Chapter 499

As Mò Shāngjìn was warning everyone, he and Zhāng Yǔ activated the Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power, lifting their companions into the air. They aimed to avoid excessive contact with the demonkin, following the navigation displayed in their visual interfaces as they advanced deeper into Heavenly Demon University.

Even while flying, they couldn't avoid the constant blur of demonkin figures flashing past them. The skyscrapers of Heavenly Demon University were incredibly dense, resembling an impenetrable jungle, with only narrow gaps between buildings allowing passage. Various bizarre insect and rat demonkin, along with other small fiends, occupied many of these spaces, making the dense urban "jungle" even more congested.

Just then, a cloud of blood mist erupted nearby. Zhāng Yǔ looked up to see a bull demon’s body ripped into pieces by dozens of other demons, who then carried off different parts.

"They're killing someone right on the street?" Zhāng Yǔ exclaimed in surprise.

Mò Shāngjìn replied, "Not a person, just an animal." He explained, "The demonkin in Heavenly Demon University's outer districts aren't considered people; they're merely animals bred and kept by the university. Do you think anyone bothers to manage animals killing each other? Heavenly Demon University is too indifferent to continuously manage or register these animals; they merely maintain overall control. If numbers decline, they increase breeding rates. If numbers are too high, they reduce food supply. This is their laboratory, their breeding ground, their raw material source, and their reserve bank of demon resources..."

As they spoke, Zhāng Yǔ and his companions had already crossed from Heavenly Demon University's outer district into its inner zone. To be honest, Zhāng Yǔ felt that, apart from the demonkin being quieter and more orderly, the environment didn't seem much different from the outer district. At the boundary between the inner and outer zones, streaks of divine power swept back and forth, instantly pulverizing any demonkin from the outer district that dared to trespass.

But Zhāng Yǔ quickly frowned, noticing that many of the students here were pregnant.

Mò Shāngjìn, standing nearby, explained, "This is Heavenly Demon University's reproduction tax. Every student at Heavenly Demon University has an annual reproduction quota and must surrender a certain number of their bloodline descendants to the school. I'm not entirely clear on the specifics, but I've heard that, with the exception of those at the God Transformation stage, the higher one's cultivation level, the more offspring they are required to submit. A Nascent Soul True Monarch, for instance, might need to produce dozens each year. However, besides submitting offspring, one can also pay the reproduction tax in cash."

Zhāng Yǔ gasped, asking, "What about the male demonkin then?"

Mò Shāngjìn casually replied, "Heavenly Demon University naturally mastered the technical challenges in that area long ago..."

As they conversed, the group arrived outside a massive stadium. Even before they got close, Zhāng Yǔ could hear the roar of the crowd. From outside, throngs of demonkin students, like surging rivers, pushed their way continuously into the venue.

"So many people?" Zhāng Yǔ asked, surprised. "Do Heavenly Demon University students truly care that much about the civil engineering competition's final?"

Mò Shāngjìn also appeared somewhat surprised. "While Heavenly Demon University's civil engineering department has always been a strong suit, it's unlikely the finals would draw this many spectators. Perhaps something has happened that we're unaware of."

Meanwhile, as Zhāng Yǔ and his group made their way to the arena, deep within an underground chamber of Heavenly Demon University, Xiàng Shān walked step by step along the subterranean passage before him, pressing onward. Before him, majestic pillars emerged, like towering giants holding up the heavens and shaking the earth, supporting the very foundations of Heavenly Demon University.

Xiàng Shān knew that Heavenly Demon University's high density of both demonkin and buildings necessitated extensive underground structures to support the ground. These imposing pillars before him were, in fact, composed of countless ancestors from the Elephant Demon clan. After struggling their entire lives and accumulating massive debts, they ultimately offered their meticulously cultivated bodies. Upon death, they were transformed into foundations, eternally supporting Heavenly Demon University day after day.

"Our people support the entirety of Heavenly Demon University."

Gazing at the pillars before him, and feeling the lingering resentment and overwhelming fighting spirit within each, Xiàng Shān murmured, "Now, it's our turn to break free from the ground and stand on Heavenly Demon University's surface."

Xiàng Shān turned his head, and in his visual interface, saw elephant demons of all sizes appear. Among them was his older brother. As a native demon, his brother had evaded the reproduction tax throughout his three years of high school to focus on his studies. However, in his final year, he was reported, apprehended, and subjected to a tenfold fine. In the single year of his senior high, his brother, desperate to pay the reproduction fine, had borne thirty offspring consecutively, severely depleting his vital essence and preventing him from attending university. Xiàng Shān then looked at his elementary school-aged younger brother, his middle school-aged son, his high school-aged younger sister… Seeing their bulging bellies, his resolve solidified even further.

"The reproduction tax..." His trunk curled inward, and boundless fighting spirit surged in Xiàng Shān's eyes. More figures materialized within his visual interface. These were countless bloodline descendants of the Elephant Demon clan, their figures flickering before him like stars in the sky.

"Ten thousand? A hundred thousand? Or even more?" Xiàng Shān murmured, "Over the years, our clan's elephant demons have continuously submitted bloodline descendants and borne the reproduction tax. How many of our bloodline have been handed over to the school? How many spirit coins are they worth, all combined! We have lost so much!"

Tusks erupted from Xiàng Shān's mouth, his vital essence surged throughout his body, and his frame subtly expanded. "It's time to change all of this," he declared. "I will lead you to break free from these construction sites, to transcend the Civil Engineering Department! I will ensure that neither our race nor our profession can ever restrict us again!"

The spectral figures surrounding him surged one by one into Xiàng Shān's body. These demonkin soul cultivators merged with his Dharma skeleton, becoming as one with him. Simultaneously, Xiàng Shān felt the power of his Dharma skeleton continuously amplify, as vast resources from the spirit realm's computation pools were mobilized. The next moment, he took a resounding step, walking forward.

As Xiàng Shān stepped into the arena with a resonant thud, a roar like a crashing tsunami immediately erupted from the stands. Rat demons, insect demons, cat demons, plant spirits... all the low-status demonkin of Heavenly Demon University cheered from the stands, excitedly rooting for Xiàng Shān. The entire arena, indeed the very ground, seemed to tremble violently with the clamor of the demon crowd. A strong, pungent stench rose into the air, as if infusing the entire sky with demonic energy. Zhāng Yǔ even saw demonkin in the stands so overwhelmed with excitement that they openly defecated, urinated, engaged in dual cultivation, and even gave birth.

Shī Huáiyù, standing next to him, asked in confusion, "What's wrong with these demonkin? Why are they so agitated over one competition?"

Mò Shāngjìn, reviewing data in his visual interface, responded, "Hmm... we might have stumbled into an internal power struggle at Heavenly Demon University. It appears someone at Heavenly Demon University is using this civil engineering competition as a means of reform, aiming to get Xiàng Shān into the school team for the upcoming Top Ten League. This is likely an attempt to address the entrenched issues of racial and professional stratification within the university. Many of the demonkin in the stands might have also been paid to incite the crowd."

Zhāng Yǔ's gaze sharpened. "In that case, Xiàng Shān might be even stronger than we anticipated?"

Mò Shāngjìn nodded gravely. "It's fortunate you helped me delay until this match. If I had revived earlier, the cost would have been too high, and if I were missing any of my Dharma Skeletons, we would surely have lost today." After a moment's thought, Mò Shāngjìn instructed, "I'll engage him head-on. You provide support from the flank, try to strike at his teammates, and distract Xiàng Shān."

Gazing at the Seven Despair Dharma Skeletons adorning Mò Shāngjìn, Zhāng Yǔ nodded in understanding.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the image of True Monarch Heavenly Elephant appeared in Xiàng Shān's visual interface. This True Monarch Heavenly Elephant was none other than the renowned expert professor in civil engineering, the very judge who had supported Zhāng Yǔ in acquiring his military certificate during the civil engineering department's military certificate examination at Myriad Laws University.

True Monarch Heavenly Elephant remarked, "It's regrettable; I never imagined that allowing Zhāng Yǔ to obtain his military certificate back then would result in him becoming your formidable opponent today."

Xiàng Shān calmly replied, "It's fine, Teacher. How can one gain acceptance, or change the situation at Heavenly Demon University, without defeating a truly formidable enemy and demonstrating genuine power and wealth? Defeating Zhāng Yǔ and Mò Shāngjìn will be the ideal achievement and stepping stone for me to transcend the Civil Engineering Department and join the school team."

As they spoke, Xiàng Shān led his numerous teammates to stand before the group from Myriad Laws University. Looking at Zhāng Yǔ and Mò Shāngjìn before him, Xiàng Shān's long trunk was slightly lowered, and his small eyes were as still as an ancient well, filled with profound calm.

"Zhāng Yǔ, Mò Shāngjìn," Xiàng Shān addressed the two. "To have reached this point, you must have poured in countless efforts and spirit coins. Were it not for my presence, you would be the rightful champions of this year's civil engineering competition. However, I apologize, but I absolutely must secure victory in this final match."

Xiàng Shān exhaled, and a thick plume of white vapor, warm with his body heat, surged forth, seemingly causing the surrounding temperature to gradually rise. Xiàng Shān continued, "Once the battle begins, I will unleash my full power. If you wish to avoid heavy casualties, then give it your all, and after a desperate resistance, surrender swiftly."

Having spoken, Xiàng Shān closed his eyes, seemingly no longer concerned with any external information, patiently awaiting the start of the match.

As both teams took their positions, the match officially commenced. Mò Shāngjìn soared into the sky, his Seven Despair Dharma Skeletons activating fiercely. The Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power swept across the arena, and with a thunderous roar, it actually flipped the entire stadium upside down. Contestants, mud, building materials, even the ground itself—all seemed to plummet into an abyss, rapidly hurtling towards the sky.

Amidst this dizzying chaos, a figure tore through the atmosphere, abruptly appearing before Mò Shāngjìn, and delivered a punch. The entire stadium seemed to momentarily freeze.

"Get down."

The next moment, as Xiàng Shān bellowed and his fist connected, the inverted stadium seemed to flip back to its original state. The sky-high mud, materials, and ground plummeted with a deafening crash, falling back to earth from mid-air.