Who Let Him Cultivate Immortality

Chapter 382: In-Depth Cooperation

After some pleasantries, Lu Yang handed a storage ring to Vice Sect Leader Petrified.

“Inside are 200 bottles of fire seeds and 200 barbecue grills. That should last you for a while.”

Vice Sect Leader Petrified sent a sliver of his divine sense into the storage ring for a quick scan and was delighted. With these supplies, the number of branch stores would no longer be a problem.

He then handed Lu Yang a ledger and another storage ring.

“Here is the business report for the past month, along with your sect’s share.”

Lu Yang checked the storage ring, finding approximately 120,000 Spirit Stones.

That amount was equivalent to the entire wealth of an ordinary Golden Core Stage cultivator.

He acted nonchalant, casually handing the storage ring to Peach Blossom Leaf: “Take this back to the treasury when we return.”

Peach Blossom Leaf silently accepted the ring without saying a word, but inside, she was far from calm.

120,000 Spirit Stones—a lifetime’s savings for a Golden Core Stage cultivator, and she had never seen so many Spirit Stones before.

Lu Yang transmitted a message to Peach Blossom Leaf via sound transmission, safe from being overheard by the Petrified Bone thanks to the Everlasting Fairy.

“Junior Sister Peach, keep your composure. Once your Dreamlike Bubble Illusion patent is approved, you’ll be earning far more than this.”

“Also, don’t feel intimidated just because the other party is Unity Stage or a deputy sect leader of a demonic sect. In the future, he might be the one asking for your help. After all, your Dreamlike Bubble Illusion is perfect for advertising.”

“Why is that?” Peach Blossom Leaf asked, confused. Lu Yang simply smiled and didn’t elaborate further.

Vice Sect Leader Petrified noticed Lu Yang’s indifferent demeanor and assumed that the amount of Spirit Stones was too little and that Lu Yang was dissatisfied.

Fearing this might create a rift between the Nine Nether Sect and the Heavenly Court Sect, he quickly explained, “Since we’ve just started operations, the initial investment has been quite high, making it difficult to turn a profit. I ask for your understanding, Heaven’s Favored, Lu. I am confident that in a year or two, once our barbecue restaurants are established across the entire continent, our business will bring in millions of Spirit Stones daily for both our sects!”

(TL Note: Petrified Bone uses the term “??” followed by their surname here which can mean something like “Heaven’s proud one” or “Heaven’s favored.”)

Vice Sect Leader Petrified wasn’t just making empty promises; his projections were based on solid calculations.

Lu Yang waved his hand dismissively: “Vice Sect Leader Petrified misunderstands. It’s not that I’m dissatisfied with the number of Spirit Stones. Our sect’s treasury holds countless ancient treasures, celestial weapons, and immortal fruits. If we wanted Spirit Stones, selling even a small fraction of our items would generate limitless wealth.”

“I merely wanted to remind Vice Sect Leader Petrified that the collaboration between our sects in establishing these barbecue restaurants is a symbol of the bond between us. We should not reduce it to mere Spirit Stone transactions. The friendship between our sects cannot be measured in Spirit Stones.”

If their cooperation was only limited to Spirit Stone transactions and opening barbecue restaurants, it would remain superficial. What Lu Yang desired was a deeper partnership with the Nine Nether Sect.

Vice Sect Leader Petrified felt deeply ashamed, realizing that despite being at the Unity Stage, his perspective was still narrow.

As expected of a genius from the ancient Heavenly Court Sect—his vision far surpassed his own.

Just as Lu Yang was about to leave, feeling that he had given Peach Blossom Leaf enough exposure to the world, Vice Sect Leader Petrified hurriedly called out to him.

“Young Sect Leader Lu, Heaven’s Favored, Peach, please wait!”

Peach Blossom Leaf’s heart skipped a beat, thinking they had been discovered.

“What’s the matter?” Lu Yang asked, puzzled. He had given the supplies and accepted the Spirit Stones, so what else could there be?

At the same time, he sent another message to Peach Blossom Leaf, signaling her to stay calm.

“What is Young Sect Leader Lu’s opinion on ancient cultivators?” Vice Sect Leader Petrified suddenly asked, inspired by the thought that Lu Yang was aiming for something beyond Spirit Stones—a deeper cooperation.

If that was the case, then they should cooperate on a deeper level!

“Ancient cultivators?” Lu Yang chuckled lightly, a proud glint in his eyes as he displayed the confidence of a genius from the ancient Heavenly Court Sect. There was also a hint of disdain for so-called ancient cultivators. “In front of our Heavenly Court Sect, who dares claim to be an ancient cultivator?”

Vice Sect Leader Petrified suddenly realized. Of course, whether they were cultivators of the Great Yu or Great Qian eras, they were nothing more than juniors in Lu Yang’s eyes.

In terms of antiquity, who could compare to the Heavenly Court Sect?

In terms of foundation, who could compare to the Heavenly Court that governs the stars across the skies?

Even though the Central Continent is vast, how could it compare to the boundless heavens?

As for the strength of an era, the ancient times had the well-known Four Ancient Immortals, the hidden Everlasting Celestial, and the Bean Venerate, making six immortals in total. Whether the Great Yu and Great Qian dynasties even had immortals is still uncertain!

So-called ancient cultivators couldn’t possibly compare to the Heavenly Court Sect!

Ridiculous!

Hearing Lu Yang speak, Vice Sect Leader Petrified felt more at ease. He said angrily, “Has Young Sect Leader Lu heard about what happened at the Qingzhou Festival half a month ago, when ancient cultivators suddenly appeared and disrupted the event, causing it to end prematurely?”

Lu Yang nodded, “I’ve heard a bit about it.”

“To be honest, I had set up a temporary branch store during the Qingzhou Festival to test how the people of Qingzhou would take to the barbecue restaurant. Before I could get a clear picture, the Great Yu Dynasty cultivators disrupted everything!”

Vice Sect Leader Petrified became frustrated as he spoke. He had been running his business peacefully, not interfering with the ancient cultivators, but they had to cause trouble.

Did they not understand how important Qingzhou was? Among the seventeen provinces of the Great Xia Dynasty, Qingzhou’s strength ranked in the top three!

Opening a barbecue restaurant in Qingzhou could make a fortune!

He had heard that Qingzhou’s strength used to rank below average, but two millennia ago, a powerful governor of Qingzhou emerged. Not only was this governor a Tribulation Crossing Stage cultivator, but he also had unconventional thinking, often doing things no one else could imagine. The Qingzhou Festival was this governor’s idea.

Under his leadership, Qingzhou’s strength rapidly climbed, eventually ranking in the top three and even reaching the number one spot at its peak!

“Our two sects jointly opened 15 barbecue restaurants. Losing one restaurant isn’t a big deal, but the issue is that if these ancient cultivators destroy it once, they can destroy it again!”

Vice Sect Leader Petrified subtly reminded Lu Yang that the restaurant destroyed by the Great Yu cultivators wasn’t just Nine Nether Sect’s; it was a joint venture between Nine Nether Sect and Heavenly Court Sect.

Vice Sect Leader Petrified, unable to vent his frustration by striking down the Calamity Sovereign after wounding him during a lightning tribulation, had no choice but to channel his anger toward other ancient cultivators.

The barbecue business was tied to his billion-spirit-stone debt. If he couldn’t repay it and was struck down by heavenly lightning, he would have a life-and-death feud with these ancient cultivators!

This grudge could not go unavenged!

Lu Yang understood now. Vice Sect Leader Petrified had clashed with the ancient cultivators and was seeking the Heavenly Court Sect’s help.

Lu Yang was more than happy to get involved.

Lu Yang looked at Vice Sect Leader Petrified with a half-smile: “Does Vice Sect Leader Petrified remember the plan I laid out for your sect last time at the barbecue restaurant?”

Vice Sect Leader Petrified’s Unity Stage memory was impeccable: “Nine Nether Sect should ally with the Demon Territory and the East Sea externally, and with the Heartless Sect and the Blazing Sun Sect internally. When the era of great conflict arrives, our two sects can act together, establishing an immortal enterprise and reviving the Nine Nethers!”

“In that plan, did I ever mention allying with the cultivators of the Great Yu and Great Qian eras?”

Vice Sect Leader Petrified’s eyes lit up. That’s right, there was no mention of ancient cultivators in the plan!

“This world originally belonged to our Heavenly Court. If we couldn’t tolerate the likes of Ying Tian Immortal ruling in ancient times, how could we possibly allow Great Qian, Great Yu, or the Great Xia Dynasty to rule the continent?”

Vice Sect Leader Petrified was overjoyed. The Heavenly Court Sect’s stance was even more forceful than he had imagined.

With the strong backing of the Heavenly Court Sect, those damned ancient cultivators would be in real trouble!

“I humbly request your sect to join forces with the Nine Nether Sect to fight against the ancient cultivators!” Vice Sect Leader Petrified stood up, his eyes burning with anticipation, hoping to reach a cooperative agreement with the Heavenly Court Sect. His words were filled with sincerity.

Lu Yang slowly stood up, a confident smile playing on his lips, and shook hands with Vice Sect Leader Petrified.

“Then, a pleasant cooperation.”

(End of the chapter)