Chapter 373: Heavenly Court Sect Adds Newcomers Again

"Do you want to come with me to Yanjiang County?" Lu Yang asked Meng Jingzhou.

Meng Jingzhou was visibly tempted, but he still shook his head and refused, "I still need to train my shadow; I won't be going out for now."

Meng Jingzhou felt that if Third Elder were to randomly check his progress and find he had neglected his cultivation, he would likely be in serious trouble. This incident hinted at the dangers inherent in the path of cultivation.

"Alright," Lu Yang pouted. He would inevitably be a bit bored by himself.

"Hey, Junior Sister Tao, over here!" At the foot of the mountain, Lu Yang spotted Tao Tianye not far away. Judging by her unhurried steps, she probably had nothing pressing to do.

"Senior Brother Lu, is there something you need?" Tao Tianye asked, a faint, captivating smile playing on her lips. Her movements were naturally graceful, hinting at the remarkable beauty she would become in the future.

"How about joining our Heavenly Court Sect?" Lu Yang enthusiastically invited. As the Young Sect Master, he needed to recruit more talents for the Heavenly Court Sect. "You probably haven't heard of the Heavenly Court Sect; it's the foremost in the world..."

"Sure."

Lu Yang was momentarily stunned. Tao Tianye had just smiled and agreed.

"You've heard of the Heavenly Court Sect?" Lu Yang wondered to himself, thinking perhaps Sixth Elder had mentioned it to Tao Tianye.

"No, I haven't."

"Then why did you agree so quickly?"

Tao Tianye gave a mischievous smile and blinked, "Would Senior Brother Lu ever trick me?"

"Of course not!"

"Then there's your answer. Senior Brother Lu asking me to join the Heavenly Court Sect must be for my own good. If it's good for me, why would I refuse?"

Lu Yang was speechless, having never considered it from that perspective.

"So, what exactly is this Heavenly Court Sect?" Tao Tianye asked curiously.

"It's the greatest sect in the world! Our eight sect elders and master are Heavenly Kings of the Heavenly Court Sect, Senior Sister is the Sect Master, and I am the Young Sect Master. We worship the omnipotent Dou Tianzun!"

Tao Tianye automatically ignored the unheard-of Dou Tianzun, thinking to herself, 'No wonder Master has been troubled lately by trying to come up with a name, wondering what kind of Heavenly King name he should adopt.'

"Besides us, there's also Meng Jingzhou, Li Haoran, and Qin Yanran, who was formerly Li Haoran's daughter."

Tao Tianye's expression turned peculiar. She found the Heavenly Court Sect's members to be quite complex. And why establish the Heavenly Court Sect? Was Senior Brother Lu not content with just eliminating the demonic sect, but instead wanted to replace them?

"The specific situation is this: initially, Meng Jingzhou, Li Haoran, and I were just out hunting ghosts..." Lu Yang recounted the entire story from beginning to end, leaving Tao Tianye wide-eyed and astonished.

'As expected of Senior Brother Lu,' she thought. 'His mind is so active; he even came up with the idea of fabricating a religion to gain the trust of the Nine Nether Sect. This is much more proactive than infiltrating the Nine Nether Sect as an undercover agent.'

"Our Heavenly Court Sect, at the very least, claims to be the ancient Heavenly Court. We need a few respectable figures. In my opinion, Junior Sister Tao, you'd be very suitable as an ancient genius."

Tao Tianye felt a surge of happiness, feeling acknowledged by Lu Yang.

"I'm just about to meet with the Nine Nether Sect's high-ranking officials. Junior Sister, would you like to come?"

"Yes."

---

Yanjiang County, Encore BBQ Main Branch.

The BBQ business was thriving and rapidly expanding. Encore BBQ branches could be seen in all counties surrounding Yanjiang County. If it weren't for the limited number of grills and embers, the BBQ restaurants would have long since proliferated everywhere, forming a widespread chain.

The Nine Nether Sect had put great effort into opening BBQ restaurants. The Sect Master strongly supported this, suggesting that they put aside their current work and temporarily stop their killing spree. The Nine Nether Sect's current goal was to focus on opening BBQ restaurants. This was far safer than taking out loans using their sect member identities. The Sect Master was so delighted all day that he couldn't stop smiling, even laughing aloud while meditating.

Vice Sect Master Shi was unaware that the sect had been in deficit for nearly a millennium, nor did he understand why the Sect Master had temporarily set aside their doctrines, insisting that he focus on opening BBQ restaurants properly. Perhaps the Sect Master loved money, or there was some other reason. The Sect Master's objectives were irrelevant to him; he opened the BBQ restaurant to solve the issue of a billion-yuan loan. Even with his immense cultivation, he couldn't withstand a monthly Heavenly Thunder tribulation. If he failed to resist it even once, he would be doomed. He was determined to make the BBQ business bigger and stronger.

Moreover, he knew there were two key points to running a successful business: first, having a unique, secret recipe; and second, having a good business environment. The first point needed no elaboration; the BBQ restaurant was flourishing entirely due to its secret recipe. As for the second point, there were many things that could be done, such as fostering good relations with the authorities. Bribery was risky and unreliable. What if the bribed official's corruption was exposed? Wouldn't their BBQ restaurant be ruined then?

Vice Sect Master Shi changed his approach. What the authorities needed was stability and order. Their BBQ restaurant could help the authorities apprehend criminals and punish offenders. When it came to crime, who could be more professional than a demonic sect? Current crimes were mere child's play for them to handle, making them extremely simple to deal with. Of course, such things couldn't be done openly; it would be too conspicuous. The best method was to do it secretly, making the authorities suspect their involvement without any solid evidence. This was the ideal scenario. This way, the authorities would suspect the BBQ restaurant was a covert enterprise of a righteous faction. The BBQ restaurant also frequently punished evil and upheld stability. Under the influence of these two factors, the authorities would inevitably lean towards protecting the BBQ restaurant.

Facts proved Vice Sect Master Shi's thinking: order in Yanjiang County was unprecedentedly stable, many prison cells were empty, and the authorities didn't conduct random inspections or give any hints.

Late at night, when the BBQ restaurant headquarters closed, and the sect members had cleaned the dining hall and backyard, Vice Sect Master Shi was hunched over a table, writing furiously, compiling his experiences from opening the business over the past month.

"Sect Master, the people from the Heavenly Court Sect have arrived," Huo Huashen said respectfully. He was the manager of the main branch and was responsible for implementing Vice Sect Master Shi's policies. It had been three days since the message was sent out. During these three days, Vice Sect Master Shi hadn't gone anywhere, waiting at the main branch.

"Sect Master Shi, long time no see!" Lu Yang and Tao Tianye pushed the door open and entered. "It seems your sect's business is doing very well; you already need new grills and embers so soon!"

"Oh, no, it's just luck," Vice Sect Master Shi replied. Seeing it was Lu Yang, he dared not act presumptuously. This person was the Young Sect Master of the Heavenly Court Sect, a direct disciple of Dou Tianzun; he couldn't be treated lightly.

"And this is..." Vice Sect Master Shi looked at Tao Tianye, puzzled.

"This is also a member of our Heavenly Court Sect, Tao Tianye. Her talent is so exceptional that both Master and the Sect Master highly praise her." Vice Sect Master Shi's expression became solemn. "Ah, so this is the Peerless Talent Tao."

Tao Tianye showed no outward reaction, but inwardly, she was secretly surprised. She knew Senior Brother Lu was going to meet with the Nine Nether Sect, but she hadn't expected him to immediately meet with their high-ranking officials, and on equal terms at that. Was this Senior Brother Lu's usual social circle? Within the sect, he communicated with elders; outside, he interacted with sect masters—all at the Integration Stage!

Lu Yang and Vice Sect Master Shi chatted and laughed freely, completely unfazed by how daunting each other's identities might be.