Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The woman did not discover Bu Fang. Or rather, she paid no attention to him.
For the people who had entered District D, death was the only way out. However, Bu Fang naturally did not want to stay here. There was definitely something fishy about the food—it would strengthen the curse power. For these people, eating the food was tantamount to a slow death.
Bu Fang took out an oyster pancake and shoved it into his mouth. As soon as it entered his stomach, the cursed snake on his wrist screamed, shrinking further like snow in summer. Then, he left the place with Foxy and Shrimpy.
The distribution of food did not last for too long. Soon, those wooden carts rumbled back to District C, and the people who had finished their food turned away from the wall with blank faces.
A huge wall separated District D and District C. The only way to leave District D and enter District C was to cross it.
Bu Fang walked along the wall. Towering into the clouds and stretching as far as the eye could see, the wall put a tremendous amount of pressure on him. He kept walking with his hands behind his back. He wanted to find an entrance to District C.
However, he was quickly disappointed. It was as if the wall was not built with stones. It was extremely solid without any gaps.
Suddenly, a gust of wind hit him in the face, then a group of guards in black armor landed around him. “Why are you sneaking around the wall?” demanded one of the guards, pointing the sharp tip of a spear at him. A terrible chill spread.
Bu Fang furrowed his brows. It seemed that his action of walking along the wall had attracted the attention of these guards. From the voice, he could not decide if the guard was a man or a woman.
The guards did not waste their breath with Bu Fang. They directly attacked him. With a terrifying aura, one spear after another was thrust at him.
Frowning, Bu Fang unleashed his mental force and enveloped the surroundings in an instant. Facing the approaching spears, he raised his hand and flicked his finger, knocking them back.
These guards were not weak. Each of them had the strength of a novice Saint of the Great Path. Void City was indeed fearsome for using experts of such a level as guards.
However, with Bu Fang’s current strength, dealing with these guards was as easy as flipping his hand. Together with Whitey, they defeated all the guards in just a few moments.
With the Law of Destruction and explosive power surging around him, Bu Fang approached a guard and asked indifferently, “I have a question for you… Do you know where your Cursed Goddesses are?”
“How dare you covet our Cursed Goddesses?! You’re courting death!” the guard said coldly.
“Fine. Next question. How do I get into District C?” Bu Fang asked after thinking for a while.
The guard still refused to say anything. “There’s no way you can go there… Now that you’re in Void City, you will slowly rot and die… This is your destiny!” the guard said in a cold voice with a hint of madness.
Bu Fang frowned. He knew there must be ways to get into District C, but the guard refused to tell him. ‘Wait a minute…’ He narrowed his eyes. ‘Perhaps my only chance is to wait for them to distribute food again… The city gates will open to let the wooden carts through, and that will be my chance…’
The Law of Time spread, turned into chains, and tied up the guards. Bu Fang threw the guards to the ground and was about to leave. Suddenly, he paused, then looked into the distance. There, a stooped old man was waiting for him.
“Lad… Are you trying to get into District C?” said the old man, squinting at Bu Fang.
Bu Fang knew the old man. He was the same old man who distributed food just now. “You didn’t return to District C?” he asked suspiciously.
“I’m waiting for you…” the old man said with a fervent look in his eyes.
“Waiting for me?” Bu Fang did not understand. The old man gave him a weird feeling.
“I know you’re trying to get into District C, and I… know the only way to do that!” The old man grinned, revealing a mouth of yellow teeth. “I need you to promise me one thing, and then I will tell you the way…”
Bu Fang looked at the old man as if he was considering the feasibility of the proposal. Suddenly, he raised a hand. The Law of Space swirled and enveloped the old man. The next moment, they vanished together. When they reappeared, they were already at another location in District D.
A few moments after they were gone, a group of guards arrived at where they were and sealed up the entire area.
“Those guards serve the Queen of Curses… Fortunately, you didn’t kill them, or you would definitely be hunted down by the Queen! If you kill a guard, you will be contaminated by a curse that you can never get rid of…” said the old man.
He rolled up his sleeve, revealing a skinny arm. “Just like this…” The old man’s arm was covered with slash marks, each of which severed one of his tendons. “I sense a familiar aura from you…” the old man said with some nostalgia.
“A familiar aura?” Bu Fang paused. What aura did he have that would be familiar to this old man?
“There’s only one way to get into District C… and that’s to brave the Death Pass! As long as you get through the Death Pass, you will be able to enter District C. Once you’re there, you will be able to complete many things… You’re a stranger to this place, so you need a qualified guide, such as me.” The old man volunteered.
Bu Fang did not turn down the old man but just stared indifferently at him. “Why should I believe you? Give me one reason why I should believe you…” he said, putting his hands behind his back.
The old man took a deep breath. After a moment of silence, he said, “I… I was once a chef!”
…
The Death Pass. As the name implied, it was a pass of certain death. In Void City, there was a Death Pass between every district. The only way for lesser people to get more freedom and higher status was to brave the Death Pass. However, for countless years, no one had succeeded.
Armored guards patrolled a vast square in District C. However, when compared to District D, they looked much relaxed. They even removed their helmets and revealed their faces, and they proved to be beautiful women with long hair.
With a roar, a fearsome black dragon descended. Its terrifying aura attracted the attention of many people in the square. Compared to the world of silence and death in District D, District C seemed more like a lively city. Here, the residents included those who were cursed as well as common people and the nobles.
The Countess Residence was a building towering into the clouds like a sharp blade. It was the ruler of District C. Of course, it was still a subject of the Queen of Curses.
After the woman jumped off the back of the black dragon, the huge beast immediately transformed into a figure clad in a black robe and followed behind her. As she walked into the Countess Residence, a group of nobles came up to greet her.
“Welcome back, Countess Xia Qiu!”
The nobles bowed, but the woman just nodded indifferently and said nothing. A few maids came to her with goblets, which contained bubbling liquid. She took one, downed the drink in one gulp, and pursed her red lips. A flush crept up her face, and she burped.
Suddenly, a blond guard bolted over. Looking at Countess Xia Qiu, she said with a face full of disbelief, “My Lord, we’ve detected that… that… someone is trying to break through the Death Pass!”
What the guard said startled the nobles present.
“What? Someone in District D is brave enough to try the Death Pass?”
“This is rare… It’s been years since we have had a good show!”
“Those in District D are all lowly, disgusting exiles, the cannon fodder the Queen keeps… How could they be so insolent as to try to break through the Death Pass?!”
The nobles were talking with each other.
Countess Xia Qiu gave the goblet to a maid, raised her brows, and said, “Death Pass… Interesting. Come, let’s go and have a look.” After that, she took the lead and left the residence.
The black-robed man, who was the black dragon, followed behind her. When those nobles saw him, they all stepped back with fear.
The Death Pass in District D that led to District C was a long, dark passage.
The group of nobles escorted Countess Xia Qiu to a huge round fighting pit ringed by descending tiers of benches. There they sat down, chatting merrily with each other.
The countess took the center seat, then raised her hand. A wisp of black light burst out of it, then a buzzing sound echoed out. Immediately, an image emerged in the center of the pit.
What appeared in the image was a group of strange people. There was a lean young man clad in a striped red-and-white chef robe. A fox and a mantis shrimp were perched on his shoulders, while a metal puppet followed behind him. At the puppet’s side, a stooped old man was walking slowly.
The appearance of the strange combination immediately caused an uproar among the nobles.
“Hey! It’s that old man!”
“Why is this stinking chef still alive? It’s been tens of thousands of years, yet he’s still lingering out his feeble existence…”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk… No wonder someone is trying to break through the Death Pass. He must have been fooled by this old man, right?”
The nobles laughed. In their opinion, the guy who was fooled by the old man to brave the Death Pass must be a newcomer who had not seen death in the face.
Countess Xia Qiu had a complex look in her eyes, however. She glanced at the stooped old man, then her face became fierce once again. “Well… It’s rare for someone to brave the Death Pass. Place your bets, ladies and gentlemen,” she said. After that, she snapped her fingers.
Immediately, different options emerged in front of the nobles. Looking at the options, they began to shout and hoot crazily. Someone was braving the Death Pass in these dull and predictable days, so such a thrilling event excited them.
There were not many options. In fact, there were only three options, for a Death Pass contained only three passes. The nobles would place their bets on how many passes the guy could break through.
The nobles of District C were very excited. One after another, they exchanged their bets with Countess Xia Qiu’s maids and placed them on their choices.
“Crush these disgusting worms of District D to death!”
“Haha! It’ll be best if they’re torn apart piece by piece! That would be exciting!”
“I want this stinking chef dead this time! He had dragged out his ignoble existence for tens of thousands of years… I’m sure the Countess wants him dead!”
Amid the frantic roar of the nobles, the people in the image began to move.
Suddenly, a maid landed at Countess Xia Qiu’s side. The latter paused slightly.
“What did you say? The Cursed Goddess came to District C?”
The Countess frowned. She could not understand why the Cursed Goddess, who should stay in District A, would come to District C. However, she sighed when she heard the title of ‘Cursed Goddess’.
‘Once upon a time, I was called a Cursed Goddess as well… Unfortunately…’ Shaking her head, she threw the thought out of her head, then turned to look into the distance.
The noisy nobles fell silent as well because a black ship was slowly approaching from the distance, filling the void with ripples as it moved.
Two figures could be seen standing at the black ship’s prow. The leading figure was a young girl with black hair and a beautiful face. Surrounded by curse power, she looked very dignified. At the side of the girl stood a noblewoman with a gentle smile on her face.
“Xia Qiu offers greetings to the noble Goddess and the Duchess!”
Countess Xia Qiu bowed respectfully toward the black ship, while the nobles’ hearts trembled, and they bowed as well.
At this moment, the people in the image began to brave the Death Pass!
