Chapter 738: The Poorest Person in History, He Is the True God
Hearing Fu Xiantian’s words, Zhang Yu froze for a moment. Countless thoughts flooded his mind as he rapidly analyzed the basis and intent behind the statement.
Fu Xiantian continued, “The reason I know all this is simple: the Evil God Register can track the movements of Evil Gods.”
“According to the Evil God Register’s trajectory records, and considering the order in which people appeared on the battlefield, it was you who brought the Joy God to the battlefield, while Bai Zhenzhen brought the Fortune God.”
“Shortly after you two met, the Fortune God remained, but the Joy God completely vanished.”
Fu Xiantian stared into Zhang Yu’s eyes. “The Fortune God… devoured the Joy God, didn’t he?”
“And the only reason you would willingly hand over the Joy God is if you are a believer of the Fortune God.”
Zhang Yu met Fu Xiantian’s gaze calmly, showing no panic at having his secret exposed. He knew that panicking now would be useless.
Besides, his relationship with the Fortune God wasn’t like that of other Evil Gods and their believers. He and Fu Ji had never made a pact or wish that would result in his death if his identity were revealed. Therefore, Fu Xiantian’s mere discovery of the truth posed no direct threat to Zhang Yu’s life.
Fu Xiantian continued, “If your identity as an Evil God Worshipper is exposed, do you think they will still trust you?”
Meeting Fu Xiantian’s gaze, Zhang Yu replied calmly, “Who would believe what you say?”
“Will they believe you, the Alliance Leader of the Righteous Qi Alliance, a madman who wants to slaughter trillions of lives? Or will they believe me, the one who gave them jobs worth tens of billions of Spirit Coins?”
Zhang Yu sighed. “The vast majority of people on the Second to Fifth Layers just want to earn more money, live better lives, and advance further on the path of the Immortal Dao.”
“So, whoever can help them make money is a god to them. If an Evil God can offer them a good job, then that Evil God can be a Righteous God.”
Fu Xiantian nodded, seemingly picturing the countless people who would refuse to believe the revelation and even actively defend Zhang Yu.
But in the next moment, Fu Xiantian pointed out the flaw in Zhang Yu’s argument. “It’s just about profit. You’re using benefits to control them now, but what happens after the Heavenly Court descends? Can you still keep so many people on your side?”
“Even if they continue to trust you, what about the Heavenly Court? You won’t escape their reckoning.”
“Everything you possess will eventually be taken from you.”
“The Second to Fifth Layers of Kunxu will also revert to their original state…”
“And you can’t stop me as I am now.”
Fu Xiantian looked at Zhang Yu seriously and finally said, “But, Zhang Yu, you have potential, so I am willing to give you a chance. Until the very moment this world is destroyed, I will continue to offer you that chance.”
As Fu Xiantian’s projection vanished, Zhang Yu felt an even heavier weight settle in his heart.
He had initially thought Fu Xiantian had come to negotiate, to threaten him with his identity as an Evil God Worshipper.
But after their conversation, he realized his judgment had been wrong.
“This wasn’t a negotiation… it was an interview.”
“Just like our last conversation…” Zhang Yu looked up at the sky, watching the slowly descending firmament. He thought to himself, “This guy wanted to use this conversation to assess my character and thoughts, to see if I’m qualified to join his plan.”
The realization made Zhang Yu’s heart sink. “Does this mean Fu Xiantian is so confident that even now, he doesn’t believe he can lose?”
The thoughts flashed through Zhang Yu’s mind and vanished. He shook off the distractions and refocused on the construction site before him.
No matter how confident Fu Xiantian was, it couldn’t shake Zhang Yu’s current resolve.
With a sudden eruption of Earthly Fiend Gravity from his body, the ground surged, mountains shattered, and the entire construction site began to undergo a world-altering transformation.
To accelerate the modification of the Stars Filling the Sky Great Formation, Zhang Yu himself had joined the project. He, his fifteen Demon Beast Clones, and the Heavenly Sun Radiance God worked in unison, each movement a cataclysmic feat of power.
As for the Demon Beast Clone that had absorbed True Monarch Immortal Slayer’s memories, it naturally remained imprisoned.
Meanwhile, not far from where Zhang Yu was channeling his power, Jin Jun was also performing civil engineering tasks, piloting the Heavenly Sun Radiance God.
Watching Jin Jun repeatedly dig and move earth, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but say, “Little Jin, if you’re not skilled in civil engineering, you should just go back to the laboratory.”
Jin Jun quickly replied, “President Zhang, I’ve actually loved construction sites since I was a kid! I even wanted to major in Civil Engineering in my third year of high school, but my dad wouldn’t let me and forced me into the Artifact Refinement Department instead.”
“I finally have this chance, so please let me follow you on the construction site and learn more. With every glance, I feel myself improving.”
Zhang Yu shook his head. “If you love digging, then dig. But remember to follow the task requirements. If your work isn’t up to standard, you’ll have to redo it.”
With tens of billions of Spirit Coins poured into the project, the entire Kunxu Fifth Layer instantly transformed into a massive factory under Zhang Yu’s guidance.
Billions of people surged into the Fifth Layer like a great flood. Guided by countless Soul Cultivators, Spirit Realm Projections, and construction tasks, they spread across the layer, driving the formation modification project forward at an unprecedented speed.
When the first phase of the modification was complete, pillars of Earthly Fiend Gravity erupted from the Stars Filling the Sky Great Formation, soaring into the sky like colossal black columns, pushing back against the descending firmament.
As more tasks were completed, more black columns rose to support the firmament, desperately slowing the progress of the Heaven Collapse.
Simultaneously, the modification of the Outer Formation triggered changes in the Inner Formation. The Ten Universities’ Spirit Transformation Experts within the Cosmic Galaxy Great Formation felt surges of spiritual energy flowing into them. Wisps of the formation’s power began to infuse their bodies, restoring their condition and enhancing their strength.
Yu Xinghan looked up at the sky as various data points on the Heaven Collapse continuously appeared in his Bionic Eye.
“The firmament’s descent speed… is decreasing,” Yu Xinghan thought to himself. “The Ten Billion Heaven Mending project is working!”
But soon, Yu Xinghan discovered that although the descent had slowed, it hadn’t truly stopped.
Looking at the data, he secretly calculated, “At this rate, the descending firmament will still smash through the entire Fifth Layer in three or four days at most.”
“Damn it! After investing so much manpower and resources, we still can’t stop Fu Xiantian?”
Meanwhile, in the Spirit Transformation Battlefield…
Divine Monarch Magnetic Pole watched the still-descending firmament and sighed, “If the Fifth Layer’s defenses can only temporarily slow the firmament’s fall, then once it breaks through, the Fourth, Third, and Second Layers will likely be even harder to defend. The Heaven Collapse will accelerate.”
Divine Monarch Greenwood said helplessly, “Civil Engineering used to be incredibly powerful. After all, the construction of the entire Kunxu relied on various Civil Engineering Techniques. But just like the artisans who built the ancient emperors’ tombs, once Kunxu was completed, all those powerful Civil Engineering Techniques were sealed away.”
“With the Civil Engineering Techniques we currently possess, even if we invest an astronomical amount of manpower and resources, it’s ultimately impossible to stop Fu Xiantian’s Sect-Guarding Magical Artifact.”
On the construction site.
True Monarch Starfire’s figure flickered at high speed, continuously shattering rubble and completing one Civil Engineering task after another, laying the foundation for the formation’s modifications.
At the same time, his gaze occasionally darted to the sky as he sighed inwardly, “Is it still not enough? Then the only hope is that the Heavenly Court will descend within the four or five days we’ve bought.”
Outside the towering buildings.
Bai Zhenzhen could be seen unleashing streams of incandescent sword qi, slicing through one building after another. She relentlessly carried out demolition tasks, paving the way for the formation’s subsequent expansion.
Staring at the firmament still descending from the sky, Bai Zhenzhen’s face was etched with worry. “Why is it still falling? We’ve poured so much damn money into this, and it’s still not working? Was all that money wasted? Does that mean Yu Zi and I will die as paupers? We have to be paupers even at death’s door?”
On the construction site, Chang Buxiu continued pushing his cart, transporting materials everywhere.
He frequently looked up at the sky, his Bionic Eye occasionally displaying various messages from the Spirit Realm. Posts calculating the Heaven Collapse’s speed were everywhere.
Watching all this, Chang Buxiu thought to himself, “I finally got triple pay and earned so much money. How can I let you destroy everything?”
“Keep working!”
With this thought, Chang Buxiu accelerated again, even grabbing an extra dose of potent medicine from the supply point and swallowing it in one gulp.
Le Mulan, who was distributing the medicine, gazed at the descending sky, which grew increasingly ominous. It felt like a colossal hand blotting out the sun, about to crush everyone to death.
Le Mulan’s heart sank with the falling sky. “Even ten billion Spirit Coins can’t stop it?”
More and more people noticed the continuous Heaven Collapse, especially those working on the Fifth Layer of the construction site. They watched the firmament descend at a visible rate.
The feeling of helplessly watching the heavens and earth, the entire world, be destroyed was an immense psychological burden for anyone.
It was an even greater blow to the Kunxu People to realize that even after the Spirit Transformation Divine Monarchs propped up the heavens and ten billion Spirit Coins were used for Heaven Mending, the Heaven Collapse still couldn’t be completely halted.
“Even Ten Billion Heaven Mending project isn’t enough? What else can stop the Heaven Collapse?”
As time passed, despair… gradually spread through the hearts of countless people.
Especially after receiving triple pay and watching the Spirit Coins in their accounts steadily increase, many felt an even greater unwillingness to accept the impending destruction of the world, their impending deaths. Their despair deepened.
As this despair continued into the final day of the Heaven Collapse, as they gazed at the ever-approaching firmament and felt the increasingly terrifying pressure, some Kunxu People even stopped working, attempting to flee the Fifth Layer…
Zhao Tianxing sent a message to Zhang Yu: “President Zhang, more and more people are abandoning their posts. What should we do?”
Yu Xinghan: “The Heaven Collapse is accelerating again!”
Feng Tingting: “True Monarch Blazing Light, some Spirit Transformation experts can’t hold on any longer!”
Ying Xin: “True Monarch! The funds are about to run out!”
Reading one urgent message after another, Zhang Yu could almost see the panicked faces of countless people.
“Sis.”
Zhang Yu’s figure gradually ascended into the sky. He gazed toward the firmament and slowly asked, “That method you mentioned before… is it real?”
Zhang Pianpian replied, “Of course it’s real. But you’ve already spent all your money. Even if you wanted to use that method now, it’s no longer possible.”
“But you don’t need to feel any regret. Since even Ten Billion Heaven Mending project failed to completely stop the Heaven Collapse, spending those ten billion Spirit Coins on my method probably wouldn’t have stopped it either.”
“Let’s just hope the Heavenly Court arrives before the firmament completely smashes through Layers 2 to 5.”
Zhang Pianpian sighed and reminded him, “Zhang Yu, perhaps it’s time to prepare to evacuate everyone from the Fifth Layer.”
Gazing at the firmament, now seemingly within arm’s reach, Zhang Yu’s expression gradually hardened. “No. There’s still money.”
Zhang Pianpian looked doubtful. “Still money?”
As far as she knew, all of Zhang Yu’s assets, all the money he could borrow, and all the investments he had secured had been poured into the Ten Billion Heaven Mending Plan.
Zhang Yu didn’t answer. Instead, he took a deep breath, his resolve already set.
The next moment, Zhang Yu once again projected his image across the land.
“As you all probably know, the firmament is about to smash through the Fifth Layer.”
“Once the firmament hits the ground, it will quickly pierce through the Fifth Layer, shatter the formations, and kill all the Spirit Transformation Divine Monarchs. Then, it will crash through the remaining Layers 4 to 2 at an even faster rate.”
“To prevent all this, I need to activate the Divine Power System using Spirit Coins and unleash the power of the Righteous God Talismans. I need a lot — a whole lot — of Spirit Coins.”
“Therefore, I have decided to issue corporate bonds and raise funds from the entire society.”
“I have set the interest rate for these bonds at three times the market average.”
As Zhang Yu spoke, the bonds, named “Yu Bonds,” went on sale.
“You should all be familiar with my creditworthiness by now. I will absolutely repay these bonds. Even if I can’t repay them myself, my entire company will.”
“Even if I have to stake all future profits from the Shared Cloud Repository, the lending platform, the construction company… even if I have to stake all the earnings from all my companies, I will repay this debt!”
Zhang Yu roared out to the entire world of Layers 2 to 5, “Everyone… please lend me your money! Let’s stop the Heaven Collapse together! Let’s survive together! Let’s make a fortune together!”
At that moment, Zhang Yu sent the sales link for the “Yu Bonds” to everyone across Kunxu’s Layers 2 to 5 who could be reached through the Spirit Realm.
True Monarch Junior College, who was working on a construction site to earn money, watched this and exclaimed, “Borrowing money from the whole world? Is this guy planning to run away?”
True Monarch Heaven Devourer raged, “Damn it, trying to scam me? Not a chance! I’m not lending him a single coin!”
Beside them, True Monarch Flowing Gold silently ran the numbers in his head and thought, “Hmm… this might actually be worth buying.”
Soon, True Monarch Junior College and True Monarch Heaven Devourer noticed that sales of the Yu Bonds were starting to climb.
Zhao Tianxing silently invested all his Spirit Coins into the Yu Bonds. His entire being quickly froze, his thoughts ceasing.
Le Mulan sold off all her potions and mortgaged her bionic body, then transferred the money to Zhang Yu.
Yu Xinghan took out loans from every major lending platform he could find and sent the funds to Zhang Yu.
The Qingtian Sword Spirit watched Bai Zhenzhen with a mix of shock and anger. “You’re going to mortgage me?! Aren’t you afraid he’ll run off with the money? If he can’t repay the debt, I won’t belong to you anymore!”
Bai Zhenzhen replied, “I have to help him.”
The Qingtian Sword Spirit sighed. “How has my Extreme Emotion Lineage fallen to this state!”
Shi Huaiyu, her heart aching, sold all her stocks and virtual currencies. As she bought Yu Bonds, she muttered through tears, “Damn it… you better break through that heavenly ceiling! This is the biggest investment of my life. If I lose, not only will I be dead, but my money will be gone too.”
Xiao Yunji, who had already reached the Golden Core Realm and was now a top student in the Civil Engineering Department, was currently transformed into a high-speed train, transporting supplies. When the Yu Bonds link popped up before her, she silently chose to buy.
Chang Buxiu frantically tapped the Yu Bonds icon that appeared in his Bionic Eye, pouring all his Spirit Coins into it in one go. He roared inwardly, “True Monarch Blazing Light is leading everyone to make money! He’s going to share the company’s future profits with us all!”
On the Spirit Realm Network, Ji Yuanshu, who was operating engineering equipment, also purchased Yu Bonds.
Once burdened by multiple credit card debts and bankrupted by a Qi Luck backlash, he hadn’t made an investment since becoming a Soul Cultivator.
But at this moment, he decided to make another crucial gamble in his life.
As a former Sixth Layer Master, he thought to himself, “Zhang Yu, save the Fifth Layer. At least… don’t let it be destroyed like the Sixth Layer was.”
Amidst the constantly vibrating Coagulated Earth, Ping Han, a Soul Cultivator, controlled a vibrating Magical Artifact, making it pulse up and down.
To advance the Heaven Mending Plan, even criminals like him were temporarily allowed to work on the construction site.
His job had merely shifted from manipulating Yin Artifacts to vibrate to operating a vibrating Magical Artifact.
When the Yu Bonds link popped up, Ping Han immediately chose to buy, investing all the Spirit Coins he had earned over the past few days of labor.
Fu Xinyao, who knew what he was doing, exclaimed in shock, “You’re lending money to Zhang Yu?”
“Lending money? This is an investment,” Ping Han said calmly. “Although Zhang Yu and I have a grudge, that won’t affect my investment philosophy.”
Ping Han explained his reasoning carefully: “If Zhang Yu successfully stops the Heaven Collapse and we all survive, these Yu Bonds will definitely bring me a profit.”
“But if Zhang Yu fails and we all die, what use is this money anyway?”
“Besides, I’ve researched the companies under Zhang Yu’s name. The Shared Cloud Repository alone holds countless future profits, and with the backing of the Spirit Transformation experts and the Ten Universities, he’s certain to repay the debt.”
As he continued to vibrate the artifact, he said, “My life has been full of ups and downs. I’ve weathered countless storms, soared to the heavens, and fallen into the mud. I’ve experienced bankruptcy ten times. But based on my lifetime of investment experience, this gamble is worth taking. This time… I’m certain I’ll win!”
“Fu Xinyao, as colleagues for these past few years, I advise you to buy as much as you can, right now.”
“You do have a point,” Fu Xinyao said, shaking the vibrating Magical Artifact in her hand and slowly nodding.
The sales data for Yu Bonds, which had initially grown slowly, soon began to accelerate, expanding at an astonishing rate.
As Divine Monarch Sinful Lotus observed, the debt behind Zhang Yu skyrocketed, gradually becoming like a black hole devouring everything around it.
“One billion… two billion…”
Divine Monarch Sinful Lotus exclaimed in shock, “If this guy keeps borrowing like this, how many Spirit Coins can he possibly owe?”
At Immortal Armaments University, numbers flashed across Divine Monarch Thousand Puppets’ eyes as he estimated, “Fifty billion? One hundred billion? Damn it, why do these paupers trust him so much? Great, now Zhang Yu has borrowed back all the Spirit Coins he just spent!”
Watching the debt behind Zhang Yu expand like a black hole, Divine Monarch Nether Spring’s eyes filled with even greater admiration. “In one move, he’s turned one hundred billion into two hundred billion’s worth of utility. Brilliant… truly brilliant. If I ever get the chance, I must have a proper discussion with young friend Zhang Yu and learn from his methods.”
With that, Divine Monarch Nether Spring also purchased a large quantity of Yu Bonds.
Divine Monarch Wisdom Foundation of Vajra University, the principal who had modulated Zhang Yu’s Nascent Soul, sighed. “It’s not just about turning one hundred billion into two hundred billion’s worth of effect. This one hundred billion debt will become Zhang Yu’s greatest protective talisman in the future.”
As he spoke, Divine Monarch Wisdom Foundation silently began buying Yu Bonds.
On the construction site, True Monarch Miraculous Hand said, “Zhang Yu… owes tens of billions of Spirit Coins. Even if he successfully prevents the Heaven Collapse and saves the world, how long will it take him to repay that debt? The profits from his companies will probably all go toward paying it off.”
Beside him, True Monarch Heavenly Slaughter shook his head. “Miraculous Hand, don’t you see? This is the most brilliant part.”
“If he didn’t have this debt, do you think the Shared Cloud Repository would still belong to him after the higher-ups descend?”
True Monarch Heavenly Slaughter sighed with admiration. “A debt of tens of billions of Spirit Coins instantly transforms Zhang Yu and his companies from a tempting prize into a hot potato, scaring off a huge number of people who might have had designs on him.”
“But that’s not all. The next step is even more ingenious.”
True Monarch Heavenly Slaughter looked up at the divine light swelling in the sky, at the divine power network beginning to boil as a massive amount of funds poured in.
“Because this money has been invested into the divine power network, it’s essentially been handed over to the Heavenly Court. Who would dare to default on that debt?”
True Monarch Heavenly Slaughter turned to True Monarch Miraculous Hand and said, “If you were a Righteous God, and after descending to the Fifth Layer, you discovered that the divine power network’s account suddenly had an extra ten billion Spirit Coins, what would you think?”
True Monarch Miraculous Hand was stunned for a moment. He looked up at Zhang Yu, who was enveloped in layers of divine light in the sky, and sighed with admiration, “He is the true god here.”
With that, the two Nascent Soul True Monarchs also began purchasing Yu Bonds.
Meanwhile, True Monarch Junior College stared at True Monarch Flowing Gold in shock. “Are you saying the Heavenly Court will definitely protect him?”
True Monarch Flowing Gold replied, “If they can’t even protect someone who spent ten billion, the Righteous Gods of the Heavenly Court might as well quit. So, the outcome is simple: either we all die and go bankrupt together, or we all live and profit together. As for Zhang Yu… he’ll become the poorest person in history.”
Watching True Monarch Heaven Devourer and True Monarch Junior College silently begin to buy Yu Bonds, True Monarch Flowing Gold, a graduate of Myriad Laws University’s Finance Department, had a flicker of disdain in his eyes.
“A bunch of undereducated fools. If you hadn’t joined the Righteous Qi Alliance, and if construction jobs didn’t have such low educational requirements these days, how would you ever have crossed paths with me, let alone received my guidance?”
Of course, True Monarch Flowing Gold’s guidance wasn’t for their benefit.
He simply hoped that more people would buy Yu Bonds, increasing Zhang Yu’s chances of success and reducing the risk of his own investment.
At this moment, Spirit Transformation and Nascent Soul cultivators, Golden Core and Foundation Establishment cultivators, and even Qi Refining cultivators all began frantically purchasing Yu Bonds.
Perhaps not everyone working on the Fifth Layer bought Yu Bonds, but many who weren’t even on the Fifth Layer now poured their funds into them.
In this instant, Zhang Yu, wielding a massive amount of capital, became the wealthiest person across the Second to Fifth Layers.
Yet, at the same time, as he continuously poured this vast sum of Spirit Coins into the divine power network, his debt swelled, destining him to become the poorest person.
After the Righteous Gods vanished, cultivators from the Second to Fifth Layers could no longer use Spirit Coins to activate the Heavenly Court’s talismans.
But now, under the guidance of Zhang Pianpian, who had become a demigod incarnation, and as Zhang Yu channeled wave after wave of Spirit Coins into the divine power network, the long-dormant Righteous God Talismans began to awaken.