Confucian and Taoist scholar

Feng Cheng frowned. As an elder of the clan, he maintained a composed demeanor and asked, "Where is he now?"

The young man quickly suggested a place.

With a thought, Feng Cheng and the three of them disappeared from the garden and arrived at a mansion in the blink of an eye, entering a spacious room.

By this time, some important figures from the Phoenix Clan had already received the news and rushed over.

On a luxurious bed lay an old man, his eyes closed and his breath weak and feeble.

Feng Cheng walked through the crowd to the bedside and placed a hand on Feng Ming's arm to carefully examine his injuries.

Upon this investigation, Feng Cheng frowned and a solemn expression appeared on his face.

He discovered that Feng Ming was severely injured, and the power of his bloodline essence had been greatly depleted. It seemed unlikely that he could recover his cultivation level of the Dao Inquiry Realm...

There was still a trace of another aura remaining in Feng Ming's body, an extremely pure and masculine aura.

This aura was quite peculiar; it was the first time Feng Cheng had sensed it, and he didn't think it was an ability that any powerful figure from the Northern Region could possess.

Feng Cheng remained silent, secretly channeling his power and transferring some of his primordial energy to Feng Ming to nourish his soul and body.

Then, Feng Cheng took out a few precious pills and fed them to Feng Ming.

After a moment, Feng Ming slowly woke up from her coma, her eyes still filled with a trace of fear.

Feng Cheng looked at Feng Ming and said in a low voice, "What happened? Who hurt you like this?"

When Fengming saw his clansmen in front of him, he felt a sense of relief that he had survived a calamity.

"Yes, Lu Zheng."

Feng Ming said weakly, still feeling lingering fear when he thought about it; the young man's methods were simply terrifying.

"Lu Zheng? Which Lu Zheng?"

Feng Cheng's expression was solemn. Although he immediately thought of a certain person, he was still not entirely sure.

Feng Ming took a few breaths and said softly, "That young human from the Taiping Domain, Lu Zheng. He came to Yongding City alone, saying he wanted to take over Yongding City, and then give us all..."

Feng Ming struggled to speak, feeling utterly exhausted and unable to describe the cause and course of the incident in detail.

Seeing this, Feng Cheng pressed down on Feng Ming and said in a deep voice, "Relax, relax your mind..."

Feng Ming's breathing became heavy for a moment, then slowed down. He gently closed his eyes to calm himself.

Feng Cheng pointed a finger at Feng Ming's brow, and a mysterious aura instantly filled the entire room.

Feng Cheng used a divine technique to directly elicit Feng Ming's recent memories.

In the blink of an eye, the scene in the room changed, and the scene of Feng Ming and others encountering Lu Zheng appeared, as if everyone was there.

When Feng Xuan saw the manifested figure, her expression immediately became complicated. It really was Lu Zheng...

Fengming's memories were presented to everyone, including the conversations, which were heard clearly by all.

However, due to differing stances, most people present only perceived Lu Zheng's words as arrogant and overbearing, feeling that he was merely looking for an excuse to cause trouble.

Even a little charity...

When Fengxuan saw Lu Zheng's words and expressions in the picture, she could already foresee what would happen next.

As expected, it's better to say nothing when you don't see eye to eye.

Lu Zheng directly used his methods to suppress the entire Yongding City single-handedly.

Everyone was astonished, never expecting that this young human from the rumors would have such formidable fighting power.

Even Feng Xuan's eyes widened in surprise; it was the first time she had ever seen Lu Zheng fighting against someone.

Although this memory couldn't reveal the oppressive atmosphere and power of a real battlefield, it still made Feng Xuan feel that she probably couldn't even withstand a single move from Lu Zheng.

As Feng Cheng witnessed those scenes, his expression grew increasingly solemn. What realm was this young man at? Was he at the Profound Realm or the Dao Inquiry Realm? Judging from the combat power displayed in the scenes, he must have reached the Dao Inquiry Realm, which was simply illogical.

A moment later, the towering phantom of the Great Sage appeared, followed by the scene of Feng Ming fleeing for his life.

However, it was clear that Feng Ming did not escape, and the next scene showed Feng Ming being hit by a blow and almost dying.

On the bed, Feng Ming felt as if he had experienced it all again, and his whole body trembled a few times.

Feng Ming was covered in sweat, lying there panting heavily with his eyes wide open.

Feng Cheng withdrew his supernatural powers and then used magic to calm Feng Ming's mind.

"He summoned a saint; no wonder you couldn't defeat him..."

In the final scene, Feng Cheng didn't see anyone else, nor did he see what had become of Yongding City. However, it's likely that the fates of the other powerful demons weren't much better.

Someone asked in surprise, "Who is this saint?"

The phantom image of that saint was too blurry for anyone to recognize.

Fear still lingered in Feng Ming's eyes as he weakly said, "I don't know either, but I could sense that he wasn't a Confucian sage, or even a human saint... He seemed more like a demon saint, a born saint..."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room was stunned and could not believe it.

The sage invited by a human Confucian scholar was not one of the Confucian sages, but another deity, which has profound implications...

If Lu Zheng can easily summon other deities to suppress powerful figures, how many more human saints can he summon to empower himself?

Thoughtful...

Moreover, the methods Lu Zheng just used were not the work of just one family.

Was it power that Lu Zheng cultivated himself, or were there various treasures bestowed upon him by numerous top experts...?

Regardless of which one it is, it means that they cannot treat Lu Zhengzhen as a young person.

Feng Cheng remained silent, his mind racing. This matter was probably not going to be easy to handle.

He and Fengxuan were just talking about whether Lu Zheng would venture deep into the Northern Region, but it turned out that Lu Zheng had single-handedly suppressed Yongding City and killed countless demons as a show of force.

Feng Cheng asked, "Advocate? What do you mean by advocating? And what did he do?"

The Chaofeng Kingdom is still some distance from the Taiping Domain, and Feng Cheng doesn't pay attention to anything other than cultivation, so he doesn't deliberately care about such things.

Inside the room, someone whispered, "I know that. The day before yesterday, someone from the border town sent a letter, saying it was from the Taiping Region..."

The speaker quickly took out a brochure and handed it to Feng Cheng.

Feng Cheng took it and quickly glanced through it. There were indeed many good suggestions that could change the overall development environment of the Northern Region.

As a result, Yongding City didn't take it seriously at all, and then it was used as a typical example—it was like making an example of someone to scare others...

Feng Cheng felt a bit of a headache. Lu Zheng could be said to be declaring war on the powerful forces of the entire Northern Region.

But should we fight back?

Feng Cheng's expression shifted, and he said, "You may all leave. Send some people to closely monitor the movements in Yongding City and Taiping Domain, and make sure there is no conflict with them. Also, go and inquire about the situation in other demon kingdoms..." Feng Cheng then looked at Feng Ming, "I will take you to the ancestral land. Your current condition is not optimistic. We can only ask the ancestor for help, which may be able to help you recover."

The Phoenix Clan Ancestor was a Saint Realm expert who had been cultivating in seclusion in the ancestral land for many years, ignoring the affairs of the outside world.

If it weren't for such an important matter concerning the future of the Chaofeng Kingdom, Feng Cheng wouldn't have dared to disturb the Ancestor.

After saying that, Feng Cheng and Feng Ming disappeared from the room.

Seeing this, the others all left the room with solemn expressions.

It has been many years since such a major event has occurred in the Chaofeng Kingdom; even an elder figure at the Dao Inquiry Realm almost died.

Someone looked at Feng Xuan and whispered, "I heard you just came back from Taiping Domain. You and that Lu Zheng aren't friends, yet he was so ruthless..."

Fengxuan felt helpless and didn't know what to say.

Even if they considered her a friend, it's not like they considered her great-uncle Ming a friend...

Lu Zhengke is very clear about gratitude and resentment, and doesn't care about personal feelings at all.

Fengxuan felt that it was Ming Shuzu's fate to suffer this calamity. If he had been more polite and genuinely put his heart into doing something, Lu Zheng might not have resorted to such drastic measures.

Fengxuan really didn't want to discuss this matter of whether to side with relatives or with reason with her clansmen, so she walked away alone.

After returning to her residence, Feng Xuan felt restless and asked a servant to pass on a message to the elders of the clan, saying that she would first go to Yongding City to check the situation and find out Lu Zheng's attitude.

……

On the other side, Feng Cheng led Feng Ming to a hidden paradise, the ancestral land of their Phoenix Clan, a secluded little world.

Apart from some core members of their Phoenix Clan, no outsiders have ever been to this forbidden area, and even ordinary clansmen are unaware of its existence.

Upon entering the cave, a large mountain comes into view.

From a distance, the entire mountain looks like a giant phoenix lying on the ground.

At the heart of the mountain range stands a massive stone pillar.

The overall shape of the mountain resembles a giant sword pinning a giant bird to the ground.

Feng Cheng led Feng Ming to the entrance of a dark passage in the mountains and whispered, wanting to request an audience with the Ancestor.

After a moment, a ripple appeared in front of the two of them.

An old man dressed in plain clothes, with white hair and beard, appeared.

Feng Cheng helped Feng Ming kneel down and respectfully said, "Greetings, Ancestor. Feng Ming has been injured by the Holy Power. Please, Ancestor, lend a hand..."

The old man's eyes were bright and piercing. He glanced at Feng Ming and, in the blink of an eye, he understood Feng Ming's condition perfectly.

"Ok?"

The old man let out a soft exclamation, because he sensed an unusual power within Feng Ming's body, similar to a power he had encountered before.

The old man slightly raised his hand, flicked his finger, and sent a wisp of his original bloodline into Feng Ming's body, while also drawing out the remaining external force within Feng Ming's body.

Feng Ming's complexion immediately became much rosier, and he felt that his energy and spirit had been restored, but he had not yet returned to his peak condition.

"Thank you, ancestor!"

Feng Ming quickly expressed his gratitude, his expression extremely respectful.

The old man's expression remained calm. "Whether you can recover your cultivation level after being injured by holy power depends on yourself..."

Feng Ming was past his prime for cultivation, and even though the old man was a Saint Realm expert, he didn't want to expend too much energy treating such a junior.

If he had that ability, he might as well save his original power to mentor those younger generations.

"Fengming understands..."

Feng Ming nodded upon hearing this. He dared not ask for too much now; being able to escape with his life was already a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

The old man looked at the two of them and slowly said, "So what happened to you? The injuries you sustained are something those people in the Northern Region probably couldn't wield. Did you offend someone from a great dynasty?"

Feng Cheng hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Ancestor, this matter is a long story, and it may even concern the future rise and fall of the Chaofeng Kingdom..."

A glint of light flashed in the old man's eyes, and with a thought, he placed a tea table between the three of them.

"Has the outside world changed that much? Tell me more about it."

The old man couldn't remember how long it had been since he last went out; it seemed like almost a hundred years, or perhaps only seventy or eighty years?
Time flies in the mountains; I never imagined that the Kingdom of Chaofeng had fallen to such a state.
Feng Cheng couldn't help but whisper, "Actually, nothing has changed outside, except that a young human has arrived from the Northern Region. This person is no ordinary person..."

Feng Cheng recounted in detail all of Lu Zheng's deeds, including those unverified rumors.

The old man sat there slowly sipping his tea, and was slightly surprised as he listened. At first, he thought it was some kind of bizarre story.

After listening to Feng Cheng's explanation, the old man also read the call to action and the advocacy document, as well as some books popular in Taiping Region.

After some time, the old man finally sorted out his thoughts.

The old man said quietly, "So even now, you still don't know how capable he is or what kind of background he has?"

Feng Cheng whispered, "He rose to prominence too quickly. Who knew he had such great abilities? Just a few years ago, he was virtually unknown in Anguo..."

The old man said calmly, "We must not underestimate the talents of the world. If one is a disciple of a sage, it is not impossible for one to soar to great heights in just a few years."

Feng Cheng said, "I haven't found out which sage he is a disciple of. Judging from his behavior, he doesn't seem to respect anyone as his master."

Being a disciple of a sage—that's quite a prestigious title.

If it were anyone else, they would definitely be able to flaunt this name wherever they go and be treated with respect by everyone they meet.

Moreover, when talking to outsiders about one's background and identity, mentioning one's lineage and school of thought will also show respect for one's teachers.

However, there is no definitive conclusion as to who Lu Zheng studied under, and opinions vary widely.

The old man said slowly, "Since he has so many skills, is it possible that he wasn't taught by a master, but was a disciple of sages?"

Feng Cheng and Feng Ming looked surprised.

"How can this be……"

Feng Cheng couldn't help but say, "How could those sages possibly be willing to let their disciples join their sect? Isn't that against the rules of their human race?"

Let alone the human race, even if an outstanding junior in their own race suddenly wanted to switch to cultivating the human path or something else, they wouldn't be happy!

The old man chuckled and said, "I'm not talking about those living saints, but those beings in heaven. They won't care about such things. As long as you have the ability to persuade them, they won't hesitate to pass on their teachings."

Ultimately, the Saint Realm experts are more knowledgeable and experienced. This demon clan ancestor had encountered many talented individuals who had mastered multiple cultivation methods before.

The will of the sages existing between heaven and earth does not have so many human sentiments and worldly thoughts. As long as you can invite them and gain their approval, you can be granted power.

However, being bestowed with such gifts by multiple saints of different paths is extremely rare, but that doesn't mean such people don't exist. (End of Chapter)