Chapter 540: Zhang Yu’s Little Crime Syndicate

Radiant light swirled around Xiang Shen’s divine body. He gave a cold snort, as though he still wished to argue.

But the many-eyed, many-legged Xi Shen stopped him and asked directly, “What does this have to do with the Research Division?”

Fu Ji replied evenly, “The so-called Research Division is the core administrative authority overseeing all Immortal Dao research projects within Wanfa University.”

“The research on Nascent Soul Law Husks falls under its jurisdiction as well.”

“And Feng Yuhan, as the Division’s director, is also the primary head of that project. You tell me—do you think he’s important?”

“In certain ways, he’s even more critical than Magneto. He can meddle with the project’s funding flow and personnel management. He’s even ordered lab lockdowns before.”

“But at the same time, he’s far easier to deal with than Magneto.”

“Whether you want to control him, force him into the Demon Sect, or convert him into your follower—it’s all much simpler than handling Magneto or Tianzhang.”

“Especially now that the Spiritual Realm is in your hands. As an administrative officer, he’s neither as perceptive as True Lord Tianzhang nor as empowered as before. This is his weakest moment.”

Hearing Fu Ji’s words, the three Evil Gods exchanged rapid thoughts in secret.

“What he says makes sense. Administrative personnel do know more than experimental subjects—and they’re easier to manipulate than Magneto or Tianzhang.”

“This guy’s freely feeding us intelligence. He probably wants to use us to deal with Feng Yuhan.”

“So what if he’s using us? As long as there’s benefit, mutual exploitation is fair trade.”

Just then, Fu Ji’s voice cut through their private conversation.

“Are you done discussing?”

He suddenly stood, slamming both hands on the round table, and glared coldly at the towering figures before him.

“You can deal with Feng Yuhan however you like. I’ll give him to you as a greeting gift.”

“But Wanfa University is my turf. You’ve had your fun. It’s time you left.”

Brilliant divine light flared around Xiang Shen as he stared back, unyielding. “Oh? And what if we refuse?”

“Then don’t blame me,” Fu Ji said coldly. “I’ll report everything here straight to the Righteous Gods—and blow open your little partnership with the Demon Sect.”

“Hmph, some of your followers still carry communication tools, don’t they? I’m sure the Righteous Gods would love to take a look at that tech.”

In an instant, Zhang Yu felt killing intent surge in the air. The three immense figures looked ready to crush him in the next heartbeat.

After a long moment, Xi Shen let out a soft laugh. “God of Fortune, we owe you one this time. We truly didn’t realize Wanfa University already had such a seasoned piece on the board.”

Fu Ji waved his hand dismissively and turned to leave. “Scram.”

“In the future, if it concerns Wanfa University, talk to me directly. Don’t act on your own like today.”

“If you ruin my plans, you’ll regret it.”

At that moment, the three Evil Gods regarded Fu Ji as nothing less than an expert on all things Wanfa.

“How do we contact you?” Xi Shen asked.

Fu Ji’s tone was mild. “You don’t know how to use the meeting room’s summoning function?”

Seeing their silence, Fu Ji smiled faintly, tapped his fingertip, and sent over an encrypted address.

“If anything comes up, send your messages through the Dark Spiritual Realm.”

After that, his figure faded from sight.

As he vanished, Xi Shen’s countless eyes twisted in unison. “Well? Did you trace his origins?”

Xiang Shen’s colorful radiance dimmed as he replied, “I checked—none of the second-layer Evil Gods know him. This guy… with that kind of power and setup, he might be from a higher layer. Tracing him will take time.”

Another Evil God added, “He’s hiding too well. I can’t track him.”

“Then we’ll proceed as discussed,” Xi Shen said calmly. “But we’ll have to factor him into our plans.”

…

Wanfa University, within University City.

Zhang Yu snapped back to reality, realizing his consciousness had returned from the Dark Spiritual Realm to the material world.

Beside him, Fu Ji exhaled deeply. “Damn, those three kept probing my background through the Dark Spiritual Realm. If that dragged on any longer, they might’ve really found something.”

Zhang Yu sent a thought to him. “Why’d you leave so soon? Shouldn’t we have milked them for more intel?”

“Patience,” Fu Ji replied smoothly. “Let the wind blow a little longer.”

“Once they confirm the intel I gave them and finish their operation, the next meeting will go more smoothly.”

“Heh, now that we have this Dark Spiritual Realm meeting room, we’ve got a safe channel to communicate with Evil Gods. We can exchange information—and maybe even trade materials. Those bastards must have plenty of good stuff.”

Their mental conversation took only an instant. Then Zhang Yu looked around at the others.

It seemed as though no time had passed at all, though he and Fu Ji had just spent a long discussion in the Dark Realm.

“Time flows faster there,” Fu Ji explained. “Conversations inside are at high-speed mental exchange rates. What feels long to us is only a blink outside.”

Zhang Yu then noticed something strange about the atmosphere around them. Thinking for a moment, he immediately understood.

Though they’d just fought together to defeat a demonic Golden Core cultivator—and narrowly avoided death or forced conversion into the Demon Sect—each of them had, in the process, exposed one or another of their own crimes, violations, and illegal deeds.

Now that the battle’s tension was gone, what remained was unease.

What if they were discovered?

What if they were exposed?

How much would they have to pay?

Anxiety, fear, guilt—years of repression under Kunxu’s endless laws had carved those instincts deep into their bones.

Zhang Yu fully understood it—after all, even as a half-Kunxu man himself, he felt the same dread gnawing at him.

But someone had to speak. Someone had to hold the group together.

“Everyone,” Zhang Yu said, glancing around. “What happened today stays between the seven of us. No one else can ever know.”

“Before today, maybe we came from different places and earned different kinds of money. But from now on—if we die, we die together. If we go bankrupt, we go bankrupt together.”

“As long as I, Zhang Yu, am still around, none of you will suffer for it.”

Hearing his words, everyone slowly nodded.

Somehow, the same Zhang Yu who had just led them headfirst against a demonic Golden Core cultivator had already won their natural trust.

Seeing their expressions, Zhang Yu relaxed slightly and began assigning tasks.

“Ying Xin, you and Shi Yunxiang clean up the battlefield. Don’t leave a single trace of our fight.”

“Huaiyu, double-check the bodies—make sure no clues remain.”

“Xinghan, go see if Lao Mo’s awake yet. Reattach his Hand Law Husk while you’re at it.”

“Qingxuan, Mulan—you two help me reconnect my arm.”

At Zhang Yu’s calm orders, everyone pushed aside their fear and got to work.

Shi Yunxiang cleaned the battlefield while sneaking glances at his companions, feeling something strange stir in his chest.

For the first time in his life, he had committed a grave crime alongside others—fought to the death against a powerful foe, and trusted his comrades to the end.

It was… exhilarating.

Ying Xin couldn’t quite find the words either. “Joy? Thrill? Excitement?”

Whatever it was, when Zhang Yu entrusted her with such a dangerous task, and she and Shi Yunxiang erased every trace of the scene together, her heart felt strangely alive.

Shi Huaiyu checked every corner where corpses had fallen, filled with the determination not to betray Zhang Yu’s trust—or that of her teammates.

It was free overtime work, yet she felt no fatigue. Instead, her spirit burned with strange excitement.

Fu Ji, watching them, thought silently, “These people… they’ve fought side by side, shared the risk of death and exposure, each holding the others’ secrets. Under Zhang Yu’s leadership, they’ve become a tightly bonded unit.”

“And for now, at least, they’re even enjoying it.”

“This Zhang Yu… he might be a natural cult leader.”

…

While Zhang Yu’s team cleaned up and destroyed all evidence, chaos still swept across University City.

At the Data Center, Feathered Child suppressed the Spiritual Realm with one hand while fending off waves of spellmasters, professors, and Righteous Gods with the other.

Outside the city, streaks of light crisscrossed the sky—Old Jobless One blocking all incoming reinforcements.

At the same time, countless Demon Sect believers stormed the university’s 666th layer and the Research Division offices, sparking brutal clashes.

After the fighting at both locations ended, Old Jobless One and Feathered Child withdrew with their forces.

Some outside Demon Sect followers also retreated on their own.

Those within Wanfa University who had joined the sect, however, stayed behind—embedded as hidden nails for the future.

Some who had merely read the sect’s propaganda and chosen to convert ran amok, looting and fighting. Others, sensing the changing tide, slipped away early, retreating before the storm broke.

And still others, sympathetic but cautious, had only watched from the sidelines.

Wanfa’s cultivators began repairing the Spiritual Realm.

But as the Demon Sect’s retreat unfolded in the background, somewhere away from the main battlefields, unseen by any high-ranking eye—

One lone cultist, fleeing the city, hurled a flaming blast toward a plantation.

“Die, you rich bastards—burn your medicine fields!”

Flames leapt skyward, only to be instantly quenched by sudden rain.

Then, a terrifying pressure descended from above.

An invisible giant hand appeared in everyone’s eyes.

Whether within University City or beyond, within the Spiritual Realm or outside it—everyone saw that colossal hand descend.

In a single motion, the Spiritual Realm Network was restored, and the Righteous Gods returned to their thrones.

Every fleeing Demon Sect cultist’s body and soul were instantly severed.

The University City was once again peaceful, as though the chaos had been a fleeting dream.

But as people stared at the broken limbs, the ruins, and the shattered infrastructure around them, all knew one thing—

Some things would never be the same again.