Chapter 644: Dharma Realm and the Immortal Dao Revolution

Chapter 644: The Dharma Realm and the Immortal Path Revolution

Zhang Yu declared, "If I took money to smear Jihu, may I be struck dead by a Deity Transformation cultivator the moment I step outside!"

"I am now soliciting evidence from the entire network; whoever can provide proof that I was paid to slander Jihu, I shall reward with a thousand spirit coins."

Then, fixing his gaze on Tian Shenggong, Zhang Yu continued, "Do you dare? Dare you sign a contract with me, stipulating that whoever takes money to smear the brand shall pay the other party a thousand spirit coins?"

Tian Shenggong sneered, "Spare me your empty rhetoric. In the next round, I shall wield Jihu treasures and don the Jihu dharma shell, harnessing the purest and most absolute power of Jihu to crush you utterly!"

"If I defeat you, you must use the Jihu dharma shell from then on. Do you dare take this wager?"

Zhang Yu laughed, "Very well. And if I defeat you, you shall never use any Jihu product again. Do you dare take this wager?"

As Tian Shenggong and Zhang Yu bickered, the livestream's popularity surged relentlessly, and both received a continuous stream of spirit coin tips.

With the wager struck between the two, the livestream's viewership soared to an unprecedented zenith.

After ending the broadcast, Tian Shenggong smiled contentedly at the revenue figures, sighing that this bout of cultivation had not been in vain.

"If I could sustain this level of attention in the long run, quarreling with Zhang Yu every few days would indeed be a fine method of cultivation."

Alas, Tian Shenggong knew all too well that such a notion was impossible.

"In the next battle, I shall put a definitive end to his smearing of Jihu."

Defeating Zhang Yu was not merely Tian Shenggong's own desire, but a mandate from the Jihu Corporation, backed by the support of the Immortal Armament University.

Rubbing the space between his brows, Tian Shenggong mused inwardly, "The Four Heavenly Demon Schools seek to monopolize the lifespan market through life-extension."

Tian Shenggong knew that for the Immortal Armament University and the Jihu Corporation, life-extension was not inherently bad; rather, the technology should not fall into the hands of the Four Heavenly Demon Schools.

Once the life-extension technology was grasped by other academies, both the Immortal Armament University and the Jihu Corporation would be suppressed for at least several centuries, perhaps even millennia.

To the entirety of Kunxu, that might be but a brief span of history, but to Tian Shenggong, it could well be his entire lifetime.

"The Four Heavenly Demon Schools will monetize lifespan to harvest other universities and corporations, a prospect I absolutely cannot tolerate."

"Kuang Tianqing, I will not allow her to claim the first place."

"As for Zhang Yu, let alone his slander of Jihu and the damage inflicted upon the brand, I cannot forgive him."

"The Ten Thousand Methods' chosen immortal sect technique, the 'Scripture of Divine Creation in the Dharma Realm'—if Zhang Yu takes first place and grants the Ten Thousand Methods University this immortal technology to begin constructing the Dharma Realm, it will be far more mad than the Four Heavenly Demon Schools."

As he massaged his temples, a memory surfaced once more in Tian Shenggong's mind.

It was within a domain known as the Dharma Realm, where during a battle, the funds in his account had directly materialized into various martial arts, dao spells, and magical treasures...

The memory of the Dharma Realm made Tian Shenggong sigh inwardly, "In the Dharma Realm, if I have only five thousand health points and someone deals me ten thousand damage, I would owe five thousand in debt, endlessly repaying it into the next life, and the life after that."

"When the rich strike the poor, a single blow can batter a person from their past life into their next, casting them down from a sect to a university, or even down to the first tier."

"Once the construction of the Dharma Realm begins, the world will become this terrifying."

"Under the blanket of the Dharma Realm, whether it be magical treasures, dharma shells, technique grades, lifespan, or even immortal cultivation realms, almost everything conceivable in this world can be purchased directly."

"Compared to the monetization of lifespan by the Four Heavenly Demon Schools, the financialization of all things in the Dharma Realm is far more insane."

"By then, personal choices and labor, everything, will be utterly meaningless in the face of wealth accumulation."

"Factions like the Immortal Armament University or the Jihu Corporation, which work diligently and honestly produce goods, will bear the brunt of this harvesting."

If Tian Shenggong already found the choice of the Four Heavenly Demon Schools unacceptable, he found the choice of the Ten Thousand Methods University even more unbearable.

"Only the philosophies of the Immortal Armament University and the Jihu Corporation are correct."

"Allowing everyone to spend the fewest spirit coins to purchase the high-performance dharma shell best suited to them, enabling every individual to reach their performance limit, making the whole world efficient, ensuring nothing is wasted and no talent is left unused."

"We must stop the Four Heavenly Demon Schools, and even more so, we must stop the Ten Thousand Methods..."

Suddenly, Tian Shenggong thought of Dao Qiankun, recalling their conversation before the start of the Top Ten League.

Back then, he had also asked about Dao Qiankun's plans, inquiring what kind of immortal sect technique the other would choose.

Recalling it now filled Tian Shenggong with deep sighs, "Dao Qiankun, you held out until the very end and refused to choose the Dharma Realm, so were you abandoned by the Ten Thousand Methods University?"

"Whether for my own immortal path or for this world, in the next battle... I must defeat Zhang Yu utterly."

...

"Has the Reincarnation Corporation made its move?"

In the quiet chamber, Kuang Tianqing rubbed her temples, her mind replaying the battle against Wen Wuya.

In that fight, Wen Wuya had displayed strength far surpassing his previous match.

And many of the habits, tactics, and sword techniques... were things that had rarely been seen in him before.

"It was as if he had suddenly become an entirely different person."

"I fear it is still because..."

As she massaged her temples, Kuang Tianqing's gaze sharpened, and a fragment of memory suddenly surfaced in her mind.

It was in an institution named the Six Paths of Reincarnation, where after death, he was arranged for reincarnation based on various moral standards and his contributions to Kunxu.

Watching the scenes in her memory, Kuang Tianqing sneered inwardly, "Backward." "Far too backward."

"Morality? Who is to judge? Contributions? How can they be quantified?"

"If it were up to me, it should be designed with clear price tags; whoever has the most money gets the best rebirth."

Feeling these memories in her mind, Kuang Tianqing thought, "As expected, it is the meddling of the Reincarnation Corporation, trying to influence me by reviving my past-life memories?"

"It seems Wen Wuya in the last match was in the same situation, only he was restored with more advantageous memories, which instead served as an enhancement for him."

"Then will Bai Zhenzhen in the next match be in the same situation?"

"The Reincarnation Corporation truly possesses terrifying methods."

Although she sensed the unfathomable depth of the Reincarnation Corporation, Kuang Tianqing's resolve did not waver in the slightest at this moment.

For she had already boarded the ship and could not disembark, nor did she have any retreat.

"I will become the spokesperson for life-extension technology, not just for my own immortal path, but to stabilize the state of the world."

"The Ten Thousand Methods wish to establish the Dharma Realm, while the Immortal Armament seeks to realize the Immortal Path Revolution..."

Thinking of the Immortal Path Revolution that the Immortal Armament University and corporations like the Jihu Corporation wished to realize, Kuang Tianqing could not help but sigh in secret.

"This so-called Immortal Path Revolution aims to connect everyone's dharma shells and magical treasures, ultimately pooling all resources... whether mana, astral qi, computing power, talent, physical bodies, or anything else, to be uniformly allocated by the upper echelons, leaving not a single ounce of idle power in society, pushing the world's performance to its absolute limit, claiming to leave nothing wasted and no talent unused."

"And the Deity Transformation candidates of the Four Heavenly Demon Schools each have their own grand ideas, one more ambitious than the last."

"In their climb to the top, these fellows are growing crazier and more radical than one another."

And as Kuang Tianqing considered the immense profits hidden behind these radical goals, she felt a surging pressure.

"Dao Qiankun..." Kuang Tianqing mused inwardly, "Were you unable to bear this pressure, and thus chose to flee in the end?"

In Kuang Tianqing's eyes flashed pieces of newly acquired intelligence, all manner of evidence regarding Dao Qiankun's communication with the Ascension Cult, evidence that had led to the final verdict that he had been bewitched by the cult and committed suicide.

But to Kuang Tianqing at this moment, the matter was far more complex than a simple suicide.

"If death is a market, then there are currently three major players in it: life-extension, soul cultivation, and reincarnation."

"And for the Reincarnation Corporation, which cannot advertise or operate in the light of day..."

The Ascension Cult, in Kuang Tianqing's view, was simply the sales team of the Reincarnation Corporation.

To Kuang Tianqing, the death of Dao Qiankun at this very moment...

"You have fled."

"Dao Qiankun, you could bear it no longer, so you fled under the wing of the Feathered Ascension Sect?"

"But I shall not run away."

"I shall see that the ancient Deity Transformation elders of the Four Heavenly Demon Academies master the arts of life extension, to bring stability to the world."

"More than that, I will seize this very opportunity to ascend the zenith of the immortal path."

"Be it Bai Zhenzhen in the next bout, or Zhang Yu and Tian Shenggong, I shall crush them all to dust."

...

Aboard Bai Zhenzhen's flying skiff.

At this moment, Bai Zhenzhen sat cross-legged, gently caressing the Sword of Sensual Delight in her hands.

Suddenly, her voice broke the silence: "Master, you said... you wished to use this battle to temper me?"

The voice of the Divine Lord of Seven Emotions echoed in Bai Zhenzhen's ear: "Kuang Tianqing, your next opponent, is the perfect whetstone to hone your Path of Extreme Emotion Swordsmanship."

"Her strength, her experiences, and the tangled history she shares with you—all make her the finest whetstone for your blade."

Bai Zhenzhen asked, "Master, do you believe I stand a chance of defeating her?"

The Divine Lord of Seven Emotions replied indifferently, "I merely asked you to seize this opportunity to temper yourself, not to harbor thoughts of vanquishing her."

"In truth, whether it be you, Tian Shenggong, or Zhang Yu, your chances of overcoming Kuang Tianqing in the coming battle are absolute zero."

"Yet you should also count your blessings that none of you will claim first place."

Bai Zhenzhen asked in puzzlement, "Why is that?"

The Divine Lord of Seven Emotions gave a cold snort and said, "Though some still make futile attempts, placing idle pieces on the board, it appears that the vast majority of the Deity Transformation cultivators have already begun their preparations under the premise that Kuang Tianqing will seize the crown."

"For Kuang Tianqing, it is only after she claims first place that she will face her true trial."

"The pressure she must bear then will likely be a hundred, perhaps a thousand times greater than the battles she fights against you."

"And in that crucible, a single misstep will see her body shattered to dust and her soul scattered to the winds."

Bai Zhenzhen asked, "Then... what if Zhang Yu takes first place? Will he face such pressure as well?"

(End of Chapter)