Chapter 183: The Strongest Changgui

Lu Yang truthfully recounted the sequence of events, calling upon the Immortal Fairy to testify, before Yun Zhi finally believed that he had merely been conducting an experiment.

The thunder dissolved and the sudden downpour ceased abruptly, as moonlight pierced through the dark clouds, returning the Single-Question Sect once more to a clear day.

The disciples of the sect were left bewildered by what had transpired, wondering why a heavy rain had vanished so quickly after barely wetting the ground.

Rainfall within the Single-Question Sect was typically summoned by the elders, who infused spiritual energy into the water to nourish the grounds and increase the density of the sect's spiritual mist.

"What did I tell you? From tonight until tomorrow day, it changes from cloudy to clear—see how accurate I am," the Immortal Fairy boasted, flaunting her weather-predicting abilities.

"..." Lu Yang found himself utterly speechless.

He then noticed several familiar figures trailing behind his Eldest Senior Sister, who happened to be Vice Leader Liu and six other high-ranking members of the Immortal Cult.

The seven of them bore completely despondent expressions, their eyes darting toward the Eldest Senior Sister with a faint trace of sheer terror.

"Oh, they are all in a soul state," the Immortal Fairy remarked with slight surprise.

"Eldest Senior Sister, what is the meaning of this..." Lu Yang asked, deeply perplexed.

Yun Zhi explained impassively, "I noticed they possess a knack for grilling skewers, which makes them quite popular among the junior brothers and sisters. Rather than locking them away in the Prisoner Peak, it is better to return them to the barbecue shop to utilize their talents."

"So, I refined the seven of them into changghosts."

Naturally, every single coin earned by Vice Leader Liu and his cohorts would have to be surrendered to the Eldest Senior Sister without a penny missing.

The Prisoner Peak held many suppressed ancient souls of the Body Integration Stage, meaning they were temporarily not short of raw materials for refining magical treasures.

Lu Yang stood dumbfounded, wondering why this particular routine felt so strangely familiar.

Furthermore, a changghost of the Body Integration Stage must surely be the absolute limit of what a changghost could achieve.

By refining them into changghosts, there was no fear of the seven turning traitor or causing chaos in the Single-Question Sect; if they harbored any malicious intent to harm others, they would drop dead on the spot.

The Eldest Senior Sister led Vice Leader Liu and the others back to the "One More Time" barbecue shop, settling them down to run the business peacefully.

Vice Leader Liu and the other six nodded hastily, vowing to carry forward the spirit of barbecuing, never cutting corners or overcharging customers, and guaranteeing the most professional and attentive service to every guest.

Only then did the Eldest Senior Sister leave with satisfaction, telling Lu Yang to follow her back to the Heavenly Gate Peak.

The "One More Time" barbecue shop opened smoothly, and many local merchants, seeing a new business established, stepped forward to offer their congratulations.

Initially, Vice Leader Liu and his companions felt utterly disdainful; even if they were now mere souls turned into changghosts, they were still great mighties of the Body Integration Stage—figures who once stirred up storms in the outside world—and they felt interacting with these merchants demeaned their status.

However, they quickly abandoned such thoughts when a casual sweep of their divine sense left them breaking into a cold sweat, discovering several cultivators whose depths they could not fathom.

For instance, the beautiful proprietress of the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion, or the owner of the teahouse, among others.

This indicated that the cultivation of those individuals was also at the Body Integration Stage!

It was one thing for hidden cultivation giants to live among the common folk, but to play such games within the Single-Question Sect was entirely another.

Vice Leader Liu also noticed quite a few cultivators of the Void Refinement Stage, whose cultivation fluctuated wildly, potentially unleashing Body Integration Stage combat power at their peak; without them striking a blow, no one could determine whether their current strength was high or low, making them highly intimidating.

"The hidden heritage of the Single-Question Sect is simply terrifying..." they communicated secretly.

If calculated this way, just how many Body Integration Stage experts did the Single-Question Sect possess?

"I fear it is not just the Single-Question Sect; the Five Great Immortal Sects are hard to rank, and the other four are likely equal to or even stronger than this one," Vice Leader Gao lowered his voice even within their divine sense communication, seemingly terrified of being overheard.

"And this is merely one corner of the Single-Question Sect."

They finally realized the vast chasm between the Four Great Demonic Cults and the Five Great Immortal Sects; they were simply not on the same level, making it no wonder they had to hide or flee whenever they encountered people from the immortal sects.

If they failed to run, they would end up just like they were now—either serving as changghosts or being refined into top-tier magical treasures.

A bizarre sensation arose within Vice Leader Liu and the others, feeling a strong sense of deja vu.

"Why do these methods look so much like our own?"

Upon returning to the Heavenly Gate Peak, Yun Zhi left her physical body inside her cave dwelling while her divine soul left her shell.

"Eldest Senior Sister, you..."

Before Lu Yang could finish speaking, he saw his Eldest Senior Sister's divine soul fly directly into his mental space, giving both the Immortal Fairy and Lu Yang a tremendous fright.

"You, you, you scared me to death!" The Immortal Fairy, who had been lazily lounging on a soft chair with her bare feet crossed in a dazed, blissful state of enjoyment, leaped to her feet instantly at the sudden intrusion.

Ignoring the Immortal Fairy's reaction, the Eldest Senior Sister spoke to Lu Yang, "I already know the location of the Immortal Cult's headquarters, but if I rush over blindly, it might startle the snake like last time and leave the place deserted."

"This time, I will hide within your mental space. Follow my instructions to enter their headquarters, ensuring we wipe them out entirely without a single fish escaping the net."

Lu Yang felt as though his mental space was becoming crowded enough to play cards.

Yet he understood his Eldest Senior Sister's concerns and recognized it was indeed an excellent strategy.

"What should we do first?"

"Go find Meng Jingzhou and Mangu first."

Meanwhile, inside the Leader's secret chamber at the Immortal Cult headquarters.

Two rows of bookshelves stood on either side, laden with various precious elixirs, secret techniques, and cultivation manuals.

Most of the elixir bottles were entirely empty, the contents having been consumed by the Immortal Cult Leader to heal his wounds.

At the end of the bookshelves stood a life-sized statue of the Immortal Cult deity, whose gender remained indistinguishable.

In the darkness, the Leader of the Immortal Cult slowly opened his eyes, emerging from his secluded meditation.

He moved his limbs, and upon sensing the still sluggish flow of spiritual energy within his body, he could not help but let out a bitter smile.

The blow dealt to him when Yun Zhi of the Single-Question Sect suddenly appeared during the entrance trial remained incredibly difficult to recover from even now.

"Looking at this state, must I truly cultivate quietly for a century?" The Cult Leader felt somewhat anxious about the future.

If it took a hundred years to fully restore his power, who would lead the Immortal Cult during this interval?

Among the three Vice Leaders of the cult, both Liu and Gao eyed his position like hungry wolves, while only Vice Leader Jin, who organized the entrance trial, had temporarily shown no greed for the seat.

Shifting his gaze toward the statue of the Immortal deity, the Cult Leader's eyes filled with anticipation; he had previously sensed a faint inkling that the Immortal was awakening.

He lit three incense sticks, placed them into the censer, knelt on both knees with palms pressed together, and bowed three times to the statue.

"O great Immortal Bu Yaolian, please save your devout believer, and save this world!"

"Who summons this Immortal?" A benevolent yet ancient voice echoed throughout the secret chamber.

The Cult Leader raised his head, his eyes shining with fanaticism and pleasant surprise as his body trembled slightly, his fingers shaking uncontrollably with an excitement he could not suppress.

He watched as the eyes of the statue before him glowed with an eerie red light, and curling incense smoke enveloped the effigy, gathering into a dense mist.

The mist shifted, gradually taking the shape of a kind-faced, gentle old man.