Chapter 793: The research is very good, it's just that the direction is not quite right

Lu Yang thought, "The Blazing Sun Cult truly dares to dream big. Installing a complete set of formations around the sun to harness all solar energy—both light and heat? If you monopolize solar energy, what will the Demon Realm, the Eastern Sea, and the Buddhist Nation use? Are you truly not afraid they'll wipe you out? And what about the Extreme North? It's sparsely populated, but it's not devoid of cultivators. The Extreme North is already cold; you'd be stripping them of sunlight too. This is a recipe for making enemies of the entire world. And such a massive project—could the Blazing Sun Cult even pull it off?"

Hearing Lu Yang sigh softly, Cult Master Chi became nervous. "Young Cult Master Lu, is there a problem with our plan?"

"There's an Immortal-level grand formation on the sun, sealing it off and preventing anyone from approaching. Do you know who created this Immortal-level formation?"

Cult Master Chi shook his head. They had investigated for a long time, and countless colleagues had died without them ever discovering the origin of the Immortal-level formation.

Lu Yang said in a deep voice, revealing a secret: "According to my Cult Master's investigation, those grand formations were laid down separately by the First Emperor Qian, the Heavenly Sovereign Zhongtian, and the First Emperor Yu, Wu Yao. This was a duel between two immortals spanning one hundred thousand years, and it involves even deeper matters that are beyond your comprehension. If you set up another set of formations around the sun, are you trying to get involved in an immortal's conflict?"

In the past, the First Emperor Qian wouldn't bother with the Blazing Sun Cult sending people to the sun, but if they were to actually set up a layer of formations around the sun, it would be a blatant provocation. If the Blazing Sun Cult was destroyed by the First Emperor Qian, Lu Yang wouldn't care; one less demonic cult would be just fine. What Lu Yang worried about was that the First Emperor Qian might act without restraint, using techniques so powerful they could harm innocent people. Judging by the actions of Lord Mountain and River, it wasn't impossible that his superior could do such a thing.

Cult Master Chi was startled, cold sweat running down his back. There were actually two Immortal-level grand formations on the sun! With the Blazing Sun Cult's strength, getting embroiled in an immortal's conflict would mean utter annihilation, and even that would be a light consequence!

"Have you researched anything else?"

"Yes, yes!" Cult Master Chi quickly replied, continuing to rummage through his storage ring. As he searched, he explained, "While we were researching how to set up formations around the sun, we incidentally developed some byproducts."

Lu Yang thought, "Byproducts should be fine, then."

Before he could clearly see what Cult Master Chi pulled out, his vision went black, and the entire room plunged into darkness. Lu Yang even thought Cult Master Chi was trying to harm him amidst the chaos. The three cults held their meeting after the barbecue restaurant closed, at night, with lamps lit in the main hall. When Cult Master Chi presented his research findings, it was as if a chilling gust of wind swept through, extinguishing all the lamps. Fortunately, there were no weaklings among those attending the temporary discussion meeting of the three demonic cults. They could all use divine sense, allowing them to see their surroundings without the need for light.

"What's with this candle?"

Lu Yang observed with his divine sense that Cult Master Chi had pulled out a large red candle. As soon as this candle appeared, all the other candles in the room went out.

"This is called a solar-rechargeable candle. During the day, it absorbs solar energy, and at night, it can be lit."

"So the room suddenly went dark because...?"

"This thing absorbs surrounding light and heat. Once it absorbs all the light and heat, there's naturally no light left," Cult Master Chi stated matter-of-factly.

"Isn't the absorption efficiency of this candle a bit too high? And this is just a byproduct of researching sun formations. If you actually set up formations around the sun, the cultivation world might simultaneously plunge into an ice age and a dark age."

"Isn't higher efficiency better?" Cult Master Chi had put a lot of effort into achieving maximum efficiency, believing that higher efficiency was always preferred.

"Make it lower."

"Alright."

"Old Chi, get a box of these high-efficiency solar-absorbing candles for our Nine Nether Cult," Mu Baiyi said, looking at the candle with interest. "What a great item! With these candles, we'll never have to worry about a lack of atmosphere during meetings again."

Lu Yang couldn't quite understand the Nine Nether Cult's aesthetic. "Are there any other research findings?"

"Yes, we also discovered that we can use solar energy to boil water."

Lu Yang nodded. "Solar water heaters. I've seen these before; they're useful."

Cult Master Chi lit the candle, and the room became brightly lit once more. Cult Master Chi pulled out a large wooden tub, which was another one of their research achievements. It had already absorbed solar energy during the day. He filled it with water, and in just a few breaths, the water in the tub began to boil, bubbling vigorously, with its usual high efficiency.

Seeing this, Cult Master Chi excitedly said, "We also found that the steam generated after boiling water contains immense power! Perhaps we can use this steam for something! However, we've only conducted preliminary research in this area and haven't achieved significant results yet."

Lu Yang was speechless. "This is the first time I've seen someone reverse-engineer a steam engine from solar energy. Stop researching steam; focus on solar energy. Are there any other research findings?"

Cult Master Chi scratched his head awkwardly. For over a year, their main focus had been on researching how to set up formations around the sun, which Lu Yang had unfortunately rejected. The solar-rechargeable candle and water heater were merely byproducts.

"Although there aren't many other research findings, after our two cults collaborated, we discovered a new business opportunity."

"What new business?"

This time, it was Mu Baiyi's turn to explain: "You know how some places have the custom of water burial, where bodies are cast into rivers, lakes, and seas to be consumed by fish, signifying a return to nature? We can broaden our thinking and conduct cremation by casting bodies into the sun. According to the death statistics Old Chi provided, even cultivators at the Body Integration stage turn to ashes on the sun. Don't you think the principle is similar to water burial, perhaps even more thorough? Considering that a person's soul dissipates seven days after death, we could schedule the cremation for after seven days, to prevent the soul from directly melting upon contact with the sun."

Evidently, Mu Baiyi had given this considerable thought, even accounting for the folk custom of the seventh day after death. "Young Cult Master Lu, do you think this business venture is feasible?"

Lu Yang remained silent for a long time before slowly asking, "Setting aside everything else, what do you think customers would think of a barbecue restaurant operating a funeral business, specifically cremation?"

The two cult masters thought about it and conceded that it was indeed a bit off. "Well, it's clear you two cults have put a lot of effort into win-win cooperation, but your approach has gone astray. Keep up the good work!" Lu Yang said, patting both cult masters on the shoulder like an elder brother, his tone encouraging. "If the candles and water tubs can be mass-produced, I'm sure they'll be very popular."

On the way back to the Dao-Seeking Sect, Lu Yang suddenly asked, "Elders, what are your thoughts on the Blazing Sun Cult's research findings?"

The Fifth Elder earnestly replied, "They'd be a good fit for our Artifact Forging Peak."