Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 454 Refining Heaven and Earth
As soon as Lu Zheng had a thought, the scroll in the main hall slowly flew out and was fully displayed in front of everyone.

Pang Yun stared intently at the painting and couldn't help but exclaim, "It really is a secret realm map. This painting exudes the Dao of Heaven and Earth. With this painting, one can control the entire secret realm... A painting is a world, it can't be more true than this."

"The artist must be highly skilled, it's a pity that there's no signature on this painting..."

Upon closer inspection, Pang Yun found that parts of the scroll were blurred, and he could not identify who had created the painting.

As everyone examined the painting, their expressions changed, and they marveled at it.

Lu Zheng, on the other hand, seemed quite calm. He had a small world within his body, so he was more curious about this world within the painting than regarding it as some rare treasure.

He slowly admired the painting, looking at the lifelike scene. In one of the rivers, there was a small stone tablet. Judging from the inscription on it, it was the "Weak Water" stone tablet that Lu Zheng had seen with his own eyes before.

The small stone tablet in the painting exuded the same aura as the stone tablet Lu Zheng had encountered before.

So, someone used ink and brush to depict the Weak Water River?
Lu Zheng's mind raced, and he couldn't help but admire the artist's skill.

He had previously met a master painter at the Yunmeng Sect. That master was able to paint lifelike creatures, but whether he could paint a whole world was unknown.

"this painting……"

Lu Zheng spoke slowly, glancing at the others.

Pang Yun and the others all had different expressions when they saw Lu Zheng speaking.

Pang Yun said in a serious tone, "Such a treasure should belong to the capable, and rightfully it should belong to you, fellow Daoist! We are already fortunate enough to have the opportunity to appreciate it."

Those who understand the times are wise. Pang Yun felt that even if there were ten of him, he couldn't take this painting, so he could only say these words with a heavy heart.

People really can't be compared... Pang Yun discovered that he had recently missed out on two priceless treasures, which was incredibly unlucky.

It's better not to see it, but it's so close yet unattainable.

Especially when sacred objects fall from the sky into someone else's arms, and you can only watch helplessly, the thought of it always makes breathing painful.

On the other side, the Zhong family members, seeing this situation, also knew that they couldn't compete with Lu Zheng.

Zhong Ying couldn't help but say, "This item should belong to you."

After what had just happened, Zhong Ying knew very well that her Zhong family was not qualified to compete for such a painting.

It's incredibly fortunate that they were able to get out alive.

Seeing that everyone had made their stance clear, Lu Zheng naturally wouldn't refuse anything.

Moreover, he gave the painting to other people, but these people were not capable of refining and possessing it, and could not grasp it at all.

Lu Zheng then said, "The restrictions on this secret realm are much weaker than before. There are still some places to search, and some places still contain the relics of explorers, such as the Weak Water River, and..."

"You can go out and explore, and how much benefit you gain depends on your own abilities."

Upon hearing this, Pang Yun and the others couldn't help but show expressions of suspicion.

In fact, since Lu Zheng obtained this painting, this entire secret realm could be considered his property, yet he still allowed them to continue exploring it.

Lu Zheng had his own reasons for doing this. Although he had obtained the painting, he had not yet refined it and needed more time to refine it.

He didn't care about the relics of those outsiders in the secret realm, so he simply let Pang Yun and the others search for them. This way, he could get a share of the benefits and also allow them to stay here temporarily.

To avoid any unexpected changes that might occur if they were allowed to leave now, thus delaying his work on refining the scroll, it's always wise to be cautious.

As for why he didn't deal with Pang Yun and the others, he wasn't a bloodthirsty person who would kill everyone else just for a treasure.

Moreover, killing these people might bring some trouble.

Seeing Lu Zheng's serious expression, the others could hardly believe it.

Pang Yun blinked and couldn't help but ask, "Then shall I go?"

Lu Zheng glanced at Pang Yun but said nothing.

Pang Yun glanced at the painting one last time with reluctance, then turned and headed down the mountain.

As he stepped down the stairs, he found that the resistance had indeed decreased significantly.

Pang Yun's eyes flashed, and he quickly sped up, thinking that he couldn't come for nothing and should go to other places to get some benefits.

Seeing this, the Zhong family members couldn't help but be tempted.

Zhong Ying said, "My Zhong family will keep today's events a secret and will not let a single word of them leak out."

At this moment, Zhong Ying knew that she should make some guarantees on behalf of the Zhong family.

"Alright." Lu Zheng smiled slightly, then reminded him, "That Taoist priest is quite capable. If you want to find some benefits, you'd better hurry..."

Zhong Ying raised an eyebrow and quickly led her people down the mountain, not wanting to have made a wasted trip.

Seeing that everyone else had left, Lu Zheng stepped into the literary palace, placed the scroll close to him, and examined it carefully.

He hasn't refined the map yet, but he can still sense the movements of Pang Yun and the others in the secret realm.

After observing for a while, it was discovered that no one intended to leave.

With a thought, Lu Zheng enveloped the painting with his own righteous energy, intending to refine it for his own use.

However, Lu Zheng discovered that while his righteous spirit could be integrated into the painting, he could not refine it.

This painting is of very high quality, containing a real world and the essence of the Dao, making it extremely difficult to refine.

His righteous spirit, when faced with the hidden realm within the painting, was like an ant trying to shake a tree; it had absolutely no effect on the scroll. "It seems my cultivation level is too low..."

Lu Zheng pondered to himself that, just as he could not fully grasp the chapters of the sages, this scroll was not so easy for him to refine, and he didn't know how long it would take.

Lu Zheng thought for a moment, then placed one hand on the painting and began to use his small world to guide the painting, attempting to directly merge this world within the painting into his own small world.

The very first Wengong Courtyard was a painting, and it's not impossible for such a painting to blend into one's own world.

It might take more time to do this, but it's more direct than refining it with righteous energy.

Using the power of the microcosm, Lu Zheng quickly activated the Daoist principles within the painting.

The entire painting suddenly became dazzling, and the subtle Daoist principles within it merged with Lu Zheng's small world.

It worked... Lu Zheng narrowed his eyes and couldn't help but increase the intensity.

At this moment, the entire secret realm was trembling slightly, and the stars in the sky were flickering.

"Well, what's going on?"

Pang Yun was exploring a certain place when he suddenly noticed abnormal fluctuations in the surroundings. The pressure of heaven and earth that existed in the secret realm was sometimes strong and sometimes weak, and it seemed to have become extremely unstable.

Pang Yun's eyes flashed with a strange light as he observed the aura of the secret realm.

A moment later, Pang Yun exclaimed in surprise, "He's not refining this secret realm, is he? How is that possible? He actually wants to refine this place! This is a grotto-heaven secret realm. Even if it's just a painting, it contains the laws of heaven and earth. He's not even at the sixth level of the Profound Realm, how could he possibly..."

Pang Yun felt that Lu Zheng was already quite fortunate to have obtained the painting, but he was actually trying to refine the entire secret realm, which was simply unimaginable.

Moreover, judging from the anomalies of this secret realm, it is clear that it is gradually being refined by Lu Zheng.

Pang Yun looked into the distance again, where he could faintly see spatial fluctuations at the edge of the secret realm.

"What...who exactly is this person...?"

Pang Yun was so shocked that he couldn't close his mouth. Even though he was very knowledgeable, he had never heard of a cultivator at the fourth or fifth level being able to take over such a large secret realm.

"Could he have used a sacred object? Do sacred scriptures have such an effect? ​​Isn't he afraid of the backlash?"

Pang Yun murmured to himself, unable to grasp the key point for a moment.

He never imagined that Lu Zheng himself possessed a small world, and that he was refining the world within the painting to complete himself.

Some things were beyond his area of ​​expertise.

"Never mind, I need to hurry..."

Pang Yun shook his head and decided to continue searching for treasures.

He wanted to leave as soon as possible, but the secret realm had become unstable. If he teleported away from the secret realm now, he might end up in a spatial turbulence.

In another part of the secret realm, the Zhong family members also discovered the anomaly.

"Father, what's going on..."

Zhong Qing sensed something was wrong and couldn't help but ask Zhong Ying, who was standing next to her.

Zhong Ying's expression shifted, and she whispered, "He's trying to take control of this secret realm."

Zhong Ying was equally shocked by this, but she remained relatively calm.

"Should we go out now, just in case..."

Another member of the Zhong family looked worried, fearing they might be caught in the crossfire and die here.

Zhong Ying shook her head slightly and said, "He has the scroll, so he must know our location. Let's wait until he has complete control of this place, then he will let us go."

Zhong Ying, having been the head of the family for so many years, was not a fool. He knew some of Lu Zheng's intentions and sent them out to search for treasure mainly to keep them there.

If they try to leave now, they probably won't be able to.

Zhong Qing exclaimed in surprise, "He actually has the ability to control this place? How can he be so powerful? Just who is he...?"

Zhong Ying glanced at Zhong Qing and thought to herself, "You didn't even know much about the person you invited first, so how could the others know?"

"Qing'er, it's best not to inquire about such things. Once we get out of here, let's forget everything about this place."

Zhong Ying spoke softly, warning the others not to have any inappropriate thoughts or provoke the wrong people.

Upon hearing this, the others stopped talking, but Lu Zheng, who was afraid of refining this secret realm, overheard their conversation.

However, Lu was currently focused on refining the painting and had no energy to observe the movements of Pang Yun and the others.

At the edge of Lu Zheng's little world, a blurry world gradually emerged.

This newly emerged world is the secret realm within the painting, and it is now slowly merging into Lu Zheng's spiritual space, becoming part of his smaller world.

The others in the secret realm did not notice anything unusual about this change.

Outside the Wen Palace on the mountaintop, Qingwan helped Lu Zheng guard the gate, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at the stars in the sky.

"Hmm, I sense something familiar..."

Qingwan stared at the sky, vaguely sensing a familiar aura enveloping her.

It's a small world... Qingwan quickly realized, and her eyes lit up.

(End of this chapter)