a curse.

Seeing this, Fengxuan knew the rules set by Lu Zheng, and did not immediately go to ask for the person.

She checked the situation along the way and climbed to the top of a mountain where she found Lu Zheng still resting with his eyes closed.

Feng Xuan looked at Lu Zheng with a complicated expression, unsure of what to say.

Lu Zheng slowly opened his eyes and said, "I didn't expect you to be the first one to come."

Feng Xuan pursed her lips and said quietly, "I didn't expect you to suddenly want to take over Yongding City. It's quite a distance from Taiping Domain. I thought you would expand slowly..."

Lu Zheng sighed, “Time waits for no one. Countless people are suffering both within and outside the Northern Region. I believe the peaceful region I’ve established can serve as a model for everyone, and I’ve even written down some of my proposals clearly, but how many people care? Have they even considered making changes? What do you think I can do?”

Lu Zheng stared intently at the dazzling sun in the sky.

"When nobles are in a good mood, they can torture commoners to death in the streets, leaving rice and flour in the granaries to rot, while starving people die one after another on the streets. Along the way, we encounter more cannibals and demons than man-eating beasts..."

“I’ve been to the Ghost State of Chu before, which is very dark, but it doesn’t seem to be as dark as this place.”

“They won’t listen to a word I say, they have no compassion or mercy whatsoever, so what else can I do?”

"I have no choice but to kill them all. What does it matter if they are human? What does it matter if they are demon? What does it matter if they are nobles? What does it matter if they are cultivators at the Dao Inquiry Realm? Some of them are simply not worthy of existing in this world."

Lu Zheng's gaze remained calm as he said softly, "Even if someone is at the Saint Realm, if they don't know how to behave, I'll skin them alive."

Lu Zheng then smiled again, a smile tinged with bitterness and mockery.

"This world has been like this for so many years, for thousands and tens of thousands of years. Is it right just because it has always been like this? Clearly, this world can become better, but not many people take action. Since that's the case, I will do it, and some people are destined to pay the price for it."

Lu Zheng looked at Feng Xuan, his eyes sparkling, "What do you think?"

Fengxuan opened her mouth, unsure how to respond.

After a long while, Lu Zheng asked again, "Why have you come?"

Feng Xuan then spoke up, "Come and see. You injured my Uncle Ming, and my grandfather took him to see the Ancestor. I wonder what will happen to them..."

Feng Xuan then said, "Actually, there are some things you could have told me beforehand, so that things wouldn't have escalated to this point..."

Lu Zheng said calmly, "Miss Fengxuan probably doesn't represent the entire Chaofeng Kingdom, does she? I've already given some people a chance. Sometimes, they only realize their mistakes when they're truly hit on the head."

"You can choose whichever you prefer. I only know two things: reason and principle. I will not compromise on reason, unless you really have the ability to destroy me."

Feng Xuan felt a bit of a headache. She didn't want to be Lu Zheng's enemy. She didn't think she had the strength to be Lu Zheng's opponent right now.

She had always admired Lu Zheng's abilities and skills in all aspects and hoped to have such a friend.

However, it seems that becoming Lu Zheng's true friend is quite a challenge.

Feng Xuan said, "You don't mind if I stay here, do you? I want to write a letter back to Chaofeng Kingdom later to explain some things."

Her purpose in coming here was to understand Lu Zheng's attitude and the reactions of other forces.

If possible, Fengxuan still hopes that there can be a possibility of peaceful coexistence between Chaofeng Kingdom and Taiping Domain.

Lu Zheng nodded and said, "Okay."

Feng Xuan, feeling the mountain breeze, said leisurely, "I still remember when I first met you and Qing Wan at Yunmeng Sect a few years ago. You were so eager to learn, like young people who had just embarked on their cultivation journey, not knowing much..."

"In such a short time, you have reached a height that I have not yet reached. You humans say that one should be established by the age of thirty, but you seem to be a few years away from that, yet you have achieved so much. It is truly unbelievable."

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Thirty and established? I hope I can become a saint before I turn thirty."

Fengxuan: ...

Feng Xuan's lips twitched. "Your joke isn't funny at all."

Achieving sainthood at the age of thirty? That's something only those extraordinary beings born with divine powers in ancient times could accomplish.

She had never heard of anyone being able to cultivate to become a saint in thirty years, and Lu Zheng had only been cultivating for a few years.

Suddenly, Feng Xuan stared at Lu Zheng with a look of surprise and suspicion in her eyes, "I don't think I've ever seen you joke before. You don't really think that way, so you've been working so hard all this time, do you?"

Lu Zheng smiled as before and said, "Ten thousand years is too long; seize the day. If there's a possibility, why not try?"

He even wished he could instantly become a saint, which would solve many problems at once, but unfortunately, the path still had to be taken step by step. (End of Chapter)