Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The Death Pass was at an inconspicuous corner within District D. If the stooped old man had not led him, Bu Fang might not be able to find it. No, it should be that he could not have imagined that the only entrance to District C was here.
They entered the stone door. Inside, black water filled with the power of curses flowed across the ground. It was bone-piercing cold, like the water of the Yellow Spring that could freeze one’s soul.
The stooped old man walked at the forefront, leading Bu Fang. “This is a secret passage. A woman told me about it once… I tried to brave it, but unfortunately… I failed,” he said. He sounded lonely. It seemed that this passage was a sad place for him.
“Your strength is considered good among Saints of the Great Path, but… It will still be quite difficult for you to break through the Death Pass.” The old man glanced over his shoulder at Bu Fang.
Bu Fang twitched the corners of his mouth and said nothing. This old man was also a chef. Bu Fang was surprised when he mentioned that. However, he only said that it pained him to look back into the past, and he never told Bu Fang anything else.
Their main goal was to break through the Death Pass.
“In total, there are three passes you need to break through… Do you think it’s too few?” The old man chuckled, revealing his yellow teeth.
Bu Fang paused. ‘This old man is so unlike those in District D,’ he thought to himself. ‘Compared to them, he’s more emotional… He likes to smile.’
“Back then, I’ve broken through two passes, but I failed at the third… I hope you will not repeat my mistake. I genuinely hope that you can break through the Death Pass and bring me to District C.”
The old man paused, his eyes glistened with something wet, then he went on, “Only after entering District C could I… meet that person.”
Bu Fang nodded. In exchange for telling him the location of the Death Pass, he would take the old man with him to District C. This was the deal between them, and he thought it was a fair deal.
Whitey followed behind Bu Fang while Foxy hugged the latter’s head, squeaking.
“We’ve arrived at the first pass,” the old man suddenly said.
Bu Fang paused, and their steps came to a halt.
On the benches around the fighting pit, an uproar broke out among the nobles.
“Oh! It has begun! Tear them into pieces!”
“I bet they can’t even break through the first pass!”
“I also bet these lowly people lose in the first pass!”
The nobles roared and hooted, craning their necks and fixing their eyes on the image.
Countess Xia Qiu glanced at them and exhaled. Nethery, on the other hand, stared indifferently at the image. No one could tell what she was thinking through her eyes. The noblewoman wore an amused look and curled up her red lips, as if she was looking forward to something.
…
Inside the Death Pass, Bu Fang’s mental force spread out in all directions. In the water flowing across the ground, a cold clunking noise rang out. Slowly, a figure in black armor emerged.
The figure was swathed in black bandages and clad in ragged armor. His aura fluctuated, and his cultivation base seemed to have reached the top of a Saint of the Great Path. Just the impact from his aura alone had already filled the entire passage with a rumbling noise.
“Be careful… This is the Accursed Lich King!” the old man quickly warned Bu Fang.
“Accursed Lich King?”
The figure roared. His body was soaked with an endless amount of curse power, which made his strength reach the peak of a Saint of the Great Path. He was also very fast. With a rumbling sound, he bolted forward, closing in on Bu Fang in just a flash.
“Don’t touch his body! His curse power will crawl onto you and kill you instantly!”
Bu Fang’s heart skipped a beat as he sensed the curse power.
Something seemed to restrict this Accursed Lich King. He could not use divine power. However, his body was his strongest weapon. With every charge, he corroded the ground and left behind a deep hole. After a few charges, the ground was riddled with extremely corrosive pits.
Whitey stood in the distance, its mechanical eyes flashing. As for Foxy and Shrimpy, they had left Bu Fang’s shoulder and were staying with Whitey. The stooped old man was a little excited and clenched his fists.
The Vermilion Robe fluttered noisily as Bu Fang landed on the last patch of ground that was intact, surrounded by the corrosive power of curses.
…
“This boy can’t escape now!”
“Tear him apart! Tear his body into pieces!”
“Why is this lad so weak? He can’t even break through the first pass… My bets are wasted!”
The nobles were more nervous than Bu Fang. Some people who bet that he could get through two passes immediately put their hands on their heads and spat venomous curses, while others were laughing excitedly as if they had already seen the Accursed Lich King tear Bu Fang into pieces.
Countess Xia Qiu glanced at Nethery. “Is the Goddess not placing her bet?” she said, smiling.
Nethery shook her head and said nothing.
The noblewoman, on the other hand, smiled and said, “Don’t let us spoil your game. We’re just here to have a look… We will return later. The Queen attaches great importance to the Goddess. She fears that she is giving the Goddess too much pressure, so she asked me to bring her out for a breather.”
She glanced at Nethery, then at the image in the fighting pit. The smile on her face grew broader.
Countess Xia Qiu seemed to realize something. A hint of a sneer brushed the corners of her mouth as she gave Nethery a look. Then, she turned to look at the scene in the Death Pass and stopped talking.
…
Naturally, Bu Fang did not know that he had become the center of attention for many people. The Accursed Lich King in front of him, who was a peak Saint of the Great Path, made him a little wary.
In this Death Path, energy seemed to be suppressed. He could only use his physical strength. This was not good news for Bu Fang.
He glanced around. The surroundings were filled with corrosive curse power. He exhaled deeply. ‘This Lich King plans to force me to a tight corner and then kill me with slow torture… What a treacherous fellow.’
Facing the Accursed Lich King, who was approaching step by step and emanating terrible curse power that seemed to corrode the void, Bu Fang turned to look at Foxy.
“Come here, Foxy,” Bu Fang beckoned.
Foxy, laying on top of Whitey’s head, paused, and her eyes widened. Hurriedly, she kept shaking her head.
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Bu Fang’s face grew dark, and he gave the little fox a serious look. Foxy’s fur bristled. She flew whistling through the air and landed on Bu Fang’s shoulder, somewhat reluctant.
“Good girl,” Bu Fang said, stroking her head. After that, he held Foxy with both hands, pointed her at the Accursed Lich King in the distance, and gave her buttock a gentle slap.
Foxy straightened her neck, and her cheeks bulged. Then, with a boom, she spat out a Soul Demon meatball.
The meatball was too fast. In the twinkling of an eye, it sped through the air and hit the Lich King. A rumbling sound rang out as the explosion knocked him flying back and threw him to the ground. He crawled to his feet, but he had lost an arm.
The stooped old man froze. He did not seem to expect that Bu Fang would have such a skill.
“Keep shooting,” Bu Fang said lightly, and he gave Foxy another slap.
“Ah Da Da Da Da…” Foxy opened her mouth. Shafts of golden light thrust out of it, illuminating the dark passage, while one Soul Demon meatball after another shot out and devoured the Accursed Lich King, who was crawling up to his feet.
The rumbling of explosions kept ringing out, and the whole passage was trembling. The next moment, the Accursed Lich King was turned into a pile of minced meat on the ground.
The flesh was wriggling, but it would take a long time for it to fully restore. And the time was enough for Bu Fang and his companions to break through the first pass.
Bu Fang held Foxy in his arms. The little fox’s mouth was spewing hot steam, and she burped.
“It’s not too difficult. Well, it’s actually quite easy…” Bu Fang said, rubbing Foxy’s head.
A stench wafted out of the Accursed Lich King’s shattered, rotted body. It mixed with the aroma from the explosion of the Soul Demon meatballs, turning into a very bizarre scent. It made Foxy sneeze.
The stooped old man did not know what to say. Back then, when he was braving this pass, he nearly lost his life. Bu Fang’s ease of passing it made him feel a little sad.
Holding Foxy in his arms, Bu Fang and his companions broke through the first pass.
The nobles who saw this through the image in the fighting pit were all struck dumb. They never knew the Death Pass could be broken through like that.
The Accursed Lich King was surrounded by curse power. No matter if it was a close-quarter fight or the approach of divine power, they would trigger the corrosive power. But…
Some nobles who bet that Bu Fang would fail immediately complained in annoyance. After the shock, they fixed their eyes on him again. They wanted to know how he would break through the second pass.
However, the corners of their mouths twitched as they seemed to have a bad feeling about it.
…
“Ah… Da Da Da Da Da!”
Foxy opened her mouth and shot frantically. Hot steam rose from between her jaws, and the air was filled with smoke. In front of her, a huge, rotted crocodile was blown through by the meatballs.
Bu Fang gently pinched the little fox’s cheek. Casually, they stepped through the second pass. With Shrimpy perched atop its head and its mechanical eyes flashing, Whitey followed behind him, clanking with every step.
The so-called Death Pass seemed rather easy to break through.
The old man was speechless as he stared at Bu Fang’s back. ‘Is this considered cheating? It is… isn’t it?’
Foxy was jumping on Bu Fang’s shoulder. She seemed to be very excited and happy. She felt this was very… interesting.
“We’re at the third pass.” The old man suddenly became serious. He stared at Bu Fang with a hopeful look flickering in his eyes. “You must do as I say later… Or you won’t be able to break through! Back then, this is where I’ve made a wrong choice!” he said to Bu Fang.
Bu Fang turned his head and gave the old man a puzzled look.
The old man’s eyes were full of hope. He did not want to fail, for another failure might cost him another wait that would span tens of thousands of years. He was confident that they could break through the third pass because… He had the experience.
“We’ll see,” Bu Fang said, twitching his mouth.
They stepped into a dark cave, and the third pass finally appeared in front of them.
…
Countess Xia Qiu never thought that Bu Fang would come to the third pass. But unfortunately, the third pass was the toughest one. The reason was simple: It was almost an impassable pass for chefs.
Suddenly, a sweet scent drifted into her nostrils. Countess Xia Qiu craned her head to look to her side. There, a gentle expression appeared on the noblewoman’s face.
“It’s been tens of thousands of years. That fellow’s fleshly body has already decayed into an old man… Yet he still hasn’t given up,” said the noblewoman.
Countess Xia Qiu did not say anything.
“Back then, I was the one who guided you back. This is such an interesting scene…” The noblewoman covered her mouth with a hand and chuckled, her whole body shaking.
Countess Xia Qiu frowned.
Smiling, the noblewoman turned her head. Her beautiful face emerged right in front of Countess Xia Qiu. “Little Xia Qiu, that old man is the lad I met when I went to fetch you. And when I went to fetch Nethery, I met this young chef who is braving the Death Pass. Don’t you find this… amusing?”
Countess Xia Qiu paused, then her pupils constricted.
…
The passage of the third pass was very dark, so much so that Bu Fang could not see his hand even when he held it before his face. On top of that, his mental force could not spread.
He took a step forward. Suddenly, dots of ghostly green light slowly floated up, gathering in front of him like fireflies. It was a beautiful sight.
Soon, countless fireflies converged into a graceful and noble figure. Floating in midair, it emanated an unparalleled aura that was extremely terrifying.
“The Queen of Curses?!” Bu Fang furrowed his brows.
The stooped old man sucked in a cold breath when he saw the figure.
“Bu Fang, among the choices that will be presented to you later… you must not choose cooking! The Queen of Curses… hates chefs! You must not choose cooking…” the old man shouted. However, as soon as his voice rang out, he moved away in a flash as if he was taken out of Bu Fang’s world.
‘Hmm? I must not choose cooking?’ Bu Fang frowned.
The graceful, noble figure formed by the ghostly green light dots stared at Bu Fang and said slowly, “Brave warrior who dares to challenge the Death Pass, make your choice…”
As the voice faded, a bright light erupted, and two choices emerged in front of Bu Fang.