Chapter 971: Confiscating the Books of the World
Although Zhang Yu felt a bit impatient in his heart, eager to see if his Feather Book could devour the Fist Technique Book and the Breathing Technique Book right in front of him, he ultimately refrained from doing so in front of Su Xianchen.
“It’s better to take them back before experimenting, lest it cause unnecessary trouble.”
Thus, after Zhang Yu accepted the two books, he continued to listen to Su Xianchen’s arrangements regarding that middle-grade book and Fa Liuyuan’s Feather Book.
Su Xianchen could be heard saying, “The other Councilors and I have already read your Effectiveness Department’s report. It is very good.”
“The sect’s legal system reform has gotten off to a good start this year. As long as we proceed step by step with the rest, there shouldn’t be any major problems. The next time we make a major move should be the second batch of Law Edict freezing in 20 years.”
Zhang Yu’s heart stirred, not knowing what Su Xianchen was plotting by suddenly bringing up these matters.
Su Xianchen continued, “During these 20 years, you will actually have quite a bit of free time. I heard your schedule is completely full?”
Zhang Yu waved his hand and said, “President, those are all just rumors. Right now, I’m only interested in sect work and preparing to attempt Tribulation Transcendence.”
“You’re also interested in the Books, aren’t you?” Su Xianchen smiled faintly. “Otherwise, why would you want to collect three types of books at once?”
“I’m afraid you’ve spent quite a bit of time recently gathering intelligence on the Books, haven’t you?”
The next moment, Su Xianchen looked directly at Zhang Yu and said seriously, “Actually, regarding the three choices given to you this time — whether it’s the lower-grade book, next year’s middle-grade book, or Fa Liuyuan’s Feather Book — no matter which one you ultimately choose, the sect will continue to try and collect the other two.”
“Because this is all part of a plan.”
Zhang Yu’s heart stirred. “What plan?”
Su Xianchen: “To collect the books of the world.”
“Collect the books of the World?” Zhang Yu asked in surprise. “Are you going to recover all the books in the entire world?”
The first thing Zhang Yu thought of was his own Feather Book, wondering if it was also among these recovery targets.
Su Xianchen nodded and continued, “The Books has always existed both inside and outside the sect. They are controlled by different cultivators respectively, helping them climb the Immortal Dao. They often bring cultivators considerable benefits and can be considered a fortuitous encounter for them.”
“As for how to handle the Books… the Great Sects have always let things run their course, exerting almost no management over them at all.”
“Some say that the Books are a rare treasure of heaven and earth, obtained by those destined for it.”
“Others say that the Books are an immortal fortune bestowed by Immortals, Immortal Venerables, and even Immortal Emperors, and that its owners are all invested Immortal Dao Seeds.”
“Still others say that the Books come from an ancient inheritance, an out-of-control Dao Lineage, which is why it is scattered everywhere.”
Su Xianchen sighed, “But no matter which one it is, this time the Immortal Emperors have made up their minds to confiscate the books of the world and make them sect-owned, classifying them as sect assets for institutionalized management under clear rules.”
Zhang Yu noticed a few key points in Su Xianchen’s words and thought to himself, “So the Immortal Emperors… do not control the Books? No, maybe they control a portion of it, but they definitely don’t have complete control.”
Then he looked at Su Xianchen again and asked, “It’s not just our Myriad Laws Sect? Other sects are also going to confiscate the world’s books?”
Su Xianchen nodded and lamented, “That’s right. Starting next year… the Ten Great Sects will all begin confiscating the world’s books, but exactly how many the great sects can collect will depend on their own abilities.”
“Currently, very few people in the sect know this news. The vast majority of Immortals and Immortal Venerables are still unaware, otherwise there would probably be an uproar by now.”
“After I tell you this today, you must also remember to keep it a secret…”
At this moment, Zhang Yu instantly thought of many things, with thoughts constantly surfacing in his mind.
Zhang Yu: “Why the sudden need to confiscate the world’s books?”
Immortal Slayer: “If we look at what major events have happened recently, it’s that Senior Yun Taizhen was suppressed.”
Fu Ji guessed, “Could it be that because they suppressed Yun Taizhen, the Ten Immortal Emperors feel their authority is currently at its peak, so they want to take this opportunity to confiscate all of the books?”
Immortal Slayer analyzed, “Authority is not something the Ten Immortal Emperors lack. This might be one of the reasons, but it is definitely not the main one. I lean more toward… all of this being related to Senior Yun Taizhen’s Dao Lineage after her breakthrough to Immortal Emperor.”
Information regarding Yun Taizhen’s Dao Lineage surfaced in Zhang Yu’s mind.
Herald God also followed up with his analysis: “Looking at it right now, the manifestation of these so-called Books is also very much like a type of Dao Lineage. Perhaps the Ten Immortal Emperors were originally unable to completely control this Dao Lineage, but with Yun Taizhen, they now have the confidence to control it, so they are starting to confiscate the world’s books.”
Zhang Yu felt that Herald God’s analysis made some sense, and then his heart sank.
He thought to himself, “According to Senior Ying Xintian’s previous analysis, they are about three devoured Immortal Emperors away from the birth of an ‘Immortal Emperor of the End’ among the Ten Immortal Emperors.”
“And Senior Supreme Truth’s failure has already allowed the Ten Immortal Emperors to obtain a massive amount of assets, Immortal Dao Technology, and new Supreme Immortal Artifacts… It can be said that this has greatly shortened that distance.”
“If the so-called Books are also a type of Dao Lineage, and it is mastered by the Ten Immortal Emperors, wouldn’t that be considered… another Supreme Truth-level harvest for them?”
Thinking of this, Zhang Yu exhaled deeply in his heart, “The Ten Immortal Emperors are really pressing forward at every step. In their pursuit of the Immortal Dao Apex, they have never rested for a moment and will not let go of any opportunity to improve themselves.”
“If this is really the case, and they succeed in taking control of the Books’ Dao Lineage after Senior Yun Taizhen…”
Immortal Slayer said solemnly, “The worst-case scenario is that after these two Immortal Emperor-level harvests — Senior Supreme Truth and the Dao Lineage of the Books — they will only be one devoured Immortal Emperor away from the birth of the Immortal Emperor of the End.”
“And the Ten Immortal Emperors are also very likely to break out into a civil war because of this. It could be to fight for the position of the Immortal Emperor of the End, or it could be to join forces to prevent the birth of the Immortal Emperor of the End.”
Hearing this, Fu Ji also became slightly panicked. “What the hell! We just made a great contribution and received our rewards, and suddenly you tell me… the apocalypse is taking another big step closer?”
Zhang Yu still had one thought he hadn’t spoken out loud: once the Ten Immortal Emperors mastered the Dao Lineage of Books, would his Feather Book also be taken away?
Various thoughts flashed through Zhang Yu’s mind, and Su Xianchen in front of him continued, “Theoretically speaking, all fortuitous encounters throughout Kunxu require the approval of the Immortal Emperor. The Books are naturally no exception.”
“Zhang Yu, since you are so interested in the Books, and for the next 20 years… the Effectiveness Department happens to not have much work, are you interested in taking this opportunity of collecting the middle-grade book and the Feather Book to participate in the plan to confiscate the books of the world?”
Zhang Yu nodded without hesitation and said, “Serving the Immortal Emperor is my bounden duty…”
Whether it concerned his own Feather Book, the Dao Lineage of Books, or the renewed approach of the apocalypse, Zhang Yu had no reason not to participate in this plan.
Zhang Yu said, “Specifically, what should we do next…”
Su Xianchen waved his hand and said, “There is no rush, the plan will not officially start until next year. Moreover, with your current Void Refinement cultivation, many things are inconvenient to do.”
“You should first seize the time to improve your cultivation and break through to Tribulation Transcendence as soon as possible, so that you can take on this great responsibility.”
Zhang Yu nodded and didn’t say much more. After bidding farewell to Su Xianchen, he silently withdrew.
However, the fighting spirit in his heart to continue breaking through and improving his cultivation burned fiercely, surging more powerfully than ever before.
As soon as he returned to the Immortal Grotto-Heaven, Zhang Yu took out the newly obtained Fist Technique Book and Breathing Technique Book, and then summoned his own Feather Book.
When the two sides touched, the Feather Book suddenly sprang open and automatically flipped to the prologue page.
At the same time, both the Fist Technique Book and the Breathing Technique Book underwent a transformation, eventually turning into the size of tofu blocks before gradually merging into the prologue of the Feather Book.
Immediately after, Zhang Yu saw two new modules appear in the prologue, respectively called Fist Technique Specialization and Breathing Technique Specialization.
After a brief test, Zhang Yu figured out the functions and effects of these two new modules.
“Originally, my prologue could only specialize in one cultivation art per day.”
“But now, besides that, I can additionally master one fist technique and one breathing technique every day.”
Having finished testing the new functions, Zhang Yu’s eyes were shining brightly.
“As expected, my potential is world-shaking. The Feather Book might be able to fuse the world’s books to continuously form new functions.” At the same time, with a single thought from Zhang Yu, the Fist Technique Book and Breathing Technique Book emerged from the Feather Book once again.
“They can be fused, but they can also be extracted at any time, just like a page in the Feather Book that can be torn out and pasted back in at will.”
At this moment, Zhang Yu felt an even more urgent desire to participate in the plan to “confiscate the books of the world.”
In addition to this, the prologue’s new function also greatly improved Zhang Yu’s efficiency to cultivate.
“It just so happens that I now need to accelerate the increase of my Immortalization Degree and break through to the Tribulation Transcendence Realm as soon as possible, which requires me to push the levels of the [Great Void Dao Body].”
“Originally, I could only master one a day, but now I can master three a day. The efficiency has greatly increased.”
Although the newly added specialized cultivation arts only included fist techniques and breathing techniques, Zhang Yu was in a sect where cultivation art resources were simply too abundant.
After all, within the sect, countless cultivators competed fiercely to the bitter end, studying Immortal Dao Technology day and night.
As for cultivation arts, in order to fight for the related copyrights, cultivators relied on various Immortal Dao Technologies, using forward engineering, reverse engineering… constantly adjusting their angles and trying every possible method to develop countless basic cultivation arts.
“Many cultivation arts have absolutely no practical use, let alone any sales. They exist purely to occupy copyrights in various different directions.”
Zhang Yu sighed in his heart, “These cultivators in the sect are simply taking every technology and cultivation art they can think of, desperately combining and iterating them, frantically hoarding copyrights.”
For instance, the basic cultivation arts required for the [Great Void Dao Body], even when limited to fist techniques and breathing techniques, were terrifyingly numerous, enough for Zhang Yu to cultivate for a very long time.
During these days of Zhang Yu’s frantic cultivation, Yu Xinghan also successfully completed his breakthrough on the 15th layer, truly stepping into the Void Refinement Realm.
Looking at the countless blessings in the work group and the Lower Realm Mutual Aid Group, Yu Xinghan felt no sense of joy.
Yu Xinghan silently closed his eyes and thought to himself, “We are ultimately no longer people of the same world. The words of these subordinates, classmates, and fellow townsmen always make me feel like they have ulterior motives.”
Having stepped into Void Refinement, he understood in his heart that from this moment on, he was finally no longer a rootless duckweed, but had truly entered the ruling class of Kunxu.
Now, when Yu Xinghan looked at the Lower Realm Mutual Aid Group, he only felt as if he were reminiscing about past hardships to appreciate the present, or conducting an undercover inspection.
Looking at the dual cultivation requests sent by his fellow countrymen from the lower realm, he couldn’t help but ask, “Celestial Inquiry Star, is there reproductive isolation if one engages in dual cultivation between the Void Refinement realm and a cultivation realm below it?”
Seeing the flattering messages sent by his non-Void Refinement contacts, Yu Xinghan wondered if he should turn on ‘Do Not Disturb’.
“After all, humans and ghosts walk different paths. Now that I have reached Void Refinement, I am the only true human in the sect right now.”
“Speaking of which, I should also start putting effort into building my social circle at the Void Refinement level.”
“I wonder if Minister Zhang can pull me into some Void Refinement groups…”
But at the thought of the 100,000,000 Void Refinement Loan he had incurred during his breakthrough, Yu Xinghan felt his chest tighten, sensing as if something was chasing closely behind him.
“I have to hurry up and make more money…”
Right at this moment, a flash appeared before Yu Xinghan’s eyes; it was a message from Li Xuelian.
Li Xuelian: “Congratulations, Xinghan, you now have a place in the sect.”
Li Xuelian: “My mother wants to meet you to discuss our matters. Do you have time?”
Yu Xinghan thought to himself, “Sigh, senior sister… how wonderful it would be if you were from the Immortal Clan.”
Just as Yu Xinghan was thinking about how to reply, another flash appeared before his eyes.
Zhang Yu: “Did you break through successfully? If you succeeded, come over immediately.”
Seeing the message sent by Zhang Yu, Yu Xinghan immediately put Li Xuelian aside for the time being.
After all, to Yu Xinghan, this Great Leader Zhang Yu was the most important person in his life right now. He was his absolute highest priority in all aspects — replying to messages, running errands, reporting… No matter who it was, anyone else had to take a back seat in comparison.
Even though he had now stepped into the Void Refinement Realm, Yu Xinghan knew that despite both being in Void Refinement, there was still a world of difference between them.
When Yu Xinghan swiftly arrived at Zhang Yu’s Immortal Grotto-Heaven, just a single face-to-face encounter made him feel a transformative change within himself.
Having just broken through to Void Refinement, Yu Xinghan’s cultivation was originally still a bit unstable. But at this moment, he felt a brand-new understanding of the Void Refinement Realm, and it seemed that his subsequent cultivation and breakthroughs in various Void Refinement cultivation arts would fall into place naturally.
“This is the feeling!” Yu Xinghan rejoiced in his heart. “It’s just like back in the Spirit Transformation Realm.”
Watching the Chain Formation Diagram in Yu Xinghan’s Technique Aperture being replaced by the [Great Void Dao Body], Zhang Yu nodded slightly and said, “Next, you should cultivate according to these cultivation arts first.”
After sending over the relevant cultivation arts, Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Yu Xinghan’s natural aptitude is extraordinary. With the help of the [Third Eye Mystic Power] and the [Great Void Dao Body], his speed in cultivating the cultivation arts should be very fast, which can help me further accelerate the improvement of the [Great Void Dao Body].”
Yu Xinghan was already used to this and quickly agreed, “I will definitely cultivate with all my might.”
Next, Zhang Yu discussed the matter of Law Edicts with Yu Xinghan.
“Within the Law Edict system, one must first promote a Law Edict to a Law Decree before they can continue to promote the Law Decree into a Dao Lineage.”
“At the same time, a Law Decree is also a prerequisite for participating in the Ascension Selection.”
“And for a Law Edict to be promoted to a Law Decree, it must first receive the support of at least seven Law Edicts.”
Knowledge regarding Law Edicts flashed through Zhang Yu’s mind, and he thought to himself, “Once a Law Decree is achieved, it can easily crush any Law Edict. Only a Law Decree can fight against a Law Decree.”
“Besides that, once a hierarchical support relationship is formed between a Law Decree and a Law Edict, the Law Decree’s True Domain can directly spread into the subordinate Law Edict’s True Domain. All subordinate Law Edicts’ True Domains can be regarded as the Law Decree’s True Domain.”
“And the Thought Tide Amplification of subordinate Law Edicts can also be entirely regarded as the Thought Tide Amplification of the Law Decree.”
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Just these two alone can make the diffusion speed of the Law Decree skyrocket, and the Thought Tide Amplification will skyrocket as well.”
“However, to support it, there must be a strong correlation in the content of the Law Edicts.”
“If Yu Xinghan’s Law Edict wants to support mine, it must also revolve around my Law Edict Expiration Date.”
Although Yu Xinghan had not yet participated in the law establishment training and did not yet understand the specific technical details, Zhang Yu could still discuss the design of the specific contents of the Law Edict with him.
After concluding his discussion with Yu Xinghan today, Zhang Yu once again began to think about the candidate for the second Law Establishment Quota.
“It must be someone I trust enough and who has enough talent…”
Just as Zhang Yu was halfway through his thoughts, Fu Ji added, “Zhang Yu, you also need to consider the balance of the factions under you. You can’t let one faction of subordinates dominate, otherwise they’ll band together to deceive their superiors and hide the truth.”
Inside the Myriad Laws Artifact Refinement Mutual Aid Group, a small chat group where all the members came from the former Myriad Laws Artifact Refinement Department…
Feng Tingting: “Senior Sister, the recent livestreaming resources and traffic have been squeezed out by the Civil Engineering Faction again.”
Feng Tingting: “Senior Sister, has Minister Zhang talked to you about a promotion? Yu Xinghan has already become a Minister, so why are you still livestreaming? What qualifications does Yu Xinghan have? What background? Back when we were helping Minister Zhang refine magical artifacts, Yu Xinghan was still giving people massages.”
Bei Wufeng: “This bunch from the Civil Engineering Faction likes to heavily rely on monsterfolk, this is a path to disaster.”
Jin Jun sent a message to Ye Xingli: “Senior Sister, have you engaged in dual cultivation with Minister Zhang recently? Do you need us to help?”
Yan Qianji: “I think it’s fine to just do our own tasks well. Minister Zhang sees everything; he is not a leader who plays favorites or steals achievements.”
Jin Jun: “What the hell do you know? Do you have any idea that the volume of chat logs between our Artifact Refinement Faction and Minister Zhang has been dropping every single month for the past few months!”
Ye Xingli reminded: “What nonsense are you spouting? Under Minister Zhang, there is no Artifact Refinement Faction.”
Ye Xingli looked at the capital investment curve for the laboratory and production lines, as well as her recent frequency of participating in meetings and conversing with Zhang Yu… She couldn’t help but frown slightly.
Although Zhang Yu didn’t say anything, as Yu Xinghan’s importance continued to rise, the influence would naturally radiate outwards.
As more and more people came to believe that the importance of the Civil Engineering Faction was higher than that of the Artifact Refinement Faction, the Civil Engineering Faction’s importance would soon truly surpass the Artifact Refinement Faction’s, ultimately resulting in one faction dominating entirely.
Just as Ye Xingli was thinking, a message from Magnetic Pole floated in front of her.
Magnetic Pole: “You will take the lead in the laboratory’s affairs from now on. I need to focus on cultivating to prepare for my breakthrough to Void Refinement next year.”
Seeing this message, Ye Xingli felt a surge of joy in her heart: “Master, you got promoted?”
Magnetic Pole replied: “Yes, just keep it to yourself and do not leak it out.”
Zhang Yu ultimately chose to give the second Law Establishment Quota in his hands to Magnetic Pole.
In this way, he would push for her promotion in March of the following year, and then have her break through to the Void Refinement Realm as soon as possible.
“Teacher Magnetic Pole is someone worthy of trust. Her foundation is considered profound among Spirit Transformation cultivators, and she can also balance the current factions under my command to prevent any one from dominating.”
After making the decision, Zhang Yu once again wholeheartedly threw himself into his Immortal Dao cultivation.
In August, a new Dao Seed was nurtured.
In December, a new batch of Sect Staff joined.
The sect also seemed to temporarily enter a peaceful period of operation, with various matters, big and small, being smoothly advanced.
Time passed by quickly just like that, finally arriving at March of the second year.
Zhang Yu also welcomed his own Tribulation Transcendence permit.