Chapter 102: Your Mission is to Infiltrate the Dao Seeking Sect

"Since Li Shouyi is already dead, his promotion will no longer be considered."

"The government might suspect a demonic cult is active here based on his identity, so everyone here needs to lay low for a while."

Tang Yunsheng quickly made his decision; having risen through the ranks step by step himself, he acted with absolute decisiveness.

"As for the three of you, bring out your bone plaques."

The trio handed over the bone plaques inscribed with the word "Deacon." Tang Yunsheng stepped before the statue of the Immortal Cultivator, bowed three times, and his large hand erupted with golden light as his lips moved rapidly in a blurred, hurried chant.

He wiped his hand across their three plaques, and the word "Deacon" transformed into "Branch Master."

As an Inspecting Envoy authorized by the upper echelons, Tang Yunsheng held the power to arrange promotions and demotions for Branch Masters and anyone below them.

Making Lu Yang and the other two Branch Masters was not Tang Yunsheng's idea, but rather the will of the high officials. As for which specific official it was, Tang Yunsheng did not know; he had only heard it was a decision from the level of the Vice Cult Leader or perhaps even higher, and he was merely executing orders.

"Which prefecture are we going to as Branch Masters?" Meng Jingzhou asked, looking grandly eager to flex his muscles.

Tang Yunsheng shook his head. "What are you dreaming about? You are only in the early stage of Foundation Establishment. If you were made Branch Masters, would the people underneath you even respect your authority? You wouldn't even be able to manage a place like the Yanjiang Branch."

"A new Branch Master will be dropped into the Yanjiang Prefecture from above. That is not something you need to fret over."

"Then our status as Branch Masters..."

"Making you Branch Masters wasn't my idea, it came from above. The higher-ups want you promoted to the rank of Branch Master without assigning you duties, granting you only the rank itself. This way, you will enjoy many privileges exclusive to Branch Masters while being freed from numerous shackles."

"The higher-ups have entrusted you with a top-secret mission, and absolutely no one can be told except the four of us!"

Lu Yang and the other two stood up straight, waiting in strict readiness.

Tang Yunsheng lowered his voice and said, "The upper echelons are giving you one year to find a way to infiltrate the Wendao Sect. I am your contact person!"

The pupils of Lu Yang and the other two shrank slightly, startled by this task.

Tang Yunsheng waved his hand and said, "I know this mission is extremely difficult. Among the Five Great Immortal Sects, the Hanging Temple has too few people, making it inconvenient to plant operatives. The Wendao Sect's way of thinking is far too erratic, making it difficult to enter, and even if one does enter, their identity would be exposed because they wouldn't fit in."

"You three have a very high compatibility with the Wendao Sect. Perhaps you can smoothly enter it."

"You aren't required to become disciples of the Wendao Sect either. According to intelligence analysis, the entertainment industry within the Wendao Sect is flourishing, and they recruit people every year. You can utilize this opportunity to infiltrate them!"

"Of course, what I'm proposing is just one method. The cult will not interfere, so you are free to improvise and seek out other ways. The deadline is one year. If you cannot complete the mission within a year, the higher-ups will arrange a new task for you!"

Seeing the absolute confidence written all over the faces of Lu Yang and the other two, Tang Yunsheng shook his head and laughed softly. They still had no idea just how difficult it was to lurk within the Wendao Sect; countless people had already perished there.

He pulled out three talismans and handed them over. "The interior of the Wendao Sect is fraught with perils. These are Evasion Talismans. If your mission fails, use them immediately to flee!"

These three were rare talents within the Immortal Cult, especially Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, so the Cult Leader naturally wanted to provide them with ample protection.

The interior of the Wendao Sect is fraught with perils? Meng Jingzhou thought to himself that returning to the Wendao Sect was just like going home, so where could the danger possibly be? If there was any danger at all, it was only the Eldest Senior Sister.

"There is one more thing. Did Little Chu ever tell you how to resurrect the Immortal Cultivator?"

Lu Yang shook his head. "Branch Master Chu only told us the first step, which is to kill people to please the Immortal Cultivator. As for the second step, he said our rank was too low and regulations forbade him from telling us."

Tang Yunsheng said, "Now that you hold the rank of Branch Masters, you are qualified to know how to resurrect the Immortal Cultivator, which is also the duty of every Branch Master-level member. Come, let me demonstrate it for you."

Tang Yunsheng knelt down before the Immortal Cultivator, raised his hands high, and shouted loudly, "The Immortal Cultivator Miao Muzhen is above! Your most devout believer is here to sincerely summon you. Please bestow an immortal miracle and protect the human race!"

Having spoken, he kowtowed three times with loud thuds, then rose to his feet, completing the ritual.

The trio's heads were filled with question marks. That was it?

Mangu muttered even more in his heart, wondering why the Immortal Cultivator's name sounded exactly like that of a barbarian.

Tang Yunsheng said, "You must strictly follow the words I just spoke to summon the Immortal Cultivator, but you cannot say Miao Muzhen."

"Why is that?"

"Because Miao Muzhen is not the true name of the Immortal Cultivator."

The three grew even more perplexed. If it isn't the true name, why on earth did you say it?

Tang Yunsheng explained, "To resurrect the Immortal Cultivator, one must chant his title and immortal name. The first step of killing people to please him means that once the Immortal Cultivator is pleased, he will guide us in the dark to speak his immortal name."

"We have already learned from the ruins that his title is the Immortal Cultivator, but the ruins did not record his immortal name. Before the Immortal Cultivator bestows an immortal miracle as a hint, our Immortal Cult can only try over and over again."

"Out of respect for the Immortal Cultivator, the time interval between summoning the immortal name must be one month!"

Tang Yunsheng pulled out a tattered copy of the *Great Xia Dictionary*. "Most names have already been tried. Recently, I suspect the Immortal Cultivator was a barbarian, so I am currently trying with barbarian names."

The ancient barbarians were once an important force safeguarding the human race, which did fit the status of the Immortal Cultivator.

Tang Yunsheng took out three thick notebooks and handed them to the trio. Written on the covers was *Immortal Names Already Summoned (120th Edition)*.

The sheer volume of immortal names recorded within made Lu Yang suspect that the Immortal Cult had already spoken every name they could possibly think of.

"Every few decades, we compile the chanted immortal names to avoid repeating them. This is the latest edition of the statistics. Take a look and try summoning once, just make sure it doesn't match anything in the notebooks."

Lu Yang shouted, "The Immortal Cultivator Archimedes is above! Your most devout believer is here to sincerely summon you. Please bestow an immortal miracle and protect the human race!"

Meng Jingzhou shouted, "The Immortal Cultivator Li Goudan is above..."

Mangu shouted, "The Immortal Cultivator Yelu Salade is above..."

Clearly, very few names were left for the Immortal Cultivator.

After the three made their summons, the Immortal Cultivator did not bestow any immortal miracle to resurrect himself.

"Alright, I have passed on all the tasks the higher-ups wanted me to convey to you this time. Pack your things and find your own way into the Wendao Sect."

"Yes."

Returning to the barbecue shop, Lan Ting was already sitting in the main hall waiting for the three of them. Lu Yang aligned their stories with Lan Ting, briefly explaining what happened afterward and the mission Tang Yunsheng had given them. Lan Ting looked at the three of them with a rather peculiar expression.

The Immortal Cult was probably bound to meet its end sooner or later.

"Since you are leaving, this young lady should also return to the Immortal Palace to report on my mission. These past ten days or so spent together have been very pleasant, and I thank the three of you for your assistance. Although this young lady did not join the demonic cult, helping you slay a Branch Master is also a great merit, which will earn me quite a few contribution points." Lan Ting smiled sweetly, bidding them a reluctant farewell.

The concept of fate was truly miraculous. Her initial assistance to Lu Yang in killing the tiger was merely out of mutual aid between immortal sects, and she had also carried the mission of infiltrating the demonic cult. Who would have thought that in the end, she, the one with the mission, did not join the demonic cult, while Lu Yang and his companions, who knew nothing of the demonic cult at the start, had joined it instead.

Now that Tang Yunsheng was still in the prefecture, any prolonged contact between them might be discovered by him, bringing unnecessary complications.

"The world is vast, may our paths cross again if fate allows!"

"Goodbye!"

"Take care!"

Seeing Lan Ting off, the three began to pack their things when Meng Jingzhou suddenly remembered. "Where are our horses?"

(End of Chapter)