Chapter 817
Immortal Cultivation Networks, All for Profit, Work Injury Curse
Chapter 817 Immortal Cultivation Networks, All for Profit, Work Injury Curse (1010) (7900+)
After losing his connection to his ancestor's body, Zhang Yu's first thought was that someone had stolen the body, thus severing his connection.
But Zhang Yu quickly realized that this guess might be wrong.
For Zhang Yu, who possesses the level 4 [Descendant of Immortals], the entire factory area is constantly changing, but he sees all these changes as if he were looking at a real-time map.
He could even sense the locations of a large number of cultivators entering the factory area on this real-time map.
“I have been able to sense all of this ever since I entered the factory area.”
Zhang Yu remembered what he had seen when he first stepped into the factory area, and knew that from the very beginning... he had a great advantage in exploring the factory area.
"I've already driven it this far, and there's still someone who can beat me to it?"
"Could it be a descendant of Ying Xintian?"
Hearing the fleeting guess in Zhang Yu's mind, Zhan Xian said, "Almost all of the Grandmaster's bloodline descendants consider themselves to belong to the Tai Zhen Immortal Clan. Their ideals are far removed from the Grandmaster's, and none of them can satisfy him. It is unlikely that the Grandmaster would give his bloodline descendants any convenience while in the maze."
"Otherwise, he wouldn't have allowed his descendants to be purged."
Zhang Yu nodded slightly upon hearing this, feeling that he could understand Ying Xintian.
He sighed inwardly, “My wife has cheated on me at least nine times. My children and other half-siblings are like family, but their values are completely opposite to mine. They can’t understand me and have even become obstacles to my life. If I were Ying Xintian, I probably wouldn’t have been able to endure this for so long.”
As Fu Ji listened to Zhang Yu's sigh, she would have criticized his thinking in the past, but now she did not refute him and instead silently noted it down in her heart.
"Zhang Yu is extremely conservative in the matter of dual cultivation, and does not accept his dual cultivation partners cultivating with others and having offspring."
Fu Ji knew that understanding the leader's preferences was important information, as the saying goes, "If the superior has a certain preference, the subordinates will follow suit even more."
At this moment, she could see through a glimpse of the whole picture, and even foresee that the hilltops under Zhang Yu's command in the future might be filled with extreme conservatives who could not accept this, which would corrupt the atmosphere of Kunxu.
"However... if Zhang Yu can really reach the top, then his influence will be a good influence, while the previous practice of dual cultivation was a wicked and evil influence."
Meanwhile, after a few fleeting thoughts crossed Zhang Yu's mind, he continued to consider the situation at hand.
He recalled his journey across the Cave Heaven Bridge: "After I was teleported from the Cave Heaven Bridge to the factory area, I went deeper into the factory area than those cultivators who entered through the factory area entrance."
“My starting point was different from theirs. In the entire factory area, no one was closer to the body of the ancestors than me. And after entering the factory area, I took the optimal route to the body of the ancestors.”
Although there have been many attempts regarding the celestial beasts, or rather, the celestial production line, with Zhang Yu's current cultivation level, speed, and 32 clones, these things wouldn't take him many seconds.
As for subduing the crazed corpses along the way, he could easily distort space and store them in his own world with a wave of his hand, without delaying his journey at all.
"Unless a cultivator enters the factory area, locates the body of the deceased as soon as possible, understands the changes in the spatial structure of the factory area, and then reaches the body of the deceased at a speed faster than mine, they cannot get ahead of me..."
"But so far, as someone with full map access, I haven't found such a person."
“So…” Zhang Yu’s heart stirred, and he thought of the movements of the previous ancestor’s corpse.
"It wasn't that someone beat me to it and took away my ancestor's body. Rather, it was that the body itself made some kind of move?"
While Zhang Yu was thinking quickly, he continued to move forward at high speed, transforming into a whirlwind. He would occasionally activate "Kunlun in the Palm" in combination with "Descendant of the Immortal" to store a maddened corpse in the Immortal Cave, yet he was still moving at lightning speed, hardly slowing down at all.
As soon as the corpses entered the Immortal Cave Heaven, they were besieged by the production line led by the Lord of Hundred Bones Melting, and suppressed by Zhang Yu's clones.
Zhang Yu thought to himself, "Could it be that I hid the body of an ancestor in the factory area?"
Unable to determine the exact location, Zhang Yu decided to personally travel to the spot where his ancestor's body had disappeared to see what had happened.
When Zhang Yu arrived at the target location, he discovered that it was actually a body recycling station.
Large numbers of corpses were piled up haphazardly, like wet garbage, emitting a stench that rose into the sky.
Zhang Yu could imagine that after the various facilities in the labyrinth were damaged, the connection to the spirit world was severed, and they stopped operating, this corpse recycling station also ceased operations. The corpses had not been processed for a long time and had gradually begun to decompose and rot, which was why there were so many stenches.
Just as Zhang Yu was wondering why his ancestor's body had disappeared here, he sensed the presence of his ancestor's body again.
"Right here."
Although the feeling was fleeting, Zhang Yu could clearly sense that his ancestor's body was in the body recycling station right in front of him.
"So... they deliberately hid here to lure me in?"
Zhang Yu walked through the gate of the body recycling station, only to find that the sign inside read "Memorial Garden" in large characters.
Zhang Yu was slightly taken aback: "It looks like the name of a cemetery?"
Zhanxian said, "I have heard people say that the old cemetery originally had a large area that was a burial ground."
"However, as immortal techniques improved, Kunxu began to utilize various corpses in more and more ways, and gradually this place transformed from a cemetery into a market, even giving rise to more and more factories and office areas that used locally sourced materials..."
Zhanxian sighed, "The place where people were once buried has become a recycling center and a trading place. People have completely lost respect and awe for corpses and treat all kinds of materials from the human body as mere commodities."
Zhang Yu nodded slightly, looking at the old sign in front of him, and thought to himself, "So... this sign should be the original sign of the cemetery. Later, it was probably covered by information from the spirit world as the spirit world was developed."
"Now that the spirit world has lost its connection here, people can finally see this old signboard."
"Then... why did the remains of our ancestors lead us here?"
Zhanxian analyzed, "If we interpret the intention of the deceased's corpse as the intention of our master, then perhaps it is a kind of reminder."
"He hopes that future generations will not be like this cemetery, taking corpses for granted as materials or equipment, but will remember their identity as human beings and the significance of this cemetery."
"The significance of cemeteries?" Zhang Yu's gaze sharpened slightly as he said, "In other words... how are corpses disposed of?"
Zhanxian said, "Choosing how to treat a corpse is not for the sake of the corpse itself, but to maintain the boundary between 'human and material' in one's heart during the long-term dealing with this 'human material,' and to prevent oneself from sliding completely into the abyss of demonic path in the pursuit of power and wealth."
Just then, the sensation of his ancestor's corpse returned, and this time Zhang Yu even heard a call from the other party.
"Come find me, and let us see how you do it."
Zhang Yu was slightly taken aback, his heart filled with surprise: "The corpse of an ancestor is speaking? Is the true spirit of this ancestor's corpse awake? Can it even control the corpse's actions?"
Recalling what the other person had said, Zhang Yu said, "He's talking about... us? Who are 'we'?"
Zhanxian said, "If a true spirit has the ability to act, yet chooses to hide itself and does not directly contact us or grant us the power of our grotto-heavens... perhaps it wants to test us? And if this is a test, then 'we' refers to the person who set up the test and the person who reads the results of the test."
Zhang Yu's eyes flickered: "A test? Is Ying Xintian watching us too?"
Zhanxian said, "I don't think it's the Grandmaster."
Zhanxian explained, "Based on the memories of the war between good and evil that we know so far, as well as some information I have, the predecessors who initially used the righteous methods of the demonic path... the Kunxu they wanted to see was definitely not what it is now."
"And many of them should still be alive today."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu was startled. He abruptly raised his head and asked, "You mean... they're watching us?"
Zhanxian said, "Although these people lack the courage and determination to participate in our master's actions, they probably all sympathize with our master's plight."
"This is... the connections of our master, no... it should be called the immortal connections."
"This immortal lineage may be the greatest treasure that our master left to his successors, surpassing even the Dao Seed and the Grotto Heaven."
"Perhaps it is this very immortal vein that has allowed the labyrinth to be preserved to this day."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu took a deep breath, gazing at the sky distorted by layers of space within the maze, his thoughts churning.
Just then, the Great Sage of the Wild Ox said, "It's normal if some high-ranking beings are watching."
"Everything in Kunxu is inseparable from the influence of the Taoist tradition and the instructions of the higher authorities."
"All changes are because the top leadership needs to change; all transformations are driven by the established tradition."
Zhang Yu sighed inwardly, "If that's the case, then what's the point of our choices and efforts?"
The Great Sage of the Wild Ox said, "It is meaningful as long as all the lineages are not yet in the hands of one person, as long as the Ten Immortal Emperors cannot control all the lineages that have been lost in history, and as long as there are still conflicts among the immortals and they are still unable to unite..."
"So, under the influence of countless lineages, choosing which lineage to follow and which sect to join is our own independent will."
"By leveraging the influence of the established order and the assistance of those above, we can bring them benefits in exchange for opportunities to rise in the gaps between various conflicts... Climb up, climb to a higher level, establish our own established order, and only then will we have the possibility of changing this world."
"This path to immortality is fraught with peril; countless people have fallen along the way, countless others have given up halfway, and some have climbed to the top only to forget their original aspirations..."
"The future is uncertain along the way. We are not the first, nor will we be the last. All we can do is persevere."
……
Kunxu, unknown upper levels.
A young man's voice rang out: "There's been some unusual activity at the maze left by my senior brother. It must be the successor he chose who has entered."
"Let's take a look at the message coming from inside."
Another female voice rang out: "What's there to see? Senior Brother Ying has already lost, utterly and miserably. Kunxu can't be turned back now."
The boy's voice said, "Since our senior brother wants us to see, let's take a look and see if his successor this time has any outstanding qualities."
The female voice said, "Even if things are good now, who knows how much selfishness they harbor? Perhaps after they come up, they'll just be another Tai Zhen. They might even become a tool for others to seize their senior brother's lineage."
The boy's voice said, "Junior sister, you've changed too."
"I no longer believe what my senior brother says, nor do I believe that there are people like him."
……
Within the maze.
Zhang Yu looked at the mountain of corpses in the body disposal station before him and thought to himself, "If this is a test arranged by Ying Xintian, and if some high-ranking official close to Ying Xintian can witness the process of this test..."
"So what they want to see... is definitely not practices that conform to the sectarian nature, but practices that conform to the ideals of Yingxintian."
As Zhang Yu strolled through the mountain of corpses, he thought to himself, "The best way to find the bodies of our ancestors is to use the descendants of immortals."
He knew that once the bodies of his ancestors were taken into the Immortal's Grotto, they would be immediately liberated and would gain the power of the grotto contained within.
"As long as we collect the corpses here into the Immortal Cave Heaven in large quantities... we will naturally be able to find the bodies of our ancestors hidden within."
"But what should we do with the treasure after we've acquired it?"
The next moment, Kao Zong's clone's voice rang in Zhang Yu's mind: "Hmph, isn't this a recycling station to begin with? What else do we need to do? Keep the valuables and sell them when we get out, and just throw the worthless ones away."
Zhanxian objected, saying, "If we treat people as human beings, we should return this cemetery to its original state, collect these corpses, and then bury them one by one, instead of treating the corpses as mere resources."
"Otherwise, the boundaries between people and things will gradually become blurred, and eventually, they will fall completely into the demonic path."
……
Kunxu, unknown upper levels.
The female voice said, "According to the logic of the demonic path, naturally you should sell what you can sell and throw away what you can't."
The boy's voice said, "Simply burying someone is an outdated way of thinking. Even if we uphold the righteous principles for a short time, we will eventually be unable to sustain ourselves due to long-term losses."
"My senior brother probably wouldn't choose someone like that."
"If the principles of righteousness are to continue to develop in Kunxu today, they must adapt to change and not cling to outdated ideas..."
……
Hearing the Immortal Slayer's words, Kao Zong's clone sneered, "How long will it take to bury so many corpses one by one?"
"You want to treat people like human beings? Sure, people should work, should be put to the best use, and should be exploited to death."
“If we treat these corpses as human beings, then we should continue to use them and process them into various products.”
"This is what it means to treat people as human beings, this is what it means for good and evil to be united, and this is the proper use of the demonic path."
Upon hearing this, Zhan Xian immediately objected: "Absurd! If we do this, how are we any different from the demonic path?"
Kao Zong's clone laughed: "What's the difference anyway? Didn't you use those corpse parts? You were happy using the corpse parts, but now you want to bury them after replacing them with real bodies? Foolish!"
Zhanxian said, "How can this be generalized? The boundary between them is the distinction between good and evil!"
Listening to the debate between the Kaozong clone and the Immortal Slayer, Zhang Yu gradually frowned. "The Kaozong clone's approach may not align with Yingxintian's philosophy."
"But... if we follow the method of Zhanxian and simply bury the corpse... although it sounds very righteous, this pure ancient righteous style is not feasible in Kunxu today."
"What Ying Xintian wants to do is change Kunxu, and this unworkable method... is probably not his choice."
Looking at the old sign of the garbage dump, Zhang Yu suddenly had an idea.
"Turning this place into a cemetery seems like a perfectly respectable idea. But didn't the people who built it know that this practice might not be sustainable?"
"Or perhaps, the people who built it also had their own answers?"
Zhang Yu moved swiftly, inspecting the entire garbage dump, and gradually came to an answer in his mind.
"This cemetery is not just a simple cemetery, but a man-made spiritual vein created by burying corpses and building a forest of steles."
"It is both a burial and a source of income."
Zhang Yu sighed inwardly, "But this spiritual vein can be considered a public facility. The area covered by the surging spiritual energy can almost encompass the entire labyrinth."
Fuki analyzed, "That definitely won't work. Doing charity for the whole area? It's more cost-effective to recycle and sell the bodies."
Zhanxian said, "That's why this cemetery ended up looking the way it does now."
As he spoke, Zhang Yu had already activated the "Kunlun in the Palm," taking a large number of corpses into the cave and then burying them under the stele forest deep in the cemetery, gradually activating the artificial spiritual vein.
As he sensed the artificial spiritual veins gradually showing signs of recovery, Zhang Yu thought to himself, "To do righteous things and yet create profits like the demonic path—perhaps this is the way for the righteous path to rise again in the new era."
"But in the process of building the artificial spiritual vein, while I increased the benefits of the entire region, I may have reduced my own benefits. I'm afraid I'd earn less than by recycling corpses."
Zhang Yu thought of the reforms launched by Ying Xintian in the lower realm, which also brought great benefits to cultivators in the lower realm, but damaged his own interests.
"Brother Dao, is this what you wanted to tell me?"
"Is this also the reason you initiated the changes in the lower realm?"
Just then, as the artificial spiritual vein gradually revived, Zhang Yu also gradually noticed that crazed corpses were converging towards the source of this artificial spiritual vein in the cemetery.
Zhang Yu unleashed a palm strike from afar, and a corpse was already stored in the Immortal's Cave.
But the next moment, even more frenzied corpses swarmed in, forcing Zhang Yu to move at high speed and capture them all within the Immortal Cave Heaven.
Seeing this, Kao Zong's clone sneered, "Hmph, aren't these crazed corpses going to be buried?"
Just then, Huangniu, who had been silent for a long time, said, "In Kunxu today, it is unrealistic not to use corpse parts, and it is even more unrealistic to ban all kinds of demonic techniques."
"The world is bustling, all for profit; the world is bustling, all for gain. There is nothing wrong with the common people wanting to profit."
Fuhime said, "I think so too."
Wild Ox continued, "If you want to change Kunxu, if you want to reverse the trend, if you want the righteous path to emerge and prevail, you should provide additional options so that the people of Kunxu can benefit through righteous means. They will naturally choose the righteous path on their own initiative."
"The same applies to burying corpses to form artificial spiritual veins; it's just an additional option, not an attempt to ban the corpse industry in Kunxu today."
"Additional options create positive feedback loops; otherwise, simply imposing a ban or relying on the selfless dedication of a small group of people... won't last."
Zhanxian sighed and said, "Master and the others probably thought the same way, but it's too difficult to surpass Kunxu in terms of technological profitability with a different technical style."
Kao Zong's clone sneered, "So you've given up after all? Even Ying Xintian couldn't do it, do you think you can surpass the sect? Wishful thinking! Loyalty to the sect and prioritizing its ideals—that's what we cultivators should do!"
"Long live the Myriad Laws Sect! You traitors will surely fail in the end!"
Wild Ox said, "As long as one can master the Dao lineage and reach the pinnacle of immortality, then there is still a chance."
Fuki thought to herself, "Sigh, my mind is in such a mess right now... Zhang Yu can barely get a word in edgewise, let alone me."
At the same time, the Hundred Bones Melting Master in the Immortal Cave Heaven, as well as Zhang Yu's clones, also did their best to suppress the berserk corpses.
Faced with the swarming, crazed corpses, the collection speed far exceeded that of Zhang Yu's previous casual collection.
The number of corpses in the Immortal's Cave suddenly surged, forcing Zhang Yu to seize the time to extract the power of the cave and subdue them one by one.
As strands of the power of the celestial cave flowed into his body, Zhang Yu's celestial cave expanded once again, and in the blink of an eye, its length, width, and height all exceeded 420 meters.
At the same time, with the large-scale subjugation activities, Zhang Yu began to gather all the characteristics he had been unable to collect before.
Hanging Arm Ghost, Ability: Furnace Hundred Phases (1/10)
After Zhang Yu subdued the berserk corpse known as "Hanging Arm Ghost," it jumped directly onto the body of the Hundred Bones Melting Master and merged with him.
As each piece of corpse was integrated into the Hundred Bones Fusion Master, its properties quickly accumulated to 6/10, gaining the first layer of effect.
Furnace Performance (6/6): Production line yield increased by 100%, production efficiency increased by 100%.
Besides the Hundred Bones Melting Master, there is another set of corpse parts that can be collected even faster.
Sorting Demon, Special Ability: Work Injury Curse (0/10)
It was a series of sorting devices, like clusters of tentacles forming a dark cloud, drifting above the Immortal's Cave.
This series of sorted corpses were almost all at the Nascent Soul level, which took Zhang Yu a lot of effort to complete with his clones.
Their characteristics also surprised Zhang Yu.
Work injury curse (6/6): Distorts others' movements, causing operational errors.
Work Injury Curse (8/8): Twisting operational errors and shifting operational targets.
Work Injury Curse (10/10): Twistifies the target, causing a backlash from work injuries.
In Zhang Yu's view, this sorting demon was not a production-type celestial beast at all, but a combat-type celestial beast.
Ordinary attacks, once twisted by the opponent's tentacles, will deviate from their target and may even backfire.
"If I open the Immortal's Cave, this Sorting Demon will be able to create a strong backlash field within one meter of me, causing those who attack me to suffer backlash and work-related injuries."
Zhang Yu thought to himself, "It seems that the series of divine beasts left behind by Ying Xintian can not only be used for production, but also for combat."
"If I could find a way to subdue some corpses at the Void Refinement level, would I also be able to unleash a little bit of Void Refinement level combat power?"
Looking at the frenzied corpses still swarming in, Zhang Yu recalled his earlier thoughts: "I originally thought that burying corpses was a more altruistic thing."
"But this wave of crazed corpse parts allowed me to gain even more profit while burying the bodies."
Sensing Zhang Yu's thoughts, Zhan Xian said, "The benefits of these corpse parts are what our master left to you."
"This is also the idea of our master. Kunxu... is where the strongest people control the highest technology and the most resources. Only by starting with the strongest people and distributing more benefits downwards can we drive the change of the entire world level by level from top to bottom."
"Also... since our master had us collect so many mad corpse parts here, it might mean that... these things will be very useful for the subsequent exploration."
Zhang Yu nodded slightly, then suddenly walked step by step to the top of the artificial spiritual vein, and pointed out with his finger, setting up a bridge to the heavens.
In this way, Zhang Yu has already used two of the four slots for the Heavenly Bridge.
With the laying of this bridge to the celestial realm, a large amount of spiritual energy poured into the Immortal's Cave Heaven, increasing the concentration of spiritual energy throughout the entire cave heaven.
Zhang Yu thought to himself, "In this way, more spiritual energy from the artificial spiritual vein will flow into my cave, which will be more beneficial to me."
So in the following period, Zhang Yu collected corpses, searched for the remains of his ancestors, buried the corpses, activated the artificial spiritual veins, and subdued the berserk corpses that had been attracted to him.
Unbeknownst to him, the concentration of spiritual energy in his immortal cave was increasing, and the divine beasts within it were becoming more and more powerful.
……
Kunxu, unknown upper levels.
A young voice rang out: "Judging from the information coming from the labyrinth, he is someone with principles, but also knows how to be flexible."
The woman snorted coldly: "Those who climb to a high place change the fastest."
The boy's voice said, "Let's see. If we can get through this maze, we can give him a chance to climb up."
The woman's voice said, "What if you're given a chance, but still fail?"
The boy's voice said, "Then let's fail."
The boy's voice sounded extremely cold: "This isn't the first time. Death and bankruptcy are commonplace on the path to immortality. In Kunxu... how can you climb up without experiencing the fiercest competition?"
……
Another corner of the factory area.
Ying Aikun's brows furrowed slightly.
After repeated comparisons, he was able to confirm that what was in front of him was the entrance to the experimental area.
But after some attempts, Ying Aikun realized that the spatial barrier in front of him was not something he could break through in a short time.
"That old guy..."
After thinking for a moment, Ying Aikun said to Ling Chiye, who was standing to the side, "I suggest that we seal off the entrance to the factory area to avoid disturbing the subsequent exploration."
"Also... I vaguely sense that the crazed corpses in the factory area are acting strangely. Let's investigate what happened."
Ling Chi Ye already regarded Ying Ai Kun as an expert in the maze, and immediately made arrangements upon hearing this.
Suddenly, streaks of yin fire ignited, and soul cultivators spontaneously combusted, transforming into signal torches for the Heavenly Demon Sect, which then spread towards the entrance of the factory area.
Ying Aikun also used this opportunity to control an avatar, intending to seal off the entrance to the factory area.
Meanwhile, several cultivators from the Heavenly Demon Sect manipulated a large number of soul cultivators to track down and investigate the berserk corpses that were behaving strangely.
……
Zhang Yu's eyes flickered as he sensed the situation within the factory area, thinking to himself, "It seems that someone from the Heavenly Demon Sect... wants to block the entrance to the factory area?"
"And... more and more people are noticing the strangeness of the berserk corpses and are starting to explore in this direction."
Although the other party's exploration speed was slow in the chaotic space, Zhang Yu knew that if left unchecked, his own actions here might be interfered with.
"Also... we can't just ignore the matter of sealing off the entrances to the factory area."
"If they really succeed and lock me up here, wouldn't that be like trapping a dog inside a cage?"
Ying Aikun of the Heavenly Demon Sect was, after all, a descendant of Ying Xintian. Zhang Yu was unsure of the extent of Ying Aikun's research into the power of the cave heaven, or whether he could trap him.
But regardless of whether the other party can do it or not, Zhang Yu has no intention of giving them that chance.
It would be extremely risky for him to directly stop the Heavenly Demon Sect with his current power.
"Your turn... My lucky break."
……
Above the Yushinbu.
Shortly after one of Zhang Yu's clones left the dormitory, a beam of azure light shot into the sky. The Azure Sky-Splitting Immortal Shuttle, which normally remained in a state of dust, had already soared into the sky and, amidst the shocked gazes of countless people, shot towards the direction of the maze and plunged into it.
A labyrinthine environment, within the office area.
Qin Chuan, who was slowly exploring, suddenly frowned and said, "What's that sound?"
A thunderous roar echoed over the office area, and due to the chaotic spatial structure, the thunderclap seemed to throb from left to right, front to back, as if it were exploding everywhere.
The next moment, seeing the streak of emerald light piercing the sky, Qin Chuan exclaimed in surprise, "It's the Immortal Shuttle! Lord Bu Dao has arrived?"
"Quick, let's follow them!"
Besides the cultivators from the Youxin tribe, many other exploring cultivators also saw the light of the immortal shuttle and tried to follow it.
At the same time, at the entrance to the factory area, Ying Aikun, who was preparing to seal it off, suddenly noticed the lightning-fast shuttle approaching.
Upon seeing this familiar shuttle, Ying Aikun felt a chill run down her spine, as if she were about to break out in a cold sweat.
"Why is this guy here again?!"
(End of this chapter)