Chapter 538: Zhang Yu’s Criminal Clique
Auspicious God, surrounded by shimmering light, let out a cold snort, as if still wanting to argue.
But Joy God, with his thousand eyes and thousand feet, stopped him, asking directly, “What’s his connection to the Research Department?”
Fu Ji replied calmly, “The Research Department is the real power behind Myriad Laws University’s Immortal Dao research projects. The Spirit Transformation Method research naturally falls under its purview.”
“Feng Yuhuan, as the department head, is also the project’s primary supervisor. Would you say he’s crucial?”
“In some ways, he’s even more critical than Magnetic Pole. He controls project funding, personnel management, and previously even sealed off the laboratory.”
“Yet, he’s far easier to deal with than Magnetic Pole. Whether you want to simply control him, force him into the Demonic Cults, or convert him into one of your followers, it would be much simpler than dealing with Magnetic Pole or Celestial Seal.”
“Especially now that the Spirit Realm has been hijacked by you. As an administrator, he lacks True Monarch Celestial Seal’s sharp reflexes and has lost his usual spiritual enhancements, making him at his weakest.”
Hearing Fu Ji’s words, the three Evil Gods secretly exchanged rapid communications.
“What he said makes sense. Administrative personnel do know more than experimental subjects and are easier to deal with than Magnetic Pole or Celestial Seal.”
“This guy’s giving us all this intel for free. He probably wants to use us to deal with Feng Yuhuan.”
“So what if he’s using us? As long as we benefit, mutual exploitation is perfectly normal.”
Just then, Fu Ji spoke up: “Have you finished discussing?”
She abruptly stood up, slamming her hands heavily on the round table. Glaring at the three towering figures before him, she said coldly: “Feng Yuhuan is yours to deal with. I’ll release him to you as a welcome gift.”
“But Myriad Laws University is my territory. You’ve had your fun. It’s time to leave, don’t you think?”
Auspicious God’s body erupted in vibrant light, his voice unwavering as he retorted: “Hmph? What if we refuse?”
“Then don’t blame me…” Fu Ji sneered. “I’ll report everything here directly to the Righteous Gods, exposing your ties to the Demonic Cults.”
“Hmph, many of your followers still carry communication devices, don’t they? The Righteous Gods would be very interested in their technology.”
In an instant, Zhang Yu felt the killing intent surge through the air, as if three colossal figures were about to crush her at any moment.
After a long silence, the Joy God, with his thousand eyes and thousand feet, chuckled softly: “Fortune God, we owe you one for this. But before now, we truly had no idea that Myriad Laws University had such a seasoned player like you already in place.”
Fu Ji waved her hand dismissively and turned to leave. “Get lost, all of you.”
“From now on, consult me directly about anything involving Myriad Laws University. No more reckless actions like today.”
“If you jeopardize my grand scheme, you’ll face the consequences.”
“At that moment, the three gods clearly recognized Fu Ji as the foremost expert on the Myriad Laws issue.”
“How do we contact you? the Joy God asked.”
Fu Ji replied coolly, “Don’t you know how to use the summoning function in this conference room?”
“Seeing the three gods’ silence, Fu Ji smiled faintly, tapped her finger, and sent them an encrypted address.”
“Send your messages through the Dark Spirit Realm.”
With that, Fu Ji’s figure vanished into the Dark Spirit Realm.
Watching her disappear, the Joy God’s thousand hands twisted in unison as he spoke. “Well? Did you trace his origins?”
The Auspicious God, his radiant aura contracting, said, “I’ve contacted the Evil Gods of the Second Layer, but none of them recognize him. With his power and elaborate schemes, he might have descended from a higher layer. Investigating him will be troublesome and time-consuming.”
Another Evil God added, “He’s remarkably elusive. I couldn’t track him.”
The Joy God stated calmly, “Then let’s proceed as we discussed earlier. We’ll need to factor him into our future plans.”
Myriad Laws University, University City.
Zhang Yu suddenly snapped back to awareness, feeling his consciousness return from the Dark Spirit Realm to the physical world.
Fu Ji breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to herself, “Damn it, those three have been frantically probing my origins through the Dark Spirit Realm. If I’d lingered any longer, they might have uncovered my true nature.”
Zhang Yu mentally asked Fu Ji, “Why did you leave so abruptly? Couldn’t you have gathered more intelligence from them?”
Fu Ji replied calmly, “There’s no rush. Let the winds blow for a while longer.”
Once they’ve completed their current operation and confirmed the information I provided, our next exchange will naturally be smoother.
Heh heh, with this Dark Spirit Realm conference room, we now have a secure channel to communicate with the Evil Gods. We can exchange intelligence with them and even try to barter for resources. Those guys must have some good stuff.
Zhang Yu and Fu Ji’s exchange was completed in an instant. He then turned to address the group before him.
Zhang Yu noticed that very little time seemed to have passed, even though he and Fu Ji had spent a considerable amount of time communicating with the Evil Gods in the Dark Spirit Realm.
Fu Ji explained, “The Dark Spirit Realm operates at an accelerated pace. Information exchange occurs at high speed. What feels like a long conversation inside is merely a fleeting moment in the outside world.”
At the same time, Zhang Yu sensed an odd tension in the air. After a moment’s reflection, he understood why.
Although they had just jointly defeated a Golden Core cultivator from the Demonic Cults, averting the immediate danger of being killed or forced to join the sect, the battle had inevitably exposed each person’s secrets: copyright infringement, legal violations, criminal acts, and more.
Now that the heat of battle had subsided and the immediate danger had passed, they were beginning to realize the implications of their exposed secrets.
“What if they get discovered?”
“What if we’re exposed?”
“How much will we have to pay?”
Worry, tension, fear, terror — all these emotions had been suppressed for years by Kunxu’s countless rules and regulations, now surfacing as instinctive reactions.
Zhang Yu, sensing the group’s anxiety, understood their reactions perfectly. Even as someone half-Kunxu himself, he felt waves of lingering fear.
But he knew someone had to speak up. They needed to keep this secret together.
“Everyone,” Zhang Yu said, looking at the group, “today’s events will remain known only to the seven of us. No one else must ever learn of it.”
“Before this, we may have come from different places and earned different amounts. But from this moment on, we will die together if we must, and go bankrupt together if we must. As long as I, Zhang Yu, live, I will never let you suffer in the future.”
Hearing Zhang Yu’s words, the group nodded almost unconsciously.
Without realizing it, the Zhang Yu who had just charged fearlessly ahead, single-handedly blocking the Demonic Cult’s Golden Core cultivator, had already earned their natural trust.
Seeing the others’ trusting gazes, Zhang Yu let out a small sigh of relief and turned to Ying Xin. “Ying Xin, you and Shi Yunxiang clear the battlefield thoroughly. Don’t leave any trace of our fight here.”
“Huaiyu, please double-check the corpses’ positions to ensure no clues remain.”
“Xinghan, go check if Old Mo has woken up. While you’re there, reattach his Hand Bionic.”
“Qingxuan and Mulan, could you two help me reattach my arm?”
With Zhang Yu’s instructions, the group suppressed their anxiety and began systematically handling the aftermath, their composure gradually returning.
As Shi Yunxiang cleaned the battlefield, he glanced at his companions working alongside him, and an inexplicable feeling suddenly flashed through his mind.
This was the first time in his life he had committed a serious crime with others, fought to the death against a formidable enemy, and worked together in mutual trust to cover their tracks.
This unprecedented sensation wasn’t unique to Shi Yunxiang; it permeated the hearts of everyone present.
“Happy? Thrilled? Exhilarated? Excited?” Ying Xin couldn’t find the right word. She only knew that at this moment, when Zhang Yu entrusted her with handling the illegal operation and she and Shi Yunxiang continued sabotaging the infrastructure, a strange feeling surged within her.
Shi Huaiyu meticulously examined every corner where the corpse had lain, her heart swelling with a sense of responsibility — she couldn’t betray Zhang Yu’s trust, nor the trust of her comrades.
Even though they were essentially working overtime for free, she felt no fatigue, only waves of exhilaration coursing through her mind.
Fu Ji observed the scene, thinking to herself, “These people have committed crimes together, risked bankruptcy and death together, and shared each other’s secrets. With Zhang Yu as their leader, they’re gradually becoming a tight-knit group.”
And at least in these early stages of the group’s formation, they were thoroughly enjoying the feeling of belonging.
This Zhang Yu… he might be exceptionally skilled at building a Demonic Cult.
While Zhang Yu led the others in cleaning up the battlefield and disposing of the evidence, storm clouds were gathering over University City.
Inside and outside the data center, Ascension Child suppressed the Spirit Realm with one hand while fending off the combined assault of countless Talisman Department students and faculty from Myriad Laws University, as well as the Righteous Gods, with the other.
On the outskirts of University City, streaks of light flashed across the horizon as the Unemployed Elder blocked external reinforcements.
Simultaneously, large numbers of Demonic Cult followers stormed the 666th floor of University City and the Research Department offices, initiating fierce clashes.
After the conflicts at these two locations subsided, the Unemployed Elder and Ascension Child led their forces in a retreat.
In addition to these organized withdrawals, many Demonic Cult members who had infiltrated University City independently also began to evacuate.
Cult members within Myriad Laws University who had joined the Demonic Cults naturally remained behind, becoming future Demonic Cult operatives planted within the university.
As for those who had voluntarily joined the sect after reviewing its materials, some continued to loot and fight, while others sensed the shifting tides and retreated early after a brief frenzy of looting.
Still others, though sympathetic to the Demonic Cults, remained detached observers throughout the entire conflict.
Meanwhile, the cultivators of Myriad Laws University began repairing the Spirit Realm.
As the Demonic Cults gradually withdrew, in a place far from any major battlefield and beyond the notice of any high-ranking figures, a Demonic Cult member, while retreating, unleashed a fistful of Flame Gang Qi toward the Medicinal Field.
“Die, you rich bastards! Have your medicinal field burn to ashes!”
Just as sparks began to flicker across the Medicinal Field, a sudden downpour extinguished the flames.
Immediately afterward, a terrifying pressure descended from the heavens.
An invisible hand materialized before everyone’s eyes.
Whether inside or outside University City, within or beyond the Spirit Realm, every being witnessed this colossal hand.
As the hand descended, the Spirit Realm Network was instantly restored, and the Righteous Gods returned to their rightful positions.
In that instant, all the retreating Demonic Cult members had their physical bodies and souls separated.
University City instantly reverted to its normal state, order restored as if the chaos of moments ago had been nothing more than a fleeting nightmare.
Yet, gazing at the severed limbs scattered across the ground and the shattered infrastructure, countless hearts knew that some things would never be the same again.