Chapter 991 Too Much Favor
Looking at the information for the two people Zhang Yu had sent over, Dugu Ming said without the slightest hesitation, “No problem, I’ll submit it for you in a moment.”
Next, Zhang Yu looked at the list before him and gave Dugu Ming three more names.
“Tai Yuebai, Lie Jinghong, Bu Yingshu… I’d like to transfer these three to be my assistants as well.”
Dugu Ming frowned slightly. Thinking of Tai Yuebai’s background, he couldn’t help but say, “Tai Yuebai… are you sure? He belongs to the Reformist Faction. Your relationship with the Reformist Faction right now… probably isn’t very harmonious.”
Sensing the Feather Book inside his body, Zhang Yu thought to himself that his relationship with the Reformist Faction had probably gone from friendly to cold… hostile, or perhaps even hateful.
Yet Zhang Yu believed Tai Yuebai wouldn’t be like that. It wasn’t just because the man had previously persuaded him to choose Fa Liuyuan’s Feather Book during the book-bestowing ceremony, but even more because he and Tai Yuebai shared a secret — a secret regarding the Ten Immortal Emperors rolling back the world.
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Tai Yuebai is not only powerfully formidable, but also extremely trustworthy. Furthermore, his Dual Rest Law Edict has countless wonderful uses…”
The Sect Examination Clone remarked, “You just have your eye on his Book and the Dao Seeds on him, wanting to lick every last one of them clean!”
Speaking up to this point, the Sect Examination Clone also chuckled. “We can find a way to fuse Tai Yuebai’s Book into this and see what happens. Worst comes to worst, we can just spit it back out and return it to him.”
After a flash of swift contemplation, which he naturally kept from Dugu Ming, Zhang Yu simply looked at Dugu Ming and said, “I trust Profound Monarch Tai’s Sect Nature. He won’t let factional conflicts delay important matters. His abilities will also be of great use in the process of confiscating the Books.”
Dugu Ming nodded, then looked at the remaining two names and said, “Lie Jinghong is an important talent over in the Dharma Realm. Are you sure you want him?”
Zhang Yu replied, “When dealing with old Books within the sect, is it possible to bypass the Dharma Realm? I need a trustworthy talent from the Dharma Realm. Lie Jinghong is loyal to the Immortal Emperor and possesses exceptional Sect Nature. I believe he can do this job well and is willing to serve the Immortal Emperor.”
Dugu Ming nodded slightly. Although he had some hesitations regarding Tai Yuebai and Lie Jinghong, he could roughly guess Zhang Yu’s intentions.
Yet looking at the final name, Bu Yingshu, Dugu Ming still felt utterly perplexed.
“Bu Yingshu? Are you sure you want to bring her in? Is she… suitable? Can she handle this job?”
Zhang Yu said, “This time… we’ll probably have to deal with the sect’s Immortal Clans quite a bit, right? Bu Yingshu is the best intermediary. She’s widely renowned among the sect’s Immortal Clans and has quite a strong network. Communicating with the Immortal Clans through her will be far more effective than approaching them directly ourselves.”
“Widely renowned and has quite a strong network?” Dugu Ming looked up at Zhang Yu, seemingly trying to determine whether he was speaking the truth or being sarcastic.
Seeing Zhang Yu’s serious expression, Dugu Ming couldn’t help but confirm again, “Is that what Bu Yingshu told you?”
Zhang Yu nodded and said, “Hall Master Dugu, I just want these three. Is there any problem with that?”
Fu Ji thought to herself, “Hmph, how could any other Immortal Clan member be as easy to control as Bu Yingshu? Bringing someone else in might even backfire. But Bu Yingshu… if something happens and we shield her in front of us, she can really bite people for us. She’s perfect for dealing with the Immortal Clans within the Myriad Laws Sect.”
Sensing Zhang Yu’s insistence, Dugu Ming said, “I understand.”
Having finalized the people Zhang Yu wanted to bring in, Dugu Ming gave a final reminder, “Within a year at the earliest, or two years at the latest, the Book-Wielders of the great sects… should have finished collecting the books within their sects.”
“When that time comes, it will likely be another fierce clash of dragons and tigers.”
Dugu Ming sighed. “Perhaps through acquisitions, perhaps through gambling duels, or perhaps some other form of competition. As this sect’s Book-Wielder, you might also be assigned to participate — to seize the Books of other sects, or perhaps have your own Books taken by them.”
Zhang Yu understood in his heart that since high-stakes gambles already existed within Kunxu’s commercial games, it was only natural for even more blatant gambling duels to emerge alongside the fight over various Immortal Dao resources.
Yet what chilled his heart even more was the familiar sense revealed in this series of maneuvers.
“Is it another battle-royale-style rat race?” Zhang Yu thought to himself. “The Ten Great Sects each send people to collect the Books, and then pit them against one another to determine the strongest, who will seize the most Books. And the fate of this victor might just be becoming yet another 11th Immortal Emperor.
“And the reason why the Ten Immortal Emperors suddenly changed their arrangements regarding the Books and Book-Wielders, making a complete 180-degree turnaround in sect policy, is likely…”
Immortal Slayer sighed, “It must be because of Immortal Emperor Supreme Truth. She clearly has a deeper understanding of the Books. Now that she has been suppressed, the Ten Immortal Emperors have probably extracted more intelligence about the Books from her.”
Zhang Yu recalled the various manipulations Immortal Emperor Supreme Truth had performed on his Feather Book multiple times, nodding slightly to himself as he agreed with this speculation.
“Senior Supreme Truth must have anticipated this before being suppressed. She would definitely have taken the initiative to erase this part of the intel and information. I wonder how much the Ten Immortal Emperors ultimately managed to grasp.”
Shaking his head, Zhang Yu pushed these stray thoughts aside for the moment and refocused on the matter at hand: “In any case, within the next year or two, I must complete the collection of old books within the sect as quickly as possible, building up my strength to handle the future competition with other sects.”
“The cultivators of other sects want to take my Book, but don’t I also want to take yours?”
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “If I can seize the remaining three Books of Feathered Ascension, perhaps I can gain three more shortcuts to ascend and become an Immortal.”
The next day, in the Heavenly Surveillance Hall’s Dharma Realm Conference Room, projections descended one after another.
Bu Yingshu sat down with a confident smile, thinking secretly, “Hmph, all my past nurturing of Zhang Yu truly wasn’t in vain. Confiscating the Books of the world, is it? Zhang Yu probably knows how difficult this is, which is why he thought to find someone as widely renowned and well-connected as me to lend him a hand, right?”
Looking at Zhang Yu’s projection nearby, Bu Yingshu sent a message: “Don’t worry. With me here to back you up, who in the sect would dare make things difficult for you?”
Zhang Yu replied: “I’ll be counting entirely on you from here on, Profound Monarch Bu. Having you oversee things puts my mind at ease.”
Hearing the message Zhang Yu sent, Bu Yingshu smiled faintly to herself and looked around the room, secretly thinking, “In the entire project team, my bond with Zhang Yu is probably the closest. Only the two of us are the true controllers of this project.”
On the other side, as soon as Tai Yuebai’s projection descended, he nodded toward Zhang Yu, thinking to himself, “Having me participate in the plan to collect the Books of the world as well? If I can gain the aid of a few more Books during this process, the success rate for me to Ascend and become an Immortal later to stop the Ultimate Doomsday… will be significantly higher.”
“It seems Zhang Yu really took what I said earlier to heart.”
Scanning the room, Tai Yuebai thought, “In the entire project team, only Zhang Yu and I truly understand just how close this world is to the Ultimate Doomsday. I’m afraid only the two of us… are trying to use this plan to avert the apocalypse.”
In another corner of the conference room, Lie Jinghong’s projection also descended, his gaze toward Zhang Yu revealing a hint of mutual respect and camaraderie.
“Zhang Yu… Truly worthy of being the Divine Sword of our Myriad Laws Sect, deeply trusted by the Immortal Emperor. To think that a massive plan like collecting the Books of the world was entrusted to him as well.”
Lie Jinghong recalled his interactions with him during the Law Establishment Class, thinking to himself, “Thanks to the experience of attending the training together, I forged a deep friendship with him, got the chance to participate in this project, and now have another opportunity to perform well before Grandpa Immortal Emperor.”
Surveying the entire room, he thought, “In the entire project team, I’m afraid only Zhang Yu and I possess the highest Sect Nature and are the most loyal to Grandpa Immortal Emperor. With the two of us steering it together, the project won’t stray off course, and we can push it in the direction most beneficial to the sect and the Immortal Emperor.”
At the same time, Le Mulan, as Sect Staff belonging to the Heavenly Surveillance Hall, was also involved in this project due to her connection with Zhang Yu, being an original member of the Book Collection Project Group.
At this moment, Le Mulan nodded slightly toward Zhang Yu, thinking to herself, “In the entire project team, only Zhang Yu and I climbed up together from the First Layer…”
“They’re all just a bunch of parachuters…”
While everyone had their own thoughts, a female cultivator named Liu Qianxian looked at the influx of new cultivators and silently cursed, “They all just want to pad their resumes and reap the fruits of others’ labor.”
Liu Qianxian was a veteran Tribulation Transcendence cultivator who had worked in the Heavenly Surveillance Hall for many years. As the original person in charge of this project team, she had already taken the initiative to collect six volumes of the books.
She knew that two of those books had already been bestowed upon Zhang Yu.
The remaining four volumes would likely be handed over to Zhang Yu for safekeeping and suppression as well.
In Liu Qianxian’s eyes, this was a blatant case of airdropping in… and plucking the fruits of the project team’s labor.
However, thinking of the other party’s background, Liu Qianxian could only harbor resentment in her heart, not daring to let even the slightest hint show.
“Sigh, I just hope that after this Zhang Yu arrives, he won’t disrupt the project team’s work progress or meddle blindly… Otherwise, if something goes wrong in the end, the blame will probably still fall on me.”
In Liu Qianxian’s view, Zhang Yu and those he brought with him — Bu Yingshu, Tai Yuebai, and Lie Jinghong — were all second-generation immortals and second-generation elites with deep backgrounds.
Even Yu Xinghan and Magnetic Pole were Zhang Yu’s own trusted subordinates.
“If a problem arises in the project, they will cover for each other, and in the end, they will definitely pin the blame on me.”
“Sigh…” Liu Qianxian sighed in her heart, “Grandpa Immortal Emperor, oh Grandpa Immortal Emperor, why did you have to arrange for this person to be the Book-Wielder?”
According to the intelligence Liu Qianxian had gathered at the Heavenly Surveillance Hall, the Book-Wielders chosen by the other major sects were all basically Ascension Realm cultivators.
“After all, with less than twenty years left until the Ascension Selection begins, right now is the crucial time for numerous Ascension Realm cultivators to build up their strength and increase their odds of Ascension.”
“And collecting the Books of the world is an exquisite opportunity for Ascension Realm cultivators to bolster their power.”
In Liu Qianxian’s view, the other major sects were all seizing this chance to increase the success rates of their respective immortality seeds, which was why they had selected Ascension Realm cultivators as their Book-Wielders.
“Has our sect given up on the upcoming Ascension Selection by making Zhang Yu the Book-Wielder?”
“Are they having Zhang Yu prepare in advance for the Ascension Selection after the next one?”
“If that’s the case, Grandpa Immortal Emperor’s favor toward this Zhang Yu… is simply too excessive.”
At this thought, Liu Qianxian dared even less to provoke Zhang Yu. The Dharma Drugs circulating within her body suppressed any negative emotions toward him to the absolute minimum.
Meanwhile, with a single thought from Zhang Yu, layers of map data materialized in the conference room, depicting the map of the entire Kunxu from layer 1 to layer 20.
Zhang Yu said, “All the intelligence we have gathered so far regarding the Books… as well as their possessors, has been marked here.”
He looked toward Liu Qianxian and said, “Profound Monarch Liu, please brief us on the specifics.”
Liu Qianxian nodded and said, “Currently, the main possessors of the Books are concentrated across layers 11 to 20. Although some in the lower realm have also obtained Books, their numbers are extremely scarce…”
After listening to Liu Qianxian’s briefing, Zhang Yu asked, “How far along is the original project team’s plan?”
Liu Qianxian said, “We are stepping up efforts to confiscate Books from the lower realm as well as from Sect Staff below the Void Refinement stage.”
Zhang Yu nodded. “The plan remains unchanged for now; continue executing according to your original arrangements. However… in terms of personnel, we need to add a few people.”
Being a newcomer, Zhang Yu did not intend to recklessly interfere. He only planned to place his own people within the ranks so they could familiarize themselves with the entire workflow. Meanwhile, he would oversee the overall situation, gathering more intelligence and data to prepare for future actions.
Seeing this, Liu Qianxian also breathed a slight sigh of relief.
After the meeting ended, only Zhang Yu and Liu Qianxian remained in the conference room.
“Profound Monarch Liu,” Zhang Yu asked, “how many Books does the team currently have in its possession?”
Liu Qianxian thought to herself that the moment had indeed arrived: “Is he planning to take the Books for his own use?”
Although thoughts flashed through her mind like lightning, Liu Qianxian naturally remained composed on the surface and replied respectfully, “There are four volumes in total, and they are all currently stored in the Heavenly Surveillance Hall.”
Zhang Yu said, “If I want them… that is, to keep these books suppressed under my control, what procedure do I need to follow?”
Though Liu Qianxian sighed inwardly, she knew even better that as a Book-Wielder, he inherently possessed this authority. She immediately answered, “Profound Monarch Zhang, safeguarding the books on behalf of the Immortal Emperor is your inherent right. You only need to go directly to the treasury of the Heavenly Surveillance Hall to retrieve them.”
Zhang Yu said, “In that case, take me there to get them.”
Not long after, led by Liu Qianxian, Zhang Yu arrived at an Immortal Abode within the Heavenly Surveillance Hall.
After completing the application process, the four volumes of books were brought before the two of them.
After a brief inspection, Liu Qianxian said, “No issues. These are indeed the four volumes.”
With that, she handed the four volumes to Zhang Yu.
Watching Zhang Yu casually store the four volumes into his Grotto-Heaven, Liu Qianxian sighed inwardly, “Ah, it must be nice having backing. He gets to sit back and reap the rewards, parachuting in to claim the spoils. No matter how hard we toiled, all the credit ends up going to him.”
Meanwhile, after obtaining the books, Zhang Yu impatiently bade farewell to Liu Qianxian and returned to his Immortal Grotto-Heaven.