Confucian and Taoist scholar

Feng Xin looked at the ancestral mountain and said softly, "The era is quite ancient, and I don't know the specifics of what happened back then."

"Anyway, when this ancestor perished, he sealed himself away, forming this world. The Phoenix Clan of our Phoenix Kingdom has been able to exist for so long thanks to the ancestor's bloodline..."

Lu Zheng examined this secret realm and indeed found two strong and powerful auras here, one of which was the aura of the Phoenix Clan, containing sacred power.

Back in the Yunmeng Sect, Lu Zheng had heard people talk about Feng Xuan of the Chaofeng Kingdom, who was a demon with the bloodline of an ancient divine phoenix.

Now that we've arrived at this ancestral land of the Phoenix Clan, its authenticity seems beyond doubt.

Feng Xin turned to look at Lu Zheng and asked, "No outsiders have been here before. You haven't felt any discomfort, have you?"

He was worried that Lu Zheng would be repelled by the forces here and unable to penetrate deep into the ancestral land.

Lu Zheng carefully assessed his body's adaptation level and did not perceive any particularly strong pressure.

Lu Zheng said, "It's alright, I can adapt."

Upon hearing this, Feng Xin nodded and gestured for Lu Zheng to accompany him to the mountains.

Feng Xin was worried that Lu Zheng wouldn't adapt quickly enough, so she led the way at a leisurely pace, chatting as they walked.

"In ancient times, my Phoenix Clan was once very prosperous, but unfortunately, times have changed, and now my clan is becoming more and more desolate, with fewer and fewer of the younger generation able to awaken the divine phoenix bloodline..."

Although Chaofeng Kingdom is a major demon kingdom in the Northern Region, only a small portion of its members are actually phoenix demons; the majority are members of the royal family of Chaofeng Kingdom.

Humans, half-demons, and other bird-blooded demons make up the majority of the population in the Demon Kingdom.

“Some outstanding younger generations will be sent to this ancestral land to cultivate, using the residual power of their ancestors to strengthen their bloodline…”

Feng Xin said quietly, "There are really not many successful descendants left after this generation."

Hearing Feng Xin say this, Lu Zheng understood the importance of this place to the Phoenix Clan.

Lu Zhengdao said, "Actually, senior, you don't need to care too much about bloodline. It's not that you can't become something great without bloodline."

Feng Xin couldn't help but sigh, "That's not without reason, but... just think of me as a stubborn old man. Without the bloodline of our ancestors, can we still be called the Phoenix Clan?"

Lu Zheng thought about it and realized there was really nothing to argue about. After all, too many people in this world value their background, and such thinking cannot be changed overnight.

Feng Xin added, "However, according to the education method you mentioned before, I will have the clansmen train more talents with thin bloodlines."

When Feng Xin visited Taiping Domain before, he was shocked to see that everyone there could read and write.

Sages have always said that education should be provided to all, but in all the places he has been to, he has never seen anyone truly implement education to the most ordinary people.

In those great dynasties, education was almost monopolized by powerful clans.

For ordinary families, supporting a student requires exhausting their wealth, and even then, there's no guarantee of raising a successful individual.

But in the Taiping Domain, it's different. Everyone can read and study. As long as you have the ability, regardless of your background or bloodline, you will be given special attention and taught according to your aptitude...

Everyone has the opportunity to develop better.

At that time, Feng Xin felt that it was only a matter of time before Taiping Domain could rise to prominence in the Northern Region, and it wouldn't take much time at all.

If their Chaofeng Kingdom doesn't change, it might truly become a remote and backward demon kingdom, a place no one cares about.

As a demon saint, he is not young anymore. Just as Lu Zheng said, he should think more about the younger generation of his clan.

Before long, the two arrived at a spot in the mountains.

The closer one gets to the core of the ancestral land, the stronger the aura surrounding it becomes.

Feng Xin could clearly see a slight fluctuation emanating from Lu Zheng's body, indicating that he was resisting the powerful force of the ancestral land.

Seeing Lu Zheng's calm expression, Feng Xin raised her hand and cast a spell, opening a bright passage into the interior of the mountain.

Feng Xin walked in front, and Lu Zheng followed behind, the two of them going deeper and deeper into the area.

Lu Zheng clearly sensed two powers comparable to those of the Saint Realm existing in this place, and they were two mutually repelling auras.

The deeper one goes, the heavier the oppressive force becomes.

Feng Xin turned around and asked, "Can you handle it?"

Lu Zheng calmly replied, "It's alright."

Feng Xin's eyes flickered slightly, and he said leisurely, "You are indeed very different. Even the Dao Seekers in my clan cannot stroll around here as leisurely as you..."

The two continued deeper and soon arrived at a vast space.

A hazy aura enveloped his vision, faintly emanating a powerful force of Dao principles.

A figure slowly emerged from within; it was Feng Xin in his true form.

The two old men met and instantly became one.

Looking at Feng Xin in person, Lu Zheng felt that the other party was quite ordinary. His aura was so restrained that it was impossible to sense him, and his strength was unfathomable.

Feng Xin raised his hand and waved it, creating a gap in the hazy atmosphere.

Through the gaps, one could vaguely see some of the scene inside.

As far as the eye could see, a huge phoenix lay there.

It was clearly just a corpse, yet it still exuded a strong sense of life, looking incredibly lifelike.

There was also some bright red blood near the corpse, emitting a bright iridescent light.

The entire phoenix corpse shimmered with light and exuded a powerful aura.

Lu Zheng's eyes flickered, and he saw that a giant sword was stuck in the back of the phoenix.

The longsword shone brightly, containing immense power, with the force of the Great Dao flowing within it.

The two auras that Lu Zheng sensed in this ancestral land were released from the phoenix corpse and the giant sword.

Feng Xin said in a low voice, "That was a sacred artifact, a powerful divine weapon. I don't know whose it was, but it killed one of my clan's ancestors..."

Feng Xin paused, then continued, "Our clan's powerful members throughout history have attempted to retrieve this divine weapon, but our power is incompatible with its own, making it difficult to separate it from our ancestor's corpse. If we were to forcibly separate them by brute force, I fear we might destroy our ancestor's body as well..."

The corpse of this Great Sage of the Phoenix Clan was extremely important to them, so the powerful figures of the Phoenix Kingdom did not dare to make a forceful move.

Lu Zheng blinked upon hearing this and said, "So you want me to draw the sword?"

Feng Xin nodded and explained, "I can sense that the power you possess is somewhat similar to the power of this sword. When you asked the Dao, you were able to receive a wisp of Dao technique from all the saints of the human race to help you gain power, which shows how extraordinary you are."

“I’ve inquired about your character and conduct, and I think you’re someone I can trust. So I’d like you to give it a try…”

Feng Xin looked at Lu Zheng and said solemnly, "As long as you can take the sword without damaging the ancestor's body, the sword is yours, and the Phoenix Clan of my Phoenix Kingdom will owe you a great favor. I think you will also have a use for such a sword."

In fact, before Feng Xin, other powerful figures from Chaofeng Kingdom had wanted to seek help from outsiders.

But it's really hard to find a suitable candidate in this world. Those Saint Realm experts are not easy to invite, and they may not be able to take out the sword.

Moreover, the lack of sufficient trust between the two sides could easily expose the secrets of the Chaofeng Kingdom.

It's important to understand that the Phoenix Clan isn't limited to the Kingdom of Chaofeng; there may be other powerful figures coveting such divine weapons and sacred artifacts, or even the corpse of this ancient phoenix. If this secret were to be leaked, it could very well bring annihilation to the entire Kingdom of Chaofeng.

Feng Xin's choice of Lu Zheng was made after careful consideration and guided by intuition.

Moreover, the fact that they were so generous in giving away this divine weapon as a reward meant that they simply couldn't possibly use it...

Upon hearing Feng Xin's explanation, Lu Zheng understood the other party's thoughts.

Lu Zheng couldn't help but look at the corpse and began to ponder.

Feng Xin, standing beside him, whispered, "You've only just entered the Dao cultivation realm, so asking you to do something like this might be a bit difficult and dangerous. But if you're willing to try, I'll do my best to protect you..."

Feng Xin wasn't entirely confident that Lu Zheng could safely remove the sword.

However, he still wanted Lu Zheng to try it out and see the effect. If the sword didn't reject Lu Zheng as much as it did others, even if it didn't work this time, there would be other opportunities in the future.

Lu Zheng said, "I'll give it a try."

Feng Xin's eyes lit up, thinking to himself that young people are decisive and bold.

Without any hesitation, Lu Zheng stepped into the hazy Daoist aura.

Instantly, the surrounding atmosphere surged, and an invisible pressure enveloped Lu Zheng.

Lu remained calm, releasing the righteous energy of heaven and earth within his body, and instantly felt the pressure decrease.

Behind them, Feng Xin watched Lu Zheng's every move intently, feeling somewhat nervous.

Even he dared not get too close to that longsword rashly, lest the divine weapon cause it to malfunction.

Lu Zheng remained calm and composed. Protected by the righteous energy of heaven and earth, he felt at ease in this place, and neither of the two powerful auras reacted much.

Lu Zheng was not surprised at all by this.

Even the pseudo-Nine Tripods of the previous dynasty could choose their masters and come to his side, so getting close to these two objects shouldn't be too difficult.

Soon, Lu Zheng arrived in front of the huge phoenix corpse.

The mythical phoenix, so close at hand, though it has been dead for countless years, still exudes vitality, making one feel as if they are facing a living being.

However, Lu Zheng could not sense any soul fluctuations in the corpse.

Lu Zheng took a deep breath, and the artifacts in his small world released their power.

Immediately afterwards, Lu Zheng took a step and in the blink of an eye, he climbed onto the back of the phoenix and arrived not far from the long sword.

Feng Xin, who was not far away, was startled when he saw Lu Zheng's actions.

He was about to take some protective measures when he saw Lu Zheng standing there unharmed, without triggering anything.

Feng Xin looked puzzled; he couldn't understand how Lu Zheng managed to make those two powerful forces react without any reaction.

Legend has it that there are powerful beings in the world who are close to the natural order of heaven and earth, and can go anywhere, whether it be to the heavens or the earth...

Feng Xin believed that although he was a demon saint, there were still many forces in the world that could restrain him.

Lu Zheng's ability to stroll leisurely in such a place truly broadened his horizons.

Feng Xin thought to himself, "He truly deserves to be called a young man who can draw upon the power of the great Dao of all the saints in the world to break through. He cannot be treated with ordinary standards."

Lu Zheng stood there, watching the greatsword in front of him emanate an extremely sharp aura. The terrifying sword energy and Daoist charm had materialized and flowed around the sword.

Some of the sword energy was still attacking the phoenix's corpse, intertwining with the power of the phoenix's existence to achieve a certain balance, making them difficult to separate.

Lu Zheng sensed the aura emanating from the sword. It was indeed a weapon of sacred level. The Daoist charm contained within it was of some indescribable kind of power, but it was very pure and gave people a sense of holiness.

Lu Zheng pondered for a moment before raising his right hand, releasing a power of his own to come into contact with the sword energy and Daoist principles.

In an instant, the longsword flashed with an even brighter light, so bright that people couldn't open their eyes, and even the perception of divine sense became blurred.

In a daze, Lu Zheng found himself seemingly in another dark space.

Soon, a tall figure appeared before them.

"I forged this sword with my true heart; this sword shall cut down all injustices in the world..."

A loud voice resounded throughout the land.

A ray of light appeared between heaven and earth, and a long sword containing immense power emerged.

It was the sword that Lu Zheng had seen stuck in the back of the phoenix.

However, the longsword's aura was not yet at the Saint level, and the aura it emitted was also different.

The sword that appeared exuded an aura familiar to Lu Zheng—the power of Legalism.

Scenes flashed before Lu Zheng's eyes.

He saw the swordsmith wielding his sword to speak out against injustice and punish evil with righteousness.

This sword also grew stronger with each act of vanquishing evil.

However, the swordsmith ultimately perished amidst the siege of numerous powerful figures.

Because he pursued fairness, he offended too many people in the process.

Some people are unwilling to see a purely fair law enforcer exist in the world.

Afterwards, the sword was preserved and became someone else's tool, but it lost its original characteristics.

In the final scene, Lu Zheng saw that figure again.

As he turned his head, his features were blurred, but a faint smile could be seen at the corner of his mouth.

Lu Zheng suddenly opened his eyes and found himself standing in mid-air, his right hand already gripping the hilt of a sword.

Feng Xin, on the other side, stared wide-eyed. From his perspective, Lu Zheng was clearly lifted up by the power of the sword, and then Lu Zheng involuntarily reached out and took the sword without any hindrance.

Lu Zheng's gaze was calm as he said in a low voice, "I'll take you away and turn you back to your original state."

The longsword hummed and trembled, instantly suppressing its aura and no longer radiating the terrifying sword energy it had before.

With a gentle pull, Lu Zheng easily separated the sword from the phoenix's corpse, and the greatsword instantly transformed back into a three-foot-long blade.

Lu Zheng gripped the longsword, feeling the power flowing continuously from the blade into his inner world.

Lu Zheng then infused the longsword with the righteous energy of heaven and earth.

Feng Xin looked surprised. It was that simple?
He even sensed that the power of this divine weapon seemed to be being devoured by Lu Zheng.

Feng Xin squinted to observe, and then felt that it was not Lu Zheng who was devouring it, but rather that the divine weapon was giving up its own power and absorbing Lu Zheng's power.

Even after living for so many years and reaching the level of a demon saint, he still couldn't quite understand this scene...

This is a sacred object, yet it would relinquish its original power to supply a person at the Dao Inquiry Realm?
Feng Xin felt that forcibly extracting the sword's power would be a losing proposition, let alone causing such damage to a sacred object. (End of Chapter)