Chapter 541: Reckoning

As Zhang Yu’s EyeNet reconnected to the Spiritual Realm, familiar data streams flooded his vision once more, and he finally let out a long sigh of relief.

Having grown so accustomed to relying on the EyeNet, he had found it unbearable to be cut off—blind, unable to contact anyone or access information at will.

With the restoration of the Spiritual Realm, order began to return to University City. Zhang Yu’s first sight was of divine light sweeping across the skies.

Never before had he seen so many Righteous Gods appearing at once, their efficiency almost terrifying as they descended upon every layer of the city.

From time to time, he saw figures disintegrate under divine power, their souls being extracted in the process.

Witnessing this, Zhang Yu’s heart tightened. “So it’s begun—the reckoning.”

He understood that in the aftermath of the Spiritual Realm collapse, the upper echelons of Wanfa University and the Righteous Gods would inevitably conduct a thorough purge.

Once surveillance cameras reconnected to the Realm, all recorded footage would surely be reviewed.

Many people must have been tempted or manipulated by the Demon Sect during the chaos; those cases would certainly become a key focus of the university’s investigation.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Plenty of people must’ve secretly recorded videos using their EyeNet. Now they’ll all be rushing to report others.”

And beyond that, there were countless logistical issues—repairs to University City, insurance for property damage, disputes and lawsuits from the chaos… Just thinking about it made Zhang Yu realize how chaotic the university would be in the coming days.

Then, a flood of notifications appeared before his eyes—official documents from the Righteous Gods:

“Learn Anti-Demon Knowledge Today!”

“Why We Stand Against the Demon Sect.”

“A Deep Analysis of the Evil Nature of the Feathering Sect.”

“Righteousness Endures, Demons Cannot Last: A Reexamination of the Social Scourge Known as the Jobless Cult.”

“The Dangers of Idleness.”

Reading through these, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but think, “They’re… really in a hurry.”

Just then, a shaft of divine light fell from above. Like a sweeping wall, it expanded outward, scanning through the crowd.

Wherever the divine light passed, some people remained unaffected, while others triggered alarms—golden hands materializing to pin them down.

Zhang Yu tensed slightly, though he knew fleeing was pointless. He braced himself for the scan.

As the light swept across his body, a prompt appeared in his EyeNet, asking if he was willing to undergo inspection by the Righteous Gods.

Of course, Zhang Yu accepted. His injuries had already been treated, his EyeNet contained nothing incriminating, and all materials from the Demon Sect had long been erased.

Nearby, Yu Xinghan, Le Mulan, and the others were similarly prepared; even Xiao Qingxuan had regurgitated his External Core and reverted to Foundation Establishment.

Moments later, the light faded from Zhang Yu’s body.

“Whew…” He exhaled, thinking, “That should be the basic inspection. Maybe they’ll question me later, but we’re not key suspects. It should be just procedure.”

As the Spiritual Realm stabilized, countless delayed messages began to pour into his EyeNet.

Mo Shangjin: “You in the dorm?”

Zhang Pianpian: “Contact me, the Realm’s back!”

Zhao Tianxing: “Why did everyone go offline?”

Ying Xin’s Grandfather: “Can you see this? Is something wrong with Wanfa’s Realm?”

Many were from Soul Cultivators working with him—after the Realm collapse, it had seemed as though the entire university had vanished from existence.

For people like Zhao Tianxing, Che Yufei, and Hu Yuntao—already struggling through financial crises—nothing was more terrifying than waking up to see their boss’s icon turn gray.

They’d feared Zhang Yu was dead and their company finished.

So when he came back online, a flood of relieved messages arrived.

True Lord Magneto: “Come to the lab. We’ll talk in person.”

Director Gao: “Go find your teacher immediately.”

Zhao Tianxing: “Boss Zhang, you okay?”

Ye Xingli (Poor People Simulator): “Junior brother, you’re alive!”

After replying to the most urgent ones, Zhang Yu went straight to the lab.

But as soon as he entered True Lord Magneto’s office, darkness fell—and the projection of the Jobless Elder materialized, grinning. “Magneto, this your new disciple?”

Zhang Yu froze.

Beside him, True Lord Magneto said calmly, “Zhang Yu, this is the man I invited to initiate you into the Sect.”

Zhang Yu’s face went pale. “Teacher, that’s impossible! You can’t join the Demon Sect!”

True Lord Magneto urged him repeatedly, but Zhang Yu refused again and again, trembling in panic. Finally, she dismissed the projection and said faintly, “You’re not stupid. Good.”

Zhang Yu let out a shaky laugh of relief. “Teacher, that was a test, wasn’t it? You scared me half to death.”

Inwardly, he thought, “Luckily… from what I’ve learned from the Evil Gods, Teacher isn’t part of the Demon Sect.”

That was why, after the initial shock, he realized Magneto was testing his loyalty.

True Lord Magneto regarded him seriously. “The two major Demon Sects caused chaos in University City. Heaven knows how many were corrupted. The higher-ups are determined to investigate. Someone will question you soon.”

“If you’ve got anything to confess, tell me now. I’ll help you handle it.”

“I don’t want to hear about your problems from someone else’s report.”

Feeling her sharp gaze, Zhang Yu straightened. “Teacher, I swear—I never joined the Demon Sect.”

“When the Realm collapsed, I went to the office area with Mo Shangjin and the others. Then a Golden Core-level battle broke out and scattered us. I hid with my classmates until the Realm came back online…”

After listening, True Lord Magneto smiled faintly and ruffled his hair. “Good. That’s all I wanted to hear.”

“Zhang Yu, it’s not that I don’t trust you, but the Demon Sect is cunning and excels at manipulation. I just worry you might have been deceived.”

“Remember, I’m your teacher. Whatever happens, you can tell me, and I’ll protect you. But if the Righteous Gods find something first, even I won’t be able to save you.”

Zhang Yu nodded earnestly, though inside he thought, “For normal matters, she’d definitely shield me—but if she knew the truth about the Evil Gods, there’s no telling how she’d react.”

Meanwhile, Magneto recalled the recent chaos. “Those Demon Sect infiltrators probed our lab, attacked both me and Tianzhang, and then targeted the Research Division.”

“Clearly, they’re after the Nascent Soul Law Husk experiment.”

That suspicion naturally led her to Zhang Yu—the experimental subject. Had he encountered the Demon Sect directly?

Magneto would need to question every subordinate to ensure none carried hidden corruption that might later endanger her path to divine ascension.

Just then, she frowned at a message in her EyeNet.

Zhang Yu asked, “Teacher? What happened?”

She sneered. “Remember that researcher Feng Yuhan?”

When Zhang Yu nodded, she said, “During the Demon Sect siege, he fought off their forces single-handedly and protected much of the university’s property. He’s now being hailed as a hero.”

Zhang Yu’s mind stirred. “So the Evil Gods did send people after him, based on Fu Ji’s intel…”

“But was he really battling the Demon Sect—or was he already compromised, staging a performance?”

“I’ll need to check next time I visit the Dark Spirit Realm.”

After Zhang Yu left, Director Gao messaged Magneto.

Director Gao: “Everything okay?”

True Lord Magneto: “So far, yes. Still watching.”

Director Gao: “Sigh… after this chaos, everyone’s paranoid. Who knows how many are under the Demon Sect’s influence?”

True Lord Magneto: “I fear that long before this, some Nascent Soul cultivators had already allied with them.”

Director Gao: “Nascent Soul-level traitors?”

True Lord Magneto: “Indeed. The Demon Sect’s divine-tech methods are formidable—they even mobilized two Divine Lords. But even so, hijacking the Spiritual Realm this easily couldn’t have happened without inside help.”

Director Gao: “Any suspects?”

True Lord Magneto: “Too soon to tell. Just stay cautious.”

Director Gao sighed softly. Somewhere in the dark corners of University City, an unseen figure was already plotting.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yu underwent his official questioning by the Righteous Gods.

As his consciousness entered the depths of the Spiritual Realm, he calmly answered their inquiries one by one.

Just as he predicted, he wasn’t a primary suspect. The interrogation ended quickly.

Yu Xinghan, Shi Huaiyu, Le Mulan, Xiao Qingxuan, and the rest all stuck to the same story—they had hidden together until the incident ended—and they were cleared as well.

When their ordeal finally passed, all seven exhaled in relief.

Mo Shangjin, however, who had been kidnapped by a Demon Sect Golden Core but returned unharmed, became a target of close surveillance.

Su Yanyang, who had spent the entire crisis sleeping in a graveyard, was suspected of corruption and sent to a reeducation class for “Anti-Demon Retraining.”

By nightfall, new rankings were released—and Zhang Yu was surprised to find his department rank had risen to thirty-eighth.

“Someone ahead of me in the Artifact Refinement Department… got caught? Or died?” he wondered.

All across University City, students who survived the calamity saw their rankings improve slightly—as if, after this ordeal, the path of immortality had grown just a little wider for them all.

Meanwhile, as Wanfa University cleaned up its ruins, the Top Ten League on the other side was reaching its grand finale.