Chapter 30

Previously, the ascetic monk had told Lu Zheng that the human world and the cultivation realm were separated by a fence, and that this fence was planted by an extraordinary person. Connecting the dots, Lu Zheng naturally guessed it easily.

Sure enough, the ascetic monk nodded and said, "Yes, young benefactor, you guessed right..."

Just as the ascetic monk was about to continue, Lu Zheng pouted and said, "Great monk, I don't have anything to give you, and I have a name. Why don't you call me by my name instead of always calling me 'young benefactor'?"

Seeing Lu Zheng pouting at him, the ascetic monk was taken aback, his eyes revealing a complex look, and he seemed somewhat lost. Lu Zheng, noticing this, felt a bit timid and laughed dryly, "Great monk, you don't want to call me by my name?"

The ascetic monk came to his senses, pulled him a few steps, and said, "No, it's just that your appearance just now reminded me of someone. She should be about your age this year."

Seeing him say this with a particularly gentle look in his eyes, Lu Zheng wondered who could make the ascetic monk so concerned. The ascetic monk had never looked at him with such a gaze, and he felt a sudden pang of jealousy, asking, "Who is it?"

The ascetic monk, noticing his reaction, asked, "Are you cold?" As he asked, a warm current surged in his palm. He replied, "It's someone the monk is deeply concerned about."

Lu Zheng pulled his hand back, wanting to withdraw it from the ascetic monk's grip, but ultimately did not. He forced a few laughs and said, "No, not at all. Great monk, how can there still be someone you are deeply concerned about? I thought the only one you were concerned about was the Buddha!"

The ascetic monk, lost in thought, did not notice the slight coldness in Lu Zheng's words. He sighed deeply and said, "Sentient beings, sigh, let's not talk about it. I'll continue the story for you."

Seeing his somewhat melancholic expression, Lu Zheng regretted his words and said, "Okay, Great monk, please continue. How did that extraordinary person save the two seniors?"

The ascetic monk said, "That day, when the ten demons were about to kill the two venerables, the two seniors were preparing to fight to the death. Just as the tension was about to explode, a young man suddenly appeared from nowhere, stopping both sides. After stopping them, the young man proposed a bet with the ten demons. He said that previously, the earth demon Zhu Jiuyin had bet with Venerable Tanhua and Xuanmiaotian, and he wanted to make the same bet with them, with the same stakes: this human world!

For some reason, the ten demons agreed to the bet but insisted that the method of the bet must be decided by them, and the young man could not object. Venerable Tanhua and Xuanmiaotian, though they did not know the young man or his background, realized he was there to help them. Since he could appear silently, his abilities must be quite formidable. However, the ten demons insisted on deciding the method of the bet, and the two seniors, who had been tricked once before, knew the demons were cunning and feared the young man might make a mistake, so they refused. But the young man stopped them, nonchalantly letting the ten demons decide, saying he would accept any method of the bet.

The ten demons then discussed and proposed to form a Taiji array, trapping the young man inside. If he could emerge unscathed, he would win, and the demons would leave the human world and never invade again. The two seniors, upon hearing this, were furious. Not only were the ten demons highly skilled, but they had also stolen the eight great treasures of the Daoist sect from the Three Mountains of the Dao Sea. Using these treasures to form the Taiji array would not only increase its complexity but also greatly enhance their powers. It was impossible for anyone to break through the array.

Therefore, when they proposed this method, the two seniors strongly opposed it. But unexpectedly, the young man immediately agreed!"

As they walked and talked, Lu Zheng gradually became exhausted. The ascetic monk still let him sit on his back and carried him, using divine speed to traverse the Two Realms Mountain. It seemed leisurely, but it was actually as fast as lightning, covering several miles in a moment.

The ascetic monk continued, "After the agreement, they made a vow together. The ten demons indeed used the eight great treasures of the Daoist sect to form a Taiji array. This array borrowed the power of heaven and earth, using the force of ten thousand mountains to trap the young man, with a cloud array overhead and nine heavens of divine thunder striking down. There were also countless gusts of wind within the array. With the ten demons controlling the array, it contained countless mysteries and had the power to change the world, making it the most divine array in history!"

Lu Zheng listened with great interest and said, "The most divine array in history? This Taiji array is so powerful! But this extraordinary young man can also be considered the greatest person in history. The greatest person in history against the most divine array in history, Great monk, how did the young man break through the Taiji array?"

The ascetic monk shook his head and said, "Taiji array? The great person did not break through any Taiji array because soon after he entered, he discovered that the array had somehow turned into an even more powerful Wujixian array."

"Wujixian array? How did it turn into a Wujixian array? Were the demons cheating again? That's bad, what did he do?" Lu Zheng exclaimed.

The ascetic monk shook his head and said, "I don't know the details. Only Venerable Tanhua and Xuanmiaotian, who were present, knew what happened, and they were observing from a thousand miles away. They did not fully understand the details of the bet. When they realized the array was not a Taiji array but a Wujixian array, it was already too late. The Wujixian array is not a worldly array; once activated, it disappears from the world, so no one could see it. Therefore, the two seniors only saw the result of the bet!"

Lu Zheng asked, "What was the result?"

The ascetic monk answered, "Six of the ten demons were killed on the spot, and the remaining four were sealed in the four great secret realms of the east, west, south, and north. A fence was planted, separating the human world from the cultivation realm!"

Lu Zheng couldn't help but admire, "Great monk, you're right, this person is truly extraordinary. What is his name?"

"No one knows," the ascetic monk sighed, "Even Venerable Tanhua and Xuanmiaotian, who met him once, did not know his background. The two seniors explained the process to others, and the world learned that a young man saved the human world from a great disaster. Because no one knew his name, the cultivation realm later referred to him as 'Shengzong' alongside the Daoist and Buddhist patriarchs."

Lu Zheng, captivated, repeated "Shengzong" several times and asked, "Shengzong, what does this mean? Since he is mentioned alongside the Buddhist and Daoist patriarchs, why isn't he called 'Shengzu'?"

The ascetic monk said, "Hehe, throughout history, only the Buddhist and Daoist patriarchs have been called 'zu.' Calling him 'Shengzong' is already a high praise. 'Shengzong' means 'a saint and the master of all laws.' The first part, 'a saint,' praises his feat of slaying demons and saving the people. The second part, 'the master of all laws,' praises his immense power, as he defeated ten demons alone, which is indeed a great feat."

Lu Zheng said, "I see, then where did Shengzong go after defeating the demons?"

The ascetic monk said, "According to Venerable Tanhua and Xuanmiaotian, after the Wujixian array was broken, they neither saw the ten demons nor the young man again. They only received a message from him, informing them of the fate of the ten demons and that he had planted the fence.

Therefore, the whereabouts of Shengzong have been a mystery in the cultivation realm for three thousand years. There are various rumors about his whereabouts, but no one knows where he went or who he truly is. However, without Shengzong, humans would have been almost entirely wiped out by the demons!"

So this is the origin of the fence! Lu Zheng, hearing this, realized that so much had happened in ancient times, and the world was not as he had imagined. But he then remembered his previous question and asked, "Great monk, I still don't understand. If Shengzong planted the fence to prevent demons from invading the human world, why can the snake demon still come to the human world to kill people? What do you mean by 'as long as they can transform into human form, they can cross the fence'?"

The ascetic monk said, "Young benefactor, as I said before, the purpose of the fence is not to separate the human world from the cultivation realm. The purpose of the fence planted by Shengzong is not to prevent demons from entering the human world, but to prevent supernatural powers from entering the human world!"

Lu Zheng asked, "Prevent supernatural powers from entering the human world? What does that mean?"

Just as Lu Zheng was waiting for the ascetic monk's answer, he suddenly said, "Hmm," and stopped using his divine speed, standing still and looking into the distance.

Lu Zheng, not understanding, turned to look ahead but saw nothing, and asked, "Great monk, what's wrong?"

The ascetic monk, still looking into the distance, casually replied, "There are people fighting ahead... Strange, this is the Two Realms Mountain, but it's beyond the fence. Why would anyone dare to use supernatural powers here?"

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