Chapter 714: Human or Immortal?
The hall fell into complete silence, so quiet that even the sound of a pin dropping could be heard.
True Monarch Miraculous Hand stared intently at the palms of Zhang Yu’s hands, observing the two cubes formed by spatial barriers in his left and right hands.
Simultaneously, his mind raced through the recent events.
As the Nascent Soul True Monarchs unleashed their fierce attacks, Zhang Yu stood at the center of the battlefield, his hands clasped together. The distorted space around him devoured light, sound, and signals, like a bottomless abyss, absorbing all the attacks and even the magical artifacts launched by both sides.
“Zhang Yu… He stood between us as we attacked simultaneously, and somehow managed to withstand all our attacks single-handedly.”
True Monarch Miraculous Hand was utterly shocked by this conclusion. His mind raced, analyzing the situation at lightning speed.
“To absorb our attacks, he must have used the Immortal Sect Technique ‘Kunlun in the Palm’. This cultivation art allows him to shrink our attacks and contain them within his palms.”
“But what’s next? What technique did he use to seal away the force of our attacks?”
“The Great Void Cloud Repository? No, it can’t do that… Is this some kind of portable spatial barrier?”
True Monarch Miraculous Hand stared at the cube in Zhang Yu’s left palm. Within it, Thunderfire, Gang Qi, sword qi, and various other energies surged and collided endlessly — the very attacks unleashed by the Nascent Soul True Monarchs of the two sects present. These forces churned in a state of extreme instability. True Monarch Miraculous Hand believed that without the spatial barrier’s suppression, the energies would have long since detonated, engulfing Zhang Yu and the entire hall.
Zhang Yu, facing the full brunt of that explosion, would undoubtedly be the first to be annihilated.
“But even a spatial barrier can’t withstand such a concentrated barrage of attacks for long. How much longer can it hold?”
True Monarch Miraculous Hand wasn’t alone in this assessment. The other Nascent Soul True Monarchs regarded Zhang Yu as if he were holding a live bomb, one that could detonate at any moment and obliterate him.
Yet in the next instant, before the shocked eyes of the True Monarchs, Zhang Yu smiled faintly and clenched his left fist, as if he intended to crush the cube in his palm.
When Zhang Yu opened his palm again, it was completely empty. The cube formed by the spatial barrier and the surging power within had vanished without a trace.
“What?!” True Monarch Miraculous Hand’s eyes widened in shock as his Bionic Eye rapidly scanned Zhang Yu’s hand, desperately searching for where the vanished power had gone. It was as if the power had evaporated like his recent stock market investments.
True Monarch Miraculous Hand wasn’t the only one watching. Whether they were the staunch defenders like True Monarch String Tone and True Monarch Thunder Pole, or the retreat advocates like True Monarch Heavenly Slaughter and True Monarch Celestial Seal, all the Nascent Soul True Monarchs present stared intently at Zhang Yu’s empty palm.
At that moment, Zhang Yu calmly said, “This power was too unstable. For safety’s sake, I dispersed it.”
“As for these magical artifacts…”
Hearing Zhang Yu’s words, the Nascent Soul cultivators present felt a sudden chill, fearing he might crush their artifacts with another squeeze of his fist.
But the next moment, Zhang Yu raised his right palm and said, “Please retrieve your artifacts.”
With a gentle tremor of his hand, the magical artifacts sealed within the cube suddenly expanded, bursting forth from Zhang Yu’s palm like freed fish darting from his grasp.
The Nascent Soul cultivators present sensed their magical artifacts reconnecting and swiftly retrieved them.
Having completed this, Zhang Yu surveyed the Nascent Soul cultivators, now devoid of any fighting spirit, and let out a small sigh of relief.
Throughout his recent series of actions, though Zhang Yu appeared calm and composed, his Magic Power had been draining rapidly.
He understood that his ability to effortlessly deflect the combined assault of the two factions’ Nascent Soul cultivators relied on two key Immortal Sect Techniques.
First, the level 40 Kunlun in the Palm had compressed space, drawing all attacks into his palm.
Next, the level 40 Three Realms and Ten Directions Great Void Barrier had erected a spatial barrier to seal them within.
Without either of these Immortal Sect Techniques, Zhang Yu could not have executed his earlier maneuvers.
Yet even with these techniques, channeling and containing the combined assault of so many Nascent Soul cultivators was like a child wielding a massive hammer. Zhang Yu’s Magic Power was being consumed at an alarming rate.
In just a brief moment, eighty percent of his Magic Power had been depleted.
Should his Magic Power run out, the sealed forces would break free, and he would be the first to suffer the consequences.
Thus, he needed a third step — the Immortal Descendant.
As Zhang Yu clenched his fist, he opened the entrance to the Immortal Descendant within his palm, channeling the captured berserk power into it.
It was precisely the independent space created by the Immortal Descendant that gave Zhang Yu the confidence to withstand the combined assault of the Nascent Soul True Monarchs present.
At that moment, True Monarch Heavenly Slaughter fixed a solemn gaze on Zhang Yu and asked, “Blazing Light, what have you done?”
Zhang Yu replied calmly, “Ever since I obtained the Immortal Sect Technique Kunlun in the Palm, I have devoted myself day and night to comprehending its profound mysteries. Finally, I have advanced it to the peak of the Nascent Soul realm, reaching level 40.”
Upon hearing Zhang Yu’s words, some of the Nascent Soul cultivators present showed visible shock, seemingly astonished that he had cultivated the Immortal Sect Technique to such a level in such a short time.
However, those who had witnessed Zhang Yu’s previous display of power, such as True Monarch Heavenly Slaughter and True Monarch Miraculous Hand, exchanged knowing glances, their eyes betraying a sense of “as expected.”
Zhang Yu continued, “Spatial Technology is unfathomably profound. The more I cultivate, the more I realize its immense complexity.”
“Fortunately, the spatial barrier erected by the Righteous Qi Alliance provided me with considerable inspiration, allowing me to integrate the strengths of both approaches…”
As he spoke, Zhang Yu extended a finger. Light and air gradually distorted around his fingertip, coalescing into a spherical space constructed from spatial barriers.
Among the Nascent Soul True Monarchs present, none were weak nor impoverished. They were all well-versed in the use of the Great Void Cloud Repository.
Under their careful observation, they could sense that this spherical space bore a striking resemblance to the Great Void Cloud Repository they commonly used.
Zhang Yu toyed with the spherical space, then continued, “Precisely. It was through this that I could collaborate with Teacher Magnetic Pole to research and create the World-Piercing Cone and the Great Void Cloud Repository, ushering in a revolution in Spatial Technology.”
“And the first step in this process, naturally, was the technology of spatial scaling.”
Upon hearing this, True Monarch Miraculous Hand’s gaze locked onto Zhang Yu’s fingertip, his eyes fixed on the spherical space hovering there. He thought to himself, “Collaborating with Divine Monarch Magnetic Pole? Could this sphere be a Great Void Cloud Repository that Zhang Yu refined himself?”
As he stared at the spherical space, it seemed to grow larger and taller, as if suddenly expanding violently, threatening to fill his entire field of vision in the next instant.
Even Zhang Yu’s finger seemed to stretch endlessly upward, transforming into a towering mountain peak, a majestic peak poised to lift the spherical space toward the heavens.
In that moment, True Monarch Miraculous Hand felt like a mortal standing before this colossal mountain, forced to watch Zhang Yu’s finger descend like a mountain, pressing down upon him.
In the next moment, when True Monarch Miraculous Hand regained his senses, the spherical space remained spherical, and his finger was still a finger. Everything had returned to its normal size and proportions.
But True Monarch Miraculous Hand knew that what he had just witnessed was no illusion. Judging by the reactions and exchanges among the other Nascent Soul True Monarchs nearby, they had clearly perceived similar phenomena.
“Did space itself change?” True Monarch Miraculous Hand wondered inwardly. “Just now… did Zhang Yu enlarge his fingertip? Or were we all shrunk?”
Across the way, True Monarch String Tone stared at Zhang Yu in disbelief, thinking, “What is this kid’s background? How could he have mastered spatial technology to such an extent? And… did he just say he researched and created the World-Piercing Cone and Great Void Cloud Repository with Divine Monarch Magnetic Pole?”
As if to prove his claims, Zhang Yu sent the evidence left by Divine Monarch Magnetic Pole to all the Nascent Soul True Monarchs present.
After quickly reviewing the evidence, the Nascent Soul True Monarchs’ expressions shifted dramatically, their gazes fixed on Zhang Yu as if he were some kind of freak.
Zhang Yu continued, “Later, the Great Void Cloud Repository gained a spatial lock function. The most crucial Immortal Dao technology behind this is the spatial barrier’s ability to filter passing matter.”
As they spoke, the spherical space at Zhang Yu’s fingertip gradually changed color, shifting from crimson to orange, then yellow, and so on.
Through seven consecutive shifts in hue, the spherical space finally radiated a seven-colored radiance, as if a miniature rainbow had been captured at Zhang Yu’s fingertip.
True Monarch Heavenly Slaughter watched this scene with a shifting expression, his heart jolting. “He’s using the spatial barrier to filter light? Filtering light of different wavelengths?”
His thoughts raced further. If even light could be filtered in this way, could Zhang Yu also filter their martial arts, daoist arts, and magical artifacts? Was such a feat possible?
As the former director of the Security Department, now often referred to as the War Department, True Monarch Heavenly Slaughter immediately envisioned the combat applications of this technology.
His heart sank. “If he can skillfully apply this technique in battle, he could completely dominate us in one-sided attacks.”
Meanwhile, True Monarch String Tone sighed inwardly. “How long has he been cultivating Immortal Sect Techniques? Just over a year… and he’s already mastered Spatial Technology to this extent? Is this even reasonable? Does it align with the Immortal Dao?”
“Just who is he…?”
Meanwhile, on the other side, True Monarch Heavenly Slaughter felt the same suspicion rising in his heart: “Is he human? Is he an Immortal?”
At that moment, the leaders of both factions’ Nascent Soul cultivators couldn’t help but entertain a wild guess: could Zhang Yu be the reincarnation of some Great Power?
Otherwise, they simply couldn’t fathom how he had mastered Immortal Sect Techniques and Spatial Technology to such an extent in just over a year.
This was a consequence Zhang Yu had long anticipated and was willing to bear.
He understood that as he continued to reveal his innate talent and strength, all sorts of doubts, misunderstandings, and speculations would inevitably flood his path, casting shadows over his future.
After the Heavenly Court’s return, these shadows would only deepen, making his future even more unpredictable.
But to rescue Magnetic Pole and Greenwood, to protect his companions, he was willing to pay this price.
Unknowingly, as Zhang Yu’s power grew, he had gradually become the one standing in front of others, shielding them from harm.
He continued, “After perfecting the Spatial Screening Technology, I gradually discovered a more efficient and cost-effective method to breach the firmament.”
“The principle behind it isn’t difficult to understand.”
“The firmament deployed by the Righteous Qi Alliance also has a filtering mechanism, allowing their own people to pass through while blocking ours.”
“Therefore, by cracking the firmament’s filtering mechanism, we can easily penetrate it.”
“And the more people who achieve this, the more holes we can create in the firmament, eventually causing its collapse.”
“Like this…”
With a flick of his finger, Zhang Yu transformed the spherical space into a flat plane. Countless holes appeared across the surface, as if pierced repeatedly by some force.
When the holes became so numerous that they nearly covered the entire plane, the structure gradually crumbled, like a sheet of paper riddled with arrows before shattering into dust.
As he spoke, Zhang Yu transmitted the design blueprints for his latest magical artifact to everyone present.
This included not only the Nascent Soul True Monarchs, but also Yan Qianji, Bei Wufeng, Jin Jun, Zi Yunzhen, and the other observers outside the main hall.
From the beginning of the commotion, Yan Qianji had been watching the unfolding events with rapt attention, listening intently to Zhang Yu’s explanation to the Nascent Soul True Monarchs.
The more Yan Qianji listened, the more astonished, shocked, and incredulous he became. “Researching and creating the World-Piercing Cone with the Divine Monarch? The Great Void Cloud Repository? How is that even possible…?”
In Yan Qianji’s memory, Zhang Yu had rarely visited the laboratory, spending his days squandering the Research Association’s funds on his own cultivation.
Yet no matter how he tried to rationalize it, the undeniable truth remained: Zhang Yu, with his formidable Spatial Technology, had single-handedly halted the bloody clash between the two groups’ Nascent Soul cultivators.
When Zhang Yu sent the design blueprint, Yan Qianji immediately began studying it with desperate intensity.
But as he delved deeper, he reluctantly realized… he couldn’t understand most of it.
“This blueprint contains far too much Immortal Dao knowledge I haven’t yet learned. To comprehend it, I’d need to take several more courses and study countless supplementary materials and research papers.”
Yan Qianji wasn’t the only one struggling. Many Nascent Soul True Monarchs lacking advanced artifact refinement skills were equally baffled.
Even cultivators with some refinement expertise found themselves stumped by the blueprint’s intricate details, especially those related to Spatial Technology.
True Monarch Thunder Pole, who had long since retired from the forefront of artifact refinement, found himself equally baffled by Zhang Yu’s design blueprint.
Forced to seek clarification, Thunder Pole secretly messaged True Monarch String Tone: “String Tone, what do you make of this blueprint?”
String Tone didn’t reply immediately. His attention was completely absorbed by the design, his mind focused intently on deciphering its intricacies.
As the current director of the Artifact Refinement Department, String Tone’s mastery of artifact refinement was beyond question.
Moreover, his participation in Divine Monarch Magnetic Pole’s various projects had granted him extensive knowledge of Spatial Technology. In the eyes of the assembled experts, String Tone was undoubtedly the most qualified to assess the blueprint’s true value.
Under the collective gaze of the crowd, String Tone slowly spoke: “Incredible… The magical artifact designed in this blueprint could indeed allow anyone to break through the firmament upon use. With sufficient numbers, it could even shatter the entire firmament.”
Hearing String Tone’s assessment, True Monarch Thunder Pole immediately declared: “If that’s the case, what more needs to be said? I wholeheartedly support True Monarch Blazing Light’s proposal to breach the firmament and assist the principal.”
On the other side, the Civil Engineering Department, equally committed to defending their position, nodded in agreement. Tu Lishan spoke up, “Now that we have a solution, I also support True Monarch Blazing Light.”
The firmament dividing the layers had always been a major concern for the Ten Great Universities.
Since the Great Upheaval and the start of the war, the firmament had been the primary reason the Ten Great Universities consistently found themselves at a disadvantage.
Hearing that this long-standing shadow looming over their hearts might finally be dispelled, the faces of the Nascent Soul cultivators present changed dramatically. Even the Nascent Soul True Monarchs who had previously advocated for withdrawal showed a hint of elation.
If given a choice, who would willingly concede defeat? Who would willingly see their assets plundered and their wealth evaporate?
Every Nascent Soul True Monarch contemplating withdrawal thought of the impending collapse of stock and currency prices, the various resources they couldn’t take with them, the future losses from being hunted down, and the days of hiding in fear after the Spirit Transformation cultivators’ defeat…
How could the Nascent Soul True Monarchs, burdened by such thoughts, not feel bitter, stifled, and tormented?
Yet reason told them they had no choice. They had to accept defeat and endure the losses.
But at this moment, Zhang Yu offered them a glimmer of hope.
Faced with this sliver of hope, True Monarch Heavenly Slaughter remained calm.
He had only a superficial understanding of Spatial Technology.
His artifact refinement skills paled in comparison to the many True Monarchs from the Artifact Refinement Department present.
Therefore, he found it difficult to assess Zhang Yu’s claims theoretically.
The decision of whether to withdraw or not carried immense weight, affecting the entire fortunes of Heavenly Slaughter and the other Nascent Soul True Monarchs who favored withdrawal. It was a decision involving astronomical wealth, demanding utmost caution.
As for True Monarch String Tone’s judgment… given his leadership of the stay faction, Heavenly Slaughter couldn’t fully trust his assessment.
Thus, Heavenly Slaughter resolved to rely on the method he had mastered throughout his long life: direct confirmation.