Chapter 839: Leader, Stop Tanking! We’re Scared!
With another step, Zhang Yu entered the 300-meter radius surrounding the World-Forging Furnace.
At this moment, his vision was filled with overlapping layers of scorching flames.
Under the intense heat, the surrounding earth, rock formations, and even the air seemed to transform into a magnificent, swirling mist. Churning, roiling, and exploding with the furnace’s power, it resembled a tempest on a sea of liquid fire.
Zhang Yu knew that this ultra-high-temperature material flow, formed by the continuous condensation and combustion of various substances by magical flames, was classified in Kunxu as one of the 36 Heavenly Gang Qi, known as Supreme Yang Qi.
To him, it resembled what Earth called plasma, yet it was fundamentally different due to the infusion of Kunxu’s Immortal Dao elements.
The 300-meter zone around the World-Forging Furnace was completely enveloped by layer upon layer of this Supreme Yang Qi.
Anything caught within — be it ordinary rock, magical artifacts, or equipment — would be incinerated by the extreme magical flames and become part of the Supreme Yang Qi itself.
Zhang Yu knew that if it weren’t for the World-Forging Furnace’s inherent formation array, akin to a binding force field, which tightly confined the Supreme Yang Qi within this 300-meter radius and prevented its spread… the resulting earthquakes, volcanoes, and calamities would have engulfed the entire Minor Realm.
Now, as Zhang Yu personally stepped into this 300-meter zone, he felt his flesh and blood rapidly disintegrating, as if he were moments away from being converted into a part of the Supreme Yang Qi.
But in the face of this destruction, his flesh, his Mystic Powers, his magic power, and all his abilities quickly responded…
Meanwhile, Tu Mu and the others were desperately trying to monitor Zhang Yu’s condition.
Under the combined observation of over a dozen Spirit Transformation Cultivators, various cultivation arts, Bionics, and magical artifacts were deployed.
Through the Spirit Realm, they gathered all detectable data, combining, displaying, summarizing, and calculating it, then repeatedly calibrating their methods.
After repeatedly adjusting their coordination, they finally stabilized their readings and began accurately acquiring data just as Zhang Yu stepped into the Supreme Yang Qi’s range.
“Based on various thermal reactions, Zhang Yu’s surface temperature has reached 50 million degrees, and his physical body’s vital energy integrity is around 68%.”
“According to the magic power radiation index, he still has about 110,000 units of magic power.”
“He’s continuing to advance deeper into the Supreme Yang Qi zone. His surface temperature is rising rapidly, and his vital energy integrity is plummeting.”
“50 million degrees… 55 million… 60 million!”
Meanwhile, watching Zhang Yu’s rapidly deteriorating physical state, Tu Mu unconsciously felt a surge of tension.
“Physical body’s vital energy integrity: 50%… 41%… 34%… 32%… Wait, the decline is slowing down?! His resistance to the Supreme Yang Qi is continuously increasing.”
Because the initial and ultimate effects of the Civil Engineering Sacred Body’s Chain Formation Diagram had no cultivation realm restrictions, it remained effective even at the Spirit Transformation Realm.
Under the 100% effect of the Civil Engineering Sacred Body, the more Zhang Yu’s physical body was damaged, the more it strengthened his resistance to tremors, toxins, noise, pressure, radiation, pollution, high temperatures, impacts, slashes, and punctures.
The ultimate effect of the Civil Engineering Sacred Body meant that the more severe Zhang Yu’s injuries became, the more his resistance abilities strengthened, creating a state where the closer he came to death, the harder he was to kill.
Furthermore, his physical mystic power, the Formless Freedom Body, granted him immense resistance boosts against similar attacks encountered in a short period.
Previously, as Zhang Yu advanced, the Formless Freedom Body had continuously enhanced his resistance to magic power flames. Now, upon plunging into the Supreme Yang Qi, it reacted even more intensely.
From this moment on, under the assault of the Supreme Yang Qi, Zhang Yu’s body’s resistance experienced another explosive surge.
This caused the rate of his physical body’s deterioration to slow down dramatically.
Director Zhao of the Land Management Bureau exclaimed in awe, “To withstand the Supreme Yang Qi head-on for so long with a Spirit Transformation Body… Is this the power of an Immortal Legacy? At this rate, Vice President Zhang could probably soak in there for several more minutes without issue.”
However, if this were all, he might eventually be worn down and killed by the seemingly endless Supreme Yang Qi.
Tu Mu and the others conducting the observations reached a similar conclusion.
But soon… as they continued to monitor Zhang Yu’s changing data, Tu Mu and Director Zheng realized they were wrong, utterly and completely wrong.
“Surface temperature exceeds 80 million degrees.”
Tu Mu exclaimed in astonishment, “Vital Energy Integrity at 25%… 26%… 27%? Vice President Zhang’s physical body is recovering!”
Although the speed was somewhat slow, after repeatedly calibrating the data, everyone could confirm… Zhang Yu’s physical body was regenerating! Under the assault of 80 million-degree Supreme Yang Qi… he was initiating self-healing!
At this very moment, an extremely violent reaction was occurring inside Zhang Yu’s body.
When his Feather Spirit Root had reached level 4, Zhang Yu had gained the ability to absorb a portion of incoming attacks to heal his injuries.
Now, with the Feather True Spirit Root integrated, this absorption ratio had skyrocketed to 50%. Nearly half of the surging Supreme Yang Qi was directly absorbed and converted into an endless, life-sustaining force, accelerating the recovery of his wounds.
Simultaneously, the level 50 Crippled Ox Body-Sacrifice Heart Art began to operate fiercely. Zhang Yu’s flesh and blood seemed to gain a will of their own, writhing and regenerating madly, sealing wounds and regrowing vaporized tissue.
The level 50 Blood Tide Essence Qi Sacred Contemplation also began to operate, transforming his vital points and critical areas into flames, further enhancing his resistance and regenerative abilities.
But maintaining all this required the expenditure of magic power, relying entirely on Zhang Yu’s reserves.
Thus, in the observations of Tu Mu and the others, Zhang Yu’s Physical Body Vital Energy Integrity steadily rose, while his magic power began to plummet.
“Based on the Magic Power Radiation Index, Vice President Zhang’s internal magic power has rapidly dropped from 110,000 to 50,000.”
“The Vice President should be coming out soon. Everyone, prepare to receive him.”
But in the next moment, the observers watched as Zhang Yu’s magic power began to rise again.
“Magic power restored to 150,000?”
“Vital Energy Integrity has dropped again!”
Simultaneously, Zhang Yu activated the Chain Formation Diagram effect of Qi Meridian Everflow, instantly converting a large amount of his vital energy into magic power.
As his vital energy decreased, Zhang Yu’s resistance surged once more, and the efficiency of his regeneration also increased.
Once his physical body had recovered to a certain extent, Zhang Yu once again converted a large amount of vital energy into magic power.
In the observations of Tu Mu and the other Spirit Transformation Cultivators, they saw Zhang Yu’s stats fluctuating wildly.
Aside from his surface temperature continuously rising, breaking through 100 million degrees, his magic power and physical body data were constantly shifting up and down.
Someone exclaimed in awe, “How is he doing this? His physical body is regenerating at high speed, and his magic power is also recovering at high speed?”
Director Zhao of the Land Management Bureau was one of the most influential Spirit Transformation Cultivators present, possessing top-tier assets, magical artifacts, and Bionics.
Director Zhao analyzed, “Vice President Zhang’s physical body strength seems to increase as his physical condition deteriorates.”
“Additionally, he possesses extremely strong regenerative abilities and possibly some method of converting flesh and blood into magic power.”
“The combination of these three factors allows him to withstand the direct assault of the Supreme Yang Qi from the Void Refinement Power-level World-Forging Furnace. The more his physical body is destroyed, the stronger it becomes, even increasing the efficiency of his regeneration. He can even use the regenerated flesh to restore his magic power…”
Hearing this, the surrounding Spirit Transformation Cultivators looked at Zhang Yu with completely different expressions.
“The more you hit him, the tougher he gets? Automatic health regeneration? And excess blood can even restore magic power? How much money… how many resources were poured into creating this broken… no, wait, this top-tier power combination?”
Tu Mu, standing nearby, added, “There’s more. Haven’t you noticed that Vice President Zhang hasn’t taken a single step back this entire time?”
The others were momentarily stunned. They quickly replayed the recent events in their minds and realized it was true.
Tu Mu analyzed, “Logically, even if Vice President Zhang could withstand the assault of the World-Forging Furnace, the continuous explosions and sweeping force of the Supreme Yang Qi should be something he can’t match.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. It would be utterly absurd if Zhang Yu could match the raw power of a Void Refinement-level World-Forging Furnace.
Tu Mu continued his analysis, “Therefore, he must have another ability that allows him to remain completely motionless, unyielding even against a Void Refinement-level impact.”
Although the Spirit Transformation Cultivators present were amazed and shocked by Zhang Yu’s display of power, after a moment of reflection, they quickly accepted it.
Director Zhao of the Land Management Bureau thought with envy, “After all, it’s an Immortal Legacy. It’s only been so long… and he’s already grown to this extent.”
Tu Mu, nearby, also sighed inwardly, “How magnificent, the Immortal Legacy.”
In his view, Zhang Yu’s incredible performance was, of course, due to the Immortal Legacy. What else could it be? It couldn’t possibly be that Zhang Yu had trained himself up from the First Layer of Kunxu step by step, right? That would be more fantastical than an Immortal’s tale.
Under the watchful eyes of the numerous Spirit Transformation Cultivators, Zhang Yu advanced step by step until he stood directly before the World-Forging Furnace.
At this moment, his body was a mangled wreck. Under the relentless assault of the Supreme Yang Qi, his flesh and blood continuously disintegrated into incandescent high-temperature particles, erupting from his body like a star constantly radiating light.
In the next instant, he thrust out his hands, seizing the World-Forging Furnace before him.
As Zhang Yu made this move, the World-Forging Furnace seemed to be stimulated once again. The force field, which had originally expanded to 300 meters, abruptly contracted, and countless streams of Supreme Yang Qi converged on Zhang Yu.
From the Spirit Transformation Cultivators’ perspective, Zhang Yu’s Physical Body Vitality Integrity, which had been hovering around 20%, plummeted by 8% in an instant. He became a faint human silhouette, like a wisp of smoke about to dissipate at any moment.
Just as Tu Mu and the others began to worry that Zhang Yu was in grave danger, severely injured, or even unconscious… a message from him finally appeared in their minds.
Vice President Zhang: “The World-Forging Furnace has now focused its main attention on me. Come and help me suppress it.”
Although Zhang Yu could withstand the World-Forging Furnace’s attacks head-on, he clearly couldn’t suppress this corpse component alone.
His bold charge, single-handedly blocking the World-Forging Furnace, had instilled confidence in the other Spirit Transformation Cultivators, giving them a glimmer of hope in suppressing the Void Refinement Corpse Components.
Beams of divine light shot out as the Spirit Transformation Cultivators unleashed their techniques, converging on the World-Forging Furnace to suppress it.
Zhang Yu reminded them, “Don’t use overly destructive powers! We need to suppress it, not destroy its main body. Focus on cooling it down!”
Provoked by the Spirit Transformation Cultivators, the World-Forging Furnace let out a roar. Torrents of earth-shattering Supreme Yang Qi erupted from it, sweeping violently toward all the surrounding cultivators.
Just as the Spirit Transformation Cultivators were about to dodge or retreat, Zhang Yu pressed his palms together and let out a thunderous shout.
In the next instant, space abruptly distorted. Darkness flashed and vanished, and the ferocious Supreme Yang Qi instantly converged before Zhang Yu, pouring entirely towards his body.
If Zhang Yu had faced such a violent blow from the start, he would likely have been completely evaporated on the spot.
But now, having steadily advanced to the World-Forging Furnace’s front and undergone a series of buffs and enhancements, even this attack could no longer kill him.
Vital Energy: 5%. The closer to death, the harder to kill!
As his flesh and blood continuously evaporated, Zhang Yu said calmly, “Continue.”
“Don’t be afraid. I’ll take all of the World-Forging Furnace’s attacks from now on. Just focus on suppressing it.”
Simultaneously, within a thousand-meter radius around Zhang Yu, the Grotto-Heavens partially manifested several times. Inside, nearly ten Spirit Transformation-level Berserk Corpse Components attacked in unison, unleashing their power to suppress the World-Forging Furnace from a distance.
The Spirit Transformation Cultivators were all stunned by Zhang Yu’s words.
“A leader… taking hits for his subordinates?”
Whether it was Tu Mu, Director Zhao of the Land Management Bureau, or any of the other Spirit Transformation Cultivators present, they all stared at the scene with utter disbelief. They were even more astonished than when they had seen Zhang Yu single-handedly withstand the World-Forging Furnace’s attacks.
After all, while it was rare for a Spirit Transformation Cultivator to resist a Void Refinement-level Corpse Component like the World-Forging Furnace, it wasn’t entirely unimaginable.
Powerful inheritances like Zhang Yu’s Immortal Legacy, or certain potent magical artifacts and Bionics, could enable them to achieve such a feat.
But Zhang Yu continuously tanking damage for them was truly terrifying.
“How is this possible? Why would a leader willingly bear the brunt of the harm?”
Someone silently wondered, “Could it be… that absorbing the World-Forging Furnace’s attacks provides some kind of benefit?”
No one believed Vice President Zhang was acting out of pure self-sacrifice. Everyone was trying to figure out what he stood to gain.
Soon, one Spirit Transformation Cultivator even deliberately absorbed a wisp of Supreme Yang Qi to see if there was any profit to be made, which made Zhang Yu laugh in exasperation.
Seeing that the Supreme Yang Qi offered no benefits, some began to suspect a trap, wondering if Zhang Yu was trying to screw them over.
The more proactively Zhang Yu tanked the damage, the more terrified they became, fearing he was setting them up for a trap. It was as if they wanted to scream, “Leader, stop tanking! You’re scaring us!”
After all, the situation was too bizarre, so bizarre that the Spirit Transformation Cultivators found it incomprehensible.
But as the waves of Supreme Yang Qi crashed down, they watched Zhang Yu repeatedly absorb all the damage. They saw his recovery rate steadily decline, his restored magic power dwindle, and his condition plummet. Yet, he still refused to retreat a single step. Gradually, a flicker of understanding appeared in their eyes.
“Vice President Zhang has gone mad,” Tu Mu thought grimly. “The World-Forging Furnace can burn the Divine Soul and corrupt the Dao Heart. I think Vice President Zhang’s mind has been clouded by the magical flames, and he’s lost his sanity!”
Regardless of their inner thoughts, with Zhang Yu actively blocking all the World-Forging Furnace’s attacks, the Spirit Transformation Cultivators unleashed their Daoist Arts and martial techniques without reservation.
Under the combined suppression of over a dozen Spirit Transformation Sect Staff and nearly ten Spirit Transformation Corpse Components, the once-blazing flames of the World-Forging Furnace gradually dimmed.
Inside the Immortal Grotto-Heaven, Magnetic Pole and Nether Spring, who had been observing and continuously assisting with the maintenance of the Spirit Transformation Corpse Components, simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief. “It should be fine now.”
Another hour passed. The flames of the World-Forging Furnace grew even dimmer, allowing everyone to clearly see its internal structure.
Tu Mu and the other Spirit Transformation Cultivators relaxed their guard, believing they would soon completely suppress the Void Refinement Corpse Components.
But just as everyone thought the plan to capture the Void Refinement Corpse Components was about to succeed, a beam of divine light flashed across the sky.
Although the labyrinth’s spatial structure had not fully recovered, Zhang Yu’s control had already restored its overall connection to the Spirit Realm. This was the same reason the Righteous Gods had been able to descend directly onto the scene earlier.
At this moment, Xie Lanyin — Vice President of the Management Committee, a Rank 6 Sect Staff, and a Void Refinement Realm cultivator — crossed the Spirit Realm and descended as a projection.
As Xie Lanyin’s projection landed on the battlefield, a terrifying aura erupted from within it.
The cultivators present reacted like startled cats, their magic power surging as they all turned their attention toward the source of the terrifying aura.
They watched as Xie Lanyin’s projection stepped forward, strands of Primordial Spirit power gathering at her fingertips.
Tu Mu’s heart leaped in shock as he witnessed this. “Vice President Xie… sent down a Void Refinement-level Primordial Spirit power?”
Tu Mu understood that after undergoing the Tenth Divine Light Transformation, the Primordial Spirit would undergo a qualitative change. For instance, at the Fifth Divine Light Transformation, the Primordial Spirit could enter the Spirit Realm and use it for instantaneous teleportation.
After the Ninth Divine Light Transformation, the Primordial Spirit could even use the Spirit Realm to transmit its power directly across vast distances.
At this moment, Xie Lanyin was doing just that. Although her True Body couldn’t descend, she used the Spirit Realm to send down a Void Refinement-level Primordial Spirit power.
Zhang Yu stared at Xie Lanyin’s projection, thinking, “This woman… would she really abandon her own tasks and sacrifice her own gains just to spitefully sabotage me? This isn’t the typical mindset of a Kunxu person. Someone must be pulling her strings.”
Zhang Yu knew that the current struggles within the Management Committee were essentially a proxy war for higher-level conflicts.
And for this… he was not unprepared.
The next moment, everyone heard Xie Lanyin’s faint smile as her message appeared in their Spirit Realm vision.
“Vice President Zhang, I heard you were gravely injured and on the brink of death. So I’ve set aside my own assets to descend with a portion of my power to help you.”
“No need to thank me.”
In the eyes of the onlookers, Zhang Yu now appeared as a fiercely burning humanoid blood mist, so thoroughly scoured by Supreme Yang Qi that his original form was almost unrecognizable. Only his incredibly resolute, brilliantly shining eyes showed any sign of life.
If the numerous cultivators hadn’t just witnessed him fighting vigorously moments ago, they would have assumed he was already on the verge of death.
The next moment, everyone saw Xie Lanyin’s projection point a finger toward the World-Forging Furnace.
As her finger descended, it lacked the furnace’s explosive momentum, yet the destructive aura it contained sent a deeper chill through the cultivators present.
Although the power Xie Lanyin had sent down was far less in “quantity” than the World-Forging Furnace at its peak, her cultivation art’s refined control meant this single burst of Primordial Spirit power would likely be more than ten times stronger than the furnace’s.
This was the difference between a Void Refinement-level corpse component and a true Void Refinement Cultivator.
The combined power unleashed by all the Spirit Transformation Cultivators in their recent battle probably wouldn’t even match the destructive force about to be unleashed by that single finger.
The already dimming World-Forging Furnace seemed to tremble violently under this finger, emitting a primal, instinctual fear of death.
As the fingertip drew closer, hairline cracks appeared on the furnace’s surface, as if it would shatter into pieces at any moment.
Watching this scene, Tu Mu thought to himself, “So this is Void Refinement… This is the true, immense power of a Void Refinement Cultivator.”
In the cultivators’ perception, Xie Lanyin’s remote finger strike would heavily damage the entire World-Forging Furnace, destroying its main structure and reducing it to scrap.
In terms of value, it would go from being second-hand goods to worthless junk, its price plummeting by more than a hundredfold.
Zhang Yu’s gaze hardened. In his view, Xie Lanyin’s attack wouldn’t just devalue the World-Forging Furnace; it would also disrupt his subsequent plans.
“Did she realize I can command the corpse components and deliberately came to stop me?”
“And the timing is so perfect… Did someone tip her off?”
Nearby, Tu Mu sighed inwardly. “Vice President Xie’s strike has just devalued the work of so many of us by a hundredfold.”
But facing such a loss, who among them could possibly intervene?
The difference between a Spirit Transformation Cultivator and a Void Refinement Cultivator was like the gap between heaven and earth. Naturally, no one could stop her.
No one could stop her, and no one dared to try. Just as the Spirit Transformation Cultivators believed the World-Forging Furnace was about to be destroyed by Xie Lanyin’s attack, the light and shadows before them suddenly shifted.
The Spirit Realm connection that had enveloped the Laboratory District shattered abruptly.
Just as everyone registered this and felt a wave of shock, Zhang Yu roared, “Vice President Xie used the Spirit Realm to launch her attack, causing the already unstable connection within the labyrinth to sever!”
“Don’t panic! I will block Deputy Minister Xie’s uncontrolled power!”
With the Spirit Realm connection gone, Xie Lanyin’s projection vanished instantly.
Only the power that had descended through the Spirit Realm continued to hurtle toward the World-Forging Furnace.
Zhang Yu clapped his hands together. The spatial structure before him twisted violently, pulling the force of Xie Lanyin’s finger strike toward him.
If Xie Lanyin had been present, she would never have allowed Zhang Yu to manipulate her attack like this.
But without her guidance, the power was like a cannonball, completely unresponsive to Zhang Yu’s spatial manipulation.
Then, Zhang Yu’s Grotto-Heaven manifested around him. He dragged the immense force into his Immortal Grotto-Heaven.
Boom!
His first clone charged forward and was instantly obliterated by the finger strike’s power.
Then the second, the third, the fourth…
After more than a dozen clones were annihilated one by one, Zhang Yu returned to the Material World. By then, the vast majority of the power from Xie Lanyin’s finger strike had been exhausted.
Then, as everyone watched in shock, Zhang Yu threw a punch. With a thunderous boom, he forcefully shattered the remaining power of the attack.
More accurately, Zhang Yu had completely exhausted the last remnants of Xie Lanyin’s attack. Visually, however, it looked as if he had shattered the strike with a single blow.
Zhang Yu turned to the crowd and asked, “Was the entire battle between Vice President Xie and me recorded?”
In the past, he had needed to conceal the secrets behind his explosive increases in combat power.
But now, with the Immortal Legacy as his foundation and the support of the Immortal Network, Zhang Yu no longer needed to hide as he once did.
Especially after ascending to the position of Management Committee Vice President at the Spirit Transformation Realm, he needed to display his extraordinary abilities to maximize his authority and influence.
Seeing everyone nod, Zhang Yu said coolly, “Continue the suppression of the World-Forging Furnace.”
This time, no one dared to hesitate. All the Spirit Transformation Cultivators erupted with power, unleashing their full strength under Zhang Yu’s command.
After more than ten minutes, they finally suppressed the World-Forging Furnace completely and sealed it within the Immortal Grotto-Heaven.