Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 708 Who Will Prevail?

The monks were shaken to their core when they saw a fellow disciple killed in the blink of an eye, leaving not even a trace of his body or soul. They could hardly remain calm.

They had just discussed fleeing the State of Wei to save themselves when someone came knocking on their door to settle scores with them.

The speed was so fast that they genuinely suspected that Buddha had opened his eyes and was watching them.

Putting aside everything else, the Buddhist and Taoist power within them is in a strange state of dissipation, which cannot be achieved by ordinary means.

At least they had never encountered such a situation before.

Caught off guard, these eminent Buddhist monks were at a loss as to how to respond.

Seeing one person die and disappear, the remaining people were even more terrified.

They used to be very bold in committing evil deeds under the guise of Buddhism, but when they were truly facing a life-or-death crisis and encountered an unknown and powerful opponent, they no longer had that courage.

Buddhist karma...

An old monk's mind raced, and golden light flickered in his eyes.

With a flick of his sleeve, several Buddhist artifacts imbued with a mystical aura flew out.

One by one, the Buddhist artifacts emitted golden light and slashed straight at the void in front of the old monk.

A violent wave surged outwards, as if some invisible force had been annihilated.

In that instant, the old monk felt that the loss of his Buddhist power had stopped.

Upon seeing this, the old monk was overjoyed, for he was attempting to sever the causal link in the unseen world.

"It's cause and effect! Severing cause and effect can prevent my power from being taken away!"

The old monk quickly spoke up, giving a hint to the people nearby.

Some monks looked at each other in bewilderment upon hearing this. Buddhism does have a concept of cause and effect, but not everyone practices this method, and they had no idea how to sever cause and effect.

Let alone severing cause and effect, some monks are even unable to comprehend or perceive the existence of cause and effect.

Just like Confucian disciples, some are good at composing poetry, while others are good at studying the classics; their areas of expertise are not the same.

Lu Zheng stood not far away, calmly watching the monks' actions.

Severing karma? How can these Buddhist practitioners possibly sever all karma? Even if they completely destroyed their Buddhist and Taoist cultivation, they still wouldn't be able to...

Lu Zheng's eyes sparkled as he saw many things that others could not observe.

These monks are entangled in countless threads of cause and effect, almost all stemming from their sins.

Even if you can temporarily sever some of the causal relationships, those relationships will slowly revert to their original state.

These monks had warned believers about cause and effect and retribution, using this as a pretext to deceive and extort money.

However, when it comes to them, they don't believe in these things, considering themselves Buddhists with profound spiritual attainments who are not afraid of any retribution.

However, when that day truly comes and one's life is endangered due to karmic retribution, it will be too late for regrets.

Lu Zheng observed the monks as they tried to sever their karmic ties using various methods, but he did not immediately take action. Instead, he gathered information and accumulated experience.

Previously, at the Garan Temple, I witnessed the extermination of a group of eminent monks, and the Buddha revealed a mysterious space.

This time the situation was different. The location was within his own little world, and with the Buddha's methods, this place was manifested. The monks who arrived were also in their true forms, making it a perfect opportunity for experimentation and practice.

Seeing that Lu Zheng made no unusual moves, some people did not dare to attack him rashly, but instead wanted to escape from this strange place.

Seeing someone flying towards the outer edge of this area, Lu Zheng calmly unfolded the Taiping Code.

With just a thought, wisps of mysterious power emanated from the codex and vanished without a trace.

At the same time, the fleeing monk felt a tremor in his heart, as if he were being targeted by some great terror.

The surrounding space rippled, and nearly invisible chains bound the monk.

Upon seeing this, the monk hurriedly brandished his magical artifact to defend himself. However, these chains ignored the resistance and were completely unstoppable, binding the monk tightly and suppressing the already chaotic Buddhist power within his body.

In the blink of an eye, the monk plummeted straight down from mid-air like a kite with a broken string.

Immediately afterwards, chains pierced through the monk's body.

The next instant, the monk felt his power being pulled away by an even more tyrannical force, determined to strip away the accumulation of his years of cultivation.

"Do not……"

The monk was filled with terror and was unable to stop the changes in his body.

He couldn't even control his own Buddhist power to resist it, and could only watch helplessly as his years of cultivation gushed forth like a spring.

Suddenly, the monk's appearance aged, and he became like a deflated balloon, reaching the point of exhaustion.

Lu Zheng's gaze was indifferent as he said quietly, "Your sins are grave, and this is the karmic retribution for your crimes. You deserve to die!"

After he finished speaking, sword energy transformed into a rainbow in the sky and slashed straight down.

The remaining monks felt an even greater sense of fear.

From beginning to end, they didn't see Lu Zheng move his position, nor did they understand what kind of methods this young man had used.

It felt somewhat like some profound Buddhist magic, but they didn't sense such a strong Buddhist or Taoist aura. Instead, there was another force that instilled their instinctive fear.

Moreover, this power is omnipresent, seemingly always locked onto them, making it impossible to escape.

"Only by working together to kill him can we escape from here!"

One of the monks' eyes flashed with a fierce light as he secretly transmitted his voice to the others.

Upon hearing this, everyone realized that they had no other choice at this point, and since their own power was still somewhat out of control, they had to work together.

These monks were old acquaintances, and they exchanged glances, knowing exactly what to do.

Seeing this, everyone attacked together, sending out high-quality Buddhist artifacts imbued with profound energy to suppress Lu Zheng.

Lu Zheng tapped his finger lightly, and the Taiping Code shimmered with light.

A huge Buddhist mark suddenly appeared. Unlike marks made of pure Buddhist energy, this mark contained several mysterious powers.

It also carries a hint of Buddhist and Taoist origins.

Under the cover of this enormous mark, all the magical artifacts and mystical weapons became uncontrollable, their power drastically reduced, and they could hardly exert their effects.

As the mark pressed down, many Buddhist artifacts instantly became overwhelmed. The Buddhist energy within them was drawn by the primordial power, causing damage to each artifact.

This, in turn, had a backlash on the monks.

Some Buddhist monks felt a sudden, excruciating pain in their hearts, and their previously barely stable Buddhist aura quickly leaked away.

Some people were so flustered that they were busy maintaining their own balance and didn't even have a chance to make a move. "Thump..."

Monks dressed in gleaming golden robes knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.

"Please forgive me, Buddha! Please forgive me, Bodhisattva! I will definitely repent and reform myself in the future..."

Some people could no longer bear the fear and lost their courage, so they sought the Buddha's forgiveness.

However, Buddha was not so compassionate, and Lu Zheng was even less so.

At least his mercy is not extended to certain people.

Moreover, Lu Zheng did not sense any sincerity from these monks; at most, he felt fear, and deep down, a trace of resentment.

Others might not be able to perceive the subtle emotions hidden in the hearts of these monks, but with Lu Zheng's current level of cultivation, coupled with the blessing of the original power of Buddhism and Taoism, he could understand them.

These Buddhist monks could not hide anything from him.

Lu Zheng's expression remained unchanged. In his eyes, these monks were entangled in too many karmas, and simply killing them would be too lenient for them.

Lu Zheng raised his hand, flipping through the Taiping Codex rapidly.

Unconsciously, the karma existing on the monks was connected to the Taiping Codex.

Within the legal code, the lines of text on crimes and punishments gleam with vibrant colors.

The aura of righteousness surged wildly, and streams of righteous energy containing the power of heaven and earth transformed into thunder, crashing down on everyone with unparalleled power of judgment.

In the blink of an eye, these Buddhist monks were submerged by the ocean formed by lightning, and none of them were able to escape.

The suppression of the original power of Buddhism and Taoism, coupled with the power of Lu Zheng's Dharma based on the righteous energy of heaven and earth, caused all the monks to vanish into thin air in a short time, and their years of cultivation accumulated into nothingness.

Lu Zheng stood there and reflected on the results and experiences of this trip. With some guidance and help from Buddha, his abilities had improved considerably.

In the future, when facing those eminent Buddhist monks alone, his methods will be sufficient to restrain them.

It can be said that within his domain, the power of Buddhist teachings held by those Buddhist practitioners is subordinate to his power.

Lu Zheng closed the Taiping Codex, placed it back in its original spot, and then left this world in the blink of an eye.

The next moment, he appeared in a Buddhist temple with a snow-covered roof.

The Buddhist temple was completely silent, with only a few flickering candlelight, and each magnificent Buddha statue occupied its own spot.

At that moment, a certain Bodhisattva statue flashed with light, and a phantom image appeared.

Upon seeing Lu Zheng, the illusory figure immediately adopted a polite expression, clasped his hands together in a gesture of respect, and said, "Have you handled the matter well, Your Excellency?"

It was this Bodhisattva who sensed the situation at the temple and then used the power of incense to convey his thoughts to the Garan Temple, hoping to show his true intentions before the Buddha and abandon darkness for light.

After the Buddha realized the truth, he used some means to bring Lu Zheng over and let Lu Zheng act on his behalf.

Previously, the Bodhisattva had received news that Lu Zheng's relationship with the Buddha was extraordinary, and that he was a person in charge of the Buddhas in the human world. Given his status and weight, he should be treated with respect.

Lu Zheng said, "It's alright. The monks here aren't that powerful anymore. You can take charge of settling them down and ensuring they are properly organized as part of the Buddhist tradition."

Upon hearing this, the illusory figure replied, "Definitely, definitely. If anyone tries to betray Buddhism, I will certainly punish them!"

Lu Zheng nodded slightly. "Alright, I'm going back."

After saying that, Lu Zheng turned to leave the Buddhist temple.

Seeing this, the phantom quickly said, "How about I give you a ride?"

Lu Zheng waved his hand, "There's no need to waste your incense offerings. Save them for doing your job well. Buddha will be watching you from now on."

Before he finished speaking, Lu Zheng had already disappeared from the temple.

The blurry face of the phantom shifted slightly, then sighed softly, "It seems the incense offerings will be hard to sustain from now on."

In the past, we didn't have to do anything; we still needed to offer incense and prayers.

As for the future, it seems I'll have to be extremely diligent in my work. In that case, I probably won't be able to accumulate any good karma, and I might even have to pay out of my own pocket...

As for slacking off and being a mere figurehead like before? I really wouldn't dare have such thoughts again.

High in the air, Lu Zhengzheng returned to the Garan Temple at an extremely fast speed.

He looked down at the vast land below, and although he had never been to this area before, it gave him a sense of déjà vu.

Lu Zheng quickly realized that these were some benefits left to him by the Buddha after sharing his perception with him.

Unbeknownst to him, he had become familiar with the territory of the Great Wei, and a cause-and-effect relationship had developed that was imperceptible to outsiders.

The cause and effect of this is not only due to his close relationship with Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, but also to the influence of Lu Zheng's previous actions.

Now, the Buddha's true intention is to enable Lu Zheng to perceive this relationship more clearly and connect with it more meticulously.

The establishment of this relationship will play an indispensable role in Lu Zheng's future path to enlightenment.

Lu Zheng felt that he was no longer suppressed in the Wei Kingdom, but rather had a lot of freedom and ease, to the point that he could command the wind and rain at will.

At that moment, Lu Zheng felt a surge of pride, realizing he was one step closer to his dream of saving the world.

"Who controls the vast earth's rise and fall?"

……

"Once this winter is over, we can go and take over this place, this place... and rescue more people..."

Qingwan stood in front of a map, outlining her strategic plan for next year.

Nearby, Gongyang Ming and others listened and pondered.

Yun Xiao couldn't help but ask, "You want to occupy so much land? Even if you really conquer it, can you manage it all?"

"To be honest, you only have a handful of people you can truly rely on. Your territory is so vast, you're difficult to manage, and you don't subscribe to the dynastic system..."

Although Yun Xiao hadn't yet gone to the Northern Region to check on the situation, seeing Qing Wan's desire to expand the territory several times over all at once, he felt it was a bit unreliable.

Qingwan pondered, "That's simple, just gather the people together! Actually, land isn't important, people are, the main thing is to save people. Hey? Speaking of which, the Taoist priest's cultivation is profound, he has the ability to move mountains and fill lakes, why don't you do the extra work and bring all the lower-class people in these places into our territory, so we can avoid a direct conflict with these forces..."

Yun Xiao's lips twitched. Wasn't this asking him to snatch someone away?

The northern region is so vast, with hundreds of millions of people. Even just relocating people from one area would require a tremendous amount of effort.

Moreover, those forces can't just stand by and watch you snatch people. Even if you do it secretly, there are more people than people in those places. Do you think they won't be on guard?

Yun Xiao couldn't help but say, "Although saving one person is a great act of virtue, I still need to return to Shu to write scriptures, which is also an important matter concerning saving the world and helping the people. I'm afraid I can only spare a little time to help you, but I don't have that much ability to save people in such a large area."

Qingwan said, "Is that so? But whatever you can do to help, Taoist priest! I'll remember your good deed and ask Buddha to bless you in the future..."

Yun Xiao said quietly, "If you don't ask the Dao Ancestor for blessings, this humble Daoist doesn't practice Buddhism."

Qing Wan sighed, "I'm not familiar with the Dao Ancestor at all!" (End of Chapter)