Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 453: Suppressing the Devil
The old man steadied himself in mid-air and gently landed on the ground.

He exuded a dark, sinister aura, and with a wave of his hand, a large black palm print slammed towards Lu Zheng.

Black shockwaves rolled in and quickly enveloped the area.

Pang Yun and the others sensed this powerful aura and quickly moved aside, not wanting to participate in such a fight.

Lu Zheng remained calm as white flames rose before him.

The scorching flames transformed into a fire dragon, and wherever it passed, the inky black aura turned into wisps of smoke, emitting a pungent smell.

Upon seeing this scene, Pang Yun's eyes narrowed; he was almost certain that this person was the same one he had encountered.

However, given the current situation, he can only pretend he doesn't know them.

When the old man saw the white flames that Lu Zheng used, he couldn't believe that this was a method that a Confucian scholar should use.

Immediately afterwards, the old man fluttered his sleeves, and a skull-shaped magical artifact flew out.

One after another, illusory figures were released; these were some ghostly creatures he had refined, possessing strength at the third or fourth realm.

The old man's thoughts flickered, and one after another, ghostly creatures transformed into streams of light, surrounding Lu Zheng and his companion.

As the ghost moved, a cold, gust of wind stirred.

Lu Zheng casually took out a literary treasure, which then shone brightly.

The words on it transformed into sharp sword light, slashing straight at the group of ghosts.

Lu Zheng moved swiftly, closing in on the old man.

The old man activated his cultivation technique, and the skull-shaped magic weapon in his hand slammed towards Lu Zheng with such speed that it made a sound as it cut through the air.

Lu Zheng's palm was enveloped in an invisible force, as heavy as a mountain, and he struck the skull artifact directly with his palm.

Under the overwhelming righteous energy, the evil energy of the magical artifact was suppressed and contained.

"Click..."

Interspersed with a slight cracking sound.

The magical artifact, originally crafted by the old man, has developed cracks.

The old man felt a tightness in his chest and lost control of the magical artifact in that instant.

Then, the old man suddenly realized what was happening and tried to recall the magical artifact.

However, Lu Zheng gripped the magic weapon tightly and forcefully suppressed it, with wisps of green smoke rising from the weapon.

From within the skull artifact, a continuous stream of malevolent energy spewed out, attempting to erode Lu Zheng's mind and body, but it could not get close to Lu Zheng's body no matter what.

The old man's face was extremely ugly. He had never expected that Lu Zheng could suppress the magic weapon he had made with one hand. It was simply unbelievable.

Seeing this, the old man took out the jade talisman again and said, "Why aren't you all making a move?"

Although the others are weaker, it would be good if they could help him hold off Lu Zheng for a while and wear him down.

At the same time, the old man even used his thoughts to guide the Zhong family members he controlled, trying to get them to join the battle.

Not far away, Pang Yun reacted quickly, waving his hand and throwing out an array plate.

The golden array spiraled and flew towards the old man, exuding a powerful aura.

Pang Yun formed a hand seal and chanted incantations.

A bolt of lightning appeared out of nowhere and instantly struck the old man.

The old man's face immediately darkened; he hadn't expected Pang Yun to attack him.

"I am mortal with evil, you fiend, prepare to die!"

Pang Yun spoke with a solemn expression and an air of righteous indignation.

He had been very frustrated by the old man's strength before, but now he finally had a chance.

As for joining forces with the old man to deal with Lu Zheng and his group? Pang Yun wasn't that stupid.

Even if these two are not the two he guessed, one side is a Confucian and Taoist cultivator, and the other side is a heretical and evil sect. Is there any need to struggle with the choice?
Elsewhere, Zhong Ying controlled two younger members of the Zhong family, attempting to remove the marks left by the old man on Zhong Qing and the other person.

The old man is now under heavy attack and cannot take care of the two members of the Zhong family for the time being.

The old man took a deep breath, and with a thought, he attempted to self-destruct his magical artifact.

The skull artifact in Lu Zheng's hand trembled, and a terrifying aura was released.

Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow and, without the slightest hesitation, his palm rippled, and a trace of the power of heaven and earth emanated from the small world, instantly absorbing the magic weapon that was about to explode.

This completely severed the connection between the old man and the magical artifact.

The old man couldn't help but groan. The magical artifact he had refined over many years had actually been put away by Lu Zheng.
There was still a thought left behind by him inside the magical artifact, but it could not be sensed at all now. Obviously, it was not put into Lu Zheng's storage bag, but hidden away using a more powerful method.

Damn it… The old man cursed inwardly, even wondering if his lack of combat experience over the years had made him somewhat rusty in controlling his magical artifacts. Otherwise, how could someone have so easily taken one of his treasures?

Suddenly, the old man seemed to sense something, and looked up slightly. He saw a large cauldron appear out of thin air, its mouth facing him.

He tried to move, but found himself bound by some force and unable to move.

The old man's eyes widened in anger, his blood and qi burning within him, transforming into pure power that filled his limbs and bones.

The old man's body instantly swelled, his entire form enveloped in black mist, disappearing from sight. He stomped his foot, shattering the stone slab beneath his feet, and with overwhelming force, broke through the formation set up by Pang Yun, charging straight towards Lu Zheng.

However, before the old man could even reach Lu Zheng, he found that his movements had become extremely slow, as there was an obstructing force from all directions.

Before he could figure out what was happening, the enormous bronze cauldron had already pressed down on him, completely enveloping him inside.

Lu Zheng raised his hand and slapped the cauldron, sending forth a surge of righteous energy that attacked the old man inside.

This cauldron was a scholar's artifact that he had obtained from a great demon, and he rarely used it.

It's more than enough to suppress a fifth-realm evil cultivator who has passed his peak.

Pang Yun, who was not far away, blinked, thinking that he couldn't possibly have mistaken the person. How could this person have other powerful magic weapons? Could it be that he didn't use his full strength when fighting the Moon God's clone?
Inside the cauldron, the old man felt an aura of righteous energy, as if he were in an endless sea of ​​fire.

He was terrified and hurriedly used his strength to resist and resist the overwhelming righteous energy, while also continuously impacting the cauldron in an attempt to break free from its suppression.

However, his body was filled with evil energy, which made the reaction of the righteous energy even more intense.

After a short while, the old man couldn't help but groan in pain and tried to beg for mercy.

Lu Zheng turned a deaf ear. This man had harbored ill will and murderous intent towards all of them from the very beginning, treating them as tools to leave this place. How could he let this scourge go?

Lu Zheng sensed the location of the old man inside the cauldron, his lips slightly parted, and he silently recited the words of the sage.

A pure aura of righteousness directly affected the old man's soul.

The old man was immediately shaken and became completely dazed.

In the next instant, the righteous energy transformed into a blazing flame, burning fiercely inside and outside the old man's body.

In just a few breaths, the old man died and vanished without a trace.

After a while, Lu Zheng moved the large cauldron away.

The old man had been burned to ashes, leaving behind only a pile of ashes and a few slightly damaged storage bags.

Lu Zheng moved his fingers, and several storage bags flew into his hand.

Then, Lu Zheng tossed the storage bag to Qing Wan, asking her to clean it up.

Lu Zheng waved his hand to put away the cauldron, looking calm and collected. He then walked to the Wen Palace and continued to activate it, causing the scroll to appear.

Not far away, Pang Yun and the others watched, swallowing hard, still somewhat incredulous at what they were seeing.

A fifth-realm evil cultivator was so easily killed, leaving not even a trace.

So all their previous worries about their own lives and their willingness to compromise and give the old man so many cultivation resources were completely unnecessary.
Zhong Ying was even more conflicted. The two people she had asked to help explore the secret realm were supposed to be at the third and fourth realms, respectively. Weren't their combat strength a bit too strong?

Although one of them didn't even lift a finger, they probably weren't that bad.

"Tsk, why are they all useless things?"

Qingwan pulled out pieces of junk from the storage bags, mostly magical artifacts used by evil sects. They were of medium quality and could be sold for a lot of spirit stones.

But Qingwan didn't like it at all. How could such a thing be sold to harm people? She ordered it destroyed on the spot.

Seeing this, the others were too stunned to say anything.

"Cough cough..."

Pang Yun coughed lightly and said, "I am Fang Yun, a Taoist priest from Lingyun Temple in Chenzhou, Chu State. Thank you both for your righteous actions in slaying this great evil..."

Qingwan looked at Pang Yun and thought to herself that the name he had given earlier was not from the Daoist sect. Was he pretending to be confused, or what?
Qingwan said calmly, "Stay away from me."

Although this Taoist priest was not as strong as Lu Zheng, Qing Wan felt that Pang Yun had some special methods, so she still had to be wary of him suddenly making a move to snatch the scroll.

Pang Yun smiled and said leisurely, "Speaking of which, Taoism and Confucianism were considered one family thousands of years ago. We are all righteous people, and I am not a bad person..."

Pang Yun acted as if he didn't know the two people and that he was still a good person.

Qingwan remained silent, simply staying there quietly.

Lu Zheng remained calm, paying no attention to anyone else, and focused on getting Wen Gong to manifest the painting.

As the long scroll gradually became more realistic, everyone vaguely felt that the oppressive force emanating from this world had weakened somewhat.

Sure enough… Pang Yun’s eyes flashed. The scroll in the literary palace was the key, probably the only treasure left in this secret realm.

The scroll was revealed, the restrictions on the secret realm were reduced, and they were able to leave this place.

Pang Yun recalled the old man who had just died. He had stayed here for decades without finding this item; it was truly his fate.

How could an evil demon trigger the literary palace and cause the secret scroll to appear?

Not long after, the Wen Palace on the mountaintop shone with a dazzling light, the radiance reaching straight to the sky.

The light then vanished in an instant, revealing a long scroll that floated in the air, exuding a Daoist aura.

Everyone reacted differently upon seeing the painting.

Without even touching the painting, they could sense its extraordinary nature.

That painting depicts a world, a hidden paradise.

Even if there are no other inheritances or treasures in this secret realm, such a painting is priceless.

(End of this chapter)