Chapter 1442 - 870: The Indifferent Zhang Yu, Far-Reaching Impact, Yu Shu Upgrades

When Dugu Ming first met Zhang Yu and delivered the [Blank Law] bestowed by the Ten Thousand Laws Immortal Emperor, something that even made him feel a tinge of jealousy, he realized that Zhang Yu was a talent favored by the Immortal Emperor.

And through subsequent interactions with Zhang Yu, hearing his pledges of loyalty and witnessing his attempts to add the Immortal Emperor as a friend, Dugu Ming confirmed one thing... the other party might be the same type of person as him.

This stirred a sense of competition in Dugu Ming’s heart, even though the opponent was currently just at the Divinity Transformation level.

At this moment, Dugu Ming was like an old cat eyeing a new cat that’s getting all the attention from the owner, plotting to expose the new cat’s mess so the owner would see the real value of the old cat.

So he secretly descended on the Old Graveyard with a determined mind, and his first investigation was into Zhang Yu and the salary changes of those around him.

With a shift in his gaze, rows of salary data surfaced before him.

"No change... no change... no change..."

After a quick scan, Dugu Ming confirmed there were no unusual salary increases for Zhang Yu and his subordinates.

"Oh?"

A flicker of slight surprise crossed Dugu Ming’s mind: "Not even a little increase? These poor souls who climbed up from the Lower Realm held back this long and still didn’t frivolously raise their salaries?"

In fact, Dugu Ming thought that even if Zhang Yu gave himself a 3% or 5% raise, the Immortal Emperor probably wouldn’t mind.

Yet under these circumstances, Zhang Yu did not give himself or his men any raise in salary, which made Dugu Ming regard him even higher.

"This kid... has big plans, that’s the only way he can resist not giving himself a raise."

As the Vice Hall Master of the Heavenly Investigation Hall, Dugu Ming had seen many such scenarios where the cleaner high-ranking sect officers looked, the bigger the things they engaged in privately.

Meanwhile, while Dugu Ming was investigating the salary data, he also observed a special phenomenon.

"Salary transparency?"

Looking at the screenshots with salary data and compositions hovering over Zhang Yu’s head, Dugu Ming checked other individuals as well.

Finding that many sect officers, led by Zhang Yu, including outsourced Cultivators and Soul Cultivators, all publicly displayed their salary situations, even inspiring many in the Netherworld Property Department and Soul Cultivation Company to follow suit.

"This Zhang Yu sure knows how to do publicity."

"This move... the Immortal Emperor should really like it."

Dugu Ming’s eyes narrowed slightly as he felt an even stronger sense of competition from Zhang Yu.

Then Dugu Ming continued to scrutinize the salary list, and with his powerful Ascension Realm cultivation and Vice Hall Master privilege of the Heavenly Investigation Hall, he swiftly went through all the various data.

"Except for the frontline Soul Cultivators, really not one of them got a raise?"

Dugu Ming was surprised by this outcome.

"Good measure! Zhang Yu seems adept at hiding money."

Naturally, Dugu Ming wouldn’t think Zhang Yu didn’t pocket any money, assuming instead that he used a particularly sophisticated method to bypass the salary data.

With capability, favor, and an extraordinary level of corrupt dealings, it increasingly felt like a bigger threat to Dugu Ming.

"No, this time, I must uncover his flaws."

Thus, in the following days, Dugu Ming not only monitored salary data but also tracked Zhang Yu’s asset data and Immortal Coin accounts.

"Not only didn’t the Immortal Coins increase... they even continuously decreased?"

"He bought so many artifact refining materials; is he setting up a production line in the Immortal Cave Heaven?"

"Where’s the money? Where did the funds amassed through unlimited salary control authority go?"

Dugu Ming investigated each and every transaction in Zhang Yu’s account, finding it to be wages, bonuses, or compensation from Xie Lanyin, or rewards from Bu Yingshu, each mentionably clean without a single flaw.

"The money isn’t with him, which means it’s with those under him."

"Hmph... Zhang Yu, you might have no loophole, but can your subordinates be equally flawless?"

So Dugu Ming expanded his investigation, including not only Zhang Yu but also more and more of those under him, putting all their data, information, and records under scrutiny.

His first major target was Zhao Tianxing.

"Zhao Tianxing, Zhang Yu’s chief Soul Cultivator, followed him from the very first layer up into the sect."

"Zhang Yu gave him the position of Divinity Transformation Soul Cultivator... This Zhao Tianxing surely holds many of Zhang Yu’s secrets."

Soon enough, Dugu Ming saw numerous red packet transaction records related to Zhao Tianxing.

"Haha, so that’s how it is, using the Soul Cultivators to divert money? Is this Salary Transfer trick meant to fool me?"

But in the next moment, Dugu Ming scowled upon discovering that the red packets contained records of only 50 cents or 1 yuan each.

"All transferred by the Soul Cultivators to him?"

"Damn it... Soul Cultivators are worthless! Is this the amount of money you use to test a Level 5 Sect Officer, a trusted Divinity Transformation Cultivator?"

But soon, Dugu Ming noticed peculiar money transfers in Zhao Tianxing’s account over the past couple of days, making him suddenly alert: "This is..."

...

Until now, Zhao Tianxing felt as if he was dreaming.

Not only had he climbed into the sect, but he also broke through to the Golden Core Realm, with great prospects of transforming into a Divinity Transformation, becoming an admired figure among many Soul Cultivators in the Old Graveyard.

Yet compared to Zhang Yu, all that seemed trivial.

"Zhang Yu has gained salary control authority; his future is beyond what I can imagine."