Chapter 938: Illegal Space, Yun Taizhen Returns to the Sect?
Old Gao kept his eyes tightly shut. Only after a long while did he shake his head, sighing as he said, “This minor realm of the Former Days Graveyard is ultimately still a bit too small.”
“I can feel that the space here is strictly monitored. If we were to casually construct an Illegal Space, I’m afraid those Righteous Gods would be able to detect it.”
Hearing this, Zhang Yu also gave a slight nod in agreement. “The Former Days Graveyard is indeed too small. It’s too easy for the Righteous Gods to notice if any changes occur to the space here.”
Moreover, Zhang Yu understood that as an important public minor realm, the Former Days Graveyard earned vast amounts of profits for the major sects every year and provided massive numbers of Soul Cultivators. If the spatial structure here were to undergo abnormal changes, it would definitely attract the attention of many people both inside and outside the sect.
However, Old Gao was still unwilling to give up.
It would be one thing if he lacked the ability in the past, but now that he had the power to create an Illegal Space, as an old civil engineer, he couldn’t help but feel an itch in his heart if he didn’t secretly steal a bit of area.
Thus, he said, “This minor realm won’t do. Let’s go to Central Apex Heaven and see if there are any opportunities there.”
Zhang Yu knew that Central Apex Heaven was the central public space of each layer from the 11th to the 20th layers of Kunxu, and it was also the largest area on every layer.
And when Old Gao arrived at Central Apex Heaven, he immediately sensed a difference.
“This is…”
Although Old Gao had been to the Central Apex Heaven many times, in the past, he had not mastered the [Construct the World] Dao Seed, much less possessed the ability to build Illegal Spaces, so naturally, he had never perceived… the spatial anomalies within the Central Apex Heaven.
But at this very moment, in Old Gao’s perception, the spatial structure of the entire Central Apex Heaven seemed to have turned into an ocean.
Not only was it as vast as the ocean, but it was also like ocean waves… constantly rising and falling.
“The entire space is like it’s alive.”
Old Gao exclaimed in amazement, “Expanding and contracting, rising and falling, why is it like this?”
Hearing Old Gao’s exclamation, Zhang Yu also tried switching to the [Construct the World] Dao Seed, wanting to see what was going on.
Although after acquiring the Dao Seed Register of the Feather Book, Zhang Yu was able to copy other people’s Dao Seeds for his own use, Dao Seeds were also divided into different types.
For Dao Seeds of the same type, such as the [Third Eye Mystic Power] and the [Azure Lotus Sword Embryo] which belonged to the same category, he could only activate one at a time.
Something like the [Profound Cold Meridian] belonged to a different type from the [Azure Lotus Sword Embryo], so they could take effect simultaneously.
And since [Construct the World] belonged to the same type as [Immortal Descendant], Zhang Yu could only temporarily swap out [Immortal Descendant] and invoke [Construct the World].
Instantly, he felt that he had temporarily lost his connection with the Immortal Grotto-Heaven, but at the same time, he also felt that the world in his eyes had undergone a huge change.
“It’s actually alive?” Zhang Yu said in surprise in his heart. “The entire world… is breathing?”
On the other side, Teacher Gao had already reacted. He shook his head and said, “No, that’s not right.”
During this period of time, Old Gao had attended quite a few cram schools, desperately catching up on a large amount of knowledge and technology regarding formations and space within the sects.
And at this moment, after observing for a while, he also reacted. “The spatial size of the entire Central Apex Heaven is indeed constantly changing. This is because within the Ten Great Sects, there are too many people triggering spatial changes.”
“Every moment, within this space… a massive amount of spatial technology is being used, causing space to be constantly swallowed up and then released again.”
“So it makes me perceive that the entire space is constantly expanding and contracting, having a fluctuation like a living creature.”
Old Gao sighed, “Especially for many projects involving sect secrets, the data of the major sects and the Heavenly Court are probably not completely shared, right?”
“In this way, if we hide in this kind of spatial fluctuation… setting up some illegal space, it should be very hard to detect, right?”
Right at that moment, Old Gao seemed to sense something again. He suddenly looked up at the sky, gazing toward the upper layers of Kunxu.
“No, it’s not just a simple application of spatial technology; there’s another influence…”
Under the perception of [Construct the World], he seemed to faintly detect… that further up in Kunxu, there appeared to be black hole-like dark entities silently swallowing public space one after another.
Those black holes devouring space were densely packed, scattered across the upper layers of Kunxu like stars.
“Starting from the 15th layer, the higher you go, the more is eaten…
“Could this be…” Old Gao gave a bitter smile, shook his head, and sighed, “I’m afraid when it comes to the erosion of public space… someone up there has been doing this for a long time.”
“Those minor realms and Grotto-Heavens belonging to the upper-tier cultivators have been secretly eroding public space all along, even causing the space in the lower layers… to be constantly pulled into the upper layers.”
Zhang Yu was also sensing all of this. It felt as if the entirety of Kunxu had been turned upside down, with the space of the lower layers falling toward the upper layers thread by thread, like grains of sand in an hourglass.
The public space originally belonging to the vast number of lower-tier cultivators was actually being encroached upon bit by bit by the upper-tier cultivators every single moment…
Although the entire process was extremely slow, it did not stop for a single breath…
“So you’re saying… our world is actually constantly shrinking?”
“If this continues, one day the upper-tier cultivators will each control a domain of their own, while the lower-tier cultivators will be left without a single place to stand.”
“In the very end, there won’t even be any common space left. From birth to death, all lower-tier cultivators will live entirely within the private spaces of the upper-tier cultivators. Wouldn’t that make them lifelong tenants? Sharecroppers?”
At this moment, Zhang Yu suddenly gained a deeper understanding of the ultimate doomsday Tai Yuebai had spoken of.
Zhang Yu sighed in his heart, “It is not just cultivation realms, cultivation, and wealth… Even the very space the common people rely on to survive is stepping towards doomsday.”
The Sect Examination Clone asked, “With sect assets being embezzled like this, is no one going to step in and manage it?”
But Immortal Slayer replied, “Because the person who could manage it is gone.”
Hearing this, Zhang Yu’s heart stirred. “You mean… Senior Ying Xintian?”
Immortal Slayer sighed, “Originally, with Grandmaster’s suppression over the space across the various layers of Kunxu, these upper-tier cultivators didn’t dare to casually erode the public space.”
“Now that Grandmaster is gone and the Ten Great Sects are competing with one another, they are naturally fighting and snatching from each other in the dark.”
“Their movements aren’t too large right now, but the fear is that as time goes on, they will become increasingly unbridled, increasingly frenzied, and insatiably greedy. Then, the speed at which they encroach on public space will only get faster and faster.”
“To stop them, there must be someone who, like the Grandmaster back then, can suppress the space of the various layers of Kunxu while also gaining the recognition of the Ten Immortal Emperors.”
“Or, this matter escalates until a massive conflict finally erupts, and then the Ten Immortal Emperors take action together to establish new rules.”
Desolate Ox sighed, “In this process, the spatial structure of the entire Kunxu might undergo another drastic change. But one thing is for sure: the large will inevitably get larger, and the small will get smaller. The disparity in spatial wealth will only continue to widen…”
Just as Immortal Slayer, Desolate Ox, and Zhang Yu were conversing, Old Gao spoke up from the side, “Hmph… Since everyone is stealing volume, there’s no problem with us grabbing a share too, right? As long as we aren’t found out, it’ll be fine.”
As he spoke, Old Gao reached out and grabbed at the air, as if he were stuffing something into his pocket, and then hurriedly said, “Go, go, go, let’s quickly head back to your Immortal Grotto-Heaven first.”
As soon as they returned to the Immortal Grotto-Heaven, Old Gao released a faint glimmer of light from his palm.
Watching the glimmer from his palm successfully merge into the Immortal Grotto-Heaven, a faint smile appeared on Old Gao’s lips.
Following Old Gao’s actions, the entire Immortal Grotto-Heaven expanded by about 1 cubic centimeter.
After all, it was his first time doing this, and Old Gao didn’t dare to steal too much. He decided to just grab 1 cubic centimeter to test the waters first.
If a Righteous God noticed, he would just say: “I figured nobody wanted this area and this space, so I picked it up and brought it home.”
Regardless, it was only 1 cubic centimeter of space. Old Gao thought that even if someone found out, he probably wouldn’t have to pay much in compensation.
Sensing Zhang Yu’s gaze, Old Gao said, “Zhang Yu, don’t worry. If anyone asks, just say I did it. It has nothing to do with you.”
The Sect Examination Clone said, “We really should let Old Gao steal more on a regular basis. Rather than letting these public spaces be taken by those bugs at the top for personal gain, it’s better to get a bit more into our own hands to help us serve the sect and serve the Immortal Emperor.”
Immortal Slayer snorted coldly and said, “Isn’t it still stealing from heaven and earth, and embezzling public property?”
The Sect Examination Clone said, “How can that be the same? We are improving ourselves for the Immortal Emperor.”
Immortal Slayer said, “Improving ourselves? That is indeed true… Zhang Yu, when we climb up in the future and ascend to the top positions, we must make these guys spit out all their minor realms and grotto-heavens. From then on, Kunxu will belong to the public, and no one should even think about encroaching on a single trace of it.”
Zhang Yu, however, looked up at the sky and said, “Teacher Gao, if we take a trip up there in the future, for example to the 15th or 16th layer… do you think we can steal the space that those upper-tier cultivators have consumed?”
Old Gao was slightly taken aback and said, “Theoretically speaking, it should be possible, but wouldn’t we be discovered?”
Zhang Yu gave a faint smile and said, “If the Illegal Space they secretly built themselves gets dismantled and taken away by someone else, what can they even say? Could they really call upon a Righteous God for help?”
“Crooks robbing crooks?” Old Gao’s eyes flickered upon hearing this, feeling that Zhang Yu’s words made perfect sense.
When he and Zhang Yu left the Immortal Grotto-Heaven and returned to the public space of the Central Apex Heaven, Old Gao looked up at the sky again. It seemed that what he saw were no longer patches of black holes encroaching on space, but rather treasures waiting to be opened.
Old Gao thought to himself, “If I can steal some of the space swallowed by these guys, who knows how many times the Immortal Grotto-Heaven would expand? Might it become the most massive minor realm?”
“Could it be even larger than the 11th Layer?”
“If it can, wouldn’t that mean Kunxu has been… moved out an extra layer by me?”
“Then just from renting it out, how much money could I make?”
Looking deep into the sky, a surge of fighting spirit welled up in Old Gao’s heart, “Shall we borrow another five million square meters from the heavens?”
“That’s a bit small, better make it five million square kilometers. If the current Immortal Grotto-Heaven gains another five million square kilometers… it should be enough.”
Thinking of this, Old Gao couldn’t help but feel eager to give it a try. He planned to temper his [Construct the World] more and practice his Illegal Space abilities.
Old Gao said to Zhang Yu at his side, “I’m going to wander around first and see if there’s any area that others don’t want. You head back first.”
Watching Old Gao’s back full of fighting spirit, Zhang Yu returned to the Former Days Graveyard.
And shortly after he returned, a message from Le Mulan appeared before his eyes.
Le Mulan: “The Heavenly Surveillance Hall feels so idle. There’s nothing to do every day, they just have me cultivate with all my effort…”
Ever since Le Mulan went to the Heavenly Surveillance Hall, she would occasionally send messages to Zhang Yu to exchange updates on their respective situations.
According to Le Mulan’s account, she had almost no work assignments at the Heavenly Surveillance Hall.
Her leader only asked her to improve her cultivation as quickly as possible. They even said they had already arranged her Void Refinement Certificate, just waiting for her to complete the ten divine light transformations.
Hearing this, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but sigh with emotion, “The Heavenly Surveillance Hall… how could a place like that have no work?”
“She is indeed valued by the Myriad Laws Immortal Emperor and intended to be used as a secret weapon against the Reincarnation Immortal Emperor. This is to let Le Mulan elevate her cultivation realm and upgrade her Dao Seed at the fastest possible speed.”
“It might even be Dugu Ming’s personal arrangement to have the people of the Heavenly Surveillance Hall refrain from assigning Le Mulan any work.”
Zhang Yu could imagine that, at this moment, in the eyes of many cultivators in the Heavenly Surveillance Hall, Le Mulan had probably become a parachuted VIP with a profound background.
The Sect Examination Clone laughed, “Grandpa Immortal Emperor truly has a good eye for people! Once Le Mulan’s Profound Cold Meridian upgrades, we can also enjoy the benefits. This is the great grace of the Immortal Emperor, Zhang Yu, you must remember it well.”
A few days later, Zhang Yu and Su Xianchen met in the Dharma Realm.
Su Xianchen was the President of the Law Edict Review Committee, while Zhang Yu was the Minister of the Effectiveness Review Department under the Committee… It could be said that this Ascension Realm cultivator was now Zhang Yu’s direct superior.
Looking at Zhang Yu in front of him, Su Xianchen said, “I have read your application. You want to transfer Magnetic Pole, Gao Chongguang, and the others over from the Netherworld Assets Department?”
Zhang Yu said, “President Su, they are all cultivators who have worked with me for a long time and we already have a tacit understanding. With their assistance, I believe the upcoming task of reviewing the Law Edicts will go much more smoothly.”
Whether they truly had a tacit understanding or could actually provide assistance to Zhang Yu… Su Xianchen did not know.
It was just that the grade of the Law Edict Review Committee was very high. The few cultivators Zhang Yu named… could obviously take this opportunity to increase their rank.
However, Su Xianchen did not care about this. After all, a Void Refinement cultivator had already stepped into the ruling class of Kunxu, so starting to cultivate subordinates was completely normal.
In comparison, he was more concerned with Zhang Yu’s upcoming work arrangements.
Su Xianchen said, “Have you chosen the starting point for the pilot project? I heard you are going to inspect the 16th layer next?”
After a round of questioning, Su Xianchen nodded and said, “Next year is the first year the sect’s third-generation Law Edicts officially take effect, and it will also be the first shot of the legal reform.”
“Your actions in the 16th layer pilot project won’t just be watched by the sect; I’m afraid all sorts of upper-tier cultivators from the other sects will be looking over as well.”
“The Immortal Emperor asked me to tell you that as long as the Law Edicts on next year’s list are successfully frozen one by one and successfully enter the review process, then Rank 7 and a Tribulation Certificate will be prepared for you.”
Although he already had some guesses in his heart, hearing this promise with his own ears still sent a shock through Zhang Yu’s heart.
Of course, he also knew that the other party’s request wasn’t that simple. A so-called successful freezing… didn’t mean just freezing it was enough.
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “I must avoid excessive impact while freezing the Law Edicts. I cannot affect the overall interests of the sect, especially… the Immortal Emperor’s interests.”
Immortal Slayer said, “To fight without breaking, being able to freeze the target Law Edicts while minimizing the impact — this matter isn’t easy. Especially the 4-hour Workday, Pay for Overtime, as well as the Dual Cultivation Obligation and Procreation Obligation. They all contain massive interests. Behind them, there is the Full Attendance Immortal, as well as Immortal Venerable Supreme Truth backing them up.”
“This matter… won’t be that easy.”
Zhang Yu thought, “Yun Taizhen…”
He never expected that only a few years after he last directly faced the Supreme Truth Immortal Clan, he would once again be an enemy of this Immortal Venerable, and the conflict involved was becoming even more dangerous.
Zhang Yu’s mind recalled all sorts of information regarding Yun Taizhen, and finally, the bloodline information left to him by Ying Xintian and Ying Yao flashed past.
“According to Ying Yao… the daughter of Senior Ying Xintian, apart from Senior Ying Xintian’s bloodline power, she also left me Yun Taizhen’s bloodline information… which represents a flaw in Supreme Truth’s Dao Lineage.”
“Is all of this within the Immortal Emperor’s calculations?”
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Is someone trying to use this to make me deal with Yun Taizhen?”
Just as these thoughts flashed like lightning through Zhang Yu’s mind, the Sect Examination Clone had already manipulated the body to bow to the President in front of him and said, “The Immortal Emperor is sagacious. I ask President Su to inform the Immortal Emperor on my behalf that this subject will offer my utmost service to repay His Majesty’s grace of recognition. Please ask His Majesty to await good news.”
Seeing Zhang Yu’s thoroughly loyal appearance, Su Xianchen slightly nodded and continued, “The Immortal Emperor already anticipated that you would answer like this. He asked me to tell you that the legal reform cannot be rushed. You must unravel it carefully, proceed step by step, and establish a steady foundation. You absolutely must not act in undue haste… and trigger turbulence in the sect.”
Looking at the Sect Examination Clone nodding earnestly, Su Xianchen continued, “For example, when freezing the Law Edicts under the Full Attendance Immortal, you must pay attention to the method so as not to affect the efficiency of the major Sect Enterprises.”
“And…” Su Xianchen reminded again, “Next year, our sect’s Immortal Venerable Supreme Truth will be returning from the Celestial Monster Sect.” Hearing this, Zhang Yu’s heart sank slightly.
Su Xianchen then continued, “For many years, Immortal Venerable Supreme Truth Yun Taizhen has been traveling through various sects, promoting the external trade of our Myriad Laws, and exchanging Immortal Dao Technology with the Immortals of various sects. She has not been a permanent resident of Myriad Laws for a long time and rarely meets with the Immortal Emperor.”
“And ever since the incident with the Supreme Truth Immortal Clan last time, she even lost contact with the sect for a while, supposedly recuperating in the Celestial Monster Sect.”
“This trip back to the sect, I’m afraid she comes with ill intentions.”
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Could it be for the legal reform? Or…”
Immortal Slayer said gloomily, “If she’s coming for Ying Yunyao, it’ll be even more troublesome.”
Just then, Su Xianchen patted Zhang Yu’s shoulder again and said, “Of course, the Immortal Emperor knows you are under a lot of pressure, so besides rank and certificates, he has prepared something else for you.”
“After successfully freezing the Law Edicts, you can recommend two people… to participate in the law establishment of the new third-generation Law Edict.”
“If you handle it beautifully, you will be rewarded with a copy of a ‘Book’.”