Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 446 The Secret Realm of the Cave Heaven
Zhong Ying's expression turned ugly. He was very familiar with this place, and it was obvious that someone had opened the secret realm in the past few days.

The Zhong family members guarding this place couldn't help but say, "How is this possible? I clearly guarded it perfectly well..."

Zhong Ying didn't want to say anything more and quickly cast a spell.

A series of auras surged before him, gradually forming a unique mark.

Then the mark shone brightly, and a spatial portal formed from spiritual energy appeared before everyone's eyes.

Zhong Ying looked at Lu Zheng and said, "There's been a slight mishap this time; it seems there are other people inside. I wonder if you two..."

Lu Zheng said calmly, "Since we're already here..."

Seeing Lu Zheng's calm demeanor, Zhong Ying couldn't help but smile and said, "Alright, in that case, let's focus on exploring the secret realm. If we find anyone else, and if you two are willing to lend a hand, our Zhong family will offer additional rewards."

Lu Zheng didn't care much about the compensation.

He was just a little curious: who could bypass the Zhong family's many restrictions and find this secret place? Could it be someone who had explored this secret place before?

Zhong Ying then instructed the guard, saying calmly, "You stay here and keep watch. If anyone else comes out..."

The guardian nodded quickly and said, "If there really is someone there, I won't let him leave!"

Zhong Ying then called to Lu Zheng and the others, "Let's go!"

Zhong Ying was the first to enter the spatial gate, followed closely by Lu Zheng and the others.

With a sudden shift from darkness to light, Lu Zheng found himself in another world.

There were a few stars in the sky, but they were not stars from outside the world; they were stars belonging to this place.

Upon entering this place, everyone felt a sense of oppression, which came from the suppression of the secret realm, preventing outsiders from unleashing their full strength.

Zhong Ying stood in front, looking around. Most places were shrouded in a hazy mist, and even with her spiritual power, she couldn't see clearly.

Zhong Ying said in a deep voice, "Let's go, everyone stay close and don't get separated. There are probably outsiders here, I don't know how many have come..."

This secret realm is already somewhat dangerous, and it's easy to get lost in it. Now that there might be other people inside, we naturally have to be even more careful.

Lu Zheng observed his surroundings and felt that something was unusual about this place, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Zhong Ying led the way, and the group walked through the mountains and fields in complete silence.

Qingwan couldn't help but ask, "Are there no living creatures here? How come there isn't a single bird or beast in sight?"

Zhong Ying said, "This cave is divided into several areas, each of which is somewhat different. There are no ordinary birds or beasts here."

Ahead, a dense forest appeared, the hazy mist obscuring everyone's vision.

Zhong Qing, who was standing next to him, explained, "Flying here is very energy-consuming. We have to pass through that forest ahead to get deeper into the cave."

Every time they come here from the outside, they have to cross the dense forest ahead.

That forest contains a bewitching sword formation; if you're not careful, you'll get lost in it and get injured by the sword energy within.

Suddenly, Zhong Ying stopped in her tracks and looked at the shallow footprints on the ground.

He glanced around again and whispered, "There should only be one person who came in here. Judging from the looks of it, they haven't been here long, no more than two days..."

Two days is long enough.

The fact that they were able to sneak through so many restrictions to enter this cave suggests they have the ability to go deep inside and find the treasures here.

Thinking of this, Zhong Ying's expression turned somewhat unpleasant, and she couldn't help but speed up.

Lu Zheng glanced sideways at the shallow footprints left on the ground, his eyes flashing slightly.

Although the footprints left no trace, they gave him a sense of déjà vu.

Pang Yun? Lu Zheng suddenly remembered someone.

He had traveled with Pang Yun for a while before, and Lu Zheng still remembered some of the other party's characteristics.

The footprints here are very similar to Pang Yun's.

Considering the other party's abilities, it's possible that Pang Yun really did come here.

Interesting... Lu Zheng couldn't help but find it amusing.

Pang Yun was making a fuss about finding some kind of blessed land, and he actually found this place. Now that this place is considered to be owned, he actually dared to sneak in.

Soon, the group arrived outside the misty forest.

As soon as the first person entered the forest, the surrounding fog seemed to react.

Each wisp of mist transformed into nimble sword energy, and each sword energy even carried a trace of sword intent.

These sword energies locked onto the approaching figures and bombarded Zhong Ying and the others at extremely high speed.

Zhong Ying and the others used their skills, either by using magical artifacts or their own spiritual power, to resist the sword energy coming from all directions.

As Zhong Qing faced the incoming sword energy, she subconsciously glanced at Lu Zheng and the other two, and then her expression froze.

She couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Why...why aren't your sword energies attacking you?"

The others turned their heads upon hearing this and saw Lu Zheng and Qing Wan walking in the woods. The swirling sword energy seemed to ignore the two of them and directly targeted the others.

Of course, some sword energies wouldn't change direction when they rushed towards Zhong Ying and the others, so Lu Zheng and Qing Wan still had to move around and skillfully dodge those sword energies to avoid being accidentally injured.

This scene seems somewhat absurd.

Lu Zheng remained calm and said indifferently, "These sword energies are locked onto people's auras. If you completely conceal your auras, then there will be no problem." Upon hearing this, Zhong Ying tried to conceal his auras, but found that he couldn't do it at all. There were still sword energies locking onto his presence.

This… Zhong Ying’s expression changed several times, and she was at a loss for what to do.

They're both at the fourth realm—oh wait, there's another one at the third realm—and he still can't compare.

Zhong Ying simply couldn't make the formation here undetectable.

What are the origins of these two people, and what kind of magic do they practice? Zhong Ying's mind raced, sensing that Lu Zheng and the other person must have quite a background.

Seeing that the Zhong family members had tried to learn from them without success, Lu Zheng thought to himself that the reason they could be ignored by the formation here was mainly because the treasures they wore were too high-level, and the formation here was not sophisticated enough, so they could enter as if they were in an empty place.

As for removing those treasures that concealed the aura, Lu Zheng wasn't sure if he could make the sword energy ignore them, but he figured it shouldn't be a big problem.

And so, the Zhong family members fought off the sword energy as they traversed the forest.

Lu Zheng and Qing Wan followed behind at a leisurely pace, seemingly unaware of any danger.

The two watched with great interest as the Zhong family members used various skills to resist the attacks of this formation.

Zhong Qing's lips twitched, wondering what kind of monsters these two she had found were, that even a formation imbued with sword intent couldn't work.

After the group traversed the forest, each member of the Zhong family had exhausted some of their energy and spirit.

Ahead, a wide river flows.

Zhong Ying said, "This river is very strange. There is a force that can make even a feather sink to the bottom..."

Upon hearing this, Qingwan asked, "The Weak Water?"

Legend has it that there is a special kind of spiritual water called Weak Water, which sinks feathers and grasses as soon as they enter it, making it impossible to sail.

Zhong Ying shook her head and said, "It's not the Weak Water. This water is no different from ordinary water once it leaves the river. There must be some kind of treasure underwater that has changed this river..."

The Zhong family investigated the river many times, and some even died in it, but they still couldn't figure out what was going on with it.

Lu Zheng and Qing Wan couldn't help but come to the riverbank, curiously observing the clear river flowing quietly before them.

The river was clear, but it looked bottomless.

Zhong Ying reminded him from the side, "It's best not to get it directly wet..."

"What will happen?" Lu Zheng asked.

Upon hearing this, Zhong Ying said, "You will feel an attractive force, and if you're not careful, you'll find yourself drawn down involuntarily..."

He now needs the two of them to help him explore the hidden cave, but he doesn't want the two of them to fall into the river while playing in the water out of curiosity.

Lu Zheng blinked, squatted down, and reached into the river to scoop something up.

Upon seeing this, the Zhong family members all became uneasy; this person was truly...

Lu Zheng's palm gently touched the water's surface, and he immediately felt his palm sink.

It was as if his whole body had become incredibly heavy, and he was about to fall into the river.

In just a moment, a layer of water appeared on Lu Zheng's palm, the water elemental source within his own river phenomenon.

The original heavy force was immediately isolated.

Qingwan, who was standing next to her, asked curiously, "How does it feel?"

Lu Zheng said, "It is a bit heavy. Don't touch it, or you might fall in."

“Oh…” Qingwan blinked curiously. Although she really wanted to try it, she listened to Lu Zheng and did not act rashly.

Immediately afterwards, Lu Zheng slowly dipped his hand into the river water.

In no time, most of his arm was inside.

Zhong Ying, standing nearby, watched with gleam in her eyes, "How...did you do that?"

Even he wouldn't dare to submerge one arm in the water like that, and it seems Lu Zheng hasn't used any force yet.

Lu Zheng explained, "I cultivate the water element of the Five Elements."

There are many cultivators who practice water-based techniques. Zhong Ying had previously sought out such people to explore rivers, but none of them seemed as relaxed as Lu Zheng.

Lu Zheng waved his hand in the river and did not feel any danger.

He turned to Zhong Ying and asked, "Are you sure there's something down there?"

“This…” Zhong Ying couldn’t help but whisper, “It’s just our speculation. Who knows? Perhaps it’s just the power of this hidden realm that makes this river unusual.”

Lu Zheng thought for a moment and said, "I'll go down and take a look."

Zhong Ying's eyes flashed with a strange light. "Are you really going to take the risk?"

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Since we're already here, we should at least find out what's going on."

It was rare for him to encounter such an unusual river that he had never seen in any ancient books. It would be difficult to satisfy Lu Zheng's curiosity if he didn't go down and explore it.

Zhong Ying couldn't help but admire Lu Zheng. He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and said solemnly, "There are still the remains of our Zhong family members down here. If you can retrieve them, I will be eternally grateful and will certainly reward you handsomely. If there are any treasures down there, you will have priority in choosing them when it comes to the distribution later."

Although Lu Zheng looked very young, his cultivation was profound, making it impossible for Zhong Ying to see through him. Zhong Ying had already treated him as an equal and was being quite polite.

(End of this chapter)