Lu Yang honestly recounted the causes and consequences of the whole affair, and even called out the Immortal Fairy to testify, before Yun Zhi finally believed that he had merely been conducting an experiment.
The thunder dissipated, the moderate rain came to an abrupt halt, and moonlight pierced through the dark clouds, returning the Dao Seeking Sect to clear skies.
The Dao Seeking Sect disciples had no idea what had just happened; the rain had barely started, so why was it gone already?
When it rained in the Dao Seeking Sect, it was usually because an elder had cast a spell to infuse spiritual energy into the raindrops, letting it fall to nourish the Dao Seeking Sect and increase its density of spiritual qi.
"What did I tell you? Tonight through tomorrow daytime, cloudy turning clear. See, wasn't that accurate?" The Immortal Fairy flaunted her weather forecasting skills.
"..." Lu Yang decided he had nothing to say.
Lu Yang noticed several familiar figures trailing behind Eldest Senior Sister—none other than Vice Cult Master Liu and the other six high-ranking members of the Immortal Cult.
All seven wore crestfallen expressions, with faint hints of terror in their eyes as they looked at Eldest Senior Sister.
"Huh, they're all in spirit form," the Immortal Fairy remarked in surprise.
"Eldest Senior Sister, what is this..." Lu Yang asked, puzzled.
Yun Zhi explained calmly, "I saw that they are quite skilled at grilling skewers and fairly popular with our junior brothers and sisters. Rather than keeping them locked up on Prison Peak, it would be better to let them return to the barbecue shop and put their talents to use."
"So I refined the seven of them into chang ghosts."
Naturally, every single coin earned by Vice Cult Master Liu and the others would have to be handed over to Eldest Senior Sister down to the last copper.
Prison Peak had plenty of ancient Body Integration stage souls suppressed within; for the time being, there was no shortage of raw materials for refining Dharma treasures.
Lu Yang was dumbfounded. Why did this routine feel so familiar?
Besides, chang ghosts at the Body Integration stage? Surely that had to be the absolute limit of what a chang ghost could achieve, right?
Refined into chang ghosts, there was no need to worry about the seven turning traitor and causing trouble in the Dao Seeking Sect; if they harbored any malicious intent to harm others, they would drop dead on the spot.
Eldest Senior Sister brought Vice Cult Master Liu and the others back to the Try Again Barbecue Shop, instructing them to run the business peacefully here.
Vice Cult Master Liu and the other six nodded hastily, swearing that they would carry forward the true spirit of barbecue, never cut corners, never rip off customers, and ensure that every guest was served with the most professional, considerate attitude.
Only then did Eldest Senior Sister depart satisfied, telling Lu Yang to return with her to Tianmen Peak.
The Try Again Barbecue Shop reopened smoothly. Seeing a new shop opening, many local merchants came forward to offer their congratulations.
At first, Vice Cult Master Liu and the others felt utter disdain. Even if they were now in spirit form and had been turned into chang ghosts, they were still mighty figures of the Body Integration stage, formidable individuals who could command wind and clouds in the outside world. They were reluctant to speak with these merchants, feeling it was beneath their dignity.
However, they quickly abandoned that notion. When they swept their divine senses across the area, cold sweat broke out on their backs. With just a casual sweep, they discovered several cultivators whose depths they couldn't see through at all.
For instance, the beautiful proprietress of the Baixiang Restaurant, the teahouse owner, and so forth.
That meant their cultivation was also at the Body Integration stage!
It was one thing for mighty cultivation figures to hide among commoners, but they were doing this inside the Dao Seeking Sect too?
Vice Cult Master Liu also noticed quite a few Void Refining stage cultivators. Cultivators at the Void Refining stage experienced massive fluctuations in cultivation strength; at their peak, they could even exert combat power on par with the Body Integration stage. As long as a Void Refining cultivator didn't make a move, no one could tell whether their current combat power was high or low, making them extremely intimidating.
"Isn't the foundation of the Dao Seeking Sect a bit too terrifying..." they communicated secretly.
Calculated this way, just how many Body Integration cultivators did the Dao Seeking Sect have?
"I'm afraid it's not just the Dao Seeking Sect. The Five Great Immortal Sects are evenly matched, so the other four sects are probably only stronger, not weaker, than the Dao Seeking Sect." Even though communicating through divine sense, Vice Cult Master Gao still lowered his tone, seemingly terrified of being discovered.
"And this is only a tiny corner of the Dao Seeking Sect."
They finally realized just how vast the gap between the Four Great Demonic Cults and the Five Great Immortal Sects was. They weren't even on the same level! No wonder they had to hide if possible and flee if not whenever encountering people from the Five Great Immortal Sects.
If they didn't hide or flee, they would end up just like they were now: either serving as chang ghosts or getting refined into top-grade Dharma treasures.
Vice Cult Master Liu and the others felt a strange sense of deja vu.
"Why do these methods look so much like ours?"
...
Back at Tianmen Peak, Yun Zhi left her physical body in her cave dwelling and let her divine soul leave her body.
"Eldest Senior Sister, you..."
Before Lu Yang could finish, he saw Eldest Senior Sister's divine soul fly straight into his spiritual space, giving both him and the Immortal Fairy quite a fright.
"Y-Y-You scared me to death!" The Immortal Fairy had originally been lounging comfortably on a soft chair with her jade-white feet kicked up, looking dazed and drowsy in pure bliss.
Eldest Senior Sister's abrupt entrance startled her so badly that she sprang up with a snap.
Eldest Senior Sister ignored the Immortal Fairy's reaction and said to Lu Yang, "I already know the location of the Immortal Cult headquarters. However, if I charge in rashly, it might alert the enemy and leave the place deserted, just like last time.
"This time, I will hide in your spiritual space first. If you do as I instruct, you will be able to enter the Immortal Cult headquarters, ensuring we can net them all in one fell swoop without a single fish slipping through."
Lu Yang felt like they could already play Fight the Landlord in his spiritual space.
He understood Eldest Senior Sister's concern; this was indeed a sound approach.
"What should I do?"
"First, go find Meng Jingzhou and Man Gu."
...
Immortal Cult headquarters, Cult Master's secret chamber.
Two rows of bookshelves stood along the sides, holding an array of precious pills, secret arts, and cultivation techniques.
Most of the pill bottles were empty, their contents having been consumed by the Immortal Cult Master to heal his injuries.
At the end of the bookshelves stood a life-sized statue of the Immortal Celestial, its gender indiscernible.
In the darkness, the Immortal Cult Master slowly opened his eyes, emerging from secluded meditation.
He stretched his limbs. Sensing the spiritual energy that still circulated sluggishly within him, he couldn't help letting out a bitter laugh.
During the induction test, Yun Zhi of the Dao Seeking Sect had suddenly appeared. The strike she delivered back then remained difficult to recover from even now.
"Looking at this, must I truly meditate in seclusion for a hundred years?" The Immortal Cult Master felt somewhat anxious about the future.
If it would take a century to fully restore his power, who would lead the Immortal Cult in the meantime?
Of the three Vice Cult Masters of the Immortal Cult, Vice Cult Masters Liu and Gao eyed his position like tigers stalking prey. Only Vice Cult Master Jin, who had organized the induction test, had not yet shown any greed for the seat.
The Cult Master shifted his gaze to the statue of the Immortal Celestial, a look of longing in his eyes. Previously, he had vaguely sensed that the Immortal Celestial was reviving.
He lit three sticks of offering incense, placed them in the censer, knelt down on both knees with hands clasped, and kowtowed three times toward the statue of the celestial.
"Great Immortal Celestial Bu Yaolian, please save your devout believer, and save this world!"
"Who calls upon this celestial?" A kind, aged voice echoed within the secret chamber.
The Cult Master looked up, his eyes brimming with fanaticism and pleasant surprise. His body trembled slightly, his fingers shook, and he was so overwhelmed with excitement that he could barely control himself.
The eyes of the statue before him glowed with an eerie red light, and the curling incense smoke enveloped the statue, gathering into a shroud of mist.
The mist shifted shape, gradually morphing into a kindly, benevolent old man.
Chapter 183