No Money to Cultivate Immortality? - Chapter 839 (Patreon)

Chapter 839: The Book Of Transformation, Ascension Next Term, Sword Embryo Level 5

After the Spiritual Realm meeting ended, a wisp of Xie Lanyin’s will crossed the Spiritual Realm and headed for the position of Central Pole Heaven on Kunxu’s sixteenth layer.

Along the way, wave after wave of newly dead souls kept pouring into Old Days Graveyard. Xie Lanyin seemed to see the vigorous growth of the related industries that would follow.

Looking at those dead souls, she could not help sighing. “If they were not being exploited by us, they probably would not even survive.”

The reason Xie Lanyin was going to the sixteenth layer was that she had been summoned.

The one who had summoned her was an existence who could be called a quasi-immortal, someone she rarely had any chance to meet in ordinary times. That existence had called over her will to communicate with her and talk about the development zone.

In order to meet this existence, Xie Lanyin halted most of her work. The massive exchanges of information that originally took place every moment also temporarily quieted down.

Only her mana was still continuously circulating in her main body, letting her feel the mountain of ore she had transformed into constantly growing. Only this asset expansion, maintained every moment without pause, could make her feel slightly at ease.

“Xie Lanyin.”

A call rang out in the Spiritual Realm. In an instant, numbers formed from countless streams of light and shadow converged together.

Xie Lanyin swept her gaze over them slightly. Looking at those rapidly jumping numbers, she understood that they were the changes in the share prices of countless enterprises within the Whitebone Cult, representing the increase in the value of the other party’s holdings.

These manifested numbers let Xie Lanyin feel the other party’s assets swelling and growing madly, almost every moment.

This scene made Xie Lanyin sigh inwardly. “A real hero ought to enter the market.”

And the gap between herself and this quasi-immortal, because of this… emerged before her more clearly than ever before.

There was no need to cast Dao Techniques, no need to display cultivation. Merely revealing part of his asset expansion made Xie Lanyin feel a surging pressure rushing toward her head-on, making her involuntarily lower the noble head of a Void Refinement cultivator.

Xie Lanyin said, “Greetings, Hall Master Bai Gusheng.”

Xie Lanyin knew that this wisp of will before her belonged to the hall master of the Whitebone Cult’s Business Calculation Hall, a tenth job-level Ascension Realm cultivator, the quasi-immortal named Bai Gusheng.

The reason he was called a quasi-immortal was simply because Bai Gusheng was one of the popular candidates for the next Ascension Selection, as well as one of the giants of the Whitebone Cult’s Soul Cultivator industry.

Although, in theory, ninth job-level Ascension cultivators were qualified to participate in the Ascension Selection, the ones who could truly obtain the right to ascend in the end were generally still tenth job-level existences who ranked among the very best in cultivation, authority, and assets within the group of Ascension cultivators.

The voice emitted by this wisp of Bai Gusheng’s will was like jade striking jade, crisp, tranquil, and far-reaching.

But the information contained within his words made the mana inside Xie Lanyin’s body spin rapidly.

“The sect master has already handed the Book of Transformation to me. In the next Ascension Selection, I am determined to win.”

Stormy waves surged through Xie Lanyin’s heart in an instant. “The Book of Transformation is actually in the hands of our Whitebone Cult? And it was actually passed to Hall Master Bai Gusheng?”

“The Four Books of Feathering Ascension… He actually told me such a secret just like that?”

As if sensing Xie Lanyin’s shock, Bai Gusheng said calmly, “No need to overthink it. Before long, I will announce this matter throughout Kunxu and begin publicizing it, building momentum for the later Ascension Selection.”

Xie Lanyin’s heart shook, and she immediately understood. “To become an immortal, one must bear the weight of heaven’s mandate.”

For weak and poor cultivators, if they possessed a secret treasure like something from Feathering Ascension, they would need to hide it with all their strength.

But for someone like Bai Gusheng, who wanted to become an ascended immortal, it was not a secret. It was a signboard. It was the attention and pressure he had to withstand if he wanted to become an immortal.

“After all, once one becomes an immortal, that is precisely the most suitable age to strive.”

Xie Lanyin knew that throughout Kunxu, from top to bottom, no one’s work income could be higher than an immortal’s. If one day she could also become an immortal, if she could have an immortal’s high income, then she would definitely strive even harder.

At the same time, Xie Lanyin also understood. “The Ascension Selection has plenty of places where money must be spent, so this revival of the Soul Cultivator industry is also major good news for Hall Master Bai Gusheng.”

At this moment, Xie Lanyin instantly felt that things were stable. Bai Gusheng’s chances of ascending and becoming an immortal in the next term were growing more and more stable.

At the same time, Bai Gusheng continued, “At your level, there are many things I do not need to say too much about. You should understand them yourself.”

Xie Lanyin nodded. “Hall Master, I absolutely will not let Myriad Laws reach its hand into the Soul Cultivator industry in this development zone.”

At this moment, Xie Lanyin understood the other party’s meaning even more clearly. She thought inwardly, “Once Myriad Laws interferes, the profits of our cult’s Soul Cultivator industry will fall. Hall Master Bai Gusheng will earn less, and the profits of his entire faction will decrease along with it. His prestige will also decline. All of this will affect the Ascension Selection.”

In this instant, the mana nerves in Xie Lanyin’s body, which had already been numb for many years, trembled faintly under the stimulation of her emotions.

The moment she thought that the matter of this development zone was connected to Bai Gusheng’s Ascension Selection, she felt even greater pressure.

And when she thought that she could render merit for Bai Gusheng’s Ascension Selection, that she had a chance to tightly cling to this potential immortal’s powerful thigh, an irrepressible excitement surged from the depths of her heart. It was an infinite longing for profit.

Bai Gusheng said calmly, “As long as you understand what I mean.”

“But to guard against any accidents, you can contact a Myriad Laws cultivator. He and the people behind him will give you a hand.”

Seeing the information Bai Gusheng sent over, Xie Lanyin’s gaze narrowed slightly. “A cultivator from the Myriad Laws Sect?”

Bai Gusheng said calmly, “As the saying goes, there are sects within sects, factions within factions. Within the Myriad Laws Sect, since there are those who support Soul Cultivators, naturally there are also those who support Artifact Spirits. You must learn to pull one faction over and strike another.”

“As for cooperating with Myriad Laws, you should not feel any psychological burden.”

“This is no longer ancient times. In my view, the so-called distinction between righteous and demonic is nothing more than a slight difference in everyone’s art style.”

Xie Lanyin agreed and sent a message to the person Bai Gusheng had introduced.

At the same time, inside Old Days Graveyard.

Lu Hengzhang had just arrived at the Ghost Letter Department.

As the deputy minister of the Imperial Law Pavilion’s review department, a supporter of the Innate Dao Lineage, and someone who had once clashed with Zhang Yu and been fined by Bu Yingshu while she held him by the head, he had come to the Ghost Letter Department this time in name to organize cooperation between the Ghost Letter Department and the review department.

Just then, his gaze moved. He had already seen the message from Xie Lanyin.

And within Lu Hengzhang’s mind, the instructions from the higher levels of the Innate Dao Lineage also surfaced.

“Obstruct the construction of the development zone as much as possible.”

“If there is truly no other choice…”

In the deepest depths of Lu Hengzhang’s Sea of Consciousness, a four-character instruction left behind by a high-ranking existence of the Innate Dao Lineage slowly emerged.

“Destroy the realm, flood the district.”

…

The unknown upper levels of Kunxu.

It was still the wills of the two immortals who had observed Zhang Yu last time.

With every contact between the two immortals’ wills, indescribable information was exchanged between them.

At this moment, countless spaces throughout Kunxu, from underground to aboveground, were all under their observation.

There were many matters they were communicating about at the same time, and the matter of Old Days Graveyard and the development zone… was only one of them.

The youth’s voice said, “Twenty days? Normally speaking, without outside help, it is impossible for someone at the Divine Transformation realm to accomplish this.”

Another female voice said, “This boy has obtained the inheritance left behind by Senior Brother. It will certainly greatly enhance his abilities. He must still have trump cards. If he cannot even handle such a small matter, if he is useless even after being given a chance, then that means Senior Brother chose the wrong person.”

The youth’s voice said, “What if he seeks help from Bu Yingshu, or from the Myriad Laws Immortal Clan?”

The female voice snorted coldly. “If he asks his backers for help at the slightest provocation, wasting their energy and time, then what use is he?”

The youth said, “You are too harsh. Since Senior Brother chose him, there must be a reason. Perhaps he is the owner of one of the books.”

The girl said calmly, “The holders of the Four Books of Feathering Ascension have already surfaced one by one. Zhang Yu is not one of the owners of those four books, and the books left outside the four are merely so-so. They would not be worth Senior Brother choosing him.”

“Besides, after taking his current position, all he knows is how to do the work of a vice president. He has not shown the slightest concern for the true ecosystem of Old Days Graveyard. If, after securing his position, he squeezes those below him madly like everyone else, then cultivating him would only raise another Taizhen. There would be no need to support him.”

At this point, the girl paused slightly and released another piece of information.

“The Innate Dao Lineage cannot continue expanding. The High-Intelligence Artifact Spirit industry must be suppressed.”

The youth did not speak. This was already their consensus.

And to achieve this goal, it was not as though Zhang Yu was indispensable. Once Zhang Yu failed, they would directly replace him.

As for the person they would replace him with, they had long since decided.

The girl said, “Before Senior Brother left, he suppressed Tai Yuebai heavily and transferred him to the lower eighteenth layer to be put in cold storage. That was done to protect him.”

“Now it is about time to let him appear.”

Before Zhang Yu appeared, they had always believed that Tai Yuebai, whom Ying Xintian had secretly protected, was the successor Ying Xintian had chosen.

And even now, in the girl’s eyes, Tai Yuebai was still more suitable than Zhang Yu to be Ying Xintian’s successor.

The youth sighed. “Senior Brother was so far-sighted, yet he willingly braved such extraordinary risks and almost gave up everything for the new world he spoke of. Why, exactly?”

The girl said, “Perhaps the answer is right there in the question. New world… It is not only the sixth layer that was taken away, but a true new world discovered by Senior Brother. With Senior Brother’s spatial immortal dao technology, this may not be impossible.”

“This would also explain why he kept everything about the new world so deeply secret. Even what those disciples under him know is probably false.”

…

Inside a secret chamber in Old Days Graveyard.

Su Lingyou saw the giant corpse from the depths of the Labyrinth Realm.

Looking at the corpse before her, she said respectfully, “Senior, the sect hopes that you can return and assume an important post.”

An icy laugh came from within the giant corpse. “I am already a dead man. How can I help him? Forget it.”

Su Lingyou did not seem surprised by this. Or rather… someone had hinted to her that it did not matter if the other party refused.

Su Lingyou bowed and said, “Senior, the situation in Old Days Graveyard is now tangled and difficult to read. I came this time also hoping to ask for guidance. Please give me a few pointers.”

In Su Lingyou’s view, the current Old Days Graveyard was full of contradictions. There were conflicts between different sects, and conflicts between different industries. From the interest disputes between individual cultivators below to the open and covert struggles between the major Dao Lineages above, the more she thought about it, the more troublesome she found it.

The giant corpse, however, said calmly, “In the past, I wanted to change Kunxu through the cycle of life and death, but I lost very badly.”

“That disciple of mine is even more domineering than I was. To him, the most important matter related to Old Days Graveyard is actually not the development of Old Days Graveyard itself…”

“It is to obstruct the complete formation of the Artifact Spirit Dao Lineage.”

“To stop the birth of the first immortal-level High-Intelligence Artifact Spirit.”

…

Just as Kunxu’s many forces and experts were all undergoing subtle changes because of the changes in Old Days Graveyard…

Zhang Yu was still working hard to accumulate strength, improving his abilities for the work that would follow.

At this moment, he circulated the Blood-Tide Essence Saint Visualization and transformed into a wisp of breeze. Under the hidden state empowered by his Celestial Spirit Root, he arrived before an abandoned small building in the Labyrinth Realm office district.

When he entered one of the rooms inside the small building, he discovered Bai Zhenzhen, who had likewise hidden her figure and was waiting inside.

Bai Zhenzhen suddenly pressed close.

“Yuzi, you’re here.”

Bai Zhenzhen lowered her head, listening to Zhang Yu’s belly, and said, “Can you feel it? It seems like it’s been beating more and more strongly lately.”

Zhang Yu nodded, touched his own belly, and thought inwardly, “The Greenlotus Sword Embryo is about to level up.”

The growth of his cultivation, as well as the growth of the Greenlotus Sword Embryo itself, had made Zhang Yu’s nourishment of this spirit root faster than before.

As it grew stronger day by day, he could feel the Celestial Spirit Root inside his body becoming more and more powerful, about to usher in a qualitative transformation.

Just then, Bu Yingshu’s avatar appeared before Zhang Yu’s eyes.

Bu Yingshu: “Zhang Yu, where are you?”

Zhang Yu: “I… I’m cleaning up corpse parts.”

Bu Yingshu: “Fine. Since you’re working, then work properly. But remember, the moment you come back, come see me immediately, or I’ll stomp you to death.”

After the communication disconnected, Zhang Yu finally let out a secret breath of relief and thought inwardly, “Now that Bu Yingshu can’t casually enter the development zone, it’s not entirely a bad thing. At least upgrading the Greenlotus Sword Embryo together with Ah-Zhen isn’t so troublesome anymore.”

“But Immortal Grotto-Heaven is still the safest.”

The next moment, Zhang Yu hurriedly entered Immortal Grotto-Heaven together with Bai Zhenzhen.

Just then, Bai Zhenzhen’s voice rang out beside Zhang Yu. “Bu Yingshu contacted you?”

Seeing Zhang Yu nod, the Sword Aura inside Bai Zhenzhen’s body trembled faintly.

Zhang Yu sighed. “Although Bu Yingshu’s cultivation is only at Void Refinement, for some reason her status is extremely high. She can charge around the sect without anyone daring to stop her, and she does not fall into a disadvantage even when facing Tribulation Crossing cultivators.”

Bai Zhenzhen comforted him. “Yuzi, endure it a little longer. We endured high school and university. You finally climbed up from the first layer into the sect with great difficulty. You must secure your footing in the sect. You can’t let things go wrong at a time like this.”

Bai Zhenzhen thought inwardly, “One day, when Yuzi and I meet, we won’t need to sneak around like this anymore.”

And after Bai Zhenzhen returned to her own office, she heard the mysterious person chuckle and say, “Interesting. Your Extreme Sentiment Sword Intent and Love-the-Sect Sword Intent have begun to combine.”

“Mm, let me think… Hehe. Could it be that stealing Zhang Yu from Bu Yingshu of the Myriad Laws Sect made you sense a path that fulfills both Extreme Sentiment Sword Intent and Love-the-Sect Sword Intent at the same time?”

“Continue. If this goes on, you have a chance to complete the Extreme Sentiment Swordsmanship in your hands and raise it back to Immortal-Class.”

Following the changes in immortal dao technology in the Heavenly Sword Sect, the present Heavenly Sword Sect likewise possessed an Immortal-Class Extreme Sentiment Swordsmanship. But compared with the Extreme Sentiment Swordsmanship Bai Zhenzhen had cultivated since the lower realm, it was already a completely different thing, and not the same version at all.

Bai Zhenzhen did not seem to care about these things the mysterious person mentioned. Instead, she asked about intelligence regarding the development zone.

“You arranged for me to come here. What exactly do you want to do? The Heavenly Sword Sect shouldn’t have much interest here, right? Even if the development zone is successfully developed, how much can you earn?”

“Or are you merely looking for a chance to watch the fun around me? To watch Bu Yingshu humiliate me again and again?”

The mysterious person chuckled and said, “Do you think the development zone exists only for development?”

“The development zone looks very large, but if it is truly compared with all of Kunxu… then it is only a very small place. But what is involved behind it is a struggle of paths. A war between immortals.”

“Or rather, throughout Kunxu from top to bottom, there is not a single place that is not an embodiment of immortal conflict.”

“Some people say the great war between righteous and demonic has long since ended? In my opinion, the great war has been continuing all along. It merely changed form.”

“Now, throughout all of Kunxu, from the upper thirty-six layers to the lower eighteenth layer, there is not a single place that is not a battlefield, and not a single person who is not a chess piece.”

…

The next day, when Zhang Yu nourished the Celestial Spirit Root again, the spirit root in his dantian suddenly shook violently.

The next moment, the Greenlotus Sword Embryo abruptly rose to level 5.

After some research with Bai Zhenzhen, and through his comprehension of the Dao Seed Codex, Zhang Yu also gradually figured out the level 5 abilities of the Greenlotus Sword Embryo.

After its last improvement, the Greenlotus Sword Embryo had already reached the level of a Celestial Spirit Root. Regarding this continued improvement, Zhang Yu could be said to be full of anticipation.

And ever since the Feather Spirit Root and Zhen Spirit Root had begun to flourish, the direction of the Greenlotus Sword Embryo’s improvements… seemed to have become increasingly proactive in adapting to this state.

The level 5 Greenlotus Sword Embryo was the same.

After gaining the ability to transmit spirit roots to one another at level 4, the level 5 Greenlotus Sword Embryo, besides improving its various basic abilities, had also gained the ability to merge spirit roots.

As long as the Feather Spirit Root and Zhen Spirit Root merged, the holders of the spirit roots could obtain an all-around, explosive enhancement to both spirit root abilities.

The magnitude of this enhancement was so great that Zhang Yu had not yet had time to test its limits.

Aside from this, the Zhen Spirit Root and Feather Spirit Root had also evolved further along their respective directions.

…

Bai Zhenzhen’s Zhen Spirit Root once again increased her comprehension and wisdom in the field of sword dao, and granted her the ability to raise the grade of cultivation techniques.

Through day after day of cultivation and comprehension, she could raise the grade of the cultivation technique she painstakingly cultivated.

Just like at this very moment, as Bai Zhenzhen repeatedly circulated Extreme Sentiment Swordsmanship again and again in her own office, the Sword Aura and Sword Intent inside her body gradually transformed, seeming to gain a trace of vitality like living beings.

With the birth of this transformation, Bai Zhenzhen could feel that perhaps after several months, her Extreme Sentiment Swordsmanship would rise to the level of an Immortal Sect true inheritance.

At this moment, watching this scene, the mysterious person was slightly surprised. “This trend… Is it really going toward Immortal-Class? Hahahaha. Looks like sending you here was the right move. My Heavenly Sword Sect will gain another version of Extreme Sentiment Swordsmanship.”

Bai Zhenzhen, however, knew that all of this was because the spirit root had transformed.

“With the current Zhen Spirit Root…” Bai Zhenzhen thought inwardly, “if Extreme Sentiment Swordsmanship continues to be cultivated and comprehended, true inheritance level will definitely not be the end. In the future, reaching strategic level, sect-suppressing level, or even heaven-opening level… might not be impossible.”

Of course, Bai Zhenzhen understood that this required time, and the weaker her foundation and cultivation were, the longer the time required would be.

…

Zhang Yu’s Feather Spirit Root had likewise evolved by combining with his actual circumstances.

“The Feather Spirit Root could originally adapt to Chain Diagrams, allowing the effects of my Chain Diagrams, after being solidified over a certain period of time, to also take effect through the Feather Spirit Root even when they were not activated. It’s just that the upper limit of this effect was only fifty percent.”

“But now, the level 5 Feather Spirit Root has already pushed this upper limit to sixty percent.”

Zhang Yu thought inwardly, “If the Feather Spirit Root continues evolving in the future, can it raise this number to one hundred percent? Let me gain the effects of most Chain Diagrams even without activating any Chain Diagrams?”

Aside from this improvement, Zhang Yu also felt the Feather Spirit Root adapting to his Immortal Grotto-Heaven.

A rumble rang out, and beam cannons erupted from the Divine Transformation-level corpse part called the Light Cannon Array Dragon, violently bombarding Zhang Yu’s body.

Terrifying Divine Light continuously expanded and burst apart, like ten million thunderbolts exploding, yet it failed to leave even the slightest mark on Zhang Yu’s body.

Zhang Yu was not surprised by this. After all, his defensive power, empowered by all sorts of cultivation techniques, Chain Diagrams, physical divine abilities, and the Feather Spirit Root, had long since become absurdly tough.

What surprised him was that he did not feel his body shake in the slightest.

“My physical body… is like it has gained the support of Immortal Grotto-Heaven.”

“Although I will still be injured when I should be injured, unless it is a force that can move Immortal Grotto-Heaven, as long as I am unwilling… no one can move my body.”

Looking at his indestructible hands, Zhang Yu thought inwardly, “This new ability evolved by the Feather Spirit Root can be considered… a dominating body, right?”

“Looks like when I subdue Void Refinement corpse parts next, I have no choice but to be the frontline tank.”

As for exposing his strength, to the current Zhang Yu, that was gradually no longer a problem.

Zhang Yu had already thought it through… Anyway, if asked, the answer would be immortal inheritance. Everything was an increase in strength brought to him by immortal inheritance.

Just then, a figure abruptly appeared. It was Bu Yingshu.

She directly stomped onto Zhang Yu with a boom and snapped angrily, “Didn’t I tell you to come see me once you were done?”

Although this stomp made no physical contact, surging power had already pressed toward Zhang Yu through the air.

Originally, Bu Yingshu had intended for this stomp to flatten Zhang Yu onto the ground.

In the end, she discovered that after this stomp landed… it did not feel like she was stepping on Zhang Yu, but more like she was stepping on that elder brother of hers. Zhang Yu was actually completely unmoving.

Bu Yingshu looked as if she had just seen a house cat or dog suddenly do a backflip. She said in surprise, “Why didn’t you fall down?”

Zhang Yu smiled and said, “Daojun, this may be the power of immortal inheritance. I feel like I’ve connected into one whole with Immortal Space.”

“That way, when Daojun steps on me in the future, you won’t have to worry about sending me flying.”

Looking at Zhang Yu’s obedient expression, Bu Yingshu swallowed back the reprimand she had originally been about to give, snorted, and said, “You’re the only one who knows how to talk. Did you read the investment plan I gave you?”

Bu Yingshu wanted to represent the Myriad Laws Sect in investing in Old Days Graveyard, but naturally, she could not invest through the investment promotion department, or through Xie Lanyin’s line. Instead, she had to invest through the Land Administration Bureau under Zhang Yu, by purchasing land.

Zhang Yu said, “Daojun, after reading the plan you wrote, what moved me most was your judgment of the industry’s final state. This sense of perspective, of stepping beyond the short term and looking at the long term, truly opened my eyes.”

Zhang Yu glanced again at the analysis result copied from Tianwen Xing, then continued, “Especially those three trend judgments. After reading them, my understanding of this track rose to another level.”

Fu Ji watched this and sighed inwardly, “Times have changed. Back in our day, if we wanted to praise someone, we had to force it out of our own heads one word at a time. How could it be as convenient as now?”

On the other side, listening to Zhang Yu’s praise, the corners of Bu Yingshu’s mouth lifted slightly. She gradually raised her head and puffed out her chest.

Although this report of hers had been written with Tianwen Xing’s assistance, that did not prevent her own spirit and vision from being reflected within it.

“I really am capable. Even a lower-realm cultivator like Zhang Yu can see it.”

“Sigh. I really was buried all these years.”

Thinking of this, Bu Yingshu waved her hand and said, “All right, stop flattering me. Aren’t you going to subdue Void Refinement corpse parts? One immortal shuttle isn’t enough, right? I’ll lend you the one I’ve been using recently for a while too.”

Just as Zhang Yu and Bu Yingshu were communicating, Teacher Gao could be seen hurrying over from the distance, his face full of joy.

Zhang Yu’s heart stirred. “Teacher Gao… did he pick up something good?”

Starting not long ago, aside from the office district, Zhang Yu had been using Grotto-Heaven Power to send Teacher Gao to the experimental district in the deepest part of the Labyrinth Realm to pick up things that others did not want.

At this moment, Old Gao’s emotions were surging. Just now… from a cutting-edge laboratory in the depths of the Labyrinth Realm, he had picked up an unwanted computing pool.

And this computing pool was so advanced… that aside from being able to tell this thing should be a computing pool, Old Gao could not understand anything else about it.

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