At the headquarters of the Nine Nether Sect, a large rectangular conference table was placed in the center of the room. The Sect Leader sat on one side of the table, while the three deputy Sect Leaders sat on the other side. Each had a white ceramic cup filled with hot water placed before them.

The Sect Leader coughed lightly and opened his notebook: Lets start todays regular meeting. We have three items on the agenda. First, we will have Deputy Sect Leader Xiang report on the activities of the Nine Nether Sect over the past month.

Deputy Sect Leader Xiang had a peculiar appearance, with three eyes on his forehead that allowed him to see in all directions and perceive everything. He was the executive deputy Sect Leader.

Since June, our sect has shown a stable and positive trend overall.

This month, we have recruited thirty-three new disciples, including twenty-three male cultivators, ten female cultivators, and three non-humans who are ghosts.

The male-to-female ratio remains skewed towards males. The Sect Leaders directive to recruit more female cultivators has not been fully implemented. We will address this issue after the meeting and strive to achieve a balanced gender ratio as soon as possible.

Eighteen disciples were arrested by the Great Xia Dynasty this month. Three disciples went missing in the demon region, and two disciples turned themselves in at the Hanging Temple.

According to reliable sources, the Great Xia Dynasty is revising the Great Xia Dynasty Ghost Management Regulations in response to the increasingly rampant ghost activities. Once implemented, these regulations may affect the activity range of our sects ghosts, indirectly impacting the construction progress of Fengdu.

In terms of new business ventures, our sect has thoroughly implemented the Sect Leaders directives, vigorously promoting diversified business channels. We have started a comprehensive funeral and cremation service, encouraging people and cultivators to bury their remains in our sect-established cemeteries and offering tomb rental services, with fees collected every fifty years.

We have also significantly developed the smuggling industry, which has actively supported the implementation of the Great Xia Dynasty Smuggling Law. The Great Xia Dynasty has recognized and supported our efforts, even awarding us a commendation banner, though no one dared to claim it. Currently, the smuggling industry is struggling, with thin profits, and new strategies are needed.

During the development of the tomb raiding industry, our sect has frequently encountered the Grand Elder of the Dao Seeking Sect, indicating that the Dao Seeking Sect has likely obtained some clues about our tomb raiding patterns.

Additionally, while tomb raiding, our sect unintentionally unearthed a sleeping ancient Unity cultivator. After a fierce battle, both sides were arrested by the Great Xia Dynasty.

Lastly, after rigorous and thorough investigation, we have completely ruled out any communication channels established by the Undying Sect. It is impossible for the Great Xia Dynasty or the Dao Seeking Sect to contact us through any remnants of the Undying Sect.

That concludes my report.

The Sect Leader listened to the report and secretly sighed. Managing the Nine Nether Sect was truly challenging; these were some ridiculous issues!

Money was hard to come by.

Old Xiang, what happened to those eighteen unlucky disciples arrested by the court? Another deputy Sect Leader asked out of curiosity. His surname was Shi, and he was a ghost cultivator.

He was once a disciple of the Buddhist sect, but during an overzealous recitation of the Rebirth Mantra, he transcended himself, leaving his soul detached. The Nine Nether Sect found him and recruited him into their ranks.

Deputy Sect Leader Xiang sighed: Aside from the ten who were arrested because their tomb raiding led to a fight with an ancient Unity cultivator and made too much noise, there were eight idiots.

I tasked these eight with setting up a brothel. After conducting some field research, they found that the taxes on brothels were too high. So, they brought in dozens of female shapeshifting demon beasts from the demon region and registered an animal zoo instead, thinking it would lower the tax rate.

They claimed it was a zoo, but the activities were the same as those in a brothel. When the officials came to inspect, they pretended to be a legitimate zoo.

Thats actually quite clever, Deputy Sect Leader Shi, the ghost cultivator, said, surprised by the ingenuity of the eight disciples.

Deputy Sect Leader Xiang sighed, But the problem is, normal zoos dont have signs that say No Minors Allowed.'

The most disastrous part was when a private tutor heard about the new zoo in town and took his students there for an educational visit.

And they certainly got an education.

Deputy Sect Leader Shi:

Ahem, we can discuss this further after the meeting. Lets move on to the second item on the agenda.

Deputy Sect Leader Shi, please update us on the progress of the Fengdu construction.

Everything is going smoothly. Weve completed eighty percent of the project. As long as the funding is in place, the remaining twenty percent can be finished quickly.

The Sect Leader sighed in relief upon hearing this. It was finally nearing completion. To build Fengdu, he had almost sold off everything he owned.

If he were part of the Phoenix clan, hed have considered selling his blood.

A demonic sect was supposed to be the underground emperor, showing off its power, but how had the Nine Nether Sect ended up in such a dire state?

Look at the Undying Sect, Solar Sect, and Heartless Sectnone of them were in this kind of mess.

The other two deputy Sect Leaders were visibly excited by this news.

Fengdu was their dream. As the Nine Nether Sect, how could they not have a city symbolizing the afterlife?

How many more spirit stones are needed?

3.8 billion.

The Sect Leaders hands trembled. This was practically a death sentence.

Was it too late to step down?

Seventeen years ago, when Qin Haorans life token shattered and he died suddenly, the Nine Nether Sect fell into chaos. The four deputy Sect Leaders competed for the position of Sect Leader.

The four deputies had similar levels of power and influence, making it hard to determine a winner. Thats when he made a bold promise: if he became Sect Leader, he would ensure the construction of Fengdu.

This promise won him the support of many disciples, and he smoothly became Sect Leader.

He regretted making that promise. Anyone else could have had this cursed position.

But it was too late for regrets.

Qin Haoran hadnt managed to build Fengdu in eight hundred years, and here he was, close to completing it in seventeen years, but not without significant strategies.

He was adept at transformation techniques and had spent these seventeen years taking out loans using each disciples identity information.

If this were ever exposed, it wouldnt just be the end of his term as Sect Leader; it would be the end of his life.

With the recent fall of the Undying Sect, the Great Xia Dynasty and the Five Great Immortal Sects are closely watching us. To be cautious, lets delay the Fengdu construction for a while.

The Sect Leaders cautious approach was supported by the three deputy Sect Leaders. Although the four major demonic sects couldnt truly unite due to ideological differences, they had coexisted for over ten thousand years. The fall of one sect made the others fearful for their own survival.

The demonic sects had lasted this long because they always prioritized safety.

Now for the third and final agenda itemregarding the reincarnation of Qin Haoran and the authenticity of the Heavenly Court Sect.

Heavenly Court Sect? Deputy Sect Leaders Xiang and Shi exchanged puzzled glances. They were familiar with the four major demonic sects, but when did a Heavenly Court Sect come into the picture?

And what did this have to do with the reincarnation of Qin Haoran?

Both of them had arranged for their own disciples to claim to be the reincarnation of Qin Haoran.

Deputy Sect Leader Shi, you know the most about this issue. Why dont you explain?

(End of the chapter)