Chapter 868 Salary Flames Spreading Like Wildfire
Following Xiao Yunhe’s trial of the Soul Cultivators, Zhang Yu and Xiao Yunhe’s confrontation, continuous martial duels, registration benefits… explosive news was released one after another.
Coupled with the Shock Sword cultivators constantly relaying and exaggerating the details everywhere, the live broadcasts from both sides were relentlessly attracting new viewers, drawing the attention of an increasing number of cultivators both inside and outside the Former Days Graveyard…
And when Zhang Yu, after all this build-up and under a sky full of salary flames, revealed his Limitless Salary Increase Authority, the hype surrounding this incident completely detonated, causing a massive sensation throughout the entire Former Days Graveyard.
“Limitless Salary Increase Authority!?”
Looking at this scene, Lu Hengzhang felt a wild shock in his heart, his mind filled with disbelief. As a Soul Cultivator, he even wondered if his computing power was insufficient, resulting in an information processing error.
Only after repeated confirmations could he admit to himself that Zhang Yu had indeed obtained the Limitless Salary Increase Authority.
Previously, when Lu Hengzhang saw Zhang Yu increasing the salary for the Soul Cultivators, he thought he had fought for a wave of salary increase policies for them from the higher-ups through formal procedures.
In Lu Hengzhang’s eyes, even that was already as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
He never expected that what Zhang Yu had actually obtained was the Limitless Salary Increase Authority. This meant that Zhang Yu could even continue to increase the salaries of Soul Cultivators in the future.
“Limitless Salary Increase Authority… For the sect to delegate this authority, no matter how the intermediate process went or who supported Zhang Yu in doing this, it must ultimately be approved by the Immortal Emperor.”
“In other words, the Immortal Emperor… granted Zhang Yu the Limitless Salary Increase Authority??”
“Giving such authority to a cultivator who climbed up from the First Layer of Kunxu, a Spirit Transformation Realm cultivator, a Rank 5 Sect Staff?”
“Why is it like this? How could it be like this? This is the Limitless Salary Increase Authority, enough to stir up a storm in a region and control the life and death of a trillion living beings. The last time a cultivator was granted such authority, they were in the Ascension Realm, right?”
At this moment, Lu Hengzhang’s heart was filled with hesitation, confusion, incomprehension, and bitterness.
As a firm supporter of the Innate Dao Lineage, he believed that the Myriad Laws Immortal Emperor would always stand at the peak, always be correct, always be wise, and always represent the most advanced direction of Immortal Dao production and technology development in Kunxu.
But also as a supporter of the Innate Dao Lineage, he believed that Lower Beasts should always remain Lower Beasts and should never overstep their bounds.
Yet now… Zhang Yu, with the support of the Myriad Laws Immortal Emperor, was giving the Soul Cultivators a salary raise? Rebelliously striking against the multitude of Void Refinement and Tribulation Transcendence cultivators?
Has this world won?
Meanwhile, within the small Yang Artifact hosted by Lu Hengzhang, Soul Cultivators successfully registered as new members on Zhang Yu’s side one after another, thereby ushering in a series of salary raise notifications.
The notifications transformed into blazing salary flames, crossing the Spirit Realm and descending with a boom, instantly illuminating the dark world inside the Yang Artifact.
Lu Hengzhang could see that it was not just here; in the Former Days Graveyard, more and more cultivators’ Yang Artifacts, Yin Artifacts, and even the various Bionics all over their bodies seemed to be ignited by the salary flames at this moment.
These Bionics covered in roaring salary flames seemed to transform into torches within the Spirit Realm at this moment, illuminating countless Soul Cultivators and declaring to them: Salary raises! They do exist!
At this moment, looking at this sky full of salary flames, a flash of enlightenment suddenly crossed Lu Hengzhang’s mind.
“Could such heaven-shaking and earth-shattering methods be achieved by Zhang Yu using his own power? No, of course not. The authority to raise salaries was given by the Immortal Emperor, and the salary raise plan was definitely approved by the Immortal Emperor. All of this is the will of the Immortal Emperor.”
“It is the Immortal Emperor who is giving us a salary increase! It is the Immortal Emperor who is lighting up our world!”
“Zhang Yu is doing what the Immortal Emperor wants him to do, molding the Former Days Graveyard into the shape the Immortal Emperor wants it to be, transmitting the Immortal Emperor’s authority, and conveying the Immortal Emperor’s will… It can be said that the current Zhang Yu is the Immortal Emperor’s representative, the Immortal Emperor’s incarnation!”
“At this moment, Zhang Yu is the Immortal Emperor!”
In an instant, the confusion and bewilderment from just a moment ago… gradually disappeared from Lu Hengzhang’s eyes.
According to the concepts of the Innate Dao Lineage, the Immortal Emperor is always right. Whenever anything else contradicts this, this rule shall prevail.
“It makes sense! Now… everything makes sense!”
“It is not that there is a problem with the Innate Dao Lineage, but rather that my understanding of the Innate Dao Lineage has deviated.”
At the same time, within the Yang Artifact where Lu Hengzhang was located, countless Soul Cultivators carried the salary flames formed by the salary increase notices, crossed the Spirit Realm, and surged in all directions to find unregistered Soul Cultivators, inviting those Soul Cultivators to register as new members, and subsequently lighting up new streams of salary flames.
And Lu Hengzhang, who was originally at a loss, now also suddenly leaped out of the Yang Artifact, roaming through the Spirit Realm, similarly inviting Soul Cultivators everywhere.
Looking at the comments constantly being refreshed by the Soul Cultivators under Zhang Yu’s account, Lu Hengzhang also followed suit and left a message: Ancient Salary King 🔥
To him, directly naming and thanking Zhang Yu was something he could not accept.
However, the title of Ancient Salary King, in Lu Hengzhang’s eyes, was very suitable to refer to the Immortal Emperor’s incarnation.
“It was not Zhang Yu who saved me, but the Immortal Emperor’s incarnation, the Ancient Salary King, who saved me. I am not thanking Zhang Yu, but rather thanking the Immortal Emperor. I am certainly not working for Zhang Yu, but working for the Immortal Emperor!”
The next moment, Lu Hengzhang saw the Heavenly Demon Sect’s Soul Cultivator Company next door; at this moment, the entire building also began to constantly shoot out one salary flames after another.
The salary flames were passing on.
Ling Chiye, as a Rank 5 Sect Staff of the Heavenly Demon Sect and a cultivator in the Void Refinement Realm, was originally one of the persons in charge of the Heavenly Demon Sect’s station in the Former Days Graveyard.
But because he was implicated in the previous Supreme Truth Immortal Clan incident, even though he actively cooperated at the time and disclosed everything he knew… about Ying Aikun to the Righteous God, he was still fined a massive amount of money. Afterwards, he even suffered a demotion, later becoming the general manager of a Heavenly Demon Sect Soul Cultivator company.
Today, before the trial broadcast hosted by Xiao Yunhe and others started, Ling Chiye had already been paying attention to Zhang Yu’s salary increase incident.
At that time, his subordinate sent him a report: “President Ling, the Soul Cultivators are all spreading the news about Zhang Yu’s salary increase, and our stock price has fallen again!”
“What’s the rush?” Ling Chiye said calmly: “It’s just a technical adjustment. How many times have I told you? The stock market is just like this, it’s easily affected by news. Some fluctuations of rising and falling are very normal. We must guard against arrogance and rashness.”
“A comprehensive salary increase? Don’t make me laugh. If Zhang Yu really dares to increase the salary of all Soul Cultivators like this, then he will have offended all the enterprises in the Former Days Graveyard, and the sects behind these enterprises. It won’t last long.”
“Tell everyone not to panic. After President Xiao and the others finish their trial, it will go back up.”
But as Zhang Yu revealed the Limitless Salary Increase Authority, the senior management of the entire company panicked.
“Li… Limitless Salary Increase Authority?!” Someone asked with a mix of anger and shock: “President Ling, what should we do?”
“I told you all not to panic.” Ling Chiye strongly suppressed the shock in his heart, trying his best not to expose his panic.
He sold off the stocks on hand while saying in a flat tone, “Block the news first, and stabilize the Soul Cultivators in the whole company…”
Someone suddenly shouted, “Look at the Soul Cultivators quickly! Turn off the transparency and shielding before looking!”
Accompanied by a series of adjustments, in everyone’s field of vision, the entire company building had been enveloped by the soaring salary flames.
“President Ling! What should we do!”
“The number of registered members on Zhang Yu’s side is skyrocketing!”
“Our stock price is still plummeting! President Ling! Where is President Ling?”
Someone shouted, “Oh no, President Ling was too agitated! The magic power surged and overloaded his Bionics! He disconnected!”
Everyone rushed to Ling Chiye’s office, and as soon as they entered, they saw the salary flames, starting from the Yang Artifact, burning fiercely, having already filled Ling Chiye’s entire body.
Because of the fine from the Supreme Truth Incident, Ling Chiye’s Sect Assets had shrunk greatly, forcing him to replace all the originally long-term hired Soul Cultivators with cheaper temporary workers.
He never expected that as soon as this Limitless Salary Increase Authority appeared, many temporary workers would directly job-hop and run away.
At the same time, accompanied by the emergence of Zhang Yu’s Limitless Salary Increase Authority, the entire Soul Cultivator Industry in the Former Days Graveyard welcomed a storm.
The stock prices of every Soul Cultivator Company were diving, plummeting madly every second.
And to understand the latest situation of the market’s drastic changes, more and more cultivators adjusted their vision. Those who originally had transparency and shielding turned them off, and those who originally couldn’t see Soul Cultivators also replaced their eyes with Bionic Eyes that could see them.
More and more cultivators began to observe Soul Cultivators, observing the salary flames descending from the sky, recording the changes in the number of salary flamess…
Lu Hengzhang also quickly noticed this. The cultivators who originally treated Soul Cultivators as air unknowingly began to face their existence, and even began to observe them comprehensively.
One gaze after another swept across the existence of the Soul Cultivators like never before.
On the roof of the Netherworld Assets Department building.
Yu Xinghan stood on the roof, looking at the Former Days Graveyard where the salary flames were spreading like a prairie fire.
Ye Xingli stood not far beside him, also looking at this scene, and said with some agitation in her heart: “Limitless Salary Increase Authority… Who would have thought that Minister Zhang could be granted such authority? To be so highly regarded by the Immortal Emperor… at the Spirit Transformation Realm?”
Yu Xinghan’s mind flashed back to his previous communication with Zhang Yu and Fu Ji.
At that time, Fu Ji had introduced him to a lot of intelligence about the sect’s situation.
Fu Ji: “Xinghan, among all of Zhang Yu’s good brothers, I think the most highly of you! I am always talking about you in Zhang Yu’s head. Given the overall situation of this Dao Lineage Struggle, I thought it was necessary to let you know more intelligence so you can develop a big picture view early on and better help Zhang Yu in the future!”
And at this very moment, Yu Xinghan said with a solemn expression, “It is not that Zhang Yu is highly regarded by the Immortal Emperor, but rather that under the overall situation of the Dao Lineage Struggle, with the mutual struggles, alliances, and compromises of the Immortal Emperors… the Dharma Realm Dao Lineage is expanding with an unprecedented momentum.”
“Against the backdrop of this era, someone is needed to step forward, to stand in this position in the Former Days Graveyard, and to stand at the forefront of the industry’s transformation.”
“This person could be a Spirit Transformation, Void Refinement, Tribulation Transcendence, or Ascension Realm cultivator.”
“Zhang Yu grasped this opportunity, chose to step forward, and answered the call of the Immortal Path’s transformation… accepting the historical mission bestowed upon him by the Dao Lineage.”
Hearing this, Ye Xingli turned her head to look at Yu Xinghan beside her.
She saw that on Yu Xinghan’s body, a total of eight Yang Artifacts were burning fiercely like eight torches.
Before the sky-filling salary flames could spread into a prairie fire, Yu Xinghan was like a beacon in the Spirit Realm, declaring the existence of the salary raise to countless Soul Cultivators.
Ye Xingli knew that this was Yu Xinghan taking the lead in promoting the salary increase earlier.
Originally, she thought this was just a manifestation of Yu Xinghan firmly following and supporting Zhang Yu.
But at this moment, she suddenly realized that this junior brother from the Civil Engineering Department seemed much more profound than she had initially thought.
At the same time, Ye Xingli’s gaze shifted slightly as she looked back up at the sky.
With Yu Xinghan’s reminder, she also suddenly realized at this moment that following the spread of this salary flames, an unprecedented transformation was taking place.
Previously, due to the suppression of their salary, a large number of soul cultivators rarely left messages in the Spirit Realm in order to save Immortal Coins.
But now, more and more soul cultivators were leaving messages in the Spirit Realm, allowing the cultivators to hear their voices.
At the same time, because of the salary flames’s impact on the entire market, a large number of cultivators began to observe the soul cultivators in order to observe the salary flames, thus beginning to see their existence.
More and more people… had to face the soul cultivators, see their salary flames, and hear their voices. The soul cultivators gradually became a force that could not be ignored in the Spirit Realm of the Former Days Graveyard.
At this moment, a flash of enlightenment crossed Ye Xingli’s mind: “Perhaps the original contempt, the treatment of them as invisible, and the various blockings of soul cultivators were not just cultural disdain, but rather some kind of influence related to the Dao Lineage Struggle, deliberately meant to suppress the influence of the soul cultivators?”
“And now, this landscape has been changed.”
Inside the live stream room.
Looking at Zhang Yu, who held the Limitless Salary Increase Authority beneath the sky filled with salary flames, whether it was Management Committee President Xiao Yunhe, or Vice Presidents Xie Lanyin, Xie Xue, and the others, everyone was shaken to their core at this moment.
Although Xiao Yunhe already had various doubts and speculations in his mind, seeing the existence of the Limitless Salary Increase Authority with his own eyes now still caused a shock mixed with absurdity to flash through his heart.
“The Myriad Laws Sect… really just gave the salary increase authority to Zhang Yu like this?”
“No, it is not because of Zhang Yu. To be able to request something like the Limitless Salary Increase Authority to be brought down… nine times out of ten it is because of Bu Yingshu.”
Xiao Yunhe originally thought that the struggle between him and Bu Yingshu used the entire Former Days Graveyard as a chessboard, with both sides holding pieces, making their layouts, and fighting it out on this board.
But the current situation, in Xiao Yunhe’s eyes, was that Bu Yingshu had directly summoned a massive hand to flip the entire chessboard over.
As a Rank 7 Sect Staff and a senior cultivator within the sect, Xiao Yunhe was all too clear on the true value of the Limitless Salary Increase Authority, and understood the terror and influence it held.
As long as the other party was willing, without considering the consequences of an aftermath reckoning, this current round of salary increases was far from the limit.
Xiao Yunhe also finally understood why Bu Yingshu didn’t personally take power, but instead let Zhang Yu stand at the forefront.
“I’m afraid from the very beginning, she was prepared to obtain the Limitless Salary Increase Authority, so she appointed Zhang Yu to come over and lay down a series of groundwork.”
“Because the Limitless Salary Increase Authority is too powerful, yet also highly risky, she let Zhang Yu stand at the forefront, so she could both wield the Limitless Salary Increase Authority and not fear being settled with afterwards.”
“After the matter is accomplished, if any problems arise, she just needs to push Zhang Yu out.”
Thinking of this, Xiao Yunhe felt a wave of bitterness in his heart: “We’ve lost. Bu Yingshu, this woman from the Myriad Laws Immortal Clan, is unfathomably deep… In this battle, we lost to her from the very beginning.”
Thus, at this moment, the esteemed Tribulation Transcendence Realm cultivator Xiao Yunhe, facing Zhang Yu whose Rank and cultivation realm were inferior to his, could not help but feel a trace of the urge to retreat, a thought to temporarily avoid the brunt of the attack.
“I am not avoiding Zhang Yu, but rather… retreating because of the highly positioned, deeply scheming Bu Yingshu behind him.”
“This woman now indirectly wields the Limitless Salary Increase Authority, she absolutely cannot be opposed by force.”
In an instant, Xiao Yunhe and the others had already turned off the live broadcast, left the scene, and disappeared without a trace.
They knew that continuing to confront Zhang Yu would only increase the promotional effect for him.
However, Xiao Yunhe did not intend to simply give up or surrender.
After all, having reached their cultivation realm and sect rank, their dao heart was stable, and they could not easily give up when facing difficulties.
Furthermore, the Dao Lineage behind them had long been established, leaving almost no possibility of changing paths. If they did not continue to resist at this moment, it would only incur the dissatisfaction of the higher-ups behind them.
Thus, in a flash, Xiao Yunhe had already communicated with Xie Lanyin, Xie Xue, and the other Vice Presidents through the Spirit Realm, completing thousands of information exchanges.
They discussed countermeasures, and one plan after another was instantly debated, exchanged, revised, and finally finalized.
“The best plan is for us to also apply for resources from above.”
Xie Lanyin thought to herself, “Zhang Yu has already obtained the Limitless Salary Increase Authority. How can we fight relying solely on our own resources? Only by similarly introducing the intervention of upper-layer forces can the situation be balanced again.”
Therefore, Xie Lanyin directly sent a message to the Perennial Child, wanting to request resources from the upper echelons of the White Bone Cult to be used in the Former Days Graveyard against Zhang Yu.
And Perennial Child, as Bai Gusheng’s Chief Soul Cultivator, was also Xie Lanyin’s important channel for communicating with the higher-ups.
After receiving Xie Lanyin’s message, Perennial Child replied very quickly: “I’ve seen it, it is indeed the Limitless Salary Increase Authority. But this is not a reason for you to give Soul Cultivators a salary increase and issue benefits.”
Xie Lanyin: “Sir, Zhang Yu holds the Limitless Salary Increase Authority. If we don’t do this… how can we contend with him?”
Perennial Child: “If there’s no money, is there no way? Can’t you think of other countermeasures? Don’t always think about making the sect spend money; you must think about making money for the sect.”
Xie Lanyin: “These Soul Cultivators are short-sighted, they don’t understand the industry ecosystem, and disregard the big picture. Whoever throws money at them, they follow…”
Perennial Child: “Enough, the higher-ups have already understood your situation. The specific countermeasures will be notified to you once they are discussed.”
Xie Lanyin: “Sir, time is money! The market here is changing every second. If we’re late, it will be too late.”
Ending the call, Xie Lanyin felt a strong sense of injustice.
Zhang Yu’s side was directly given the Limitless Salary Increase Authority, while their side wasn’t shelling out a single cent. How the hell were they supposed to fight?
“What on earth are the higher-ups thinking? If they keep dragging this out… do they not want the Former Days Graveyard anymore?”
On the other side, Xiao Yunhe and the others also submitted applications to their superiors one after another, but just like the White Bone Sect, they had not yet received a definite response.
They could only bite the bullet, launch a public opinion offensive, and put up some resistance.
On the one hand, they publicized that Zhang Yu’s salary increase was a fake salary raise and fake welfare. On the other hand, they forcibly scraped together some benefits, such as opening up all the Yang Artifacts and Yin Artifacts of the leaders and Sect Staff for free, allowing the Soul Cultivators of their affiliated companies to lodge themselves for free.
Xiao Yunhe and the others also knew this was merely better than nothing. To the Soul Cultivators… its appeal was definitely not as great as a salary raise.
But even if it was just better than nothing, they had no choice but to continue resisting.
However, the effect of this propaganda offensive still defied the expectations of Xiao Yunhe and the others.
“It has almost completely no effect…”
Xiao Yunhe looked at the data floating before his eyes, his heart shaken: “The Soul Cultivator support rate for Zhang Yu in the Former Days Graveyard has already broken past 90%…”
And Xiao Yunhe also quickly discovered why their public opinion offensive was even more ineffective than they had anticipated.
It was because of the Soul Cultivators. A massive number of Soul Cultivators were speaking out everywhere in the Spirit Realm of the Former Days Graveyard in an unprecedented manner, creating a sea of information related to salary raises.
“Minister Zhang is really raising salaries!”
“Ancient Salary King 🔥”
“He is different!”
The overwhelming amount of Soul Cultivator remarks directly drowned out the public opinion offensive of Xiao Yunhe and the others, causing their various propaganda efforts to sink like stones in the ocean, barely stirring up any ripples.
“Has their market share already reached 9.8%? How long has it even been?”
Xiao Yunhe knew that as time passed, this surge would continue until a large number of temporary Soul Cultivators all jumped ship to Zhang Yu’s side.
Then, as the Soul Cultivators with long-term contracts finished their terms one by one and also jumped over to Zhang Yu, the market share would likely reach a terrifying level.
Xie Lanyin’s projection hurriedly descended in front of Xiao Yunhe: “What do we do? At this rate, we won’t be able to stop him at all!”
Xiao Yunhe: “Let’s talk.”
Xie Lanyin: “Talk?”
Xiao Yunhe: “Find her for a talk.”
Xie Lanyin frowned: “What do you mean? We go and beg him not to raise salaries?”
Xiao Yunhe said: “Not beg, but negotiate. If she continues to raise salaries, she will also earn less. We can offer some conditions, yield some market share to her, and have her stop the salary increases.”
“Even if we cannot reach an agreement, perhaps we can stall for time.”
At the same time, Xiao Yunhe had already sent a message to Bu Yingshu: “Dao Monarch Bu, continuing like this will benefit no one. Can we sit down and talk, and ask you to show some mercy? You can name any conditions.”