I am Master Maoshan

Chapter 2289 Everyone has their own agenda
As Liu Jun skillfully flipped the meat skewers in front of the barbecue grill, the intense heat of the charcoal fire reflected on his focused face, while his steps moved irregularly, as if he were performing some kind of mysterious ritual.

His movements seemed casual, but in fact they contained a rhythm, and each step seemed to resonate subtly with the spiritual energy around him.

Although something seemed amiss, Peng Cheng merely frowned slightly, his gaze fixed intently on the "Dragon Emperor" before him.

Seeing that Liu Jun did nothing unusual besides grilling meat, he had his doubts, but ultimately did not speak up to stop him. After all, although the "Dragon Emperor" in front of him was behaving strangely, he did not show any hostility.

However, Peng Sheng did not notice that when Liu Jun was sprinkling barbecue seasoning, he flicked his finger lightly, silently sprinkling some special powder into the blood pool not far away.

The powder dissolved into the blood pool the moment it came into contact with it, as if it had never existed.

At the same time, wisps of spiritual energy flowed silently beneath Liu Jun's feet with each step. These spiritual energies, like invisible threads, were drawn by his movements and converged towards the blood pool.

Although Peng Sheng was of a high cultivation level, he did not detect anything unusual in the face of this subtle flow of spiritual energy.

After a while, Liu Jun stopped and looked at the golden and crispy meat skewers with satisfaction. He took out more than half of the grilled skewers and walked towards Peng Sheng with a big smile.

"Come on, Brother Peng, try the meat skewers I grilled myself. I guarantee you'll never forget them!" Liu Jun handed the meat skewers to Peng Sheng, his eyes full of anticipation.

Peng Sheng smelled the enticing aroma wafting from the meat skewers, and his heart wavered slightly. But then he thought, what if the skewers were drugged? If the "Dragon Emperor" in front of him took the opportunity to escape, it would be a huge loss. Therefore, he could only suppress his desire and repeatedly waved his hands in refusal:

"No, I'm not hungry. You've been grilling for so long, you should eat more."

Seeing this, Liu Jun didn't insist. He just smiled and began to eat heartily. He ate with great relish, seemingly completely immersed in the world of food.

Meanwhile, Peng Cheng silently observed Liu Jun's every move, feeling anxious and wondering what had been lost from the Heavenly Treasure Vault.

At this moment, on the other side of the sect, Vice Hall Master Liu Yuan looked anxious and frowned. He had already quickly led his men to the Heavenly Treasure Vault.

The treasure vault doors were wide open. Liu Yuan glanced inside and saw that the vault was completely empty, without even a shelf or a single treasure left behind, as if it had been looted.

His face turned deathly pale instantly, his vision went black, and he felt as if the sky had collapsed. An indescribable anger and despair surged into his heart.

"What's going on! Where is the elder on duty?" Deputy Hall Master Liu Yuan roared, his voice echoing in the empty treasure vault, filled with barely suppressed rage.

The elder on duty rushed over upon hearing the commotion, his face filled with bitterness, and knelt before Vice Hall Master Liu Yuan.

"Vice Hall Master, we don't know either. The warning array was suddenly triggered here, and we rushed over, but when we went in, there was nothing there." The elder on duty's voice trembled, clearly quite frightened by this sudden turn of events.

Upon hearing this, Vice Hall Master Liu Yuan was even more enraged. He stared wide-eyed at the tightly closed door, his heart filled with doubt and anger.

How could the things inside the door just vanish into thin air like that? This is too eerie and unbelievable.

"Nothing at all? Could it just vanish into thin air?" Vice Hall Master Liu Yuan questioned, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, as if searching for a clue.

"What about the spatial shielding array? Is there anything unusual?" Liu Yuan continued to press, trying to get some useful information from the elder on duty.

Logically speaking, as long as the spatial shielding array is still in place, spatial teleportation should be impossible within a few miles of the treasure vault. So how could the treasures inside the vault simply disappear into thin air?
Upon hearing this, the elder on duty quickly replied, "There is nothing unusual, Vice Hall Master. We have checked, and the spatial shielding array is intact, without any signs of damage."

Upon hearing this, Vice Hall Master Liu Yuan's face grew even more grim. He clenched his fists, his heart filled with anger and resentment. The treasures in this vault represented the accumulated wealth of the Heavenly Lord's Temple over many years, and now they had vanished overnight. How could he explain this to the Hall Master?

"This matter must be thoroughly investigated! Whoever dares to steal the treasures of the Temple of Heaven must pay the price!" Liu Yuan glared at the elder on duty and said, word by word.

"Yes," the elder on duty quickly replied.

Suddenly, Liu Yuan remembered something, his heart tightened as if gripped by something, and he quickly turned around and flew towards the underground city like an arrow released from a bow.

He is now increasingly suspicious that the mastermind behind the theft of the treasure vault is none other than "Emperor Long Ao".

Once this thought took root in his mind, it grew wildly like weeds, impossible to stop. If Emperor Long Ao really fled out of fear of punishment, then it could be basically concluded that he was the one who did it.

However, when Liu Yuan rushed back to the underground city in a great hurry, the scene in front of him stunned him.

There stood a few feet away from the blood pool, holding a large handful of fragrant skewers, eating heartily as if no one else was around, his face beaming with satisfaction and contentment.

That leisurely and carefree demeanor hardly resembles that of a criminal who has just committed a major crime and is preparing to flee.
"He didn't run away?" Liu Yuan turned his gaze to Peng Cheng beside him, his tone filled with disbelief and doubt.

Peng Sheng shook his head and replied, "No, he just grilled some meat skewers for a while, as if he had nothing to do with the theft of the treasure vault." Upon hearing this, Liu Yuan's mind was filled with even more doubts. If it really was "Dragon Emperor" who stole the top-tier treasure vault, then why didn't he take the opportunity to escape, but instead stayed here leisurely grilling meat skewers? This behavior was simply walking into a trap!

But if it wasn't the work of "Dragon Emperor," then this whole thing is too much of a coincidence, isn't it? Liu Yuan recalled that he had just taken "Dragon Emperor" to the treasure vault, and then the vault was robbed. This close connection in time makes it impossible not to make connections.

Liu Yuan frowned, his mind racing.

"Hey, Brother Liu, you're back!" Liu Jun, disguised as Emperor Long Ao, greeted Liu Yuan, who had just stepped into the hall, with a bright smile on his face.

Liu Yuan looked up and saw that Liu Jun's expression was normal, and the formation beside him was also operating normally. After hesitating for a few seconds, he asked, "Brother Long, is the formation ready?"

Liu Jun smiled slightly and nodded in satisfaction: "It's done. In the later stages, it only requires a little maintenance and replacing those spirit stones that have lost their effectiveness. The power of this spirit gathering array should not be underestimated."

Upon hearing this, a hint of joy flashed in Liu Yuan's eyes, but then a troubled expression appeared on his face. He hesitated for a moment before pleading, "Then please, Brother Long, stay here a little longer and help us. Let's see this through. Our Heavenly Lord's Temple is currently going through a difficult time and really needs your help."

Upon hearing this, Liu Jun agreed without the slightest hesitation: "Sure, no problem. How could I refuse such a kind invitation from Brother Liu?"

Liu Yuan was momentarily stunned. He had prepared a whole list of reasons and benefits to persuade the other party to stay. But the other party agreed so readily, leaving him feeling like he had punched a cotton ball, unable to exert any force.

"What's wrong? Didn't you guys need my help?" Liu Jun asked, somewhat puzzled, when he saw Liu Yuan looking stunned.

His eyes revealed a hint of concern, as if he was genuinely worried that the other person had some unspeakable secret.

Liu Yuan then came to his senses and smiled awkwardly, "No, it's nothing. It's just that Brother Long agreed so readily, which surprised me. Come, come, Brother Long, please sit down, let's discuss the next steps."

In fact, Liu Yuan did not know that the reason why Liu Jun agreed to stay so readily was because he already had a plan in mind.

He wanted to completely destroy the Catholic Temple's plan to create a god-king. Only in this way could this enormous threat be completely eliminated.

During the following period, Liu Jun seemed to completely unleash his inner self, showcasing his culinary skills by the blood pool and bringing the art of cooking to its fullest potential.

Every day, he carefully selects various ingredients and then uses his superb cooking skills to present a variety of delicious dishes.

On the barbecue grill, meat skewers sizzle and release an enticing aroma; in the hot pot, broth boils and the various seafood and vegetables are mouthwatering; in the stew pot, slow simmering releases the fragrant aroma of the ingredients, warming the heart and soul.

These delicacies not only satisfied Liu Jun's taste buds, but also broadened the horizons of Liu Yuan and Peng Sheng, the two deputy hall masters. They had never seen such a rich variety of cooking methods and such delicious food.

"Old Liu, do you think this 'Dragon Emperor' really stole this Heavenly Treasure Vault?" Peng Sheng asked with some doubt as he stood at a distance, enjoying the food Liu Jun had just prepared.

His eyes were filled with suspicion about the identity of "Dragon Emperor," after all, the foodie cooking in front of him looked far removed from the image of a thief.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuan also put down his chopsticks and fell into deep thought. For some time now, they had been secretly observing "Emperor Long Ao," only to find that he spent most of his time savoring delicious food and enjoying life, not at all like someone who would risk everything to steal from a treasure vault.

However, if it wasn't the work of "Emperor Long Ao," then how can the coincidence of the treasure vault being robbed be explained? They had just taken him to the treasure vault, and then it was completely looted—that's too much of a coincidence.

As the two whispered among themselves, trying to unravel the mystery, Liu Jun seemed completely absorbed in his own culinary world, ignoring their discussion.

In fact, during this time, under the guise of cooking, he had secretly modified the liquid in the blood pool. Using his deep knowledge of medicinal herbs and poisons, he carefully concocted a special mixture and quietly poured it into the blood pool.

Over time, this mixture gradually merges with the liquid in the blood pool, subtly altering its properties.

Liu Jun was secretly pleased with himself; his efforts would surely bring a great surprise to the Heavenly Lord's Temple.

On the twelfth day after the theft of the Heavenly Treasure Vault, Liu Jun finally ended his cooking life in the underground city and was invited to the Deacon Hall of the Heavenly Lord Temple as a guest.

On this day, the Hall of Deacons was brightly decorated and the atmosphere was exceptionally lively, as if to celebrate the successful conclusion of some major event.

At the banquet, the dishes were as plentiful as ever, each one a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate, making one's mouth water. However, unlike in the past, the wine served today was no ordinary wine, but rather the legendary "Eternal Sleep."

This wine is the color of amber, crystal clear, and exudes a faint fragrance. It is said that an ordinary person only needs to drink a drop to become intoxicated to death, which shows its power.

Moreover, only those at the God King realm or above can withstand the effects of this wine. Therefore, this drinking party was specifically designed to target Liu Jun.

Liu Yuan and Peng Cheng, two important figures in the Catholic Church, were looking at Liu Jun with beaming smiles as they held their wine glasses.