Gourmet of Another World

Nethery’s eyes were blank, as if her consciousness was being controlled or had sunk into the endless nothingness.

She was holding a black dagger. It was condensed by the power of curses, which gathered like poisonous insects on it and turned into a cold dagger.

She moved closer and closer to Bu Fang, intending to pierce his heart with the dagger. Once his heart was pierced, he would certainly die.

Bu Fang’s body was entangled in the power of curses and could not move. His face was exposed, but his eyes were closed. It was as if he was paralyzed by the power of darkness.

Nethery approached step by step. The dagger hovered in front of Bu Fang with its tip pressed against his chest.

“Yes… That’s it!”

The Queen of Curses’ body looked like a plume of smoke. Her eyeballs had turned completely black, and her black hair looked like squirming poisonous insects.

She leaned close to Nethery’s ear and whispered softly. Like a puppet who was being controlled, Nethery moved numbly.

The Queen of Curses’ resentment was extremely terrifying. It lingered between heaven and earth, causing the world to rumble.

Outside the Queen of Curses’ palace, no one knew what happened. They had no idea what was going on inside the palace. What Bu Fang would encounter after being pulled into the coffin, they could only wait to find out the answer.

Whitey had punched the coffin a few times but failed to break it, so it gave up and quietly sat down in front of the palace.

The black power of curses kept climbing up Bu Fang’s face. As the tip of the dagger neared, the power slowly spun and turned into a vortex, revealing the Vermilion Robe underneath it.

The dagger fell, and the power of curses dispersed. Finally, it touched the Vermilion Robe and cut through it.

The Queen of Curses’ icy laughter resounded between heaven and earth, her voice filled with deep resentment. She raised her hands and covered Nethery’s eyes.

“Child… push the dagger deeper and stab this chef through the heart. You will sever all emotions and become the supreme Queen of Curses…” the Queen of Curses’ whispers rang in Nethery’s ears.

Suddenly, the falling dagger froze. It could not continue to move forward any further.

The Queen of Curses was taken aback. She looked up at Bu Fang, who was wrapped in the power of curses.

Bu Fang’s eyes slowly opened, and the God of Cooking’s Eye burst into light.

“That gaze…”

The Queen paused for a few seconds, then she let out a shrill growl. Her voice seemed to cut the firmament and tear the vault of heaven.

The familiar gaze… made the Queen restless.

Rumble!

Bu Fang watched indifferently. The power of curses on him melted like snow and retreated. He raised his hand, and a bowl of fried rice slowly emerged in his palm.

The fried rice… was not cooked by him, but the one placed on the coffin.

“Have you tried it?” Bu Fang asked faintly as he looked at the Queen of Curses. His words were devoid of emotional fluctuations as if he was a ruthless judge.

This fried rice was a dish cooked for the Queen of Curses by the aging God of Cooking at the end of his life. What he was trying to say and express might already be hidden in this bowl of fried rice.

However, perhaps even the God of Cooking himself did not expect that the Queen of Curses would not eat the fried rice until she died.

“It’s that stinking chef’s dish… I will never eat it! I won’t eat it even if I die!”

The Queen of Curses flew rapidly like a fish between heaven and earth that belonged to her. This was the world inside the coffin, and it could be considered as the Queen of Curses’ spirit sea.

The power of curses in the surroundings was very strong. With Bu Fang’s current cultivation base, he could barely withstand it.

How did the Queen of Curses die, given her mighty cultivation base? Bu Fang did not know. However, after sensing her resentment, he thought he might know a little bit.

It was resentment that caused her death.

Although she had severed her seven emotions and chosen the Ruthless Path, she could not truly sever them. Therefore, she had brought ruin upon herself.

This was also the reason why she hated chefs. She did not understand why she could not cut off the last strand of emotion until her death.

Nethery stood numbly at where she was. Under the Queen of Curses’ control, she held the dagger and kept walking toward Bu Fang.

A flame began to burn on Bu Fang’s body. That was the divine fire. After Bu Fang stepped on the Emotional Path, the flame… became more and more simple as if it had turned into mortal fire.

However, it was worlds apart from mortal fire. The only way to feel its extraordinary power was perhaps to sense it personally.

Nethery held the dagger and slowly thrust it toward Bu Fang. The power of curses gathered behind her and turned into a huge cursed snake.

Roar!

The sound of growling rang out, and the whole space was trembling. Under Bu Fang’s feet, the soil tumbled and flew, while rubble rolled in all directions. A terrible aura seemed to dig three feet into the ground.

The dagger, wrapped in the huge snake, thrust toward Bu Fang to stab him through the heart. Surrounded by the power of the curses, Nethery seemed to have become… super fierce.

Of course, Bu Fang was very calm—his calmness and composure came from his heart. He raised his hand. A tiny flame was burning on his fingertip as he pointed it at the cursed snake’s head. It was as if he was pressing his fingertip against the tip of the dagger.

A scarlet drop of blood emerged.

The power of curses behind Nethery dispersed, and the cursed snake collapsed completely. Then, a bowl of steaming Dragon Blood Rice appeared. Bu Fang took it and waved it in front of Nethery.

“Do you want to eat?” Bu Fang asked.

The divine light in Nethery’s gaze seemed to be slowly coming back, and she could not stop nodding.

The corners of Bu Fang’s mouth lifted slightly. With a flick of his finger, the Dragon Blood Rice immediately flew into Nethery’s hand.

A clanging sound rang out. Nethery threw away the dagger, took the Dragon Blood Rice, and began to eat it. With every mouthful of rice she ate, part of the darkness on her subsided. Eventually, the resentment wrapped around her body dissipated.

“Is it good?” Bu Fang asked.

“Yes.” Nethery nodded.

Bu Fang patted Nethery on the head. Then, he turned to the Queen of Curses and said, “You… wanna try this?”

He lifted the bowl of fried rice cooked by the God of Cooking. What the God of Cooking wanted to say was probably all contained in it.

For a moment, the Queen of Curses was somewhat speechless as she watched Nethery eat with relish. Was her one thousand years of teaching no match for a bowl of Dragon Blood Rice?!

“For chefs, what we want to say doesn’t usually come out of our mouths. We say it more through our dishes,” Bu Fang said faintly.

He put his hands behind his back as he slowly walked toward the Queen of Curses.

“The emotions we want to convey will be expressed through the dishes, especially after taking the Emotional Path… What the God of Cooking wants to tell you is also in this dish. Do you really don’t want to know?” Bu Fang asked again.

With every step he took, the divine flame burned brighter and the power of curses backed off. This was the Queen of Curses’ home court, yet Bu Fang looked as casual as if he was at his own house.

“NO!”

The Queen of Curses hissed and roared. Her eyes were filled with resentment and grievance…

She was cheated. They agreed to grow old together… but the God of Cooking became old himself and perished between heaven and earth, leaving her alone with boundless pain!

She kept hissing and roaring, looking hideous and terrifying.

Suddenly, Bu Fang scooped up a spoonful of fried rice and shoved it into the Queen of Curses’ mouth.

“Women are just terrible when they’re stubborn… Perhaps even the God of Cooking didn’t expect you to be so stubborn,” Bu Fang said faintly.

The rumbling space fell silent. There was no dreadful explosion nor heaven-shaking rumbling. The whole space just quieted down in an instant.

Bu Fang saw that the emotions in the Queen of Curses’ eyes became complicated. He could not help but take a step back and exhale.

‘Women… are too terrifying. It’s more comfortable to cook,’ he thought to himself.

The Queen of Curses chewed in a daze.

A familiar taste filled her taste buds and wrapped around her tongue. The warmth and aroma of the rice penetrated her body little by little, working on her in a subtle way.

That feeling was hard to describe. Even the darkness around her body was dispelled in this warm feeling.

Suddenly, a dot of light emerged in the distance.

A white-robed figure slowly walked toward her from the distance, smiling at her. The gaze was like the one in the past.

As the figure neared, he reached out a warm hand, caressing her face and whispering something to her.

Two rivulets of tears trickled down the Queen of Curses’ cheeks.

Bu Fang put his hands behind his back. He sighed with emotions as he watched the Queen of Curses eat the fried rice in tears from a distance.

The darkness in the surroundings began to slowly scatter and disappear, melting bit by bit like ice that had not melted for ten thousand years.

The beautiful scenery of mountains and rivers had returned. The swaying grassland, the lush forest, the lazy spirit beasts…

Bu Fang could not help but nod as he looked at the familiar scenery.

The Queen of Curses’ heart knot, as expected, was untied by that bowl of fried rice. She had stubbornly refused to eat it, only to trap herself for millions of years.

In fact, all her problems could be solved by a bowl of fried rice.

Bu Fang shook his head and twitched the corner of his mouth.

“Ha. Women…”

In the distance, the destroyed cabin was being rebuilt as if time had reversed. Soon, it was restored to its original look. Accompanied by the singing of birds and the aroma of flowers, it looked like a comfortable place to live.

Bu Fang took a deep breath.

“Bu Fang… I’ve finished it. I want one more bowl.” Nethery’s cold voice echoed out.

Bu Fang had not exhaled the long breath he had just drawn in when he heard that. It choked him and made him cough.

He punched himself on the chest and then glanced at Nethery, who looked innocent. He was somewhat helpless.

With a flip of his hand, another bowl of Dragon Blood Rice appeared. He was about to hand it to Nethery when the image in front of him suddenly changed.

Rumble…

It was as if a strong wind was blowing at him.

Bu Fang opened his eyes, and everything in front of him became clear.

He was sitting cross-legged on the coffin with a slightly dazed look on his face. In his hand, he was grabbing the bowl that was used to contain the fried rice.

In the coffin, Nethery slowly sat up straight, holding a bowl of Dragon Blood Rice and eating.

Looking at her with some grains of rice stuck on the corners of her lips, Bu Fang could not help but smile faintly and shook his head.

RUMBLE!

A black crystal converged on Nethery’s brow. Her aura began to climb rapidly, rising higher and higher… In just a flash, it rushed into an extremely terrifying level…

Bu Fang could not help but sigh with emotions as he sensed Nethery’s aura.

Nethery was considered to have completely mastered the Queen of Curses’ legacy. Unfortunately, she did not finish walking the Ruthless Path. Therefore, her cultivation base could never rush into the level of the Ancestral Gods.

However, that was enough for her.

Sitting on the coffin, Bu Fang raised his hand and rubbed Nethery’s head.

Outside, the nobles of Void City, Mu Hongzi, Whitey, Er Ha, and the others all saw this scene. They breathed sighs of relief. The Queen of Curses was, after all, an Ancestral God. It would be a great blow to them if an accident happened to Bu Fang.

Now, it seemed that the ending was a happy one.

The door of the Queen of Curses’ palace slowly opened with a creak. Bu Fang walked out of it with his hands clasped behind his back, while Nethery was eating the fried rice as she came out. It was as if she wanted to eat all the fried rice she had missed for a thousand years.

The bronze coffin fell back into the Stairway of Star and was buried deep under the Queen of Curses’ palace. As for what had the God of Cooking told the Queen of Curses, Bu Fang did not know. No one knew. It would have to be treated as a secret and buried in the dust of history.

“All hail the Queen of Curses!”

Nethery walked out of the Queen of Curses’ palace. The nobles of Void City were too excited to put their feelings into words.

Duchess Yunlan, Duchess Nightmare, and Duchess Tianlian fell to their knees respectfully. Behind them, the counts, viscounts, and others all knelt on the ground as well.

It was quite a sight to behold. Void City, which was in a state of disunity, seemed to be twisted into a rope at this moment and had its soul.

Cursey watched with satisfaction. Suddenly, she seemed to sense something. She raised her hand. Her somewhat illusory body gradually solidified at this moment.

She watched in a daze. She was just the clone of the Queen of Curses’ consciousness, but now, she seemed to have transformed into a real person…

The nobles, who knelt on the ground excitedly, were taken aback as well.

The next moment, hints of green spread out of the palace and covered toward the whole Void City. Everyone could not help but look at the green light.

In the Queen of Curses’ palace, two beams of light thrust into the sky and flew toward the universe where Void City was located. Enveloped by the light, the deathly still city and everything around it recovered their endless life force.

The bone ships slowly faded away, while those dead planets were filled with life force and greenery. There were even flowers among them.

All the nobles watched in awe. What happened before their eyes was like a miracle.

Bu Fang looked up at the two streams of light drifting in the starry sky. They seemed to turn into two figures and nodded at him.

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

The light turned into two shooting stars, streaked across the starry sky, and disappeared into the cosmos. It was as if they would forever entangle and wander at the end of eternity.