Chapter 700: Protect Our Zhu Yi (Thanks to 'Xiao Dao 1905' for tipping)

Chapter 700: Protect Our Side’s Zhu Yi (Thanks to “Xiao Dao 1905” for the Alliance Patron Donation)

The Third Layer of Kunxu.

A vast battlefield not far from the Great Hollow.

Tian Sha True Lord—the current strongest cultivator of the Security Department, once known as the most honest Nascent Soul cultivator, now infamous as the Butcher of Ten Thousand Dharmas—was locked in fierce combat against numerous Nascent Soul True Lords from the Righteous Alliance.

At the very height of this brutal and chaotic clash, a message from Ci Ji True Lord suddenly flashed within his eye sockets.

“The Headmaster is summoning me?”

Tian Sha knew that Ci Ji was currently engaged in battle with an enemy Divine Transformation cultivator. For the Headmaster to send him a message at such a critical juncture meant something truly important must be at stake.

He fought while retreating, hastily checking the contents of the message.

“Send me… to protect Zhang Yu?”

Tian Sha True Lord blinked in mild surprise, then sighed inwardly: “Alas, news arrives on the front lines—not about the battle, but about a disciple. Who would have thought that I, the mightiest of the Security Department, in the thick of crushing rebels and locked in furious combat, would be summoned to guard some second-generation school brat…”

“Is it because we’ve always been called the ‘Security Department’ that they really think we’re just glorified guards?”

“I’ve said it before—we should rename our department. Call it the War Department.”

Glancing at the embattled front line before him, Tian Sha thought grimly, “No, I can’t just withdraw like this. What about the battle here? After investing so much manpower and resources, how can I leave without inflicting sufficient losses? And what about all the spiritual energy, treasures, and spirit frames I’ve already expended?”

“I’ll just pretend I never saw the message…”

With a flicker of motion, Tian Sha plunged back into the fray, unleashing a fresh wave of carnage and crimson winds.

But just then, another message arrived—from Ci Ji again.

And then a third… a fourth… until the sixth message came through. At that point, Tian Sha knew he could no longer feign ignorance.

Letting out a long sigh, he began withdrawing from the fight, watching his opponents grow ever more distant—and feeling as though piles of spirit coins were fleeing straight out of his pockets.

At the same time, he noticed that many other Nascent Soul True Lords were also pulling back from the battlefield. The entire front line was beginning to retreat.

Spotting Miao Shou True Lord of the Medical Department nearby, Tian Sha couldn’t help but ask, “Are you also going to protect…”

Miao Shou replied coolly, “To protect Zhang Yu.”

They exchanged a glance, both silently acknowledging their shared frustration.

Miao Shou added, “The Headmaster is… perhaps overly indulgent toward his disciples.”

Tian Sha was blunter: “Indulging favorites is the beginning of a sect’s downfall.”

Miao Shou’s expression turned grave, and he waved his hands urgently. “Don’t speak so recklessly!”

Tian Sha snorted inwardly: “How many ten-thousand-dharma resources has Zhang Yu devoured? Resources from all ten academies! Need I spell it out? All this time, we’ve only heard he’s pushing toward Nascent Soul and boosting his cultivation—but not a word about any real mastery of Sect techniques.”

In truth, Tian Sha had made inquiries about Zhang Yu. He’d never heard of the boy spending time practicing orthodox Sect arts, nor had he seen any evidence of serious study into spatial techniques. All Zhang Yu seemed to do was exhaust resources to accelerate his own advancement.

Moreover, Tian Sha couldn’t help but resent Qing Ming True Lord for seizing the Divine Transformation Certification. Especially after hearing that Zhang Yu had spoken highly of Qing Ming during the incident—this only deepened Tian Sha’s sense that his hard-earned spirit coins had been tossed into a bottomless well.

Meanwhile, Miao Shou thought to himself, “This old Tian Sha has grown increasingly arrogant lately. Is it because he was suppressed for too long, and now that he’s risen, he can’t control himself? Or has killing so many people warped his mind through those bloodthirsty cultivation methods?”

“Still… Ci Ji’s actions are indeed excessive. That’s no way to run a school. And Zhang Yu’s recent behavior—well, it’s been rather unsightly…”

As they pressed onward, Tian Sha and Miao Shou soon saw no fewer than sixteen Nascent Soul True Lords heading toward Zhang Yu’s location to provide support.

Tian Sha’s dissatisfaction grew: “Is this really necessary? Do we need so many of us just to protect one Zhang Yu?”

At that moment, live footage from the scene appeared before him, allowing him to assess the situation in advance.

He saw that an entire building at the target site had already been enveloped by a spatial barrier.

Beneath that barrier, the structure was slowly collapsing, and three Nascent Soul experts were surrounding Zhang Yu, intent on killing him.

Tian Sha’s eyes swept over the trio. With his vast combat experience, he instantly discerned their strengths, weaknesses—and even formulated countermeasures.

“The Borrowed-Life Sutra of Burning the Dao… This Liu Jin is a traitor from the former Finance Department of Netherworld University. His Nascent Soul has already entered infant form—the peak of explosive power. You can’t meet him head-on; the best strategy is to stall until he burns himself out.”

“The Sutra of Shared Bliss… A traitor from Harmony University? With him present, spiritual energy drains faster—so stalling won’t work. His Shared Bliss Sutra pairs terrifyingly well with the Borrowed-Life Sutra…”

Then Tian Sha’s gaze fell upon Tai Hao True Lord—and specifically, upon the act of kneeling Tai Hao was performing. A chill ran down Tian Sha’s spine, and he immediately saw through the disguise.

“The Profound Scripture of Shifting Lineage and Changing Ancestors… Is that really Tai Hao?”

“That smoothness, that practiced grace, that solemn weight behind the kneel—among the Righteous Alliance, only one person has cultivated the Profound Scripture to such mastery.”

Tai Hao True Lord—the Finance Department traitor from Netherworld University—was no stranger to Tian Sha. In fact, he ranked among the opponents Tian Sha least wished to face.

After all, if someone wounded you or destroyed your treasures or spirit frames, you could always spend money to recover.

But if Tai Hao knelt before you—even once—you’d be haunted by nausea for the rest of your life. Only death could cleanse that stain.

Worse still, Tai Hao’s kneeling speed was legendary. It was said, “When Tai Hao kneels, none escape.” Truly unguardable. Tian Sha understood this wasn’t just about speed—it was that Tai Hao only knelt when he was certain it would succeed, proof of his uncanny judgment.

“Can Zhang Yu… withstand even one of his kneels?”

Tian Sha sighed, “He probably can’t… He’s about to become Tai Hao’s sworn father…”

In that instant, Tian Sha already envisioned Zhang Yu, overwhelmed after Tai Hao’s kneel, utterly subdued by the three Nascent Souls.

Yet Tian Sha was still some distance from the target site.

Miao Shou urged him forward, accelerating once more: “Tian Sha, we absolutely cannot let these three escape.”

Tian Sha nodded. Though he resented Ci Ji’s indulgence, he knew full well—if Zhang Yu were gravely injured or slain by these three, and they let the culprits slip away, Ci Ji True Lord’s wrath would be catastrophic.

As Tian Sha and the others surged forward, the live feed showed Zhang Yu raising his palms—and wherever they passed, rays of light twisted unnaturally.

Tian Sha’s eyes snapped wide. “Spatial distortion?”

“Could this be… the Sect technique, Kunlun in the Palm?”

Under Tian Sha’s gaze, Zhang Yu at the heart of the battlefield seemed to become its conductor. Amidst the onslaught of three Nascent Soul experts, he continuously warped space, redirected force, and deflected attacks—like a reef at the eye of a storm, unmoved by wind or rain.

Tian Sha was stunned: “He’s already mastered Kunlun in the Palm to this degree?”

Beside him, Miao Shou echoed the astonishment: “Compressing and expanding space, shifting direction and position, redirecting force… To land a hit on him now requires wide-area attacks, which inevitably dilute their power—and yet his innate resilience is extraordinary.”

Tian Sha added his analysis: “It’s even worse with multiple attackers. Their strikes interfere with each other due to spatial distortion—sometimes even canceling one another out.”

He concluded: “With his defensive arts combined with Kunlun in the Palm’s spatial manipulation and redirection, Zhang Yu is at his strongest—and least vulnerable—precisely when facing group assaults.”

Beyond that, a shocking realization dawned on Tian Sha.

“When did Zhang Yu reach this level with Kunlun in the Palm? The finesse, the precision, the mastery over spatial compression and distortion… It’s as if he’s trained in it for decades.”

“Who’s been spreading rumors that he never studied Kunlun in the Palm? Never researched spatial techniques?”

Just as Tian Sha neared the building, he saw that the area around the spatial barrier was already swarming with Nascent Soul True Lords—clearly, Ci Ji had summoned far more reinforcements than just their group.

At that moment, the three Nascent Souls inside the barrier attempted to flee—but Zhang Yu reached into his Grand Void Cloud Treasury and pulled out the Boundary-Breaking Awl.

Miao Shou gasped, “The Headmaster gave Zhang Yu the Boundary-Breaking Awl too?”

Tian Sha, however, felt no shock—only understanding.

“Zhang Yu… his mastery of Kunlun in the Palm, of spatial techniques… must far exceed everyone’s expectations.”

Heaven-Slaying True Lord mused inwardly, “The achievements Magnetic Pole Sovereign has attained in spatial techniques—and even the technologies hidden within the Void Cloud Vault—likely owe much to Zhang Yu’s support.”

In that instant, Heaven-Slaying True Lord finally understood why Magnetic Pole Sovereign had shown such favor to Zhang Yu. This wasn’t mere doting on a disciple—it was safeguarding a vital asset of the sect.

At that very moment, the spatial barrier shattered with a thunderous crash as Zhang Yu drove his Boundary-Piercing Awl through it, tearing open a gaping hole.

Heaven-Slaying True Lord let out a savage grin. Alongside the surrounding throng of Nascent Soul True Lords, he surged forward like ravenous tigers unleashed from their cages, eager to rush through and hunt down the three fugitives—Grand Vastness True Lord and his companions.

But the moment Zhang Yu produced the Boundary-Piercing Awl, Grand Vastness True Lord and his two allies had already made their decision.

“Resistance is futile,” Grand Vastness True Lord said. “It would only lead to capture—and a fate worse than death.”

“Brothers,” he added, “let us go.”

Companionable Ease True Lord sighed heavily. “This time… we’ve lost terribly.”

As Companionable Ease True Lord’s body exploded violently into fragments, Flowing Gold True Lord’s eyes flickered with bitter resentment. “Why? How could we possibly lose even now?!”

“Will I get another chance at resurrection? Will anyone lend me the funds again?”

The thought of the crushing debts he’d incur upon revival—debts so immense he might not even be granted the chance to borrow for rebirth, forced instead to return as a soul cultivator—plunged Flowing Gold True Lord into despair.

Yet he knew there was no time left for hesitation.

With a furious roar, Flowing Gold True Lord detonated his own body.

Simultaneously, Grand Vastness True Lord on the other side began disintegrating inch by inch.

The instant the Boundary-Piercing Awl activated, all three of them shattered their bodies one after another, choosing self-destruction over capture.

As their forms faded into nothingness, only Grand Vastness True Lord’s faint voice lingered in the air:

“Foster father… until we meet again—at your memorial rites.”

Zhang Yu frowned slightly, muttering inwardly, “Damn, this guy really brings bad luck.”

In the next breath, Heaven-Slaying True Lord and the others encircled Zhang Yu completely.

“Protect Radiant Brilliance True Lord!” Heaven-Slaying True Lord bellowed, stepping instantly before Zhang Yu. His nascent soul shot forth from his body, patrolling the entire area, enforcing strict vigilance—though against what, none could say.

(End of Chapter)