Chapter 868
Holding Great Power, Life and Death in a Single Thought
Chapter 868 Holding Great Power, Life and Death in a Hair's Breadth (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
After analyzing the Immortal Emperor's reply, Fa Liuyuan looked at Zhang Yu and said, "You have submitted memorials with me twice in a row, and we have pushed you to your current position. Now you are about to take charge of the power to raise salaries. The Immortal Emperor has taken notice of you."
"But don't think that just because the Immortal Emperor replied so quickly this time, and even used an exclamation mark, showing how much he values it, you can act recklessly."
"Remember what we talked about today, remember what you said to me today, and remember what your goal is."
Zhang Yu knew that the other party was referring to his long-term goal of ascending to immortality and achieving freedom of cultivation, which he had mentioned earlier.
Fa Liuyuan continued, "I have already discussed with the two immortals that if you achieve your goal this time, when you eventually reach the Dao and attain enlightenment, we will support you in accessing the most advanced legal techniques and include you in our plan to create a new Dao lineage."
As he spoke, Fa Liuyuan patted his shoulder and said, "When that time comes, perhaps you will be the one to send a letter to the Immortal Emperor and then copy it to me."
Since Ying Xintian betrayed the sect, the reformist faction has greatly diminished in power, and its decline has become increasingly apparent in recent years.
This made Fa Liuyuan value Zhang Yu, the chosen immortal inheritor, even more.
In particular, Zhang Yu's series of performances made him see some possibility of becoming an immortal from him, which made Fa Liuyuan feel that after he and Tai Yuebai became immortals, Zhang Yu might be another candidate for immortality for the reformists.
Zhang Yu nodded solemnly. He could sense that Fa Liuyuan was using this promise of the future to enhance his perception of long-term benefits.
Only this expectation and hope for the future can help him resist the temptation of the right to a pay rise.
At the same time, the avatar of the Examiner in Zhang Yu's mind was extremely excited upon seeing the reply from the Immortal Emperor of Myriad Laws: "What does Fa Liuyuan know! He has no idea how much the Immortal Emperor values us."
"Did you see the Immortal Emperor's reply? The Immortal Emperor's meaning is clear: no matter how much we get a raise, as long as it's reasonable and justified, he will take responsibility for us."
"What a grace! What a trust! What an expectation!"
"The responsibility of delegating unlimited salary increases and expanding the legal realm to the entire soul cultivation industry has fallen squarely on our shoulders!"
The avatar of the Immortal Emperor shouted in Zhang Yu's mind, "What virtue or ability do we have to receive such a great trust from the Immortal Emperor? We must not let down the Immortal Emperor's trust on this trip."
Hearing the excited shouts of Kazue's clone, Fukuhime said, "Could you please not shout so loudly? It's giving me a headache."
Xiangzi: "It's just replying to a letter, why are you so agitated? You're disturbing Boss Fuji."
Fu Ji scoffed, "Do you think the Immortal Emperor values us that much? He values the Dharma Realm and the Soul Cultivation Market. By saying these two sentences, he's just telling us to fight to the death."
"Just a couple of empty words, and you think you're so great? Where did your usual vigilance and caution go?"
At this point, Fu Ji sighed: "Don't be fooled by how nicely the Immortal Emperor is saying now. He's just trying to get us to work. Once we're no longer of any use to him, or if we cause him any trouble, I'm afraid the Immortal Emperor will just abandon us after he's done."
At this point, Fuki already felt worried. In her view, the unlimited right to raise wages was both an opportunity and a crisis.
Fu Ji sighed inwardly, "Can't Zhang Yu just be down-to-earth, climb up step by step? Why does he like to make explosive advancements so much?"
Fuki considered herself quite fond of speculation and all-in betting, but seeing Zhang Yu's actions this time, she felt a pang of worry, fearing that the issue of salary increases involved too many things... and that things might not end well.
The avatar of the Kaozong shouted, "If we cause trouble for the Immortal Emperor, isn't it only right that we are abandoned? Only loyalty to the Immortal Emperor is the highest expression of our clan spirit."
Fuki said speechlessly, "There's really no point in talking to a beast like you."
Zhang Yu remained silent about the internal conflict, neither confirming nor denying it.
But he knew that the more the Immortal Emperor of Myriad Laws sent him messages like this, the more it showed how much the Immortal Emperor of Myriad Laws anticipated the changes to the old graveyard and how much he longed for the expansion of the Dharma Realm.
If he fails to handle this matter well and fails to meet the expectations of the Immortal Emperor of Myriad Laws, then the more lenient the Immortal Emperor of Myriad Laws is towards him now, the more ruthless and merciless the subsequent reckoning will be.
Zhan Xian also warned, "No matter what kind of Immortal Emperor he is, he is first and foremost a Kunxu cultivator. Although you should understand this in your heart, I still think I should remind you not to think that you have a special relationship with an Immortal Emperor or that you have a friendship with him."
Just then, Fa Liuyuan said, "Since the Immortal Emperor has agreed, the right to raise salaries should be issued today... and then it's up to you."
After saying goodbye to Zhang Yu, Fa Liuyuan's projection disappeared into the old graveyard.
At the same time, as Fa Liuyuan watched Zhang Yu disappear before his eyes, he sighed inwardly, "This could be good luck, or it could be bad luck. Will one become a knife to be used and then discarded, or will one rise from a pawn to become a player? Ultimately, it depends on the cultivator himself..."
Shortly after Fa Liuyuan left, Zhang Yu received another message from Le Mulan.
Le Mulan: I'm fine, I feel great right now! It's just a little inconvenient to contact you.
After exchanging a few words with Le Mulan, Zhang Yu received no further reply.
Although he was eager to know the specifics of Le Mulan's situation, Zhang Yu knew that he had to take charge of the old cemetery and had no time to deal with other matters.
Just then, a message crossed the spirit realm and appeared directly in front of Zhang Yu.
Without a sound, without any fanfare or publicity, a document granting Zhang Yu unlimited salary increases was placed in front of him.
Zhang Yu understood that this was probably done intentionally by the Immortal Emperor of Myriad Laws, in order to give his competitors no time to react and catch them off guard.
When Zhang Yu held the approval document in his palm, the unlimited salary increase right granted by the Myriad Laws Sect had already become one with him.
At that moment, two large words appeared in his eyes—"Raise! Salary!"
When Zhang Yu focused his mind on it, an image of the entire old graveyard appeared before him.
The names and information of all the religious affairs officers under Zhang Yu's management first appeared before him: the Department of Underworld Affairs, the Soul Cultivation Company, the Joint Venture Company...
Then there are the numbers, names, and information of all outsourced cultivators and outsourced soul cultivators.
Next are their salary data and specific salary breakdowns.
All of this was within Zhang Yu's perception.
At this moment, what appeared before Zhang Yu was no longer a person, but rather a series of different expenditures.
Zhang Yu could sense that within this old graveyard... if he wished, he could arbitrarily increase the salaries of countless cultivators under his jurisdiction.
In an instant, he could make a cultivator incredibly wealthy and greatly increase their potential for immortality.
In the blink of an eye, he could make a soul cultivator have enough money next month to be resurrected and live another life.
In a fit of rage, he could even reduce a religious affairs officer's salary to zero, rendering them penniless.
At this moment, Zhang Yu could sense the immortal potential of countless cultivators, their cultivation growth, and their life and death... all within his control.
"Unlimited salary increases, although called salary increases, actually include adjustments to salary up and down."
"Within the sect, this is practically the power of life and death... no, it's even more terrifying than the power of life and death. In Kunxu, where money can buy almost everything, this is the power to make the living die and the dead live."
At the same time, Zhang Yu unconsciously looked up and saw a series of salary amounts and salary components above his head.
He could sense that if he simply reached up and changed a few numbers above his head, he could become rich overnight when he received his next paycheck.
This wonderful feeling made Zhang Yu feel a little intoxicated.
"If you do not betray me, I will never betray you."
Just then, the Kaozong clone read the message from the Myriad Laws Immortal Emperor in Zhang Yu's mind. The message was like a bucket of ice water poured on him, making him quickly come back to his senses.
Zhang Yu thought to himself, "Unlimited salary increases... With such power, coupled with the drive to pursue immortality, it's no wonder that few people can resist it."
After sighing, Zhang Yu shook his head and then summoned Yu Xinghan, Ye Xingli, and other important cultivators under his command, such as Ciji and Qingmu, to a meeting room.
Looking at these cultivators who had fought their way up from the lower realms, Zhang Yu circulated his magical power for a full cycle and then said, "Everyone, I have just received the right to unlimited salary increases granted by the upper echelons of the Myriad Laws Sect."
Then Zhang Yu briefly explained the function of this authority.
As soon as Zhang Yu uttered these words, the scene fell silent.
Yu Xinghan murmured, "Raise the price first, report later? Special approval from the Immortal Emperor? The higher-ups actually let this go?"
Magnet was initially delighted, but his expression quickly turned serious as he asked, "Zhang Yu, how do you plan to use this salary increase right?" Meanwhile, Shi Huaiyu, Jin Jun, and Bei Wufeng, upon hearing Zhang Yu's words, were all eager to try, and couldn't help but smile.
Shi Huaiyu's mind was filled with excitement: "With this authority, wouldn't Minister Zhang be able to raise our salaries at will? Then I can replenish my reserves again. Sure enough, the old saying is true: a wise man replenishes his reserves, even after ten years. I never thought I would be able to wait for the time to replenish my reserves while still in the sect..."
Jin Jun's heart stirred with excitement: "Minister Zhang called us here, does that mean he's going to give us a raise? How much? Double? Ten times?"
Bei Wufeng glanced at everyone present and nodded slightly in his heart: "It seems that this secret salary increase does not include the demon descendants."
But the next moment, Yu Xinghan suddenly spoke, and what he said was beyond their expectations.
“Minister Zhang, I hope that while you hold this power, you will not raise your own salary or the salary of anyone present.”
Upon hearing Yu Xinghan's words, some of the people present were surprised, some were taken aback, while others seemed thoughtful.
Zhang Yu was slightly taken aback, then nodded with satisfaction and said, "This is what I wanted to talk to you about today."
"The Immortal Emperor granted this power to expand the Dharma Realm and help us dominate the soul cultivation market, not to seek personal gain for us."
"Therefore, I have decided to use this power only on frontline soul cultivators for the time being."
Upon hearing Zhang Yu's decision, many people present felt disappointed, but given Zhang Yu's current status and prestige, no one dared to express their opposition.
Zhang Yu then said, "So after I raise the salaries of soul cultivators, don't ask me about other people's salary increases, and don't speak up for anyone..."
"If anyone is investigated by the National People's Congress afterward because of the salary increase, I won't protect them..."
After giving some instructions and warnings, Zhang Yu then announced the specific salary increase measures.
……
Inside the platform of the Spirit Realm, within the Ten Thousand Souls Pavilion.
Lu Hengzhang is waiting for new work assignments.
Since being transformed into a soul cultivator and sent to work at the old cemetery to pay off his debts, Lu Hengzhang has been spending his days at Zhang Yu's soul cultivation company.
Although he had become a soul cultivator, as a supporter of the innate Dao lineage, Lu Hengzhang always harbored a sense of rejection towards cultivators like Zhang Yu from the lower realms. Moreover, due to the innate Dao lineage, this sense of rejection was deeply ingrained.
After seeing Zhang Yu promote Zhao Tianxing as the company's spokesperson, Lu Hengzhang was furious and reported him every time he saw it.
"How can a company be run well if it uses a junior college student from the lower realm as a spokesperson? Who would dare to hire a soul cultivator from such a company? It's because Zhang Yu is messing things up like this that the company's market share has been slow to increase."
When Lu Hengzhang heard that more than a dozen cultivators from the lower realms had gathered in Zhang Yu's Underworld Department after the end of this year's examination, he felt even more heartbroken.
"The Department of Underworld Products is going to be turned into a den of cultivators from the lower realms if things continue like this!"
Lu Hengzhang kept posting related messages and comments in the spirit world, just to attract the attention of the upper echelons of the Myriad Laws Sect.
But this time, he found that he was running out of spirit realm traffic halfway through, and he was also running out of immortal coins to recharge.
Because of the collapse of the heavens, he needed to repay his debts, which meant that even though Lu Hengzhang worked his hardest every day, his immortal coins were still far from enough.
Just then, images of his past colleagues and superiors flashed through Lu Hengzhang's mind.
Since becoming a soul cultivator, he has not been in contact with them.
As his immortal coins dwindled, he tried to borrow some from them, only to find, as expected, that he had been blocked.
"That's normal. After all, I've become a soul cultivator. What qualifications do I have to communicate with them? Let alone borrow money."
Although Lu Hengzhang understood that, according to the principles of the innate Daoist lineage, this was the status he should have as a soul cultivator, a strange and inexplicable emotion still welled up within him.
With his traffic dwindling and his meager income of immortal coins, Lu Hengzhang had no choice but to reduce his public appearances in the spirit world.
He moved into a larger number of spirit objects, reducing his browsing in the spirit world and lowering the quality of his browsing.
Unbeknownst to him, the world before Lu Hengzhang's eyes seemed to be constantly degenerating.
The video gradually turned into images, the images gradually turned into simple black and white images, and the black and white images eventually disappeared, turning into lines of text information.
Before he knew it, all that remained in Lu Hengzhang's eyes were countless words.
Later, in order to further save on the expenses of the spirit world, even these words gradually disappeared. His vision was filled with darkness and the lines of text that appeared in the darkness, which were the work instructions he received every day.
Having lost all sense of the outside world, Lu Hengzhang felt as if he were falling step by step into a dark abyss, his fate, his future... everything seemed to be shrouded in darkness.
"Is this what it feels like to cultivate the soul?"
Lu Hengzhang thought to himself, "As expected, he's a low-level piece of trash, and he deserves to be trampled underfoot for the rest of his life."
"That's it. Dead people... should feel like dead people."
Just as Lu Hengzhang felt increasingly like a dead man, increasingly disconnected from the world of the living, a notification pierced through the darkness before his eyes like a sharp sword of light.
"A...a raise?!"
Lu Hengzhang was shocked when he saw the notice sent by Zhang Yu.
"Zhang Yu... gave us a raise?"
As a supporter of the innate Daoist tradition, Lu Hengzhang instinctively wanted to curse, to berate Zhang Yu for giving soul cultivators a raise. He felt Zhang Yu was simply wreaking havoc on the industry, wasting the sect's money, and maliciously increasing salaries.
But looking at the dark world before him, he couldn't utter a single word.
Because he no longer had any extra immortal coins to leave messages in the spirit world.
Starting the next day, a large amount of text information re-emerged in Lu Hengzhang's world.
Although it was still dark all around, Lu Hengzhang felt that he had reconnected with the real world and that he had come back to life.
"Giving soul cultivators a raise... might... not be without its merits."
It was at this moment that Lu Hengzhang saw numerous criticisms of Zhang Yu in the spirit world.
"Zhang Yu's malicious wage increase is a major disruption to the business environment of the old cemetery."
"Such a large-scale increase in the salaries of soul cultivators in such a short period of time has absolutely not gone through proper procedures, nor has it been investigated or consulted with relevant companies. Zhang Yu is trampling on corporate rights!"
"I think Zhang Yu is acting against the natural order; he's been brainwashed by the legacy of the Rebellious Immortal! He should be immediately dismissed and investigated!"
Seeing the various criticisms directed at Zhang Yu in the spirit world, Lu Hengzhang wanted to say something, but ultimately said nothing.
He simply followed the will of countless soul cultivators, traversed the spirit realm together, arrived at Zhang Yu's account, and chose the simplest message: 【Strong】
……
Meanwhile, in the management committee office on the other side.
Xiao Yunhe looked at the news of Zhang Yu's comprehensive salary increase with disbelief in his eyes.
"Increase the share of soul cultivators?"
"Increase the profit-sharing ratio based on business volume and Dharma Realm usage points...? The more Dharma Realm points are used, the more money you make?"
"So much money is going to be allocated to soul cultivators?"
"Is this guy crazy? Who gave him the authority to maliciously raise salaries like this?! He's just adding fuel to the fire; the fire won't go out until the fuel is gone!"
Requesting monthly votes
(End of this chapter)