Confucian and Taoist scholar

Everyone was surprised to hear Lu Zheng's blunt words, wondering what his purpose was in coming here.

Upon hearing this, the Kong family patriarch's eyes flashed, but his smile remained unchanged as he said, "Oh? May I ask what brings you to our Kong family?"

Lu Zheng slowly said, "As the saying goes, if you don't want others to know, don't do it in the first place. Today, I've come here naturally to seek justice..."

"Fairness" left many people looking at each other, not understanding what it meant.

Only a few people noticed a slight change in their expressions when they heard Lu Zheng say this, revealing a hint of wariness.

Lu Zheng said unhurriedly, "We are carrying on the legacy of the sages and wish to act for the peace of the world. However, some people seem unwilling to see such a future and want to eliminate me, Lu Zheng, those righteous people, and destroy the new kingdom of Taiping Domain..."

Lu Zheng shifted his gaze to the crowd nearby, "There are people who do not want to walk the right path, who do not want to inherit the way of the sages. And such people are in the Confucius family, and among you."

Upon hearing this, the crowd couldn't help but murmur in surprise.

Some people's faces darkened.

An elder spoke up: "Young man, you can't speak carelessly. My Kong family are descendants of Confucius, the orthodox lineage of Confucianism. You are slandering him..."

"Furthermore, with a descendant of my Kong family serving as a regional representative in the new country, isn't it inappropriate for you to say such things now?"

Lu Zheng looked at the old man who was speaking. He was an elder of the Kong family, and judging from the aura he exuded, he was not far from becoming a great Confucian scholar.

Lu Zheng said slowly, "Senior, that's not how you put it. Just because someone is a descendant of a sage doesn't mean they are orthodox. Being orthodox isn't about bloodline, but about the transmission of the sage's thoughts... I think some of you are not destined to inherit that knowledge."

"Since you all claim the Confucian family as the orthodox lineage, how about we invite Confucius to come out and meet me? I'd like to ask him if it's really true."

Everyone:...

Now everyone knows that even the ancestor worshipped by the Confucius family cannot be summoned.

Lu Zheng's words were a slap in the face to them.

Some of the older members of the Kong family looked grim.

If it were someone else, they could find an excuse to say that not just anyone is qualified to meet Confucius, and they have no need to ask the sage to prove anything.

But this young man before us is someone who has the ability to invite all the saints to come down.

The issue now is not whether the other party is qualified to meet the sage, but rather that they lack the ability to bring Confucius to the world's attention...

The Kong family patriarch regained his composure and asked, "What exactly do you intend to do?"

Lu Zheng looked at the bustling scene within the Kong family compound and said quietly, "A family of sages, enjoying the legacy of the sages for thousands of years, yet always thinking of their own interests rather than the interests of the world. Does such a family really have any reason to exist?"

Lu Zheng slowly raised his hand, and a powerful aura surged in all directions, representing the righteous energy of heaven and earth.

Lu Zheng's expression was solemn, and his voice was like thunder: "I have come here to destroy a malignant tumor in the world!"

After saying that, Lu Zheng soared into the sky and headed towards the ancestral home of the Confucius family, the location of the ancestral temple.

Several elders of the Confucius family were shocked to see this and quickly rushed over to stop them.

"Lu Zheng! What do you want to do?"

"Young friend, let's talk this out. Please don't act impulsively..."

"The ancestral hall is a forbidden area; outsiders are not allowed to trespass! Young man, you have crossed the line!"

……

Everyone spoke up, trying to stop Lu Zheng from doing anything shocking.

Lu Zheng stood in the air above the Confucius Temple and raised his hand to strike.

A mighty, righteous energy, as powerful as a raging torrent, surged forth and pressed down upon the area of ​​the ancestral temple.

Everyone was horrified when they saw this.

They never expected that Lu Zheng would dare to attack the Kong family, and even wanted to destroy the Kong family's ancestral temple.

If Lu Zheng were to destroy their ancestral land, the Kong family would lose all face in the entire world.

"Boy, how dare you!"

Someone glared angrily and almost roared.

As the righteous energy of heaven and earth forcefully pressed down, the Confucius Temple and the ancestral hall dedicated to generations of Confucius family members rippled, and an invisible barrier appeared, blocking the offensive of the righteous energy of heaven and earth.

It was the activation of the ancestral land's protective array that prevented Lu Zheng from succeeding in his attack.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.

Several elders of the Kong family took out various mysterious writing implements and quickly surrounded Lu Zheng.

The Kong family patriarch stood before the sacred temple, glaring angrily at Lu Zheng, several sacred artifacts hidden in his sleeves, ready to be unleashed.

“Young man, you are too presumptuous! How dare you even think of destroying the temple of the saints, such a rebellious act…”

Lu Zheng remained silent, his aura growing even stronger, and the righteous energy of heaven and earth surged once more, crashing down upon the area below.

Everyone rushed to stop them, and for a moment the energy fluctuated wildly, creating a dazzling display of light.

"I think this kid has gone mad. Let's suppress him first!"

Someone spoke in a deep voice, taking out a powerful artifact to suppress Lu Zheng.

The Kong family patriarch remained silent, and a ray of light flew out from his sleeve.

A sacred aura instantly enveloped the area, attempting to suppress Lu Zheng in the sky.

Lu Zheng looked calmly at the sacred object surrounded by Daoist charm and colorful energy.

"As heaven maintains vigor through movement, a gentleman should constantly strive for self-improvement. As earth's nature is receptive, a gentleman should cultivate virtue and bear all things with magnanimity."

Lu Zheng's voice was loud and clear, instantly resounding throughout the world and causing the aura of the entire area to tremble.

In an instant, the imposing presence of everyone else was overshadowed.

The sacred object was affected and seemed to be drawn towards Lu Zheng.

The Kong family patriarch was startled and quickly forced the sacred object back to his side.

He was unwilling to see his family's sacred object taken away by Lu Zheng; if such a thing got out, it would become a laughing stock for the whole world.

This child actually... The Kong family patriarch's heart could not remain calm.

He never expected that Lu Zheng would come to the State of Qi so openly and brazenly to establish his authority in the Kong family.

Could it be that Lu Zheng was killed right here?
After that, no matter what happens, the reputation of the Kong family will definitely plummet, and even the return of Confucius probably won't save anything.

And if we do this, will Confucius really return?
The Kong family patriarch's mind raced, and he decided to stop Lu Zheng first, at least to prevent him from causing trouble here.

If we have the ability, we can capture it alive.

However, even with Lu Zheng being so powerful, the Kong family patriarch wasn't confident he could truly defeat him.

To buy time and allow other Saint Realm experts to arrive?
If, in broad daylight, powerful figures from other forces were to confront Lu Zheng, especially in the Qi Kingdom, the consequences could be dire.

Some people probably wouldn't want to show their faces here.

Just as the Kong family patriarch was pondering rapidly, all the Kong family members present felt a strange sense of unease.

This stems from a deep-seated unease that I simply cannot suppress.

"This is……"

Some people were uneasy and couldn't help but stare at Lu Zheng.

But Lu Zheng in the sky was shining brightly, enveloped by the righteous energy of heaven and earth.

Its sound was like a great bell, reaching upwards into the sky.

Confucius said, "The commander of an army may be taken away, but the will of a common man cannot be taken away..."

"A wise person helps others achieve good, not evil..."

The words of sages echoed between heaven and earth, never ceasing.

Below, the Confucius Temple and Ancestral Hall trembled, emanating a different kind of aura, as if resonating with heaven and earth.

The group of powerful members of the Kong family immediately felt a strong sense of unease, as if some great terror was about to happen.

The Kong family patriarch looked alarmed and roared, "Use all your strength to suppress this brat!"

"Since we have invited Confucius, let us uphold the right path for the world!"

Lu Zheng's voice soared to the heavens and echoed in everyone's ears.

In an instant, the sky and clouds changed color, and the Confucian and Taoist forces that were originally aimed at Lu Zheng suddenly changed direction.

The Confucian temple and ancestral hall were filled with the surging energy of Confucianism and Taoism, converging towards Lu Zheng's location with an unstoppable force.

The Kong family patriarch wanted to use the sacred artifacts, but he couldn't use them at all. Instead, he was distracted by suppressing the sacred artifacts that wanted to leave him.

Other elders of the Confucius family were no better off, feeling that their writing instruments were out of control.

At the same time, a holy might descended from the heavens and landed on Lu Zheng in an instant.

All the members of the Kong clan present felt a connection to each other through blood.

Lu Zheng stood there, a beam of colorful light emanating from his body.

In the blink of an eye, a tall and majestic figure appeared before everyone.

The Kong family patriarch trembled uncontrollably as he looked at that figure.

Confucius...

The Kong family patriarch's eyes flickered with a mixture of shock, fear, and a hint of despair...

He was not happy about Confucius's reappearance; on the contrary, his mood plummeted.

Lu Zheng has invoked the spirit of Confucius; how can he possibly fight now?
Could they possibly attack their own ancestors?
Even if they had the greatest courage, they wouldn't dare to do anything to Lu Zheng at this time.

Moreover, he could clearly sense that Lu Zheng had not simply summoned a trace of Confucius's power, but rather the sacred thoughts that Confucius left behind in the world of Confucianism after his death, which could represent Confucius and the will of the world of Confucianism.

"Holy Ancestor..."

When some people saw Confucius appear, they lowered their heads and dared not make any move.

Lu Zheng's expression was indifferent as he slowly said, "To err is human, to forgive divine. But it is truly disappointing when someone knows their mistakes but refuses to correct them..."

"Since you are descendants of sages, you should uphold the ways of the sages and follow their words, instead of acting against their wishes for your own selfish gain..."

"Such a family of saints is nothing but a parasite and a cancer on the world. We beg the saint to judge and uphold the righteous path for the sake of world peace!"

Lu Zheng's words struck everyone's hearts like drumsticks.

The patriarch of the Kong family looked terrified and wanted to say something.

But under the saint's imposing presence, he found himself unable to speak.

Confucius looked down at the Kong family below, at each member of the Kong clan, and a hint of disappointment and weariness appeared in his eyes.

Confucius slowly and clearly said, "The blessings of a virtuous person end after five generations. You are my descendants, Confucius, and the blessings you have received far exceed five generations, yet those who truly inherit these blessings are few and far between..."

Confucius's expression turned cold, and he continued, "From this day forward, there will be no more 'Confucius family' in the world. All those with the surname Kong shall no longer claim descent from Confucius, and should strive to improve themselves..."

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked, their eyes filled with fear and unease.

They never expected things to turn out this way; their ancestors were actually abandoning them completely.

The Kong family patriarch, his face filled with shock, opened his mouth and struggled to speak: "Holy Ancestor, no..."

Confucius paid no attention to anyone's thoughts and slowly raised his right hand.

A powerful aura instantly emerged, rushing towards the ancestral land of the Kong family with overwhelming force.

In the blink of an eye, without a sound, the entire temple and ancestral hall were razed to the ground.

The patriarch of the Kong family stiffened his neck and struggled to turn his head to look, feeling dizzy and his mind went blank.

It is simply unimaginable that Confucius would appear in the world and personally destroy the temples and shrines in the ancestral land of the Confucius family.

This can't be real... The Kong family patriarch stood there, his eyes dull and lifeless.

Seeing this, the other elders of the Kong family in the vicinity were no better off.

They all stood there stunned, their expressions blank, as if they hadn't yet reacted.

More accurately, it wasn't that they didn't react, but rather that the scene had such a profound impact on them that they couldn't accept or face this reality for a while.

This is the ultimate way to kill someone by destroying their spirit.

Confucius waved his hand again, and a few rays of light flashed and disappeared around the Confucius family.

Lu Zheng felt something and, with a thought, discovered that there were quite a few things in his little world.

Each item exudes an extraordinary aura, including scholar's objects of saintly quality and original Confucian classics.

Lu Zheng thought to himself that Old Man Kong was really generous, giving him so many valuable items.

It seems that this is a sign of extreme disappointment with the current Kong family, with no intention of leaving anything for certain individuals.

At the same time, all the members of the Kong clan present felt a sudden emptiness in their bodies, as if something had been drawn out of them.

That concerns the lingering influence and protection of the sages and Confucianism on these members of the Confucius clan.

Confucius has now completely severed this protection.

It wasn't just the Kong family in Qi that was cut off; the branches of the Kong family in other states also lost their protection and were no longer considered special.

As a result of this incident, some of the Confucian and Taoist spirit of the Kong clan members present was drained away.

Some elders in the family experienced a direct drop in their cultivation level.

The Kong family patriarch trembled and knelt on the ground with a thud, his eyes filled with despair and panic.

He understood that Confucius had completely abandoned them, leaving no room for maneuver.

At this point, apart from some members of the Kong clan who still had a faint bloodline of the sage, they had no further connection with Confucius.

From now on, the family of Confucius will never exist again.

A family of saints who has enjoyed thousands of years of glory will eventually return to ordinary life.

Why did this happen...? Even now, the Kong family patriarch can't figure it out. Things are not developing as he expected at all.

For thousands of years, nothing like this has ever happened.

But now, for the sake of Lu Zheng, their ancestor actually did such a shocking thing, destroying his own descendants and family with his own hands.

"This shouldn't be happening..."

"Why is this so?"

"Holy Ancestor, we have made mistakes, but our crimes do not warrant this!"

"Please, Holy Ancestor, give me another chance..."

……

A group of Confucius family members knelt on the ground, crying and pleading, trying to get Confucius's forgiveness.

Others watched blankly, utterly despairing.

The younger generation, however, had a gleam in their eyes and were not uneasy about it. On the contrary, they felt that Confucius was not wrong; the fault lay with the stubborn elders of their clans. (End of Chapter)