"Say what you will, but this actually tastes great!" Shi Huagu marveled. Savoring it carefully, he detected a flavor imparted by roasting over True Fire.
Could this really have been grilled using True Fire?
It was the first time Shi Huagu had ever seen a barbecue shop use True Fire for grilling. It was an absolute display of extravagance.
At the thought of having come to this barbecue shop three times before finally making it through the door, Shi Huagu felt fury rise within him. Wiping his mouth after finishing three jin of mutton skewers, he barked, "Bring ten skewers of grilled kidneys!"
The surrounding diners stared at Shi Huagu in astonishment. The grilled skewers were already virility-boosting on their own, and now he was ordering ten skewers of grilled kidneys, which were famously virility-boosting in their own right—how was this any different from gulping down aphrodisiacs?
Yet who was Shi Huagu? A mighty expert at late Body Integration! An enhancement of this degree was negligible to him.
Huo Huashen and Zhou Shan ate until their lips glistened with grease, reflecting that following Shi Huagu was truly best: not only did they never have to pay a single coin when going out, but they also got to feast on all sorts of delicacies.
However, once the three of them had eaten their fill, they realized there was a problem.
There was still quite some time before the shop closed, and the Heavenly Court Cult members were busy working as waiters with no time to pay them any mind. If they left, well, they hadn't actually come just to eat.
If they didn't leave, just sitting there was no solution either.
"Hey, do you think those three are sitting there after finishing because they don't have the money to pay?" Meng Jingzhou whispered.
It was his first time encountering folks trying to dine and dash.
Li Haoran sent a voice transmission: "I don't recognize the two beside him, but the one in the middle who ate the most is Shi Huagu. He used to be a Vice Cult Master. After Qin Haoran died, I don't know if he got promoted."
Meng Jingzhou brightened. "The Nine Nether Cult finally sent someone?"
Qin Yanyan didn't dare say a word. Those three seemed to have come last night as well, only to be chased out by her.
In the backyard, two automated barbecue grills were running at full capacity. Designed by Fifth Elder, they not only automated the skewer-grilling process, but also greatly boosted efficiency.
The grills were shaped like bookshelves with four tiers in total. Each tier was fully loaded with skewers slowly rotating, sizzling with grease under the roasting heat of True Fire.
After painstaking research, Fifth Elder had finally combined Three-Flavor True Fire and Pure Yang True Fire, transforming them into a fire seed to use for barbecuing.
The customer traffic over the past few days stood as proof of Fifth Elder's research results.
"Fifth Elder, the people from the Nine Nether Cult are here," Lu Yang said to Fifth Elder, who was squatting on the ground studying how to improve the automated grills.
"Understood."
Once the barbecue shop closed for the night and the last customer departed, the shop finally revealed its true face—a stronghold of the Heavenly Court Cult.
Across a table, the two factions sat clearly divided: on one side was the Nine Nether Cult, represented by Shi Huagu; on the other was the Heavenly Court Cult, represented by Lu Yang.
"Getting an audience with your Heavenly Court Cult is truly no easy task," Shi Huagu sneered, still displeased with the treatment he had received the night before and earlier that morning.
Not understanding where the man's resentment came from, Lu Yang ignored the jab. "I take it you must be the Nine Nether Cult's renowned Body Integration cultivator, Shi Huagu."
A man stepped out from behind Lu Yang, causing Shi Huagu, who had just begun to relax his guard, to suddenly tense up.
He sensed a profound threat from this man.
In single combat, he might not be able to defeat him!
Lu Yang smiled. "Allow me to introduce him. Our Heavenly Court Cult has nine Protectors in total. This is our Fifth Protector, Heavenly King Duobao, whose illustrious renown shook the ancient era. Even Master praised his artifact crafting as singularly unique, holding the potential to forge an immortal artifact. I wonder if Cult Master Shi has heard of him?"
Regardless of whether the man was a Cult Master or Vice Cult Master, addressing him as Cult Master was never wrong.
Fifth Elder bowed slightly. "Young Cult Master, that was merely a jest from Tianzun; it should not be taken as fact."
Shi Huagu glanced at Zhou Shan. Zhou Shan secretly shook his head, indicating he had never heard of him either. Shi Huagu cupped his fists. "Greetings, Fellow Daoist Duobao. Regrettably, events of the ancient era are far too distant for us, and too much has been forgotten, so I have not had the honor of hearing your esteemed name.
"Might I ask why Fellow Daoist Duobao addresses him as Young Cult Master?"
"Fellow Daoist Shi may not be aware, but Lu Yiyang is Dou Tianzun's personal disciple, and his only disciple—the indisputable future Lord of the Heavenly Court."
Shi Huagu was startled. Dou Tianzun's personal disciple! Dou Tianzun was the first to achieve immortality in the ancient era—didn't that mean this Lu Yang was an immortal's disciple?
In terms of status, he was probably half a notch higher than even a Body Integration expert like himself!
In the spiritual space, Immortal Fairy hopped around happily. "Lu Yang, I knew you always thought of me as your master deep down!"
Lu Yang: "..."
In reality, hearing that Shi Huagu had never heard the name Heavenly King Duobao, Lu Yang let out a sigh. "Indeed, the ancient era is far too distant from today. Even when we first awoke, we felt how fickle worldly affairs are. Earthshaking changes have overtaken this world: the original stars vanished, refined by someone into a boundless continent, and all the people and things we once knew are no more."
Lu Yang's gaze turned deep, carrying a hint of melancholy, as though he were reminiscing about ancient times.
Shi Huagu seized the opportunity to ask, "Do you happen to know who refined the stars?"
Lu Yang shook his head. "That occurred after our Heavenly Court Cult entered our long slumber, so the cause remains unknown. Our cult is currently searching for Immortal Ying Tian and the others to inquire about what transpired over these three hundred thousand-odd years. I wonder if the Nine Nether Cult has any clues regarding the immortals?"
How could Shi Huagu possibly know where Immortal Ying Tian and the other three were? He could only express regret and say he didn't know.
He shot Zhou Shan a look, signaling him to ask something.
Zhou Shan thought for a moment, then cupped his fists and asked, "This one is named Zhou Shan. While researching ancient history, I encountered several perplexities. I wonder if you fellow daoists could enlighten me?"
"We shall certainly tell all we know."
"I have heard that in the ancient era, a great cultivator mastered Words as Law and was invincible among peers of the same realm, yet ultimately vanished without a trace. I wonder what became of him..."
Lu Yang gave an indifferent smile. "I happen to have heard of that senior's deeds. He was a formidable rival along Master's path to immortality, but in the end, he was no match for Master and his soul scattered."
Lu Yang had heard Immortal Fairy speak of this before. Immortal Fairy had launched a sneak attack on the man, who yelled out, "It hurts to death!" Whereupon Words as Law activated, speaking him into death.
Of course, if he put it that way, the other side wouldn't necessarily believe him.
"Please elaborate."
"That senior had mastered the great divine ability Words as Law. An opponent's life or death hung on a single moment; he won every battle and never suffered defeat—until he met Master.
"On that day, Master encountered the senior who possessed Words as Law. Knowing each other to be formidable adversaries and that holding back would mean courting destruction, the two engaged in a fierce battle. Daoist charms surged, dharmic powers churned, and the cosmos fell silent. Master possessed peerless movement arts, appearing and vanishing like a ghost with no trace to catch. Seeing that he could not overcome Master, the other party invoked Words as Law and roared, '...Die...!' Who could have foreseen that Words as Law was completely ineffective against Master? Instead, that senior suffered the backlash of Words as Law, his body perishing and Dao extinguishing as he fell right then and there."
Shi Huagu was shaken to the core. Back then, Dou Tianzun hadn't even achieved immortality yet, yet was already immune to the invincible Words as Law?
Just how powerful was that?
He had been paying close attention to Lu Yang's pupils and heartbeat the entire time, and every sign indicated that the young man was telling the truth!
Chapter 327