Chapter 708: Let Zhanyun Suffer a Bit, He Will Bear the Infamy (Thanks to 'Sheng')

Chapter 708: Let Jianyun Suffer a Little—Let Him Bear the Blame (Thanks to “Life Sphere” for the Alliance Patron Donation)

Staring at Zhang Yu’s avatar in his contacts list, Lord Yufeng did not immediately reach out. Instead, he sank into deep thought.

At the same moment, lines of feedback from the Spirit Realm flickered across his ocular sockets.

Although the other four Divine Lords of Tianjian University had refused to supply components for his flying sword factory any longer, Lord Yufeng was unwilling to simply shut down production. He could not accept it so easily—not when his entire industrial chain was intricately interwoven. If the flying sword factory ceased operations, ripple effects would strike transport, warehousing, sales, military equipment… countless enterprises large and small would suffer.

Thus, until the very last possible moment, Lord Yufeng refused to halt production.

Yet positioning modules, navigation units—these were critical components. Without them, remote flight, long-range sword techniques, and distant control over sword qi and swordlight would be impossible.

Of course, Lord Yufeng himself could forge these parts in his laboratory—but crafting a few by hand was worlds apart from mass-producing them on an industrial scale. Even if he mastered the technology for large-scale manufacturing, he would still need to build an entirely new production line from scratch, secure raw material imports, manage storage and logistics… an endless cascade of tasks demanding both vast time and immense spirit coins.

Lord Yufeng knew this dilemma echoed the earlier crisis of Kōdo’s insufficient output—it wasn’t something resolved with a mere thought.

Now, his ocular sockets displayed lists of external contract manufacturers and component suppliers from other academies.

But soon, disappointment flickered in his eyes.

“Tianjian has already squeezed costs in this sector to their absolute limit—and with our internal logistical advantages, no outside academy can possibly compete…”

He understood well that his factory’s flying swords relied precisely on Tianjian University’s fully integrated sword-making industry chain to undercut prices and flood the market.

If he sourced parts from external factories, costs would rise, prices would climb—and he might end up producing swords at a loss.

One idea after another surfaced in his mind, only to be dismissed just as quickly.

Lord Yufeng felt as though an invisible hand loomed over this upheaval, stirring the winds while pressing down squarely upon him—calculating every vulnerability, blocking every escape route, rendering his Divine Lord-level strength useless, leaving him powerless despite his cultivation.

His gaze drifted once more to Zhang Yu’s avatar.

“Is this connected to you?”

“Zhang Yu?”

As a Divine Lord, once relevant information surfaced before his eyes, Lord Yufeng sensed keenly that this entire affair seemed subtly tied to Zhang Yu—especially recalling what the Chancellor had mentioned about the “Seven Emotions Sword Vault,” the detention of Bai Zhenzhen, and “business environment optimization.”

Just then, Chancellor Poyao sent another message, speaking vaguely of “phasing out outdated capacity,” “betting on high-tech industries,” and “keeping pace with future High Immortal Dao technologies…”

Though never stated outright, Lord Yufeng felt each sentence was a quiet but urgent nudge.

After a long pause, he sighed deeply.

Instead of contacting Zhang Yu first, he scrolled through his contacts and finally settled his gaze upon his disciple—Jianyun True Lord—who had been handling the sword vault’s affairs.

“Jianyun… I’m afraid I must ask you to endure some hardship—and shoulder the blame for a while longer.”

…

Jianyun True Lord was in high spirits.

In fact, ever since his master ascended to Divine Lord status, his mood had remained consistently excellent.

In his own words: “Who says wartime makes things harder and life tougher? To me, everything’s getting better and better!”

Free from oversight by Orthodox Deities yet backed firmly by Tianjian University and a Divine Lord master, Jianyun wielded extraordinary influence within the campus.

Whether embezzling during territorial reconquests or exploiting authority for profit during assaults on the Third Layer, his cultivation potential soared steadily, rising rapidly among Tianjian’s many Nascent Soul True Lords.

Take the current matter of liquidating the Seven Emotions Divine Lord’s sword vault: Jianyun had meticulously cataloged every blade—name, specifications, origin—according to university records, compiled them into ledgers, and quietly released them to the market.

Aside from the portion earmarked for Youming University, nearly every sword already had buyers lined up.

Yet Jianyun held off finalizing deals, preferring to let bidders compete further—to maximize returns from this asset conversion.

After all, every cultivator involved in this process—from top to bottom—expected their cut. The greater the profit, the happier everyone would be, especially the Divine Lords… and the more he himself could reap.

Since the Great Upheaval, Jianyun had executed such operations countless times; it had become second nature. And if he hadn’t proven so adept at enriching his master, he wouldn’t have risen so swiftly among his peers.

“Making money for my master—that’s the truest way to deepen our master-disciple bond.”

As for the Seven Emotions Divine Lord’s lingering authority? An old lord who vanished along with the Sixth Layer—his fate unknown, his return uncertain—how could he compare to the new Divine Lords now shaping Tianjian?

And as for Bai Zhenzhen’s friendship with Zhang Yu? That meant even less to Jianyun.

“This is Tianjian. Wanfa’s reach doesn’t extend this far.”

With such thoughts, Jianyun’s consciousness linked once more to the Spirit Realm, continuing his official duties. At the same time, he browsed Tianjian University’s internal news network—a daily ritual—to gather intelligence, gauge the will of the Divine Lords, and interpret their intentions.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed slightly as he spotted a low-traffic article.

“Former Campus Prodigy Detained…”

At first, Jianyun was puzzled—but when he read the phrase “violent dismantling of the Seven Emotions Sword Vault,” his heart sank faintly.

“What kind of reporting is this? Does this author even understand anything? The sword vault disposal was part of the university’s plan, part of the Divine Lords’ grand strategy—how dare he criticize it so recklessly?”

A sense of foreboding crept over him. He almost contacted the news editor to demand answers—but after a moment’s hesitation, he refrained, instead searching for related articles.

What he found chilled him: more reports kept appearing, voices grew increasingly authoritative, and discussions surged across Tianjian’s news platforms and social media—gaining visibility by the minute.

“Where is the former Top Four finalist of the Ten Great Leagues? When will violent administrative practices end?”

“Does the Seven Emotions Sword Vault belong to the university? Senior Law Professor asserts it is unequivocally private property…”

“The Campus Regulatory Department emphasizes fostering an upright, righteous sword-cultivation environment and zero tolerance for cultivators abusing authority…”

At the words “Regulatory Department,” Jianyun’s ocular sockets twitched—as if his connection stuttered for a fraction of a second.

“Hah…”

He drew a deep breath, scanning the timestamps and platforms of these updates. Everything had unfolded within just a few hours.

In mere hours, every news outlet and media account across Tianjian University had begun reporting on the Seven Emotions Sword Vault.

Who possessed such power? Such influence? Who could command so many platforms so swiftly?

A Divine Lord? A Vice-Chancellor? Or perhaps… the Chancellor himself?

“Is this really necessary? If any Divine Lord had concerns, couldn’t they just send a disciple to speak with me directly? Would I not comply immediately?”

And yet, even now, his master—Lord Yufeng—had not contacted him.

This realization filled Jianyun with growing dread.

No matter how hard he racked his brain, Jianyun could never imagine that Zhang Yu, with a mere brush of his fingertip over the design schematics in the Grand Void Cloud Repository, had subtly deflected the coming technological tsunami—a tide already sweeping nations, dragging Divine Lords and entire academies in its wake—by just a few inches.

And before that earth-shattering deluge, even he—a Nascent Soul True Lord, a chosen disciple of a Tianjian Divine Lord—was utterly helpless, shattered at the slightest touch.

Suddenly, Jianyun noticed his connection to the Spirit Realm slowing, weakening—as if an unseen force descended upon him, severing his links to the outside world.

“They’re cutting off my Spirit Realm signal?”

In that instant, Jianyun felt like a fish caught in a net—watching it tighten around him, despair mounting with every breath, yet utterly powerless to escape.

Still, the signal faded gradually rather than snapping abruptly—meaning whoever acted had left him a sliver of time.

Jianyun understood perfectly. After all, for over a year, he himself had commanded Tianjian’s Spirit Realm Management Division to do exactly this to others.

They were giving him time—time to contact whomever he could, to say whatever needed saying… before the connection vanished forever.

Without hesitation, Jianyun reached out immediately—to his master, Lord Yufeng.

Sword-Severing True Lord: Master! Save me!

Divine Lord Yufeng: You should know well enough what to say—and what not to say.

Upon reading this reply, Sword-Severing True Lord couldn’t help but tremble.

Sword-Severing True Lord: Master… is there truly no chance left for me at all?

Divine Lord Yufeng: Take good care of your personal affairs. Don’t let anything surface that could ruin you completely.

Divine Lord Yufeng: Once a few years pass and the storm blows over, I’ll help you return from seclusion.

A few years? In just half a year, the Heavenly Court would already be back! By then, it wouldn’t be his master judging him—but the righteous deities of Heaven themselves!

Would his master even be able to protect him then? And even if he could… would he be willing to pay the price?

Sword-Severing True Lord’s nascent soul grew so frantic it burst forth from his body, pacing anxiously around him, trembling with fear and despair.

Sword-Severing True Lord sent another message: Master, everyone supported this matter—why must all the blame fall on me alone now?

Divine Lord Yufeng: The heavens and earth are in upheaval. At this critical hour, when our sect teeters between life and death, every disciple must contribute. Stop fixating on your own gains and losses.

Divine Lord Yufeng: Your case must now be addressed—it is the will of the many. All five Divine Transformation elders of the sect, myself included, have already made our stance clear. Abandon any delusions; you cannot keep relying on your status as a Divine Transformation elder’s disciple to act recklessly.

Reading Yufeng’s words, Sword-Severing True Lord let out a bitter, hollow laugh. He’d once spoken nearly identical lines to Bai Zhenzhen himself—never imagining they’d so swiftly be turned against him.

And all five Divine Transformation elders had spoken out?

“You’ve got to be kidding me! Am I really worth such attention? Just one Nascent Soul-stage True Lord—do you really need five Divine Transformation elders to condemn me together?”

In that moment, Sword-Severing True Lord felt like a fly that had barely stolen a taste of filth before being crushed beneath an entire mountain—shattered liver and gall, his very spirit trembling in terror.

He couldn’t help but ask: Master… at least tell me—who exactly have I offended?

(End of Chapter)