Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Bu Fang, of course, could not hear the conversation between the Artifact Spirits. He was fully absorbed in his task. This was the first time he had touched the bottleneck after so long, one he had not felt for a very long time.
In the past, breaking through had been as easy as eating or drinking for Bu Fang. All he needed was enough turnover, and he would be able to make a breakthrough. Now, though…
Perhaps because he had reached a level so high that making money alone was not enough for his strength to break through, and perhaps… even that mysterious God of Cooking could not help him in stepping into the next realm.
So Bu Fang had to find a way to break through himself. He needed to cook a dish that reached the standard of the System. In fact, the standard was equivalent to the God of Cooking’s standard. Bu Fang knew that very well, and he did not dare to take it lightly.
All kinds of food ingredients flew in the starry sky, spreading around Bu Fang, their essence and energy surging continuously. At this moment, he seemed to be tangled by countless threads, and all around him were balls of wool. He wanted to sort out his thoughts and tidy up the threads, but it was extremely difficult!
In the starry sky, Tongtian was fighting the Heavenly Demon Array. It was a head-to-head battle. Every collision caused the void to tremble and crack, and dreadful energy kept flowing out of those rifts.
The Sect Leader frowned and turned to look at Bu Fang. He saw the latter sitting cross-legged in midair, surrounded by various food ingredients. The divine flame was burning under the Black Turtle Constellation Wok, twisting the void with its scorching heat. Food ingredients tumbled in the wok, emitting hot steam and fragrance as they were being cooked.
Bu Fang’s movements seemed somewhat struggling, and he looked a little wretched as blood dripped from the corners of his mouth.
‘Hmm? What’s going on?’ Tongtian was shocked. In the past, Bu Fang’s cooking had all been perfect, and he rarely made any mistakes. Why did he look so distressed this time? Was it because of the environment? Or was the pressure too great?
‘No…’ Tongtian took a deep breath and squinted at Bu Fang. He could tell now that Bu Fang seemed to be making a breakthrough. ‘Bottleneck! Yes, he’s trying to break his bottleneck, one that belongs to a chef!’
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The Sect Leader himself was restricted by a bottleneck for tens of thousands of years. Naturally, he understood what was going through Bu Fang’s mind now. It was not a good time to make a breakthrough, if truth be told, but… Tongtian narrowed his eyes.
Since Bu Fang wanted to make a breakthrough, he could not interrupt. It was evil to cut off someone’s cultivation by force, and he did not have the heart to do that!
“In that case, Fellow Daoist Bu… Don’t worry for now and just focus on breaking your bottleneck!”
The corners of Tongtian’s mouth lifted slightly. He turned to the Heavenly Demon Array and let out a cry. He was fearless as he walked toward the foes. Even then, the Qingping Sword flew away and the Immortal Sword Array struck out. Countless glowing swords flew in all directions, cutting and ripping everything in the surroundings!
At this moment, the Sect Leader no longer reserved his strength—he managed to temporarily suppress the array constructed by the six Great Soul Overlords.
Meanwhile, Foxy, hovering in midair, opened her mouth. As Heavengod Destruction, she naturally knew about Bu Fang’s current condition, so she also put forth all her might. She knew that her strength was not enough to break the array, but that did not stop her from launching a full-power attack.
In her gaping mouth, energy rapidly gathered and soon turned into a monstrous energy fluctuation. One meatball after another began to stack on top of each other and merge, growing larger and larger. Eventually, a meatball as enormous as a little star appeared, and Foxy was supporting it from beneath like a tiny dot.
The little fox focused her eyes, then unleashed the meatball away. A whistling sound rang out as the giant projectile crashed through the void and shot toward the array.
“Haha! Well done, little fox!”
Tongtian burst out laughing, his face beaming with energy. He held his fingers together like a sword. At that, Qingping Sword shattered the starry sky and sped toward the distance. Even then, the sword array took a physical form by turning into a great sword that stretched across the starry sky and rushed toward the array as well, flying alongside the giant meatball.
RUMBLE!
An explosion instantly spread in the sky. Powerful blasts swept in all directions, crushing and shattering the bodies of countless Soul Demons. The demon’s array flickered, and the eyes of the six Great Soul Overlords flashed with blood-colored light as they waved the weapons in their hands. A terrifying fluctuation erupted.
The world seemed to fall silent at this very moment. In front of the seven hourglasses, Sloth raised his palm and waved it lightly. When the violent energy came close to the hourglass, they stopped and scattered, unable to move any further.
The hourglasses remained stable and continued to support the portal. A vague figure could be seen gradually emerging in it, though slowly. It held up a finger and pushed it through the thin film of the portal, which was the barrier between two universes. The void immediately began to tremble. The tremor was not violent, but it had a great impact.
Sloth fixed his eyes at the figure.
The explosion disappeared. Foxy was panting for breath with wisps of smoke rising from between her jaws. In the distance, Whitey’s purple eyes flashed as it stood behind Bu Fang, guarding him. Tongtian’s face was grim. The sword array was rotating around him and the Qingping Sword hovering over him.
When the smoke and dust finally dissipated, the demon’s array emerged. Although it was covered with cracks, it managed to withstand the explosion and survive. Black sinful energy could be seen writhing all over it, and in the next instant, it was fully restored.
Then, the energy spread to the air over the array and gradually turned into a giant figure, standing in the starry sky like a legendary monster. It was the avatar of the array.
A great axe emerged in the giant’s hand, who raised it and swung it, shaking the stars, and brought it down hard toward the Sect Leader and Foxy.
Tongtian’s face flickered. Without hesitation, he controlled the sword array to block the blow.
Boom!
The axe struck hard. The four immortal swords, which were zooming across the starry sky, trembled and were nearly knocked flying away. Fortunately, Tongtian managed to stabilize them with his mighty cultivation base and energy.
In the distance, Sloth’s eyes grew serious. “Finish them quickly. Soul God is about to descend…”
Upon hearing that, the six Great Soul Overlords became excited. Then, the giant Heavenly Demon raised the axe high and brought it down again. Even the void was shattered by the blow!
The Sect Leader could only resist it with all his might. After all, the strength of this giant demon was not weaker than that of a perfected Chaotic Saint.
Beads of sweat were rolling off Bu Fang’s cheeks. He had not found a clue yet. The aroma of the various food ingredients lingered around him, and he was somewhat lost in it. They were the best ingredients in the world, and their quality was superb. He could cook the most delicious dishes with them.
In the past, he thought he should have the ability to handle them, but now… He was confused. The confusion had even shaken his Heart of Cooking Path. It was as if he had lost his faith.
This was the worst situation. If his Heart of Cooking Path were broken, he could completely fall into the abyss and never be able to rise again. Since its birth, it had never shaken before, but now, as he faced the ingredients that he was clueless to handle, it began to shiver.
The Culinary Path was full of hurdles. Even so, Bu Fang had overcome all of them. It was not right to say that he had a smooth journey. Yes, he was assisted by the System, but he had also put in a lot of effort to come to his current height.
The reward of every task given by the System appeared to be generous, but the punishment was also very serious. If Bu Fang failed a task, he was likely to be wiped out. Others only saw his cultivation base grow rapidly, but they never saw the risk of death that was looming behind his improvement.
He never relaxed, and he was always determined, but he did not know how to handle the confusion he was facing now. The Great Soul Overlord meat, the ingredients containing Chaotic Energy, and the ingredients containing the power of curses had combined into a dish in his mind. He wanted to cook this dish, but perhaps it was a lack of ability that prevented him from finishing it.
‘What went wrong?’ Bu Fang furrowed his brows.
The flame was burning, and the ingredients were transforming, forcing him to make up his mind. If he continued like this, he was likely to waste the ingredients.
Time passed, and Bu Fang remained silent. In his spirit sea, the Artifact Spirits did not dare to make a noise. They knew that the closer he got to the level of the God of Cooking, the harder the hurdles.
Bu Fang still did not move.
Tongtian’s aura was fluctuating violently, his hair flying and his eyes shining. The defense of the sword array began to show signs of cracking. After all, it was an offensive array, so its defenses were naturally weaker.
Sloth was staring at the portal supported by the seven hourglasses. Five fingers had already come through it, and the vague figure had become clearer. The presence of the power of the Great Sins in the void excited the strongest Great Soul Overlord.
The strength of Soul God who had merged with his lower body was certainly terrifying. Even Sloth might not be his match. Once he came through the portal, the Primitive Universe, who had resisted for so long, would turn into a paradise of the Soul Demons.
Sloth looked very excited. “Come out now… Quickly descend to this universe!”
Rumble…
After the five fingers, the palm emerged. The tremor of the void grew more intense.
In the distance, Tongtian’s pupils suddenly narrowed. “Dammit!” He saw the palm, and a sense of despair immediately enveloped him. “We can’t let that guy come here…”
He glanced over his shoulder at Bu Fang. When he saw the latter’s condition had not improved, he gritted his teeth. He had planned to suppress the Soul Demons with Bu Fang’s cooking, but now it seemed that… he had miscalculated. He had not expected that Bu Fang would try to break through a bottleneck at this moment! What should he do?
The Sect Leader roared as more and more cracks appeared across the sword array.
Sloth swept his gaze over from a distance. Then, he raised his hand and waved it. The palm flew across the starry sky and slapped the sword array hard.
The four immortal swords were knocked apart and hovered, while Tongtian staggered backward with a pale face. He was shaken both physically and mentally.
At this moment, half of an arm had stretched out from the portal, and the figure was slowly struggling through the cosmic barrier. A terrifying aura churned around it as the Great Path of the Primitive Universe reacted.
Tongtian’s face was ashen. The Great Path was strong, but it could not stop the figure. A true disaster would descend if the mysterious man resisted the Great Path and stepped into the Primitive Universe!
Suddenly, he froze, then turned to look into the distance. Bu Fang had finally moved! It was as if he had made a choice between life and death.
At this moment, everyone’s gaze turned to him.