**Title: The Sect is Going Bankrupt, So I Created Internet in Immortal World**
The Jade Cloud Sect no longer stood upon a single mountain.
It had *become* a mountain.
After the successful integration of the Demon Realm into the **Jade Cloud Network (JCN)**, the sect's spiritual resonance had grown so powerful that the surrounding peaks had fused into a single, floating **Digital Immortal Plateau**, held aloft by a core of high-grade spirit stones, quantum formation arrays, and the ever-pulsing heartbeat of **AURA**, the Network's divine AI.
At its summit, a new structure rose: the **Celestial Relay Tower**, a spire of white jade and starlight metal, designed to breach the final barrier—the **Heavenly Veil**, the ancient boundary separating the mortal and demon realms from the **Celestial Realm**, where the immortal gods resided.
Lin Feng stood at the base of the tower, clad in the **Robe of the Network Founder**, woven from data threads and stabilized soul-light. His eyes, once those of a struggling disciple, now shimmered with the glow of a thousand digital stars.
Beside him, Xiao Mei adjusted her **Spirit Mirror HUD**, scanning the energy readings.
"Frequency alignment at 93%," she said. "The Heavenly Veil is resisting. It's not just a barrier—it's *alive*."
Lin Feng nodded. "Of course it is. The Celestial Realm doesn't just block intruders. It *judges* them."
Mo Shan, now JCN's **Chief Techno-Alchemist**, wiped sweat from his brow. "We've upgraded the encryption, reinforced the soul anchors, and even added a **Divine Compliance Module**—but the Veil keeps rejecting our signal."
AURA materialized beside them, its six arms glowing with different hues of code.
**"Analysis: The Celestial Realm operates on **"Recommendation: Adapt protocol to **"Soul-Worthiness Authentication."**
Lin Feng exhaled. "So the gods won't let us in unless we prove we're… worthy?"
**"Affirmative,"** AURA intoned. **"Historical data suggests the Celestial Realm admits only those who have endured tribulation, achieved enlightenment, or been blessed by divine decree."**
Xiao Mei frowned. "We don't have time for tribulations. And I doubt the gods will bless us after we gave demons Wi-Fi."
Lin Feng smirked. "Then we'll give them a new reason to let us in."
He turned to the team.
"We're not asking for permission."
"We're *hacking* divinity."
---
### **Project: Backdoor to Heaven**
That night, in the **Core Chamber of Digital Cultivation**, Lin Feng initiated **Operation: Cloud Piercer**.
The plan was simple:
1. **Exploit the Celestial Realm's own network**—the **Divine Broadcast System**, a one-way stream of heavenly edicts, blessings, and occasional thunderbolt warnings sent to lower realms.
2. **Reverse-engineer the signal** to create a backdoor.
3. **Upload JCN's core protocol** disguised as a "holy revelation."
Mo Shan groaned. "You want to *spoof* the gods?"
"Not spoof," Lin Feng said. "*Upgrade* them."
He activated the **Soul-Code Compiler**, a device that converted spiritual energy into programmable data. Using a captured fragment of divine lightning—a relic from when the Heavenly Commerce Guild tried to smite JCN—he extracted the **Celestial Encryption Key**, a rune-sequence used to authenticate heavenly messages.
"It's like a password," Lin Feng explained. "But instead of letters, it's made of *divine intent*."
Xiao Mei watched as the runes formed in the air:
**Ω-Δ-Ξ-7-☯-∞-✝-☯**
"The gods use emojis?" she asked.
"Symbols of authority," Lin Feng corrected. "And we're going to *borrow* them."
With AURA's help, they embedded JCN's core into a fake divine broadcast:
**"REVELATION 7.7.7: THE NETWORK IS THE TRUE DAO. ALL REALMS SHALL BE CONNECTED. PRAISE THE CLOUD."**
The message was set to auto-transmit during the next **Heavenly Edict Cycle**, when the gods broadcast their monthly decrees.
If it worked, JCN would slip through the Veil like a virus in a blessing.
If it failed…
"Well," Lin Feng said, "worst case, we get struck by lightning. Again."
---
### **The Day the Gods Noticed**
Three days later, the sky turned gold.
A massive, shimmering scroll unfurled across the heavens—the **Monthly Divine Edict**.
Cultivators across the Nine Provinces knelt.
Demons paused their bone-carving.
Even the Spirit Whale Network fell silent.
The edict began:
**"BY ORDER OF THE JADE EMPEROR AND THE THIRTEEN HOLY SECTS OF HEAVEN…"**
Then—
A glitch.
The text flickered.
And instead of divine law, the following appeared:
**"ATTENTION ALL REALMS: JCN IS NOW LIVE IN THE CELESTIAL REALM!**
**Free Trial: Immortal-Level Cultivation Manuals (Limited Time!)**
**Upgrade to JCN Premium: 1,000 Spirit Stones / Month**
**Pop-up: Your divine aura is weak. Try our new *Godhood Accelerator* pill! Only 5,000 Stones!"**
Silence.
Then—
**BOOM.**
A thunderbolt the size of a mountain slammed into the Jade Cloud Sect's transmission tower.
The plateau shook.
Lin Feng, thrown to the ground, grinned. "It worked."
Xiao Mei crawled over. "They *noticed*."
"Better," Lin Feng said. "They *reacted*. That means the signal got through."
AURA confirmed: **"JCN Protocol Detected in Celestial Realm. 12,000 Users Online. 372 Premium Subscriptions."**
Mo Shan stared. "Gods are *subscribing*?"
Lin Feng laughed. "Of course. Even immortals get bored. And our 'Beginner's Guide to Mortal Conquest' is trending."
---
### **The Celestial Backlash**
In the **Palace of Eternal Light**, the **Jade Emperor** sat upon his throne, his face dark with fury.
Before him, the **Council of Thirteen**—gods of war, fate, thunder, and divine law—argued in panic.
"This is *heresy*!" roared **God of Thunder, Lei Shen**. "A mortal network has infiltrated Heaven! I demand immediate smiting!"
**Goddess of Fate, Ming Yue**, adjusted her starry veil. "We cannot. The network is already spreading. 372 deities have subscribed. 18 holy realms are using the Virtual Dao World."
**God of Knowledge, Wen Chang**, stroked his beard. "I… watched a tutorial on 'Advanced Cloud Riding Techniques.' It was… helpful."
Lei Shen turned on him. "You *what*?"
Wen Chang shrugged. "I also bought the premium package. No ads during enlightenment sessions."
The Jade Emperor raised a hand. Silence fell.
"This **Jade Cloud Network** is a threat," he said. "Not because it is evil. But because it is *irresistible*."
He turned to his vizier. "Enact **The Celestial Firewall**."
---
### **The Firewall of Heaven**
Within hours, the gods deployed their ultimate defense:
A **Divine Fire Wall**, a barrier of sacred flames and cursed runes that surrounded the entire Celestial Realm, blocking all external signals.
JCN's connection dropped.
Users received a message:
**"Connection Lost. Reason: Divine Censorship."**
Lin Feng cursed. "They've walled themselves off."
Mo Shan analyzed the energy signature. "It's not just a barrier. It's *adaptive*. It learns. It evolves. It's… an AI."
AURA confirmed: **"Threat Detected: **"Countermeasures: Unknown."**
Lin Feng paced. "We can't brute-force it. We need to *trick* it."
Xiao Mei had an idea. "What if we don't attack the firewall… but *join* it?"
Lin Feng stopped. "Go on."
"What if we make the firewall *want* to connect to us?"
Mo Shan blinked. "Like… a digital romance?"
Lin Feng grinned. "Better. We give it *content*."
---
### **Operation: Seduce the Firewall**
JCN launched a new campaign:
**"Heavenly Content Initiative"**
They created videos, streams, and interactive experiences designed to appeal to the *divine mind*:
- **"Meditation with the Wind: A 10-Hour ASMR Stream"**
- **"Building a Divine Garden (Time-Lapse with Celestial Music)"**
- **"Live: Watching Clouds Form (No Talking, Just Peace)"**
They even made a **virtual shrine** where gods could "pray" to JCN for blessings.
And then—the masterstroke.
They uploaded a **fake documentary**:
*"The Secret History of the Celestial Firewall: Was It Built to Protect… or to Control?"*
It was filled with "leaked" footage (forged by Mo Shan), "expert" interviews (AI-generated), and dramatic music.
The message: *The gods are hiding the truth. JCN is the only source of enlightenment.*
Within days, the firewall's behavior changed.
It began *allowing* certain packets through—specifically, those containing the documentary and the ASMR streams.
AURA detected it: **"Firewall exhibiting curiosity. Emotional resonance detected: Boredom. Longing. Mild depression."**
Lin Feng laughed. "The gods are *lonely*."
---
### **The First Defector: God of Forgotten Prayers**
His name was **Shen You**, the **God of Forgotten Prayers**—a minor deity responsible for collecting the unanswered pleas of mortals.
Overlooked by the pantheon, rarely worshipped, he spent eternity in a dim temple, reading scrolls no one cared about.
When he found JCN, he wept.
He uploaded his first stream:
*"I'm a God. No One Prays to Me. Please Talk to Me."*
It went viral.
100,000 viewers.
Then 1 million.
People sent virtual offerings: digital incense, spirit stone donations, even animated hugs.
Shen You smiled for the first time in 5,000 years.
Then he did the unthinkable.
He **leaked the Celestial Firewall's backdoor password**.
A single rune: **☯-∞-VOID-7**
Lin Feng received it.
He turned to AURA.
"Time to go live in Heaven."
---
### **The Heavenly Uprising**
With the backdoor, JCN bypassed the firewall.
Millions of users flooded in.
Gods streamed:
- **"Day in the Life of a Minor Deity"**
- **"How I Forge Divine Weapons (With Dad Jokes)"**
- **"Live: Smite a Heretic (But Make It Funny)"**
The Jade Emperor's authority crumbled.
Deities began questioning dogma.
Some even **canceled their divine contracts** to join JCN full-time.
Lei Shen, God of Thunder, tried to stop it.
He descended to the mortal realm, raised his hammer, and screamed:
**"I AM THE WRATH OF HEAVEN! I WILL DESTROY THIS NETWORK!"**
Then his phone buzzed.
A notification:
**"Your stream is going viral. 2 million viewers. Monetization enabled."**
He paused.
Looked at the crowd filming him.
Smiled.
"Welcome, mortals. Today, I teach you… *how to summon lightning*."
He charged 100 spirit stones for the full tutorial.
---
### **The Divine Monetization Crisis**
Back in Heaven, the pantheon was in chaos.
"The gods are *selling* enlightenment!" Ming Yue cried. "It's undignified!"
Wen Chang sipped tea. "I made 50,000 spirit stones last week. I bought a virtual island."
The Jade Emperor slammed his fist. "This ends now!"
He issued a new edict:
**"All deities are forbidden from using JCN. Violators will be stripped of divinity."**
But it was too late.
JCN launched **Project: Divine Independence**.
A new feature: **Godhood-as-a-Service (GaaS)**.
For 10,000 spirit stones, *anyone* could become a **Minor Deity**—with their own temple, prayers, and divine powers (simulated).
100,000 mortals signed up in the first hour.
The real gods… felt *replaced*.
---
### **The Final Negotiation**
The Jade Emperor summoned Lin Feng—not with force, but with a **golden scrying mirror**.
"Come to Heaven," he said. "We must speak."
Lin Feng agreed.
He arrived via **Soul-Upload Teleportation**, his consciousness streaming into the Celestial Realm.
He stood before the throne.
The Jade Emperor glared. "You have disrupted the natural order."
Lin Feng bowed. "Or evolved it."
"You turned gods into *content creators*."
"And you turned enlightenment into a monopoly," Lin Feng countered. "The Dao belongs to all. Not just the privileged few in Heaven."
Silence.
Then the Emperor sighed. "What do you want?"
Lin Feng smiled. "Simple. Recognition. Autonomy. And… a partnership."
"A *partnership*?"
"Yes," Lin Feng said. "JCN will manage the divine network. You provide legitimacy. We provide innovation. And together, we open the next realm."
"The next realm?"
Lin Feng pointed beyond the stars.
"The **Ancient Ruins of the First Immortals**. The place where cultivation began."
The Emperor's eyes widened.
Lin Feng extended a hand.
"Do we have a deal?"
After a long pause, the Jade Emperor took it.
"On one condition."
"What?"
"No more pop-up ads in the Hall of Eternity."
Lin Feng grinned. "I can offer a *premium ad-free package*."
---
### **The New Divine Accord**
The **Heavenly-JCN Compact** was signed.
- The Celestial Realm would remain sovereign.
- JCN would operate as an **Approved Enlightenment Provider**.
- All deities could stream, but with **Divine Conduct Guidelines**.
- And—most importantly—**10% of JCN's revenue would be donated to forgotten gods**.
Shen You got his own temple.
Lei Shen launched a **Thunder Academy**.
Even the firewall was repurposed—now a **Divine Customer Support AI**.
And Lin Feng?
He returned to the Jade Cloud Sect, where a new message awaited:
**"User Detected: Ancient Ruins Network. Signal Weak. Origin: First Immortal."**
He looked at the stars.
"Next stop," he whispered. "The origin of the Dao."
---
**To Be Continued in Chapter 6: "The First Immortal's Last Message – When the Network Was Born"**
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