Chapter 422: Mangu: Is the Heavenly Court Sect Still Recruiting?

"So that is to say, Brother Meng, you have been struck by a karmic backlash that causes women to reflexively loathe you, hence your journey to the Desolate Province in search of a remedy?" Mangu murmured, a sudden light of realization dawning upon him after listening to the account given by Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou.

As expected of Brother Meng, the matters he engaged with were always of the loftiest caliber; how could an ordinary Golden Core cultivator ever encounter a karmic backlash?

The whole roasted sheep had already been divided and devoured, and the three fellow disciples were now reminiscing in a spot somewhat removed from the disciples of the Corpse Driving Sect.

"And what of you? How did you come to the Corpse Driving Sect? Did you journey here alone?"

"Did I not return to my clan to participate in the coming-of-age ceremony? Once it concluded, I proposed coming to the Corpse Driving Sect to study the art of corpse driving so that it might assist me in my barbecuing. The clan chief escorted me here himself, intending also to pay a visit to Sect Master Lu. However, Sect Master Lu was in secluded cultivation, so the clan chief left me at the Corpse Driving Sect without disturbing him and returned on his own."

The Sect Master of the Corpse Driving Sect, Lu Baqian, was at the late stage of the Body Integration Realm.

"Originally, I had hoped to exchange blows with Huang Ming of the Corpse Driving Sect, but it seems he went out on a mission and has yet to return."

"I have heard that the coming-of-age ceremony of the Barbarian Race is fraught with peril, requiring one to clash with Golden Core stage demonic beasts." As the Senior Brother of their generation, Lu Yang was deeply concerned for Junior Brother Mangu's safety.

Mangu scratched the back of his head, a simple and honest smile gracing his features as he spoke: "It was not particularly dangerous. After all, when the three of us were only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, we infiltrated a demonic cult, and by the late stage of Foundation Establishment, we were already chasing Golden Core stage demonic beasts through dense forests."

Indeed, compared to those two exploits, Mangu using a Golden Core cultivation to slay a Golden Core demonic beast was as safe as returning to the Single-Minded Sect.

At that moment, Zhao Po walked over: "My master usually spends his days in cultivation, but it so happens he is free right now."

"Then let us depart," Meng Jingzhou said with a smile, feeling that fortune was gradually aligning with him. Yet, a sudden wave of vigilance washed over him, and he inquired:

"Is your master male or female?"

"Male."

"Wonderful."

Mangu no longer needed to study the art of corpse driving, as his requirements for the technique were meager—so long as it aided his barbecuing, it sufficed. Thus, he followed Meng Jingzhou to seek the Grand Elder.

Mangu remarked cheerfully: "Seeing the two of you reminds me of an amusing matter. A barbecue shop opened in Hanshui City called the 'One More Time Barbecue Shop,' sharing the exact same name as ours. However, theirs is a chain establishment, and they even claim to inherit an ancient secret recipe."

"I originally intended to sample it, but I simply never found the time." Mangu shook his head in regret.

Lu Yang: "......"

Meng Jingzhou: "......"

"In truth, that shop you saw does bear some relation to us," Lu Yang transmitted his voice secretly. This matter could not be spoken aloud in front of Zhao Po, lest it cause him to misunderstand them as members of a demonic cult.

"I never managed to tell you before you returned home, but during that interval, Old Meng and I established contact with the people of the Nine Nether Cult..."

Upon hearing this, Mangu stood dumbfounded, unable to react for a long while.

In the mere span of his visit home, Brother Lu and Brother Meng had actually founded a Heavenly Court Cult. Moreover, they had dragged the Eldest Senior Sister, the Sect Master, the Elders, and Tao Tianye into the venture, and had even compelled the Nine Nether Cult to open a chain of barbecue shops.

He had not been home for very long, not even two months.

One could not deny that Brother Lu and Brother Meng were truly brilliant.

"Rest assured, your contribution is considered technical investment, so you shall hold a ten percent share of the barbecue shop's profits."

After all, the recipe used by the barbecue shop was still the ancestral recipe of Mangu's family.

Mangu cared little for profits; as the sole remaining descendant of the Ancient Barbarian Race, the entire clan regarded him as a precious golden nugget. He did not lack spirit stones, though he rarely found an occasion to spend them.

"Does the Heavenly Court Cult still recruit members?" Mangu proactively sought to align himself with his two role models.

"We do, of course we do! Our Heavenly Court Cult is in dire need of geniuses like you!" Lu Yang laughed. Even if Mangu had not brought it up, he would have broached the subject himself.

The top five individuals of Lu Yang’s generation had now all joined the Heavenly Court Cult.

The group arrived at the deepest recesses of the Corpse Driving Sect, where the atmosphere grew increasingly cold and gloomy.

An elderly man sat deep within a luxurious yet desolate hall, his eyes cold and devoid of any emotion.

"Master, these two are the visitors from the Single-Minded Sect I mentioned to you, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou. As for Fellow Daoist Mangu, you ought to have met him already."

"We pay our respects to the Grand Elder!" Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou bowed, performing the salutation of juniors.

"Enough, there is no need for such civility between us. The disciple of that old fellow Buyu, and a lad of the Meng family—speaking of which, both of you share origins with me." The old man chuckled softly, the warmth returning to his aged eyes.

"My surname is Gai; you may simply call me Elder Gai."

"This is a letter for you from the Fourth Elder." Lu Yang presented the letter of introduction written by the Fourth Elder to the Corpse Driving Sect.

"It has been a long time since I last saw a letter from Xie Shanren. His calligraphy is a delight to the eyes and worth a thousand pieces of gold. This letter alone possesses the qualifications to be put up for auction... Hmm, have the two of you opened this letter?" Elder Gai's brow furrowed in displeasure, deeming these juniors quite lacking in propriety; how could a letter between elders be opened so casually?

"It was not opened by us, but rather by Valley Master Shuang," Lu Yang explained helplessly.

"That female demon?" Upon hearing Valley Master Shuang's name, Elder Gai’s hand trembled. He hastily used his divine sense to scan the letter repeatedly, terrified that Shuang Feiyan might have left a curse upon it to ensnare him.

There were precedents for such actions.

"Fortune favors me, the letter is safe... What exactly happened? Relate it to me slowly."

"The Fourth Elder instructed the two of us to come to the Desolate Province in search of a method to dispel a curse, telling us to first inquire at your esteemed sect. Being our first time in the Desolate Province, we were unfamiliar with the land and its people. Hearing that the curse techniques of the Seven Emotions Valley were extraordinary, we decided to visit the Seven Emotions Valley first..."

The corner of Elder Gai’s eye twitched incessantly. Truly, newborn calves feared no tigers. As the disciple of that old fellow Buyu, carrying a letter of introduction from Xie Shanren to find Shuang Feiyan was practically a sign of being weary of living.

Particularly at the end of the letter of introduction, Xie Shanren referred to Shuang Feiyan as a "female demon"—a moniker used strictly in private, which no one dared utter to her face.

That this lad could stand before him entirely unscathed indicated that his luck was by no means shallow.

"This matter of the curse can be resolved by Old Lu. However, you will have to wait a while. Old Lu is currently in secluded cultivation to break through to the Tribulation Transmutation Realm. Once his breakthrough succeeds, your curse will no longer pose any trouble."

"A breakthrough to the Tribulation Transmutation Realm?!" Everyone was startled in unison.

Sect Master Lu was of a similar age to Daoist Buyu and the various elders of the Single-Minded Sect. In fact, the elders and sect masters of the various major factions belonged to roughly the same generation, and they all secretly competed to see who could be the first to break through to the Tribulation Transmutation Realm. No one expected Sect Master Lu to take the lead.

Lu Yang was the first to recover. Stepping forward, he cupped his fists and said proactively: "Is it necessary for me to convey this matter to our elders, so that we may celebrate Sect Master Lu's achievement together?"

The Single-Minded Sect and the Corpse Driving Sect enjoyed good relations. In all fairness and reason, Sect Master Lu’s breakthrough to the Tribulation Transmutation Realm was a joyous occasion of the highest order, and the Single-Minded Sect ought to send envoys to offer congratulations.

The status of Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou was not yet sufficient to represent the Single-Minded Sect in offering congratulations.

Elder Gai waved his hand: "There is no need for that. Before entering seclusion, Old Lu specifically charged me not to reveal his breakthrough to anyone. He wishes to give everyone a surprise. I have shared this with you, but you must not speak of it to others."