Niu Hansan stared blankly. Bu Fang’s eyes seemed blurry, and his Vermilion Chef Robe flapped, raising crimson flames that shone on his face and made his fair skin look enchanting.
“F*ck…” he swore again. He found that his world view had been ruthlessly trampled and ravaged by Bu Fang.
Niu Hansan’s voice seemed to interrupt Bu Fang’s thoughts. He cocked his head, looked over his shoulder, and rested his eyes on Niu Hansan.
“Oh… A little cow,” said red-haired Bu Fang with a chuckle.
As a smile spread across his face, he raised his arm. The sleeve of his robe slid down to reveal his white hand, and his long fingers curled slightly as he covered his lips with it. At that moment, he looked like a bashful maiden, whose every movement could arouse lust in men.
‘It’s horrible! What’s wrong with Owner Bu?!’
“Y-You… You… You…” Niu Hansan slumped to the ground, his face flushed and his lips trembling. His words were stuck in his throat, unable to get out, and the suffocating feeling made him want to bang his head on the ground.
“I’m Mulberry. Nice to meet you,” said the red-haired Bu Fang with a smile, and again, he raised his hand to cover his mouth.
Niu Hansan shuddered with goosebumps rising all over him.
‘Owner Bu, please don’t do this… We’re friends. Don’t frighten me!’
After having a word with Niu Hansan, the red-haired Bu Fang walked slowly toward the center of the farmland, swinging his arms.
A fresh breeze came caressing his face, and he couldn’t help narrowing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Various scents, including the scent of grass and immortal herbs, filled his nostrils. Intoxicated, he closed his eyes, spread his arms, and began to spin in place.
As he spun, the Vermilion Chef Robe fluttered, looking like a Vermilion Bird with its wings spread and about to soar into the sky.
Far behind, Niu Hansan twitched the corner of his mouth as he watched. He believed that Owner Bu must have damaged his brain when he fought a fierce battle out there.
‘What should I do now? Owner Bu is crazy… Can he still get things done?’
A peal of laughter rang out like a bell.
Niu Hansan looked up and saw Bu Fang laughing cheerfully and raising his palm. The next moment, a Vermilion Bird entirely condensed of flames emerged over his finger, chirping and stretching its wings as it landed on his fingertip.
It was a beautiful scene, but Niu Hansan couldn’t help thinking that there was something wrong with it.
Far off, a rustling sound echoed out of the grass, and then a chicken head came popping out. The Eight Treasures Chicken looked curiously at the dancing Bu Fang with its small eyes. A moment later, another head poked out from the grass above it. That’s Eight Treasures Pig’s huge head. Its nose twitched as it looked curiously at Bu Fang as well.
All of a sudden, the red-haired Bu Fang flicked his finger, and immediately, the flaming Vermilion Bird disappeared. Then, his eyes turned and fell on the grass in the distance.
The chicken’s feathers stood on end instantly, and without hesitation, it turned and tried to run.
Why did that animal-loving look in his eyes appear so strange?!
Buzz…
Eighty had barely begun to move when it was picked up by someone. The red-haired Bu Fang took it by the head and grabbed it in his hand.
‘He’s so fast!’ Niu Hansan gasped. He didn’t even notice the red-haired Bu Fang moving. In just the blink of an eye, Eighty was caught.
After eating countless precious materials, Eighty was already a top-grade immortal ingredient itself, and Eight Treasures Chicken are known for their speed. If Eighty were to run at its full speed now, the average Little Saints wouldn’t be able to catch up with it.
‘But… What happened just now? Owner Bu… What speed was that?!’
“What a lovely little chick…” With a fond smile and a look of delight in his eyes, Bu Fang held Eighty in his palm and rubbed its head.
Eighty panicked.
‘This bad chef… Please don’t look at cute Eighty with such ingredient-loving eyes…’
Eighty’s heart was trembling. Finally, it bent its chicken legs and put its wings together before its chest, bowing its head and begging for mercy.
“So cute!” The red-haired Bu Fang was overjoyed and kept rubbing Eighty’s head with both hands, filling the chicken’s heart with hopelessness.
The Eight Treasures Pig was horrified when it saw Eighty’s miserable situation from a distance. Without hesitation, it oinked and bolted across the grassland, its fat shaking violently. In just a flash, it was gone from sight.
Looking at the Eight Treasures Pig, who was dwindling into the distance, Eighty’s eyes filled with a heartbreaking look that could not be understood by others.
…
In his spirit sea, when Bu Fang sensed what the Vermilion Bird, Mulberry, had done, he was speechless.
‘This Vermilion Bird and Divine Dragon are two birds of a feather…’
Bu Fang sighed softly. He finally realized that the power of Spirit Possession could not be displayed in the Heaven and Earth Farmland. However, he was still a little amazed by the speed shown by Mulberry just now. That was a lot faster than Shrimpy.
In any case, he had decided that under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t let them possess his body. Otherwise, either Divine Dragon Goldie or Vermilion Bird Mulberry would display the personality that made him look like a psycho.
Buzz…
Energy swirled in his spirit sea. A moment later, Mulberry’s figure emerged. She seemed a little dissatisfied with being called back, and she shook her wings and glared at Bu Fang.
“Alright, I have to go now. I’ve roughly understood the Spirit Possession,” Bu Fang said with an expressionless face.
In the distance, White Tiger Howling was unhappy with that, and he stared peevishly at Bu Fang.
“I haven’t gone out yet…” said White Tiger.
Hearing what he said, Bu Fang turned his head and said in a faint voice, “You want to go out for some air?”
White Tiger snorted.
“Howling, let me hear you howl?”
White Tiger’s nostrils flared immediately. He opened his mouth and roared.
With a twitch of the corner of his mouth and a snap of his fingers, Bu Fang disappeared from the spirit sea.
The spirit sea surged. Goldie was savoring the feeling of possessing a fleshly body, and Mulberry’s eyes were blurry as if she was lost in thought. Black Turtle remained motionless, while White Tiger growled furiously in the distance. It took a long time before things calmed down again.
“I didn’t expect Little Host to be able to unlock Spirit Possession so quickly. It looks like he will soon encounter the real ordeal in the path to become a God of Cooking…” Vermilion Bird’s eyes narrowed.
“Hmph! The path to become a God of Cooking is not that easy to walk. The boy’s real ordeal has only just begun! I don’t think he can make it!” said White Tiger.
“I disagree with that. I quite like him. Little Host is very approachable compared to the previous icebergs,” Golden Divine Dragon said with a smile.
“The previous Hosts are all formidable figures…”
“It is exactly because they are formidable figures that I, Howling, don’t think that that boy can make it… because…” White Tiger said coldly.
“That’s enough… We’re just Artifact Spirits, and we just need to perform our duties well. We don’t have to and shouldn’t pay attention to anything else…” A rumbling sound rang, and Black Turtle, who had been silent, spoke.
White Tiger immediately shut up and gave a proud snort, while Divine Dragon and Vermilion Bird looked at each other helplessly.
…
As soon as Bu Fang opened his eyes, he saw Niu Hansan, who was dumbfounded and terrified in the distance, and Meng Qi, who finally arrived with a confused look on her face. He felt something soft in his hand, and when he looked down, he saw the despairing Eighty.
Bu Fang raised an eyebrow, then flicked Eighty away with a finger. The Eight Treasures Chicken fell to the ground like a ball, bouncing a few times. After that, he waved his hand. The red in his hair immediately faded and turned black. When he was done, he turned to Niu Hansan and Meng Qi.
“It wasn’t me you just saw…” said Bu Fang.
Niu Hansan closed his mouth and smacked his lips, while Meng Qi pursed her red lips.
‘Do you think we believe that?’
The corner of Bu Fang’s mouth twitched violently when he saw the looks in their eyes.
‘Sure enough, I must not use Spirit Possession in front of others in the future. Otherwise, I’ll be regarded as a psycho…’
“Owner Bu, we all know that being a chef is a high-risk profession. It’s stressful, and you need to release the stress. We all get it,” Niu Hansan said, waving his hand.
Bu Fang’s cheek twitched, and he gave Niu Hansan a sideways glance. The sharp look in his eyes made Niu Hansan shiver.
“Well… The familiar aloof Owner Bu is back…’
“Alright, it’s almost time for me to go back,” said Bu Fang. He was too lazy to explain to Niu Hansan.
‘Go back?’ Meng Qi’s eyes lit up and thought, ‘Is he going back to the Immortal Cooking Realm?’
Although the Heaven and Earth Farmland was nice, she still wanted to go back. She had no idea how Realm Lord Di Tai was doing now. If he died, the whole Immortal Cooking Realm would be in chaos.
Bu Fang glanced at Meng Qi and signaled her to follow. When he saw Eighty, who was trembling on the ground, he sighed.
Niu Hansan quickly followed them as well.
They came to the wooden hut. After checking Nethery’s condition and finding that she was much better, Bu Fang decided to leave at once. With a thought, a flash of light enveloped them.
Niu Hansan stood in place and waved. In the blink of an eye, Bu Fang, Nethery, and Meng Qi disappeared.
Buzz…
A pungent smell of blood rushed into Bu Fang’s nostrils, making him frown and gasp for breath. Nethery and Meng Qi also couldn’t help covering their noses and mouths.
He looked up around him. They were inside a crumbling crater, and in the distance loomed the towering walls of Abyss City.
‘Congratulations on completing the Abyss task, Host. Do you want to return now?’ The System’s serious voice rang in his head.
That gave Bu Fang a pause. So they could get back without using Nethery’s ship? Since the System could send them back directly, he wouldn’t refuse.
‘Yes,’ he replied.
As soon as he said that, the System’s voice rang in his head again. ‘Initiating return. Countdown to activate the transport array. Ten, nine, eight…’
Meng Qi and Nethery glanced around. Suddenly, their expressions changed because they saw scarlet eyes emerge in the distance.
A terrible pressure abruptly approached them!
“IT’S YOU!” A furious roar rang out from within Abyss City like a sudden thunderclap.
Boom!
The next moment, a plume of energy thrust into the sky.
The Great Judge’s blood-colored robe flapped noisily in the wind as he fixed his eyes on Bu Fang in the crater. He knew Bu Fang. It was this young man who killed his four Judges.
Even then, savage roars echoed through the void as numerous Abyssal Demons flapped their leathern wings and flew toward Bu Fang and his companions.
Meng Qi trembled. Her face turned pale, and she quickly grasped Bu Fang’s sleeve.
Nethery glanced at Meng Qi, slightly pursed her lips, then raised her hand and grasped Bu Fang’s other sleeve.
Meanwhile, Bu Fang furrowed his eyebrows, staring at the incoming Abyssal Demons and the Great Judge with monstrous killing intent.
“Human, you have destroyed my array and killed my four Judges! I’m going to cut you into ten thousand pieces!”
With a tearing sound, the void suddenly broke apart.
A bloody sword appeared in the Great Judge’s hand, and he threw it out with all his might. The weapon seemed to have transformed into a blood-colored dragon as it shot toward Bu Fang.
The terrible pressure made Meng Qi feel as if all her blood was being drained from her body.
It was the pressure of a Great Saint! It’s horrible!
Bu Fang took a deep breath. Above him, white spots of light began to appear.
The blood-colored dragon roared and drew closer, while Abyssal Demons flapped their wings and charged toward him like streams of black light.
“You’re leaving? DIE!” the Great Judge growled.
White spots of light converged rapidly and soon condensed into a white transport array.
Buzz…
The next moment, energy ripples spread out of the array.
‘Five, four, three, two, one. The countdown is over. Returning now.’ The System’s serious voice was calm.
Bu Fang stood with a straight face under the light spots and watched as the bloody dragon approached.
The terrifying pressure seemed to crush the void.
Meng Qi and Nethery tightened their grip on Bu Fang’s sleeves. As they grew more and more nervous, they closed their eyes.
RUMBLE!
With an explosion, the ground, which was already a deep pit, suddenly blew apart. A deafening rumble echoed out in all directions as it kept crumbling.
After a long time, the dust and smoke finally cleared. All that was left in the crater was a bloody sword, sticking in the ground.
The Abyssal Demons all roared furiously, and the Great Judge was boiling with rage.
The young man had escaped under his very nose!
He was a Great Saint, and yet a mere young half-step Saint was able to escape after showboating in his face?!
