Chapter 955: High-End Tactics, Unpretentious and Unadorned
Although he had already decided to initiate the Coitus Conscription to delay Zhang Yu’s actions, Venerable Serpent Lust did not do so directly.
Because even though he despised the human race and believed the monster race was more advanced than the human race, he would not underestimate these opponents.
Especially since Zhang Yu joined the sect, he had advanced triumphantly along the way, repeatedly earning Merit Points. Whether it was his aptitude, innate talent, or background, none could be underestimated. Furthermore, he possessed an Immortal Grotto-Heaven, the Ten-Billion Flying Sword, and an Immortal License Plate Shuttle… The sheer number of his methods far exceeded that of most Void Refinement Cultivators.
“There is at most one opportunity a year for the Coitus Conscription. Since I am to initiate it, it naturally needs to be absolutely foolproof…”
Therefore, Venerable Serpent Lust first sought out Zhu Yan, a Tribulation Transcendence Realm cultivator who was also a monsterfolk.
This Great Monsterfolk of the Tribulation Transcendence Realm was in charge of the Monsterfolk Human Rights Law Edict in the Myriad Laws Sect. Moreover, he shared the same stance as Venerable Serpent Lust, having personally led the Dual Cultivation Support Department to strike and investigate the situation in the Netherworld Assets Department the last time.
“It is a precarious time of wind and rain, an autumn of many troubles.”
Sensing the current situation inside and outside the Myriad Laws Sect, Zhu Yan sighed and said indifferently, “Venerable Serpent Lust, your Dual Cultivation Law Edict is currently fighting fiercely with Zhang Yu. Do you still have time to come find me?”
He looked at Venerable Serpent Lust, instantly pointing out the other party’s thoughts: “It seems you intend to mobilize the Coitus Conscription?”
“That’s right.” Venerable Serpent Lust said, “Zhang Yu’s Law Edict Expiration Date just rushed into the top 30 of the Void Refinement Law Edicts. Although his Thought Tide Amplification is still not as good as mine, he has the partiality of the Righteous God, making fulfilling the Dual Cultivation Obligation gradually become a dangerous behavior.”
“Retracting and releasing repeatedly between freezing and unfreezing, switching back and forth between withdrawing and not withdrawing, one could violate Compulsory Dual Cultivation at any time.”
“Nowadays, wherever his Law Edict reaches, everyone no longer dares to fulfill the Dual Cultivation Obligation. Everyone is in danger, and the sect’s atmosphere has been greatly corrupted! If we allow him to continue like this, I’m afraid his Thought Tide Amplification will soon surpass mine.”
“I need to mobilize the Coitus Conscription, using the opponent we have prepared for him, to make him catch Dual Cultivation Syndrome, leaving him powerless to freeze Law Edicts in the short term, and greatly reducing his efficiency.”
Zhu Yan said: “But doing so might directly tear away all pretense of cordiality. Are you prepared?”
A strong fighting spirit flashed through Venerable Serpent Lust’s heart: “In ancient times, the Buddha Emperor cleansed the Buddhist Realm with a butcher’s knife, founding the Vajra Sect. Later, the Celestial Monster Immortal Emperor broke directly into the 36 heavens, forcefully seizing a Supreme Immortal Artifact to step into the position of Immortal Emperor. Even more so, the Joyous Union Immortal Emperor poisoned his master, ravished their entire clan, and ascended to the Supreme Seat.”
“Truly high-end Martial Duels are sometimes plain, unadorned, simple, and direct.”
“This time… we might as well just directly steal Zhang Yu’s Yang Artifact and then send down the Coitus Conscription, rendering him completely out of options. Facing the paired cultivator, he will have absolutely no power to resist and will be forcibly subjected to suppression.”
“Even if the higher-ups of the Myriad Laws Sect want to settle the score with you and me afterwards, as long as the Dao Lineage is successfully established, it will be a great merit for us. Where in the world could we not go?”
“In the future, even if we can no longer stay in the Myriad Laws Sect, at worst we can return to the Celestial Monster Sect together with Immortal Venerable Supreme Truth and become the monsters above monsters.”
“The rise of the monsterfolk is inevitable; it is the general trend of the world. We will have to go back sooner or later!”
“Not to mention, we now have the Celestial Monster Immortal Emperor and Immortal Venerable Supreme Truth here to back us up, don’t we?”
To Venerable Serpent Lust, under normal circumstances, given his identity as one of the monsterfolk and the restrictions of the Dual Cultivation Obligation Law Edict, let alone stepping into the Monster Immortal Realm within the Myriad Laws Sect, even trying to break through to Ascension Realm would be fraught with endless difficulties and take an untold amount of time.
But now, if he successfully assisted in the uplifting of a new Dao Lineage and followed the other party back to the Celestial Monster Sect in the future, his status and worth would skyrocket. It probably wouldn’t take long at all for him to step into the Ascension Realm.
With such a highly profitable, low-risk, and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, how could Venerable Serpent Lust not be tempted? How could he not go all out?
In fact, from Venerable Serpent Lust’s perspective, countless low-tier cultivators would beg on their knees and fight tooth and nail just to get such a chance to take a gamble, yet still fail to obtain it.
And for the cultivators of Kunxu, as long as the return rate was high enough, they would risk any danger. So what if they were blinded by greed?
Zhu Yan nodded slightly, “Indeed, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When do you plan to make your move? Remember, avoid the weekend.”
Venerable Serpent Lust chuckled softly and said, “It’s set for next Monday!”
“Having observed the previous martial duel between Zhang Yu and Bu Aixian, how could I overlook that detail? The first thing to worry about is that Ten-Billion Flying Sword in his hands.”
At this point, Venerable Serpent Lust’s expression turned serious. “The second is the backup Zhang Yu can call in…”
Just as the two were discussing their plan, their eyes suddenly flashed as they simultaneously received an encrypted message.
After reading the contents of the message, the two exchanged glances, their eyes filled with shock and excitement.
Venerable Serpent Lust exclaimed, “To think it’s actually an encrypted message that the Celestial Monster Immortal Emperor scheduled before starting his closed-door meeting?”
Zhu Yan said with a look of sheer adoration, “This shows that the entire current situation has long been under the Celestial Monster Immortal Emperor’s control! He already accurately predicted the exact moment we would deal with Zhang Yu, and even personally issued orders and made arrangements to create an opportunity for us…”
What made the two monsters feel even more reverence was that the time the Celestial Monster Immortal Emperor ordered them to strike was also next Monday.
“He even calculated this?”
Venerable Serpent Lust said with a face full of awe, “The depth of the Celestial Monster Immortal Emperor’s schemes, and his profound control over the Myriad Laws situation, is indeed far beyond what we could ever imagine.”
And with this encrypted message sent by the Celestial Monster Immortal Emperor, Zhu Yan was now brimming with confidence: “Next Monday at 1 PM, we will have two minutes to make a move against Zhang Yu.”
“During these two minutes, the Celestial Monster Immortal Emperor has already made arrangements so that Zhang Yu will receive almost no reinforcements.”
“As for that Ten-Billion Flying Sword, no matter which of us is hit by it, the higher-ups will bear the brunt of it for us.”
Venerable Serpent Lust nodded in admiration. In his mind, the entirety of the Myriad Laws Sect, both inside and out, seemed to have transformed into a giant chessboard at this moment.
From the Golden Core and Nascent Soul at the bottom, to the Tribulation Transcendence and Ascension Realm at the top, it was unknown how many chess pieces had been placed by the Immortal Emperors, nor how many struggles were unfolding between the two Immortal Emperors, providing them with opportunities.
And their struggle against Zhang Yu was also a part of this entire chessboard.
“But it is a very important part.”
On the other side, Zhu Yan’s heart was surging with emotion, and he had already made up his mind.
He said solemnly, “The development of Kunxu has always been like a rolling heavenly river, unstoppable once it starts. The explosive growth of Immortal Dao Technology is becoming increasingly intense, bringing about drastic changes to the era.”
“With the upper-tier cultivators squeezing us from ahead, the lower-tier cultivators chasing from behind, and the malicious suppression from the human race, the opportunities for us to continue climbing upward in the future will only become fewer and increasingly difficult.”
“And at this moment, a new Dao Lineage is about to be formed. The winds and clouds are surging among the Ten Immortal Emperors, and it is once again time for Kunxu to usher in a great change. Since we have the assistance of the Celestial Monster Immortal Emperor and the opportunity to participate and fight for a turnaround, we absolutely cannot be timid.” “This time, whether it is you or me, we must go all out to take down Zhang Yu and not disappoint the Immortal Emperor.”
Although last time, Bu Aixian, as a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator of the Myriad Laws Immortal Clan, failed to directly suppress Zhang Yu in a frontal confrontation.
But in Zhu Yan’s eyes, this was simply because Bu Aixian had reservations and held back when taking action, which gave Zhang Yu the opportunity to resist.
He thought to himself, “If I were to exert my full strength, no matter what methods he possesses, he won’t have any chance.”
Venerable Serpent Lust reminded him, “Profound Monarch Zhu, according to the Celestial Monster Immortal Emperor’s reminder, we must be careful… We absolutely cannot kill Zhang Yu and send him into reincarnation. At most, we can only obliterate his physical body. We must never leave his soul scattered and spirit extinguished without even a chance for resurrection, as the impact of that would be too great…”
At this moment, whether it was Zhu Yan or Venerable Serpent Lust, both were already blinded by greed and decided to go all out. In the blink of an eye, several more days hurried by.
60%
On the 16th layer of Kunxu, inside the conference room of the Effectiveness Review Department, Zhang Yu, who was currently presiding over a meeting, suddenly felt his heart tighten.
He faintly sensed… that the subtle change had progressed a step further.
“It’s here again.”
Zhang Yu estimated the time and recalled the recent changes in this sensation. He thought to himself, “The progress of the completion of this Dao Lineage seems to be getting faster and faster.”
Thinking of this, Zhang Yu decided to speed up his actions.
Next, he not only launched even fiercer public opinion offensives in the Spirit Realm and the Dharma Realm to accelerate the continuous increase of the Law Edict’s Thought Tide Amplification, but he also constantly manipulated the changes of the True Domain to trigger more Compulsory Dual Cultivation conflicts.
He even personally led a team on targeted raids to sweep through some minor realms where dual cultivation phenomena were frequent.
For example, on this day, Zhang Yu led a team and descended upon a minor realm called the Wind and Moon Grotto-Heaven.
This minor realm was most famous for its dual cultivation industry. All sorts of related services, magical artifacts, and Bionics could be found here.
As a result, a large number of cultivators seeking to fulfill their Dual Cultivation Obligation flocked to this place.
However, the moment Zhang Yu arrived, his face was practically plastered with all kinds of small advertisements, leaving him completely dumbfounded.
At the same time, following the descent of the True Domain of the Law Edict Expiration Date, related notifications flashed across the eyes of countless cultivators within the Wind and Moon Grotto-Heaven.
“The Law Edict Expiration Date has begun operating…”
“The Dual Cultivation Obligation is temporarily frozen…”
“Please confirm whether your dual cultivation partner is willing, so as not to commit the Forced Cultivation Crime…”
One by one, the cultivators who were in the midst of channeling their energy for dual cultivation felt as if they had been struck by bolts of lightning, immediately halting their physical movements.
A cultivator exclaimed in shock, “It’s Zhang Yu!”
Another cultivator directly called out the name, “Oh no, it’s his Forced Cultivation Domain! The Abstinence Barrier!”
A cultivator let out a wail, “It’s over! My magic power is being released and I can’t stop it!”
A companion sent the wailing cultivator the fine amount for the Forced Cultivation Crime, which immediately scared him into stopping.
At the same time, streaks of divine light flashed in the sky. It was groups of Righteous Gods waiting for an opportunity to arrest cultivators who had committed the Forced Cultivation Crime and earn the fines.
Thus… wherever Zhang Yu’s domain passed, the entire Wind and Moon Grotto-Heaven seemed to undergo a change in the world rules. One by one, the cultivators went from their original state of rampant desires and sensual pleasures to a state as calm as an ancient well, resembling sages.
The administrators of the minor realm went to greet Zhang Yu one after another: “Minister Zhang, what brings you here? If there is any matter, let’s go out and talk first…”
“Minister Zhang, our company has developed the latest dual cultivation Bionic, and we were just thinking of asking you to review it…”
“Minister Zhang, I heard you are a social expert. It just so happens that we recently recruited a batch of technical experts from the Joyful Union Sect, and we would like to invite you to evaluate them…”
“Today, we are temporarily adjusting the scope of the Law Edict to observe its impact and effectiveness. Everything is for the sake of the sect’s legal reform, so I ask for everyone’s cooperation,” Zhang Yu said lightly.
Old Gao had also descended upon the Wind and Moon Grotto-Heaven along with Zhang Yu. However, his main purpose for coming was to investigate how much public space graft had occurred here, and to find an opportunity to steal some for the Immortal Grotto-Heaven.
Looking at the minor realm being turned upside down, Old Gao couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, “Zhang Yu… just what is he so anxious about?”
Although Zhang Yu didn’t say anything and they didn’t ask, the entire Effectiveness Department could feel that as time passed, Zhang Yu’s actions in freezing Law Edicts were becoming increasingly radical and forceful.
Right at that moment, Zhang Yu’s body suddenly jolted. An intense wave of hostility swept over, transforming into a monstrous pressure that shook his mind.
A figure suddenly closed in on Zhang Yu at lightning speed, carrying the pressure of the Tribulation Transcendence Realm, and ruthlessly blasted toward him.
The Righteous Gods in the sky were about to act when Homicide Permits, Robbery Permits, Theft Permits… blocked their way.
“Is it Profound Monarch Zhu?”
“What should we do? He’s about to make a move on Dao Monarch Zhang!”
“He is committing a crime legally and in full compliance with the rules, what else can we do? Don’t blur the lines between right and wrong, just watch.” The one striking out at this moment was none other than Zhu Yan with Tribulation Transcendence Realm force.
He had no intention of hiding his identity either, because he knew that if he were to make a move within the sect, how could he commit a legal crime while hiding who he was?
Once he concealed his identity — failing to display his authority, use his certificates, or reveal his rank — he feared that the moment he acted, he would be surrounded by endless layers of Righteous Gods and obstructed by an untold number of gods, humans, formations, restrictions, and magical artifacts within the sect…
Only by attacking openly and aboveboard under his own identity, striking with the full resolve to plead guilty and accept the penalty, could he bypass the massive amount of obstructing forces and achieve the highest success rate.
If one didn’t even possess the prerequisite certificates or rank… were they even worthy of committing a crime?
Zhu Yan knew this all too well. Within the sect, crime was a privilege of the wealthy, and legal crime was the method of an upper-tier cultivator.
Boom!
Violent power converged within his monster body, and layers of vital energy burst forth like exploding stars.
As the developer of a monsterfolk bloodline, his physical strength was far above that of humans.
Even at the Tribulation Transcendence stage, the upper limit of his physical strength surpassed the level 70 of human race cultivators, reaching level 72.
This was the difference between humans and monsters. Even human race cultivators of the same cultivation realm could not contend with him in physical strength; Zhang Yu, a mere Void Refinement Cultivator, was even more incapable of doing so in his eyes.
Moreover, what Zhu Yan unleashed at this moment was not just pure physical strength, but also domineering monsterfolk martial arts.
The temperature of the atmosphere surged madly under this strike. The layers of distorted space, protective Gang Qi, and magical artifact spiritual light that surfaced in front of Zhang Yu… were all easily pierced through by Zhu Yan like layers of paper.
Before Zhu Yan’s massive, tall, yet incomparably berserk body, all resistance seemed to become futile. And within his body, countless monsterfolk auras surfaced and disappeared, disappeared and resurfaced.
That was a massive number of monsterfolk offspring being bred in the production lines within his body, only to be simultaneously refined to death.
Zhu Yan’s physical body combined with the Bionic, containing a Grotto-Heaven-like spacial structure within. Countless breeding factories resided inside, constantly producing the Monster Dao resources he needed.
In ancient times, a refining method like this might have required tens of thousands of people, an entire city, and the deployment of a great formation to complete.
At this moment, however, it was completed in an instant within Zhu Yan’s body. Furthermore, it erupted with ten times the performance, mixing with his tyrannical physical strength to pour entirely onto Zhang Yu’s body.
Absolute power! Absolute speed!
Boom!
With this strike, Zhu Yan intended to shatter every trace of power within Zhang Yu’s body that could possibly resist.
Bang!
Clouds of blood mist suddenly exploded from Zhang Yu’s body. His skin, bones, and internal organs shattered inch by inch, his entire figure looking as if he had been crushed by a massive mountain…
But even after suffering such heavy trauma, Zhang Yu did not retreat a single step, standing steadfastly in front of Zhu Yan.
“Hmph… As expected, he can use the power of the Immortal Grotto-Heaven to maintain his footing?”
Having repeatedly reviewed Zhang Yu’s past combat data, Zhu Yan was not surprised by this.
However, in the next instant, upon sensing the surging Grotto-Heaven force within his opponent’s body, Zhu Yan finally felt a trace of surprise. “This kid… after taking a strike from me, he can actually remain conscious? And activate the Immortal Grotto-Heaven?”
In Zhu Yan’s estimation, that previous strike should have caused Zhang Yu to directly lose consciousness.
Seeing the other party activate the Grotto-Heaven force and about to completely hide within the Immortal Grotto-Heaven, Zhu Yan’s palm expanded rapidly. He grabbed forward fiercely, making his hand seem like a black hole as he actually tried to suck Zhang Yu right out of the Immortal Grotto-Heaven.
Zhu Yan sneered, “Hmph! Can you escape?”
At the same time, Venerable Serpent Lust on the other side had also soared into the sky, gathering momentum and ready to strike.
Meanwhile, the magic power inside Zhang Yu’s body surged violently and explosively evaporated.
As over ten million units of magic power completely evaporated, a sky full of puppets poured out.
Supreme Yang Radiance Gods, Mountain-Bearing Warriors, Earth-Overturning Warriors, Thousand-Mile Warriors… Under the effect of Empress Wa Creations, a sky-covering Puppet Army rose up like dark clouds and fiercely charged at Zhu Yan before them.
The second punch!
Boom!
Like a fierce wind scattering dark clouds, the puppets created by Zhang Yu’s ten million units of magic power completely dissipated under Zhu Yan’s single punch.
Watching this scene, Venerable Serpent Lust sighed inwardly. Zhu Yan’s first strike had severely injured Zhang Yu’s physical body, beating him to the brink of death.
The second strike completely annihilated all the puppets that the opponent had exhausted his magic power to create.
“In just two moves, Zhang Yu has already exhausted his magic power and vital energy.”
Venerable Serpent Lust thought to himself, “This is the massive gap between a Tribulation Transcendence monsterfolk and a Void Refinement human.”
But Zhu Yan’s brow furrowed slightly, because he had not expected that his two consecutive moves would fail to completely bring Zhang Yu under control.
And it was precisely because these two moves were successively blocked that Zhang Yu finally found an opportunity. Accompanied by the surging Grotto-Heaven force, his body fled into the Immortal Grotto-Heaven.
With a loud boom, the entire Wind and Moon Grotto-Heaven seemed to tremble violently.
But just as Zhang Yu hid inside the Immortal Grotto-Heaven, Zhu Yan had already followed closely behind. Like a ferocious giant dragon, he forcefully squeezed through space and crashed in.
“I said, you can’t escape!”
However, the moment Zhu Yan crashed in, he immediately felt something was wrong. “Hmm?”
“What’s going on?”
The Immortal Grotto-Heaven before him was astonishingly empty. Not only was there no sign of Zhang Yu, but there was absolutely nothing at all.
Moreover, it was only a few hundred meters in size in all directions, completely different from the rumored Immortal Grotto-Heaven belonging to Zhang Yu.
At the same time, on the other side, Venerable Serpent Lust also forced his way into the Immortal Grotto-Heaven.
And in front of him, Zhang Yu stood alone. His body was trembling slightly as his flesh and blood grew wildly, and his bones continuously healed and reorganized. His entire body seemed to have come alive with its own consciousness, rapidly self-healing, regenerating, and recovering.
Feeling his whole body rapidly repairing itself, Zhang Yu tilted his neck and said slowly, “It’s really been a long, long time… since anyone has hurt me this badly.”
Venerable Serpent Lust rapidly observed the surrounding environment, but he could not find any trace of Zhu Yan within this Immortal Grotto-Heaven. “Why is it only Zhang Yu? Where is Profound Monarch Zhu? Where did he go? I clearly saw him barge in first.”
Just as Zhang Yu retreated into the Immortal Grotto-Heaven a moment ago, he had partitioned the space he entered into a separate layer, temporarily sealing Zhu Yan, who had barged in a step behind him, inside it.
Thus, at this moment, the Immortal Grotto-Heaven was divided into a total of four layers by Zhang Yu.
These were the layer storing the ancestor’s corpse alone, the layer where Zhang Yu and Venerable Serpent Lust were, the layer containing the lone monster Zhu Yan, and finally, the remaining massive space, which included the various factories, laboratories, and Calculation Pools, formed another separate layer.
However, Zhang Yu knew clearly in his heart that although he had used the layering of the Immortal Grotto-Heaven to temporarily isolate Zhu Yan, the other party was, after all, a cultivator one cultivation realm higher than him and definitely possessed spatial technology; it was impossible to trap him indefinitely.
“How long will he be trapped by me?”
“One minute? Five minutes? 10 minutes? Or even longer?”
“Also… it seems I can’t contact Dugu Ming, Bu Yingshu, and the others. Or are they all temporarily busy and just don’t have the time to reply to me?”
Zhang Yu was uncertain about the answers to both questions, so he decided to hurry.
He opened his mouth and spat, and a sword light shot straight into the sky. The piercing sword light exuded a terrifying pressure; just a single glance at it made Venerable Serpent Lust feel that his wallet and bank accounts were in imminent danger, as if the very next moment he would be reduced to a true pauper.
“Ten-Billion Flying Sword!” Venerable Serpent Lust’s heart tightened. He stared fixedly at the sword light, his guard raised to the absolute limit.
Although his superiors had promised to cover the ten billion debt for him, it was still a ten billion debt, which concerned Venerable Serpent Lust’s very life and fortune. It was impossible for him not to be nervous when facing this sword head-on.
However, Zhang Yu merely flicked the blade with his fingertips, letting the flying sword let out a resonant hum.
Zhang Yu looked at Venerable Serpent Lust and said indifferently, “You… are not yet worthy of being struck down by this sword.”
The next moment, he looked up at the sky, turning his gaze toward the spatial direction where Zhu Yan was located.
“He… should be just about right.”
Zhang Yu flashed upwards. The Grotto-Heaven force surged within his body, and his figure gradually faded away.
On the other side, almost at the very instant Zhang Yu appeared, Zhu Yan threw a punch, the terrifying power blasting the opponent to pieces.
“Hmm? A clone?”
At the same time, more clones emerged one by one. Zhu Yan blasted apart over ten clones in succession and shouted, “Zhang Yu, do you think you can outlast me?”
“Outlast?”
With a surge of Grotto-Heaven force, Zhang Yu used the cover of his clones to approach Zhu Yan. Utilizing the Grotto-Heaven Manifestation Force, he brought the other party across the Grotto-Heaven Bridge, descending into a minor realm.
“This move again?” Zhu Yan coldly snorted in his heart. “But today is not a Dual Rest day…”
But the next moment, Zhu Yan’s gaze hardened. Looking at the notification before him, he thought to himself, “I need to buy a certificate?”
He was shocked to discover that he had actually arrived within Di Xuan’s Law Edict Pilot, entering the domain of “Once Certified, Always Certified”.
At the same time, a sword light had already soared into the sky.
“Ten-Billion Flying Sword!” Zhu Yan’s heart went numb as he found that this flying sword had unhesitatingly locked onto his account and slashed down.
At this moment, a path seemed to appear before Zhu Yan. It went infinitely deep downwards, and its top could not be seen. The name of this path was… poverty.