Chapter 933 The True Shape of Kunxu, The Starting Point of the Law Edict
Hearing Zhang Yu ask to increase the price, a trace of understanding flashed in Su Lingyou’s eyes; instead, she felt that Zhang Yu acting this way was much more normal.
On the other side, Kuang Tianqing’s gaze also flickered, and he sighed inwardly: “Heh… It seems I was overthinking it. This is normal. How could a cultivator who has climbed to the position of a Rank 6 Sect Staff still have a head full of those naive ancient ideas?”
Thus, Kuang Tianqing spoke up and said, “So… Dao Monarch Zhang, what do you want?”
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “According to my persona, I need to at least bargain a bit for Le Mulan to satisfy their expectations and make it seem more reasonable, right?”
And hearing Kuang Tianqing’s response, Zhang Yu continued, “I want two Evil Gods like the ones in the last batch.”
Hearing the other party suddenly ask to double the remuneration, Kuang Tianqing frowned slightly but still nodded and said, “I don’t have the authority to decide this. I still need to ask my superiors…”
Zhang Yu then stated his second condition: “I also demand half the payment in advance.”
Kuang Tianqing immediately rejected it, “That’s impossible!”
Zhang Yu insisted, “Doing this kind of thing requires me to take a huge risk, and there’s a chance of failure. I can’t take such a massive risk only to end up with nothing if I fail, right? You must give me half the payment in advance.”
Seeing that Kuang Tianqing still wanted to argue, Zhang Yu simply waved his hand and said, “Just report my request up the chain. Your superiors will agree to it.”
Kuang Tianqing hesitated for a moment, but seeing Zhang Yu’s serious expression, he still followed suit.
Meanwhile, Immortal Slayer gave a slight mental nod and said, “Not bad. Le Mulan is of vital importance to the current Reincarnation Group. If you raise the price a bit, they should still agree.”
“They need someone who possesses the means to kill and has a connection to Le Mulan so as not to arouse suspicion… We might be some of the very few candidates.”
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “But I could never actually complete this mission. I’ll just stall the Reincarnation Group and get some benefits in my hands first.”
Naturally, he couldn’t possibly follow the Reincarnation Group’s demands and send Le Mulan into reincarnation.
However, Zhang Yu knew perfectly well that if he outright refused, the Reincarnation Group would simply find someone else and think of another way to get it done.
“Rather than… letting others do it, I might as well go with the flow and save Le Mulan first.”
At this moment, Zhang Yu had already made a decision in his heart: first get Le Mulan under his own control, and then slowly negotiate with the Reincarnation Group.
“At the end of the day, the Reincarnation Group just doesn’t want to see large-scale longevity extension among Soul Cultivators occurring in the market.”
“As long as I can prevent that, there is still room for negotiation.”
Moreover, Zhang Yu believed that with his current status and his importance in the Myriad Laws Sect’s legislative reform, he had quite a few bargaining chips with the Reincarnation Group.
A moment later, Kuang Tianqing seemed to have received a reply. He looked at Zhang Yu with some surprise and said, “The higher-ups have agreed to your request and will send two Evil Gods over.”
Seeing Zhang Yu looking as if he had expected this all along, Kuang Tianqing couldn’t help but wildly speculate in his mind: “Just what exactly happened to Le Mulan? To make the higher-ups take it so seriously? They are willing to give Zhang Yu his reward before he even makes a move?”
Zhang Yu thought to himself, Should I raise the price again? Never mind, if I ask for too much and the mission fails… I’m afraid it will only increase the difficulty of the negotiations and add unnecessary trouble.
For Zhang Yu at this moment, his main objective was still to save Le Mulan first; the reward was merely a bonus.
Thinking of this, Zhang Yu said in his mind, “The next question is how to save Le Mulan. Do you have any ideas?”
The Sect Examination Clone said, “That’s right, Le Mulan is after all a cultivator of my Myriad Laws Sect! How can we listen to these Reincarnation Dogs and murder our fellow sect members?”
The Herald God thought to himself, Hmph, not murder fellow sect members? I see it’s because Le Mulan can bring a greater return that Zhang Yu wants to control her. If my previous guess is true, then I’m afraid… this Le Mulan’s Dao Seed is no small matter. Could it be another ultra-high-danger Dao Seed?
Immortal Slayer said, “The key lies in… how to make the Reincarnation Immortal Emperor believe that even if Le Mulan is alive, large-scale longevity extension of Soul Cultivators will not happen. This is not a simple matter. For an expert at the level of an Immortal Emperor, trust is not worth mentioning, control is the optimal choice…”
The Auspicious God said, “Umm… what exactly happened to Le Mulan?”
Just as Zhang Yu and the others were discussing countermeasures in his mind, Kuang Tianqing also brought two Evil Gods, turning them into Black Pearls and handing them to Zhang Yu.
Zhang Yu activated the Veiling Heaven to Conceal Demons Great Art, taking the two Evil Gods into his shadow and temporarily suppressing them, waiting for Fu Ji to wake up before feeding them to her.
At the thought of Fu Ji being fed breakfast as soon as she woke up, the Auspicious God felt a trace of jealousy well up in his heart, secretly swearing to work even harder to prove himself and strive for a chance to eat some leftovers by the table in the future.
Kuang Tianqing urged, “Dao Monarch Zhang, if possible, please hurry to the 16th Layer as quickly as you can to find Le Lan. There might be new developments there at any time, and any delay may lead to unforeseen complications.”
Zhang Yu nodded and said, “I understand.”
In the next moment, Zhang Yu could be seen leaving the Former Days Graveyard, returning to the central area of the 11th Layer known as Central Apex Heaven, and soaring all the way up into the sky toward the 16th Layer.
At the same time, Zhang Yu contacted Bu Yingshu and asked, “Profound Monarch Bu, have you found Le Mulan’s whereabouts?”
Looking at the message Zhang Yu sent, although Bu Yingshu had only managed to find out Le Mulan’s general destination and didn’t know the specifics yet, she was unwilling to show weakness in front of him.
“I can’t let Little Yu think that I’ve been gone for half a day and still haven’t found anything out, right?”
So Bu Yingshu replied directly: “I asked around, and she should be in a minor realm on the 16th Layer…”
After giving the address, Bu Yingshu continued: “Little Yu, don’t worry just yet. I’m contacting them and asking them to do me a favor and let Le Mulan out…”
Zhang Yu didn’t bother to read the rest of Bu Yingshu’s message.
He knew that with the benefits currently tied to Le Mulan, Bu Yingshu’s face alone wouldn’t be enough to settle this.
Zhang Yu’s eyes swept over the address she sent, thinking to himself: “It’s the same location provided by the Reincarnation Group.”
Now that he had the address provided by Bu Yingshu, Zhang Yu didn’t need to find any excuses. With a flash of his figure, he accelerated towards the laboratory on the 16th Layer.
Along with the rapid increase in altitude, Zhang Yu passed through layer after layer of surveillance barriers. Countless sweeps of divine power brushed over his body, only withdrawing after confirming his identity.
In the blink of an eye, he had already arrived at the 16th Layer of Kunxu.
During this continuous ascent, Zhang Yu could also feel the entire environment undergoing drastic changes as he went up the layers.
“The immortal aura concentration has reached 7%. The Immortalization Degree of the Void-Refined Primordial Spirit… the improvement efficiency has doubled.”
“Under the illumination of the 16th Layer’s sun and moon radiance, my basic thinking speed has also increased to five times. It really is true that the higher your rank, the more time you have.”
At the same time, advertisements from the Dharma Realm flashed before Zhang Yu’s eyes. He sighed inwardly, “Data fees, computing power, and spiritual energy are all cheaper. Sure enough, the higher up you go, the better the basic conditions to cultivate.”
Zhang Yu could also sense that the spatial structure of the 16th Layer was somewhat unusual, filled with far more artificial traces.
Immortal Slayer explained, “The entire space of the 16th Layer is highly manipulable. Every Void Refinement Cultivator can open up space here and purchase their own Immortal Abode or minor realm at an inexpensive price.”
“It is not a rare thing for veteran Void Refinement Cultivators to own minor realms as massive as cities here.”
Speaking of this, Immortal Slayer also sighed, “Kunxu… looks like a pyramid where the space gets narrower layer by layer, but that is only the public space.”
“If you count private space, the cultivators higher up can control far more of it, possessing vast worlds that lower cultivators could scarcely imagine.”
Hearing this, Zhang Yu nodded slightly. He remembered that after being appointed as the Minister of the Effectiveness Review Department, he had also been granted an Immortal Abode on the 16th Layer, though he hadn’t had the time to go and visit it yet.
“So to speak…” Zhang Yu said, “Kunxu was originally supposed to be an inverted pyramid? The higher up you go, the larger the space?”
“But because of the upper-tier cultivators’ frantic excavation of public space, harvesting massive amounts of it into private space, the remaining public space ended up looking like a regular pyramid?”
At this point, Zhang Yu laughed somewhat helplessly.
“These guys, when they stratified the world and built Kunxu, they planned to occupy the lion’s share at the top. But after the stratification was complete, they still thought it wasn’t enough. They continued to occupy, harvest, and constantly annex space, so that ultimately, the leftover public space appears to get smaller the higher up you go…”
As he spoke, Zhang Yu’s figure shot out like a bolt of lightning, arriving in front of the gate of a minor realm a moment later.
The minor realm before him was named Balanced-Life Grotto-Heaven. It was the laboratory district specifically used by the pharmaceutical companies within the Myriad Laws Sect to research longevity technology.
Looking at the gates of this Grotto-Heaven, Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Behind the pharmaceutical company is the Life Origin Daoist Lineage. To this Dao Lineage…”
For the Life Origin Daoist Lineage, which focused on curing illnesses and saving lives and controlled numerous medical interest groups, who was their biggest competitor in Kunxu?
Death? No, it was precisely because of the existence of death that curing illnesses and saving lives held greater value.
“To the Life Origin Daoist Lineage, their biggest competitors are probably Soul Cultivators and reincarnation.”
“It is exactly because of the existence of Soul Cultivators and reincarnation that death is no longer so terrifying, causing the value of medicine to drop.”
“And the Level 5 Profound Cold Meridian represents a new possibility for the Life Origin Daoist Lineage.”
“A possibility to invade the Soul Cultivator market and provide large-scale longevity extension medical services to Soul Cultivators. A possibility to seize the profits of reincarnation and compress the reincarnation market.”
“So to the Life Origin Daoist Lineage and the pharmaceutical company… their goal must be to secretly study Le Mulan until they achieve results, and they will absolutely not let her go easily.”
Just as these layers of thoughts flashed like lightning through Zhang Yu’s mind, Yue Qinglan’s projection appeared before him.
Obviously, Zhang Yu’s undisguised arrival immediately attracted attention within the Balanced-Life Grotto-Heaven.
Yue Qinglan’s voice rang out, looking surprised, “Dao Monarch Zhang? Why are you here? Is there a matter?”
Zhang Yu said lightly, “Bu Yingshu told me that Le Mulan is here. I want to see her.”
Hearing this, Yue Qinglan felt annoyed in her heart. “That Bu Yingshu… Why would she tell Zhang Yu this?”
“And her suddenly seeking me out to chat just now, could that also be to gather information for Zhang Yu?”
Yue Qinglan thought to herself, “What crazy fit is Bu Yingshu throwing? After Law Establishment ended, wasn’t she already at odds with Zhang Yu? She really is unreliable, there’s a good reason for her bad reputation…”
Although a myriad of thoughts swirled in her mind, Yue Qinglan remained outwardly composed and did not deny what Zhang Yu had said.
After all, Le Mulan had not yet revealed her ability to extend the lifespans of Soul Cultivators, and the process of transferring her to the Balanced-Life Grotto-Heaven was not highly classified. Yue Qinglan knew that if Zhang Yu was intent on investigating, it couldn’t be hidden from him.
On the contrary, trying to cover it up would only arouse unnecessary curiosity in him.
Yue Qinglan then said, “Apologies, Dao Monarch Zhang, Le Mulan is still conducting important research and doesn’t have time to see anyone at the moment.”
Zhang Yu frowned and said, “And if I insist on seeing her?”
Yue Qinglan gave a helpless smile, “We naturally have to give Dao Monarch Zhang face. Please wait a moment, we will have her come over right away.”
Seeing this, Zhang Yu was slightly taken aback. “It’s that simple? Could it be that my prestige is already this effective?”
But on second thought, Zhang Yu knew that was impossible.
“To make Kunxu’s cultivators give up the benefits already in their hands, how could it be this simple? I’d like to see what kind of tricks you’re going to play.”
The next moment, Le Mulan’s projection descended in front of Zhang Yu.
The instant she saw Zhang Yu, Le Mulan’s heart trembled, but the warnings that Yue Qinglan and Lianzi Zi had successively given her quickly surfaced in her mind.
Lianzi Zi had said, “This Zhang Yu is not yet qualified to know the secrets here, so remember not to speak out of turn about things you shouldn’t say.”
Yue Qinglan: “You should know how much importance the higher-ups attach to this project. If word gets out, you, Zhang Yu, and even we will all be buried with it. Understood?”
Just then, Zhang Yu said, “Mulan? Is that you?”
Le Mulan’s projection instantly displayed various pieces of personal identity information to prove her identity.
At the same time, when she looked at Zhang Yu, she could only see his physical appearance, unable to identify information such as his rank, cultivation realm, merit points, and titles.
This was exactly the method Lianzi Zi had used on her; although she was allowed to project herself, she was still disconnected from the external Spirit Realm and Dharma Realm.
Thus, under Lianzi Zi’s filtering, Le Mulan could only see Zhang Yu’s image but could not receive the information emanating from him.
Naturally, Le Mulan had no way of knowing what Zhang Yu had been doing outside for the past year, nor what his current status was.
Looking at Zhang Yu before her, Le Mulan sighed inwardly, The water here is too deep; I can’t drag Zhang Yu into this.
With this in mind, feeling the strict surveillance from Lianzi Zi and Yue Qinglan beside her, Le Mulan began to recite the pre-approved script.
“I have already signed a contract with Dao Monarch Yue and the others, and I will be working here for a very long time,” Le Mulan said with a cold expression. “Due to the confidentiality clause, I won’t be able to contact the outside world normally.”
“You…” Le Mulan looked at Zhang Yu, took a deep breath, and said, “Don’t come looking for me anymore. I’m afraid it will affect my work.”
After saying this, Le Mulan turned her head away, no longer looking at Zhang Yu. Instead, she looked at Lianzi Zi and said, “Profound Monarch, I want to go back to work.”
Lianzi Zi nodded slightly, a hint of a smile appearing in his heart.
In his eyes… a lower-tier cultivator latching onto a powerful backer and betraying their past leader was a scene simply too common in Kunxu, more than enough to explain Le Mulan’s behavior.
Next, I’ll just give Zhang Yu some money. At worst, Yue Qinglan and I will entertain him a bit longer, and there shouldn’t be any problems.
Lianzi Zi thought rapidly to himself: Hmm… I can’t give him too much money, otherwise it might arouse suspicion. Giving him a few hundred thousand to brush him off should be enough.
Yue Qinglan thought to herself: After all, Zhang Yu doesn’t know Le Mulan’s true value. In his eyes… Le Mulan is just a lower beast clinging to a new master. It’s impossible for him to do anything more for this lower beast…
But just at this moment, Zhang Yu said indifferently, “I want to see Le Mulan in person. Not a projection, but her true body.”
Yue Qinglan smiled faintly and said, “Dao Monarch Zhang, she is just someone of lower cultivation, why make a fuss? Today, Senior Lianzi Zi and I have come together to keep you company.”
Lianzi Zi sent a money transfer to Zhang Yu, only to find it was rejected and returned by the other party on the spot.
Zhang Yu said coldly, “Le Mulan is someone I brought to ascend to the Sect, so I will take responsibility for her to the end. No matter her situation or her thoughts, I must see her in person to confirm.”
Hearing Zhang Yu’s words, the Herald God thought to himself, Zhang Yu naturally couldn’t state his true reason for coming here. For example… according to my guess, is it for the Dao Seed that might exist within Le Mulan? So he is still using his long-standing persona of caring for his subordinates and considering old ties as an excuse?
Hearing Zhang Yu’s words, Le Mulan’s heart trembled violently. She wanted to persuade Zhang Yu not to act recklessly, to beg him absolutely not to offend the pharmaceutical company, but she knew that the more she said this, the more likely it was to push Zhang Yu into making a mistake.
Le Mulan could only continuously cry out in her heart, No, Zhang Yu… please stop caring about me, you will be targeted by the pharmaceutical company…
In an instant, countless bloody and cruel images surfaced in Le Mulan’s mind, causing the magic power within her body to agitate slightly.
Beside her, Lianzi Zi and Yue Qinglan exchanged a surprised look, seemingly not expecting Zhang Yu to be so persistent regarding Le Mulan’s matter.
Watching Zhang Yu walk over step by step, Lianzi Zi directly disconnected Le Mulan’s projection and took a step forward to intercept him, saying, “Dao Monarch Zhang, Balanced-Life Grotto-Heaven is a private minor realm. Are you planning to force your way in?!”
Zhang Yu coldly snorted and said, “So what if I force my way in? I want to see if this is still the land of Myriad Laws!”
The next moment, Zhang Yu pointed a finger at the gate of the minor realm before him and said, “I want to inspect… Balanced-Life Grotto-Heaven, to see if it is suitable… to serve as the starting point for my Law Edict Pilot on the 16th layer.”
“Are you going to stop me? Do you want to obstruct the progress of the legal reform within the sect?”