No Money to Cultivate Immortality? - Chapter 827 (Patreon)

Chapter 827: The Storm Zhang Yu Set Off

As wave after wave of power descended upon the Old Days Graveyard, Zhang Yu, Ying Aikun, Su Lingyou, and the others were about to be taken away one after another, sent to various places to cooperate with the investigation.

Watching this scene, Qin Chuan felt his heart pound with alarm. Even the circulation of his mana could not help but speed up slightly.

At this moment, he seemed to recall again the bloody storms that had followed Ying Xintian’s fall from heaven, the waves of reckoning and fierce battles.

He thought to himself, “Are they going to start another grand prison, carve up the flesh, and sell off the divine souls? Is another great purge coming?”

Just as Qin Chuan was feeling uneasy, a ripple from the Spiritual Realm descended from the sky and swept across all the Righteous Gods and staff present.

At that moment, the same notice appeared before their eyes. Regarding the incident currently taking place in the Old Days Graveyard, Heavenly Court would take the lead and establish a special task force involving multiple sects and departments to conduct a joint investigation.

At the same time, notifications from Heavenly Court’s Inspectorate Department and the Myriad Laws Sect’s Myriad Laws Hall appeared one after another before Zhang Yu, ordering him to remain in the Old Days Graveyard and focus on cooperating with the work of the task force.

Zhang Yu’s heart stirred. He looked toward the Righteous God beside him and said, “So next, am I supposed to stay here the whole time until the investigation ends?”

After seeing the Righteous God’s affirmative reply, Zhang Yu said, “I would like to report something. After temporarily holding the immortal inheritance, I can restore the Labyrinth Realm’s currently scrambled spatial structure. This should help with the task force’s work.”

Adjusting the Labyrinth Realm’s spatial structure was an ability Zhang Yu had grasped after taking control of the Labyrinth Realm and becoming familiar with the power Ying Xintian had given him.

Hearing this, the Righteous God was slightly startled. He immediately began recording and asked, “Is that true? You can restore the Labyrinth Realm’s scrambled spatial structure to its original state?”

All sorts of data about the Labyrinth Realm appeared in the Righteous God’s mind, including its area, spatial size, and the various factories, production lines, and laboratories it had originally possessed.

Just calculating the total output value contained within was enough to make the Righteous God feel how much profit was contained in “restoring the scrambled spatial structure.”

Zhang Yu nodded and said, “After I seized back our Myriad Laws Sect’s immortal inheritance from Ying Aikun, I gained perception and control over the entire Labyrinth Realm. I can exert influence over the power Ying Xintian left behind.”

“Just like when I restored the Spiritual Realm connection earlier, restoring the current spatial disorder problem in the Labyrinth Realm... should not be an issue either.”

The Righteous God’s gaze shifted. He said, “Then why didn’t you conveniently restore the space earlier as well? Were you trying to keep people blocked outside?”

Zhang Yu said as if it were perfectly natural, “The immortal inheritance left behind by Ying Xintian is a sect asset belonging to the Myriad Laws Sect. Without approval from leadership, I personally do not have the authority to use it recklessly. Earlier, using Grotto-Heaven Power to fight and restoring the Spiritual Realm connection were both emergency measures taken under urgent circumstances, in order to stop Ying Aikun’s illegal and criminal conduct.”

The Righteous God looked at Zhang Yu, then at the one-million-immortal-coin fine temporarily frozen above his head, and thought, You brat, you weren’t this respectful toward Taizhen Immortal earlier. You didn’t have this much sect spirit then.

Fu Ji smiled and said, “That’s exactly right, Zhang Yu. If you directly help them restore the scrambled space now, no one will thank you. Once all the good news has been exhausted, it becomes bad news. Once the Labyrinth Realm is truly restored, the ‘value of restoring the scrambled spatial structure’ will no longer exist.”

Zhanxian said, “Now that the Spiritual Realm connection has already been restored, someone will definitely try to restore production here. Only after they fail will our value stand out even more.”

Fu Ji followed up, “Exactly. By then, they’ll be lining up in a hurry to beg us to act.”

Zhang Yu understood in his heart that all of this was built upon Ying Xintian’s immortal power.

Because the Labyrinth Realm’s scrambled spatial structure had been set up by Ying Xintian with immortal power.

And the immortal inheritance Ying Xintian had poured into him, as well as his control over the Labyrinth Realm, had also been set up with immortal power.

“Only immortal power can oppose immortal power.”

The giant corpse’s words flashed through Zhang Yu’s mind.

“Compared to using immortal power to restore production, or using immortal power to replace you as the inheritor, having you directly restore the Labyrinth Realm’s scrambled spatial structure is the most cost-effective, lowest-cost, highest-profit method.”

“This is the profit-seeking nature of all beings in Kunxu. If you want to drive them, you cannot easily cash out this value. You must make the relevant interest groups support you in gradually restoring the Labyrinth Realm step by step, solidifying your identity as the holder of the immortal inheritance and participating in the rebuilding of the Old Days Graveyard, instead of being kicked aside after the Labyrinth Realm is restored.”

“This is your retreat after drawing the blade. It is also the authority that Ying Xintian’s immortal power has granted you.”

“In Kunxu, as long as it is immortal power, it can extend into authority. But how much effect that authority can ultimately produce, and how much profit it can bring, all depends on the heart. It depends on the user’s methods.”

Just then, rays of Divine Light crossed the Spiritual Realm and descended. More Righteous Gods began arriving by projection, and they directly requisitioned the scene as the task force’s office location.

An office building in the Experimental Zone was remodeled by the Righteous Gods into a temporary detention site. Zhang Yu, Ying Aikun, Su Lingyou, and the others were also taken into custody there one by one, placed under layer upon layer of Righteous God power, especially under the guard of the Tax Oversight Army.

Zhang Yu was also led by a Righteous God into a room. As for the million-immortal-coin fine above his head, although it still remained visible, it had never actually been deducted. It was like a guillotine, stuck in a state where it seemed about to fall yet had not fallen, hanging unresolved.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Compared to this fine, I’d rather have a few bolts of heavenly thunder blast down.”

He remembered the scene from before in the lower realm, when he had borrowed the power of heavenly thunder to fight. Getting struck a few times by heavenly thunder or something like that was much more economical than having money deducted.

Zhanxian said, “There was once a period when they really would directly send thunder down. But later, some cultivators deliberately slandered immortals to collect heavenly thunder. Add to that the fact that slandering immortals and Immortal Clans isn’t any kind of violent crime, and deducting money worked far better than heavenly thunder. Gradually, it all became fines.”

Zhang Yu thought that made sense too. Sending down heavenly thunder cost money and effort without much profit. If they ran into a cultivator who could make use of heavenly thunder, it was equivalent to giving the other party immortal dao resources. How could that compare to sending a notice and directly issuing a fine? It saved time, saved effort, and even generated revenue.

Fu Ji said, “This isn’t like back then down below, when there were no Righteous Gods presiding over the Spiritual Realm. You think you can get struck by lightning just by saying a few random lines? How could there be such a good thing?”

Just then, two Righteous Gods descended one after another in front of Zhang Yu and said, “Deputy Minister Zhang, we are fourth-rank Righteous Gods of the Inspectorate Department. We are now questioning you in accordance with the law. Next, you must answer all questions truthfully and may not conceal, falsify, or fabricate facts. Is that clear?”

Listening to the other party speak, Zhang Yu also quietly let out a breath of relief. “As expected... they aren’t directly conducting a memory search?”

In his mind, he once again recalled what the giant corpse had said. “With those immortal lineages protecting you, you wouldn’t have your memories investigated so easily in the first place.”

“Besides, in a major case like this, cautious use of memory searches is already a consensus among all sides. Otherwise, if the direction and scope of the investigation are not controlled properly, and they find out something that shouldn’t be found, how would they clean up the aftermath?”

Elsewhere, Ying Aikun looked at the Tax Oversight Army flying shuttles in the sky one after another and felt a heavy pressure rush toward him head-on.

“How did things end up like this?”

When Ying Aikun entered the detention site with a dark expression, the many artifacts and Law Husks on him were inspected one by one.

But when the Righteous Gods demanded that Ying Aikun open the Qiankun Gourd, they met fierce opposition from Ying Aikun.

After all, there were far too many secrets inside his Qiankun Gourd. If something like the Lifespan Flame he had used before were investigated all the way down, it would be a huge problem.

Ying Aikun circulated his mana and pressed tightly on the Qiankun Gourd in his arms while saying, “The Qiankun Gourd is an asset registered under the name of the Heavenly Demon Sect’s sect enterprise. It has nothing to do with Ying Xintian. You have no authority to inspect it.”

The Righteous God before him projected document after document and said, “Ying Aikun, this case has now already drawn the attention of the Great Deity Who Balances and Inspects the Four Universes, the Divine Overseer of Contributions, and the Billion-Wealth Sea-Birth Great Deity. I advise you not to cling to luck.”

Every time he heard the name of a Great Deity, Ying Aikun’s heart sank a little further. When he heard the name of the Billion-Wealth Sea-Birth Great Deity, this God of Wealth... this foremost Great Deity of the Ministry of Finance and Taxation, he could barely keep the mana inside his body under control.

Ying Aikun: [Favor Charm]

After sending a Favor Charm to the Righteous God before him, Ying Aikun said, “I want to contact someone outside.”

“Your Favor Charm has already been returned.”

The Righteous God before him said with a solemn expression, “You may. That is your right. But every part of all calls will be recorded by us.”

Amid the trembling of mana, Ying Aikun opened his contact list.

Among the pile of unread messages, the most eye-catching was Ling Chiye’s message: Senior Ying, congratulations. Now that you control the Labyrinth Realm, your future immortal path is already a broad road.

Ying Aikun suppressed his negative emotions. After thinking for a moment, he silently began sending messages and instantly received quite a few replies.

“The other party has enabled friend verification. You are not yet his or her friend. Please send a friend verification request first. You can chat only after the other party approves.”

“The message has been sent, but was rejected by the other party.”

Looking at one friend after another who had either blocked him or deleted him, Ying Aikun’s expression became uglier and uglier.

At this moment, he seemed to have received no messages at all, yet also seemed to have received countless reminders.

So in the next moment, he sent a message toward his Qiankun Gourd: [Folded Hands] Prepare to open the door.

The moment this message was sent, the Righteous Gods who had been responsible for monitoring discovered the abnormality.

“Who allowed you to send a message to the Qiankun Gourd? What did you send?”

Ying Aikun explained, “I told the Soul Cultivators inside to prepare to open the Qiankun Gourd so they can cooperate with everyone’s work...”

But before Ying Aikun could finish explaining, rays of Divine Light had already wrapped around him and suppressed him to the ground.

“Seal his mana!”

“Open his Qiankun Gourd.”

“It’s locked. It won’t open!”

A hand formed from divine power slammed down on Ying Aikun’s head with a boom and shouted, “Ying Aikun, open the Qiankun Gourd immediately.”

Ying Aikun’s body trembled, but he remained silent and gave no reply.

A Righteous God transmitted a message through the Spiritual Realm. “Where is the Tax Oversight Army? Have them bring the Heavenbreaker Shuttles over!”

“Ram this Qiankun Gourd open for me!”

Ying Aikun shouted, “You have no authority to do this...”

But in the next moment, he saw one pitch-black flying shuttle after another pierce through space under the Tax Oversight Army’s operation and descend directly upon the scene.

Immediately afterward, amid a burst of shattering sounds, spatial cracks abruptly appeared in front of everyone. The Tax Oversight Army’s flying shuttles had already rammed open the Qiankun Gourd’s gate with practiced ease, exposing the blazing fire burning inside.

But in the very next instant, as flying shuttle after flying shuttle rushed into the Qiankun Gourd, skillfully sealing the area, collecting the flames, and freezing the Soul Cultivators, the entire Qiankun Gourd had already been brought back under control under Ying Aikun’s despairing gaze.

One cultivator from the Tax Oversight Army sneered, looked toward Ying Aikun, and said, “Heh, burning down a grotto-heaven? I’ve chased taxes for so many years that I even investigate collapsed minor worlds. Use whatever other tricks you have.”

At the same time, elsewhere, Su Lingyou also wanted to contact people, but she discovered that those who had once greeted her with smiles, those Righteous Gods who had once treated her with extraordinary respect, had all begun avoiding her like the plague. They dealt with her strictly according to official procedure and no longer showed her any smiles.

“Su Lingyou, we have already found evidence inside Ying Aikun’s Qiankun Gourd that he secretly hid and embezzled assets belonging to a rebel immortal. Do you have anything to say?”

Su Lingyou said expressionlessly, “Then you had better investigate carefully. Don’t investigate and investigate, only to finally uncover something that shouldn’t be uncovered.”

“Su Lingyou, if you are still clinging to luck, then I may as well tell you plainly. This time, the Billion-Wealth Sea-Birth Great Deity has already issued a death order. He wants us to investigate back three years and drag out every last Kunxu parasite among you who embezzled rebel immortal assets and evaded taxes.”

Su Lingyou’s expression still appeared unchanged, but in her heart, stormy waves surged.

The past three years were precisely the three years after Ying Xintian’s fall from heaven, when countless forces had frantically devoured his assets.

And during these three years, Taizhen Immortal, as Ying Xintian’s dao companion, and the Taizhen Immortal Clan, as his blood relatives, had naturally been first to benefit from proximity, secretly swallowing down a vast amount of property belonging to Ying Xintian.

Hearing this, Su Lingyou said coldly, “Investigating this... aren’t you afraid of provoking public outrage?”

“Are you admitting that over the past three years, you did embezzle Myriad Laws Sect assets and evade taxes?”

Su Lingyou did not speak. She only closed her eyes.

In another room, Ling Chiye said, “The work I’ve always been responsible for has been the Old Days Graveyard. Before this incident, I really wasn’t familiar with Ying Aikun or Su Lingyou at all.”

“I truly know nothing about what they did or what goals they had.”

“Yes, yes, yes. Ying Aikun did indeed hint that he was Ying Xintian’s successor and that he would definitely obtain the inheritance this time without any trouble...”

Not long after being questioned by the Righteous Gods, Ling Chiye poured out everything he knew like beans from a bamboo tube, explaining it all one by one. He also extricated himself completely, not daring to have even the slightest connection to Ying Xintian, Su Lingyou, or the Taizhen Immortal Clan.

…

While the investigation was unfolding inside the Labyrinth Realm, the related news exploded through the Spiritual Realm like a shit-shattering shock, then swept across the Ten Major Sects like a storm.

“Zhang Yu, a level-four sect affairs officer of the Myriad Laws Sect’s Ghost Letter Department, has reported under his real name illegal conduct by the Taizhen Immortal Clan. The news triggered heated discussion as soon as it emerged. At present, the relevant leads have been accepted, and the incident remains under further investigation...”

Inside the Imperial Law Pavilion, Lu Hengzhang looked at the report, and a cold smile could not help but rise at the corner of his mouth.

As deputy minister of the Review Department, he had always supported the innate orthodoxy. He had once suppressed Zhang Yu and had once been beaten several times by Bu Daojun while Bu Daojun held his head.

After Zhang Yu was transferred to the Ghost Letter Department’s cold bench, he had originally thought he would not hear news of the other party again for a long time. He had not expected to see news related to him so soon, and for it to be an earthshaking major incident at that.

“He really is courting death.”

As a supporter of the innate orthodoxy, Lu Hengzhang naturally supported the Taizhen Immortal Clan’s side by instinct.

In his view, Zhang Yu’s act of reporting them was a textbook case of a subordinate offending his superiors.

“But this brat probably isn’t that bold himself. I’m afraid someone is using him as cannon fodder.”

“Getting dragged into a struggle involving an Immortal Clan, or even immortals...”

Lu Hengzhang shook his head. “Does he really think that after grabbing Bu Daojun’s thigh once, he can climb up along that leg and start feeling around for even thicker thighs everywhere?”

A moment later, he sent a message to Deputy Pavilion Master Yang Kaitai. “Leader, Zhang Yu is still one of us from the Imperial Law Pavilion after all. Now that he is acting so recklessly, should we do something?”

Yang Kaitai: Do nothing. Watch quietly and see how things change.

…

“Zhang Yu, a top student born on the First Floor of Kunxu, entered university with outstanding grades and was admitted into a sect. During his time at school, he repeatedly stepped forward and resisted the anti-Kunxu group headed by Ying Xintian.”

“He has drawn broad attention for questioning the hidden transactions and tax issues between rebel immortal Ying Xintian and the Taizhen Immortal Clan...”

Inside a training school on Kunxu’s eleventh layer, Divine Lord Magneto looked at all the overwhelming news across the Spiritual Realm and thought in alarm, “That brat Zhang Yu... has he gone insane? How did he end up going head-to-head with the Taizhen Immortal Clan?”

“Getting dragged into upper-level infighting, can that small frame of his withstand it?”

Old Gao, who was beside him, looked at the photo in the news. It showed the scene of Zhang Yu and Su Lingyou facing off. He analyzed, “From the current looks of things, most of the news is still fairly positive in its evaluation of Zhang Yu.”

Old Gao knew that in Kunxu, public opinion was a combined reflection of power, authority, and assets. An advantage in public opinion represented that the forces behind Zhang Yu still currently held the upper hand in this struggle.

Divine Lord Magneto sighed. “So what if they have the upper hand? Since ancient times, in this kind of high-level struggle, the ones charging at the very front all become cannon fodder.”

“The bird that sticks its head out gets shot. I’m worried that brat Zhang Yu will be thrown away once he’s used up.”

Old Gao looked at Divine Lord Magneto controlling the Spiritual Realm with a hesitant appearance and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Divine Lord Magneto said, “I should still... contact my master. At least I should ask what Zhang Yu’s current situation is.”

…

Inside the Myriad Laws Sect’s Law Realm.

The thoughts of Divine Lord Xinghuo, Yu Xinghan, Ye Xingli, Shi Huaiyu, Yan Qianji, and Feng Tingting gathered in a group and were discussing what had happened this time.

Yu Xinghan looked at all sorts of reports and said worriedly, “Master, I heard that the entire Old Days Graveyard has been placed under martial law. These past few days, several members of the Taizhen Immortal Clan have already been taken away for questioning. With this matter getting so huge... Zhang Yu won’t get into trouble, will he?”

Divine Lord Xinghuo said, “My intelligence network is currently asking around for news in this regard. Once there is a response, I will tell all of you.”

Just then, a noblewoman of the Myriad Laws Sect sent a message to the task force’s office, asking about Zhang Yu’s situation.

So not long afterward, Divine Lord Xinghuo explained to everyone in the group, “For now, there isn’t much of a problem.”

“Look at the recent news reports. All of them are emphasizing that Zhang Yu came from the First Floor of Kunxu, entered Myriad Laws Sect University through the Foundation Establishment exam, entered the Myriad Laws Sect through the sect exam, and also stopped Ying Xintian from seizing the lower realm.”

“From this point, it seems that those above intend to publicize him as a banner of Kunxu reform. They will definitely protect him and will not let anything happen to him easily.”

Yu Xinghan could not help but say, “But the other side is the Taizhen Immortal Clan, and behind the Taizhen Immortal Clan is Taizhen Immortal.”

In Yu Xinghan’s view, an immortal could casually kill Zhang Yu with a single glance. Zhang Yu, who was now at the center of the storm, was truly in far too much danger.

…

Inside a certain grotto-heaven of the Myriad Laws Sect.

Bu Yingshu looked at the figure before her and said, “Dad! Zhang Yu is one of my people. We have to think of a way to protect him!”

Ever since Zhang Yu had been taken away, Bu Yingshu had been as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, with only one thought in her mind. “What if Zhang Yu exposes my identity as the Great Sage’s Heir? What if he exposes the secret of my talent awakening?”

The more she thought about it, the more afraid she became. She even somewhat regretted saving Zhang Yu.

“Stinking lower cultivator. If I’d known, I shouldn’t have saved him!”

“Dead brain! Why were you so impulsive? Why didn’t you think it through before rushing out?”

The more Bu Yingshu thought, the more afraid she became, so she simply hid inside her family’s grotto-heaven. But she was also afraid that one day, a sudden roll of Divine Light would arrive, and what landed in front of her would be a notice taking away this Great Sage’s Heir.

And at this moment, standing before Bu Yingshu was a young-looking cultivator named Bu Yuangui.

Listening to Bu Yingshu nag back and forth, he could not help saying, “Yingshu, why do you care so much about this Zhang Yu? Did you lend him a lot of money?”

Bu Yingshu said, “It isn’t about lending money.”

Bu Yingshu hurriedly said the excuse she had held back for a long time and finally come up with. “Wasn’t Zhang Yu researching the Blood-Tide Essence Saint Visualization with me before? He learned quite a lot about our plans. I’m afraid he’ll casually talk about it and cause a bad influence.”

Bu Yuangui looked at his daughter’s serious explanation and suddenly smiled faintly. “Is that so... Then your concern is quite reasonable. It seems you have grown again during this period.”

Bu Yingshu said confidently, “Right? So let’s hurry and fish Zhang Yu out. Those slaves from Heavenly Court—what right do they have to arrest a dog of our Myriad Laws Immortal Clan?”

Bu Yuangui, however, said calmly, “My clever daughter, do you know why High-Intelligence Artifact Spirits have developed so vigorously over the past two years?”

Bu Yingshu said anxiously, “Dad, is now the time to talk about this?”

Bu Yuangui remained unhurried and continued, “There are many factors behind it, but one of them is absolutely unavoidable. That is, large areas of the Old Days Graveyard stopped production, causing the supply of Soul Cultivators to fall, costs to increase, and prices to rise. Only then did High-Intelligence Artifact Spirits get their opportunity to develop.”

“If the Old Days Graveyard can be restored, then the outcome of the competition between Soul Cultivators and High-Intelligence Artifact Spirits is still unknown.”

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