The decade after the suppression of Senior Immortal Canglan was the most glorious decade of the Union of Ten Thousand Immortals. After the Earth Immortals fully subordinated themselves to the Union of Ten Thousand Immortals, the power of the Immortal Cultivation World became highly centralized. The Union of Ten Thousand Immortals took charge of everything and everyone in the world, including life and death in the Immortal Cultivation World.
No wonder some people said with a sigh that this was the best decade, but also the worst decade. The Immortal Cultivation World had never been this prosperous, the overall cultivation of the cultivators had been advancing by leaps and bounds, and the production of magical weapons had been doubled… However, all of these came at a price. Every move of the sect was controlled by people, and its independence was suppressed to an intolerable situation. Many of the elite disciples who were regarded as hope for the future were directly transferred by the Union of Ten Thousand Immortals and joined other organizations. Even the leadership of the sect would be transferred by the Union of Ten Thousand Immortals. And some weak sects often got strong personnel support–It was just that, the powerful personnel came out of thin air and often accompanied by the weakening of the original power.
The Immortal Cultivation World was subjected to such a strong turbulence that the voice of opposition naturally needed not be repeated. However this system was still carried out forcefully. In the final analysis, this lied in these two words: Wartime system.
Ten years ago, the invincible tyrannical strength of Senior Immortal Canglan was not a secret in the high level circles of the Union of Ten Thousand Immortals. To think that such enemies would appear in the future in the hundreds and hundreds and each of them would be in the complete state… Even if the Nine Regions had done too much, it could not never be too extreme. According to Wang Lu, the planned economy under this wartime system as a short-term stimulant was beyond doubt.
Of course, the side effects were also beyond doubt. Especially when he himself had to spend a lot of energy to improve the synchronization rate of the giant Divine Weapon and made copies of the firecores, the management of the Union of Ten Thousand Immortals could only rely more on the Heavenly Sage Hall. However, not all the elders of Heavenly Sage Hall could keep up with Wang Lu’s thinking. They often acted in a rigid way, and their orders were often out of shape. Sometimes Wang Lu had the time to correct it, but sometimes he was entangled with Senior Gem Emperor for a few days of special training, and the decree had been issued, and it was not easy to withdraw at will. So mistakes were bound to happen. With the size of Nine Regions, the Union of Ten Thousand Immortals had to deal with a large number of public affairs after its highly centralized power. So it was indeed impossible to examine them all.
This time, however, when Wang Lu saw the report presented by his subordinate, he really didn’t know whether to laugh or cry..
“Report on strengthening the construction of spiritual civilization in the Union of Ten Thousand Immortals? Let me see, tsk, strengthen cultural control and create a harmonious and upward cultural atmosphere, crack down on all kinds of negative culture and purify the cultural environment… What kind of garbage thing is this?”
When he heard of Wang Lu’s very impolite words, Hai Yunfan shook his head and helplessly said, “It’s Supreme Zhuri.”
“Tsk, it’s really him.” Wang Lu sneered. “After living for hundreds of years, has his brain turned into fossil?”
Cold sweat appeared behind Hai Yunfan’s back when he heard this. In the present day Nine Regions, there were only a few people who dared to be so unkind to the few top level Supremes, and Wang Lu was undoubtedly the most impolite one among them.
When Wang Lu was only a Jindan Stage cultivator, he was already the chief planner of the organizing committee. With the full support of Daoist Hetu, he was basically out of control. And now that he was truly the number one person in Nine Regions, of course he was not afraid to do things. Even Daoist Hetu could not stop him.
Naturally, Wang Lu was not unreasonable. As long as one was willing to communicate with him seriously and persuade him to agree, he would give in and compromise. However, there were not many people who dared to talk in front of him and tried to persuade him.
Of course, Hai Yunfan was always one of those few.
“Although Supreme Zhuri’s thinking is a bit rigid, I think what he did is right this time. It is indeed necessary to strengthen ideological control under the wartime system. In the past, when you were in the City of Immortals, didn’t you do the same as this?”
“Little Hai, how can you compare me with Zhuri?” Wang Lu closed his eyes and shook his head. “It is indeed not wrong to strengthen ideological control. What is wrong is the use of poor methods and thus make people feel disgusted and then backfired. What did I do when I was in the City of Immortals? Could Zhuri really copy it? With his means and intelligence? What’s more, the most important problem is that in the Grand Competition, the opponents were clear and visible in front of everyone, those Earth Immortals competed with us everyday. There, we could use the victory again and again to stimulate everyone and let them forget their unhappiness. But now, can you catch me a living Fallen Immortal to increase my honor? The one in the memorial hall has almost been ruined by me. No matter how I humiliate him, the public will not get more stimulation. So tell me, what should I do to make people forget the inconveniences of the wartime system?”
Hai Yunfan was silent for a moment, and then said, “Although the current management mode is indeed crude and inflexible, it is undeniable that the efficiency of Nine Regions Immortal Cultivation World has been doubled and everyone has benefited from it.
“The problem is that the wartime system has been in effect for nearly ten years. Everyone has adapted to this efficiency and taken all the benefits for granted. Yet, it is still not enough to persuade the people to accept the wartime system.”
“… I understand.”
Wang Lu said, “Do you? Now what we need most is the blooming of all kinds of culture. We must strengthen the role of entertainment and let the cultural field become the channel for people to let out the steam. But Supreme Zhuri is basically acting in a way that defeats the purpose!”
“So, do we need to issue a new decree?”
“Forget it, it would only further damage the prestige of the Union of Ten Thousand Immortals. Just let this matter go. Tell Zhuri to quickly halt it as soon as possible, let the spiritual culture thing be. Then set to right things which have been thrown into disorder, restored all of those seized things, and also, quickly stop that something called Nine Regions dream theme activities… Right now I can’t attend to the specific affairs of the Union of Ten Thousand Immortals. Tell them that I prefer some things to be delayed than being done by others and cause outrages. Otherwise, wait till I have free hands, I don’t mind crushing counter-revolutionaries.
Wang Lu said it indifferently, but Hai Yunfan could hear the savageness within it… After ten years, Wang Lu was no longer the original Wang Lu. Although he was still warm and generous to his friends, he no longer bothered with trifles but only the heavy dignity. The number one person in Nine Regions was indeed no joke.
Wang Lu asked, “What else happened recently besides this?”
Hai Yunfan thought for a while and was about to report something. But then he quickly changed his mind. “No, it’s not a big deal. How about you? Are you going to be busy?”
“According to Canglan’s confession, I’m afraid there’s a Fallen Immortal who has been hiding in Nine Regions for ten years. Do you think I will be busy?”
“What?”
“Shush, don’t be loud. This matter is currently still a top secret. There are no more than ten people who know about it–Well, there should be less than twenty if the secretaries and the others are also counted. I don’t know why that person has been hiding for ten years without doing anything, but I can’t let this matter go.”
Hai Yunfan was worried. “How sure are you?”
“If we gather all the forces in our hands to encircle and suppress that Fallen Immortal, I am ninety percent sure that we can win. But the problem is, we can’t find that person’s position. The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light, how many percent chance of victory do you think I can be sure of? So I need to investigate it, but not in a big way so as not to alert the enemy.”
“Do you need any cooperation from this side?”
“Not giving me trouble is already a blessing. If I were to see this kind of report again, I would have to put down the Fallen Immortal problem and come back to rectify the management team of the Union of Ten Thousand Immortals.”
——
At the same time, in a certain Immortal Cultivation Sect in the Central Region, a young looking and beautiful Sect Leader was looking at the golden paper in her hand with confusion.
“What does this mean?”
“Report Sect Leader, this is a notice issued by the Union of Ten Thousand Immortals not long ago, asking all the major sects to do a good job in the construction of spiritual civilization. There are many specific requirements in it, but I have already drawn out the more important ones for you.”
The Sect Leader shook her head and said, “No-no-no. I’m not interested in how the bureaucrats of the Union of Ten Thousand Immortals are going to waste manpower and resources. Just pretend that we have done what they want us to do and then write a report and submit it. What I care about is my question has not been answered. Tell me, why is my favorite magazine novel suddenly gone? Didn’t I say to buy it as soon as it is released and put it in my room?”
The subordinate was silent for a moment and then said, “The magazine has been discontinued.”
“Discontinued?” The Sect Leader opened her eyes widely in bewilderment and asked, “Why? Isn’t the sales very good? People who like to read novels will basically buy it!”
“Because… The Union of Ten Thousand Immortals said that the theme of the magazine did not meet the requirements of the construction of spiritual civilization so it was discontinued, killing it to set an example for the others.”
“What?”
The young Sect Leader was rooted on the spot and couldn’t say a word for a long time.
The cultivator who stood in front of her who served as the secretary of the Sect Leader could understand the blow of this news toward the Sect Leader.
This Sect Leader was a really strange person. She had a cute and lovely name: Xia Xiaohe (Translator note: Xiaohe = Small Lotus; Xia = Summer). She was originally a loose cultivator in the Central Region. Ten years ago she met the former Sect Leader while traveling. Because of the same interest, she was invited into the sect as a guest Elder. One year later, the former Sect Leader died of an accident and passed the position of the Sect Leader to her.
After she took over the sect, she did not carry out any drastic reform but just preserved the works of the previous Sect Leader. It was not that she had limited talent—As a matter of fact, before this person’s cultivation reached one hundred years, she had already achieved Deity Stage, and was much more powerful than the previous Sect Leader. There was something unusual about her personal craving.
According to the popular saying in the Nine Regions, Xia Xiaohe was an incurable otaku girl. She spent most of her nine years as the Sect Leader in her bedroom reading novels, listening to music, and playing games. She completely indulged herself and got carried away in enjoying the booming entertainment culture of the Nine Regions. If the former Sect Leader didn’t leave behind an arrangement in the form of an executive management team, perhaps the sect would’ve suffered a decline.
For such a serious otaku to have her favorite magazine novel discontinued, one could imagine the blow that she must have suffered…
For a sect to have this kind of otaku Sect Leader, naturally there were dissenting voices. However, no matter how much silent criticism spoken out by the people below, for a low rank sect, her Deity Stage cultivation base was enough to make up for all her shortcomings.
It was just that… If Xia Xiaohe could get rid of these bad habits, that would of course be better. The ban from the Union of Ten Thousand Immortals had drawn a lot of criticism from all over Nine Regions. However, in view of this sect, it would be of great merit to let the Sect Leader leave her bad habits and began to concentrate on the affairs of the sect.
Therefore, the secretary didn’t try to awake and shock Xia Xiaohe and just secretly looked forward to this time where her favorite serialized novel was discontinued because of the ban from the Union of Ten Thousand Immortals. If this could cause her to repent and assumed her official duties, that would be much better.
The silence went on for some time. After no one knew how much time had passed, Xia Xiaohe finally recovered her reason.
“Well, time indeed flies by really fast.”
The secretary was stunned and didn’t understand what the Sect Leader wanted to express.
“Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye… Alas, visiting to enjoy the pleasures of life is basically the ‘infatuation with fine details prevents one from making progress.’ Now that my favorite novel is gone, I have no choice but to do serious things.”
The secretary was overjoyed, but somehow he felt chill down his spine.