Chapter 948: The Advancing Zhang Yu
“Go tell Zhang Yu! Grandpa Immortal Emperor is already so short on money. If he dares to set his sights on the Immortal Emperor, even if I have to sue to the thirty-third heaven, I will strip off his skin!”
“Don’t think that just because he became some Myriad Laws Divine Sword, he can do whatever he wants. As long as he hasn’t achieved immortality, he will always be our Immortal Clan’s dog!”
“Tell him these words, word for word!”
After saying that, Bu Aixian turned around, and her projection gradually dissipated.
Hearing these words, a hint of anger flashed in Bu Yingshu’s eyes.
“This bastard…” Bu Yingshu thought to herself, “Zhang Yu is my dog alone! What does it have to do with you?”
At this moment, Bu Yingshu, who had also advanced to the Tribulation Transcendence Realm, felt a trace of fighting spirit rise in her heart. “Bu Yingshu! You are younger, have more potential, and more innate talent than your aunt. Are you really willing to be her junior?”
“Unleash your power and seize the position of aunt!”
But the next moment, thinking of the Law Edicts that Bu Aixian specially used to manage the Myriad Laws Immortal Clan, Bu Yingshu had to temporarily swallow her anger and watch the other party’s figure disappear.
“I’ll go tell my dad! I’ll let Bu Yuangui deal with you!”
Thinking of this, Bu Yingshu immediately sent a message to her father: “Dad! Bu Aixian refuses to cooperate with Zhang Yu to push forward the legal reform!”
A moment later, Bu Yuangui replied: “I told you not to get too close to Zhang Yu. He is pushing for legal reform, so why are you joining in the fun?”
Bu Yingshu: “I’m really just trying to share the Immortal Emperor’s burdens!”
Looking at Bu Yingshu’s reply, Bu Yuangui thought to himself, “To share the Immortal Emperor’s burdens, there has to be a profit to be made. You can’t just operate at a loss.”
“What on earth… is Zhang Yu thinking? Is he really that confident he can make these companies bow their heads?”
Meanwhile, within a minor realm on the 16th layer.
Venerable Serpent Lust burst into loud laughter: “Zhang Yu, oh Zhang Yu, I thought you had some other tricks up your sleeve, but you actually want to negotiate with the companies?”
“Which company would easily spit out the profits they already have in their hands? This goes against human nature, against the Aspiration for the Immortal Dao, and against the Dao Lineages.”
“Do you really think that just the words ‘Myriad Laws Divine Sword’ mean everyone will obey wherever you go?”
“Your defeat will begin right from this very step.”
Thinking of this, Venerable Serpent Lust had already begun arranging his subordinate temp-worker internet trolls, just waiting to loudly broadcast the news the moment Zhang Yu’s negotiations failed.
At the same time, inside the Effectiveness Department’s office in the Inner Enclosure Grotto-Heaven, the atmosphere was heavily depressing.
Old Gao, upon learning that all the companies Zhang Yu invited had refused to attend the meeting, also showed a trace of worry on his face.
He made a mental note of the minor realms owned by these companies, thinking to himself, “When I find a chance, I’ll steal all the public areas they’ve occupied.”
Although he harbored thoughts of revenge, he also understood that this would not solve the pressing matter at hand.
“If these companies continue to refuse to talk, and Zhang Yu is at a loss for what to do, I’m afraid the forced overtime in major companies will only become more severe and unscrupulous.”
“If this turmoil continues, Zhang Yu’s promotion of the Law Edict will also face heavy obstacles.”
He looked toward the depths of the Inner Enclosure Grotto-Heaven, wondering inwardly, “Have you figured out what to do?”
Inside the office, Zhang Yu looked at the reaction of public opinion, but there was not much surprise on his face.
Fu Ji, however, grew angrier the more she read: “Look at this! Zhang Yu, we are clearly trying to help this group of low-tier cultivators negotiate with the companies, yet they don’t believe you. They even slander and curse you. Over the past few days, they’ve even reduced the Law Edict’s Thought Tide amplification, dropping its ranking by dozens of spots. Tell me, why are you even helping them?”
Immortal Slayer said, “The cultivators of Kunxu have been constantly deceived from the moment they gained consciousness. They have been lied to far too many times as they grew up, so it is quite normal for them not to trust us.”
The Herald God thought to himself, “Although the low-tier cultivators outside are all protesting, as long as Zhang Yu truly succeeds, all those voices of opposition will turn into Zhang Yu’s strength.”
“He will condense the will of countless low-tier cultivators, becoming the spokesperson for the low-tier cultivators, and negotiate with one company after another in the future.”
“The benefits that can be obtained from this, the space for maneuvering… will be far, far too great.”
Thinking of this, the Herald God sighed inwardly, “Zhang Yu started a fire himself and then sat back to watch the struggle between the companies and the employees. He’s waiting until both sides feel the pain before stepping in to act as the referee himself. Once he succeeds… he will gain the power to influence the overall situation. What a great move of borrowing another’s strength to strike.”
“However…”
Fu Ji said worriedly, “Zhang Yu, won’t what you’re going to do next be too dangerous? After all, these companies are all more or less related to Immortals, and even the Immortal Emperor.”
Immortal Slayer coldly snorted and said, “Which sect enterprise or company in the sect doesn’t have connections? If you trace them upwards, which one doesn’t have an Immortal’s background? Does that mean we just don’t reform?”
The Sect Examination Clone said, “Even so, we shouldn’t first touch the Dharma Realm Service and charity-related companies. These are all making money for the Immortal Emperor. The moment I think about Grandpa Immortal Emperor being so short on money and still having to lose profit, I can’t help but feel my heart ache for him.”
Immortal Slayer then said, “In order to take, one must first give. If even the Immortal Emperor is unwilling to sacrifice some interests to promote reform, how can others be expected to support it?
“If everyone is unwilling to make concessions, how can the reform move forward?
“And if this negotiation can be settled in one battle, showing everyone that the Immortal Emperor is willing to accept some losses first for the sake of reform, who else will have any reason to oppose it? The subsequent reforms will then proceed smoothly.”
Seeing that the Sect Examination Clone was still unconvinced, Zhang Yu said, “I believe the Immortal Emperor will support us. Because the Myriad Laws Immortal Emperor definitely has this capacity and this boldness.”
“The Myriad Laws Immortal Emperor is not an ordinary person kidnapped by Immortal sDao Aspiration.”
“Enduring the loss of short-term interests to pursue the growth of long-term interests — if he didn’t even have this much capacity, he wouldn’t have become the Myriad Laws Immortal Emperor.”
As he spoke, Zhang Yu’s mind moved, and a screen of light appeared before him, displaying the area currently covered by his Law Edict True Domain.
“Everyone, the real overtime is about to begin.”
Zhang Yu pointed a finger out, and as if a pebble had been dropped into a calm lake, the hidden Immortal Qi in the atmosphere underwent a drastic change.
At this moment, countless cultivators above Void Refinement in the 16th layer all looked in Zhang Yu’s direction, faintly perceiving that some sort of change was taking place.
At the same time, the range of the Law Edict True Domain on the light screen in front of Zhang Yu had also undergone a drastic change.
In the areas where “Four-Hour Workday” and “Paid Overtime” had originally been frozen due to the spread of “Law Edict Expiration Date,” Zhang Yu’s Law Edict True Domain suddenly shrank back.
As Zhang Yu’s Law Edict True Domain retracted, the originally frozen “Four-Hour Workday” and “Paid Overtime” shockingly began to operate again.
Watching this scene, Fu Ji thought to herself, “Originally, because the Law Edict was frozen, those places enveloped by Zhang Yu’s Law Edict True Domain had already begun crazy overtime and layoffs.”
“If the Law Edict is frozen, then this wouldn’t matter much to them.”
“But now, with the Law Edict retracting and the ‘Four-Hour Workday’ and ‘Paid Overtime’ operating again, the people inside will immediately have to pay for overtime.”
“And now it is the afternoon. The people working in this area have long exceeded the four-hour work time limit. They have worked for at least 7 or 8 hours, and some have even worked for more than 12 hours today. How much overtime fee will they have to pay if they continue working?”
At this moment, Fu Ji seemed to be able to see a massive amount of Spirit Realm and Dharma Realm information coming at her, turning into countless Paid Overtime notices, sweeping towards the office buildings like a tsunami.
Within the Myriad Gold Mystic Realm.
The projection of the head of the betting company, Wan Wuyi, descended with a crash.
“What is going on?! Why has all work stopped?!”
Every second of downtime in the betting business resulted in the loss of countless Immortal Coins, enough to make Wan Wuyi furious.
This sudden change made Wan Wuyi feel as if he had been punched, as if he was about to spit out a mouthful of blood.
In his eyes, the latest calculated losses of Immortal Coins popped up every second, making him feel even worse than throwing up blood.
Especially with the sudden collapse of the business, the stock price was also about to be affected.
And when his will crossed the Spirit Realm and the Dharma Realm, sweeping directly over the entire scene to gather information, he immediately understood what had happened.
“Zhang Yu… This guy actually converged the Law Edict True Domain? Making the previously frozen ‘4-hour work’ and ‘Paid Overtime’ start running again?”
“And these low-tier cultivators, isn’t it just paying a bit more overtime fee? Why won’t they pay? Why did they stop working!”
A subordinate reported, “Dao Monarch! They’ve already worked overtime for a long time today. If they continue… the money they have to pay will be too much, already exceeding their daily income. It would make them lose money to work.”
“And they don’t even know right now… if they’ll have to do this every day from now on, so they’re even more afraid to pay to work.”
Wan Wuyi snorted coldly, “A bunch of poor ghosts, they only have this little bit of money in their pockets. What does it matter if they take a little out for the company and the sect? How big of a loss could it be? Could it be like the company stopping operations… losing this much money?”
A subordinate urged, “Dao Monarch! Business has stopped, and more and more clients are leaving the platform!”
The numbers of lost users appeared in front of Wan Wuyi and continuously increased, making his heart skip a beat.
At the same time, a higher-level cultivator sent a message to Wan Wuyi: “Wan Wuyi! What’s going on? Why did the company stop operations!”
As all sorts of questioning messages flooded in, Wan Wuyi had already frantically sought out Kuang Zhiqian: “What are you guys doing? Why did the scope of Zhang Yu’s Law Edict change? How are you even collaborating?”
Kuang Zhiqian said, “After all, it’s a Law Edict Pilot. Dao Monarch Zhang said he wanted to conduct some Law Edict experiments to verify their effectiveness so he can write a report for the committee…”
Wan Wuyi hastily replied, “Don’t give me that! Have Zhang Yu change the Law Edict back immediately! Do you have any idea how many Immortal Coins the platform is losing every single second right now?”
Looking at the continuously ticking number of lost users and the questioning messages sent by the higher-level cultivators one after another, at this moment… Wan Wuyi felt as though a thousand knives and ten thousand swords were pressed against his back, leaving him on pins and needles. It also felt as if Yang Artifacts were pressed against his front, putting him under immense pressure.
Kuang Zhiqian said, “Dao Monarch Zhang is in a meeting and cannot be reached at the moment.”
Wan Wuyi: “What meeting?”
Kuang Zhiqian: “It’s that… meeting about working hours.”
Wan Wuyi’s expression turned cold as he said, “Where is it?”
Kuang Zhiqian: “The Effectiveness Department’s office is right inside the Inner Enclosure Minor Realm bestowed upon Zhang Yu… But, didn’t you say you weren’t going to attend?”
Wan Wuyi sneered, “Kuang Zhiqian, once this matter is over, I will settle the score with all of you.”
With that said, Wan Wuyi’s projection shattered and dissipated. His consciousness had already crossed the Spirit Realm, sweeping towards the Inner Enclosure Minor Realm.
Meanwhile, as the work stoppage dragged on, the wording of the messages sent by the higher-level cultivators became increasingly severe.
Eventually, one particular message made Wan Wuyi’s heart jolt, filling him with dread.
“Wan Wuyi! You cover the employees’ overtime pay first. Get the platform running.”
“Me?” Wan Wuyi roared in his heart. “Why? Why should my money be used to plug this hole?”
The higher-tier cultivator sent another message: “Act immediately! How much money do you even have in your pockets? Even if it’s all burned, how much of a loss could it be? Or do you expect me to be the one burning mine?”
“Do you no longer want this job? Then I will immediately transfer you to another position. How about the 18th underground layer?”
Hearing these words, Wan Wuyi’s heart sank. He had no choice but to deplete his own savings and pay the overtime fees to the employees, forcing them to start working overtime.
Feeling a massive amount of Immortal Coins instantly drain from him to his employees, and then extracted from the employees through “Paid Overtime” to flow into every corner of the sect like a drop of water vanishing into the ocean, Wan Wuyi felt his heart bleeding.
“Beast! That beast, Zhang Yu!”
Seeing his savings continuously evaporate, Wan Wuyi grew even more anxious than before. In an instant, he had already descended into the Inner Enclosure Minor Realm.
With his abilities, in the brief moment of his descent, he gathered more information, realizing that Zhang Yu’s modification of the Law Edict True Domain this time… affected more companies than just his own.
“All the companies he invited previously have been affected.”
“This guy did it on purpose. He intentionally used this move to force us to come.”
Realizing this, Wan Wuyi contacted the others in the blink of an eye, and together they formed a new small chat group.
Bu Aixian from the Myriad Laws Immortal Clan sent a message in the group: “What does Zhang Yu think he’s doing? Arbitrarily changing the scope of the Law Edict, is he trying to threaten us? This is blatant extortion!”
Wang Guanyao from the Dharma Realm Lending Platform followed up, saying, “Everyone, when we negotiate with him this time, we must advance and retreat together. We cannot easily compromise with him.”
At the same time, Zhang Yu’s actions were like setting off a storm within the 16th layer, immediately drawing the attention of all parties.
Watching this scene, Venerable Serpent Lust felt a wave of shock in his heart: “This Zhang Yu… is too bold. Just how many people and how many companies is he trying to offend all at once?”
Venerable Serpent Lust naturally wouldn’t believe that Zhang Yu was doing this for the sake of any low-tier cultivators; in his view, this was an all-out effort to push for legal reform.
He thought to himself, “This is too reckless. Doing things like this… if things go even slightly wrong, it might trigger a massive upheaval. I’m afraid Zhang Yu will be taken down immediately.”
Thinking of this, Venerable Serpent Lust began to observe the situation comprehensively. At the slightest sign of movement, he planned to fan the flames and increase the probability of Zhang Yu’s failure.
Meanwhile, numerous employees and lower-tier cultivators also noticed this.
“Are the two sides really fighting?”
“Look, Zhang Yu has started a livestream!”
“The company representatives have all arrived!”
In the venue of the Inner Enclosure Minor Realm.
Wan Wuyi and the others descended one after another, immediately seeing Zhang Yu sitting in the main seat.
A terrifying pressure emanated from the projections of the group, sweeping across the entire minor realm and suppressing the cultivators so heavily that they couldn’t even lift their heads.
Bu Aixian shouted, “Zhang Yu, acting on the Law Edict True Domain without authorization, do you have any idea what a massive disaster you’ve caused? How much damage you’ve done?”
“Restore the Law Edict’s True Domain right now, and I might hold you a bit less accountable.”
Facing Bu Aixian’s threats, Zhang Yu remained completely unmoved and spoke, “Everyone, the reason I invited you all here today is exactly to quell the turmoil in the 16th layer as quickly as possible.”
“I hope everyone can cooperate and help me bring down the daily overtime hours.”
With a light flick of his finger, Zhang Yu sent a number to Wan Wuyi and the others.
From 8 hours, to 10 hours, and up to 12 hours, Zhang Yu issued a daily working hour limit to everyone based on their different companies, industries, positions, and operating conditions.
Seeing the number of 12 hours, Wan Wuyi immediately frowned.
The gambling company under his control spanned across several sects. Their operations in the Myriad Gold Mystic Realm required hiring a large number of cultivators and paying massive labor costs.
In the past, due to the restrictions of a 4-hour workday and Paid Overtime, he had no choice but to hire a massive amount of personnel, distributing them across 24 hours just to keep the business running.
Now that it was finally possible to make people work 24 hours a day, he had long since laid off a large number of staff, saving a huge amount in labor costs. To Wan Wuyi, Zhang Yu’s so-called working hour limit was simply robbing him of his money.
Zhang Yu said lightly, “I have given everyone the numbers. Who is in favor and who is against?”
Wan Wuyi shouted fiercely, “I object! My betting company operates 24 hours a day. One person can work a maximum of 12 hours? What about the remaining 12 hours? Do you want me to suspend operations?”
Zhang Yu said, “Then hire another batch of people to work the other 12 hours.”
Wan Wuyi snorted coldly, “With just one word, you want my labor costs to double? How can I still do this business?”
Zhang Yu said, “If you don’t do it, there are plenty of people who will. Previously, with the 4-hour working limit, there was still Paid Overtime. The overtime pay employees could afford was limited, and the average working hours in your company were 10 hours.”
“It was done perfectly fine back then, so why can’t it be done now with 12 hours?”
Yet Wan Wuyi was unwilling to spit out the money he had already obtained. Not to mention him, among all the leaders up and down the company, who would be willing?
On the other side, Wang Guanyao also disagreed. After all, the data center under her command involved a massive amount of Dharma Realm lending business and required people to guard it at all times. She had finally managed to drive down labor costs, so how could she be willing to spit it back out?
Especially since, in Wang Guanyao’s eyes, the Dharma Realm Service was Grandpa Immortal Emperor’s business. Who would dare to take money from Grandpa Immortal Emperor’s pocket?
Wang Guanyao could be heard shouting, “Zhang Yu! Do you know whose business the Dharma Realm’s service is? I advise you not to act perversely.”
Meanwhile, looking at his still-burning account, Wan Wuyi suppressed his anger and sent a message to Zhang Yu: “Dao Monarch Zhang, this is our first time meeting. Please accept this gift.”
Seeing what Wan Wuyi sent, Zhang Yu was initially startled.
“50,000,000 Immortal Coins?!”
Fu Ji also exclaimed in amazement, “These gambling guys are really fucking rich! They just give away 50,000,000 Immortal Coins like it’s nothing?”
“Click it, Zhang Yu, hurry up and click it!”
But the next moment, after clearly seeing the restrictions on the 50,000,000 Immortal Coins, Zhang Yu laughed out of anger: “You deposited it into a gambling platform for me? I have to place 500 bets before I can withdraw it?”
Zhang Yu directly made the chat logs public, then shouted, “Don’t use your dirty money to insult my loyalty to the Immortal Emperor!”
Seeing this scene, Wan Wuyi secretly frowned. “He doesn’t even want this?”
In Wan Wuyi’s view, although these 50,000,000 in gambling funds were not as good as 50,000,000 Immortal Coins in cash, they still represented at least 500 opportunities for a fortuitous encounter. With a bit of good luck, one could change their fate and ascend to the heavens in a single step.
If it were in ancient times, people could spend decades and might not even stumble upon a single fortuitous encounter. The chance for 500 fortuitous encounters in one breath was something countless lower-tier cultivators couldn’t even dream of.
“What exactly does he want?”
Watching the still-burning savings, Wan Wuyi became increasingly anxious. His gaze swept over Zhang Yu’s various files, and suddenly he had a flash of inspiration.
He said in the group chat, “I heard this Zhang Yu is a true Coitus Genius, a Dual Cultivation Maniac. Why don’t we try something in that aspect?”
Wang Guanyao said, “Zhang Yu, how about you restore the Law Edict first, and we can talk while engaging in dual cultivation?”
Hearing these words, Zhang Yu knew that stereotypes were influencing their speech once again.
He sighed in his heart, “Do I really look like I want to dual cultivate that badly to you guys?”
But Zhang Yu knew that ever since the day he took on this unredressed injustice to protect his numerous companions in the Netherworld Assets Department, he would have to bear its consequences forever.
Fortunately, in order to maintain his persona without actually being called out everywhere for dual cultivation, Zhang Yu had long thought of a countermeasure.
Zhang Yu simply said, “No need, my schedule is already booked up for the next three years. I don’t have any openings to keep you company.”
Wan Wuyi shouted, “Zhang Yu! You don’t want this, and you don’t want that, what exactly is it that you want?!”
Zhang Yu replied in a serious tone, “I said, I want everyone to limit their working hours.”
Bu Aixian thought to herself, “This person… does he really not want a single bit of public graft? Is he solely focused on obtaining the Thought Tide amplification? Is he wholeheartedly trying to push forward the law reform?”
Wang Guanyao recalled Zhang Yu’s resume in her mind, thinking to herself, “This Zhang Yu is indeed as stubborn as the rumors say.”
Although everyone’s exchange was completed in merely an instant, Wan Wuyi, looking at the still-burning Immortal Coins, could wait no longer.
“We can’t drag this on any longer, we can’t let him continue to destroy the sect’s business environment like this and cause massive losses.”
“Since this person refuses to listen to reason! Then there’s no point in talking further. Let’s just move the office district over here.”
With a fierce shout, Wan Wuyi spread his large hand and activated the daoist art Office Building in the Palm, forcibly transporting dozens of office buildings from thousands of miles away and thrusting them straight into the minor realm.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu’s true body presided over this minor realm, and naturally, his Law Edict True Domain centered around his true body, enveloping the entire minor realm.
All at once, the numerous employees in the office buildings cried out in shock: “Overtime is free again!”
Wan Wuyi thought to himself, “Since you are shrinking your True Domain, I will thrust the Office District right next to you, allowing everyone under my company to work free overtime.”
“I will also let you know that you are not the only one who possesses a Law Edict.”
The next moment, he ruthlessly activated his Law Edict.
Fierce fluctuations of immortal aura instantly swept through Zhang Yu’s entire Inner Enclosure Grotto-Heaven; Wan Wuyi’s Gambling Advertising Law had abruptly taken effect.
At this moment, the connections between countless people in the minor realm and the Spirit Realm and Dharma Realm were hijacked. Every movement, every button pressed, and every operation within the Spirit Realm and Dharma Realm could potentially trigger a gambling platform by mistake, dragging them into a casino.
At this moment, Wan Wuyi’s heart was also filled with extreme caution. “This person’s biggest threat is that Ten-Billion Flying Sword. However, with Bu Aixian here, her cultivation and assets rank first among the few of us. If this flying sword is going to strike, it should strike her first.”
Meanwhile, Wang Guanyao on the other side also reached out and pulled, using the daoist art of Factory in a Sleeve to transport the data center of her Dharma Realm Lending Platform inside.
“Zhang Yu, since you changed the scope of the Law Edict back, we’ll just have to keep working with you.”
“Besides… you’re not the only one who has a Law Edict.”
In the next moment, she activated her Law Edict, “Dharma Realm Information Sharing”.
In an instant, all entities within the entire minor realm that maintained a connection with the Dharma Realm lost any secrecy before her. She could even directly predict her opponents’ actions in advance based on the information changes within their bodies.
The respective maneuvers of Wan Wuyi and Wang Guanyao had already taken control of the Dharma Realm and Spirit Realm within the entire minor realm.
As for Bu Aixian of the Tribulation Transcendence Realm, her move was even more direct. Supporting the entire Charity Park with one hand, she used the other to invite Zhang Yu over.
“Dao Monarch Zhang, let’s change places and continue our talk.”
Since she wanted to directly invite Zhang Yu’s true body into her charity association, it naturally caused the other party’s Law Edict True Domain to spread over as well.
But right at the moment Bu Aixian made her move, Bu Yingshu’s figure stepped out from behind Zhang Yu: “Aunt, stop. Do not hinder the sect’s legal reform.”
Bu Aixian raised a brow and transmitted her voice, “Bu Yingshu! Get back home! Even if it is legal reform, it cannot hinder the Immortal Emperor’s interests, nor the Immortal Clan’s interests.”
Seeing that Bu Yingshu was still stubbornly blocking Zhang Yu, Bu Aixian pointed a finger, already activating her Law Edict, “Immortal Clan Detention.”
In an instant, the immortal aura, magic power, and spiritual energy within Bu Yingshu’s body all fell completely silent, and she was forcibly sent back home by a surge of power.
Bu Aixian looked at Zhang Yu and thought to herself, “Next… you only have the Ten-Billion Flying Sword as your final resort, right?”