Chapter 758: The Book and the Strict Dharma Realm
Before Zhang Yu, the avatar slowly raised its head. After a brief moment of daze, its aura shifted dramatically. Even its muscles and bones rearranged, completely transforming it into the likeness of another person.
Then, “this person” looked at Zhang Yu and sighed, “You… you’re the owner of the ‘Book’, aren’t you?”
Zhang Yu froze slightly upon hearing this. Though his expression remained unchanged, an almost imperceptible flicker passed through his eyes.
In all his years in Kunxu, this was the first time someone had exposed the secret he had hidden for so long, a secret no one else had ever known.
It was impossible for his heart to remain completely calm, but the flicker of panic came and went in an instant. He quickly realized how the other party could have uncovered his secret.
“Did it learn this by combining my memories?”
Zhang Yu understood that the “avatar” before him was not a true resurrection of the deceased but a new personality formed from the deceased’s memories.
The creation of such a new personality was, of course, a matter of efficiency.
He could have used the power of the Underworld Soul-Washing Scripture to convert the deceased’s memories into a data file, then slowly sifted through it to find the information he needed.
But human memories are as vast as the sea, and for cultivators with extended lifespans, the sheer volume of memory data is even more immense. Even for Zhang Yu, organizing and searching through it would be far too troublesome.
By transforming the deceased into a new personality, one that could efficiently retrieve memory data as if recalling its own past and then communicate with him, he could obtain the information he needed much faster.
The personality inhabiting the avatar before him was a fusion of Zhang Yu’s own memories and those of the deceased, created after he had integrated them into the avatar.
Of course, this personality remained under Zhang Yu’s complete control. After all, its physical body was governed by his Level 40 Myriad Transformations Self-Sovereign Art, while its memories were controlled by his Level 40 Underworld Soul-Washing Scripture.
The deceased’s memories belonged to True Monarch Immortal Slayer.
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “For me, the optimal choice would have been Fu Xiantian.”
“But according to the Reincarnation Group, Fu Xiantian’s death memories are strictly preserved and will be under the scrutiny of countless powerful figures for the next few years. Accessing them would be too risky.”
“True Monarch Immortal Slayer, on the other hand, while still drawing some attention, has far fewer eyes on him, thanks to Fu Xiantian attracting most of the heat.”
Although True Monarch Immortal Slayer’s status was inferior to Fu Xiantian’s, and the intelligence he possessed was certainly less extensive, he had rich experience with the Sect Examinations and had struggled his way up within the sect. As the disciple of an Immortal’s disciple, he had a deep understanding of the sect’s hidden secrets and unwritten rules, precisely what Zhang Yu needed.
As Zhang Yu made this choice, another thought surfaced in his mind.
“True Monarch Immortal Slayer died before the Heavenly Court’s descent… If I can acquire his memories, it would confirm that the Reincarnation System was still operating smoothly in the Second to Fifth Layers at that time.”
Although he had long suspected this, further confirmation made Zhang Yu realize that the collaboration between Dao Qiankun, Fu Xiantian’s faction, and the Reincarnation Group was likely far deeper than he had originally imagined.
Glancing at the avatar before him, Zhang Yu remained silent. Instead, he turned to Kuang Tianqing beside him and said, “I can handle the rest myself. No need to trouble you further.”
Kuang Tianqing, who had been straining to eavesdrop, smiled faintly. After bidding Zhang Yu farewell, he withdrew.
Zhang Yu then turned his attention back to the avatar and said, “Let’s talk in the usual place.”
A moment later, Zhang Yu and the avatar arrived in the Supreme Clarity Realm, where they began their conversation at twenty times the normal speed.
Zhang Yu asked, “What should I call you?”
The “avatar” thought for a moment before replying, “The name doesn’t matter. Just call me Immortal Slayer.”
Zhang Yu pressed, “What did you mean earlier about the owner of ‘Book’?”
Although he suspected the avatar knew the secret of the Feather Book due to his own memories, the way the avatar phrased it gave Zhang Yu a feeling that he wasn’t the only one who knew about this so-called ‘Book’.
As if sensing Zhang Yu’s thoughts, Immortal Slayer explained, “Teacher Fu Xiantian once told me that everyone is born with unique talents.”
“Some are exceptionally gifted, often possessing advantages on the path of the Immortal Dao that others lack.”
Hearing this, Zhang Yu’s mind naturally flashed to figures like Yu Xinghan, Bai Zhenzhen, and Le Mulan.
Immortal Slayer continued, “And then there are those whose talents are even more unique. From birth, a ‘Book’ forms within their hearts.”
“This ‘Book’ aids their cultivation, allowing them to unleash earth-shattering talent.”
“Exceptionally talented individuals possessing this ‘Book’ have appeared in the sect before, but they are extremely rare, and few know the inside story.”
“To the outside world, they are simply seen as astonishingly talented. Not many people know the mysteries of the so-called ‘Book’.”
“It was only after integrating your memories that I realized you are a possessor of this ‘Book’.”
Listening to Immortal Slayer’s explanation, Zhang Yu grew increasingly surprised and astonished. He thought to himself, “So the Feather Book isn’t a unique talent exclusive to me?”
He couldn’t help but ask a question that had long been on his mind: “What exactly is this so-called ‘Book’?”
Immortal Slayer shook his head. “What it is specifically… or rather, what the fundamental nature of the ‘Book’ is… even Teacher Fu Xiantian didn’t seem to know.”
“All I can say is that the origin of the ‘Book’ is incredibly mysterious. It’s not a magical artifact, nor is it connected to the physical body. As far as I know, within the entire sect… it seems no one has ever initiated a research project focused on the ‘Book’.”
Immortal Slayer pondered for a moment before adding, “I never thought deeply about this issue in the past. But looking back now… it’s as if an invisible hand has been preventing all sects from studying the ‘Book’.”
Hearing Fu Xiantian’s name, Zhang Yu’s mind recalled the final memories Fu Xiantian had passed on to him, as well as his last words.
Fu Xiantian: “…You truly possess exceptionally rare potential. Perhaps there are many cultivators who also possess this potential, and even gain the admiration of Immortals because of it. But you are the only one I have ever met who possesses such potential and still wishes to change Kunxu.”
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Could the potential Fu Xiantian mentioned be my Feather Book? Did he already sense that I possessed a ‘Book’ back then?”
Immediately after, another chilling speculation crossed Zhang Yu’s mind.
“If Fu Xiantian had already guessed that I possess a ‘Book’, do the high-ranking beings who obtained his death memories now know about it too?”
At this thought, Zhang Yu felt his heart tighten. He could almost see giant hands descending from the heavens, snatching him away to some unknown space for research.
But he quickly shook his head. “If they really wanted to capture me for research, they wouldn’t have let me take the Sect Examination, let alone join the sect.”
“Then there are only two possibilities. Either the high-ranking beings above already know I possess a ‘Book’ but, due to some scruples or plans, don’t intend to act against me immediately.”
“Or… Fu Xiantian used the Underworld Soul-Washing Scripture to erase a portion of his own memories, ensuring that his memories contained no information about me or the ‘Book’.”
Regardless of which was true, Zhang Yu knew he was temporarily safe. As for how long this safety would last, he couldn’t calculate.
“But no matter what… since I’m safe for now, I’ll use this period to keep climbing. In Kunxu, only by becoming stronger and climbing higher can I gradually gain control of my own destiny.”
“Even if I only have one day of safety left, I won’t give up the chance to keep climbing.”
As for the thoughts and plans of the high-ranking beings, Zhang Yu understood that it was useless for him to dwell on them now.
Just as Zhang Yu reaffirmed his resolve, Immortal Slayer spoke again, “However… the versions of the ‘Book’ that Fu Xiantian and I have mentioned are vastly different from your Feather Book.”
“At least, the other ‘Books’ probably don’t have the Feather Book’s ability to continuously grow and expand.”
A thought struck Zhang Yu, and he asked, “Their ‘Books’ only have a Prologue? Is my Feather Book the only one with chapters like the Dao Seed Register and the Chain Formation Diagram?”
Immortal Slayer shook his head. “I can’t be certain about the specific abilities of the other ‘Books’, but they should be quite different from the Feather Book’s Prologue, Dao Seed Register, and Chain Formation Diagram.”
“But as for the ‘Book’s’ growth potential, this ability to repeatedly gain more functions, that’s something I’ve never heard of before.”
Zhang Yu silently processed this information. After exchanging a few more details about the ‘Book’ with Immortal Slayer and confirming he couldn’t learn anything more, he moved on to the main topic of their conversation.
Zhang Yu asked, “If A-Zhen’s Divine Spirit Root evolves into an Immortal Spirit Root, do you think it will cause trouble?”
Immortal Slayer replied, “An Immortal Spirit Root itself isn’t rare within the sect. Normal sect disciples all have the opportunity to obtain one.”
“Even the technology to convert Spirit Roots can be obtained through the sect.”
“So, an Immortal Spirit Root alone is nothing to hide.”
“But if a Divine Spirit Root can evolve into an Immortal Spirit Root on its own, that would likely attract covetous attention.”
“The safest approach is to keep Bai Zhenzhen’s Spirit Root at the Divine Spirit Root stage for now.”
“Once you’ve obtained an Immortal Spirit Root within the sect, you can use the opportunity of ‘swapping’ Spirit Roots to evolve your Divine Spirit Root into an Immortal one.”
Immortal Slayer paused briefly before adding, “But you should understand that this is only a temporary fix, not a permanent solution.”
Zhang Yu’s gaze flickered as he met Immortal Slayer’s eyes. “Are you talking about… the Dharma Realm?”
Immortal Slayer nodded and sighed. “To hide an Immortal Spirit Root, you can’t just focus on the root itself. In fact, the Immortal Spirit Root is the least of your problems.”
He pointed at Zhang Yu. “Compared to Bai Zhenzhen, you! You’re the one in greater danger.”
Immortal Slayer pointed a finger toward the sky and said, “The Myriad Laws Sect is now completely permeated by the Dharma Realm. Its internal surveillance is incredibly strict, ranking among the highest of the Ten Great Sects…”
He abruptly paused mid-sentence, then added somewhat jarringly, “After all, ‘Dharma Realm products are always top-tier. The only thing separating us from the Apex of the Immortal Dao might be a single memory edit…’”
Hearing this sudden string of what sounded like an advertisement, Zhang Yu asked in confusion, “Are you… alright?”
Immortal Slayer tapped his own head. “That’s an ad the Dharma Realm inserted into my memories after I used it to store them.”
“If I were still within the Dharma Realm, unless I was a paid subscriber, I’d have to recall a snippet of advertising every time I accessed a memory.”
Immortal Slayer sighed. “For roughly every three minutes of recollection, you’d have to recall thirty seconds of ads.”
“I’m not connected to the Dharma Realm now, so it’s not an issue. I just wanted you to understand… how troublesome the Dharma Realm can be.”
“Just the various memory operations, the irregular screenings, and the comprehensive automated surveillance make it nearly impossible to hide the secrets in one’s heart.”
“Ads inserted even into memories?” Zhang Yu was deeply shocked. Although he already had a profound understanding of Kunxu’s shameless tactics and had gained some knowledge of the Dharma Realm through his Sect Examination studies, this was a new low.
The Sect Examination Memories provided by the Righteous God were a “clean” version, far removed from actual sect life and devoid of any mandatory advertising. So now, hearing how wantonly the Dharma Realm distorted memories sent a chill down his spine.
Zhang Yu couldn’t help but ask, “They’d actually do something like that… Does the Dharma Realm also secretly modify cultivators’ memories?”
Immortal Slayer replied calmly, “At least when I left the sect, it hadn’t reached that point. Memory modification was still a paid service, not something used arbitrarily. But as for the situation now… I can’t be sure.”
Immortal Slayer continued, “However, since you have the Underworld Soul-Washing Scripture, hiding your memories won’t be too difficult. Just make multiple backups of your memories, and you won’t have to fear memory modification.”
“But aside from memories, the Dharma Realm has far too many other ways to monitor your every move.”
“In fact, once you enter the Dharma Realm, every time you use a cultivation art, every time you execute a Daoist art or martial art, you’ll be charged a fee. This process is also monitored.”
“Secrets in your memories can be concealed, but hiding physical secrets is much more troublesome.”
Immortal Slayer added, “However, I do have a method that can help you conceal yourself. It’s the same method my master and I used to hide within the Dharma Realm in the past.”
Zhang Yu nodded slightly, thinking to himself, “As expected, Fu Xiantian’s lineage must have been planning to stir up trouble within the sect from the very beginning. With an Immortal’s protection… they naturally had ways to evade the Dharma Realm’s surveillance back then.”
As Immortal Slayer finished speaking, he lightly tapped his fingertip in the air, writing out a series of talismans.
“This is a specially crafted Dharma-Warding Talisman. Once activated, it can deceive the Dharma Realm for a period of time by feeding it simulated data, helping you hide the anomalies about you.”
Zhang Yu wasn’t surprised to see Immortal Slayer writing a talisman.
After all, the Dharma Realm was an evolution of the Spirit Realm, born from it.
Under the Dharma Realm’s dominion, the Spirit Realm hadn’t vanished; rather, it had become the foundation upon which the Dharma Realm operated. It was just that people were more accustomed to using the Dharma Realm directly instead of the Spirit Realm.
As for the Spirit Realm’s talismans, they could naturally still be used.
Listening to True Monarch Immortal Slayer’s explanation, Zhang Yu understood that the Dharma-Warding Talisman essentially gave him an extra layer of disguise. Under the Dharma Realm’s surveillance, he would appear to be using normal mental cultivation techniques, normal martial arts, and normal Daoist arts, rather than forbidden cultivation arts.
As for the specific mental cultivation techniques, martial arts, and Daoist arts that made up this disguise, Zhang Yu could fill them in himself.
Immortal Slayer explained, “You can cultivate some conventional cultivation arts and fill this layer of disguise with them. Then, after activating the Dharma-Warding Talisman, the Dharma Realm will perceive you as using those conventional arts.”
“But remember, the Dharma-Warding Talisman is just a data-based disguise. It’s effective against the Dharma Realm’s data surveillance, but it doesn’t provide absolute concealment. Don’t get careless in public…”
Zhang Yu understood. It was like a stealth fighter jet, it evaded radar, but it wasn’t visually invisible.
After Immortal Slayer finished his warning, Zhang Yu raised another question: “This Dharma-Warding Talisman isn’t outdated, is it?”
Zhang Yu worried that after Fu Xiantian’s group was taken down, this so-called Dharma-Warding Talisman might have become ineffective.
But True Monarch Immortal Slayer shook his head. “If it were the version we used before, it would probably be useless by now. But this one… seems to have been updated.”
He pointed to his own head and said, “Someone left this latest version of the Dharma-Warding Talisman in my death memories.”
“The purpose… was likely to deliver it to you.”
Zhang Yu’s heart stirred. “The Reincarnation Group?”
True Monarch Immortal Slayer continued, “This Dharma-Warding Talisman was most likely created by an Immortal. As long as it isn’t exposed, it should remain effective for at least three years.”
Hearing this, Zhang Yu thought to himself, “An Immortal? It seems Immortals from other sects are probably also secretly studying the loopholes in the Myriad Laws Sect’s Dharma Realm.”
True Monarch Immortal Slayer continued, “After three years, with the Dharma Realm’s next major update, this Dharma-Warding Talisman will likely become ineffective. You must remember this.”
“Secondly, never casually share this talisman with others. If you must… it has to be someone you absolutely trust.”
“Once this Dharma-Warding Talisman is leaked, the Dharma Realm will quickly update, rendering it useless.”
Zhang Yu asked, “With this… I should be able to hide my Immortal Spirit Root, right?”
Immortal Slayer replied, “As long as you don’t actively manifest the power of your Immortal Spirit Root in public, hiding it in daily life won’t be a problem.”
Gazing at the string of talismans before him, very likely a gift from the Reincarnation Group, Zhang Yu asked, “So what’s the price? What is it?”
“The faction that could leave this string of talismans in your memories must be the Reincarnation Group, right?”
“By giving me this, what do they want me to do?”
Immortal Slayer shook his head. “Nothing… They didn’t say they wanted you to do anything.”
Zhang Yu smiled. “For free?”
He knew in his heart that what’s free is often the most expensive.
The more help he accepted from the Reincarnation Group, the more leverage they would have over him, and the harder it would become for him to break away.
But Zhang Yu understood even more clearly that compared to the high-level entities like the sect, the Heavenly Court, and the Immortals, he currently held far too few bargaining chips. He had no right to negotiate terms.
Faced with this honeyed trap, regardless of the poison it might contain, he decided to swallow it whole and savor it as if it were sweet nectar.
Zhang Yu said, “Teach me. How do I use this talisman?”
Immortal Slayer paused, surprised. “You can’t understand it?”
He then paused again. “Right, you probably really can’t understand it…”
Zhang Yu snapped, “Cut the crap. Just teach me.”
In the days that followed, Zhang Yu’s daily routine expanded to include more time for communication and learning with Immortal Slayer.
Beyond that, he focused on various preparations for entering the sect.
In the laboratory, as the final design blueprint for a magical artifact was completed, Zhang Yu and Ye Xingli finally fulfilled all the requirements for advancing their Dao Seeds.
Gazing at the design blueprint for the stocking-like magical artifact, Ye Xingli momentarily fell into a trance. Countless pieces of artifact refinement knowledge surged through her mind, transforming into a flood of design diagrams that washed over her Sea of Consciousness.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu’s gaze fell upon the Feather Book, opened to the Dao Seed Register. The entry for “Spirit Resonance Artifact Heart” now glowed, indicating it had reached Level 2.
At Level 1, the Spirit Resonance Artifact Heart could burn Spirit Inspiration to merge two diagrams, creating a new Artifact Refinement Diagram.
However, this process was highly random. The resulting diagram could either be a refined masterpiece or a flawed combination of the worst elements.
Since Spirit Inspiration was finite and regenerated slowly over time, the output of merged diagrams was severely limited within any given period.
Now that the Spirit Resonance Artifact Heart had reached Level 2, Zhang Yu studied the Dao Seed Register for a moment and gained a clear understanding.
“Level 2 Spirit Resonance Artifact Heart allows me to choose the direction of the fusion,” Zhang Yu thought. “This way, the resulting diagrams will have a much higher chance of being useful and meeting the user’s needs.”
He then sensed the requirements for advancing the Spirit Resonance Artifact Heart to Level 3. “Complete ten Golden Core Stage magical artifact design blueprints with Senior Sister?” he mused.
“There’s only a little over half a month left. I might not make it in time… Still, I’ll give it my best shot,” Zhang Yu thought.
Inside the Meditation Chamber, Yu Xinghan’s Magic Power, aided by Zhang Yu, finally broke through 8,000 units.
In that instant, he felt the Third Eye in his mind tremble violently.
At the same time, a sharp pain shot from the center of his brow.
Unconsciously, a golden slit had appeared there.
But the next moment, the golden slit vanished from his brow, leaving no trace.
Beside him, Zhang Yu smiled as he looked at the Dao Seed Register, where the Third Eye Mystic Power now glowed at Level 4.
In the Research Association’s office, Bai Zhenzhen let out a soft grunt, enduring the pain of her True Spirit Root being extracted and the Feather Spirit Root being infused into her body.
Although she had been exchanging Spirit Roots with Zhang Yu almost daily, and her body had grown accustomed to the process, she still couldn’t help but tremble occasionally.
Today, however, Bai Zhenzhen sensed an unprecedented drive from Zhang Yu.
“Yu Zi seems especially excited and forceful today.”
Watching Zhang Yu cultivate frantically beside her, constantly circulating his martial arts, Bai Zhenzhen wondered, “Why is he pushing himself so hard?”
Zhang Yu stared at the Dao Seed Register in the Feather Book. He knew that to upgrade the 3rd-tier Azure Lotus Sword Embryo to the 4th-tier, it needed to be nourished by ten Level 40 cultivation arts.
He had already acquired many Level 40 cultivation arts some time ago but hadn’t found the time to specifically use them to nourish the Azure Lotus Sword Embryo.
Now, with only one week left before entering the sect, Zhang Yu had finally completed nourishing it with nine Level 40 cultivation arts.
Once he finished nourishing it with the final cultivation art today, he could elevate the Azure Lotus Sword Embryo to the 4th-tier.