Chapter 318: The Barbecue Shop Without Any Doubts

The Fifth Elder gasped. Just this one effect alone was enough to rank the Pure Yang True Flame first among the 108 true flames.

The 108 true flames each serve different purposes. Some flames are weak, unable to burn even mortals, yet are highly effective at scorching space. Others are powerful but difficult to control and prone to explosion. Still others don't burn the physical body but only the soul. For these reasons, it's hard to determine the superiority of different true flames, making it impossible to definitively rank them.

But if you claim your true flame can enhance male virility…

Others might not dare say it, but the Fifth Elder would cast his vote for the Pure Yang True Flame.

"I'll study it and see if your Pure Yang True Flame can be stabilized into a fire seed."

"And your Samadhi True Fire, I'll study that as well."

The Fifth Elder took Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou's true flames, intending to find a way to form fire seeds that would burn continuously. Otherwise, future barbecues would always require Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou to stand by, channeling spiritual energy to ignite them. What good would an automatic grill be then?

"The best method is to combine the two flames," the Fifth Elder pondered. He hadn't expected to encounter such a challenge immediately upon arriving in Yanjiang County.

"Two types of flames can be combined?" Qin Yanyan asked in surprise, as she had never heard of such a theory before.

The Fifth Elder replied without lifting his head, "Yes, they can. Historically, some have even merged two, three, or more flames and hurled them at enemies with astonishing power. It's a highly effective method for challenging opponents beyond one's cultivation level."

"Alright, all of you out. I need to study this myself." The Fifth Elder shooed the four of them out like chickens.

Three powerful immortal cultivators arrived in Yanjiang County. They concealed their auras, blending in with the crowd, and disguised themselves as traveling merchants passing through.

"My lord, according to the map, this should be Yanjiang County."

"Hmm, let's find a place first."

The three entered a private room in a restaurant. They used a formation to block detection, and only then did they confidently remove their disguises. The newcomers were none other than Shi Huagu, the Vice Cult Master of the Nine Nether Sect, and his two subordinates. One of them was the Soul Transformation stage cultivator named Huo Huashen, who had previously brought Qin Haoran's IOU to Shi Huagu. His parents had named him Huo Huashen, hoping he would cultivate to the Soul Transformation stage.

Shi Huagu drew back the curtains of the private room. From the window, he could perfectly see the "Come Again BBQ" restaurant diagonally across the street. It was already night, and the BBQ restaurant was bustling, with a long queue already formed at its entrance.

"So many people?" Shi Huagu was surprised. Since the BBQ restaurant was a contact point for the Heavenly Court Sect, shouldn't it be as low-key as possible? Were they doing the opposite, or was this a display of the Heavenly Court Sect's strength, unafraid of detection by the orthodox sects?

He withdrew his gaze and scanned his two subordinates.

"This time, in Yanjiang County, the Cult Master has entrusted me with a task, which you two have probably guessed: to ascertain the true depth of the Heavenly Court Sect. If there's a possibility of cooperation, I have the authority to act as the Cult Master and establish a cooperation agreement on his behalf."

"You two are my trusted confidants; I trust you to handle matters without error."

"Huo Huashen, you were the first to make contact with the Heavenly Court Sect."

"Zhou Shan, you have thoroughly studied ancient history. You are the most knowledgeable person in our sect regarding ancient history."

"My lord, are we to make contact with the Heavenly Court Sect now?"

Shi Huagu shook his head. "No rush. Let's observe for a while first. You two investigate the origins of this BBQ restaurant and see if there are any suspicious elements."

"Yes, my lord!"

The two said in unison and disappeared from the private room.

Not long after, Shi Huagu walked out of the private room. The waiter presented the bill, saying, "Esteemed guest, your two friends have left. Regarding the bill..."

Shi Huagu's face darkened. Shouldn't his subordinates have vied to pay his bill?

During their investigation, Huo Huashen chatted, "Zhou Shan, everyone says you're the most familiar with ancient history. Are there any new developments in the archaeological study of ancient history?"

Zhou Shan nodded. "Yes, significant progress has been made, and it concerns immortals."

"What is it?"

Zhou Shan acted mysteriously, looking left and right. Seeing no one around, he transmitted his voice, "What I heard is just a rumor, so it might not be true."

"Don't worry, I have my own discernment."

"In ancient times, there was an immortal named Ying Tianxian. He was dashing and romantic, leaving his seed everywhere and causing countless women to become pregnant!"

Huo Huashen leaned his head back slightly. "There was such a thing?!"

Zhou Shan continued, "Based on my analysis, there's an 80% chance this is true. Think about it: he was an immortal who had reached the peak of cultivation. With nothing else to do, such a hobby would be understandable."

Huo Huashen nodded, thinking Zhou Shan's analysis made a lot of sense. "No wonder everyone says you're the most familiar with ancient history."

"Oh, you flatter me," Zhou Shan smiled modestly.

"Let's stop chatting. Let's complete our lord's task first."

"My lord, according to our investigation, this BBQ restaurant indeed has some issues."

"The owner of 'Come Again BBQ' is surnamed Lu; his real name is unknown, and customers like to call him Manager Lu or Little Manager Lu."

"Four months ago, Manager Lu took over this shop and opened a BBQ restaurant. It has since been widely praised for its fresh, tender, and juicy meat, with a taste comparable to that of a spirit chef."

"If it were anyone else, with such a booming business, they would have opened chain stores long ago. Yet this shop has shown no intention of opening branches."

Shi Huagu nodded. "That's reasonable. After all, this is a stronghold of the Heavenly Court Sect. If the Heavenly Court Sect, having reappeared in the world, were to blindly expand its shops, it would be putting the cart before the horse."

"Furthermore, the BBQ restaurant has a good relationship with the local government, often assisting them in apprehending fugitives. For this, the local government has sent them several commendation banners."

"Using a disguised identity to curry favor with the orthodox sects would avoid a lot of trouble. The cultivators in Yanjiang County are generally not highly skilled, with the highest being only at the Golden Core stage. It's impossible for them to see through the Heavenly Court Sect's disguise."

"We also discovered that the entire Yanjiang branch of the Immortal Cult had once dined at the BBQ restaurant."

Shi Huagu lowered his head in thought. "It's possible that the Heavenly Court Sect intended to contact the upper echelons of the Immortal Cult through its Yanjiang branch, but before they could establish contact, it was annihilated by the Dao-Seeking Sect. What a pity."

"According to our analysis, four months ago, Manager Lu's publicly displayed cultivation was at the Foundation Establishment stage. We don't know if that was a disguised cultivation level, or if he was genuinely at the Foundation Establishment stage then and only recently cultivated to the Golden Core stage."

"That's not important."

"The BBQ restaurant was closed for three months, only reopening in the last half month. It also launched a series of new products—the 'Virility-Enhancing' series—which caused a sensation throughout the county upon its release."

"According to our investigation of the brothels, their customer traffic has significantly increased, so the virility-enhancing effect must be genuine."

"Customers also reported that the BBQ restaurant's taste has improved even further compared to three months ago."

"Only reopened in the last half month? It seems this is a temporary stronghold. The Heavenly Court Sect reopened specifically to give us a chance to make contact."

"Not telling us the location of their true stronghold is a sign of their distrust towards us."

"Very well. Since the BBQ restaurant has no suspicious points, let's go there and see how deep the waters are!"