The headquarters of Jiuyou Sect.

A massive map of Great Xia dominated the front wall, with all seventeen states and tens of thousands of cities precisely indicated on the map.

On the map, one-fifth of the cities were marked with crimson dots, signifying that Jiuyou Sect had extended its reach deep within these cities, even infiltrating Imperial City, the largest city in the world.

Mu Baiyi stood with his hands behind his back, quietly gazing at the map, muttering to himself with eyes filled with unhideable greed and desire.

"Soon, very soon..."

"The Dynasty is nothing significant, they haven’t even noticed such large-scale actions of our sect..."

"In no time, there will be Jiuyou Sect barbecue shops all over Great Xia..."

Unable to help himself, Mu Baiyi touched one of the red dots on the map, each representing a barbecue shop, which signified a future influx of vast wealth into Jiuyou Sect, helping him repay loans.

𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Although currently they were still in the investment and store construction phase, with profits being thin as they were reinvested into building more shops, the future prospects were promising.

With this wealth, he would no longer have to worry about the exposure of his identity as a sect member taking out loans and being responsible for monthly repayments leading to a scandal.

This was lifesaving money.

"All thanks to Heavenly Court Sect," Mu Baiyi felt a renewed awe for the sect after having witnessed the Phoenix Ancestor defeat Venerate Zhu Tian in person. Enjoy more content from freewebnovel

According to Young Master Lu, there were still several key figures from the Ancient Heavenly Court who had yet to awaken. Even so, Heavenly Court Sect was clearly beyond Jiuyou Sect’s league.

"Master, Vice Hierarch Shi from Yaoyang Sect wishes to have an audience with you," reported a Vice Sect Hierarch with the last name Xiang, presenting an invitation from Yaoyang Sect.

Mu Baiyi raised an eyebrow, a bit puzzled. Jiuyou Sect believed in reincarnation and its cultivation techniques generally focused on yin attributes, while the name of Yaoyang Sect alone suggested their techniques were yang attributes. There was little interaction between the two sects.

"What does he want to do?"

However, a meeting was still necessary; after all, some courtesies had to be observed among demonic sects.

Jiuyou Sect’s headquarters certainly couldn’t be exposed, so a day later, the two Sect Masters met in a teahouse, with Yaoyang Sect covering the cost for an entire floor.

The Sect Master of Yaoyang Sect arrived on time with two Protectors.

The Sect Master of Yaoyang Sect was a man who looked to be in his thirties or forties, with a face covered with horizontal flesh, bald, one-eyed, and a frightening scar stretching from his forehead to his cheekbone, giving him a rather intimidating appearance.

"Hahaha, Brother Mu, it’s been quite a while since we last met!"

The Sect Master of Yaoyang Sect greeted him enthusiastically, behaving as if he were Mu Baiyi’s close brother.

"Get to the point, if there’s nothing else, goodbye."

Mu Baiyi responded coldly, unwilling to deal much with the Sect Master of Yaoyang, whose warmth was more than he could stand.

"Oh, come on, with our relationship, would I bother you for no reason?" the Sect Master of Yaoyang sat down, rubbing his bald head and speaking cheerfully.

"What is it?"

"I’ve noticed that your Jiuyou Sect’s barbecue shops are quite popular these days. I’ve tried them myself, and indeed they offer amazing value. With such quality of Spirit Food at this price, it’s no wonder the business is doing so well."

"What do you want to do?" Mu Baiyi eyed the Sect Master of Yaoyang with suspicion; anyone who thought of touching his money was asking for a fight to the death.

"Don’t be nervous, we’re not here to steal business."

"I’ve heard that the next barbecue shop isn’t just backed by Jiuyou Sect, but also has people from Heavenly Court Sect?"

Mu Baiyi’s expression turned stern: "Have you planted moles within our sect?"

The cooperation between Jiuyou Sect and Heavenly Court Sect was a secret known only to the high echelons of Jiuyou Sect.

"Mutual feelings,"

Vice Sect Hierarch Chi also knew that there were members of the Jiuyou Sect within his own sect, but he didn’t know who specifically.

He looked at Mu Baiyi eagerly, rubbing his hands together, "So I just wanted to see, since your Jiuyou Sect has such a close relationship with the Heavenly Court Sect, you must have a way to contact them. I was wondering if you could help us get in touch with them. I’d like to meet them and get acquainted."

He had also personally gone to Demon City and witnessed the Phoenix Ancestor taking charge of the Demon Nation, plus the previous incident where Heavenly Venerate Dou defeated Great Yu Transcendance Tribulation Stage cultivators, and Young Master Lu caused an uproar in the Seek Dao Sect. All these events indicated that the power of the Heavenly Court Sect was unfathomable.

While their Yaoyang Sect was strong, they were not so arrogant as to oppose the Heavenly Court Sect, which would be like smashing an egg against a rock.

Perhaps in the future, the Yaoyang Sect might have to rely on the Heavenly Court Sect, so it was always good to become familiar with them in advance.

Mu Baiyi’s original intention was not to allow the Yaoyang Sect to meet with the Heavenly Court Sect. It was possible that benefits that could have gone to the Jiuyou Sect would fall into the hands of the Yaoyang Sect instead, considering how Young Master Lu casually set up a barbecue restaurant and got the Jiuyou Sect’s economy running.

However, one of the strategies Young Master Lu had given included "inwardly connecting ruthlessly with Yaoyang and other sects", and if Young Master Lu found out that the Yaoyang Sect Master offered to make contact and was refused by himself, there would likely be consequences.

"Helping to contact the Heavenly Court Sect is possible, but we’re not a charity here. What price is your sect willing to pay?"

Vice Sect Hierarch Chi was prepared for this and gave a look to the Protector behind him. The Protector then took out a piece of yellow paper from his chest and placed it in front of Mu Baiyi.

"I’ve heard that your barbecue restaurant offers a delivery service, but because it involves traveling between cities, the skewers cool down over time and the taste suffers."

"This is a unique type of paper from our sect, capable of heating and keeping warmth. Also, it is easy to produce and costs little. If you’re interested, Daoist Mu, I can share with you the method for making this paper."

For the Yaoyang Sect, this paper was superfluous, of no use to keep, but too precious to discard. It would be better used as a token to curry favor with the Jiuyou Sect and establish a rapport with the Heavenly Court Sect.

Mu Baiyi and Vice Sect Hierarch Shi, standing behind him, both brightened up at this. It was truly a useful item that could greatly increase their delivery volume.

"Good, I will contact them right now."

Seeing the sincerity of the other party, Mu Baiyi immediately took out the Jiuyou Order.

"But let me make it clear in advance, I can only contact Young Master Lu and don’t have contact details for anyone else from the Heavenly Court Sect."

"Young Master Lu is fine," said Vice Sect Hierarch Chi eagerly, as Young Master Lu’s status was entirely a match for the leader of a demonic sect.

Mu Baiyi wrote down on the Jiuyou Order Vice Sect Hierarch Chi’s request for a meeting, and soon, the other side responded.

"What did they say?"

"The old place, Yanjiang County, let’s meet at the barbecue restaurant headquarters again."

Vice Sect Hierarch Chi was elated at the news and immediately shared the method for refining the heating paper with Mu Baiyi, who realized after a brief mental run-through that it was indeed genuine.

Moreover, the Yaoyang Sect would not dare deceive him on this matter.

"Could I trouble Daoist Mu to put in a few good words for me with Young Master Lu?"

"No problem at all!"

...

In Yanjiang County, at the barbecue restaurant headquarters, the three parties met.

Mu Baiyi and Vice Sect Hierarch Chi sat upright with bated breath, nervous sweat beading on their backs.

"Daoist Mu, didn’t you say you would put in a few good words for me? Speak up!" Vice Sect Hierarch Chi transmitted his voice to Mu Baiyi.

Mu Baiyi broke out in a cold sweat, no longer retaining his previous composure.

Sitting opposite them were Jiang Lianyi, the Great Emperor of the Southern Pole Nirvana, and Yun Zhi, the Master of the Heavenly Court Sect.

Upon learning that leaders of the sects were meeting, Lu Yang, out of respect for the Jiuyou Sect and the Yaoyang Sect, and to show the sincerity of the Heavenly Court Sect, had specifically invited the Sect Master of his sect to attend.