Meng Jingzhou spoke the absolute truth, which even Lu Yang had to admit.

According to records, Old Meng was the only one with a Single Body Spiritual Root who had pushed himself to the brink of death through cultivation, commendable for both his courage and perseverance.

Wu Qihang’s defeat lacked suspense, and even if it were to happen again, the outcome would be unchanged. Wu Qihang willingly admitted defeat; their hearts in pursuit of the Dao were too far apart.

He knew he was no match once he heard Meng Jingzhou’s disdain for the physique.

"I’ve learned my lesson."

The protectors of Yaoyang Sect helped him up and took him to the back yard for healing.

Sect Leader Yun took a sip of tea to moisten his throat and said at a leisurely pace, "Master Chi, it seems that the saint heir of your sect has some deficiencies in his cultivation, you must carefully guide him once you return."

"Indeed, indeed," Master Chi said, sweating profusely, feeling once again the unfathomable depths of the Heavenly Court Sect and the need to cling to them tightly.

He made eye signals to Mu Baiyi, who remained silent, hoping to smooth things over, but Mu Baiyi pretended not to see.

It’s your own fault for wanting to showcase the might of Yaoyang Sect, what does your embarrassment have to do with me?

Reaching into his bosom, Mu Baiyi took out a storage ring and offered it to Yun Zhi with an apologetic smile, "Sect Leader Yun, this is the earnings from our business. According to our agreement, sixty percent belongs to your sect."

Yun Zhi scanned it briefly with her Spiritual Sense and then tossed it back to Mu Baiyi.

Confused about her intentions, Mu Baiyi wondered if he had done something wrong to offend the Heavenly Court Sect.

"The barbecue shop is developing and needs funds now, so keep this money for the time being. Once it stabilizes and turns a profit, we can return our share."

Overjoyed at the words, Mu Baiyi realized that the Heavenly Court Sect had been paying close attention to the growth of the barbecue shop and appreciated his hard work.

With these spirit stones, the speed of opening new barbecue shops would only increase!

Great Xia was within their grasp.

"Master Mu, I have some new ideas for improving the quality of the skewers. You might want to give them a try," Lu Yang smiled and pulled a scripture from his storage ring.

"What is this?"

"The Rebirth Mantra. When slaughtering livestock, the animals generate resentment that lingers in the meat and affects its quality. By reciting the Rebirth Mantra during slaughter, this issue can be easily resolved."

"I’ve tested it, and it indeed improves the taste of the skewers."

Mu Baiyi’s eyes widened in amazement and his mouth opened wide in delight.

If Young Sect Master Lu had put it into practice, there was nothing to doubt.

"But the Rebirth Mantra... Does your sect also delve into Buddhist teachings?"

None of the members of the Heavenly Court Sect he had dealt with seemed to be from Buddhism.

"Buddhist teachings?" Lu Yang chuckled lightly, finding the question laughably naive.

"My master, Heavenly Venerate Dou, is one of the founders of Buddhism. How could he not be well-versed in its teachings?"

"What?!"

Both Mu Baiyi and Master Chi were unable to stay calm, as were the protectors from both sects. The fearsomeness of Heavenly Venerate Dou was far beyond their imagination!

A founder of Buddhism—what an immensely important status. Perhaps even Buddhism itself was unaware of this matter; otherwise, they would have come to worship Heavenly Venerate Dou long ago.

If Heavenly Venerate Dou were to make public his identity as a founder, all of Buddhism would rely on him to seek acknowledgment of the orthodox way.

Such is the power of figures from Ancient Times; their actions and influence carried from Ancient Times into the present, their influence profoundly far-reaching.

Mu Baiyi asked again, "I also saw Elder Jiang showing great prowess in Demon City, defeating Venerate Zhu Tian. Since then, the Phoenix Tribe has even taken the initiative towards the Demon Nation. So, about this Demon Nation..." Stay updated via freewebnovel

"You’re quite sharp-minded for a junior," Jiang Lianyi admitted directly, without any attempt to conceal it. "You guessed right, Zhu Tian is under my control, and the power of the Demon Nation can be utilized by me."

Silence, absolute silence.

Everyone from both sects held their breath upon hearing the news, and the whole place fell deathly quiet.

Gulp.

Sect Leader Chi swallowed, his hands turning cold.

The vast Demon Nation—had it just become part of the Heavenly Court Sect?

Mu Baiyi had anticipated this, but he was still shocked when Jiang Lianyi admitted it directly.

Yun Zhi’s cool voice carried a hint of nonchalance, "The enemies of the Heavenly Venerate are the Yingtian Immortal and three other immortals. If even the Demon Nation can’t be controlled, how can we talk about dealing with the four immortals?"

"The waters of Great Xia run deeper than I imagined. At the very least, there’s one Immortal. The scuffles between your two sects have not been taken seriously by the dynasty, but if this continues... in this tumultuous time, it’s easy for things to change."

"The Eternity Sect is a lesson from the past. If the Eternity Sect still existed, the demonic sect could have had another Semi-Immortal. Such a pity."

Semi-Immortal?

"So what you’re saying is..." Mu Baiyi said.

The response was a cold look.

"Speaking of which, how did your Jiuyou Sect come to discover ’Nine Nether’?" Yun Zhi continued, "According to my investigation, since the disappearance of the ancient Nine Nether, there has been no trace of it in the world. Yet your Jiuyou Sect insists that there is a Nine Nether in the world that offers souls reincarnation. What’s the story behind this?"

The origin of the Jiuyou Sect had always been a mystery, only known to the high-ranking insiders. This was a good opportunity to ask.

The Heavenly Court Sect had questions, and naturally, Mu Baiyi was expected to answer them, but before that, they needed to send the Yaoyang Sect away.

"Sect Leader Chi, it’s getting late. May I see you out?"

Sect Leader Chi could hear the hint to leave. Since he had already accomplished his goal for the night, the origin of the Jiuyou Sect was of no concern to him.

"Let’s go."

After the Yaoyang Sect left, Mu Baiyi saw that only his own people were left and felt reassured to speak, "Actually, it’s not really a secret. The reason we believe in the existence of Nine Nether begins with the founder of our sect."

"Eighty thousand years ago, the founder was born, seemingly with innate knowledge. His mind was always filled with various cultivation knowledge, which became clearer with the rise of his cultivation level. All those pieces of cultivation knowledge were verified to be true, except for one that didn’t match the theories of the time."

"Reincarnation?"

"Yes, reincarnation. In his memories, he mentioned that the souls of all the deceased would reincarnate in a place called ’Nine Nether’. He was no exception. The only difference was that while everyone else would have their memories erased after reincarnation, he retained the memories of his past life."

"For this reason, he secretly established the Jiuyou Sect, intending to investigate the mysteries of reincarnation and to discover the whereabouts of Nine Nether."

"Our founder wasn’t exactly reincarnated in the true sense; his memories were vague. To speak disrespectfully, it might have been the result of a failed Possession by a Great Power."

"As for the most recent case, it would be my predecessor, Sect Leader Qin Haoran."

"After Sect Leader Qin passed away, the three Vice Sect Hierarchs stumbled upon a page from Sect Leader Qin’s diary. The diary recorded Qin Haoran’s confusion about his past life and his incomprehension of the future."

"So, they each found a cultivator who claimed to be the reincarnation of Sect Leader Qin to inherit his legacy."

At this point, Mu Baiyi showed a pleasing smile, leaning slightly forward, "I, of course, don’t believe in those they have found. I only trust your sect’s judgment. Your Sect’s Qin Yanyan is indeed the reincarnation of Sect Leader Qin."