Stealing the Heavens.

Chapter 15 Zi Dong Wants Independence

The formation of the Demon Hunter Corps was ordered by the sect leader of the Cloud Heaven Sect, and all affiliated sects were required to send disciples to join.

Under Zhou Yunting's name, Zi Dong took Zhou Xinyu on a tour of various affiliated sects, recruiting nearly a thousand disciples.

When cultivators join a sect, they must leave behind a soul tablet. For smaller organizations like the Demon Hunter Group, members only need to leave their soul imprint on the leader's token in Zi Dong.

The group leader's token can also be used to send messages, and it can even be sent to groups, essentially creating a WeChat group for easy communication among group members.

However, simply forming a team doesn't guarantee good fortune; having more people is useless. You must complete a task that aligns with the team's mission.

Then, once it reaches a certain scale and has several powerful figures in charge, the Heavenly Dao will bestow some fortune upon it, and Zi Dong will also obtain another Fortune Tree.

The mission of the Demon Hunter Group is naturally to hunt down demon cultivators. The more demon cultivators they kill, the more luck they will gain.

Zi Dong will certainly lead the Demon Hunter team, but this is not his main way of obtaining luck.

The practice of receiving a salary without working has a long history on Earth, and no dynasty has been able to completely eradicate it. It is a good way to steal fortune!
Once the Demon Hunter Group is on track, Zi Dong can recruit a large number of people, simply by holding an empty title, and he can continuously gain luck.

However, this fortune belongs to the Demon Hunter Group, not to Zi Dong personally. It must be given away with a proper reason, otherwise it will be punished by Heaven.

If Zi Dong wants to take over the Demon Hunter Group's fortune, he'll have to find another way: constantly recruiting and firing people.

Just like in the Yuntian Sect, he recruited disciples, and then Feng Qingwu drove them away, so the fortune bestowed by Heaven went to Zi Dong personally.

Zhou Yunting had already instructed the elders of the Weapon Refining Hall to forge tokens and badges for the Demon Hunter Team, featuring a jet-black flying sword amidst blue skies and white clouds.

The white clouds are the symbol of the Cloud Heaven Sect, and the jet-black flying sword indicates that the Cloud Heaven Sect is a ninth-grade sect and possesses ninth-grade fortune.

Zhou Xinyu's deputy leader token has the same function as Zi Dong's leader token, except that it requires Zi Dong's authorization to use, and only each time.

The two returned to Yuntian Peak and immediately went to the summit to pay their respects to Zhou Yunting. The Demon Hunting Team was about to launch its first operation and needed the assistance of the sect elders and deacons.

"Zi Dong, your operation will probably have to be put on hold for now." Zhou Yunting stood in front of the Ziyun Hall, looking at Zi Dong kneeling at the bottom of the steps, and said helplessly.

Zhou Xinyu stood far behind Zi Dong, determined not to kneel before Zhou Yunting. Upon hearing this, before Zi Dong could even ask why, she immediately rushed over to question him:

"Sect Master, this is our Demon Hunter Team's first operation. The sect must give it our full support. How can we postpone it!"

"Feng Qingwu's Demon-Slaying Division has already set off, and Vice Sect Master Feng Yuntian has taken almost all the elders and deacons with him. How can I possibly support you anymore?"

Zhou Yunting had no choice but to reveal the reason: as the sect leader, he couldn't stop such a thing from happening; he could only wait for Feng Qingwu to return before letting the Demon Hunter Team take action.

"Sect Master, what if we asked the elders of the affiliated sects to assist the Demon Hunter Group?" Zi Dong rolled his eyes and immediately thought of a good idea.

"No way!" Zhou Yunting's pale face immediately showed anger as he glared at Zi Dong and shouted sharply.

"Why?!" Zhou Xinyu looked at the furious Zhou Yunting, completely baffled. Was it really necessary to get so angry?
"Ask him!" Zhou Yunting, still furious, pointed at Zi Dong and shouted, making Zhou Xinyu even more puzzled.

"Sect Master, isn't this a last resort?" Zi Dong didn't dare to look up and muttered to himself.

"The Demon Hunter Group must belong to the Cloud Heaven Sect and can never leave!" Zhou Yunting shouted again, then turned and entered the Purple Cloud Hall.

"Zi Dong, isn't the Demon Hunter Group part of the Cloud Heaven Sect? Why is the sect leader so angry?!"

Zhou Xinyu watched the door slam shut with a "bang," then grabbed Zi Dong and asked with even more curiosity, "If the Demon Hunter Team's first operation doesn't involve the assistance of elders from the Yuntian Sect, then it doesn't count as belonging to the Yuntian Sect. If the elders they find belong to several affiliated sects, then the Demon Hunter Team will become an independent organization."

As Zi Dong hurried towards the mountainside, he explained to Zhou Xinyu that he had learned all of this from the jade slips in the Sutra Repository.

"Hehe, there are so many twists and turns!" Zhou Xinyu blinked in surprise, then grabbed Zi Dong's arm.
"Zi Dong, when you established the Demon Hunter Group, did you intend to break away from the Yun Tian Sect, which is why you recruited people from those affiliated sects?"

"Junior Sister Xinyu, do you know how beneficial it is to have a completely independent organization? It can also develop rapidly under the umbrella of the Yuntian Sect!"

Zi Dong excitedly moved closer to Zhou Xinyu, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and began to whisper encouragement.

He wanted Zhou Xinyu to persuade Zhou Yunting to agree, posing as his daughter, so that he could gain more good fortune.

"What are the benefits?!" Zhou Xinyu was also excited by Zi Dong's enthusiasm and moved even closer to him.

"The biggest benefit is that you can gain more luck!" Zi Dong quickly moved away, and the two were already face to face.

"What other benefits are there?" Zhou Xinyu wasn't very interested in luck. No matter how much luck the Demon Hunter Group obtained, it wouldn't be of any use to her, a Void Breaking Realm cultivator.

"If the Demon Hunter Group becomes independent, it will be much easier for the two of us to break through the bottleneck when we improve our cultivation level."

Zi Dong found it strange that Zhou Xinyu wasn't interested in luck, since it could help cultivators quickly improve their cultivation level.

"What other benefits are there?!" Zhou Xinyu frowned, not particularly interested in improving her cultivation level; any further improvement would make her a Celestial Venerable.

"Isn't that enough?!" Zi Dong immediately looked Zhou Xinyu up and down. Luck and bottlenecks were absolutely the most important things for these disciples.

“These are all about cultivation, and I’m not interested in them!” Zhou Xinyu quickly explained, not wanting Zi Dong to become suspicious.

"If the Demon Hunters were an independent organization, we would have a place wherever we go, and could even be on equal footing with the sect leader!"

Zi Dong quickly threw out another bait, not believing that Zhou Xinyu wouldn't be tempted, as it was a symbol of status and position.

"Hmm, this is alright." Zhou Xinyu finally nodded in satisfaction, but continued walking down the mountain.

"Junior Sister Xinyu!" Zi Dong quickly grabbed Zhou Xinyu's arm. "Since it's possible, why aren't you going to the Ziyun Hall yet?"

"What are you going to do at the Purple Cloud Hall?!" Zhou Xinyu was stunned. Her cave was located halfway up the mountain.

"Please persuade the sect leader to agree to our request!" Zi Dong looked defeated by Zhou Xinyu. All he had said was to get her to persuade the sect leader.

"Why does the sect leader disagree?" Zhou Xinyu stood there for a while, scrutinizing Zi Dong, and suddenly asked a crucial question.

"..." Zi Dong was taken aback by the question. Compared to the Yun Tian Sect, the Demon Hunter Group's fortune was insignificant.

"Perhaps it's because of our status and position. If we were to be on equal footing with the sect leader, wouldn't the sect leader lose face?"

“If that’s the reason, then there’s nothing we can do. No matter how we try to persuade the sect leader, he won’t agree!” Zhou Xinyu shook her head helplessly and walked down the mountain again.

Zi Dong stared at Zhou Xinyu's retreating figure without moving, then glanced back at the summit. If he were the sect leader, he would never allow his disciple to sit on equal footing with him.

(End of this chapter)