Chapter 906: Betting Everything, Law Establishment Selection
The last day of the law establishment training.
After hearing Zhang Yu say something about the taking control of the world’s Law Edicts, Fu Ji fell into a state of panic.
“You just broke through to Void Refinement, and you already want to have control of the world’s Law Edicts? If you get promoted further, I can’t even imagine what else you’d want to do. Do you also want to control the world’s Dao Lineage?”
Sect Examination Clone: “Isn’t this trying to exercise control over the Immortal Emperor? You are simply lawless!”
Fu Ji, both shocked and terrified, said, “Have you ever thought about how the higher-ups will view you once they find out you’ve set up such a law establishment goal? They might just reach out and swat you to death the very next moment!”
Fu Ji’s persuasion continued, but Zhang Yu did not answer her; instead, his mind raced with rapid thoughts.
Meanwhile, Immortal Slayer sighed, “Kunxu was not born overnight. It was gradually changed day by day, from top to bottom, from the inside out.”
“If you want to change the thoroughly rotten Kunxu of today, you must start changing it from its roots, considering the problem from an overall and holistic perspective.”
“Otherwise, any localized change in a single region, a single domain, or a single industry, no matter how well it is executed, will be useless. It will only trigger a chain reaction in accordance with Kunxu’s dynamic balance, resulting in even worse consequences.”
Immortal Slayer said seriously, “From Myriad Laws University, to the University War, and then to the Edict Pavilion and the Former Days Graveyard.”
“From the Desolate Ox Great Sage, to Ying Xintian, and then to Yun Taizhen’s experiences.”
“Whether it is the lessons of our predecessors or the results of our own practices, they all confirm this point.”
“Kunxu is a world of Immortal Dao Technology tyranny. If Kunxu is to be changed, it cannot be from the bottom up, but must be from the top down. Furthermore, we cannot expect to change it from small to large; we must start from the big picture as soon as we make a move.”
Fu Ji said angrily, “Immortal Slayer! Is this the time to be saying these things? Control of the World’s Law Edicts?! How many interest groups will that offend? How many cultivators above? How many Dao Lineages? Do you want everyone to die together in this law establishment? Shut up!”
Immortal Slayer, however, paid it no mind. Not only did he not stop, but he spoke even more firmly, “And if we want to comprehensively change Kunxu, we must establish a sufficiently formidable Dao Lineage.”
“And to establish a Dao Lineage formidable enough to help us… to change Kunxu, then the Law Edict before us is the starting point.”
“A Law Edict is the foundation to achieve immortality in the current Immortal Dao era, determining the future direction and upper limit of every cultivator.”
Immortal Slayer said solemnly, “Zhang Yu, if we want to use our will to penetrate the world and change it into what we want, we have to climb up to do it. To achieve this, we have endured for a long time, lain dormant for a long time, and waited for a long time.”
“The most ideal situation, of course, is to continue enduring like this until we become an Immortal Emperor, master enough power, and are in a safe enough environment to discuss truly changing the world.”
“But reality never has an ideal situation, and opportunities will not appear only after we are completely prepared.”
“Just like the establishment of the third-generation Law Edict before us, if we still choose to cower and retreat, ultimately building a wrong foundation and choosing a wrong direction, we will never have the opportunity to implement our will again.”
“The hurdle of the Law Edict concerns the foundation of our Immortal Dao and the direction of the future Dao Lineage. We have no way to retreat and must fight for it.”
Hearing Immortal Slayer’s words, Fu Ji was both shocked and angry. “Zhang Yu! Look! The treacherous minister jumped out himself. He is forcing you to take risks and wants you to die.”
At this moment, Desolate Ox suddenly interjected, “Not necessarily die. Myriad Laws Immortal Emperor gave us a blank Law Scroll, which is also a kind of guidance. If we want control over the world’s Law Edicts, doesn’t Myriad Laws Immortal Emperor want it too?”
“Are you also coming to mislead everyone with this nonsense?” Fu Ji quickly retorted. “The Emperor’s mind is unpredictable. Who the hell knows what the Myriad Laws Immortal Emperor is actually planning? This is not a reason for us to take this massive risk.”
“Zhang Yu, listen to me. Let’s just peacefully focus on increasing salaries. The cultivators below will be happy to have money to spend, and the cultivators above will be happy to have money to earn. Isn’t it great if everyone is happy?”
Immortal Slayer said, “Simply raising salaries won’t save Kunxu! The third-generation Law Edicts have already begun regulating thought!! Kunxu is about to enter a brand-new era, and we are now standing at the world’s crossroads! The power to choose the world’s future direction, the calling of this era — it is all squarely on our shoulders! How can we run away from it?”
Fu Ji cursed, “What the hell does that have to do with me? With you? With Zhang Yu?!”
The Auspicious God also shouted in agreement, “Exactly, exactly! What changing Kunxu? What does that have to do with us? It wasn’t us who turned Kunxu into what it is today, so on what basis should we be the ones to change it back? Why should we be the ones to risk our lives?”
The Herald God said, “And would changing it back even be good? Has there ever been a more developed Immortal Dao society in history than the current one? Things that only one-in-ten-thousand cultivators could accomplish in the past can now be achieved by any random Junior College Student today. Isn’t this the Immortal Dao Golden Age that generations of humanity have dreamed of?”
Fu Ji urged, “Sect Examination Clone, you say something too!”
The Sect Examination Clone did not speak, merely thinking to himself, “Speaking of which, could the opportunity Grandpa Immortal Emperor gave Zhang Yu really allow him to rebel against the heavens?”
In the Sect Examination Clone’s eyes, Zhang Yu, Fu Ji, Immortal Slayer — none of their thoughts mattered. Even the thoughts of the cultivators above, Immortals, and various factions were unimportant.
“Within the Myriad Laws Sect, only one person’s thoughts are of the utmost importance, and that is the Myriad Laws Immortal Emperor. Only one person can decide the direction of the era, and that is the Myriad Laws Immortal Emperor!”
“The mission of the era? The direction of the world? Are those things for you to consider? Within the Myriad Laws Sect, these are matters that only the Myriad Laws Immortal Emperor alone needs to consider.”
The Sect Examination Clone coldly snorted, “It is not that you can choose the direction of the world, but that Grandpa Immortal Emperor wishes to borrow the hands of those below to choose the direction of the world.”
Fu Ji said in annoyance, “Stop talking nonsense, tell us how you will choose!”
The Sect Examination Clone said leisurely, “Everything is under the Myriad Laws Immortal Emperor’s control. Since he gave him the blank Law Scroll, however Zhang Yu chooses is Grandpa Immortal Emperor’s arrangement. I support it regardless.”
“Useless trash!” Fu Ji said angrily. “You might as well have said nothing!”
Facing the fierce argument in his mind, Zhang Yu did not participate. Instead, in his own heart, in a way that only he could hear, he continued to ponder the current situation.
After this period of learning and cultivation, Zhang Yu’s understanding of Law Edict technology had also become increasingly profound. At this moment, he already had a complete plan on how to achieve his goal.
“To establish a Law Edict capable of controlling the world’s Law Edicts, four conditions must be met.”
“The first point, freedom!”
“I need the maximum degree of Law Establishment freedom without getting stuck in the review process. The blank Law Scroll has already accomplished this point for me.”
“The second point, technology!”
“I need to master a technology capable of sealing immortal aura, thereby achieving the control over Law Edicts. As for this point… with the help of [Myriad Phenomena], it can barely be accomplished.”
“But there is also a third point, the Thought Tide.”
In Zhang Yu’s eyes, it was as if he could already see a scenario where, after a third-generation Law Edict had been operating for many years, even if the Law Edict were sealed, the Thought Tides would have already been thoroughly influenced.
In the absence of the Law Edict, people would still continue to subconsciously abide by the contents of the sealed Law Edict out of ideological alignment.
“Third-generation Law Edicts can influence the Thought Tides. Merely sealing them away is not enough; one must be able to offset the influence of the third-generation Law Edict on the Thought Tides for it to be considered truly sealed.”
“There is also a fourth point: Cross-Sect.”
“My sealing of Law Edicts is built upon Immortal Qi Technology. But outside the Myriad Laws Sect, Law Edicts do not rely on the Immortal Qi Dao Lineage. If I encounter a cross-sect Law Edict, how would I control it?”
Thinking of these third and fourth points, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but sigh softly in his heart: “If I can’t achieve the third and fourth points, then taking control over the world’s Law Edicts is impossible. It could only be considered effective control over the first and second-generation Law Edicts within the Myriad Laws Sect.”
“Perhaps… this is already my limit?”
With this thought, Zhang Yu once again looked at the Myriad Daos Law Establishment Heavenly Book (Sect-Guarding Edition) he had most recently mastered. “Let’s first try… a cultivation art mutation.”
Zhang Yu currently mastered a total of three Sect-Guarding Techniques: the Blood Tide Essence Qi Sacred Contemplation from the Desolate Ox Great Sage, the Veiling Heaven to Conceal Demons Great Art from the Reincarnation Immortal Emperor, and the Myriad Daos Law Establishment Heavenly Book (Sect-Guarding Edition) bestowed during this law establishment training.
After extracting the Immortal Dao Technology of these three Sect-Guarding Techniques, Zhang Yu obtained quite a few draw rewards through the Dao Seed ability of the [Myriad Laws Immortal Clan], which included exactly 3 “Selectable Sect-Guarding Technique Mutations” and 2 “Selectable Sect-Guarding Technique Oblivions.”
Zhang Yu knew that the mutation of a cultivation art could often produce completely different effects from the original version.
If the Myriad Daos Law Establishment Heavenly Book (Sect-Guarding Edition) could undergo some kind of benign mutation, it might allow him to gain a new mastery over the third-generation Law Edict, bringing him a step closer to his goal of “Control over the world’s Law Edicts.”
“But it is also very likely to fail. After all, the direction and outcome of the mutation are not for me to decide.”
Moreover, these two rewards, “Selectable Sect-Guarding Technique Mutation” and “Selectable Sect-Guarding Technique Oblivion,” were both extremely rare. After all, one could only obtain this kind of feedback reward from [Myriad Laws Immortal Clan] by extracting Sect-Guarding Techniques.
After all, Zhang Yu had only learned three Sect-Guarding Techniques up until now, and none of them were learned through orthodox methods. Instead, he had relied on a Sect-Guarding Technique audit, a trade with the Reincarnation Immortal Emperor, and the opportunity from the law establishment training.
As for learning a Sect-Guarding Technique formally, it was perfectly normal for it to cost one billion Immortal Coins.
And the more of these precious and rare “Selectable Sect-Guarding Technique Mutations” and “Selectable Sect-Guarding Technique Oblivions” one retained, the greater their utility. After all, when the outcome of a mutation was uncertain, the more times a cultivation art mutated, the greater the likelihood of eventually obtaining a positive result.
But Zhang Yu knew in his heart, Immortal Slayer is right. The inaugural Law Establishment of the third-generation Law Edicts… coupled with the blank Law Scroll, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me. It is only right that I bet everything on it.
Thus, having made up his mind, Zhang Yu directly activated the mutation of the Myriad Daos Law Establishment Heavenly Book (Sect-Guarding Edition).
The next moment, Zhang Yu’s gaze focused. The Myriad Daos Law Establishment Heavenly Book (Sect-Guarding Edition) he had mastered had undergone a massive transformation.
“After the mutation, does it further solidify ideology?”
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “After obeying the Law Edict, its influence on the Thought Tide deepens, allowing people to identify with the Law Edict faster.”
“It is very powerful, and one could even say it gives the third-generation Law Edicts a stronger ruling authority, but it is not what I want.”
After thinking for a moment, Zhang Yu still chose to silently forget the cultivation art.
In an instant, Zhang Yu’s originally level 60 Myriad Daos Law Establishment Heavenly Book (Sect-Guarding Edition) vanished completely from his body without a trace.
At the same time, he only had two mutation opportunities and one cultivation art oblivion opportunity left.
Taking a deep breath, Zhang Yu adjusted the Feather Book’s specialization to the Myriad Daos Law Establishment Heavenly Book (Sect-Guarding Edition) and began to cultivate this cultivation art again.
Once he pushed this cultivation art back to level 60, he would be able to undergo the second mutation.
However, as for whether this second mutation, or even the third mutation… would actually yield any results and help him establish laws, Zhang Yu had no certainty.
“I can only do my best and leave the rest to fate.”
To increase his success rate, Zhang Yu did not give up on efforts in other directions either.
Right at this moment, Fu Ji’s anxious and noisy voice echoed in his mind again: “Zhang Yu! Zhang Yu! Don’t stay silent, what exactly are you planning to do?”
Facing the inquiries from Fu Ji, the Auspicious God, and the Herald God, Zhang Yu summarized the current situation and the arguments from both sides, before finally saying calmly, “Fu Ji, you’re right. The control over Law Edicts is too risky. Even though I want to take this path more than anything, the more I think about it, the more I feel the extreme danger involved in it.”
“After thinking it over… I’ve decided to take the salary increase route. Safety first.”
“As for changing the world and all that, we can talk about it after I achieve immortality.”
Hearing this, Fu Ji immediately laughed, “Great, great, Zhang Yu! You finally listened to reason! That’s more like it!”
Meanwhile, Immortal Slayer didn’t try to persuade Zhang Yu anymore, but instead thought to himself, “Zhang Yu is becoming more and more like a ruler.”
On the other side, Herald God thought to himself, “Immortal Slayer does have a point. Did Zhang Yu… intentionally throw out that topic just now? Then he watched the two of us argue, and finally made the decision himself as the referee?”
“Is this like a high-ranking ruler, wanting to see the choices and thoughts of us ministers before making further plans?”
“If that’s the case, then what he just said might not necessarily be true either. It’s also possible that he’s just temporarily appeasing us so that we’ll keep working for him.”
“But whether it’s Fu Ji or me, it’s not like we can expose him, right? Sigh, we can only continue to work for him and hope that he truly meant what he said.”
After comforting Fu Ji for a while, Zhang Yu continued, “Fu Ji, recently Bu Yingshu, Lie Jinghong, and Di Xuan haven’t been paying much attention to me. Help me look into what’s going on.”
“The Law Establishment will officially begin tomorrow. I don’t want them to see me as an enemy.”
“They should see me as someone who lifts them up and instead focus their attention on Tai Yuebai.”
Fu Ji immediately patted her chest and said, “Rest assured, just leave this matter to me.”
Zhang Yu added, “Zero budget, is that a problem?”
Fu Ji asked, “Zero budget?”
Zhang Yu replied, “That’s right. It is currently the critical moment of preparation for the Law Establishment. Every penny is of great use to me, so I can’t spare any funds for you.”
“However, you can freely deploy anyone in this mind. Get this done well, and I will give you a raise when I return.”
Fu Ji gritted her teeth and said, “Fine, then we won’t use any funds.”
Fu Ji glanced at Zhang Yu’s chat logs and immediately noticed that the attitude of Bu Yingshu and the other two towards Zhang Yu had taken a sharp turn for the worse, as if shifting from friendly to downright hostile.
Bu Yingshu: “😠😠😠, I’ll stomp you to death tomorrow.”
“Scram. I won’t stop you from running towards a better future,” Di Xuan said.
“Don’t talk to me ever again,” Lie Jinghong replied.
Lie Jinghong recalled the things Zhang Yu (Tai Yuebai) had done and said after finding him, and a trace of coldness flashed in his eyes.
Fu Ji scanned the lines of hostile messages sent by the three people to Zhang Yu, immediately seeing some clues: “This is clearly someone secretly sowing discord.”
She thought for a moment and already had an idea.
But she didn’t contact Bu Yingshu and the other two right away. Instead, she sent a message to Tai Yuebai.
Zhang Yu (Fu Ji): “Big Brother Tai, I’ve finished my seclusion. Let’s go visit the other students together and gather some intelligence.”
Tai Yuebai: “Don’t come out! Law Establishment is tomorrow. You should continue your seclusion and prepare more!”
Fu Ji sneered, “This Tai Yuebai is indeed stirring up something. He just doesn’t want us to meet the other students, huh? Zhang Yu’s falling out with Bu Yingshu and the others might have something to do with him.”
While thinking, Fu Ji sent another message: “I’ve spent all my money. How can I continue my seclusion?”
Tai Yuebai: “[One Million Immortal Coins]”
Zhang Yu (Fu Ji): “Alright! I’ll go back into seclusion!”
“Funds obtained!” Fu Ji smiled faintly. The next moment, out of the 1,000,000 Immortal Coins, 700,000 had already been offered up to Zhang Yu.
Zhang Yu: “300,000 is enough?”
“Rest assured, 300,000 is enough.” Fu Ji took the opportunity to advise him again, “Zhang Yu, it wasn’t easy for us to climb up all this way. This isn’t just your effort alone, but also the investment of countless people behind you. This Law Establishment… you must be cautious.”
Looking at Fu Ji’s advice and the 700,000 Immortal Coins she transferred over, Zhang Yu took a deep breath and sighed, “I know.”
Then, Fu Ji divided the 300,000 into three portions and sent them to Bu Yingshu, Lie Jinghong, and Di Xuan, respectively.
Fu Ji: “This move is called the True Slary Sincerity. It directly increases favorability and opens up the conversation.”
Zhang Yu had also been monitoring Fu Ji’s actions the whole time. Seeing this scene, he thought to himself, This is Kunxu. No matter how high their status or how wealthy the cultivator is, as long as you send them money, they will be happy. It is the best method to resolve cold silences, awkwardness, and to ease the atmosphere.
And as Fu Ji’s money-transferring action ended, Bu Yingshu, Lie Jinghong, and Di Xuan also collected the money immediately.
Bu Yingshu: “😠 What are you trying to do this time?”
Di Xuan: “?”
Lie Jinghong: “What do you want to say?”
Fu Ji replied, “I have already made a clean break with them!”
Saying that, Fu Ji sent the chat logs to the three of them.
Di Xuan looked at the chat logs Zhang Yu sent, seeing Bu Yingshu’s furious curses at Zhang Yu, as well as Lie Jinghong’s resoluteness…
Lie Jinghong looked at the chat logs between Zhang Yu, Bu Yingshu, and Di Xuan, thinking to himself, “Chat logs? Now I have to believe it. After all, forging chat logs, especially fake chat logs with high-ranking Sect Staff, is a serious crime. Zhang Yu shouldn’t be so stupid as to send me fake chat logs here.”
Bu Yingshu saw the chat logs and thought to herself, Has Zhang Yu… really cut ties with Di Xuan and Lie Jinghong?
Following that, Fu Ji sent the three of them Tai Yuebai’s transfer records.
Bu Yingshu raised her brows slightly, Tai Yuebai transferred four million Immortal Coins to Zhang Yu?
Di Xuan also frowned, This Tai Yuebai is certainly generous, could it be…
Zhang Yu (Fu Ji): “During this time, Tai Yuebai has been throwing money at me, telling me to take the initiative to approach you all and spy for information…”
Lie Jinghong: “Think about how you’re going to explain this to the Immortal Emperor yourself.”
After Fu Ji’s arrangements, and following the begging and groveling of the Sect Examination Clone, Fu Ji, the Auspicious God, and the Herald God — Bu Yingshu and the other two, although still harboring doubts about Zhang Yu in their hearts, no longer considered him their primary enemy to deal with. Instead, they gave Zhang Yu another chance to elevate them.
After all, in the eyes of the three, they didn’t have to give up anything, yet there was a chance to be elevated by Zhang Yu. Meanwhile, Zhang Yu lacked sufficient strength himself and only had the option of elevating others.
As for Tai Yuebai…
Tai Yuebai, Bu Yingshu, Lie Jinghong, and Di Xuan thought to themselves. What kind of secret schemes does he have?
On the other side, Fu Ji said to Zhang Yu, “This is the best we can do. After all, the time is too short, and it’s impossible to make them trust us like they did before.”
Zhang Yu nodded and said, “Fu Ji, you did very well. You could even say it exceeded my expectations.”
Zhang Yu understood in his heart that any reduction in the hindrance Bu Yingshu and the others would pose to him would further increase his success rate in the law establishment.
The next day, the first Law Establishment of third-generation Law Edicts officially began.
Many Ascension Realm cultivators of the Myriad Laws Sect separated strands of their thoughts, gathering on the 15th layer of Kunxu to watch the process of the law establishment.
At the same time, Fa Liuyuan, as one of the judges, had already sent his projection to the Law-Knowing Abode, descending into a workspace made exclusively for the judges.
Fa Liuyuan knew that on the first day of the Law Establishment, all the students would uniformly upload the specific contents and rules of the Law Edicts they wanted to establish.
“After all, we can’t just approve every Law Edict, right?”
“The relationship between various superior and subordinate laws, as well as conflicts of interest, all have to be accommodated…”
Fa Liuyuan’s gaze swept over the students’ data, and the first thing he saw was Lie Jinghong, who currently ranked first in the Law Edict Potential Evaluation.
Before coming here, Fa Liuyuan, as a judge, had naturally also studied the relevant knowledge of the third-generation Law Edict.
With the cultivation realm of these Ascension Realm cultivators, mastering the knowledge of the Void Refinement Realm’s third-generation Law Edict was naturally easy to do, but having already established their Law Edicts, they had no chance to change their paths.
“Lie Jinghong is at grade 4?”
“Di Xuan is at grade 5.”
Fa Liuyuan knew that this was a potential grade estimated based on the students’ learning results during this period and the techniques they had mastered.
“However, this only accounts for technical potential; it hasn’t yet factored in the true impact after the Law Edict’s content and rules are embedded.”
“With the potential of Lie Jinghong and Di Xuan, it’s highly possible they will ultimately be evaluated in the top 3 ranks.”
Fa Liuyuan continued reading downward: “Bu Yingshu is grade 10?”
His gaze continued to scan further down, catching sight of Tai Yuebai’s grade 12, and a faint smile appeared on his lips. “Is this guy hiding his strength again?”
Then he saw Cang Juehuan’s grade 15, Yue Qinglan’s grade 16…
Skipping past student after student, Fa Liuyuan finally saw Zhang Yu ranked at grade 18.
“He broke through to Void Refinement only half a month ago, yet he’s actually evaluated at grade 18. Could it be that Senior Ying stuffed some things about Law Edicts into the Immortal Legacy as well?”
In Fa Liuyuan’s view, this was the most likely reason Zhang Yu could reach grade 18 in such a short amount of time.
Right at this moment, a notification appeared before him and the many other judges.
“It’s starting.”
Fa Liuyuan’s heart braced, and his expression instantly turned serious.
He knew that these Ascension Realm cultivators were merely the first round of judges. Their approval results and processes would ultimately all be uploaded for the Immortals, Immortal Venerables, and even the Immortal Emperor to review.
The next moment, the content of Cang Juehuan’s Law Edict surfaced before Fa Liuyuan.
“Human rights for artifact spirits?”
One Law Edict after another surfaced before Fa Liuyuan, and he reviewed and approved them one by one.
At the same time, the Law Edicts approved by Fa Liuyuan would also undergo repeated second and third approvals by other Councilors.
Just then, he felt a massive amount of information surging within both the Spirit Realm and the Dharma Realm.
“Huh?” Glancing at the direction of the surging information, Fa Liuyuan thought to himself, “Bu Yuangui of the Myriad Laws Immortal Clan? Is he also one of the judges this time? What could possibly make him so surprised?”
In Fa Liuyuan’s view, Ascension Realm cultivators like them had lived long and seen much; ordinary things could hardly shock them anymore.
“Could it be that Bu Yingshu has established some earth-shattering Law Edict?”
But soon, Fa Liuyuan felt even more fluctuations emerge in the Spirit Realm and the Dharma Realm. Righteous Gods even began descending upon the scene. Furthermore, whether it was these judges or the Righteous Gods, all of them were intentionally or unintentionally looking towards him.
One judge shouted, “This is outrageous!”
Ling Chenji — who had supported Cang Juehuan during the Extraordinary Merit voting, hailed from the Innate Dao Lineage, and appeared as a voluptuous young woman — also let out a cold sneer at this moment, “Has the Reformist Faction gone mad?”
Dugu Ming — the newly promoted Level 10 Sect Staff who had just begun commanding the Heavenly Surveillance Hall this year and had once delivered the blank Law Scroll to Zhang Yu — simultaneously revealed a look of astonishment. “Truly audacious.”