What was truly unforgettable to Bu Fang was the Yellow Spring Grass that grew by the river and the Senseless Lotus that drifted in the river. He had brewed the Yellow Spring Helplessness Wine with Yellow Spring Grass and Flower of Helplessness, and on the day it was opened, its aroma had filled the whole Valley of Gluttony. Back then, he had used only a one-leaf Yellow Spring Grass and an ordinary Flower of Helplessness to brew the wine. He reckoned that if he were to use a nine-leaf one, the wine might be better than the three great wines of the Abyss.
Bu Fang was just thinking, though. After all, the nine-leaf Yellow Spring Grass was the Yellow Spring Great Sage’s precious treasure, who was a figure feared by even Lord Dog. In the past, he had no idea how strong the Great Sage was, but now he knew… The Yellow Spring Great Sage was an existence not weaker than Lord Dog. Even the woman in God Vanishing Mountain was afraid of him.
Although the Yellow Spring River was not a forbidden land, it was comparable to one because of the Yellow Spring Great Sage. Also, there was a formidable spirit beast in the Yellow Spring Valley, the Blood Illuminating Dragon. Bu Fang didn’t understand why they chose it as the venue for the tournament. He wondered if they had obtained the consent from the Yellow Spring Great Sage.
Fortunately, the venue was not at the source of the Yellow Spring River, but at its middle near the lower reaches. The river here was not that horrible. Bu Fang recalled his experience when he visited the river last time. There was the Bridge of Helplessness, the Reborn Boat, and the Soul Fisherman… They were all very mysterious, which made the river no less frightening than the other forbidden lands.
The warship rumbled and landed not far away from a huge city.
The city was built at the lower reaches of the Yellow Spring River. It was bold to do so. Perhaps that was the reason why the river could not become a forbidden land. It was too long, slithering through the whole Earth Prison, and on top of that, it was gentler than the other forbidden lands.
When Bu Fang visited the Yellow Spring River last time, he arrived directly at the source of the river. It was quite far away from here, so he didn’t discover this city.
“This is Forbidden Soul City, the venue for the preliminary round. Enter the city, register yourself, and someone will bring you to your accommodations,” You Ji said, glancing at Bu Fang. Then, she asked them to leave the ship without even looking at Zhu Yan and the others.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The group of six people left the warship and came up to the city gates. The towering gates were built with blood-colored bricks, which made them look rather gruesome. Earth Prison Guards clad in black armor were posted outside the arched doorway, inspecting the visitors.
Zhu Yan and his companions took deep breaths. They had finally arrived at the venue.
Bu Fang glanced at the Forbidden Soul City. It was a majestic city, and he could sense a terrible aura inside. Clearly, it was guarded by an expert.
People were coming and going in front of the city gates.
“I’ve heard about this city, but I never visited it before,” said Nethery. There was a curious look in her eyes.
They didn’t stop for long because Zhu Yan and his young friends had already walked up the gates and were stopped in front of the entrance.
People around rested their eyes on the group of young juniors, and many were smiling derisively at them. What attracted those smiles were their weak cultivation bases. Among the other participants, the weakest ones were Nine-star True Immortals or even half-step Saints, and some stronger worlds only sent One-revolution Little Saints. Compared to them, Six-star Immortals were too weak.
Zhu Yan and his friends were puffed up with pride before they came here. They thought they could get amazing results in the tournament. However, upon sensing the auras of the participants from the other small worlds, their expressions changed, and they were no longer so confident. They found that the auras and cultivation bases of almost all the other participants were stronger than theirs.
The scorn-filled gazes made them very uncomfortable.
Bu Fang, who was following them, kept the same expression. When Zhu Yan and the others saw his face, they somewhat admired his strong will. After all, Bu Fang’s cultivation base was about the same level as them, or so they thought.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ground suddenly shook. A group of burly bald men with an average height of two and a half meters walked up from behind them. These men were naked to the waists. Their bodies were full of muscles, and their bronze skin shone like metal.
“Oh, we meet again, weaklings of the Immortal Cooking Realm,” said the one leading them. His voice rang in every ear as loud as a bell, and when he walked, the ground shook.
Zhu Yan thought of what Nethery had said earlier, and he knew these men should be the experts from the Vajra Realm. An angry look crept up his face. He could suffer the gazes, but the man’s blatant sarcasm had infuriated him.
BOOM! BOOM!
The group of men came up to them, leaving numerous footprints on the ground. The leader’s eyes shone coldly as he said with a contemptuous tone, “You’re the leader of the Immortal Cooking Realm team? So weak… I can kill you with just a pinch.”
Zhu Yan glared at the man. He was boiling with rage inside. “Weak? Show me how strong you are…” He could not tell the man’s cultivation base, but that didn’t stop him from flying into a rage. Perhaps this big fellow was just slightly stronger than him, and he might have a chance to win. After all, his family had given him many treasures before he left.
“Oh… Do you want to die?” The burly man narrowed his eyes and sneered.
The Immortal Cooking Realm was fearsome when it was at its prime, but today’s Immortal Cooking Realm was just too weak.
“Hurry up and enter the city! If you have conflicts, settle them during the tournament. Don’t block the way!” The cold voice of a guard rang out suddenly.
Zhu Yan’s movement paused, and he gritted his teeth.
The burly man grinned. He thought nothing of Zhu Yan and the others, but he didn’t dare to cause trouble in Earth Prison. He had seen how the woman who guided them here defeated an expert on the warship next to his with just one move. That kind of strength was enough to show how formidable Earth Prison was. His Vajra Realm was no match for it.
“Don’t let me see you in the arena, or I’ll kill you with my finger!” he sneered, then strode into the city.
Zhu Yan’s face was almost purple, but at the same time, he felt a sense of powerlessness. Before setting off, he was full of confidence, and yet when he finally stepped into Earth Prison, he realized that his cultivation base meant nothing here.
You are reading story Gourmet of Another World at novel35.com
“Brother Zhu, don’t be discouraged. We are from the Immortal Cooking Realm after all. Ask him to compete in cooking skills with us, and we’ll surely defeat him.” Mo Yan tried to console him.
Zhu Yan nodded with a serious look on his face. After that, the three of them walked into the city.
Bu Fang was speechless when he heard that.
‘If the tournament is about cooking, why should we come all the way here to Earth Prison? This tournament is all about cultivation bases and fighting strength… These little fellows are too young and have not seen the cruel world… But it’s fine. There’s still plenty of time, and they will grow,’ he thought to himself.
He clasped his hands behind his back and walked into the city with Nethery.
Xuanyuan Xiahui followed at Bu Fang’s side. He knew very well that it would be much better to follow Bu Fang than that arrogant Zhu Yan. That fellow was just a spoiled son of an aristocratic family, and he was nothing after leaving the Immortal Cooking Realm.
The Forbidden Soul City was huge. There were inns specially prepared for contestants from different worlds. Bu Fang soon found his room in one of the inns, but he was at a loss. The organizer only provided him one room. He turned around and looked at Nethery, who was blinking at him, and rubbed his temple with a thumb…
…
As time went by, the atmosphere of the competition became more and more intense.
The Forbidden Soul City now had more contestants from other small worlds than the locals. After all, the tournament was organized by Earth Prison, so they had to come to show their respect. On top of that, the tournament was of great significance. Their final rankings could reflect the overall strength of their worlds, which was very important.
There was no competition on the first day of Bu Fang’s arrival. Everyone was resting and recovering from the long journey to get here.
All sorts of venues had been set up in the city, and of course, there were projection arrays that would let every small world watch the competition.
The tournament officially started on the second day.
On this day, all the contestants had to go to the square in the city, where many arenas were built.
Before the competition began, lots had to be drawn for both team matches and individual matches because there were too many contestants. There would be a few preliminary rounds, and those who lost during the rounds would be eliminated from the tournament.
There was a rap on the door. Bu Fang, who was grilling meat with Nethery in his room, rose to his feet and opened the door.
As soon as the door was opened, a delicious aroma wafted out of the room, and the people outside were struck dumb. Bu Fang saw Mo Yan and Fang Yu, while Zhu Yan was hiding behind them. This struck him as a little strange.
“What is it?” he asked lightly.
Fang Yu and Mo Yan were somewhat speechless as they sniffed at the aroma in the air…
‘A man and woman share the same room, and yet they are barbecuing… This Great Demon King is such a weirdo.’
“We need to draw lots today, so we’re here to ask you to come with us,” said Mo Yan.
Bu Fang nodded, then squinted at Zhu Yan, who was shrinking backward. He arched an eyebrow and asked, “What happened to him?”
Mo Yan paused, and her face became somewhat strange and embarrassed.
Cough… Cough…
She was lost for words, and so did Fang Yu.
“He was beaten up,” Xuanyuan Xiahui said. He didn’t really like Zhu Yan, so nothing stopped him from telling the truth.
“You…” Zhu Yan made a low growling sound as if he was angry.
Bu Fang raised a hand and signaled Fang Yu and Mo Yan to step aside. They did, and then he saw the poor fellow. The sight of Zhu Yan’s face made the corner of his mouth twitch.
Zhu Yan’s face was all twisted. His nose was bloody, and his cheeks were swollen. The person who did this had very precise control of his strength. The force had penetrated the wounds, swirling constantly in them and preventing Zhu Yan from healing himself. As a result, his bloody nose and swollen cheeks could not be healed.
“You’re really beaten up…” Bu Fang said, twitching the corner of his mouth. If he were to pass by Zhu Yan, he wouldn’t be able to recognize him.
Zhu Yan’s heart surged with bitterness. He had looked down on Bu Fang, and it angered him now that his ugly look was seen by him. He began to resent Xuanyuan Xiahui.
A moment later, a door in the distance creaked open, and some burly men walked out through it. They were the group from the Vajra Realm.
Coincidentally, they stayed in a room opposite to Bu Fang’s room.
When they saw Zhu Yan’s miserable look, the group of burly men guffawed, their voices thick with disdain.
“Little piece of rubbish… Are you having a fun time being tortured?!”