Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Five hundred feet!
Everyone was stunned the moment the cursed dragon over Bu Fang’s wooden cart broke through five hundred feet. The black dragon roared, and its scales seemed to become real.
Five hundred feet was a watershed, which basically set the foundation of victory. But it was still not enough.
The man was mad. He was overtaken. The first to reach five hundred feet was not him, but the other chef. However, he did not give up. He still had a chance. He looked at the ten confused exiles down below. As long as he got them to eat his food, he could still win.
A draw was a shame for him, but it was also a victory. This was the Queen’s rule. If both sides reached five hundred feet, then it was a draw. But a draw would still be a win for Void City.
However, he was soon disappointed. No matter how he shouted, the exiles all chose to leave him, staggering toward the other wooden cart. The chef sitting on the other cart looked at him with an expressionless face. He felt a blow in his chest, which suffocated him.
Bu Fang’s cursed dragon grew taller again, surpassing five hundred feet in an instant. Finally, it reached the height of five hundred and ten feet.
Suddenly, all the exiles disappeared. The Queen of Curses’ ghostly green figure emerged once again, looking down at both men from high up. An icy cold aura spread in a flash.
“The cooking competition is over…” The Queen’s cold voice rang out.
Bu Fang got up calmly and glanced over his shoulder. Over his wooden cart, a black divine dragon soared into the sky, its cold scales emanating an eerie glow.
‘Five hundred and ten feet. Hmm… Not bad.’
Although winning the competition was something Bu Fang had expected, he did feel nervous. It was very difficult to break the habits of tens of thousands of years with just a dish. It was like breaking the norm.
The exiles had been trapped in Void City by the curse power for countless years. They had long been accustomed to the pleasant feeling that came when the curses were suppressed by the dark cuisine. So, Bu Fang was really under pressure trying to break their habit with bean paste buns.
Fortunately, it was a happy ending.
Across the kitchen, the man was looking at his hands in terror. He was defeated. He could not believe that he was defeated. Incredulity, shock, anger, despair… All kinds of emotions appeared on his face. He could not accept this fact. In his mind, he was an invincible legend, but in reality, he lost.
“Why…” He clutched his chest with a hand, and his face crumpled up. “Why did I lose?” he murmured, asking himself.
Meanwhile, the stooped old man, watching from outside, was already in tears. This was him tens of thousands of years ago, but… he had long been defeated. At that time, he looked exactly like this.
This was the confident him, which was stripped away by the Queen. The confident him was also part of him, and it felt really bad to taste failure the second time.
Bu Fang stood in front of the wooden cart. Looking at the despairing man, he could not help but frown. The carts shattered with a rumble. He landed on the cold floor, and so did the man.
The Queen of Curses crossed her legs, looking down at the two men. This was not her true self, but the will she had placed here.
“The winner has been decided… You.” The Queen’s gaze turned and rested on Bu Fang. “However… I’m very curious how you managed to suppress my curse…” she said.
She was not the only one who was curious. Everyone watching this wanted to know the answer as well.
The man was still lost in thought, while the nobles sitting around the fighting pit were crestfallen.
“There was a girl whose curse in her was stronger than this. I have to feed her every day and suppress her curse… I have the experience,” Bu Fang said truthfully after thinking for a moment.
He had the experience…
The clamoring nobles fell silent, and Countess Xia Qiu was speechless. Nethery’s expression remained unchanged, but the noblewoman trembled with laughter.
“Intriguing… This little chef is really intriguing…”
…
The Queen of Curses narrowed her eyes. “You have the experience?” Shaking her head, she did not ask further. Then, she raised her hand and jerked a finger at Bu Fang. “You have won, so you can enter Void City and become a higher being. But this loser will be completely wiped out,” she said.
As her voice faded away, Bu Fang quickly lifted his hand. The curse power on his wrist had completely disappeared. Clearly, the so-called curse power was actually a restriction to the level of the living beings in Void City. Bu Fang did not like this.
A rumbling sound echoed out, and the Queen’s aura changed. She pointed the other finger at the distraught man in the distance.
The man howled. The curse power gradually spread all over his body, tangled him, and began to devour him. Then, a ghostly green flame appeared. The man seemed to be burning and suffering from the cruelest torment. Eventually, he vanished completely.
Outside, the stooped old man trembled, and a look of relief came into his eyes. It was finally over. The shackle that fettered his heart was finally burned off. Bu Fang’s victory was a blessing for him.
With a buzzing sound, the scene before Bu Fang’s eyes disappeared, and the Queen of Curses’ figure began to slowly fade away. However, he had a feeling that the Queen was watching him. The gaze seemed to look through him, which discomforted him.
The Queen of Curses’ strength was definitely extraordinary and far beyond the Heavengod level. This level was not what Bu Fang could get in touch with at the moment. He speculated that she should be an existence of the same level as the God of Cooking.
Void City was definitely the top power in the multi-universes. It was even stronger than the Chaotic Space. After all, it was the land of exiles for all the universes. How could it accommodate so many exiles if it did not have fearsome strength?
Rumble…
A shaft of dazzling light shone down. It made Bu Fang feel warm all over. As the comfortable sunlight that he could not feel in District D shone on him, the stooped old man, Whitey, Foxy, and Shrimpy appeared around him.
He beckoned at Foxy. However, he was surprised to see that the little fox hugged Whitey’s head tightly, shook her head at him, and waved her little paws to turn him down.
‘What happened to this little one? Why does she seem to be afraid of me?’
The stooped old man looked at Bu Fang with complicated eyes. The curse power in him began to keep corroding him. He knew he did not have much time left.
The main reason he could live so long was because of his former self, who was sealed in the Death Pass. Now, his former self had disappeared together with the shackle that restricted his life. He could finally be liberated.
Suddenly, the old man lifted his trembling hand, which was holding a golden recipe.
“Hmm?!” As soon as Bu Fang saw the recipe, his pupils constricted, then he stared at the old man in shock and suspicion.
“This recipe is now yours… You made me realize that the old me was very unqualified.” The old man chuckled, though the corrosion of the curse power filled him with excruciating pain. “I have to thank you for setting me free…”
The recipe turned into a beam of golden light and went into Bu Fang’s spirit sea. The next moment, the old man walked toward the exit of the Death Pass. His every step was firm and resolute, unswerving.
Bu Fang exhaled and followed behind the old man. Whitey walked with its mechanical steps and followed as well.
The Death Pass’ doors opened with a crash. For the first time in countless years, someone had broken through the Death Pass. This was something that no one had expected. The nobles were all stunned. With dropped jaws, they stared at the few figures walking slowly out through the doors in the fighting pit.
The sunlight spilled into the fighting pit. The old man felt a warmth washed over him. ‘So this is the city she lives in…’ After being separated by a wall for tens of thousands of years, he was finally able to see her again. He had spent his life climbing over the wall…
Rumble…
The Death Pass’ doors closed, and the passes inside had changed. As for what they became, no one knew except the will of the Queen of Curses in it.
The silent fighting pit was in an instant uproar, and the noise echoed through the skies. Countless nobles shouted and hooted crazily and excitedly. Someone had actually broken through the Death Pass. This was a thrilling event in their endless lives, and it had stirred their dull lives like a pebble thrown in a lake.
They widened their eyes and stared at Bu Fang. Some nobles even bellowed that they wanted to kill him because he had caused them to lose a great fortune.
Countess Xia Qiu stood in her place, looking down at the fighting pit as well. However, unlike the others, all that she saw was the old man. The stooped, ugly old man had become her only focus now.
The old man’s gaze, too, found her in the crowd at a glance. Their gazes met in the air, and they stared at each other, wordless.
Bu Fang scratched his head and walked out of the doors. The warm sunshine made him feel good. This was where people should live. District D was simply too depressing. He exhaled. He was one step closer to his goal of opening a restaurant in Void City.
“Hmm?” Suddenly, Bu Fang paused, then he looked up and rested his gaze on the highest bench. Nethery stood quietly there, her face indifferent. The noblewoman was at her side, staring at him with a smile and even waving at him.
‘What a surprise. I found Nethery as soon as I walked out of the Death Pass… This seems to be a little easier than expected…’
“Thank you… for allowing me to see her in the last moments of my life…” The old man glanced at Bu Fang. The next moment, he ran toward the distance with joy that bubbled up from the depths of his soul.
“How dare you!”
“What an insolent fellow!”
Many nobles around the fighting pit bellowed, while guards clad in black armor descended and raised their cold spears, stopping in front of the old man.
“Get out of the way!” An icy cold voice thundered.
All the guards froze, and the nobles’ shouting came to an abrupt stop. A graceful figure walked out of darkness, emanating an icy cold killing intent.
The guards stepped aside as they looked at Countess Xia Qiu in horror. Her cloak fluttered as she walked one step after another. Soon, she came up to the old man.
The old man was shivering. The black curse power was constantly corroding his body, and his life force was plunging rapidly.
Countess Xia Qiu sighed. Her long, fair hands caught the old man’s arm, and her cloak wrapped him up. She gave Bu Fang a deep look, then her sexy and moist red lips parted slightly and said, “Thank you…”
As soon as her voice rang out, a black dragon let out a deafening roar, ripped through the void, and came to the fighting pit, emanating a terrifying aura. Countess Xia Qiu jumped up the dragon’s back with the old man and left.
Not even one noble dared to breathe too loudly, and the guards’ expressions were complex. The corners of the noblewoman’s mouth curved slightly as she watched Xia Qiu leave.
Bu Fang did not know what the old man’s name was. But it was no longer important. He just hoped that he would be happy in the last moments of his life.
He looked up and rested his eyes on Nethery. Cocking his head, Bu Fang thought for a while. Then, he strode toward her just like the old man did.
The nobles were speechless.
“Again?”
The guards paused, too, and they wondered if there was another Countess Xia Qiu…
Bu Fang thought Nethery might run down the steps like Countess Xia Qiu. After all, she loved his cooking so much.
The corner of the noblewoman’s mouth twitched, and she looked somewhat speechlessly at Bu Fang. Meanwhile, the guards raised their spears and pointed the sharp tips at him.
Standing up there, Nethery’s face was cold and indifferent, and the look in her eyes did not change at all. “Let’s go,” she said to the noblewoman. After that, she turned, took a step, and vanished. She showed no sign of reluctance.
Bu Fang was stunned. The atmosphere suddenly became quiet.
Whitey, with its mechanical eyes flashing, walked to Bu Fang’s side, lifted its huge palm, and patted him on the shoulder.
