Chapter 692: Monsterfolk Zhang Yu
Hearing the Herald God’s words, Fu Ji retorted, “Kidnap a million Junior College Students? You might as well tell me to attack Heavenly Demon University directly!”
Herald God: “If you’re willing, I’ll support you.”
Herald God: “Don’t worry, Fortune God. I would never send my colleagues to their deaths for nothing.”
Herald God: “The entire operation is meticulously planned. There’s no need for a direct confrontation with Heavenly Demon University. Besides, you won’t be alone on this mission.”
Herald God: “After all, I don’t fully understand your capabilities or those of your believers. This mission will also serve as an evaluation of your abilities.”
Herald God: “I hope you’ll perform well.”
Fu Ji: “What’s the reward? You’re about to profit from a million Junior College Students. You can’t just give me some Righteous Qi Value and call it a day, can you?”
Herald God: “We’re not profiting from this project. Everything is for the public good, for the future of Kunxu.”
Fu Ji: “Keep dreaming.”
Herald God: “By rescuing these Junior College Students, we’ll expose the darkness of the Ten Great Universities and awaken the apathetic masses of Kunxu. These rescued students will become our model Junior College Students, living the lives all Junior College Students aspire to.”
Herald God: “We want everyone to understand that with the Righteous Qi Alliance here, everyone can prosper. With the Righteous Qi Alliance here, better days are coming.”
After finishing his communication with the Herald God, Zhang Yu unconsciously found himself in the laboratory.
Looking at the Void Soil stored before him, he sighed softly. “Still far too little.”
“Through the Research Association’s resources, I managed to secure a portion of Void Soil. While this amount might be enough for experiments and even Refining an As-You-Wish Size Ring, it’s nowhere near sufficient for mastering the Immortal Sect Daoist Art.”
Zhang Yu had calculated this repeatedly. Even with the projected increase in production, it would likely take another two months before he had enough to begin his cultivation.
However, once production ramped up, he should have no further shortages of Void Soil for his future cultivation.
Then, a series of messages appeared in his Bionic Eye:
True Monarch String Tone: “The latest batch of Void Soil imported from other universities has been intercepted.”
True Monarch String Tone: “The companies within our campus are still relatively cooperative. But the companies in the other Ten Great Universities’ campuses are now under strict Void Soil control, prioritizing supplies to their own universities. Money is no longer the primary factor.”
Reading True Monarch String Tone’s reply, Zhang Yu felt no surprise. He wasn’t some Junior College Student who naively believed that Students of the Top Ten could buy anything with enough money.
Void Soil has become a crucial material for Spatial Technology, yet current production capacity remains insufficient. In this situation, Void Soil has effectively become a rare strategic resource.
Even a fool could see that other universities would strictly control access to this material in the coming period, rarely exporting it to Myriad Laws University. Instead, they would prioritize supplying their own Spirit Transformation and Nascent Soul researchers.
As Zhang Yu sighed inwardly, Fu Ji said, “Zhang Yu, after much consideration, I’ve decided we must take on the Herald God mission.”
“Now that he possesses the Evil God Register, even if he can’t find us immediately, as the register becomes more complete, he’ll eventually uncover our true identities.”
“There’s nowhere to hide from this. We must face the challenge head-on.”
Fu Ji declared firmly, “Let’s seize this opportunity to climb the ranks of the Righteous Qi Alliance. We must reach the upper echelons before the Evil God Register is fully completed, and ultimately, we should be the ones to control it.”
The thought of having access to the colleague list and being able to “order” whoever she pleased only strengthened Fu Ji’s resolve.
Zhang Yu nodded slightly, thinking to himself, “The Righteous Qi Alliance… whether it’s to master Immortal Sect Daoist Art sooner or to avoid future exposure, joining seems inevitable. But I need to carefully plan how to conceal my true identity…”
With that thought, Zhang Yu silently activated the Monster Saint’s Myriad Transformations Divine Scripture, causing his flesh and blood to undergo a subtle transformation.
Though he still appeared human, beneath his skin lay the body of a monsterfolk.
At will, the scripture allowed him to fully transform his outward appearance into that of a monsterfolk.
This black art, derived from the Azure Water Golden Crystal Armor, was one of the cultivation arts passed down by the Great Sage Chain Formation Diagram’s Heir. It granted Zhang Yu the ability to assume the form of any monsterfolk race at any time, even to create monsterfolk Incarnations.
Until now, Zhang Yu had never encountered a situation where impersonating a monsterfolk was necessary.
However, completing the Righteous Qi Alliance’s mission would be much easier with a monsterfolk identity.
“Besides my appearance, I’ll need to adapt my combat style as well.”
“My original magical artifacts and Bionics are clearly unusable now.”
Zhang Yu pondered, his mind flashing back to the unused Military-Grade Technique Selection Pack from the Dark Spirit Realm.
“I’ll just find a military-grade cultivation technique from another university to use as a cover…”
In the following days, Zhang Yu began preparing for his mission.
Suddenly, a notification about an upcoming exam appeared in his Bionic Eye.
“An exam?”
Zhang Yu suddenly felt like he hadn’t encountered that word in ages.
“Come to think of it, I’m already a second-year graduate student.”
“If everything goes smoothly, I should be working on my doctorate by the time the Heavenly Court descends again.”
“Time… it’s slipped by so quickly.”
Zhang Yu sighed, glanced over the exam notice, and heard Fu Ji remark, “As True Monarchs, you still have to take exams? Myriad Laws University is so inflexible.”
Zhang Yu replied, “It’s one of the Ten Great Universities, after all. Their rules are strict. Besides, as a student, if I have the time, I should take the exam. I can’t just keep skipping it.”
Over the next two days, Zhang Yu balanced preparing for his mission while completing the exam.
Several days later.
Kunxu Second Layer.
Inside a transport company affiliated with Heavenly Demon University.
Zhang Yu was walking toward a massive cargo flying boat.
The flying boat hovered in mid-air, its colossal shadow engulfing the ground like a floating continent in the sky.
A dense stream of cargo was being continuously transported upward, gradually filling the flying boat’s storage space.
Zhang Yu’s appearance was now drastically different from his usual self.
Thick fur covered his entire body, and a wild, untamed aura radiated from him. He had transformed into a Monkey Demon, wearing the transport company’s uniform as he approached the flying boat.
Observing the bustling workers around him, none of whom paid him any attention, Zhang Yu thought to himself, “The Righteous Qi Alliance’s infiltration of the Ten Greats runs even deeper than I anticipated.”
Although he possessed the ability to transform into monsterfolk using the Monster Saint’s Myriad Transformations Divine Scripture, Zhang Yu understood that his smooth infiltration and safe passage through checkpoints were primarily due to the false identity provided by the Righteous Qi Alliance.
The reason for choosing a Monkey Demon form was that the Fortune God had requested the Herald God to provide a monsterfolk identity. After the Herald God supplied the Monkey Demon identity, Zhang Yu transformed accordingly.
This was both to conceal his identity at Heavenly Demon University and from the Righteous Qi Alliance.
At this moment, Zhang Yu carried no magical artifacts that could expose his true identity, only his transformed flesh and blood. Even his Bionic Eye had been replaced with a second-hand model stolen along the way.
Arriving at the agreed-upon location beneath the flying boat, Zhang Yu found three other employees already waiting.
These three were Zhang Yu’s partners for this mission. According to the Herald God’s information, all three possessed cultivation at the Nascent Soul Realm and were believers of other Evil Gods.
Zhang Yu suspected these three Nascent Soul Cultivators had all achieved their breakthroughs without proper certification. Otherwise, the chances of legitimate Nascent Souls joining the Righteous Qi Alliance would be far too low.
Just then, a thin, middle-aged man among the group turned to Zhang Yu and asked, “Qitian?”
Qitian was Zhang Yu’s codename.
Seeing Zhang Yu nod, the middle-aged man exchanged the agreed-upon passphrase with him to confirm his identity. Only then did he introduce the others: “I’m 007. This beauty is Night Shift, and this veteran employee is Old Death…”
007’s work schedule included Night Shift, and Old Death had lived a long life and died of old age. Zhang Yu glanced at the middle-aged man, the robust physiological female, and the wizened old man, thinking that each of the Righteous Qi Alliance cultivators’ codenames clearly reflected their longing for a blissful life in Kunxu.
Meanwhile, 007 and his companions were scrutinizing Zhang Yu from head to toe.
Night Shift, with her imposing physique, maintained a stoic expression, but inwardly she frowned. “A Monkey Demon? Can a Monkey Demon’s Nascent Soul be trusted? Could it be a self-forged Extreme Tiger Golden Core and an Extreme Tiger Nascent Soul?”
She harbored deep distrust for the strength of monsterfolk and resolved to treat him as if he didn’t exist during the upcoming mission.
Old Death, his face etched with deep wrinkles, muttered to himself, “Damn it… the Righteous Qi Alliance is great in every way, except for this one thing — accepting monsterfolk. Isn’t that just like the Ten Great Universities?”
“These monsterfolk keep multiplying, yet they refuse to fully transform into human forms, insisting on retaining their monstrous appearances. Before long, the Righteous Qi Alliance will be reeking of their stench!”
The old man remained skeptical of the monsterfolk’s strength and reliability, determined to keep a close watch on them to prevent any mishaps.
Meanwhile, the seemingly frail 007 harbored no contempt for the monsterfolk.
“Ten Great Universities, Junior College Students, monsterfolk… Whether it’s a fist or money, both can be lethal.”
“I wonder what this Monkey Demon is capable of.”
As a follower of the Herald God, 007 had a dual mission: completing the task and observing Qitian, a believer of the Fortune God. By assessing Qitian’s abilities, 007 aimed to gauge the Fortune God’s true power.
007 spoke up, “You three are familiar with the plan. Half an hour after we leave port, when the signal appears, we’ll execute the operation as planned.”
Zhang Yu nodded, surmising that numerous Righteous Qi Alliance strike teams like theirs were likely deployed across the various campuses under Heavenly Demon University’s control.
“They’re likely targeting different objectives based on their strength, all aiming to strike simultaneously and abduct all the frozen Junior College Students.”
Moments later, Zhang Yu and his three companions boarded the flying boat, disguised as crew members. The vessel soared into the sky, quickly leaving the port behind.
Just as Zhang Yu began to relax, a piercing whistle cut through the air, bringing the entire flying boat to an abrupt halt.
Watching another Combat flying boat approach, Zhang Yu wondered, “What’s happening?”
007 observed the situation for a moment before explaining, “It’s likely a routine inspection of cargo. Nothing to worry about.”
“The tax rates vary significantly depending on the goods being transported.”
007 elaborated, “For example, even for the same frozen goods, the tariffs for Ten Universities Students, Upper College Students, Lower College Students, and Junior College Students are vastly different.”
“The purpose of these inspections is to prevent smuggling or the misrepresentation of high-tax goods as low-tax ones.”
“For instance, this flying boat carrying frozen Junior College Students will likely be inspected to ensure no frozen University Students are hidden among them.”
As they spoke, several containers on the flying boat opened, and frozen Junior College Students, as stiff as bowling pins, were dumped out onto the ground.
A staff member immediately stepped forward to check the students’ IDs or graduation certificates for authenticity.
Meanwhile, another staff member inserted testing rods into the students’ temples, monitoring the fluctuating numbers displayed on their Bionic Eyes.
Watching this, Zhang Yu asked, “What are they testing for now?”
007 explained, “Today’s smugglers are incredibly resourceful and audacious. Some even dare to forge student IDs and graduation certificates.”
“But no matter how well they’re forged, the skill gap between University Students and Junior College Students can’t be faked.”
“This testing rod temporarily pulls the target’s consciousness into the Spirit Realm Illusionary Realm for an exam.”
“Those who perform well are naturally University Students, while those who perform poorly are Junior College Students…”
Zhang Yu was speechless. He thought to himself that exams and grades were practically the underlying code of Kunxu, essential for all forms of selection, screening, and evaluation.
As the randomly selected frozen University Students passed their tests one by one, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, another alarm blared.
In an instant, the Combat flying boat nearby glowed intensely, and Spirit Realm Projections descended across the entire vessel.
Zhang Yu and his companions tensed at the sight.
“Damn it… is this ship smuggling something?” Zhang Yu thought to himself. “We haven’t even left the campus area yet. If a fight breaks out, their reinforcements will be overwhelming.”
“Could we get arrested for smuggling before we even make our move, exposing our identities?”
The thought sent a wave of anxiety through the group.
Just then, an elderly Daoist with snow-white hair and an Immortal air slowly emerged.
He was the captain of this massive transport flying boat, known as True Monarch Earth Soul.
As a Nascent Soul True Monarch from Heavenly Demon University, True Monarch Earth Soul had never been involved in flying boat transport duties before.
But with the Great Upheaval, the outbreak of war, and the disappearance of the Righteous Gods, all transport routes had become vulnerable. Even Nascent Soul True Monarchs were forced to leave their offices and laboratories to suppress threats across the land, becoming frontline forces in maintaining social order.
As the Righteous Qi Alliance launched airstrikes against the Second Layer, the threats to various regions intensified dramatically.
The mission to transport over a hundred thousand frozen Junior College Students in one go was entrusted to True Monarch Earth Soul.
This Immortal-like True Monarch arrived at the alarm site, chuckled, and said, “Don’t panic, everyone. There’s no need to panic.”
An inspector replied, “True Monarch, with all due respect, this Junior College Student scored 90 points on the Spirit Realm Illusionary Realm exam. How could that be a Junior College Student? They usually score no more than 60!”
True Monarch Earth Soul stroked his beard and smiled faintly. “Because he’s no ordinary Junior College Student.”
With a flick of his finger, he projected the frozen Junior College Student’s profile: “He graduated from the Junior College to Bachelor’s Degree Program. Though technically a Junior College Student, he’s completed university-level studies, hence his exceptional score.”
“But the tax rate for Junior College to Bachelor’s Degree graduates remains the same as for regular Junior College Students…”
Upon learning the truth, the assembled crowd collectively sighed in relief.
“So he’s a Junior College to Bachelor’s Degree graduate. I thought he was smuggling someone!”
“What a false alarm! What a false alarm! I was scared to death just now.”
“Junior College to Bachelor’s Degree graduates are like the ancient Pseudo Spirit Root. They work hard, but lack innate talent, ultimately remaining Junior College Students…”
With the misunderstanding resolved, the inspection proceeded smoothly to its conclusion, and the massive flying boat soon resumed its journey.
The smile completely vanished from True Monarch Earth Soul’s face. He cast a cold glance at the cargo on the ground and barked at Zhang Yu and the others nearby, “What are you still standing there for? Pack the goods into containers and secure them properly!”
“A bunch of useless trash. The transport time is being wasted on you lot.”
Without his smile, True Monarch Earth Soul appeared utterly irritable.
In truth, he was indeed extremely irritable. Or rather, every time he emerged from his laboratory or office to oversee tasks like cargo transport or security, his temper flared. He felt his time, his life, and his lifespan were being squandered.
Though his Incarnations continued to work, his true self remained confined to the ship, diminishing his efficiency.
Especially now, with the advent of revolutionary Spatial Technology, True Monarch Earth Soul grew increasingly resentful. He knew several colleagues were in their laboratories, researching cutting-edge technologies and riding the crest of this transformative wave, while he was stuck transporting mere Junior College Students.
As he watched Zhang Yu, the Monkey Demon, carefully lift each frozen Junior College Student and gently place them into the containers, True Monarch Earth Soul’s brow furrowed even deeper.
“Slacking off right under my nose?!”
Clearly, Zhang Yu’s cautious movements couldn’t possibly evoke any notions of respect, prudence, or safety in True Monarch Earth Soul’s mind.
To him, such sluggish actions could only mean laziness.
And for a monsterfolk to be lazy? That was perfectly natural.
If monsterfolk weren’t inherently lazy and worthless, how could they have fallen so far behind the Human Race?
The Bionic Eye immediately displayed Zhang Yu’s name, education, and position. True Monarch Earth Soul cursed, “Damn it! A monsterfolk with a vocational college degree? Getting a job on this ship was already a massive favor! How dare you slack off in front of me?”
As he spoke, True Monarch Earth Soul kicked several frozen Junior College Students, one after another, into the container.
“Do you even realize that a month’s worth of your wages is less than what I earn with a single thought? You’re fired!”
“You’re not allowed to work here anymore.”
True Monarch Earth Soul: “You like slacking off, huh? Then stand right here and do absolutely nothing. Just watch the others work.”
Already simmering with anger over the transport mission, True Monarch Earth Soul seemed to have found an outlet for his rage. He smirked coldly at Zhang Yu and continued, “I’ve already filed a negative review and a complaint. Go back and wait for the compensation notice.”
Thinking about how the monsterfolk he was impersonating would have to pay compensation, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but explain, “I wasn’t slacking off. I was just afraid of moving too fast and damaging them…”
True Monarch Earth Soul’s gaze sharpened. “Still talking back to me?”
“You’ll skip dinner tonight too.”
With that, he barked at the others, “What are you all standing around for? Get back to work! Load everything back into the containers within five minutes!”
The crew members sprang into action, swiftly tossing the frozen Junior College Students into the containers like frozen fish.
Moments later, as mealtime began, Zhang Yu was left standing alone while the rest of the crew received their rations.
“The ship’s food is amazing! We’re even eating shit from a Nascent Soul True Monarch?”
“So nutritious! After this meal, I won’t need to eat for a month!”
“A Nascent Soul True Monarch truly lives up to their title — they can really shit!”
Watching the crew members devour their meals while Zhang Yu stood silently by, True Monarch Earth Soul finally felt some of the anger in his heart subside.
“Hmph, they must be starving, filled with envy and regret, right?”
True Monarch Earth Soul glanced at the Vocational College crew members still devouring excrement and couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. “Fools! How many Nascent Soul cultivators even defecate? And even if they did, what makes you think you’d get to eat it?”
True Monarch Earth Soul knew perfectly well that what these Junior College Students were eating was all waste expelled from the frozen Junior College Students’ bodies.
This was a byproduct of processing the frozen Junior College Students — a convenient way for the company to save on food costs each year by feeding Junior College Students to other Junior College Students.
To True Monarch Earth Soul, the Junior College Student crew’s gluttonous behavior was nothing more than a display of utter stupidity.
“And yet… they’ll still thank me for this.”
In True Monarch Earth Soul’s eyes, all Junior College Students, and even Lower College Students, were utterly worthless. Having failed their university entrance exams, they no longer deserved to be called human. They should be sent directly to factories to be processed into corpse parts, creating value for Kunxu.
If it weren’t for the Lower College Students and Junior College Students, who boosted the Righteous Qi Alliance’s popularity and increased the Qi Luck of those financial parasites, how could the war have escalated to its current state?
True Monarch Earth Soul thought to himself, “Fortunately, the new school leadership is wise. They’ve already initiated the Junior College Purge Program, unlike the indecisive old guard who squandered countless opportunities for profit growth.”
True Monarch Earth Soul had always felt that the older generation of Heavenly Demons were too conservative and lacked dynamism, perpetually lagging behind Myriad Laws University and failing to unlock the true potential of Heavenly Demon University’s various technologies.
Just then, an invisible wave swept through True Monarch Earth Soul, scanning the bodies, Bionics, and magical artifacts of everyone present.
Immediately afterward, everyone discovered that their connections to the Spirit Realm had been severed.
This was the signal agreed upon by the Righteous Qi Alliance and Zhang Yu’s group.
“Hmm?”
True Monarch Earth Soul frowned slightly. In the next moment, he sensed four auras surging skyward, accompanied by waves of Nascent Soul pressure.
“Rogue Nascent Souls from the Righteous Qi Alliance?”
True Monarch Earth Soul showed no panic at the sight, instead sneering with a flicker of delight in his eyes. “Just four of you dare come to my doorstep to die? Very well, I’ll accept your offering.”
According to battlefield intelligence, it typically took five to ten rogue Nascent Souls from the Righteous Qi Alliance to match the strength of a single elite Nascent Soul from the Ten Great Universities.
As a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator who had attained this level before the Great Upheaval, True Monarch Earth Soul considered himself far superior to this standard.
With a thunderous roar, the True Monarch Earth Soul’s Nascent Soul struck Zhang Yu with overwhelming force.
The military-grade cultivation technique, the Heavenly Demon Reorganization Technique, activated instantly, aiming to shatter the Monkey Demon’s physical form by completely disrupting its material structure.
But in the next moment, to the True Monarch Earth Soul’s astonishment, the Monkey Demon stood unscathed. Instead, it bared its fangs and charged forward.