Chapter 539: The Reckoning
As the Bionic Eye reconnected to the Spirit Realm, Zhang Yu breathed a sigh of relief, watching familiar streams of information flood his vision.
Having grown accustomed to the Bionic Eye, he found it deeply unsettling to be completely cut off — unable to contact others or access information at will.
With the Spirit Realm restored, order returned to University City. The first thing Zhang Yu noticed was waves of Divine Light sweeping across the sky.
Righteous Gods appeared in unprecedented numbers and with ruthless efficiency, descending upon every floor of University City.
He frequently witnessed figures being stripped of their physical bodies and their souls extracted under the relentless divine power.
A chill ran down Zhang Yu’s spine as he observed this scene. “The reckoning has begun,” he thought.
Zhang Yu understood that the university authorities and the Righteous Gods would inevitably conduct a thorough investigation into the widespread destruction, losses, and criminal activities that had occurred during the Spirit Realm’s disruption.
Now that the security cameras were reconnected to the Spirit Realm, the Righteous Gods would undoubtedly review every recorded video.
Moreover, the countless individuals who had been bewitched by the Demonic Cults would become a primary focus of Myriad Laws University’s scrutiny.
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “There must be countless others who secretly recorded videos with their Bionic Eyes during the incident. They’re probably starting to report them en masse now.”
As for the other matters — the repairs to University City, compensation for material losses, and the lawsuits and disputes arising from conflicts during the Spirit Realm’s collapse — Zhang Yu could already imagine how swamped Myriad Laws University would be in the coming days.
Just then, a series of documents popped into Zhang Yu’s vision, sent by the Righteous Gods: “Learn the Truth About the Demonic Cults!”, “Why We Oppose the Demonic Cults?”, “A Deep Analysis of the Ascension Cult’s Evil Nature”, “Righteousness Endures, Evil Cannot: Re-evaluating the Unemployment Cult, Society’s Cancer”, and “The Perils of Unemployment”. As he scrolled through these files, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but feel a sense of urgency.
Simultaneously, a beam of Divine Light descended from the sky, spreading horizontally like a luminous wall, scanning each person’s body as it swept across the crowd.
As the Divine Light scanned the passersby, some showed no abnormalities, while others triggered alarms, instantly subdued by golden, palm-sized hands that pinned them to the ground.
Watching this unfold, Zhang Yu felt a surge of tension. He knew running was impossible, so he steeled himself to face the Divine Light’s scan.
As the Divine Light swept over Zhang Yu’s body, a prompt appeared in his Bionic Eye, asking if he consented to inspection by the Righteous God.
Zhang Yu readily agreed. His injuries had already been treated, his Bionic Eye contained no incriminating data, and all traces of the Demonic Cults’ information had long been purged.
Yu Xinghan, Le Mulan, and their other companions had also prepared thoroughly while clearing the scene. Xiao Qingxuan even expelled his External Core, reverting to the Foundation Establishment stage.
Moments later, the Divine Light dissipated from Zhang Yu’s body as the inspection concluded.
“Phew,” Zhang Yu exhaled softly, thinking to himself, “The basic check is over. There might be further questioning, but we’re likely not primary targets. It’ll probably just be a formality.”
As the Spirit Realm restored its connection, a flood of messages began flooding Zhang Yu’s Bionic Eye.
Many of the messages had been sent after the Spirit Realm was hijacked but were only now being delivered due to the delayed transmission.
Mo Shangjin: “Are you in your dorm?”
Zhang Pianpian: “The Spirit Realm has reconnected with me.”
Zhao Tianxing: “Why did you all go offline?”
Ying Xin’s Grandfather: “Can you see this? Is there something wrong with the Spirit Realm of Myriad Laws?”
Most of the messages came from Soul Cultivators within the company. After all, when the Spirit Realm connection was lost at Myriad Laws University, it was as if everyone there had simultaneously gone offline. The Spirit Realm of Myriad Laws and countless messages had vanished, leaving the world feeling like a massive chunk had suddenly disappeared.
For those still struggling with the economic crisis — Zhao Tianxing, Che Yufei, Hu Yuntao, and others — nothing was more terrifying than waking up to see their company boss’s avatar grayed out.
This inevitably made them worry about whether something had happened to Zhang Yu and whether the company was about to collapse.
Naturally, once the Spirit Realm was restored and Zhang Yu came back online, even more messages flooded in.
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “Come to the laboratory. We need to discuss something in person.”
Director Gao: “Hurry and find your master.”
Zhao Tianxing: “President Zhang, are you alright?”
Ye Xingli (Poverty Simulator): “Junior Brother, are you okay?”
Seeing the flood of messages, Zhang Yu first replied to the most important ones before heading to the laboratory.
But as soon as he arrived at True Monarch Magnetic Pole’s office, the room darkened, and the Unemployed Elder’s figure suddenly materialized, grinning at him. “Magnetic Pole, is this your newly accepted disciple?”
Zhang Yu was startled by the scene. True Monarch Magnetic Pole, standing beside him, said calmly, “Zhang Yu, this elder was specially invited to welcome you into our Cults.”
Zhang Yu’s face twisted in shock. “Master, how can you do this? I can’t join the Demonic Cults!”
After repeated urging from True Monarch Magnetic Pole, and seeing Zhang Yu’s mixture of fear and refusal to join the Cult, she finally dismissed the Unemployed Elder’s projection. “Consider yourself wise,” she said coolly.
Zhang Yu let out a sudden sigh of relief, his face pale with lingering fear. “Master, were you testing me just now? You nearly scared me to death!”
Thank goodness… he thought to himself. Based on my previous interactions with the Evil Gods, Master shouldn’t have joined the Demonic Cults.
Having confirmed this, Zhang Yu quickly recovered from his initial shock and realized True Monarch Magnetic Pole was probing him.
True Monarch Magnetic Pole fixed her gaze on Zhang Yu. “The two major Demonic Cults wreaked havoc in University City. We don’t know how many people were bewitched. The higher-ups have resolved to conduct a thorough investigation, and someone will be questioning you later.”
“If you have any issues, tell me now. I’ll help you resolve them. I don’t want to hear about your problems from someone else’s mouth later.”
Under True Monarch Magnetic Pole’s piercing gaze, Zhang Yu immediately declared with unwavering conviction, “Master, rest assured, I have absolutely not joined the Demonic Cults.”
“After the Spirit Realm disconnected, I went to the administrative area with Mo Shangjin and the others. Later, when the Golden Core-level battle erupted, we were scattered. I hid with my classmates until the Spirit Realm was restored.”
Watching Zhang Yu deliver his carefully prepared explanation, Magnetic Pole smiled faintly and patted his head. “It’s good you’re safe. Zhang Yu, it’s not that I don’t trust you, but the Demonic Cults are cunning and skilled in bewitchment. I fear you might have been caught in their schemes through carelessness. Remember, I am your Master. You can always come to me with your problems, and I will help you. But if you wait until the Righteous Gods discover your troubles, even I won’t be able to save you.”
Zhang Yu listened with a look of gratitude, nodding occasionally to show he understood.
But in his heart, he knew he could only trust half of what True Monarch Magnetic Pole said.
For ordinary matters, Master would indeed protect me, Zhang Yu thought. But if I revealed the truth about what’s happening to me — the things related to the Evil God — it’s hard to say how Teacher would react.
Meanwhile, True Monarch Magnetic Pole was recalling the Demonic Cults’ recent actions. First, they probed our laboratory, then attacked me and Celestial Seal, and finally besieged the Research Department.
It’s almost certain the Demonic Cults were interested in the Spirit Transformation Method experiments.
It was precisely for this reason that True Monarch Magnetic Pole considered whether Zhang Yu, as an experimental subject, had also encountered the Demonic Cults.
After Zhang Yu, True Monarch Magnetic Pole planned to interview her other subordinates one by one to confirm whether any issues had arisen in their bodies, preventing future exposure that could jeopardize her path to Spirit Transformation.
Just then, Zhang Yu noticed True Monarch Magnetic Pole’s brow furrow, as if she had received a message through her Bionic Eye. Her expression darkened with displeasure.
Curious, Zhang Yu asked, “Master? What’s wrong?”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole sneered. “Remember Feng Yuhuan from the Research Department?”
Seeing Zhang Yu nod, True Monarch Magnetic Pole continued, “The Research Department was besieged by Demonic Cult members. That man single-handedly fought off the demons, protecting a large amount of the university’s assets and earning great merit.”
Hearing this, Zhang Yu’s heart stirred again. “Single-handedly fought off demons? It seems the Evil God truly believed Fu Ji’s intelligence and sent forces to target Feng Yuhuan.”
“But did Feng Yuhuan truly fight off the demons alone? Or has he already been secretly controlled by the Demonic Cults, staging this entire scene?”
The next time I go to the Dark Spirit Realm, I should investigate the situation.
Shortly after Zhang Yu left, Director Gao sent a message to True Monarch Magnetic Pole.
Director Gao: “Are you alright?”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “So far, everything seems fine. Let’s continue monitoring.”
Director Gao: “Sigh, after the two Demonic Cults stirred up trouble this time, everyone in University City is on edge. I wonder how many people have been controlled by the Demonic Cults.”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “I suspect that Nascent Soul-level figures have been collaborating with the Demonic Cults even before this incident.”
Director Gao: “Nascent Soul-level?”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “The Divine Dao techniques the Demonic Cults used this time were incredibly powerful. Even deploying two Spirit Transformation Divine Monarchs exceeded everyone’s expectations. But even so, without internal collusion, they could never have so easily hijacked the Spirit Realm both inside and outside University City.”
Director Gao: “Who do you think it could be?”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “It’s hard to say.”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “In any case, caution is paramount.”
Reading True Monarch Magnetic Pole’s message, Director Gao sighed inwardly, as if he could already see a hidden figure lurking in the shadows, silently plotting something in the darkness of University City.
Meanwhile, shortly after leaving the laboratory, Zhang Yu was summoned for questioning by the Righteous Gods.
His consciousness transported to the depths of the Spirit Realm, Zhang Yu began answering the Righteous Gods’ questions one by one.
As he had anticipated, he wasn’t a primary target. After a brief interrogation, the questioning concluded.
Yu Xinghan, Shi Huaiyu, Le Mulan, Xiao Qingxuan, and the others all firmly insisted they had hidden with Zhang Yu until the crisis ended. With their mutual testimonies, all seven were cleared without incident, allowing them to breathe a collective sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, Mo Shangjin, who had reportedly been taken away by a Demonic Cult Golden Core cultivator but later returned safely, became a person of interest under close surveillance.
Su Yanyang, who had slept through the entire incident while hiding alone in a graveyard, was suspected of being bewitched by the Demonic Cults and sent to the Discipline and Recuperation Class for anti-Demonic Cult training.
After rounds of thorough investigations, when the department rankings were updated that evening, Zhang Yu was surprised to find his position had risen by one place, to 38th.
Did something happen to someone ranked ahead of me in the Artifact Refinement Department? Zhang Yu wondered. Was it the Demonic Cults killing them when the Spirit Realm connection was severed, or did the Righteous Gods uncover something suspicious afterward?
Zhang Yu wasn’t alone; the rankings of most students who had survived the ordeal in University City had improved to varying degrees.
It was as if, after this crucible, the surviving students felt their paths on the Immortal Dao had widened somewhat.
At the same time, while Myriad Laws University was cleaning up the aftermath, the Ten Greats League was reaching its conclusion.