Chapter 789: Great Sage!
The moment that surge of exhilarating pleasure erupted in her heart, Bu Yingshu felt a sense of foreboding.
“This is bad! So many clan elders are watching right now. How can I let them see me looking this utterly ecstatic?”
“If this makes them suspicious and they start investigating, they might change my current cultivation environment — like taking Zhang Yu away… What if that ends up hindering my talent’s growth?”
Though she didn’t know the exact reason, her time with Zhang Yu had made two things increasingly clear.
First, her Immortal Clan talent was unparalleled, so powerful that it sometimes frightened even her.
Second, this talent had lain dormant for years, like a pearl gathering dust, only to be gradually awakened through her recent collaboration with Zhang Yu in refining Immortal Dao Technology.
She wasn’t sure if Zhang Yu had played a decisive role, or if he had, how he had managed it.
She was even less certain if Zhang Yu himself knew what a terrifying Pandora’s Box he had opened.
But on one point, Bu Yingshu had already made up her mind.
Until she had pushed her Immortal Clan talent to its absolute limit, until she had fully exploited Zhang Yu’s usefulness, she must keep him firmly in her grasp. She would never tolerate him slipping from her hands.
“No, even after my Immortal Clan talent reaches its peak, I can’t let him go.”
Bu Yingshu thought to herself, “What if the secret leaks out then? It wouldn’t just be him, I’d be taken away for research too because of my enhanced talent. Plenty of people in the Immortal Clan are desperate to improve their own talents.”
Every time this thought crossed her mind, Bu Yingshu’s resolve hardened.
“I will keep Zhang Yu in my possession forever, making him my exclusive cultivation tool. No one else will ever lay a finger on him.”
So, at this moment, upon sensing the unusual state of her body and mind, Bu Yingshu dared not show the slightest hint of it, choosing instead to endure with all her might.
But the pleasure from her Dao Seed’s advancement to the 4th-tier was unprecedented, causing her to involuntarily let out soft moans whenever she tried to speak.
As a noble lady of the Immortal Clan, Bu Yingshu had never even had to hold her bladder as a child. When had she ever endured anything for so long? The more she suppressed it, the more a fiery frustration coiled in her stomach.
Fortunately, the sensation came and went quickly. Having finally endured it to the end, Bu Yingshu let out a sigh of relief. Then, filled with fiery frustration, she sped to the laboratory and kicked Zhang Yu.
Zhang Yu, bewildered by the kick, suppressed the urge to yawn as Fu Ji tried to placate him. He forced a smile and said, “Dao Monarch, did something go wrong?”
Seeing Zhang Yu’s innocent expression, Bu Yingshu felt most of her fiery frustration dissipate. She chuckled lightly. “Nothing. I just felt like kicking you. Does this Dao Monarch need a reason to kick a mere Lower Cultivator like you?”
“You’re the boss…” Zhang Yu cursed inwardly. “Don’t you know that even if an Immortal tried to step on me, I’d push back?”
Fu Ji consoled him, “Well, she did pay you, Zhang Yu. She just gave you 10,000 Immortal Coins earlier.”
Bu Yingshu continued, “As for how things are going? They’re smoother than ever, of course.” “After all, when this Dao Monarch takes action, success is guaranteed, isn’t it?”
Bu Yingshu smiled smugly, her expression shifting to one of haughty pride. “When I reported my recent progress, the clan elders were overjoyed. They all expressed their approval and agreed to increase their support.”
“Heh heh, Little Yu, you probably don’t know this, but while the Blood Tide Essence Qi Sacred Contemplation is powerful, what’s even more formidable is the series of subsequent technologies it represents.”
“For various reasons, this series of technologies has been secretly obstructed by certain people, preventing it from flourishing and generating profit in Kunxu.”
“If the Blood Tide Essence Qi Sacred Contemplation succeeds this time, it will pave the way for more of these Immortal Dao Technologies to be unearthed, representing a massive market.”
“And I will be the creator of that market…”
Hearing Bu Yingshu’s words, Zhang Yu’s mind stirred. He thought of the series of Great Sage’s Heir cultivation arts he had obtained.
“Could it be related to the Great Sage’s Heir black arts? Are Bu Yingshu and her backers trying to reactivate all these forbidden techniques?”
Unable to confirm his suspicions, Zhang Yu could only probe Bu Yingshu cautiously. “Dao Monarch, I wonder what kind of Immortal Dao Technologies could be so powerful?”
“Hmph, you wouldn’t understand even if I told you,” Bu Yingshu retorted with a dismissive pout. “In any case, from now on, just follow me obediently and don’t get any improper ideas. I won’t treat you unfairly.”
Zhang Yu pressed further, “But it seems the Edict Pavilion doesn’t approve of the Blood Tide Essence Qi Sacred Contemplation.”
“The Edict Pavilion…” Bu Yingshu said coolly. “Isn’t the Edict Pavilion on the Myriad Laws Sect’s territory? Isn’t it under the sect’s jurisdiction?”
“Hmph, some people grow strong using the sect’s resources, act as stewards for too long, and start thinking they’re the masters.”
Bu Yingshu waved her hand dismissively. “Ignore them. Just continue working with me to refine the technologies from the Blood Tide Essence Qi Sacred Contemplation.”
So, Zhang Yu once again joined Bu Yingshu in studying the main text of the Blood Tide Essence Qi Sacred Contemplation, attempting to extract the second Immortal Dao Technology through experimentation.
During this process, Bu Yingshu was naturally the main force. After all, her Void Refinement Realm cultivation and her comprehension abilities, enhanced by the Myriad Laws Immortal Clan Dao Seed, far surpassed Zhang Yu’s.
Unable to practice the Blood Tide Essence Qi Sacred Contemplation himself, Zhang Yu could only follow Bu Yingshu’s lead, diligently working to upgrade his Myriad Laws Immortal Clan Dao Seed.
During this time, Zhang Yu also tried questioning the Desolate Ox in his mind, hoping to get more information about the Blood Tide Essence Qi Sacred Contemplation.
Unfortunately, no matter how many times he asked, the Desolate Ox only provided the same information about the Blood Tide Essence Qi Sacred Contemplation as before.
Immortal Slayer speculated, “Based on the current situation, it seems you can only obtain detailed technical information after comprehending each Great Sage’s Intent.”
Zhang Yu glanced at the intensely focused Bu Yingshu and muttered, “I’ll just have to wait for her to refine it faster.”
He then asked Immortal Slayer, “What do you think about her plan to promote the series of technologies behind the Blood Tide Essence Qi Sacred Contemplation?”
Immortal Slayer replied, “If it’s truly related to the Great Sage, the target is likely the monsterfolk. A faction within the Immortal Clan, or perhaps the Myriad Laws Sect’s upper echelons, might want to introduce more monsterfolk into the sect to bolster its strength.”
“It’s like the catfish effect, introducing the ‘catfish’ of monsterfolk to create competition between humans and monsters, thereby enhancing the Myriad Laws Sect’s overall competitiveness.”
“Similar initiatives were already being quietly pushed when I left, though the progress was slow.”
“After all, factions like the Innate Dao Lineages would never tolerate a large influx of monsterfolk into the Myriad Laws Sect.”
“Now, with the Regularization of the Sect Examination in the Lower Realm, it’s not impossible that they might consider increasing the proportion of monsterfolk.”
“Especially… if the Immortal Dao Technologies related to monsterfolk are also promoted, then monsterfolk would become highly sought-after talents for the sect.”
Zhang Yu nodded slightly upon hearing this, his mind drifting to the memory fragments he had obtained from the Great Sage’s Intent.
“The monsterfolk of Kunxu were once enslaved by the major sects, treated as mere tools, weren’t they?”
“What happened to cause them to be ostracized, no longer widely used by the major sects, and instead gathered in the Celestial Monster Sect?”
Several more days passed in the blink of an eye. This time, Bu Yingshu advanced with unstoppable momentum, successfully refining the second Immortal Dao Technology from the Blood Tide Essence Qi Sacred Contemplation and replicating it in the laboratory.
Feeling the exhilarating rush sweep through her mind, Bu Yingshu took a deep breath, a look of deep satisfaction on her face.
Zhang Yu, however, felt a flicker of surprise. “Did she not encounter any difficulties?”
He found an opportunity to switch to the Great Sage Researcher Chain Formation Diagram but felt no resonance from any Great Sage’s Intent.
“No Great Sage’s Intent appeared either.”
Zhang Yu thought, “Could our judgment be wrong? Can a single cultivation art only trigger the Great Sage’s Intent once?”
Unable to be certain, Zhang Yu could only continue to wait for another opportunity.
Several more days passed. As the third Immortal Dao Technology was refined, Zhang Yu watched the Dao Seed progress for the [Myriad Laws Immortal Clan] on his Feather Book reach 3/10.
But unlike the excited and jubilant Bu Yingshu, Zhang Yu still felt no presence of the Great Sage’s Intent.
Just as he was lamenting the missed opportunity, believing that an Immortal Sect Technique could only trigger the Great Sage’s Intent once, Bu Yingshu hit another bottleneck while refining the fourth Immortal Dao Technology. She struggled to replicate it in the laboratory.
Not far from the increasingly frustrated Bu Yingshu, Zhang Yu, who had switched to the Great Sage Researcher Chain Formation Diagram, gradually began to feel the call from the depths of the Spirit Realm.
In the next moment, an intent pierced through the Spirit Realm seals surrounding the Edict Pavilion and drilled into Zhang Yu’s Sea of Consciousness.
Simultaneously, the light and shadows before Zhang Yu’s eyes shifted rapidly. He seemed to once again see the bottomless Spirit Realm, filled with pairs of colossal, towering eyes that propped up the heavens and stood upon the earth.
This time, Zhang Yu, once again concealed by the Great Sage Researcher, evaded the gaze of the colossal eyes and sank into a patch of darkness within the Spirit Realm.
In the next instant, a massive amount of information erupted from that wisp of Great Sage’s Intent, as if carrying Zhang Yu’s consciousness through time and space into the annals of history.
While Zhang Yu’s consciousness was immersed in the Great Sage’s Intent…
…the pairs of eyes in the depths of the Spirit Realm pierced through the layers of Kunxu, their gazes locking directly onto the Eleventh Layer.
“He’s on the Eleventh Layer.”
“This Great Sage’s Heir… he must be on the Eleventh Layer.”
“Lock down the Eleventh Layer. Wait for him to appear again.”
“He won’t be able to resist.”
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu felt as if he had once again become the Desolate Ox, returning to that very moment, the moment he was trampled under the foot of a lofty Immortal.
Boom!
The Desolate Ox, having just straightened its back, felt an immense force crash down upon it, forcing its body to bend once more.
“Say it. Say you are nothing but beastly scum.”
“Say it. Say you deserve to be nothing more than fertilizer for the world.”
“Say it. Say you were born to be trampled underfoot, to be as worthless as dust.”
As the Immortal spoke, the Desolate Ox felt a surging rage erupt within its heart like a boiling volcano. Yet, the more this fury burned, the more it transformed into a shackling force, growing stronger and stronger, restraining it completely.
At the same time, a gentle voice rose from the deepest recesses of the Desolate Ox’s heart.
“Humans are our best friends. Do not resist, do not feel pain. Serve humanity with all your heart and soul.”
This was the iron law etched into the deepest part of the Desolate Ox’s Sea of Consciousness, an innate principle originating from the Desolate Oxen’ common mother, the being known as the First Monster Saint.
This Immortal-Made Monster was incapable of rebellion or pain, existing only to serve humanity wholeheartedly. She was not only the mother of countless Desolate Oxen but also the progenitor of all other monsterfolk.
In her heart and the hearts of the monsterfolk she birthed, serving humans was the primary duty, with Immortals holding the highest priority.
Faced with the Immortal before it, the Desolate Ox instinctively wanted to obey his commands.
The Desolate Ox tried to stop its body’s movements.
But this resistance only intensified the indignation and fury fueled by countless vengeful souls within its heart, further strengthening the force that shackled it.
With a soft chuckle, the Immortal said, “That’s right. Maintain this state, and remember what I told you.”
“Now get back to work.”
With a soft thump, the Immortal brutally stomped the Desolate Ox’s entire body from the clouds, sending it plummeting toward the earth.
The raging fire in the hearts of all Desolate Oxen was completely suppressed. This fury, now fuel, transformed into pure motive force, driving them back to their work posts.
In the days that followed, the figures of Desolate Oxen spread across the world, relentlessly advancing the plan to reshape the planet.
To construct the divine mountains, immortal pools, flying palaces, and cloud pavilions demanded by the Immortals, more and more Immortal Dao Technology was applied to the Desolate Oxen’ bodies.
To adapt to various harsh environments, their flesh could undergo countless transformations, resisting extreme climates.
To complete highly difficult tasks, they could regenerate from a single drop of blood, becoming nearly immortal and indestructible, their incarnations endless…
Meanwhile, ever-increasing rage gathered in the Desolate Oxen’ hearts. As Immortal Dao Technology continued to advance, it not only made the Desolate Oxen stronger but also expanded the coverage of the consciousness network known as the Soul Abyss Realm.
Although it couldn’t yet directly transfer the souls of cultivators like the future Spirit Realm, at some unknown point, the Desolate Oxen no longer needed to eat. As long as they were under the coverage of the Soul Abyss Realm, the souls of all mortals who hadn’t practiced Immortal Cultivation… after death, their souls would be directly drawn into the Desolate Oxen’ consciousness network, like pieces of kindling, adding new sparks of rage and motive force.
Countless Vengeful Souls burned within the Desolate Oxen’ minds. Their memories, pasts, and obsessions were incinerated until nothing remained but pure, unadulterated fury.
Just as the Desolate Oxen thought they would burn with this rage until the end of the world, tiny cracks appeared in the still-unfinished Heaven Realm.
The firmament was shattered by an unknown force, and a gentle voice echoed in the minds of all monsterfolk. The voice of the First Monster Saint.
No one knew who had broken the firmament, nor who had enabled the First Monster Saint to broadcast this message to all monsterfolk across the world.
“Humans are our best friends. Serve humanity with all your heart and help those most in need.”
The words, similar yet subtly different from the past, echoed in the Desolate Oxen’ minds.
At that moment, the Desolate Oxen felt the power that had long suppressed them begin to loosen.
One after another, the Desolate Oxen threw back their heads and roared, unleashing the fury they had suppressed for far too long.
Simultaneously, the souls of dying mortals continued to pour into the Desolate Oxen’ minds through the Soul Abyss Realm, adding new cries to the chorus.
“I want revenge…”
“I want to protect…”
“I can’t accept this…”
Tens of thousands of voices screamed within the Desolate Oxen’ hearts.
For the first time, the Desolate Oxen seemed to have thoughts of their own.
“I want… to help them.”
“I want to extinguish this inferno of rage in my heart.”
At that moment, the Desolate Oxen and the countless voices within them roared as one: “We… we want to create a world where mortals can live and work in peace!”
The next instant, the hundreds of millions of Desolate Oxen across the world sprang into action.
In the slaughterhouses, Desolate Oxen descended from the sky.
The cultivators who had just been slaughtering mortals screamed in terror, “Vile beasts! Stop at once!”
But the cultivators’ screams, their roars, their fury, their fear, compared to the voices the Desolate Oxen had heard and felt all this time, were so… insignificant.
Like foam on the vast ocean, they were swallowed by the waves in an instant.
“You…” a Desolate Ox said calmly. “Compared to their voices, yours are far too small.”
At this moment, in the Desolate Ox Great Sage’s Sea of Consciousness, the ones he wanted to help were no longer the high-level cultivators or the aloof Immortals. Instead, he heard the broader, more furious, more defiant voices of the masses.
Boom!
One by one, the cultivators who had been slaughtering mortals were now brutally crushed by the Desolate Oxen under the watchful eyes of countless mortals.
“Dad!” a young girl cried out, looking at one of the Desolate Oxen. She seemed to see a familiar figure in its eyes, but the image vanished in a flash.
From that day forward, the legend of the Desolate Ox Great Sage began to spread.
More and more mortals began to realize that the ubiquitous, ever-silent Desolate Oxen were the heroes who saved them.
Some said their deceased ancestors and loved ones had been reincarnated as Desolate Oxen to protect them.
Others claimed that monsters had rebelled against the Immortals to protect mortals.
Still others whispered that when you were at your wit’s end, when all hope was lost, when you died, the Desolate Ox Great Sage would fulfill your deepest wish.
As a result, the number of suicides among mortals began to rise.
The various rumors about the Desolate Ox Great Sage were quickly suppressed by the sects. Then, mortals suddenly discovered that the original slaughter had ceased.
Meanwhile, the Desolate Ox Great Sage’s combat prowess grew by leaps and bounds during his battles with the sects.
As he crushed cultivator after cultivator, their souls were also drawn into the Soul Abyss Realm, becoming part of him.
With the minds of thousands of cultivators converging in his consciousness, he began to master the martial arts and daoist arts of various sects. He started to understand the thoughts of cultivators and the intentions of the sects.
As the cultivators’ thoughts grew more numerous in his mind, a kind of “understanding” was born within the Desolate Ox Great Sage.
“Im… mor… tals…”
The Desolate Ox Great Sage raised his head, looking toward the Heaven Realm.
“The root of everything, all the rage, all the resentment… it all stems from you, from you, the most selfish and self-serving beings in this world.”
Just then, a voice called out from behind him.
“Desolate Ox Great Sage!”
The Great Sage turned to see row upon row of his companions, monsterfolk and humans alike, standing silently behind him, their eyes fixed on him.
As the Desolate Ox Great Sage turned to face them, they all smiled, their expressions filled with unwavering trust.
Someone said, “It seems the Heaven Realm above is still in chaos. That must be why they’ve let us cause trouble for so long.”
Another added, “But they’ve finally come.”
In an instant, the heavens roiled. A figure stepped out of the void, surrounded on all sides by countless beings radiating divine light and wreathed in immortal clouds.
The figure looked down at the Desolate Ox Great Sage and chuckled softly. “Beast scum, long time no see.”
The sight of this familiar figure brought back the memory of being stomped down from the Heaven Realm by this very Immortal.
Rage surged from the depths of the Desolate Ox Great Sage’s heart, but he no longer acted on impulse. “Immortal!” the Great Sage said, staring at his foe. “Today, it’s your turn to fall into the dust.” With no further words, the two clashed.
A billion Desolate Oxen formed a black torrent, sweeping toward the Immortal in the sky. The Great Sage effortlessly unleashed martial arts and Daoist arts from countless sects, unleashing terrifying power that could seize the sun and moon and overturn the universe.
Yet, under the Immortal’s assault, he remained at a disadvantage.
Especially when the Immortal deployed an Immortal Artifact, the overwhelming pressure descended from the heavens, crushing the Desolate Ox Great Sage and forcing him to retreat step by step.
Just as the Great Sage’s bodies began to explode one by one, a giant dragon charged forward. “Great Sage, devour me!”
“Quickly!”
Amid a spray of blood, the dragon vanished. The Desolate Ox Great Sage’s body began to swell once more, his power pushed to even greater heights. His every move now carried the divine powers of the Dragon Race.
“Great Sage, devour me too.”
“And me.”
“Let’s drag the Immortal down together…”
As his companions, both human and monster, were devoured one by one by the Desolate Oxen, the Desolate Ox Great Sage’s power grew ever stronger. The martial arts and Daoist arts he unleashed soared to new heights.
Even the Tribulation Clouds were shattered in an instant.
His Cultivation Realm broke through in a single moment.
Amid another thunderous roar, the Immortal glanced at the drop of blood on his fingertip and said calmly, “So in the end, you still devoured them all. What’s different from before?”
The Desolate Ox Great Sage replied softly, “It’s different. They… live on in my heart.”
“Ha…” The Immortal chuckled. “I’m getting tired of this game. Let’s end it.”
The next moment, a colossal foot descended, threatening to stomp the entire Human Realm flat, grinding it to dust.
Facing the giant foot that fell from the sky like the firmament itself, the Desolate Ox Great Sage murmured, “Humans… are our best friends.”
At that moment, a flicker of hesitation crossed the Desolate Ox Great Sage’s face.
He sensed that a momentous choice now lay before him.
“I must pass this trial…”
A strange thought flashed through his mind.
The next instant, the Desolate Ox Great Sage roared, “Come out! Do what you must!”
In the following moment, countless faces erupted from the bodies of every Desolate Ox, transforming into streams of figures that shot outward.
A dense mass of human silhouettes, radiating an aura similar to the Desolate Ox Great Sage’s, instantly covered the entire land, all turning their gazes toward the firmament.
Among them were the mortals the Great Sage had once devoured, the companions who had just fought alongside him, the Cultivators he had consumed in the past, and…
The young girl who had once bid farewell to the Desolate Ox Great Sage now stood by his side.
She looked up at the sky and declared with unwavering resolve, “Desolate Ox, together… we will completely remake this world.”