Chapter 736: Mending the Heavens
As tasks were assigned one by one, the Nascent Soul True Monarchs of the Ten Universities launched a massive infrastructure project on the Fifth Layer of Kunxu.
Vast quantities of materials and laborers were continuously transported up from the Second, Third, and even Fourth Layers, threatening to transform the entire Fifth Layer into a massive construction site in the blink of an eye.
The once-quiet battlefield gradually erupted into a scene of bustling activity.
To expedite the modification of the Outer Formation and gain control over the inner Cosmic Galaxy Great Formation via the external Stars Filling the Sky Great Formation, Zhang Yu personally joined the construction efforts.
He and his Demon Beast Clones shot out like streaks of lightning. Surging Earthly Fiend Gravity rippled outward in all directions, instantly churning the earth, reshaping the terrain, and laying foundations.
Yet, as the commotion on the Fifth Layer grew louder and the formation modification project progressed with thunderous momentum, Fu Xiantian remained utterly unmoved.
Gazing at the divine light hanging motionless in the center of the sky, neither waxing nor waning, Zhang Yu felt a persistent, unsettling premonition.
He was certain that this Immortal Disciple, who had resolved to slaughter everyone from the Second to the Fifth Layer, would never concede defeat so easily. Nor would he simply stand by and watch them thwart his plan.
“What exactly are you planning?”
Shortly after Zhang Yu’s doubts arose, the ground beneath his feet churned, and massive pipes were suddenly unearthed during the construction.
At the same time, it wasn’t just Zhang Yu’s location — pipes were being discovered one after another across the entire Fifth Layer construction site.
While the Nascent Soul True Monarchs of the Ten Universities were studying the purpose of these pipes, a message from Zhang Pianpian lit up on Zhang Yu’s Bionic Eye.
Zhang Pianpian: “They are Charging Pipes.”
Within the Supreme Clarity Realm, Zhang Pianpian, who had also cultivated the Immeasurable Heart Inner Dharma Body, had dedicated several streams of consciousness to observing the surveillance records stored in the Fifth Layer’s divine power network over the past dozen months.
Through continuous review, deduction, and analysis of the Fifth Layer’s construction plans, she had finally pieced together many things.
Zhang Pianpian explained to Zhang Yu, “Fu Xiantian buried a vast network of Charging Pipes beneath the formation. These pipes gather power from Spirit Veins and collect all sorts of dissipated energy from the battlefield.”
Zhang Yu’s gaze sharpened. “Collect dissipated energy from the battlefield?”
Zhang Pianpian continued, “Explosive Thunderfire, cascading sword qi, even Calamities falling from the sky, or the power unleashed by Spirit Transformation Divine Monarchs in battle… all of it was silently collected.”
Zhang Yu suddenly recalled True Monarch Immortal Slayer’s Heaven and Earth Are My Sword. He asked, “Is he using the techniques embedded in that sword art to convert and collect energy?”
Zhang Pianpian replied, “Exactly. The power released by hundreds of Nascent Soul Experts from both the Ten Universities and the Righteous Qi Alliance in their battles.”
“And the immense power unleashed by nearly a hundred Spirit Transformation Divine Monarchs from both sides… it’s likely all been collected.”
“I originally thought Fu Xiantian was gathering this power to maintain or strengthen the formation, just as the Righteous Qi Alliance’s records suggested.”
“But now it seems that’s not the case…”
Zhang Yu’s heart sank. He had assumed Fu Xiantian wanted to slaughter everyone on Layers 2 through 5, which was why he had employed various methods to continuously drain the strength of the Ten Universities’ and the Righteous Qi Alliance’s Spirit Transformation Experts, making it easier for him to eliminate everyone later.
He had believed this was the reason why formations like the Cosmic Galaxy Great Formation and the Stars Filling the Sky Great Formation seemed to be holding back.
“But now it appears Fu Xiantian isn’t just deliberately prolonging the battle. While he’s wearing down both the Ten Universities and the Righteous Qi Alliance, he’s also converting and absorbing the power they release…”
“What does he intend to do with this power?”
The power released by nearly a hundred Spirit Transformation Divine Monarchs in their battles so far… Even if he had only absorbed and converted a fraction of it, the mere thought weighed heavily on Zhang Yu’s heart.
At the same time, Zhang Pianpian continued, “Based on my analysis of the construction records for Kunxu’s Fifth Layer over the past dozen or so months, all the Charging Pipes ultimately converge at a single point.”
“Fu Xiantian has concentrated all the collected power in one place. He’s channeling the power of nearly a hundred Spirit Transformation Experts and hundreds, even thousands, of Nascent Soul Experts into something.”
Zhang Yu recalled Fu Xiantian’s past words and couldn’t help but ask, “Is he planning to destroy the entire Fifth Layer?”
Zhang Pianpian replied, “Whatever his goal, his plan has been disrupted by us. Especially the Heaven-Piercing breakthrough and the modification of the Outer Formation — these should have prevented him from smoothly gathering the power his plan required.”
Hearing this, Zhang Yu nodded slightly and asked, “The thing being infused with all this power… where is it?”
Zhang Pianpian sent him a set of coordinates and a map marker, located within the Cosmic Galaxy Great Formation.
Meanwhile.
Not far from the coordinate location.
A flying sword was advancing along the underground Charging Pipes, speeding toward the central point where countless pipes converged.
The controller of this flying sword was none other than True Monarch Starfire.
After sensing something amiss with the great formation, he had tracked the anomaly all the way here, finally uncovering the greatest secret of the Cosmic Galaxy Great Formation and the Stars Filling the Sky Great Formation.
As the flying sword continued forward, images and data it detected flashed continuously through his Bionic Eye.
Charging Pipes as dense as a spiderweb, a surging power potent enough to flatten the entire Fifth Layer, inverted gravity, bent light, and a chaotic spatial structure…
The deeper he advanced, the more True Monarch Starfire felt that everything before him was being distorted by something.
This sensation triggered a memory: “Could it be…”
Crack!
With a sharp explosion, True Monarch Starfire’s flying sword disintegrated before he could clearly see what lay in the deepest part, severing his connection to the Spirit Realm.
Despite this, True Monarch Starfire was certain of one thing.
“This pressure… this aura… this data…”
True Monarch Starfire took a deep breath. “An Immortal Sect Magical Artifact… and a Sect-Guarding Magical Artifact at that.”
True Monarch Starfire knew that in the Kunxu World, where everything was graded, Immortal Sect Magical Artifacts were naturally ranked by power. Just like Immortal Sect Techniques, they were classified by the sects into four tiers: True Inheritance, Strategic, Sect-Guarding, and Heaven-Opening.
“True Inheritance and Strategic-tier artifacts might appear below the 11th Layer,” he mused, “but Sect-Guarding-tier… they are absolutely forbidden below the 11th Layer.”
True Monarch Starfire recalled his past. Despite spending most of his life standing guard for the sect, he had only ever seen a Sect-Guarding Magical Artifact once, at an exhibition.
But that single glimpse had left a profound impression. Comparing the two… he grew even more certain that the object hidden deep within the Cosmic Galaxy Great Formation was a Sect-Guarding Magical Artifact.
“Fu Xiantian… he actually brought a Sect-Guarding Magical Artifact down here? What is he planning?”
Without knowing the answer, True Monarch Starfire immediately sent out the message.
Soon, the Ten Universities Spirit Transformation Experts, as well as Zhang Yu and Zhang Pianpian, all learned of the Sect-Guarding Magical Artifact’s existence.
Upon hearing this news, some were struck with terror, while others’ eyes gleamed with greed.
As the news spread and stirred countless thoughts and emotions among more and more people… the sky fell.
With a thunderous crash.
Zhang Yu snapped his head up and saw the sky of Kunxu’s Fifth Layer abruptly press downward, gradually descending toward the land.
At the same time, as the once vast and empty sky fell, it seemed to transform into someone’s palm, revealing a dense network of lines across its surface.
Zhang Yu’s gaze hardened at the sight. Just as he was about to send a message to True Monarch Starfire, he received a mass message from the True Monarch first.
True Monarch Starfire: “It’s the Great Annihilation Final Vista Mystic Seal! If this thing keeps falling, it will shatter and flatten everything from the Fifth to the Second Layer! He’s trying to kill everyone, to destroy everything!”
Zhang Yu’s heart sank. “Did Fu Xiantian collect all that Spirit Transformation battle power just to activate this magical artifact?”
“Our modifications to the Outer Formation should have prevented him from following his original plan, from having more time… to gather more Spirit Transformation battle power.”
“How did he gather enough power to activate this artifact ahead of schedule?”
In an instant, the entire Spirit Realm Network exploded with activity.
Countless people watched the gradually descending sky, feeling as if the heavens and earth were about to close in and grind all living beings to dust.
The experts who had received True Monarch Starfire’s message stared at the sky with even graver, almost bitter expressions.
“Is it really a Sect-Guarding Magical Artifact?!” Divine Monarch Sinful Lotus exclaimed in shock. “How could the Heavenly Court let someone bring something like this down here?!”
Divine Monarch Nether Spring’s voice was strained. “That madman… How many people does he intend to kill? How much property will he destroy? How dare he? How dare he?!”
Divine Monarch Magnetic Pole’s gaze was grim. “Everyone, this is no time for talk. We must stop Fu Xiantian, or we will all die — utterly ruined and dead.”
Moments later, streaks of divine light shot into the sky, pushing back against the collapsing firmament.
But the descending sky was only momentarily slowed. It then resumed its inch-by-inch descent, as if no power, no force, could stop the heavens and earth from closing in.
Meanwhile, communication within the Righteous Qi Alliance grew increasingly frantic.
Initially, the appearance of the Great Annihilation Final Vista Mystic Seal had excited the Alliance’s cultivators. They believed that once this Immortal Sect Magical Artifact was activated, they would easily defeat the Ten Great Universities and unify the Second to Fifth Layers.
But as the firmament rapidly descended, a growing number of them sensed something was wrong. They realized that they — and the entire Righteous Qi Alliance — seemed to be within the attack’s range.
The Spirit Transformation Cultivators of the Righteous Qi Alliance were the first to feel the dread. Trapped within the Cosmic Galaxy Great Formation, they had nowhere to run and could only watch helplessly as the sky fell.
Divine Monarch Chain Nexus, the leader of the Finance Department and formerly of Myriad Laws University, was the first to confront Fu Xiantian. “Alliance Leader, what are you doing?!” he demanded.
Fu Xiantian replied calmly, “Annihilating the Ten Universities’ Spirit Transformation Experts. Once I kill Magnetic Pole and the others, we will have won.”
Divine Monarch Chain Nexus gritted his teeth. “Then why are we also in the attack’s range?”
Fu Xiantian remained expressionless. “The Great Annihilation Final Vista Mystic Seal’s attack range is simply this vast. But once Magnetic Pole and the others are dead, I will naturally stop it.”
“You should be joining me in besieging the Ten Universities’ Spirit Transformation Experts right now. Once they’re dead, I will naturally deactivate the Great Annihilation Final Vista Mystic Seal…”
But gazing at the relentlessly descending firmament, Divine Monarch Chain Nexus was no longer willing to trust Fu Xiantian.
Beams of Spirit Transformation Divine Light erupted, surrounding Fu Xiantian. Divine Monarch Chain Nexus declared, “Alliance Leader, please hand over control of this Immortal Sect Magical Artifact. We will manage it together.”
Fu Xiantian looked at the thirty-odd Spirit Transformation Divine Monarchs encircling him and murmured, “It seems you’ve been plotting this for some time, rallying so many to move against me at a moment’s notice.”
Fu Xiantian knew that given the Finance Department’s nature, Divine Monarch Chain Nexus could never fully trust him, nor would he ever be content to remain subordinate. His pursuit of growth, power, and wealth was endless.
To surpass him, to sideline him, to replace him… it was all inevitable.
Divine Monarch Chain Nexus sneered and urged, “Alliance Leader…”
But in the next instant, several nearby Spirit Transformation Cultivators roared furiously and launched simultaneous attacks on Divine Monarch Chain Nexus.
To Divine Monarch Chain Nexus’s astonishment, the faces of those Spirit Transformation Cultivators twisted into expressions identical to Fu Xiantian’s. One of them spoke with Fu Xiantian’s cold voice: “Chain Nexus, I saw through your plan long ago.”
A chill ran down Divine Monarch Chain Nexus’s spine. “You’ve turned them into your reincarnated bodies?” he exclaimed in shock.
Fu Xiantian didn’t reply. Instead, he looked up at the relentlessly descending firmament and said calmly, “Though there were some complications, the Great Annihilation Final Vista Mystic Seal has been successfully activated. Soon, no one will be left alive between the Second and Fifth Layers of this world…”
At the same time, the Righteous Qi Alliance’s Spirit Transformation Experts launched a coordinated assault, forcing Fu Xiantian’s reincarnated bodies into a steady retreat.
Divine Monarch Chain Nexus roared, “Fu Xiantian! Hand over control immediately! Or you’ll die with the rest of us!”
“Die?” Fu Xiantian chuckled faintly. “In order to activate the Great Annihilation Final Vista Mystic Seal… I died long ago.”
To ensure the successful activation of the Immortal Sect Magical Artifact, Fu Xiantian, with his plan disrupted, had chosen to sacrifice himself to prematurely unleash the Great Annihilation Final Vista Mystic Seal.
As he watched Fu Xiantian’s body transform into a beam of light and ascend into the firmament, ultimately merging with it, Divine Monarch Chain Nexus’s heart sank. “Madman! That absolute madman! He sacrificed himself just to destroy the entire Second to Fifth Layers? And turned himself into an artifact spirit?”
Simultaneously, Fu Xiantian’s several reincarnated bodies also transformed into streaks of divine light, voluntarily merging into the firmament and further amplifying the power of the Great Annihilation Final Vista Mystic Seal.
Seeing the firmament’s descent accelerate once more, Divine Monarch Chain Nexus gritted his teeth and roared, “Stop him!”
In the next instant, the Righteous Qi Alliance’s numerous Spirit Transformation Experts transformed into streaks of divine light, soaring into the sky like celestial pillars, desperately trying to hold back the falling firmament.
But at this moment, the Great Annihilation Final Vista Mystic Seal was like an unstoppable world-ending force. The descending firmament shattered the divine light pillars one after another, yet its descent never faltered. Before the despairing eyes of countless people, it drew ever closer to the ground.
The Spirit Transformation Divine Monarchs watched this scene helplessly.
Divine Monarch Sinful Lotus cried out in alarm, “It’s no use! We can only delay him for a few hours at most. We can’t stop him!”
Divine Monarch Nether Spring sighed. “If this thing crashes down, not only will we die, but everything in the Second to Fifth Layers will be crushed.”
Amidst crackling explosions, Divine Monarch Thousand Puppets of Immortal Armaments University’s divine light grew increasingly dim. He sighed, “I can’t hold on much longer.”
Divine Monarch Thousand Puppets cried out in panic, “Quick, have Zhang Yu open the great formation! I need to get out!”
Faced with the unstoppable collapse of the heavens, despair gradually spread through the hearts of the Spirit Transformation Divine Monarchs.
Divine Monarch Thousand Puppets’ demand, in particular, resonated with many of the Spirit Transformation Experts present.
Just then, Divine Monarch Magnetic Pole spoke up. “No one leaves!”
“Everyone, if we open the great formation, how many of the Spirit Transformation Experts inside — whether from the Ten Universities or the Righteous Qi Alliance — do you think will flee?”
“If we don’t stand together and hold back this collapsing sky, the Great Annihilation Final Vista Mystic Seal will destroy the Fifth Layer even faster, leaving us with even less time.”
“Even if we can’t stop the sky from collapsing, we must delay for as long as possible! If we can hold out for just one more moment, the Heavenly Court might arrive!”
“I will not support opening the great formation until the very last moment.”
“Anyone who wants to flee will have to get through me first.”
Hearing Divine Monarch Magnetic Pole’s words, the Spirit Transformation Divine Monarchs exchanged glances. For the time being, no one mentioned retreating again.
Divine Monarch Greenwood then added, “Everyone, the modifications to the outer formations are still underway! As long as we can harness the power of the Cosmic Galaxy Great Formation and the Stars Filling the Sky Great Formation, we can hold out for much longer.”
Divine Monarch Thousand Puppets of Immortal Armaments University sighed. “They’re moving too slowly. With only a few hours left, there’s no way they can finish the modifications in time.”
While the Spirit Transformation Divine Monarchs struggled to resist, Zhang Yu decided to further accelerate the entire project’s efficiency.
Instantly, countless recruitment notices were sent out to the people of the Second to Fifth Layers.
“Whether you’re from a Vocational College, a Lower College, an Upper College, or one of the Ten Universities — whether you’re Human or monsterfolk — I’ll take anyone who can work!”
Zhang Yu instructed Ying Xin and the others, “No limits on personnel, no limits on positions. I want everyone who is willing and eager to work to be able to come to the Fifth Layer and participate in this project!”
“I’m offering this work to every cultivator from the Second to Fifth Layers of Kunxu!”
Shi Huaiyu said, “But the sight of the sky collapsing… it’s too terrifying. I’m afraid it will deter many people.”
“Will hiding below help?” Zhang Yu retorted. “That’s just waiting to die.”
“The heavens are trying to crush us. Only by reshaping heaven and earth can we survive.”
“And I believe the people of Kunxu are not afraid of death. As long as we give them a path forward, they will fear nothing!”
With a grand wave of his hand, Zhang Yu transferred a massive amount of funds from the Space Pouch Company to the construction company.
“I’ll pay triple wages to anyone who joins this project!”
“Even if the sky falls, we’ll build it back up!”
Inside a construction site near the Grand Void on the Third Layer.
The gaunt Xiang Shan sat listlessly on the ground.
This former top student of the Celestial Monsters University’s Civil Engineering Department now looked far more impoverished than before.
After his last conflict with Zhang Yu at the construction site, he had been slapped with massive fines for damaging geological structures and polluting water resources. Forced to work day and night to pay off his debt, he had missed opportunities to improve himself.
Recently, the shifting war situation had caused factory orders to skyrocket while civil engineering projects dwindled, leading to a sharp drop in Xiang Shan’s income. He could only scrape by, pinching every penny.
“Do I have to work in a factory?”
Xiang Shan’s heart sank. “But my years of hard-earned civil engineering skills… How can I waste my time in a factory?”
“But with the Ten Universities and the Righteous Qi Alliance at war, they’re consuming massive amounts of resources daily. I hear the factories are running 24/7.”
The thought made Xiang Shan hesitate.
“Sigh, if only True Monarch Blazing Light would hand out red envelopes again.”
Recalling the last time he had snatched a red envelope, Xiang Shan’s eyes filled with nostalgia.
But in the next moment, a message flashed across his Bionic Eye, and he exclaimed in delight, “A construction project on the Fifth Layer? Triple pay?!”
Xiang Shan leaped to his feet, immediately registering through the Spirit Realm and soaring toward the Fifth Layer of Kunxu.
Along the way, he noticed more and more people like him, all rushing toward the Fifth Layer, gradually converging into streams of humanity flowing into the sky.
Discussions about the project echoed through the atmosphere and the Spirit Realm.
“I heard the sky up there is about to collapse. Won’t it be dangerous?”
“It’s triple pay! Even if the sky really falls, I’m taking this job!”
“But can True Monarch Blazing Light afford to pay triple wages to so many people?”
Chang Wuxiu, who had just rushed out of a factory, shouted, “True Monarch Blazing Light is so rich! How could he not afford it?”
Recalling the last red envelope giveaway, Chang Wuxiu declared proudly, “He can hand out red envelopes to hundreds of millions of people and shatter the firmament with his wealth! How could he possibly not afford to pay wages?”
Ying Xin said bitterly, “President Zhang! Our funds can’t sustain this! The number of applicants is skyrocketing, and all the unemployed are flocking here!”
“If this continues, we’re going to wipe out the unemployment rate!”
“Just equipping them with gear and materials is already draining our funds…”
“Triple pay is just too high! It’ll bankrupt us! Shouldn’t we lower it a bit?”
Zhang Yu waved his hand. “Don’t lower the wages. I’ll figure out the money.”
He opened the Spirit Transformation Battlefield’s combat group chat and typed, “Seniors, to accelerate the Outer Formation’s modification, I need your financial support. The more, the better…”
When the Spirit Transformation Divine Monarchs in the group heard that Zhang Yu was offering triple pay and might recruit billions of workers, their hearts leaped into their throats.
“Are you insane?!” Divine Monarch Thousand Puppets exclaimed. “Triple pay? Do those workers even know how to spend that much? What have they done to deserve so much money?”
Zhang Yu replied, “Senior Thousand Puppets, our top priority is to stop the sky from collapsing. As long as we can complete the formation modification quickly and slow the collapse, I believe any cost is worth it.”
Divine Monarch Magnetic Pole gritted her teeth and said, her voice laced with pain, “Zhang Yu is right. If we don’t pour money into this now, are you going to wait until you’re dead to spend it?”
Another Spirit Transformation Divine Monarch muttered, “But this is just too much…”
Zhang Yu continued, “Seniors, if you’re unwilling to contribute, I’ll just have to wait until you’re all dead and go take it from your university campuses myself.”
Divine Monarch Sinful Lotus laughed angrily. “Are you threatening us?”
Zhang Yu enunciated each word clearly, “Senior, you know this isn’t a threat. It’s a statement of fact. No one will respect your property rights after you’re dead…”
After a fierce, tense, and rapid exchange, massive amounts of funds were transferred from the accounts of the Spirit Transformation Divine Monarchs.
Watching the Spirit Coins in his account evaporate, Divine Monarch Thousand Puppets lamented in agony, “My money… All this money, just given away to the poor?!”
Divine Monarch Nether Spring gritted her teeth. “This money can’t be spent in vain, everyone… Let’s give it our all and hold up this collapsing sky!”