Chapter 1832: 1832

The two figures in the distance slowly approached. Yang Jian rose to his feet and raised his halberd. At great speed, the newcomers appeared in front of him in just the blink of an eye.

“Summer, summer passed quietly, leaving behind a little secret…”

The background music gradually subsided, and Yang Jian’s expression grew stranger.

“We were traveling around the universes when we heard you have something delicious, so here we are…” said the beautiful man with a smile. His smile made Yang Jian raise his eyebrows.

“I’m Mu Hongzi from the Chaotic Universe.”

In the immortal temple, Lord Dog seemed to have sensed Mu Hongzi’s aura. He opened his sleepy eyes slightly and sent a voice transmission to Yang Jian.

That gave Yang Jian pause. After listening to Lord Dog’s introduction, he realized that Mu Hongzi was a chef with excellent cooking skills like Bu Fang. Nowadays, the Primitive Universe held great respect for chefs, and because of that, the status of the immortal chefs in the Celestial Court had improved a lot.

“Ah, Chef Mu! I’ve heard a lot about you. It’s nice to see you,” Yang Jian put away his halberd and said smilingly.

“How nice?” Mu Hongzi chuckled.

Yang Jian did not know how to respond to that. Were all chefs nowadays so naughty? Or was it because none of those from the Chaotic Universe was normal?

“Please come in.” The corner of Yang Jian’s mouth twitched a little as he stepped aside and let Mu Hongzi pass. He could sense the beautiful man’s powerful aura, so he was rather courteous to him.

Summer nodded at Yang Jian, then dragged Mu Hongzi into the Heavenly Gates before the latter could utter something naughty again.

Yang Jian turned around. The look in his eyes grew more serious. At the moment that Soul God was about to break the seal, a top chef had arrived. It was a sign that the crisis was getting closer and closer.

If Soul God rose and led his army of Soul Demons, which had grown to a terrifying size after a thousand years of reproduction, the multi-verses might not be able to stop them. Without Bu Fang’s gourmet food, human beings would have a hard time defending against Soul Demons.

Yang Jian sighed as a worried look appeared in his eyes.

…

Mu Hongzi and Summer stepped into the temple. The Celestial Emperor greeted them warmly and arranged seats for them. Lord Dog had told him that this beautiful man was a good chef, so the emperor did not dare to take him lightly. Chefs from the Chaotic Universe were all extraordinary, which could be seen from Bu Fang.

Mu Hongzi was completely at ease. After Summer thanked the Celestial Emperor, they sat at Lord Dog’s side. There was a complicated look on Summer’s face. It had been years since she last saw them, and many things had changed.

She had learned about Bu Fang’s fall. The things they went through together in the Xiayi Divine Dynasty were still vivid in her memory, yet he was dead already. It filled her with mixed emotions.

Lord Dog nodded at Summer and gave Mu Hongzi a serious glance. The look in his eyes was grave. Now that Bu Fang had fallen, perhaps only this chef could stop Soul God. This was the reason why he called Mu Hongzi here.

Mu Hongzi was traveling around the universes when he received Lord Dog’s message. He seemed to know the seriousness of the matter, so he came without hesitation.

The almighty experts did not talk as the Feast of Peaches was going on. This kind of banquet was held by the Celestial Court every once in a while, and this one was the grandest so far.

An immortal tune was being played as fairies entered the temple. Their baskets were filled with fresh immortal peaches surrounded by wisps of immortal energy. Meanwhile, dishes cooked by immortal chefs were brought out and set on the tables. The aromatic delicacies were accompanied by fine wine.

It was a peaceful banquet. The Celestial Emperor was very satisfied—he stroked his long beard with a smile on his face.

Sect Leader Tongtian, Yuanshi Tianzun, and the others were eating. However, the food was tasteless in their mouths. None of the delicacies could arouse their appetite when they were filled with worries.

Lord Dog only ate a peach. As a discerning glutton, he could hardly eat dishes cooked by other chefs. Er Ha, on the other hand, ate happily while flirting with those fairies every now and then.

Mu Hongzi also enjoyed the food. He kept filling his mouth with different dishes, wine, and peaches. As a chef, he was not discerning at all—that set him apart from Bu Fang. After he had his fill, he sighed with satisfaction. It was time to finally get down to business.

The immortals fell silent and grew serious as Yuanshi Tianzun began to talk.

“A thousand years had passed in a flash. It has been a millennium since the calamity of Soul Demons, and Soul God is about to return. We need to join forces to defend against this mighty foe.”

Many immortals and deities shouted in agreement. None of them dared to underestimate the destruction Soul God would bring when he returned.

The dukes of Void City nodded as well. Soul God would not spare Void City and the Chaotic Universe. He would certainly take revenge for any place that had suppressed his body parts, so there was no escaping the karma for them.

Nethery was still inheriting the Queen of Curses’ legacy, and no one knew when she would finish. A thousand years were too short.

Lord Dog did not say anything. He just closed his eyes and lay on the floor. Foxy and Shrimpy were playing with each other. Beside them, Er Ha was talking about life and dreams with the fairies, while Mu Hongzi was still eating. Only Summer was listening intently.

“We need to prepare a backup plan, or we will all be plunged into an abyss of misery when Soul God returns!” Yuanshi Tianzun said. After that, he waved his hand.

A mighty aura flowed through the air, and the interior of the temple began to change. In just a flash, the crowd found themselves in a starry sky, surrounded by blinking stars.

Yuanshi Tianzun raised his hand and grabbed the void. The starry sky was pulled closer, and the countless stars turned into a flowing river of stars, which seemed to lead to a boundless world.

“The retreat path is ready. If we are defeated, we will send all our hopes onto this path and pray that they can return years later to avenge us…” Yuanshi Tianzun took a deep breath. His voice was flat, but there was a hint of grief in it.

Many immortals and deities sighed, and some looked sad. Lord Dog and those around him did not say anything. In fact, the experts in the temple all felt that this was a feasible plan. None of them rejected it because they could not.

They knew where the river of stars led to. Once a person went there, it would be extremely difficult to come back. And the environment there was too harsh, unfriendly to immortals and deities. But if it really came to that, this might be the last resort, the only way to keep the seeds of the human race.

The discussion continued for a long time. All the immortals and deities were very serious. The Chaotic Universe and Void City both did not reject this solution. After talking about the retreat path, they came to Soul God.

Yuanshi Tianzun shook his hand again, and the interior of the temple changed once more. It was showing Hangu Pass now, floating in the starry sky. The immortals and deities looked at it with complicated eyes.

There was a huge black ball in front of the ancient city, and a crimson eyeball could be seen rolling inside. A dish was suspended in the starry sky. The arrays surrounding it had already been corrupted and destroyed by Soul God’s power of the Great Sins.

They had spent a thousand years constructing these arrays, yet none of them could withstand Soul God’s power. The dish was almost gone, too.

Mu Hongzi finally stopped eating and drinking. He looked up, squinted at the dish, and took a deep breath. “That boy… had actually touched that level!” he murmured with mixed emotions.

He knew very well about the dish’s level. It was a pseudo-God of Cooking dish, or it would not be able to suppress Soul God. Of course, it could do that because Soul God was not in his perfect form. If he had gotten back his heart, the dish could suppress it a century at most.

Mu Hongzi kept squinting at it. ‘But… Being able to cook such a dish, Bu Fang will not die so easily,’ he thought to himself as a faint smile brushed his lips. ‘Perhaps that boy is only seeking the last part of the cooking path. It is a realm that no one could sense…’

He was not too pessimistic, so he sat down and continued eating and drinking. He could not stop Soul God even if they asked him. After all, he had already given up on walking the God of Cooking path. Perhaps his cooking skills had improved, but he was still a long way from becoming a pseudo-God of Cooking, not to mention stopping Soul God.

The discussion continued. Yuanshi Tianzun suggested that the experts of all three major universes joined their forces to delay the return of Soul God. No one rejected that. Perhaps that was the only thing they could do now.

Of course, they could wait for the new Queen of Void City, but no one knew when she would come out of her seclusion. Soul God was only days away from breaking the seal. Once the dish vanished, the immortals’ arrays could not stop him, and the multi-verses would be plunged into another great calamity, one that was likely to be even more terrifying than a thousand years ago!

The banquet lasted for one day and one night. Eventually, all the immortals and deities left, and the almighty experts returned to their respective universes.

Tongtian did not say anything. He stepped on his sword and flew back to Hangu Pass, where he resumed his duty of suppressing Soul God. Lord Dog and the others went back to the Chaotic Universe to make the necessary preparations. It was the same for the dukes of Void City.

Mu Hongzi, on the other hand, came to Hangu Pass with Summer. As he looked at the black ball from afar, he was greeted by a suffocating aura. Soul God’s terror sent a chill down his back and made him shudder.

In fact, Mu Hongzi could choose to walk on the Ruthless Path. He had even touched the threshold, but he gave up at the last moment. He wondered which path Bu Fang had chosen? ‘Could that boy walk the Ruthless Path without any attachments?’ He shook his head and sighed.

Suddenly, a rumbling sound could be heard. Heaven and earth began to tremble, while a dreadful aura spread across the starry sky.

On the wall of Hangu Pass, Tongtian’s eyes flicked open. The next moment, he stepped into the sky with the four immortal swords wheeling around him and came above the black ball. The crimson eyeball fixed at him. A burst of cold laughter rippled out of it as the last bit of the dish was being devoured.

The pseudo-God of Cooking dish that had suppressed Soul God for a thousand years had finally reached the end of its life. A crackling sound filled the air as black smoke turned into numerous black faces, roaring and rushing out in all directions to slam at the arrays.

Soon, countless lines appeared across those arrays, allowing a terrifying aura to seep through them!

The expressions of Yuanshi Tianzun, Tongtian, Lady Nuwa, and the Buddha changed dramatically. Without hesitation, they unleashed their power. Dreadful energy rushed through the starry sky and smashed down on the black ball!

RUMBLE!

A monstrous storm began to sweep across the starry sky. Vaguely, a burly figure with a cold smile could be seen in the black ball.

The faces of all the immortals and deities on Hangu Pass became extremely unsightly. Summer’s face was pale, while Mu Hongzi narrowed his eyes. He had even stopped singing his background music. A thousand years had passed, and Soul God was about to return.

…

In the refreshed Soul Demon Universe, Bu Fang put his hands behind his back and stood on a planet. Whitey and Wushuang were behind him as they sensed the reborn world. Suddenly, Bu Fang raised his eyebrows.

“Time flies… It’s been a thousand years. Soul God has returned. I wonder if he will be satisfied with the transformation of the Soul Demon Universe… I couldn’t wait to see his reaction.”