Chapter 915: Intense Battle, Midnight Showdown
Whether it was Bu Yingshu’s shouting or Lie Jinghong’s shouting, Zhang Yu did not respond.
Feeling Bu Yingshu’s cries transmitting through the Spirit Realm, Tai Yuebai actually wanted to ask Zhang Yu as well…
After all, he had far too much shock and too many questions in his heart regarding Zhang Yu’s performance this time.
Especially when he… felt the impact of Zhang Yu’s Law Edict crashing into him…
“I honestly would have preferred it if what you thrust into my back was a knife.”
“Little Yu, the Immortal Emperor’s assets, cultivation, Dao Lineage, and power… the more they expand, the more dangerous they become.”
Tai Yuebai understood in his heart that if one wanted to change Kunxu, they needed to keep climbing up.
But one couldn’t just help the Immortal Emperors expand their power without limit merely for the sake of climbing higher.
“This point… is actually a consensus among quite a few Immortals.”
Tai Yuebai thought to himself, “Many Immortals… although they all ostensibly obey the Immortal Emperor’s commands, no one wants the Immortal Emperor’s growth rate in assets, cultivation, Dao Lineage, and power to continue accelerating.”
“Because they understand that once this growth reaches a certain threshold, the Immortal Emperor’s need for and reliance on the entire world and all of Kunxu will gradually diminish.”
“And the ultimate outcome of this trend is that the Immortal Emperors will no longer need any living beings in this world.”
“When that time comes… it will be the final Great Tribulation, the ultimate doomsday of Kunxu.”
In Tai Yuebai’s view, the various statistics of the Immortal Emperors were like a countdown to Kunxu’s doomsday. Every increase… meant that all living beings were drawing ever closer to the end.
Although this doomsday was still a long way off, and many people paid it no mind as they continued to scheme and do whatever it took to climb higher, Tai Yuebai always had a scale in his heart. It meant that one could consider matters from the perspective of the Immortal Emperors and the sect in order to climb higher, bringing benefits to both.
However, these benefits had to remain within a certain limit. They could not allow the growth rate of the Immortal Emperors’ gains to experience another epoch-making surge. Providing benefits within a restricted limit while climbing to a position high enough to change Kunxu — this was the true path in Tai Yuebai’s heart.
Of course, Tai Yuebai understood that his way of thinking, even among a group with as broad a perspective as the Immortals, was only shared by a fraction of people.
And in Kunxu… no matter the layer or the cultivation realm, there would always be cultivators who would do absolutely anything for their own growth, completely uncaring about whether the world lived or died.
“Zhang Yu… your current actions will cause the Myriad Laws Immortal Emperor’s power to experience another epoch-making surge, giving him the opportunity to control all Law Edicts within the sect.”
Tai Yuebai sighed inwardly, “Perhaps you truly wish to change Kunxu, but it will only lead to a worse outcome.”
“Therefore… I must stop you.”
“I cannot let you become a divine sword in the hands of the Myriad Laws Immortal Emperor.”
At the same time, Tai Yuebai also understood… for cultivators at their level, it was impossible to persuade the other party with just a few words.
The only possible way to stop the other party was to defeat them.
“Setting a one-month Law Edict Expiration Date… is it because you want to completely freeze our Law Edicts at the end of the evaluation to prove your Law Edict and verify your Immortal Dao Technology?”
“No matter how you hide it during this period, this ultimate goal will not change.”
“The day of our final battle will be on the last day of this evaluation, at the exact moment of midnight.”
Tai Yuebai took a deep breath in his heart, “Then let’s see if, on this last day, you freeze me, or I grant you a vacation.”
Tai Yuebai understood that to ultimately defeat his opponent, he had to expand his Law Edict Domain as much as possible, occupying a larger population to gain the highest Thought Tide amplification, and suppressing the opponent with absolute numbers.
At the same time, various data had surfaced in Tai Yuebai’s eyes.
From the data he had gathered, Tai Yuebai reached a conclusion.
“Every time the Material Humans obey my Law Edict, it would originally increase their agreement with it under the influence of the Third-Generation Law Edict Technology, providing a higher Thought Tide Amplification.”
“But within Zhang Yu’s Law Edict True Domain… the situation is the exact opposite.”
“Every time they obey my Law Edict, it reduces the Material Humans’ agreement with it, creating a rebellious effect.”
“If I want to counter this situation…”
In the next moment, Tai Yuebai pointed one finger to the sky and the other to the ground. An earth-shattering Law Edict fluctuation radiated out from his body toward the entire Dual Rest Law Edict True Domain.
Tai Yuebai said in a low voice, “Everyone, pay attention. Time… is going to start slowing down.”
“Heavens above and earth below! Right now, all of you, adjust your days off!”
In an instant, the rules within the domain changed, and all the Material Humans within the domain sensed it.
“What? The Dual Rest… It’s been delayed! There’s no Dual Rest until the end of the month?”
“The Dual Rest for the next two weeks has been moved to next month! It’s been pieced together into a full 6-day vacation!”
“Ahhhh! It’s going to be so long before we get a vacation, I feel like time has started to slow down…”
“Wait, the Law Edict is going to be frozen at the beginning of next month! What about my untaken vacation?”
As Tai Yuebai’s fingertip lightly flicked the Law Edict, the rules of the earth beneath his feet underwent a drastic change. The Dual Rest for the next two weeks completely disappeared, and people no longer had to abide by the Dual Rest Law Edict.
“Without Dual Rest, the Material Humans won’t have to abide by the Dual Rest Law Edict to take vacations, which means it won’t trigger any rebellious effects.”
“However, relying on the detrimental effects of the other trainees’ Law Edicts will still make the masses look forward to Dual Rest, continuing to generate Thought Tide amplification for my Law Edict.”
“At the same time, because they are worried that the delayed six-day vacation will be frozen and vanish due to the Law Edict Expiration Date, it will instead lower the masses’ support for the Law Edict Expiration Date.”
Tai Yuebai could feel that the Thought Tide amplification had stopped dropping and had begun to naturally increase once again.
Meanwhile, his Law Edict True Domain also continued to expand comprehensively, sprinting with all its might toward the finish line of a 100% population proportion.
“Come, Zhang Yu!”
“Right at the climax of this evaluation… let’s have a final showdown and determine the future of this Kunxu!”
Just as Tai Yuebai slowed down slightly, only to surge forward frantically and accelerate all the way once more.
Sensing this, Lie Jinghong’s gaze also turned solemn.
“The ones who can compete for the grade 1 Law Edict and become the first in this match… are not just the two of you.”
Lie Jinghong was seen looking up at the sky, seemingly gazing at the lofty figure standing proudly at the summit of Kunxu.
“Everything in the Law Establishment Ceremony ultimately rests in the hands of Grandpa Immortal Emperor.”
Lie Jinghong knew that although Zhang Yu had the support of the Immortal Emperor behind him, didn’t he have it as well?
His [One Qi Swallows the Universe], his Law Edict template, as well as the Immortal Dao Technology he had accumulated, and all sorts of foundations…
Speaking of investments, the Immortal Emperor’s investment in him would only be more than in Zhang Yu.
A trace of understanding flashed in his eyes: “Zhang Yu, you cannot represent the will of the Immortal Emperor.”
“We have been simultaneously bet on by the Immortal Emperor.”
“Therefore, whoever wins this battle is the one who represents the Immortal Emperor’s decision.”
“Come, Zhang Yu! Tai Yuebai! Let us see who truly represents the will of the Immortal Emperor! Who represents the greatest interests of the sect!”
With a furious roar in his heart, violent fluctuations of hidden Immortal Qi had already erupted within Lie Jinghong’s body.
“I will prove that I am Grandpa Immortal Emperor’s most optimal choice.”
“Even if you also possess the Dao Seed power of One Qi Swallows the Universe, the level of mastery you latecomers have compared to mine is like the difference between heaven and abyss.”
“Not to mention that in this Law Establishment Ceremony, my Immortal Dao Technology is number one!”
The hidden Immortal Qi that Lie Jinghong replicated began to undergo various subtle changes.
He was using his powerful Immortal Dao Technology, combined with the Dao Seed power of One Qi Swallows the Universe, to alter the underlying technical architecture of his own Law Edict. Without affecting the operation of the Law Edict, he caused subtle shifts in its technical principles.
Along with these subtle changes, Lie Jinghong immediately felt… the Thought Tide amplification, which had previously been slightly declining, began to grow rapidly once again.
“As expected… relying on uplifting to embed the Law Edict Expiration Date into my Dharma Realm Obligation requires cracking the principles of my Law Edict.”
“Then, as long as I make subtle changes to the principles of my Law Edict, I can temporarily shake off your embedding…”
The next moment, everyone sensed the top-ranked Lie Jinghong… the propagation speed of his Law Edict had increased once again, sprinting forward with surging momentum and spreading out across the entire land.
However, after each wave of spreading, there would be a slight pause.
It was as if Lie Jinghong, who was sprinting fiercely all the way, was slightly decelerating from time to time to engage in a fierce clash with a certain mysterious existence.
“Still continuing to crack my technical principles?”
Lie Jinghong sneered, “Then let’s see how many times you can crack them…”
Amidst the wild hurricane of hidden Immortal Qi, accompanied by the fierce remote battle between Lie Jinghong and Zhang Yu, going through crack after counter-crack, Lie Jinghong had already launched a furious pursuit toward Tai Yuebai and Zhang Yu, equally determined to join this showdown at the assessment’s finish line.
The successive sprints and accelerations of Tai Yuebai and Lie Jinghong strongly provoked Bu Yingshu.
“Damn it, how did they shake off Zhang Yu’s influence so quickly?”
At this moment, Bu Yingshu felt like she was watching her own wife being chased all the way and dragged into a Dual Cultivation Abode, while she could only look on helplessly, watching their backs grow further and further away.
After the impact of the Law Edict… Di Xuan, who had been observing the situation and movements, spoke up at this moment, “Is it… the more they comply with the law, the more they object?”
“So every time they take extra classes to get certified, and every time they make money to pay the taxes for permanent certificates, it causes the Material Humans’ approval of our Law Edict to decline, which in turn causes the Thought Tide amplification to drop.”
Bu Yingshu said angrily, “What are you muttering about? Tai Yuebai and Lie Jinghong have already gone after Zhang Yu! What do we do?!”
Whether it was Tai Yuebai and Lie Jinghong both taking the lead earlier, Zhang Yu’s sudden rise, or the decline in his own Law Edict’s Thought Tide amplification, Di Xuan maintained a calm demeanor throughout.
Hearing Bu Yingshu’s angry shouts at this moment, his expression remained unchanged as he simply said indifferently, “Don’t panic. The final battle… should be on the last day of the evaluation. We still have time.”
Hearing this, Bu Yingshu was slightly taken aback, shocked in her heart: “How did he know I wanted to freeze everyone’s Void Refinement Certificate on the last day? That is a personalized test specially designed and arranged for me by the higher-ups!”
Di Xuan continued, “Zhang Yu’s Law Edict is the enemy of us all.”
“To fight against him, we should have all the trainees in this testing ground, and all the wealthy people among the Material Humans… all unite.”
Bu Yingshu asked anxiously, “Have all the upper-tier cultivators and wealthy people unite? How?!”
Di Xuan said, “At the end of the day, one of the aspects of the evaluation is to assess the impact of the Law Edict on society.”
“For the bosses, leaders, and wealthy people among the Material Humans, our Law Edicts are fundamentally creating a better business environment and making the world a better place.”
“Whereas Zhang Yu’s Law Edict will change this; it is a common enemy…”
Soon, in one Miniature City after another, information about the Law Edict Expiration Date and the freezing of the new Law Edict next month began to be publicized.
More and more Material Humans knew that “Once Certified, Temporarily Certified” and “Once Certified, Always Certified” would be frozen next month.
Although many of them still agreed with these two new Law Edicts in their hearts, they knew they no longer needed to prepare for next month’s exams or taxes.
In the judges’ office outside the arena, Fa Liuyuan watched this scene and thought to himself, “By propagating the Law Edict Expiration Date, they are making the Material Humans stop obeying the new Law Edicts, thereby avoiding triggering the effect of ‘The More One Obeys, The More One Opposes’.”
“This way, they can preserve… the massive Thought Tide amplification brought about by the ‘the more one obeys, the more one supports’ effect from before Zhang Yu’s Law Edict Domain was present.”
Fa Liuyuan was not surprised that Tai Yuebai, Lie Jinghong, Di Xuan, and the others had perceived the rules of Zhang Yu’s Law Edict True Domain so quickly.
He also felt it was entirely expected that they would successively come up with different forms of countermeasures.
After all, there was no such thing as invincible technology in this world, let alone invincible Law Edicts. As long as time continued to flow, whether it was technology, policies, or Law Edicts, various attacks, defenses, and confrontations would continuously iterate.
What truly surprised him was the subsequent joint countermeasure taken by Di Xuan, Bu Yingshu… and even the other trainees.
In the miniature cities, the propaganda regarding the Law Edict Expiration Date was still continuing.
Appearing at the same time was the propaganda for the Dual Rest Law Edict.
“The Dual Rest Law Edict is going to be frozen next month!”
“No! We only had two Dual Rests this month, and now it’s going to be frozen?”
“Will there be no more Dual Rest days in the future?”
It wasn’t just propaganda; Fa Liuyuan could even see Di Xuan, Bu Yingshu, and those trainees who originally hated and even opposed Dual Rest, all stepping forward to unanimously support Tai Yuebai’s Dual Rest.
Even the rich Material Humans and company bosses were standing up for Dual Rest.
“Dual Rest is great. If the Law Edict can continue, our company is willing to always support the Dual Rest Law Edict.”
“Since Dual Rest was implemented, our company’s efficiency has greatly increased.”
“According to the latest expert research, Dual Rest is the most reasonable, efficient, and Immortal Dao-aligned way of working.”
Watching these scenes unfold, Fa Liuyuan sighed, “Just like the trainees, the wealthy among these Material Humans are also beneficiaries of a series of new Law Edicts such as ‘Artifact Spirit Human Rights’ and ‘Work Gambling.’ Just like the trainees, to combat the Law Edict Expiration Date, they would rather support Dual Rest.”
“Whether it’s the trainees or the wealthy among the Material Humans, they are all using their support for Dual Rest to guide the public’s mind… reducing their acknowledgment of the Law Edict Expiration Date.”
Fa Liuyuan knew that this method of uniting with Material Humans was within the permissions of the evaluation. After all, the test here was meant to evaluate how Law Edicts operated in the physical world, and guiding the populace or utilizing cultivators to influence Law Edicts was already a common method for Kunxu in reality.
“In the end, to combat the Law Edict Expiration Date and for their own interests, whether it’s the trainees in the evaluation grounds or the wealthy among the Material Humans, they have all converged to stand up for the Dual Rest Law Edict they originally opposed…
“Forcibly turning this world into a world that supports Dual Rest.”
“This also proves once again… that the pursuit of profit and the Aspiration for the Immortal Dao are enough to overwhelm any identification with Law Edicts, ultimately determining the behavioral patterns of all living beings.”
At the same time, Tai Yuebai, who was on the field, also felt it… he felt the propagation speed of his Law Edict, as well as the Thought Tide amplification, both becoming faster and stronger.
He thought to himself, “They would rather my Dual Rest Law Edict come out on top…”
Bu Yingshu: “We absolutely cannot let Zhang Yu step on all of our heads!”
At this moment, Bu Yingshu hated Zhang Yu to the extreme, wishing she could just grab him and lock him in her room forever.
As she and Di Xuan continued to charge toward the day of the Final Battle, she thought to herself, “As long as Zhang Yu isn’t allowed to step on all of our heads, whether it’s Dual Rest or adjusted rest… it doesn’t matter.”
Watching these scenes unfold, Fa Liuyuan thought to himself, “Zhang Yu and Tai Yuebai’s Law Edicts have changed this small world.”
“In fact, the combination of these two Law Edicts could perhaps… be called a brilliant pairing.”
“After all, they support Dual Rest, not because they are so willing to have Dual Rest, but because Zhang Yu’s Law Edict Expiration Date exists…”
And with the fierce battles and sprints along the way by Zhang Yu, Tai Yuebai, and Lie Jinghong, followed closely by countless trainees… Fa Liuyuan seemed to already be able to see that, as the days went by, a shocking battle capable of deciding the future of the Myriad Laws Sect would unfold on the final day of the assessment.
“What exactly the result of Zhang Yu’s Law Edict will be, ultimately still depends on…”
Just then, another judge, Ling Chenji, said, “Fa Liuyuan, regarding Zhang Yu’s reversal technology, and the issue of your Reformist Faction illegally acquiring the core technology, do you plan to remain silent forever?”
Just as the judges began to argue again, a divine light from a Righteous God suddenly fell beside Fa Liuyuan.
“A Righteous God?”
Seeing this, the many judges all revealed expressions of surprise.
The judges of the Law Establishment Ceremony also included Righteous Gods.
After all, Righteous Gods… as the executors of the general domain of Law Edicts, their opinions on Law Edicts were equally important.
It was just that ever since the Law Establishment Ceremony began, the Righteous Gods had rarely expressed their opinions, so much so that they seemed to have disappeared in the eyes of everyone.
A voice rang out from within the divine light: “Everyone, even if the reversal technology is effective on third-generation Law Edicts, whether Zhang Yu’s Law Edict is ultimately established still depends on his final performance.”
“If he lacks the power to freeze other Law Edicts, everything will ultimately be in vain.”
“There is no need to rush the discussion on the reversal technology right now.”
Ling Chenji said, “The reversal technology has a profound impact. It is very likely that, just like the situation in the evaluation grounds, it will trigger social unrest and chaos…”
Just then, a vast Spirit Realm message transmitted from within the divine light.
“I think it’s quite good, at least it’s quite lively.”
Although the sentence was simple, the speaker’s name made the expressions of many ascended cultivators turn solemn.
“Great God of Sentient Creation…”
Seeing the Righteous Gods actively taking Zhang Yu’s side, and even the Great God of Sentient Creation sending a message, Bu Yuangui felt no surprise in his heart.
Bu Yuangui thought to himself, “The Heavenly Court… is the execution side of the Law Edicts. The Law Edict Expiration Date can give the Heavenly Court a larger scope of law enforcement, causing their authoritative power to surge.”
“Originally, they were probably worried that Zhang Yu’s technology was insufficient, so the Righteous God did not enter the fray.”
“Now that they have seen Zhang Yu’s reversal technology, are these Righteous Gods starting to show their support and place their bets?”
Right at this moment, Dugu Ming also said, “Everyone, let’s look at the assessment results first. If Zhang Yu cannot freeze everyone’s Law Edicts, then it’s all over. His Law Edict Expiration Date won’t reach the stage of formal operation, and the so-called reversal technology won’t be able to affect anything. We can then take our time to discuss everything.”
The appearance of Dugu Ming and the Righteous Gods instantly relieved the pressure Fa Liuyuan was under, making his figure from behind seem increasingly towering in the hearts of the crowd.
Looking at Fa Liuyuan, who had remained silent from beginning to end without even turning his head, Ling Chenji couldn’t help but think to herself, Are you really this confident, Fa Liuyuan? Could it be that this situation has been within your expectations from start to finish? The Reformist Faction… is actually willing to take such risks and sever their own interests just to initiate a sect reform?
On the other side, Su Xianchen thought to himself, There are no Spirit Realm Fluctuations or Dharma Realm Fluctuations. Has Fa Liuyuan not communicated with the outside world from beginning to end? It seems he was prepared long ago and doesn’t need to ask for instructions from above at all. Could it really be the Immortal Emperor? But the Immortal Emperor… if he does this, how will the first-generation Law Edicts and second-generation Law Edicts be handled?
Meanwhile, in the testing ground, the fierce battles between the various factions were still ongoing. The Thought Tides of sentient beings surged, Law Edicts crisscrossed back and forth, and the Material Humans were experiencing an unprecedented upheaval.
Time had finally reached the last day of the assessment, midnight on July 1st.
At the very moment midnight arrived, someone had already taken the initiative to strike, unleashing the power of their Law Edict upon all the trainees!