Chapter 638: The Finance Department Will Never Be the Strongest
Zhang Yu understood that the key to his upcoming battle with Jiutian Liu lay in swaying public opinion and weakening his opponent’s Qi Luck.
The crucial element was to perform a miracle — to put on a spectacular display!
“I won’t just withstand Jiutian Liu’s attack; I’ll withstand it with style…”
“Only by doing so can I sway public opinion and weaken his Qi Luck.”
At that moment, four white dragons, bred from dragon blood and clad in golden armor, emerged, each wielding a longsword and radiating an overwhelming aura.
These four white dragons were the Combat Dragon Beasts Zhang Yu had bred using the Azure Water Golden Crystal Armor.
From the very start of the battle, Zhang Yu had submerged the Azure Water Golden Crystal Armor underground, summoning a torrent of water to initiate the breeding process.
After acquiring the copyright from Ying Mingchi, Zhang Yu had also gained access to his technical support. Now, the quality and speed of breeding Combat Dragon Beasts far surpassed what he had achieved just a week prior.
Moreover, with the support of the Monster Saint’s Myriad Transformations Divine Scripture, these four dragon beasts served as his Monster Avatars. Not only were they immensely powerful, but they also moved as extensions of his own limbs, allowing him to control them with perfect precision.
In this situation, Zhang Yu further infused his Formless Cloud Gang, enhanced by the Great Unity Golden Liquid Pill, into each giant dragon, enveloping them in shimmering golden light. This not only enhanced their visual appeal but also granted them formidable defensive capabilities.
The characters “Ying Mingchi” emblazoned on the dragon beasts’ foreheads further showcased their noble lineage.
With the four giant dragons guarding him, Zhang Yu faced Jiutian Liu’s second strike head-on. Behind him, lines of Spirit Realm Projection text rapidly materialized: “Excellent, Jiutian Liu. Your momentum has clearly advanced further, and your strength has truly reached its peak.”
“Then come.”
“Attack me with all your might.”
“Let me witness the true brilliance of the Finance Department’s Immortal Dao killing move.”
Reading these lines, Jiutian Liu inwardly seethed: “This fool… I’ve already locked down all his future possibilities, leaving him no escape, yet he dares to speak such words…”
“Very well… I’ll withstand this attack, then utterly crush you.”
The Primordial Qi Invisible Great Handprint, surging with boundless spiritual energy, slammed down on Zhang Yu with earth-shattering force.
Amidst the cataclysmic explosion, the four giant dragons had already encircled Zhang Yu, shielding him in their innermost formation.
At the same moment, Zhang Yu opened his mouth and spat out the Heavenly Sun Radiance God, which transformed into a blazing flame and unleashed a surging shockwave as his first line of defense.
Boom!
The flame was easily shattered.
The Primordial Qi Invisible Great Handprint paused momentarily before clamping down on the four giant dragons.
The golden Gang Qi Armor shattered instantly.
Next came the splintering of dragon scales and the tearing of flesh from bone.
As the dragons perished one by one, Zhang Yu let out a low roar. The Heaven and Earth Cataclysmic Formless Heart Weapon activated with ferocious power, transforming the surrounding dragon corpses into temporary magical artifacts to shield most of his body.
He deliberately left a portion of his body exposed, allowing the Jiutian Liu’s attacks to strike him in stages.
“The Civil Engineering Body’s Chain Formation Diagram increases defensive power in proportion to the severity of injuries.”
“In other words, my body is at its weakest and most vulnerable when it’s completely unharmed.”
“By first using the Heavenly Sun Radiance God, Gang Qi Armor, and Combat Dragon Beasts to absorb some of the damage, then dividing the remaining force with the temporary magical artifact formed from the dragon corpses…”
As the dragon corpse partially blocked the attack, a portion of the Primordial Qi Invisible Great Handprint’s power struck Zhang Yu first, while the remaining force crushed the dragon corpse before slamming into him moments later.
The initial strike of the Primordial Qi Invisible Great Handprint slammed into the Azure Water Golden Crystal Armor.
After a brief resistance, Zhang Yu withdrew the armor, choosing to endure the blow with his physical body.
This strike, worthy of Jiutian Liu’s power beyond Foundation Establishment, still left Zhang Yu’s internal organs burning despite the layered defenses and divided force. His flesh, bones, and marrow groaned under the impact, leaving him severely wounded.
Blood threatened to spill from his seven orifices, but Zhang Yu forcefully suppressed it.
“Hold on!”
“This is the hardest wave. Just endure this…”
Ignoring the raging destruction within his body, Zhang Yu focused all his strength on preventing the blood from erupting.
Just as he braced himself, the second strike of the Primordial Qi Invisible Great Handprint crashed down.
However, due to the severe injuries from the first strike, Zhang Yu’s defensive capabilities had surged thanks to his Civil Engineering Sacred Body. To his surprise, resisting this second strike felt comparatively easier.
After enduring the full force of the Primordial Qi Invisible Great Handprint, Zhang Yu’s body was a wreck. His internal organs were ruptured, bones shattered, and meridians severed in countless places.
Yet Zhang Yu ignored it all. He tensed every muscle, feeling as if countless wounds were about to burst open like mouths, spewing blood uncontrollably.
“Endure it!”
Fueled by the Four-Headed White Ox’s roar, his body’s regenerative abilities surged to their limit, clamping down on every wound and bleeding point.
Simultaneously, the Profound Cold Meridian activated violently, freezing the wounds and blood flow, further stabilizing Zhang Yu.
Where even this failed, the Heavenly Sun Radiance God’s flames incinerated the overflowing blood, reducing it to wisps of blue smoke that dissipated into the air.
On the live broadcast, the dragon beasts guarding Zhang Yu had vanished under Jiutian Liu’s earth-shattering strike, leaving Zhang Yu standing seemingly unscathed.
“Not bad… this move,” Zhang Yu said, his blood-stained lips curving into a smile as he glanced at Jiutian Liu.
Jiutian Liu’s gaze sharpened. The percentage of viewers who believed he would win remained at 80%.
Though the number hadn’t decreased, it had stopped increasing, clearly due to Zhang Yu’s recent direct confrontation with his attack.
Simultaneously, lines of text continued to project behind Zhang Yu:
“Jiutian Liu, do you believe your current attack has surpassed Foundation Establishment, reaching an unprecedented peak?”
“Then I will deliberately meet your peak head-on, defeat your peak, and crush your peak.”
“From now on, I will stand here, neither dodging nor evading, and endure nine more of your attacks.”
“Unleash your deadliest moves without restraint.”
As these words projected, Zhang Yu thought to himself, “The key to this battle lies not only in combat itself, but also in the clash of words. Especially when it comes to influencing the audience’s perception, sometimes the content of the text matters more than the visuals.”
“Jiutian Liu, what you just unleashed was your strongest peak. If you cannot defeat me with it, then beyond that peak lies only a precipice.”
At that moment, the data in Jiutian Liu’s eyes shifted again. The percentage of viewers who believed he would win plummeted from 80% to 77%.
A single sentence from Zhang Yu had achieved a more astonishing effect than his earlier direct confrontation with the attack.
Jiutian Liu seethed inwardly, “A bunch of fools who believe every rumor they hear!”
He couldn’t allow Zhang Yu to dictate the battle’s rhythm. Immediately, he unleashed another Primordial Qi Invisible Great Handprint, while lines of text projected from his back:
“Zhang Yu, you’re completely locked down by my Large Model. There’s nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.”
“After that last exchange, you’re already critically injured, with no strength left to fight me.”
“You’ve already lost.”
Simultaneously, Jiutian Liu, who had aimed to crush Zhang Yu with a single blow and ascend to the pinnacle, formed a Dao Seal with his other hand and pointed a finger at Zhang Yu from afar, attempting to weaken his opponent’s cultivation.
But in the next instant, Jiutian Liu’s expression shifted slightly.
As the Primordial Qi Invisible Great Handprint exploded with a thunderous roar, Zhang Yu tensed his body once more. Tendrils of profound cold qi surged from his flesh, emanating from the Profound Cold Meridian, yet he stood unscathed in the cratered ground.
Zhang Yu burst into laughter. “Jiutian Liu, your attack was even weaker this time!”
“Is it because your Qi Luck is waning? Or because you were distracted trying to weaken my cultivation with your daoist arts?”
Jiutian Liu frowned. He realized his attempt to weaken Zhang Yu’s cultivation had failed.
Behind Zhang Yu, a massive projection of text materialized: “Are you wondering why your daoist arts failed? Why they couldn’t weaken my cultivation?”
“It’s simple. Your intelligence was flawed.”
“Finance is all about trust. My partners, colleagues, and classmates trust me more than you. You couldn’t bribe them; instead, you only received false information from them.”
Jiutian Liu frowned, thinking to himself, “How is this possible? The intelligence from Zhang Yu Company was consistent. If it’s all false, does that mean they conspired to feed me false information?”
“The entire company? Could they all have conspired? Not a single person betrayed Zhang Yu?”
At the same moment, Jiutian Liu saw the data in his Bionic Eye plummet again, from 77% to 75%.
Zhang Yu pressed him: “Two moves have passed. Aren’t you going to hurry, Jiutian Liu?”
Jiutian Liu snorted coldly: “Let’s see how long you can hold out!”
The Primordial Qi Invisible Great Handprint erupted once more, severely damaging Zhang Yu’s physical body again.
After three consecutive strikes from Jiutian Liu, Zhang Yu’s physical body was nearly incapacitated. He felt utterly weak, barely able to stand without the support of the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power.
However, his body’s defensive capabilities had also reached an unprecedented level.
Conversely, the data within Jiutian Liu’s Bionic Eye continued to plummet.
As Zhang Yu remained seemingly unscathed by the three successive Great Handprints, the Bionic Eye’s data had plummeted from 75% to below 60%.
When Jiutian Liu unleashed another Primordial Qi Invisible Great Handprint, Zhang Yu sensed that the attack was far weaker than the initial assault. It would be even more difficult to achieve any effect against his now greatly enhanced defensive body.
“Just as I thought,” Zhang Yu murmured, his body utterly drained but his fighting spirit and confidence soaring.
“Strike while the iron is hot, then wane, then exhaust. With each defense against Jiutian Liu’s attacks, my Qi Luck is gradually turning.”
“Public opinion is shifting, and people’s hearts are changing. When we reach that final tipping point… Jiutian Liu’s Qi Luck will collapse completely.”
“I must endure until that critical moment.”
Meanwhile, Jiutian Liu roared, “Zhang Yu, if you keep pushing yourself like this, you’ll die!”
Jiutian Liu refused to believe that Zhang Yu could emerge unscathed from his relentless assault. Even Dao Qiankun and Kuang Tianqing, who had directly withstood his attacks, couldn’t have remained completely unharmed.
“He’s just putting on a brave face!” Jiutian Liu thought to himself. “This guy is betting my Qi Luck will collapse!”
Zhang Yu smiled faintly, knowing his opponent was emphasizing the injury issue to stabilize morale and Qi Luck.
“But will it work?” Zhang Yu wondered. “Jiutian Liu, to defeat me, you’ve been frantically promoting the idea that Qi Luck doesn’t matter, blindly gathering support. But look at the people you’ve attracted — Junior College Students? Monsterfolk? Just a bunch of dirty traffic, low-cultivation, low-wealth, low-education groups.”
Zhang Yu mused, “These people are so easily deceived, so easily manipulated. Seeing me completely unscathed, they’ll easily change their minds…”
“Jiutian Liu, let’s see who can endure to the end.”
Under the relentless assault of ten Primordial Qi Invisible Great Handprints, Zhang Yu’s physical body was completely incapacitated. Meanwhile, the data in Jiutian Liu’s Bionic Eye had plummeted below 40%.
Weakened, Zhang Yu collapsed to the ground, chuckling softly. “Ten moves have passed, Jiutian Liu! Now it’s my turn!”
As he spoke, four dragon shadows surged skyward in a torrential rush. Clad in golden Gang Qi armor and wielding the Great Sky Sacred Law Flying Sword, they converged on Jiutian Liu in a deadly encirclement.
Jiutian Liu’s gaze sharpened, and he sneered, “Zhang Yu, you’re already out of fighting strength. Are you reduced to sending out your Dragon Head and magical artifacts to fight me?”
Zhang Yu replied calmly, “Jiutian Liu, your performance in the first ten moves was utterly disappointing.”
“To defeat you, these four dragon beasts under my command are more than enough.”
As Zhang Yu finished speaking, the data in Jiutian Liu’s Bionic Eye plummeted to 38%. Enraged, he cursed inwardly, “A bunch of fools! Their morale shattered by a single sentence! Idiots! Worthless trash!”
During the fierce battle, two giant dragons were quickly slain, but Jiutian Liu’s subsequent attacks against Zhang Yu proved ineffective.
Watching the data in his Bionic Eye plummet to 35%, Jiutian Liu roared and revealed his account balance: a staggering 1,500 Spirit Coins, immediately triggering a Heaven-and-Earth Phenomenon.
“Zhang Yu!” Jiutian Liu shouted. “I still have this much money! What makes you think you can compete with me?”
Zhang Yu chuckled. “If having more money guaranteed victory, we might as well skip the competition and just compare account balances. True strength lies in making the most of equal resources.”
“Your massive balance proves you haven’t given your all, nor do you have absolute confidence in winning. As for me…”
With that, Zhang Yu displayed his account balance: 0.
Zhang Yu declared proudly, “Long before the battle began, I wagered everything, spent every last Spirit Coin, and maxed out my leverage. This is true devotion to the Immortal Dao, true unwavering faith in victory.”
Of course, Zhang Yu couldn’t possibly have only 0 Spirit Coins left. He had transferred his balance to Yu Xinghan beforehand, solely for this dramatic moment.
As his words echoed, Jiutian Liu’s support rate plummeted again, crashing to 32%.
Simultaneously, spectral figures of Jiutian Liu materialized behind Zhang Yu.
One of the spectral figures shouted, “Monsterfolk are the cornerstone of Kunxu!”
“Junior College Students are the cornerstone of Kunxu!”
“Lower College Students are the cornerstone of Kunxu!”
“Civil Engineering is the cornerstone of Kunxu!”
“Logistics is the cornerstone of Kunxu!”
Zhang Yu sneered, “Jiutian Liu, resorting to any means to rally support, thinking such tactics will defeat me? How naive.”
As vast numbers of monsterfolk and Junior College Students defected, Jiutian Liu’s support collapsed, plummeting below 20%.
Watching the data plummet and feeling the faint backlash of Qi Luck within him, Jiutian Liu’s gaze toward Zhang Yu grew dark and uncertain.
“How much longer can Zhang Yu keep this up?”
Jiutian Liu could sense that Zhang Yu’s Magic Power fluctuations, vital energy state, and physical functions were all deteriorating rapidly. He could defeat him in just a few more moves.
But how many moves exactly?
What if his Qi Luck backfired before then?
Support Rate: 15%
Zhang Yu’s face grew increasingly pale, his lips losing all trace of color.
Support Rate: 12%
A torrent of icy energy erupted from Zhang Yu’s body. Activated by his Profound Cold Meridian, it seemed poised to freeze him into an ice corpse.
Support Rate: 11%
After another fierce exchange, Jiutian Liu watched his support rate plummet and felt the Qi Luck on the verge of backfiring. He could no longer maintain the charade.
Jiutian Liu sent a private message: “You’re a better talker than me. You should have transferred to the Finance Department.”
Then he sighed in another private message: “Let’s discuss ending this fight with some dignity.”
Zhang Yu immediately grinned, thinking to himself: “Another weakness of the Finance Department — they never fight to the bitter end. As soon as defeat becomes apparent, they’ll concede to minimize their losses.”
“That’s why the Finance Department will never become the strongest.”