Who Let Him Cultivate Immortality

Upon seeing this, Meng Jingzhou stopped pretending to be in pain and sprang up from the stretcher.

Master Liu and Master Gao were no longer dressed in their greasy barbecue shop uniforms, nor did they wear the simple smiles they had when serving customers. Instead, they were in formal attire, their faces solemn, as if reminiscing about the glorious days of the Undying Sect.

When they looked at Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, it gave the two of them a chilling, spine-tingling feeling.

“Gentlemen, please come with us. We have something we’d like your assistance with.”

Master Liu and Master Gao had already done their research. After Lu Yang and Yun Zhi returned, Yun Zhi left the Dao Seeking Sect again for some unknown reason, presenting a perfect opportunity to deal with Lu Yang!

If they didn’t act now, when would they?

There were too many people around here, making it inconvenient to act. They needed to bring Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou to the Undying Sect’s headquarters—the Come Again barbecue shop!

Previously, the Come Again barbecue shop had barely established a foothold on the commercial street, surrounded by enemies, with powerful Unity Stage figures eyeing them covetously, making their situation very precarious.

But later, under the guidance of the Sect Leader and the Everlasting Celestial, and through careful planning by the high-ranking members of the Undying Sect, the barbecue shop had been turned into a den of the Undying Sect.

And the Dao Seeking Sect knew nothing about the Come Again barbecue shop’s occupation of the commercial street and its secret expansion…

“Then let’s go,” Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou said without losing their momentum.

With two Unity Stage experts flanking them, they had no strength to resist. Even if they didn’t want to go, they would be dragged along, so they might as well walk on their own.

“This way, please.” Master Gao extended his hand, inviting the two into the barbecue shop.

Standing at the entrance of the barbecue shop, Lu Yang noticed that it was pitch black inside, with only two Daoist shadows vaguely visible in the darkness.

As they stepped into the barbecue shop, Master Liu and Master Gao stood silently at the entrance, like two iron statues guarding it.

Once inside, Lu Yang felt completely isolated from the outside world. He couldn’t hear a sound or see anything from outside.

What he didn’t know was that not only were sound and sight cut off, but the Sect Leader had long since set up a peerless formation in the barbecue shop, even blocking divine senses.

A mysterious light gradually filled the barbecue shop, revealing the true identities of the two shadows: one was the Sect Leader, and the other was the Everlasting Celestial. Both were dressed in formal attire, seemingly determined to accomplish something significant.

“Please, have a seat,” the Sect Leader invited the two to sit down.

“Go ahead, what is it?” Lu Yang asked coldly, unable to figure out the Sect Leader’s intentions.

However, Lu Yang was not afraid of him, especially with the Everlasting Celestial sitting right beside him.

As the owner of the Everlasting Lineage, Everlasting Fairy could completely control the Everlasting Celestial, the source of the Undying Sect. With this relationship, the Sect Leader couldn’t cause much trouble.

“It’s not a big deal. We just want to ask Fellow Daoist Lu Yang for a small favor. Given your status in the Dao Seeking Sect, it’s just a matter of saying a few words.”

“You see, we learned that you both have just formed your Golden Cores, so we prepared a little gift, a token of our goodwill. We hope you’ll accept it.” The Sect Leader silently pushed two gift boxes towards Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou.

The Sect Leader opened the gift boxes, revealing their contents: extremely valuable Consolidating Vitality Pills that could stabilize one’s Golden Core cultivation. The remaining medicinal power would turn into foundational strength, aiding future breakthroughs without leaving any residual effects that might hinder progress.

One of the gifts was a protective magic artifact capable of withstanding a full-force attack from a Unity Stage expert.

A book titled 《Golden Core Stage Cultivation Insights》.

Five small bottles containing the five elements, including True Fire, Pure Water, and Resting Earth, which can be used to refine growth-type five-element artifacts.

In addition, there were various precious items, each one unaffordable for an ordinary Golden Core Stage cultivator.

The two did not take this “modest gift.” Lu Yang bluntly said, “Sect Leader, we’re old acquaintances. Let’s not beat around the bush. Just say it.”

The Sect Leader slowly revealed the plan he had been plotting for a long time: “To be specific, it’s about recruiting rogue cultivators to join us, expanding our influence, and increasing our power’s impact on the Great Xia Dynasty, making it impossible for people to leave us!”

“Once the plan succeeds, we will reward you handsomely!”

“Perhaps you two are unaware, but our influence is quietly spreading and has already reached the entire commercial street. The Dao Seeking Sect knows nothing about this.”

Lu Yang frowned. The Sect Leader’s words implied that the whole commercial street was under their control. If they didn’t agree, it would be hard to get out of this street.

But he still didn’t relent. “What if we don’t help you with this little favor?”

“Don’t help?” The Sect Leader slowly stood up, like a dormant mountain god awakening, exerting immense pressure on the two.

The Sect Leader squinted at them and viciously threatened, “I have been very polite to you. We just want to open a branch of our barbecue shop in the outside world. If you push your luck, don’t blame me for begging you on my knees!”

The Sect Leader felt he had done enough. He had instructed Master Liu and Master Gao not to wear their shop uniforms but formal clothes, to invite these two over with smiles.

Considering it was June and scorching hot, he had even reminded Master Liu and Master Gao to cast cooling spells when meeting Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou so they wouldn’t feel hot.

For safety, to prevent competitors from eavesdropping, he had set up a peerless formation to isolate external detection.

He had cleaned the barbecue shop spotlessly, without a trace of grease.

The protective magic artifacts were crafted during all his spare time running a slaughterhouse.

The 《Golden Core Stage Cultivation Insights》 was a compilation of all the Undying Sect followers’ memories, personally written by the Everlasting Celestial.

The five-element materials were bought by personally visiting and persuading the commercial street shop owners.

Opening a branch in the outside world was just a matter of saying a word. Why weren’t these two satisfied?

The Sect Leader resolved to swallow his pride. A great man can be flexible. For the barbecue shop’s long-term plan, he would kneel if necessary!

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou hurriedly stopped the Sect Leader, bewildered by the sudden change: “You want to open a barbecue shop branch?”

“Yes.”

“And you mentioned recruiting rogue cultivators to join you?”

“To hire staff for the shop.”

They couldn’t leave the Dao Seeking Sect to open a branch in the outside world, so they needed to hire staff.

“And expanding your influence?”

“Opening the barbecue shop outside the Dao Seeking Sect.”

“And increasing your impact on the Great Xia Dynasty?”

“Becoming a major taxpayer.”

“And making it impossible for people to leave you?”

“Getting more customers to our shop.”

Meng Jingzhou looked at the Sect Leader suspiciously: “You also said your influence has spread to the entire commercial street, and the Dao Seeking Sect knows nothing about it?”

“We reported false earnings and paid less management fees.”

The Everlasting Celestial added, “Another layer of meaning is that our barbecue shop’s earnings in the Dao Seeking Sect have saturated, so we need to open branches in the outside world to explore new markets.”

Lu Yang: “…”

Meng Jingzhou: “…”

Do you really need to make it this complicated to open a barbecue shop branch?

(End of the chapter)