Chapter 726: Kneel Down (Requesting monthly tickets, short of over 400 words to reach 8,000)

Chapter 726: Kneel (Requesting Moon Tickets—8,000 words needed; still short by over 400)

“So much money… actually burned?”

Staring at the company’s ledgers, at those staggering figures, at the streams of funds pouring into the accounts of countless high schoolers, vocational students, dropouts… even Qingmu Shenjun felt his heart tremble.

Distributing such colossal wealth to the poor—Qingmu had never witnessed such audacity, not even in ancient Kunxu, let alone now.

“Zhang Yu… your ambition truly knows no bounds,” Qingmu Shenjun murmured, shaking his head with a bitter smile. For a moment, he couldn’t decide whether to admire Zhang Yu’s boldness or resent him for it.

“All that wealth my master and I painstakingly accumulated over so long… half of it gone, just like that.”

He tried to console himself inwardly: “At least we’ve shattered the heavens and turned the tide of battle. Money… can always be earned again.”

Yet despite this repeated self-reassurance, a faint ache still spread through his chest.

Just then, he heard Ciji Shenjun beside him gritting her teeth in fury: “That wretched disciple… that accursed traitor!!”

Qingmu knew Ciji was venting in anger, yet he could feel the raw intensity of her wrath.

He quickly interjected, “Don’t dwell on it, Ciji. The war is what matters now. Zhang Yu must have seen how dire things were—that’s why he resorted to this desperate measure, spending so much to save us.”

Ciji’s dantian churned with turbulent spiritual energy, her nascent soul trembling as she cried out, “But he spent far too much! Those spirit coins could’ve pushed both of us to the peak of Nascent Soul cultivation, elevated him to that realm as well, and still left enough to lay foundations across all ten academies—money breeding more money…”

“And now… most of it’s just gone?”

“If he’d used it for cultivation, forging treasures, dual cultivation, or even starting a business—I could’ve accepted that!”

Her voice rose in outrage: “But to just hand it all away to the poor?!”

Qingmu sighed softly. “At least it helped promote the Grand Void Cloud Vault. Those spirit coins weren’t wasted—they’re simply accompanying you in another form.”

Ciji snorted coldly but said nothing.

Yet as more data and account statements flooded before her eyes, her gaze suddenly sharpened. “Old Gao… you’re right.”

She kept scanning the revenue from deposits and the loan platform’s books, her eyes growing brighter by the second. “Indeed… these spirit coins are still with me—just in a different guise.”

At that very moment, the mental projections of numerous Shenjuns within the “In This Boat Together” group clashed violently in the Spirit Realm.

Their avatars erupted with curses, wails, and furious denunciations.

Yinquan Shenjun of Youming University—the mother of Wang Yin—was seething with rage.

She sneered icily, “Bravo, bravo! While we fight and die above to shield the world, our fallen comrades’ bones haven’t even cooled, their corpses unsold—and already their inheritance is being divided below? Is this acceptable?”

Nielian Shenjun roared, “It’s the schools’ money! Zhang Yu took over thirty percent, they grabbed more than sixty—and less than ten percent was left for me? And I’m supposed to thank them for shattering the sky?! This is outright humiliation!”

Qiankui Shenjun of Xianbing University had also been heartsick—but seeing Ciji and Qingmu lose most of their fortunes somehow made him feel better.

Still, as a Nascent Soul cultivator, his intelligence-gathering and data-analysis abilities were formidable. He soon sensed something amiss.

“This isn’t mere reckless spending… That boy Zhu Yi…” Qiankui grew increasingly alarmed as he scrutinized the figures. “He’s using astronomical capital during this war to ignite a market brimming with infinite profit—laying an unshakable foundation for future monopoly over spatial pouches.”

“Especially that ‘Shared Cloud Vault’ scheme—turning deposits into red packets, red packets back into deposits. One coin spent ten times over, maximizing burn efficiency… until the ‘burned’ money transforms into deposits and loan debts, flowing right back into his company’s accounts.”

A flicker of admiration stirred in Qiankui’s heart—but it swiftly curdled into bitterness and fury, for among the burned funds was Xianbing University’s share: legacy wealth from fallen Nascent Souls.

“Zhang Yu burned our academies’ Nascent Soul legacies!” Qiankui declared. “Unacceptable. He must compensate us. And if not for our desperate calls for aid, how could he have justified launching this Heaven-Shattering Campaign? Where would he have found the chance to scatter wealth so freely?”

“We who issued the demand, initiated the Nascent Soul war, and fought to this point—we are the true heroes.”

Yufeng Shenjun concurred: “Qiankui speaks truth. Without our martial protection, without our perseverance in battle, none of this would have succeeded. Moreover, Zhang Yu took what should have been ours…”

Hearing Qiankui and Yufeng’s accusations, Ciji nearly laughed in exasperation.

She spoke sharply into the group: “This has nothing to do with Zhang Yu. Qingmu and I ordered him to do it. If you have grievances, address them to us directly.”

Qingmu blinked inwardly. “Me?”

But the next instant, meeting the gathered Shenjuns’ gazes, his expression hardened. Coldly, he declared, “Correct. I authorized Zhang Yu to claim the Nascent Soul legacies. I approved this expenditure. Bring your complaints to me. Challenge me, strike me—I, Qingmu, will face you to the end. But leave my student out of this.”

Watching Old Gao stand tall and defiant, Yinquan Shenjun was struck by a thought: “Qingmu? A mere earth-and-wood cultivator… possesses such mettle?”

Then Ciji added, “I’m no glutton for sole profit. The spatial technology market is vast—it’s not just about pouches. Future upstream and downstream industries will require all your cooperation…”

As streams of information raced through their minds, dozens of Nascent Soul experts swiftly negotiated future profit allocations.

In moments, the Shenjuns were placated—temporarily—by Ciji and Qingmu, refocusing their attention on the ongoing Nascent Soul war.

And in that brief interval of furious exchange, the Zhengqi Alliance’s Nascent Soul assault grew even fiercer, more frenzied—as if desperate to eliminate another Ten-Academy Nascent Soul before time ran out.

Faced with this, the Ten-Academy Nascent Souls naturally refused to yield. They swiftly formed mutual defenses, clashing furiously with their Zhengqi counterparts.

…

Meanwhile.

On Kunxu’s Fifth Layer, amid throngs of high schoolers, vocational students, and dropouts, an unremarkable-looking elder gazed skyward—at the Zhou Tian Milky Way Formation spanning the heavens.

The elder was none other than Xinghuo Zhenren, long since ascended to Nascent Soul and now rightly called Xinghuo Zhenjun.

Blending into the crowd, he’d followed the surge upward, operating the Grand Void Cloud Vault all the way.

His eyes swept over the sea of surrounding [Flames], and he couldn’t help but marvel: “What grand vision… That boy from Songyang High—who’d have thought he’d become the storm center of the Ten Academies, the one shaping the fate of Kunxu’s Layers 2, 3, 4, and 5?”

“But…”

His gaze returned to the Zhou Tian Milky Way Formation, now heavy with foreboding. “This formation feels… off. It’s not quite as I remember it from my sect.”

Xinghuo Zhenjun scrutinized it closely. “Something’s wrong… deeply wrong…”

After a moment’s thought, his figure blurred—merging into the wind unnoticed—and shot toward the formation like lightning.

Around him, countless spectators’ eye-orbs flickered with Spirit Realm data, aggregating every possible perspective and transmitting it deep into the Spirit Realm’s core.

There, Zhang Pianpian’s consciousness seemed to coalesce into a divine form. Watching the battlefield unfold, she mused, “I used the unguarded window in the divine network to forge my god-body… and meanwhile, my little brother has turned Layers 3, 4, and 5 upside down.”

“But once Kunxu’s upper layers reconnect… how will they deal with him? Heaven Court and the sects will surely set their sights on him.”

As Zhang Pianpian pondered this, she sensed subtle ripples deep within the Spirit Realm—a resonance stirred by some distant summons, some profound call.

And that call… felt hauntingly familiar.

“Heaven Court… is descending soon. So much earlier than expected?”

She understood: only one scenario could explain this.

“One of the Eight Divisions’ great deities has personally spearheaded this operation—and received permission for true physical descent.”

“He… is already on his way.”

At this thought, her heart clenched tight.

…

Simultaneously, inside the Research Society’s meditation chamber.

Bai Zhenzhen watched the live feed of the shattered sky, exhaled softly in relief, then closed the stream and returned to cultivation.

Qingtian Sword Spirit asked, “Not watching anymore? Weren’t you deeply concerned?”

Bai Zhenzhen replied gravely, “What good would watching do? The battle above… is beyond my reach now.”

“If I wish to help, I must grow stronger.”

Feeling the nascent soul—refined and coiled upon her golden core—she resolved inwardly: “I must break through to Nascent Soul as soon as possible…”

Watching Bai Zhenzhen immerse herself in practice, Qingtian Sword Spirit fell silent, gazing instead toward the sky—toward the battlefield beyond the layered heavens—lost in thought.

...

Within the shadow world.

The Deity Transformation cultivators of the Righteous Qi Alliance, particularly those from the Finance Department, wailed in collective despair.

As Zhang Yu's Ethereal Red Envelopes proliferated and the celestial vault shattered, a restless unease settled over the Alliance; even the vocational and low-tier students who had previously defected now felt a burning impulse to snatch the bounty.

Many vocational students had fled to the Righteous Qi Alliance in pursuit of a better life, and they had always harbored a lingering sense of superiority whenever they looked back at their peers who remained behind.

Yet now, seeing those left at the Ten Academies showered directly with wealth, that fragile pride evaporated in an instant, and the Alliance's vaunted benefits suddenly lost their luster.

It was undeniable that Zhang Yu's single maneuver had wrought a cataclysmic shift in the loyalty and morale of the Righteous Qi Alliance.

Furthermore, the cultivators of the Finance Department had always relied on the aggregation of collective destiny to bolster their combat prowess.

This sudden shift in public sentiment naturally dealt a staggering blow to the numerous financial cultivators.

Compounding the crisis, the plunge in morale threatened to cripple the productivity of countless factories and corporations within the Alliance, stifling the output of vital resources.

Upon the Deity Transformation battlefield, the Alliance's elite were consuming staggering amounts of supplies with every passing heartbeat.

The efficiency of the rear lines directly dictated the fate of the vanguard.

The war of Deity Transformation was not merely a contest of individual cultivation and enlightenment, but a brutal war of attrition waged with financial might, influence, and sheer productive capacity.

The former Dean of the Wafa University Finance Department, now known as Lord Chain Pivot, thought grimly to himself, "A restless populace and plummeting morale will inevitably weaken our forces."

"What a magnificent display of wealth-scattering. Was this, too, part of your grand design, Zhang Yu?"

Lord Chain Pivot cast his mind back to the past, when Zhang Yu was but a mere Civil Engineering student. Invited to tour the Finance Department, the youth had rejected his recruitment with the absurd question: "Can I enter the Sect?"

"Who could have foreseen that the insignificant Foundation Establishment junior of yesteryear would grow into such a titan in the blink of an eye?"

"Yet, the higher the risk, the greater the reward. Without your chaotic intervention, it wouldn't have been this easy to disrupt Fu Xiantian’s plans, would it?"

He let out a cold sneer, his gaze seemingly piercing through infinite space to fix upon Fu Xiantian, who was currently maintaining the grand formation.

"The disciple of an immortal... Hmph. Now that Zhang Yu has shattered the status quo and the return of the Heavenly Court is imminent, it is time for you to show your hidden trump card."

"Let me see what manner of horror you have prepared for us."

...

Meanwhile, the God of Auspices complained bitterly to the gathering of evil gods, "I told you long ago to keep a close eye on Zhang Yu. If you had only listened to me, would we be facing this disaster? We should have been handling this with elegant composure, yet now we are scrambling in a panicked rush."

The God of Tidings snapped, "Enough, God of Auspices. Though the breaking of the celestial vault was unexpected, the advantage remains firmly ours."

"The Alliance Leader is about to unleash his ultimate technique."

Just as all the evil gods shifted their senses toward the Alliance Leader.

The God of Tidings unfurled the Codex of Evil Gods, that persistent doubt rising once more within his mind.

"God of Fortune... why on earth are you on the side of the Ten Academies?"

With that thought, he activated the Codex, calling out to the Lady of Fortune.

...

Within the Galactic Cosmic Array, an invisible ripple erupted from Fu Xiantian's body, sweeping across the spiritual realm and surging toward the Deity Transformation cultivators of the Ten Academies.

Throughout the recent conflict, though Fu Xiantian had participated in the battlefield, he had consistently held back from direct confrontation, for he had been engrossed in a singular preparation... At this very moment, as his hands rotated like a wheel, he seemed to churn the very samsara of heaven and earth, radiating waves of a mysterious aura.

The next instant, his right hand tightened into a gentle fist, as though grasping something invisible and intangible from the cosmos into his palm.

Suddenly, a bleak wind howled across the world, accompanied by an endless chorus of ferocious roars, agonized shrieks, and wretched wails.

Myriads of pitch-black silhouettes abruptly materialized around him. After a frantic, desperate struggle, they were forcibly dragged into Fu Xiantian's palm, converging toward the center of his grip.

The evil gods observing this spectacle gasped in astonishment.

The God of Auspices murmured, "The Hell Soul-Washing Scripture... The Alliance Leader withheld his full might precisely to commune with the heavenly intent, channel the power of reincarnation, and summon those lost souls within samsara who have yet to be reborn."

"Unleashed in a single strike, he has already summoned tens of millions of the dead."

On the other side, the God of Jubilee sighed, "The Deity Transformation cultivators of the Academies are ignorant of the power of reincarnation; they will be utterly defenseless against this blow. Yet what a pity, what a tragic pity. Had the Alliance Leader been granted just a little more time, this single strike would have utterly crushed them. But the situation has shifted too rapidly due to successive disruptions, leaving him no choice but to strike now."

Even as the evil gods spoke, Fu Xiantian’s intent locked onto each and every cultivator within the grand array.

In the next heartbeat, as he thrust his fist forward with explosive violence, tens of thousands of vengeful souls swarmed forth, vanishing into the atmosphere an instant later.

Outside the array, Perfected Lord Immortal-Slayer seemed to perceive a subtle shift, his gaze suddenly narrowing, "The Hell Soul-Washing Scripture? He is unleashing it now? Should he not have waited until he gathered enough dead souls of the Deity Transformation stage to wipe out both sides in one fell swoop?"

Yet in the very next second, understanding dawned upon him, and he sighed inwardly, "It was that beast Zhang Yu who ruined the grand plan."

Simultaneously, the fighting Lord Vile Lotus froze, suddenly sensing something burrowing into his physical form from the spiritual realm.

A foreign, unfamiliar memory abruptly erupted within his consciousness.

"I... I am Li Wuxiu? I am a vocational student?"

But before he could digest this intrusion, another memory surged into his mind—this time, he was a laborer who had spent years in toil, only to be consumed by malevolent energy in the end.

Shard after shard of alien memories detonated frantically within Lord Vile Lotus’s sea of consciousness.

At this moment, he felt as though he were simultaneously a Qi Condensation junior, a Foundation Establishment disciple, a Golden Core master, a Nascent Soul expert, and a Deity Transformation titan. He was human, he was of demon descent, and he was a wild beast...

Hundreds and thousands of contradictory, conflicting identities, memories, and perceptions exploded within his mind, sweeping through every corner of his thoughts like a tempest.

If it were merely the memories of one or two impoverished souls, it would mean nothing to the vast span of Lord Vile Lotus's long existence.

But now, hundreds and thousands of such memories exploded inside him simultaneously, an overwhelming tsunami that completely drowned his consciousness.

This was precisely the terrifying power of the level 50 Hell Soul-Washing Scripture, which forced tens of thousands of un-reincarnated souls to take rebirth directly within Lord Vile Lotus, splintering his consciousness into tens of thousands of fragmented pieces.

With a horrific shriek, Lord Vile Lotus's cultivation spiraled out of control, his combat strength plummeting in an instant.

He was not alone; at that moment, over half of the Deity Transformation cultivators in the Ten Academies' camp fell victim to the insidious strike of the Hell Soul-Washing Scripture, their powers severely diminished as they fell back in chaotic retreat.

"Vile Lotus!" Lord Magnetic Pole called out frantically through the spiritual realm, "What are you all doing?"

Yet the only responses he received were the incoherent ravings of Lord Vile Lotus, who muttered one moment about unpaid loans and the next about failing his university entrance exams...

Witnessing the collapsing front line, Lord Magnetic Pole and Lord Green Wood were forced to step into the vanguard, commanding the forces while desperately attempting to stabilize the situation.

Yet in the blink of an eye, two Deity Transformation cultivators from the Ten Academies fell in rapid succession, reducing their number to thirty-two and further compounding their disadvantage.

"Hold the line, everyone!" Lord Magnetic Pole's roar reverberated through the spiritual realm, echoing in the ears of every cultivator, "Follow my command and rally to me!"

"The forces outside have begun assaulting the nodes of the formation. As long as we hold out until the array breaks, we can retreat..."

While directing the Deity Transformation battlefield, Lord Magnetic Pole simultaneously dispatched a flurry of array-breaking orders to the world outside.

At this moment, the numerous Nascent Soul Perfected Lords of the Ten Academies who had successively reached the fifth tier received their instructions.

"Heavenly Slayer, move thirty degrees northeast, travel twelve hundred kilometers, locate the formation node, and destroy it."

"Stringed Melody, proceed to these coordinates..."

As the orders were issued one after another, the Nascent Soul experts of every academy sprang into motion, acting like ancient dragons baring their fangs and claws to tear into the various nodes of the grand array.

But the Righteous Qi Alliance on the opposing side would hardly allow the Academies to dismantle their formation unimpeded.

Fu Xiantian likewise commanded his own Nascent Soul forces, ordering them to defend the nodes at all costs and hold the line until victory was secured in the higher skies.

And besides that...

"Taihao, take your men and slaughter every single high school, vocational, and low-tier student who has climbed up here."

Fu Xiantian’s gaze seemed to span thousands of miles, falling upon that host of the destitute who had pierced the vault of heaven and only recently surged into the fifth layer.

As Operation Heaven-Breaker proceeded smoothly, a vast multitude of low-level cultivators invoked the Ethereal Cloud Treasury, breached the firmament, and rushed into the fifth tier, their numbers swelling within a mere breath from hundreds of thousands to millions, tens of millions, and even into the hundreds of millions.

Furthermore, their ranks continued to expand, erupting upward like a volcanic deluge.

Faced with this situation, although Zhang Yu had long since issued a notice urging them to retreat quickly, the crush of a hundred million people jostling together—some surging upward, others plunging downward, like a clogged drain—meant that swift dispersal and evacuation were by no means easily achieved.

For the Divinity Transformation cultivators of the two great camps, a span of dozens of seconds or a few minutes was perhaps ample time to complete high-speed communications and a succession of lightning-fast engagements.

But for the sluggish Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment cultivators, this brief window was far, far too short.

Thus, when Fu Xiantian issued his command, over a hundred million of the impoverished remained gathered upon the earth of the fifth layer of Kunxu.

And True Lord Taihao, hearing Fu Xiantian’s order, also froze slightly: "Kill... them all?"

As a cultivator who had originally hailed from the finance department of Netherworld University and who had meticulously cultivated the Miraculous Canon of Lineage Transmutation, True Lord Taihao naturally understood what this signified.

He thought to himself, "This is a population of a hundred million; to slaughter them all... how great a loss would that be? It will cause a labor shortage and trigger economic turmoil, will it not?"

"Moreover, once we defeat the ten great academies and rule tiers two through five, we will still have need of these impoverished ghosts."

In True Lord Taihao's view, this command was an even grander gesture than Zhang Yu’s squandering of wealth, consuming far more than that sky full of red envelopes, yet yielding no conceivable benefit.

Therefore, regarding Fu Xiantian’s command, True Lord Taihao could be said to be utterly perplexed, and thus could not help but ask, "Alliance Leader, a hundred million people... all of them killed?"

Fu Xiantian’s ice-cold voice came drifting across from the Spiritual Realm: "Do I need to command you a second time?"

Just then, True Lord Zhanxian, who was likewise within the combat transmission group, spoke up: "Master, let me go."

True Lord Zhanxian understood that by slaughtering these poor souls and relying on this harvest of fresh undead spirits, he could help Fu Xiantian rapidly accumulate the power of the Scripture of Soul-Washing in Hell.

He thought to himself, "Furthermore, if these poor wretches are allowed to return, they will only serve as a boon to the ten schools, helping the ten schools' Divinity Transformation cultivators continue production and dragging out the progress of the Divinity Transformation war."

"Besides, the Heavenly Court could descend at any moment; killing them earlier also makes it convenient to reincarnate them into the new world at a moment's notice."

"Zhang Yu..." He looked toward the direction where the population of a hundred million converged, thinking silently, "Though you were able to incite these hundred million to break through the vault of heaven, you have also delivered a bounty of military provisions right before us. Did you calculate this as well?"

Fearing that True Lord Taihao did not comprehend Fu Xiantian's intent and would not exert his full effort in the operation, True Lord Zhanxian had proactively volunteered.

Yet, facing True Lord Zhanxian’s offer, Fu Xiantian merely said faintly, "Zhanxian, fulfill your own task, guard the nodes of the great array, and let no one affect this battle."

"Taihao, leave not a single soul alive. Do you understand?"

"Otherwise, what I am able to bestow upon you, I can also strip away."

"If you still acknowledge me as your foster father, do as I say."

Feeling that aura of coercion from Fu Xiantian that swept across from the Spiritual Realm across the void, True Lord Taihao accepted the command: "I understand."

Thus, in the next instant, True Lord Taihao, leading True Lord Liujin and True Lord Huanqie along with a total of twenty-one Nascent Soul True Lords, charged toward that hundred million destitute like tigers descending upon a flock of sheep.

Though a population of a hundred million appeared vast, True Lord Taihao was confident that, by virtue of their Nascent Soul cultivation, it would suffice to completely vaporize these impoverished ghosts within a short span of time.

The side of the ten schools quickly detected the abnormal movement of the Righteous Qi Alliance, but whether it was the Divinity Transformation Sovereigns like Ciji or the Nascent Soul True Lords like Tiansha, none anticipated True Lord Taihao’s true objective.

After all, in their hearts, the low-level cultivators were also important school assets; the deaths of dozens or hundreds mattered little, but who could be so utterly insane as to wish to slaughter a hundred million people?

Though they knew not what the enemy's purpose was, acting on the principle of obstructing the adversary, Sovereign Ciji nonetheless dispatched over a dozen Nascent Souls led by True Lord Tianzhang to intercept True Lord Taihao and his cohorts.

Faced with the ten schools' Nascent Souls who came to obstruct him, True Lord Taihao formed a Daoist incantation with his hands, and four spatial barriers violently unfolded within the atmosphere, composing a magnificent grand avenue that blocked round after round of attacks while leading directly toward the target location.

Feeling the surging cultivation of the Ultimate Barriers of the Ethereal Three Realms and Ten Directions coursing and operating within his body, a glint of excitement flashed through True Lord Taihao's eyes.

"The destiny of an immortal's disciple is indeed extraordinary."

"With the blessing of such destiny, I can even break through the bottleneck of the Miraculous Canon of Lineage Transmutation..."

Gazing at the Nascent Soul cultivators barred outside the spatial barriers, True Lord Taihao pressed his palms together and already knelt toward his opponents like a flash of lightning.

Accompanying this act of kneeling, several Nascent Soul cultivators cried out in alarm, one after another discovering that their own cultivation was actually draining away rapidly.

True Lord Tianzhang retreated violently, exclaiming in shock, "It is the Miraculous Canon of Lineage Transmutation!"

"How can he kneel to several of us consecutively?"

"Not good, do not stand directly in front of him!"

One beheld True Lord Taihao employing the Ultimate Barriers of the Ethereal Three Realms and Ten Directions with one hand and the Miraculous Canon of Lineage Transmutation with the other, taking a step and a kneel, a kneel and a step; wherever he passed, none dared to block his path, and in the blink of an eye, he was about to arrive above the throng of low-level cultivators.

And seeing the subsequent movements of True Lord Taihao and his companions, True Lord Tianzhang was also astonished in his heart: "They have come to kill these poor ghosts?"

True Lord Tianzhang and the others had never imagined in their wildest dreams that True Lord Taihao and his group would launch a sudden assault all this way—a grand contingent of Nascent Soul True Lords—solely to run over and slaughter these high school and junior college lower-tier students.

Of course, what they could imagine even less was that True Lord Taihao and his group intended to kill not hundreds or thousands, but every single destitute soul present on the field.

At this moment, cowed on one hand by the threat of the Miraculous Canon of Lineage Transmutation, and feeling on the other hand that the deaths of a few junior college students amounted to nothing, True Lord Tianzhang and his companions did not strike to intervene; instead, they even thought to wait until True Lord Taihao made his move before searching for a flaw to launch an attack.

On the earth below, Chang Buxiu looked toward the sky, yet could discern nothing clearly.

The power of more than twenty Nascent Soul cultivators was simply too vast, already far exceeding the scope of what he could perceive and observe.

He merely felt as though more than twenty suns were gradually descending from the heavens, that soul-stirring power shaking his magical force so violently that it was difficult to even circulate.

Those strands of unprecedented, terrifying coercion bore down even more like an array of mountains, crushing him so that his strength could not be exerted, crushing his heart to ash, crushing him until he was unable to move.

Beholding the junior college students collapsed in a blanket all around him, despair arose within Chang Buxiu's heart: "Are we going to die?"

At this moment, a trace of regret suddenly surfaced within his mind.

"Why on earth did we run into the battlefield?"

"Whether it is a Divinity Transformation grand war or a Nascent Soul grand war, is that an affair for us to join in the excitement?"

He recalled the countless stories, videos, and movies of the past, images where Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment cultivators were crushed like weeds.

"This battlefield is fundamentally not a place where we should have come."

"Nor will anyone care about us."

"Still less will anyone protect us... we are merely weeds..."

Just at this moment of despair within Chang Buxiu's heart, a figure suddenly shattered the atmosphere, wrapped in a fierce wind, and arrived before them.

Zhang Yu looked at the True Lord Taihao before him and said coldly, "Fond of kneeling?"

In the next instant, as he pressed his palms together, the light radiating from the twenty-odd Nascent Souls vanished in a flash.

"Then kneel for a lifetime."

(End of Chapter)