Chapter 725: The True Monarch Is Different
“Zhang Yu?”
Through the combined power of Zhang Yu’s Kunlun in the Palm and the Immortal Descendant, the attacks True Monarch Great Luminosity and the others were about to unleash upon the low-level cultivators were forcibly redirected.
But the radiance of the twenty-odd Nascent Soul cultivators had just faded when, in the next moment, an even more surging power erupted from their bodies.
If their previous attacks were merely casual displays of power meant for low-level cultivators, then this was True Monarch Great Luminosity and the others truly getting serious.
The moment he saw Zhang Yu, sensed his Nascent Soul Domain, and recognized the title of True Monarch Blazing Light, True Monarch Great Luminosity’s battle intent surged tenfold, even a hundredfold.
In that instant, he seemed to recall his last failure. That time, he, True Monarch Flowing Gold, and True Monarch Joyful Ease had infiltrated the Ten Great Campuses, intending to abduct Bai Zhenzhen.
Speaking of which, True Monarch Great Luminosity had once paid a deposit to Wang Yin to purchase Bai Zhenzhen’s First Layer physical body. But as Bai Zhenzhen grew stronger and the situation changed, he had abandoned the idea of risking such a move.
However, the terms offered by the Auspicious God for that operation were too favorable to refuse, compelling True Monarch Great Luminosity to act. The result was that during the mission, the three of them encountered Zhang Yu.
Despite their combined assault, True Monarch Great Luminosity’s trio failed to subdue Zhang Yu before reinforcements from the Myriad Laws arrived. Surrounded by dozens of Nascent Soul True Monarchs, the three had no choice but to self-destruct, suffering immense losses.
That battle severely depleted True Monarch Great Luminosity’s Primordial Qi and wiped out most of his wealth. Fortunately, with the onset of the Spirit Transformation War, Alliance Leader Fu Xiantian finally accepted his bow of respect and acknowledged him as an adoptive son.
The Righteous Qi Alliance’s resources were then fully opened to Nascent Soul True Monarchs like him, allowing them to enhance their strength in preparation for the final battle.
“This is the institutional superiority of the Righteous Qi Alliance, far beyond the corrupt and rigid Ten Universities,” True Monarch Great Luminosity thought, his gaze fixed on Zhang Yu. “Zhang Yu, this time, it’s you who will be outnumbered, not us.”
The moment Zhang Yu appeared, True Monarch Great Luminosity roared into the combat channel.
“Attack with full force! His Kunlun in the Palm can’t block so many of us! Shatter his Magic Power!”
Simultaneously, True Monarch Flowing Gold’s entire body seemed to ignite with invisible flames as he immediately pushed his cultivation in the Burning Path Life-Lending Sutra to its absolute limit.
His Nascent Soul shot out from his body, instantly transforming from the appearance of an old man back into an infant, and streaked toward Zhang Yu like a bolt of lightning.
“ZHANG! YU!”
True Monarch Flowing Gold glared at Zhang Yu with fury. Twice now, because of Zhang Yu, he had been ambushed and surrounded by Nascent Soul True Monarchs from the Myriad Laws. Both times, he had been forced to self-destruct before he could even fully unleash his strength, sinking deeper and deeper into debt.
Now, after his second resurrection, his cultivation was far weaker than before, and his hatred for Zhang Yu had reached its peak.
As he violently pushed his cultivation, True Monarch Flowing Gold roared inwardly, “Zhang Yu… you super-rich bastard! With a wave of your hand, you can summon a horde of Nascent Soul cultivators to overwhelm us, forcing us to self-destruct.”
“To you, Kunxu must be a wonderful world, right? A doting Teacher, obedient subordinates, inexhaustible wealth, and endless connections. Everything we struggle for years, decades, even centuries to obtain, you get with effortless ease.”
“But for me to gain anything, I can only burn my cultivation, only rebuild it again and again…
“This Kunxu belongs to you. It has nothing to do with us.”
“A Kunxu like this… should have been fucking destroyed long ago!”
“Today, I will burn you, and the assets of the hundred million paupers beneath your feet, to absolute ash! Let’s see how you like the taste of bankruptcy!”
With a furious roar, True Monarch Flowing Gold and the other twenty Nascent Soul cultivators attacked in unison.
Through high-speed information exchange, they coordinated their strikes from different angles, directions, and attack methods, launching a flawless, all-encompassing assault on Zhang Yu. Their teamwork was perfect, each cultivator’s destructive power amplified to its maximum potential.
Feeling the perfect synergy with his comrades, True Monarch Flowing Gold roared inwardly, “This time, it’s our turn to surround you! The advantage is ours!”
But in the next instant, as the light flickered — darkening then brightening — the immense power unleashed by True Monarch Flowing Gold and the others vanished once more, as if swallowed by the darkness itself.
True Monarch Flowing Gold knew this was Zhang Yu’s Kunlun in the Palm at work. Back when he, True Monarch Great Luminosity, and True Monarch Joyful Ease had besieged Zhang Yu, he had witnessed a similar power.
However, back then, Zhang Yu had mainly relied on spatial displacement. He hadn’t yet displayed an ability that seemed capable of completely absorbing their attacks.
“But it doesn’t matter…”
“No matter the cultivation art, it must have a cost.”
In a flash, True Monarch Flowing Gold completed his thought: “Against the combined assault of twenty-one of us, his Magic Power will be depleted quickly.”
But in the next moment, to True Monarch Flowing Gold’s utter shock, Zhang Yu opened his palm, revealing a thumb-sized sphere of light.
The sphere radiated a dazzling brilliance, within which Thunderfire, sword qi, and Malevolent Energy roiled violently, emitting a destructive aura.
“Is that… our previous attack?!”
True Monarch Flowing Gold instinctively halted and began to retreat, his mind racing: “Damn it! He’s going to use our own attack against us… We can’t get hit!”
“He can’t control that kind of power for long. As long as we dodge in advance, he’ll blow himself up…”
But in the next instant, what Zhang Yu did made True Monarch Flowing Gold’s eyes widen abruptly. Even the Burning Path Life-Lending Sutra that Flowing Gold had been furiously channeling seemed to falter for a moment.
With a casual squeeze of his hand, Zhang Yu’s motion was as effortless as crushing an ant.
Yet when he opened his palm again, the sphere of light that had contained such destructive power was gone, as if completely extinguished by that gentle squeeze.
“What?!”
“The combined attack of twenty-one Nascent Soul True Monarchs… just… just like that…”
In that moment, not only True Monarch Flowing Gold but all the other Nascent Soul True Monarchs who had participated in the siege felt a chill run down their spines, utterly stunned by Zhang Yu’s action.
To them, Zhang Yu now seemed unfathomably deep, like an endless abyss devouring everything that drew near.
This shock caused their attacks to instinctively pause for a fraction of a second.
And that fraction of a second was the opening Zhang Yu had been waiting for — the very purpose of his intimidating display.
In that fleeting moment, Zhang Yu reached out to grab True Monarch Great Luminosity.
“He’s targeting me first!” True Monarch Great Luminosity’s gaze sharpened as his mind raced. “Of course. His Kunlun in the Palm excels at shifting space and redirecting attacks. Ordinary methods are useless against him.”
“But my Mysterious Canon of Ancestral Transference can bypass space entirely. Once I make him kneel, he’ll become my Adoptive Father, even through a spatial barrier…”
Ever since True Monarch Great Luminosity had gained Fu Xiantian’s approval and taken the Immortal’s disciple as his Adoptive Father, his Mysterious Canon of Ancestral Transference had broken through its previous limitations, gaining a new layer of profound mystery.
Previously, when performing the ritual on a living target, he would suffer a backlash unless the target wholeheartedly consented. He could borrow a portion of their cultivation and power, but he had to kill them before he could take a new Adoptive Father.
But now… to put it simply, a “son” of his caliber could adopt almost anyone as his father.
Even facing a group of living people, he could kneel to all of them and have them acknowledge him as their son simultaneously.
The only exceptions were cultivators above the Nascent Soul realm or those with an Immortal’s backing. He couldn’t forcibly adopt them.
Of course, there was a limit to how many Adoptive Fathers he could have at once. Once he reached that limit, he had to kill his previous fathers to take new ones.
At this moment, True Monarch Great Luminosity’s target was naturally Zhang Yu.
As Zhang Yu’s palm loomed larger and larger in his vision, True Monarch Great Luminosity’s mind continued to race. “He’s targeting me first precisely because of the profound power of my Mysterious Canon of Ancestral Transference.”
“Zhang Yu has already realized that I am his greatest counter in this battle, the key to defeating him quickly…”
Though his thoughts were complex, with his Nascent Soul cultivation and the computational power of his Level 40 Dao Heart, it all happened in an instant.
Even as he thought, he had already made his move, dropping to his knees before Zhang Yu.
“First Kowtow! Borrowing Qi Luck!”
As his knees slowly descended, Zhang Yu’s palm grew longer and wider, blotting out the sky. In a flash, it filled True Monarch Great Luminosity’s entire field of vision, descending upon him like a collapsing heaven.
Yet, as the palm drew closer, True Monarch Great Luminosity showed no panic, only accelerating his kneeling motion.
“No one’s attack can be faster than my kowtow.”
“Zhang Yu, receive my kowtow — “
Thud!
With a heavy impact, True Monarch Great Luminosity felt himself kneeling forcefully on a floating patch of ground.
But as he stared at the surface before him, he suddenly froze.
Where did this textured floating ground come from?
And… who were those giants in the distance? True Monarch Flowing Gold? True Monarch Joyful Ease? When had they grown so massive?
“No, it’s not that they’ve grown larger. It’s that I’ve shrunk.”
Just as this thought flashed through his mind, he saw a photo appear in the battle group chat.
The image showed True Monarch Great Luminosity, shrunken to the size of an insect, kneeling in Zhang Yu’s palm, facing outward.
True Monarch Flowing Gold: “Great Luminosity! You’re trapped in Zhang Yu’s palm! Break free!”
True Monarch Great Luminosity: “What?”
Seeing this, True Monarch Great Luminosity tried to move, intending to turn and kowtow to the Zhang Yu behind him.
But as he tried, he found himself suppressed as if by a great mountain, unable to move even an inch.
He then realized that layers of spatial barriers had completely enveloped him, pressing tightly against his body and locking him in a kneeling posture.
Just then, Zhang Yu’s voice echoed: “I told you. If you love kneeling so much, then kneel for the rest of your life. Don’t ever get up.”
At the same time, Zhang Yu shifted his palm, aiming the kneeling True Monarch Great Luminosity directly at True Monarch Flowing Gold and the others.
Seeing this, True Monarch Flowing Gold and his allies scattered in terror, none daring to let Zhang Yu’s palm — and the kneeling Great Luminosity — point at them.
Below the battlefield, Chang Buxiu watched in shock, murmuring, “True Monarch Blazing Light… he single-handedly stopped so many Nascent Soul cultivators from the Righteous Qi Alliance?”
The countless low-level cultivators present — Junior College students, Lower College students, High School students, and more — all stared up at the sky-borne battlefield.
Having just arrived at the Kunxu Fifth Layer, they were filled not only with the joy of snatching red envelopes but also with the excitement of visiting this place for the first time.
After all, given their status and wealth, the Kunxu Fifth Layer was a place they might never have had the chance to see in their lifetimes.
So, on their first visit, they lingered, taking photos and videos, wanting to stay just a little longer.
This was one reason why the large gathering of low-level cultivators had been slow to retreat.
But when True Monarch Great Luminosity and his allies descended with overwhelming killing intent and malice, the low-level cultivators felt as if doomsday had arrived. Sensing the power unleashed by their enemies, they lost all will to resist, certain they would die in the next moment.
In that moment, they felt like nothing more than weeds, about to be casually uprooted by True Monarch Great Luminosity and his allies.
Until Zhang Yu appeared, first extinguishing the brilliance of True Monarch Great Luminosity and the others, then successively blocking the attacks of 21 Nascent Soul True Monarchs.
Their shock stemmed not only from Zhang Yu’s immense power but also from his actions.
Chang Buxiu shouted excitedly, “True Monarch Blazing Light is protecting us! He’s fighting 21 Nascent Soul True Monarchs alone to save us!”
A Junior College student added emotionally, “He’s already so rich, yet he’s still saving us!”
Another Lower College student said, “This means we’re valuable in his eyes! Why else would he protect us?!”
That’s right. Why would True Monarch Blazing Light fight 21 Nascent Soul True Monarchs to protect them if he didn’t see their value?
At this thought, countless low-level cultivators felt their worth affirmed — affirmed by the incredibly wealthy True Monarch Blazing Light himself.
Lower College students are valuable! Junior College students are valuable! Even High School students are worthy of True Monarch Blazing Light’s protection! They were not weeds.
In an instant, seeing True Monarch Blazing Light shielding them, a vast number of low-level cultivators erupted in cheers.
But in response to their cheers, Zhang Yu simply projected a message downward: “What are you shouting for? Retreat, now!”
Lines of text materialized in the Bionic Eyes of the low-level cultivators: “Evacuate the battlefield immediately. Not a single one of you is allowed to die!”
Seeing Zhang Yu’s projected words, Chang Buxiu’s heart trembled. “True Monarch Blazing Light… he’s so rich, so powerful… yet even while fighting 21 Nascent Soul True Monarchs, he’s still listening to what we’re saying? He’s hearing our voices!”
In that moment, a single thought seemed to surge through the hearts of the low-level cultivators: True Monarch Blazing Light was different.
Spurred by Zhang Yu’s warning, the masses of low-level cultivators began to retreat.
Watching this scene from a distance, True Monarch Celestial Seal sighed with admiration. “Truly the disciple of Divine Monarch Magnetic Pole. True Monarch Blazing Light has inherited the Divine Monarch’s style and possesses the makings of a Divine Monarch himself.”
In True Monarch Celestial Seal’s eyes, Magnetic Pole had always been meticulously calculating, scrutinizing every single coin, whether it was salaries, company profits, or laboratory funding.
And in True Monarch Celestial Seal’s eyes, the Zhang Yu before him had taken it even a step further.
“He actually wants not even a single Junior College Student to die?”
How much is a Junior College Student or a Lower College Student even worth? In True Monarch Celestial Seal’s view, some collateral damage during battle — especially with the Righteous Gods gone — was a completely acceptable loss.
But the intention Zhang Yu was revealing now was to suffer zero casualties? To accept not even the slightest loss?
“To be so utterly dedicated to protecting his assets… You truly deserve to be rich, Blazing Light.”
In True Monarch Celestial Seal’s mind, Zhang Yu was obviously protecting these low-level cultivators for Spirit Coins. What else could it be?
After all, these cultivators all used the Great Void Cloud Repository or had taken out loans, making them valuable customer assets.
Observing the battle from afar, Divine Monarch Magnetic Pole sighed inwardly. “This boy… he’s becoming more and more like Greenwood and me. Unwilling to lose even a single Junior College Student, unwilling to let even one of his own people die?”
While Zhang Yu was locked in fierce combat with True Monarch Great Luminosity and the others…
Deep within the Dark Spirit Realm, the Herald God stared at the Evil God Register in his hand, frowning. “Fortune God, why hasn’t he responded yet?”
“Could he be in a state where he’s unable to reply?”
“What kind of situation would render an Evil God incapable of responding?”
Gazing at the contents of the Evil God Register, the Herald God thought, “Fortune God’s true body went to the battlefield. That in itself is strange. For an Evil God, the norm is to keep their true body hidden and safe.”
“But there is one circumstance that would force an Evil God to personally enter a dangerous place.”
“When they are coerced, threatened, and forced to be dragged around by someone else.”
Seeing that Fortune God still hadn’t responded, the Herald God mused inwardly, “Are you… in such a situation, Fortune God?”
“If so, then who among the combatants on the battlefield is involved?”
In an instant, countless scenes from the battlefield materialized before the Herald God, projected through the Dark Spirit Realm.
At that moment, the Herald God began meticulously sifting through the profiles of every single combatant on the battlefield.
Meanwhile, True Monarch Great Luminosity shouted in the combat channel: “Stop hiding! I’ve deactivated the Mysterious Canon of Ancestral Transference. You don’t have to worry about me forcing you to kneel anymore.”
“Keep surrounding him! His magic power will run out eventually!”
As he urged True Monarch Flowing Gold and the others to resume their siege, True Monarch Great Luminosity began to struggle fiercely.
With a furious roar, he bellowed, “Zhang Yu, do you think you can keep me suppressed forever? Pinning me here is just accelerating the drain on your magic power — this will be your greatest blunder in this battle!”
As he spoke, True Monarch Great Luminosity let out another enraged shout. The magic power within him surged, and an overwhelming force erupted from his legs and knees.
One by one, the cultivation arts he had painstakingly mastered over many years activated violently, unleashing the full depth of his foundation — built through countless days and nights of relentless training in kneeling speed and power.
“Sky-Rushing Extraordinary Meridian Canon!” “Eight Desolations Mountain-Bearing Art!” “Thunder Squat Technique!” “Mountains and Rivers Rising Formula!”
Each cultivation art was designed to push the limits of lower body strength, each one engineered for the ultimate propulsion in squatting and standing.
As his body trembled violently, True Monarch Great Luminosity, empowered by the eruption of this heaven-shaking force, relentlessly pressed against the surrounding spatial barrier.
His struggles indeed forced Zhang Yu to expend more magic power to maintain the spatial barrier.
If Zhang Yu hadn’t equipped the full 333-piece Platinum Emperor Bionic Set and the Level 40 Heaven-Shattering War God Armor before the battle — boosting his magic power reserves to over 80,000 — he would likely have been nearly depleted by now.
It was precisely this immense magic power, combined with the physical strength enhancements from the Bionic Set and Armor, that allowed Zhang Yu to suppress True Monarch Great Luminosity with one hand while simultaneously using Kunlun in the Palm to fend off the siege of numerous Nascent Soul True Monarchs with the other.
The attacks from True Monarch Flowing Gold and the others were twisted and deflected by Zhang Yu. As the distorted space warped around them, their assaults collided with one another, even causing them to attack and interfere with each other.
Watching this unfold, True Monarch Great Luminosity felt with growing certainty that the Zhang Yu he faced now was far wealthier — and far more powerful — than the one he had encountered before.
“Until his magic power is depleted, the more people who besiege him, the stronger he becomes — unless their numbers surpass the limit he can handle.”
Realizing this, True Monarch Great Luminosity snorted coldly. He glanced at the numerous low-level cultivators scattering in retreat and immediately commanded in the combat channel: “Leave Zhang Yu to me. I’ll drain his magic power.”
“The rest of you, spread out and hunt down those paupers.”
“Wiping them out is our true mission this time!”
“Kill them first! Once I’ve exhausted Zhang Yu’s magic power, return to finish him off!”
Following True Monarch Great Luminosity’s series of commands, True Monarch Flowing Gold and the others exchanged glances and moved in unison. They split into streaks of afterimages, scattering in all directions like a shower of blossoms exploding across the sky.
But in the next instant, amidst a flicker of light and shadow, True Monarch Flowing Gold and the others were stunned to find themselves yanked back to their original positions.
At the same time, Zhang Yu’s voice echoed calmly: “Did I give you permission to leave?”
Just then, True Monarch Celestial Seal and his group — over ten Nascent Soul Cultivators from the Ten Universities who had been avoiding the main fight — rushed over, eager to join the battle.
After all, with True Monarch Great Luminosity now suppressed single-handedly by Zhang Yu, the greatest threat was gone. True Monarch Celestial Seal felt it was his turn to unleash his might, coordinating with True Monarch Blazing Light to crush True Monarch Flowing Gold and the remaining enemies.
But as True Monarch Celestial Seal and his group streaked toward the battlefield, a single character suddenly materialized before their eyes.
Zhang Yu: “Retreat!”
True Monarch Celestial Seal froze for a moment, then realized it was a text projection from Zhang Yu.
“What does this mean? Why is he telling us to retreat? We’re coming to support him!”
“Could there be some kind of danger?”
“But what kind of danger would require us to retreat from this far away?”
As True Monarch Celestial Seal’s mind raced, a wave of power so terrifying it made even him tremble erupted from ahead.
He snapped his head up, eyes wide, only to see a devastating force erupting from Zhang Yu’s hands.