It was not at all unexpected to Lu Yang that the mastermind behind the scenes had grafted the Immortal Fairy's experiences with the Ancient Barbarian race onto Immortal Ying Tian.
The author of the demon beast recipes had already been changed from the Immortal Fairy to Immortal Ying Tian, and the Ancient Barbarian bloodline's innate suppression of demon beasts could not be erased. Thus, making Immortal Ying Tian the progenitor of the Ancient Barbarian race was the only way to explain that suppression.
Man Gu's features were the epitome of masculine vigor among men, but if transplanted onto a woman, looking like Man Gu would be downright terrifying.
One could only conclude that Immortal Ying Tian was lustful and possessed unique aesthetic tastes.
That was the most plausible explanation.
Once the Immortal Fairy recounted her various villainous deeds among the Ancient Barbarian race, Jiang Lianyi knew that her own memories had indeed been tampered with.
What terrifying methods.
"Brother Lu, this is..."
Man Gu looked at Jiang Lianyi in bewilderment. As far as he could recall, he had never seen this person in the Dao Seeking Sect.
"A new member of our Heavenly Court Cult. Her identity is one of the Four Sovereigns, the Phoenix Clan Ancient Ancestor, Jiang Lianyi."
Since everyone was in the Heavenly Court Cult, there was no need to hide anything.
Besides, Man Gu had personally witnessed Lu Yang's rotten luck in reviving the Immortal Fairy; he knew more of the truth than the sect elders did.
Man Gu stumbled backward several paces, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks in sheer shock. Even his newly broken-through Nascent Soul stage showed signs of destabilizing.
He had spent the past two months in closed-door cultivation breaking through, completely unaware of the earth-shaking upheavals outside.
"Ph-Ph-Ph-Ph-Phoenix Clan..."
Man Gu's lips trembled as if he had seen a ghost, his words slurring uncontrollably.
Lu Yang patted Man Gu's shoulder, motioning for him to calm down. He pushed him into the barbecue shop and shoved him down onto a stool. Man Gu gulped down two whole pots of tea before finally regaining some composure.
When Master Liu saw Lu Yang arrive, he waited on him as reverently as if serving an honored ancestor, while secretly sending sound transmissions to the Cult Master and the Immortal Celestial, urging them to hurry over.
"It seems Junior Brother Man has been cultivating quite diligently lately, staying in secluded meditation and falling out of touch with the outside world. Quite a few things have happened out there..."
Lu Yang smiled and methodically recounted his experiences in the Demon Domain.
Man Gu looked at Lu Yang in deep admiration. Now this was a role model. When would he ever reach such a level?
The sages said that in the face of great events, one must maintain composure—they must have been talking about someone like Brother Lu.
Looking at himself, losing his composure like this upon seeing a living Phoenix Clan Ancient Ancestor was truly unbecoming. He needed some serious introspection!
"Second-in-Command, you've arrived?" The Immortal Celestial and the Cult Master hurried in, travel-worn, from the breeding farm.
"Could the lady seated beside you be the legendary Phoenix Clan Ancient Ancestor, Ancient Ancestor Jiang?" The Cult Master noticed the woman sitting quietly next to Lu Yang and asked gingerly.
Although he had been working at the breeding farm and the barbecue shop for a long time, he had not forgotten his original identity as a cult master. Gathering and synthesizing intelligence had been his specialty during his days as leader.
For example, he had recently gathered intel that dish prices in the Food Stall Association were set to rise, that the Hotpot Grand Alliance planned to roll out brand-new menu items, that a new fried skewer shop had opened on the commercial street, and that the Demon Empire had been established.
Putting the pieces together, it wasn't hard to deduce that the person beside Lu Yang was the Phoenix Clan Ancient Ancestor in an altered appearance.
Jiang Lianyi looked past the Cult Master, her gaze falling upon the Immortal Celestial. Her eyes narrowed, her tone distinctly unfriendly:
"You are the one who nearly condensed the Immortal Dao fruit and prevented Sister Immortal from reviving?"
Cold sweat poured down the Immortal Celestial. He repeatedly stammered his humble apologies, practically on the verge of kneeling.
When facing Great Yu's Imperial Preceptor, he had still possessed the confidence to put up a fight. But facing Jiang Lianyi, he could feel the vast chasm between them. This was not an opponent he could hold off with self-detonations; in a direct clash, defeat was absolute!
Jiang Lianyi withdrew her gaze, letting the Immortal Celestial off the hook.
"Ah well, you were merely a pawn pushed forward by someone else. What use is there in giving you trouble?"
The Immortal Celestial felt as if granted an imperial pardon.
Seeing the tense atmosphere, the Cult Master stepped in to smooth things over, serving a platter of grilled mutton skewers.
"These are our newly improved mutton skewers. Please, have a taste, everyone."
Taking a bite, Lu Yang was pleasantly surprised. This improvement method was truly extraordinary—it was even more delicious than before!
Man Gu felt rather downcast. Their Barbarian Barbecue Clan had lost.
"How did you manage this?"
The Cult Master brought out a platter of raw mutton skewers. Lu Yang hadn't looked closely when he first walked in, but with the Cult Master's prompt, he quickly realized what was different about these skewers.
"There's no rank, bloody smell, and just looking at the skewers brings a sense of peace. Have these mutton skewers been consecrated?"
The Cult Master smiled modestly. "Close enough. Following the guidance of Master Shi Chan of Hanging Temple, we chant the Rebirth Mantra while slaughtering the livestock to eliminate their lingering resentment, taking the meat's quality up an entire level."
Lu Yang nodded in praise. This was an angle he had never considered. It seemed that Fellow Daoist Shi Chan, whom he had yet to meet, was truly brilliant, possessing an intellect on par with Meng Jingzhou's, second only to his own.
"There's definitely potential to expand this," Lu Yang thought, recalling how booming business was for the Try Again Barbecue chain outside. If the skewers were further blessed by the Rebirth Mantra, elevating their flavor even more, business would surely reach new heights.
Jiang Lianyi also found the skewers quite good. "A fine skewer, though still not as good as the ones I grill."
Cold sweat beaded on Lu Yang's forehead. Jiang Lianyi's culinary skills were enough to make Suiyue see his life flash before his eyes. Without sufficient cultivation, who would dare eat her grilled skewers?
Fortunately, Jiang Lianyi showed no intention of showing off her skills or preparing anything herself, allowing Lu Yang to breathe a sigh of relief.
Master Liu and Master Gao worked briskly, and soon platter after platter of skewers was grilled to perfection.
"Come, let us celebrate Junior Brother Man's breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage!" Lu Yang rallied the table, everyone raising a cup of tea.
"Wait a moment," Man Gu said apologetically.
Just as Lu Yang and Jiang Lianyi looked on in confusion, Man Gu summoned his Nascent Soul.
Man Gu's Nascent Soul looked exceptionally weathered—it had the body of an infant, but bore the aged face of a man in his fifties or sixties.
Man Gu stuck three mutton skewers upright before the Nascent Soul and bowed in reverence:
"Ancestors above, please partake of the meal."
The ceremony concluded.
"Junior Brother Man, your Nascent Soul looks... quite mature..." Lu Yang's eyelid twitched slightly. What kind of bizarre Nascent Soul was this?
He glanced at Jiang Lianyi, who also shook her head, indicating she had never witnessed such a thing either.
Man Gu chuckled sheepishly. "Wasn't my Golden Core the All-Ancestors Core? It could invite ancestors to possess me and aid me in battle. After breaking the core to form the nascent soul, my Nascent Soul took on the likeness of an ancestor. It's just that the appearance is randomized and the face changes frequently, so I can never be sure which ancestor it will turn into.
"Regardless of who it turns into, it's still an ancestor, so I figured I ought to pay my respects before eating."
Lu Yang: "..."
"Does this Nascent Soul of yours serve any practical purpose?"
"Yes! Whichever ancestor my Nascent Soul turns into, I gain that ancestor's characteristics.
"If that ancestor was renowned for spatial techniques during his lifetime, I can execute spatial techniques. If an ancestor was renowned for speed, my speed increases."
"That impressive? So the ancestor you're offering respects to right now—what was he renowned for during his lifetime?"
"Oh, this ancestor was truly remarkable. He followed an Immortal back in antiquity, and was renowned for being simple-minded."
Chapter 635