Yu Fu slithered out from the other side of the door with a curious look on her beautiful face. She was now the queen of the Serpentmen City, and her cultivation base was so strong that she was one of the top experts in the Illusory Spirit Swamp. Moreover, because the Black Dragon King of the Endless Sea Territory had gone to the Immortal Cooking Realm with Bu Fang, the attitude of the Oceanic Species toward the Illusory Spirit Swamp had improved a lot, so it had been a long time since the swamp was invaded or attacked by the Oceanic Species.
That was why Yu Fu had the leisure to leave Serpentmen City and come to Fang Fang’s Little Store in the capital of Light Wind Empire, where she studied cooking together with Xiao Xiaolong and helped him run the restaurant.
“It’s really Owner Bu!” Yu Fu’s mouth opened in surprise, and there was a hint of incredulity on her face. She thought that after Bu Fang went to the Immortal Cooking Realm, she would never have a chance to see him again, but she didn’t expect to see his face again so soon.
“My eyes didn’t deceive me, did they?” She rubbed her eyes. After making sure that she was not mistaken, her face turned red with excitement. In front of Bu Fang, the queen of the great Serpentmen was still the little snake girl of that year.
Xiao Xiaolong, of course, saw other people besides Bu Fang, whether it was Jing Yuan, Xixi, or Niu Hansan, who was eating a spirit fruit in the distance.
‘Where is this?’ A doubt arose in his mind.
With a creak, another door opened. A huge figure slowly emerged from it, followed by a coquettish figure. They were Bu Fang’s apprentices in Cloud Mist Restaurant, Yang Meiji and Sorceress An Sheng.
As soon as Yang Meiji appeared, her aura overwhelmed all the other apprentices, while the sight of Sorceress An Sheng, who was so charming, made them gasp.
Both of them froze when they saw Bu Fang.
Even then, the last door opened. A handsome, carefree figure walked out from it, dressed in a chef’s robe that exposed his chest.
Wenren Shang staggered out of the door, still holding a jar of wine and reeking of alcohol.
“Huh? What is this place? Why does it look so strange?” He looked around dubiously, then fixed his eyes on Bu Fang’s face.
“Owner Bu?” Wenren Shang grinned. “I’m really getting old. I’ve only had a few drinks, but I’m hallucinating already…”
The corners of Bu Fang’s mouth twitched. His apprentices were all very unique.
Xixi looked curiously at these people, her big eyes full of surprise. She didn’t expect that Bu Fang would have so many apprentices.
“All right, I want you to wake up and get to know each other,” said Bu Fang, his cold voice ringing in everyone’s ears.
It was the first time his apprentices met each other, so he asked them to introduce themselves, such as what region they were from. When everyone was introduced, the atmosphere was noticeably more cordial.
After that, Bu Fang introduced them to the Heaven and Earth Farmland and told them that it would be a place where they could gather in the future, where they could discuss cooking and improve together.
All the apprentices were shocked. They never thought that they could learn in this way. In the past, they would just immerse themselves in the kitchen and practice cooking by themselves, which was boring and inefficient. Now they could finally discuss cooking with other apprentices. It was simply the best thing Bu Fang had ever done.
Bu Fang let them chat with each other, then he dragged Niu Hansan into the wooden hut.
Niu Hansan was very curious about what Bu Fang did and also admired him for having so many apprentice chefs.
“Is there any progress in the integration of the Will of the Great Path?” Bu Fang asked.
“How could it be so fast? Owner Bu, you have to give me more time. You need to be patient,” Niu Hansan looked at Bu Fang and said with a smile.
Bu Fang knew he was too impatient. Niu Hansan was right. A watched pot never boiled. After talking for a while, he left the wooden hut, went to his apprentices, and gave them Explosive Meatballs. As his apprentices, how could they not have the strength to protect themselves? These meatballs were just enough to arm them.
In the Hidden Dragon Continent, these Explosive Meatballs were deadly weapons capable of destroying everything. With them, his apprentices would not have to worry about any enemies at all. Even the strongest Divine Spirit Realm experts in the Hidden Dragon Continent would be killed instantly by those meatballs.
Of course, it was not that useful for Jing Yuan, but Bu Fang gave it to her anyway.
As for Xixi, Bu Fang gave her a few more. After all, she was still very young, and there were so many bad guys out there. If she ever met Fatty Ding again, she could throw a meatball at that fat face.
After handing out the meatballs, Bu Fang let his apprentices talk among themselves and left the Heaven and Earth Farmland. They were now able to travel freely to the farmland through the portals built by the System. These were their doorways, and when they had finished communicating, they could go back to their own places through them again.
…
Time went by quickly. It had been half a year since Meng Qi came back to the Immortal Cooking Realm. The whole realm had undergone tremendous changes after the Immortal Tree had recovered. The immortal energy in the air had become richer, and genius immortal chefs were constantly popping out everywhere.
Every day, the Immortal Kitchen Pavilion was very lively. Geniuses came to be assessed in an endless stream, constantly breaking the records set by previous geniuses.
The golden age of the Immortal Cooking Realm seemed to have arrived.
In addition, the tension between the Immortal Cooking Realm and Nether Prison had eased considerably.
Many Nether Prison merchants came to the Immortal Cooking Realm to do business and brought many good things with them. Many of their specialties sold well here, and they also brought many of the products here back to Nether Prison for sale. Of course, the Immortal Cooking Realm’s merchants also visited Nether Prison. This exchange of needed goods had allowed the two powers to understand each other better, and they were not as hostile as before.
Realm Lord Di Tai had not returned from the Abyss yet, which was a torment for all the City Lords. Had it not been for the fact that nothing unusual had happened in the realm, Meng Qi and the others would have gone to the Abyss to look for him.
As the lord of the realm, Realm Lord Di Tai was directly related to the Immortal Cooking Realm. If he died, the whole realm would be filled with various phenomenons, and heaven and earth would mourn.
The resurrected Immortal Tree had slowly returned to its peak. It grew more and more luxuriant and bore more and more fruits, which produced many good things.
The overall strength of the Immortal Cooking Realm was continuously rising.
One day, a huge Abyssal Winged Dragon flew slowly toward the Immortal Cooking Realm. The wind stirred up by its two pairs of wings was strong enough to blow everything away. This kind of dragon was huge but unintelligent, and yet it was considered one of the top-grade beast emperors.
When it appeared in the fifth layer of the Immortal Cooking Realm, it attracted the attention of many experts in the Immortal City. The whole city was immediately put on alert. Everyone thought an enemy was going to attack them.
Just when everyone was tense, a figure stood up from the dragon’s back and waved excitedly at them. The next moment, the figure kicked the dragon’s shoulder, turned into a stream of light, and shot toward the city wall like a missile. With a rumble, he landed on top of the wall.
Startled, the guards raised their weapons. However, when the smoke and dust cleared, everyone saw a very familiar face.
“Realm Lord?!”
“It’s really the Realm Lord!”
“The Realm Lord has returned!”
When the guards saw the man’s face, their eyes lit up, and their faces beamed with excitement.
Realm Lord Di Tai looked at the excited guards on the wall with a complicated expression. He’s back. He finally returned from the remains of the Divine Chef. His face was covered with a beard, which made him look much older, but his aura and cultivation base had become much stronger, giving him a completely different air.
Surrounded by the crowd, he returned to the Immortal Kitchen Pavilion.
The news of his return soon spread all over the realm. The few City Lords went to see him at once. When Ya Ya saw him, her beautiful face burst into tears of joy. She bolted over and put her arms around his shoulder, which seemed broader now.
Realm Lord Di Tai used to be handsome, but now he had become matured and seasoned. It was as if he had transformed from a young man to an uncle, but the change made Ya Ya like him all the more.
A calmer Realm Lord would be a good thing for the Immortal Cooking Realm.
Meng Qi, City Lord Zou, and Gongshu Baiguang all looked at Realm Lord Di Tai excitedly.
“I appreciate your hard work,” the realm lord said as he looked at the familiar faces.
“Your Highness, have you gotten the Divine Chef’s inheritance?” Meng Qi asked curiously.
Realm Lord Di Tai had disappeared for almost half a year. Although Bu Fang kept telling her that he was safe, she was still in a rather nervous state. Now that he had finally returned, she could finally breathe a long sigh of relief.
The others also expressed curiosity about Meng Qi’s question.
Realm Lord Di Tai’s mouth was encircled by a beard. Although it made him look a little untidy, it also made him look more mature.
“The Divine Chef’s inheritance is indeed a great opportunity. The Divine Chef I met this time is the most supreme Divine Chef of the Abyss, and his inheritance is very complicated. I fought with a genius from the Shadow Demon Clan of Nether Prison, and in the end, he and I each got half of the inheritance,” Realm Lord Di Tai said.
“In any case, I’m more confident now about how to become a Divine Chef. Given enough time, I will surely be able to break through the Divine Chef realm!”
His words quieted everyone for a moment, and then they broke into cheers. This meant that the Immortal Cooking Realm would soon have a real Divine Chef!
After talking to them for a while, Realm Lord Di Tai told them that he was going to Immortal Chef Little Store.
Soon after, four city lords and a realm lord walked out of a transport array, heading for Immortal Chef Little Store in the first layer of the Immortal Cooking Realm.
When they were still far away, they saw a long line in front of the restaurant. On one side of the line, at the door of the restaurant, a young man was lying on a chair, resting with his eyes closed. The warm sunlight sprinkled on him. Next to him lay a black dog, and beside the dog sat a graceful girl.
Nethery sat on a chair in her long black dress, swinging her fair legs, her gray-green hair gently waving in the wind.
The sound of footsteps disturbed Bu Fang’s rest. He slowly opened his eyes and saw the five familiar figures in the distance.
“Oh?”
He was momentarily stunned when he saw the leading figure.
“You’re back?” he said, looking at Realm Lord Di Tai as the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
Realm Lord Di Tai gave Bu Fang a deep and complicated look. Bu Fang’s performance on the Stairway of Culinary Arts made him understand the horror of this young man.
Not only did Bu Fang pass the Stairway of Culinary Arts, but he also broke the death gate of the Culinary Gates of Life and Death. His performances showed how easy it would be for him to get the Divine Chef’s inheritance. In the end, however, he chose not to accept the inheritance and gave the opportunity to Realm Lord Di Tai.
This kindness must be thanked.
Realm Lord Di Tai nodded seriously to Bu Fang.
Bu Fang understood what the realm lord wanted to say from his eyes, but he didn’t take it to heart. He had his own way, and becoming a Divine Chef was not his destination.
“By the way…” Looking at Bu Fang, Realm Lord Di Tai’s eyes suddenly became more serious. “The Lord of Abyss City and the Great Judge seem to be looking for you. You have to be careful. The Abyss has now become independent from Nether Prison, and they have reached an agreement. They are now preparing for the Tournament of the Netherworld Great Path, so they’re too busy to pay attention to you. However, once they have free time, they will definitely find you.”
Bu Fang paused for a moment, but he just nodded indifferently. It was meaningless for him to worry about that now. He would deal with them when they came.
“Also, I want to talk to you about the tournament,” Realm Lord Di Tai added.
Bu Fang frowned and gave him a deep look.
“What is there to discuss? I’m just a restaurant owner. I’m not interested in those major events,” Bu Fang said with a straight face.
However, Realm Lord Di Tai shook his head and said, “No, you will definitely be interested.”
