Chapter 699: Victory!
As more cultivators and Soul Cultivators from Myriad Laws University arrived at the scene, the surrounding streets were sealed off one by one. Everyone present, including passersby and True Monarch Heavenly Slaughter, was placed under a gag order, forbidden from revealing anything they had seen or heard that day.
Afterward, Zhang Yu expressed his gratitude to True Monarch Heavenly Slaughter, True Monarch Miraculous Hand, and the other Nascent Soul True Monarchs who had rushed to the scene.
True Monarch Heavenly Slaughter waved his hand dismissively. “Protecting the campus is the sworn duty of our Security Department. It’s all part of our job. True Monarch Blazing Light, if you ever need anything, just call on me. I’ll be there in an instant.”
True Monarch Miraculous Hand chimed in, “True Monarch Blazing Light, you only recently broke through to the Nascent Soul Realm, yet you managed to single-handedly defeat three top experts. Truly admirable! Would you like a free checkup at my hospital?”
The other Nascent Soul True Monarchs present also regarded Zhang Yu with goodwill.
Although a gag order had been issued regarding the day’s events, they had all witnessed Zhang Yu’s battle firsthand. They now understood his mastery of Kunlun in the Palm and Spatial Technology, and the appearance of the World-Piercing Cone made them realize the Divine Monarch Magnetic Pole’s high regard for him.
An hour later, Myriad Laws University issued a notice stating that the Righteous Qi Alliance had sent assassins to attack students, but the attempt failed, and three Nascent Soul Realm experts were killed on the spot.
Earlier, the Dark Spirit Realm had already announced that Zhang Yu of Myriad Laws University had been critically wounded in the assassination attempt and was now on the verge of death, while the three Nascent Soul experts had escaped unscathed.
Zhang Yu chuckled as he read the Dark Spirit Realm’s report. “What a load of bull! They’re claiming victory even in this?”
He scrolled through more Dark Spirit Realm news and found numerous related reports and discussions.
“As a disciple of Divine Monarch Magnetic Pole,” he mused inwardly, “I’ve become quite well-known among the Nascent Soul cultivators on both sides.”
At that moment, the image of a Daoist priest appeared in Zhang Yu’s mind. The man was True Monarch Calculated Deduction, a traitor from Heavenly Demon University’s Finance Department who regularly commented on current affairs in the Dark Spirit Realm.
In Zhang Yu’s view, Calculated Deduction’s commentary was nothing more than propaganda for the Righteous Qi Alliance, aimed at smearing the Ten Great Universities.
Now, True Monarch Calculated Deduction was discussing Zhang Yu’s case.
He posted a blood-soaked photo of Zhang Yu and commented, “Zhang Yu’s injuries from this assassination attempt are critical. He’s hanging on by a thread.”
“If Myriad Laws University can’t even protect the principal’s disciple, it shows just how dire the situation is for the Ten Great Universities and how strained the front lines have become.”
“If we look at the number of cultivators who have defected to the Righteous Qi Alliance in the past week, we’ll see the gap between the two sides is widening even further.”
“You say Myriad Laws’ spatial technology has advanced? I’ve said it countless times: don’t just listen to what they claim; look at what they actually do. Eighty percent of the cutting-edge technology in Myriad Laws’ Great Void Cloud Repository was stolen from the Righteous Qi Alliance by cracking their spatial barrier. They have no genuine research and development capabilities of their own.”
“With the Ten Greats constantly trailing behind the Righteous Qi Alliance, how can you possibly think they can win?”
Zhang Yu casually scanned the comment section and noticed that many in the Dark Spirit Realm supported True Monarch Calculated Deduction.
Fu Ji remarked, “Whether it’s the Ten Greats or the Righteous Qi Alliance, promoting their own legitimacy and victories is essential. Especially for the Righteous Qi Alliance — how else can they gather Qi Luck and attract more lower-level cultivators?”
Zhang Yu continued browsing other news from the Dark Spirit Realm.
Just as in the Spirit Realm, information about their own Spirit Transformation experts was scarce, even forbidden from discussion or mention.
However, news about the Righteous Qi Alliance’s Nascent Soul powerhouses was abundant. Some was actively promoted by the Alliance itself, while other reports came from the Nascent Soul experts’ own self-promotion.
Among them, some particularly powerful Nascent Souls were known as Spirit Transformation Candidates, considered the most likely to break through to the Spirit Transformation Realm.
True Monarch Great Luminosity, whom Zhang Yu had fought, was regarded as one such candidate.
This ambush made Zhang Yu pay even closer attention to the Righteous Qi Alliance’s Nascent Soul cultivators.
The most talked-about among them was True Monarch Immortal Slayer, the personal disciple of the Righteous Qi Alliance’s Alliance Leader.
“Immortal Slayer?” Zhang Yu mused. “That Dao name should be illegal in Kunxu, shouldn’t it? What was his original Dao name?”
After some investigation, Zhang Yu discovered that no one knew True Monarch Immortal Slayer’s identity within the Ten Greats before he joined the Righteous Qi Alliance with Fu Xiantian. All that was known was that since then, he had been undefeated in battle, conquering every foe and killing every opponent.
This “kill every opponent” didn’t just mean his direct enemies; it included all bystanders and spectators.
Anyone present on or near the battlefield without clear Righteous Qi Alliance markings would be targeted.
Rumor had it that he had already slaughtered over a million people. Some busybodies had calculated that if he were to pay compensation for each death during peacetime, the total would be an astronomical sum — enough to buy an entire university.
True Monarch Immortal Slayer had even accomplished the remarkable feat of evacuating under the noses of several Spirit Transformation Divine Monarchs from the Ten Great Universities, and his revival count remained at zero.
Next, Zhang Yu saw news about another Monsterfolk Nascent Soul cultivator.
“True Monarch Heaven Devourer, claiming to be the Great Sage’s Heir,” Zhang Yu thought. “Another prohibited Daoist title, and this Great Sage’s Heir…”
Curious, Zhang Yu checked the information about True Monarch Heaven Devourer and discovered that this Nascent Soul cultivator’s identity was equally mysterious. Each time he appeared, he took on the form of a different monsterfolk race, and even his cultivation arts varied. Some even speculated that he wasn’t a single monsterfolk but a group of them.
However, the Herald God clarified that True Monarch Heaven Devourer was indeed a single entity, but his mastery of cultivation arts surpassed that of any other Nascent Soul cultivator in the world. He was said to be proficient in every cultivation art from the Ten Great Universities, with no exceptions, and his calculated copyright infringement fines were rumored to be enough to purchase half of Kunxu.
The existence of True Monarch Heaven Devourer served as an inspiration to countless monsterfolk. In the Dark Spirit Realm, he was hailed as the Numer One Genius of the Demon Descendants and the Numer One Genius of the Nascent Soul Realm. Some monsters argued that his existence proved that without the systematic oppression of human cultivators, monsterfolk talent was by no means inferior to that of humans, and might even surpass it.
Then Zhang Yu’s gaze shifted, and he noticed another Nascent Soul True Monarch who piqued his curiosity.
“True Monarch Junior College? Someone actually uses that as a Daoist title?” Zhang Yu thought in surprise. He examined the person’s profile more closely and was even more astonished: “A Nascent Soul cultivator who graduated from a vocational college?”
According to Zhang Yu’s previous estimates, even without certification restrictions, the most a vocational college student could achieve in a short time was breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage. Reaching the Golden Core stage was considered nearly impossible.
“Even for vocational college graduates who’ve been out for years, with the certification ban lifted for less than two years, breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm would still be incredibly difficult, right?”
Zhang Yu continued reviewing the profile and discovered that this True Monarch Junior College claimed to be a believer of the Herald God, who had helped him unlock his hidden potential.
In the video, a middle-aged man with a buzz cut and ordinary features said calmly, “I’m someone who was held back by Kunxu’s current education system.”
“From childhood, everyone told me I was a poor nobody, that I lacked talent, and that I should just settle down and work to earn a living.”
“I used to think they were right, until I met the Herald God.”
“He awakened my potential and showed me that I do have talent — that my talent is actually greater than those lofty academic overachievers from the Ten Great Universities, stronger even than the Heavenly Chosen competing in the Ten Greats League.”
“I… I just didn’t have the money.”
“Lack of money doesn’t mean lack of talent!”
“If the current education system hadn’t held me back, I would have been a champion in the Ten Greats League.”
“In the days to come, if the opportunity arises, I will defeat every past champion of the Ten Greats League, one by one, to show them that their position is merely due to their wealth. In vocational colleges and lower colleges… there are countless geniuses who could surpass them, but are held back solely by their lack of resources.”
As Zhang Yu read these news articles, he couldn’t help but think to himself, “True Monarch Junior College? This person could have a powerful propaganda effect on the Righteous Qi Alliance’s grassroots cultivators.”
After skimming through the various reports, a message arrived from Auspicious God: “Fortune God! Your misinformation has jeopardized my plans! Why didn’t you inform me about Zhang Yu’s activities in his room beforehand?”
The next moment, a conference invitation appeared before Zhang Yu and Fu Ji. Upon their agreement, their consciousness flickered, and they found themselves in a Spirit Realm Conference Room.
Looking at Herald God and Auspicious God in the conference room, Fu Ji said coldly, “Auspicious God, you blame me for your own failure?”
Auspicious God snorted coldly. “If your intelligence hadn’t omitted crucial information about Zhang Yu, this mission wouldn’t have failed.”
Fu Ji retorted, “Zhang Yu never left his room and wasn’t listed in the Self-Cultivation Building’s registry. Naturally, my people wouldn’t know he was staying there.”
“Auspicious God, your subordinates are utterly useless. They failed even in a three-on-one fight and couldn’t even escape. Who else is to blame?”
Auspicious God countered, “Who could have imagined Zhang Yu had cultivated Kunlun in the Palm to such an advanced stage?”
Fu Ji projected a photograph taken shortly after the battle between Zhang Yu and the three Nascent Soul experts began. The image, captured by Yu Xinghan, showed the exterior of the building.
“While you were sealing off the area, my people were secretly monitoring the situation.”
“My point is, if you had shared information with me promptly and revealed your plans earlier, my support would have ensured the mission’s success.”
“Unfortunately, by the time I learned the truth, it was already too late.”
Fortune God shrugged. “My subordinates lack cultivators capable of breaking through spatial lockdowns. We could only watch helplessly as you marched toward failure.”
“Therefore, I want to say that if I had known Auspicious God’s plan earlier, or if my cultivators had mastered the Spatial Lockdown breaking technique, this mission would not have failed.”
The assembled Evil Gods buzzed with discussion. Auspicious God and Fortune God exchanged a few more heated words before Herald God intervened.
Herald God turned to Auspicious God and said, “Fortune God, if you want your cultivators to master Spatial Lockdown technology, they must undergo comprehensive inspection by us and fully join the Righteous Qi Alliance.”
Fortune God replied, “My cultivators hold significant positions and substantial assets within the Ten Great Universities. I cannot arbitrarily expose their personal secrets, nor can they fully join the Righteous Qi Alliance. Otherwise, my intelligence operations within the Ten Universities would be compromised.”
Herald God nodded. “Both of you exerted your best efforts in this mission. The primary cause of failure was Zhang Yu’s cultivation exceeding our expectations. The outcome was unavoidable.”
“I have already reported this matter to the Alliance Leader. He will personally handle Zhang Yu’s case once he emerges from seclusion…”
As Zhang Yu exited the Dark Spirit Realm, he thought to himself, “The Alliance Leader… is the Alliance Leader of the Righteous Qi Alliance targeting me?”
The thought of being targeted by such a powerful figure made Zhang Yu deeply uneasy, like thorns pricking his back.
He also remembered the Righteous Qi Alliance’s ongoing efforts to build and refine the Evil God Register, which would eventually require them to investigate his true identity. This realization only intensified his discomfort, as if waves of pressure were constantly bearing down on him, leaving him with a profound sense of insecurity.
“I need to hurry and continue improving my strength.”
“I also need to upgrade my Immortal Sect Daoist Arts and create more products.”
“And A-Zhen…”
The Evil God’s recent attempt to target Bai Zhenzhen had sharply heightened Zhang Yu’s vigilance.
Soon after, he contacted Divine Monarch Magnetic Pole and said, “Teacher, I want to arrange for Bai Zhenzhen to join the Research Association and work in my laboratory.”
Magnetic Pole paused, frowning slightly. “Bai Zhenzhen? What would a flying sword practitioner do in the Research Association? What kind of research could she possibly conduct?”
Zhang Yu replied, “I want to cultivate with her in the Research Association. It would be inconvenient for her to enter without proper authorization.”
Divine Monarch Magnetic Pole said, “You want her to join the Research Association just to cultivate together? How many positions and projects have you already arranged for your subordinates? I heard even your old friends from the First Layer are now leaders in your construction company.”
“If you keep this up, will you eventually assign all your Soul Cultivators to the Spirit Realm System as Righteous Gods?”
Zhang Yu replied helplessly, “Teacher… Having Bai Zhenzhen here is extremely beneficial to my cultivation.”
Zhang Yu wasn’t lying about this. Each exchange of Spirit Roots allowed Bai Zhenzhen’s True Spirit Root to stimulate aspects of his cultivation that he couldn’t normally reach.
Although the stimulation was weaker due to their cultivation realm difference, it still significantly benefited Zhang Yu. Combined with his own cultivation efforts, it greatly improved his efficiency in enhancing both his physical strength and Magic Power.
Magnetic Pole shook her head, but when she recalled the image of Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, him wielding her as a sword, fighting Kuang Tianqing together in the finals of the Ten Greats League, she sighed and raised a single index finger. “Just this once. Don’t let it happen again.”
Bai Zhenzhen immediately agreed to temporarily join the Research Association and cultivate alongside Zhang Yu.
On one hand, she had spent a long time in constant combat and now needed to focus on quiet cultivation to stabilize her cultivation base and accumulate potential.
On the other hand, the process of exchanging Spirit Roots with Zhang Yu had indeed caused her cultivation efficiency to skyrocket.
In the following days, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen diligently cultivated within the Research Association.
Observing the various cultivation resources Bai Zhenzhen occasionally produced, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but marvel, “Do you have such an abundance of Immortal Dao resources?”
Bai Zhenzhen explained, “Before Teacher Seven Emotions left, she prepared all the Immortal Dao resources I’d need for the Golden Core Stage in the Sword Repository, and even prepared a Nascent Soul for me.”
She sighed, “She probably hopes I can quickly advance my strength, ideally reaching the Nascent Soul Realm while she’s away, right? Otherwise, I won’t be able to protect the Sword Repository.”
Just then, Yan Qianji approached Zhang Yu and asked, “True Monarch, does this reimbursement form look correct to you?”
Yan Qianji’s gaze swept over Bai Zhenzhen, firmly suppressing the flicker of envy in his heart.
Zhang Yu glanced at the reimbursement form, which detailed the costs for materials and labor related to the Heavenly Sun Radiance God and the Great Sky Sacred Law Flying Sword. He nodded slightly. “It looks fine. Submit it.”
After all, he had been battling three Nascent Soul cultivators during work hours, so reimbursement for the damaged Heavenly Sun Radiance God and Great Sky Sacred Law Flying Sword was only fair.
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “This is a good opportunity to invite a few Nascent Soul True Monarchs to upgrade these two magical artifacts to level 40. Otherwise, they’ll be too weak in combat.”
In the days that followed, Zhang Yu spent his time at the Research Association, either cultivating with Bai Zhenzhen, studying Spatial Technology, or brainstorming new product design blueprints. Time passed swiftly…