The Ancient Jade Saint Sovereign's jade talismans did not even dent the restaurant's gate. That fell within Bu Fang's expectations.
After all, the system had decorated and renovated this restaurant such that it was now basically the system's item. Even if the Ancient Jade Saint Sovereign were to be much stronger than he was, he would still have insufficient power to challenge the system.
Thus, when the jade talismans came near to the restaurant, their fearful explosive power vanished. It was all due to the system's functions.
Even Nether King Er Ha was powerless in the face of the system's rules, let alone that Saint Sovereign.
Comparing Nether King Er Ha and the Ancient Jade Saint Sovereign, Bu Fang thought that the former must be stronger.
He had no proof—just his intuition. And sometimes, he trusted his intuition a lot.
With the range of his mental force, Bu Fang could anticipate every single move the Ancient Jade Saint Sovereign made. There was no way he would let that man just show off his power and flee right after.
That was why he plucked a strand of fur from Lord Dog.
The moment the piece of fur flew out, it turned into a giant paw of a black dog. That paw was so fat and full of energy that it made the pores of the Ancient Jade Saint Sovereign tighten.
The void unceasingly twisted beneath the dog's paw. It was even more threatening than the Saint Sovereign's jade talismans.
The Ancient Jade Saint Sovereign's face changed drastically.
He had never thought that a dog's paw would fly out of the restaurant. It was actually that young Owner Bu's counterattack!
The Ancient Jade Saint Sovereign subtly snorted. Energy surged around his body one more time as it speedily rose with more jade talismans hovering around him.
The buzzing sounds echoed through the air.
A moment later, he pointed his finger forward. The jade talismans flew one after another toward the flying paw.
The jade talismans trembled, vibrating in sync. Then, they shattered and exploded.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
All the small jade talismans exploded on the dog's paw.
However, the paw was not deterred in the least. It continued to advance, its energy twisting and distorting the space around it.
The black dog's paw gradually dimmed.
Boom! Boom!
The dark night suddenly flashed bright, as if it had suddenly become day. Many people witnessed the event, which caused them to take in a breath of cold air.
What happened to that newly opened restaurant?
Why was such terrifying energy radiating from that location?
In the distance, Granny Mo had seen the dog's paw, her face now twitching and shivering.
It gave her an ominous premonition. That feeling… was different from what the creatures from the Ruin Prison in Netherworld had. Moreover, it was much more frightening than that of the Ruin Prison's creatures!
Granny Mo's hair fluttered. Pivoting on her staff, she suddenly spun around in place. When she opened her hand not long after, a mooncake-sized star compass appeared in her palm.
That star compass was carved with a high degree of realism, as if everything on it was about to come to life, moving about chaotically.
Making a mysterious hand seal, Granny Mo touched the compass. She gazed toward the dog's paw and begun her calculation and deduction.
After a brief moment of deducing, Granny Mo's face turned ashen. It became as white as a sheet of paper.
Then, the compass in her hand cracked with a piercing sound, exploding into many shards and pieces, falling on the ground.
Granny Mo spurted blood as she staggered several steps backward. Eventually, she slumped on the ground. Her staff lost its balance and fell to the ground with a clang.
"A taboo existence… Ancient Jade Saint Sovereign, this time, you have courted death yourself." The old woman had blood trickling from the corners of her mouth. Her face was pale, yet she still continued to gaze at the dog's paw. Her face shivered as more and more age spots surfaced on her skin.
The old woman now looked older and more senile.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Ancient Jade Saint Sovereign's eyes were cold. More and more jade talismans went, bombarding the paw endlessly. The dog's paw was gradually shaken, and its energy thinned out.
As his aura was rising steadily, the Ancient Jade Saint Sovereign had become like a small star, radiating its extreme luminescence. He was now illuminating the entire night sky.
All of a sudden…
The buzzing stopped. It was as if everything ceased to move.
The Ancient Jade Saint Sovereign's pupils shrank. His nostrils flared as he continued panting.
He did not have more jade talismans left.
Yet, the dog's paw, with its waning energy, was still flying at him.
He couldn't stop it?!
His heart quivered. It was the first time he had felt such fear. How long had it been since he last had such a feeling?
Except for the First Master of the Valley of Gluttony that had given him a similar feeling of desperation, he had not felt this way in a long time.
It was suffocating.
Buzz...
Without the jade talismans impeding its movement, the dog's paw moved even faster. In just a blink of an eye, it appeared right in front of Ancient Jade Saint Sovereign.
Gently, the dog's paw pounded on Ancient Jade Saint Sovereign's face.
Puff!
After a brief "puff" sound, the dog's paw popped. However, in that split second, the sound of the paw hitting his face could still be heard. After this, the paw's energy dissipated, vanishing into thin air.
The Saint Sovereign cocked his head, focusing his vision on a fluttering strand of dog fur that was slowly falling from the air. A moment later, it suddenly ignited, burning itself to ashes.
A stand of dog hair?!
The thing that had given him such despair was just a strand of fur?!
Did he see it wrong?
But he wasn't wrong… The Ancient Jade Saint Sovereign's face took on a range of interesting emotions. His face twitched, and a moment later, he exhaled.
"That bastard..."
He was the impressive Saint Sovereign from the Ancient Jade Holy Land. To think he was almost scared out of his wits by a strand of dog hair.
If this story were to spread, he would become a laughing stock among all the holy lands in the Royal Court!
"Scram! If you want to eat, come back tomorrow. If you want to make trouble, bear the consequences yourself." Bu Fang's nonchalant voice came out from the restaurant, which shook Ancient Jade Saint Sovereign.
Sweat had formed beads on his forehead. Bu Fang's words had fanned the flame of anger in his heart another time, but the sight of that dog's paw had chilled his body entirely.
If it were to be the real paw, how could he have stopped it?
Turning his head away, the Ancient Jade Saint Sovereign turned to look at Granny Mo, who was sitting on the ground far away from him. Her face was as white as a sheet of paper.
Ancient Jade Saint Sovereign could only see fear and confusion on Granny Mo's face.
The broken pieces of a star compass on the ground made the Saint Sovereign's eyes shrink once more.
Granny Mo could not deduce how strong that Netherworld creature in that restaurant was?!
That restaurant… was not ordinary, indeed. Since Granny Mo was unable to read that sort of existence with her power, it was definitely a taboo existence.
He exhaled and slowly got up to his feet. Turning around, he left.
The presence in that restaurant made him feel danger.
Granny Mo also followed suit and got up. Crouching down, she collected the pieces of her broken compass.
"Really… Granny here just wanted to eat, but I guess I can't. Alright, I'll come back tomorrow…"
Leaning on her staff, Granny Mo brushed the dust off her clothes before turning around to leave.
The restaurant's gate closed, and silence returned.
…
Inside the restaurant
Bu Fang stood at his spot, facing the gate. After all the noise outside faded, he turned and walked back into the kitchen.
Lord Dog slightly turned his black face toward Bu Fang and gave him a sidelong glance.
"Understood. A dish of Sweet 'n' Sour Ribs." Bu Fang walked past Lord Dog and patted his head, speaking calmly.
Shortly after, he headed into the kitchen.
Lord Dog's nose fumed wisps of white smoke, his head tilting.
Did he think a dish of Sweet 'n' Sour Ribs was enough to comfort the loss of Lord Dog's hair?
Young men these days… so mischievous!
A moment later, Bu Fang walked out of the kitchen, holding a steaming plate of Sweet 'n' Sour Ribs, which spread the aroma of meat everywhere.
Placing the Sweet 'n' Sour Ribs in front of Lord Dog's cocked head, the corners of Bu Fang's mouth rose. After rubbing the clean and sleek fur of Lord Dog, he stood up and walked back into the kitchen to practice his cooking skills.
Lord Dog's nose twitched. Eventually, it grabbed the porcelain plate, chomping down.
With that face full of meat and saliva, there appeared to be no grief in the loss of his hair. If anything, it looked as if it hated that it couldn't use more hair to exchange for more Sweet 'n' Sour Ribs.
…
Heavenly Secret Holy Land
Mo Liuji carried a bamboo flask, periodically gulping down the good wine within. The rich aroma of the alcohol permeated the place.
He was sitting in front of the Saintess' house, where she was cultivating in seclusion.
The Saintess was studying the Heavenly Star Catcher Disk in the room. After she was done, as requested by Granny Mo, he must take her to where the demon of her heart resided.
To be honest, Mo Liuji could not wait any longer. The Valley of Gluttony was a good place with beautiful mountains, rivers, and equally good food.
The Saintess would definitely be happy there.
Mo Liuji gulped down a swig of wine, pondering.
All of a sudden…
Mo Liuji's ears twitched.
Swish.
His wine splashed as he lifted his head.
In the sky above him, thousands of stars began to move. Every single one seemed to want to cross the night sky.
At that moment, the galaxy came and turned altogether, ceaseless and turbulent.
Mo Liuji could not stop staring. He pulled apart his shirt right to his chest, placing his hands akimbo.
"Is that it? She definitely lives up to her name as the talented Saintess. She's actually begun to fuse with the Heavenly Star Catcher Disk?!" Mo Liuji chirped his admiration.
Jets of light shot down from the sky, descending rapidly.
Mo Liuji felt like he had been immersed in the galaxy, floating and bobbing in the twinkling sea of stars.
Gurgle… Gurgle…
The liquor in his bamboo flask vibrated rapidly.
Mo Liuji's vision became blurred, his heart shivering. It was as if he had seen everything there was to see as images flashed continuously in his mind.
The Heavenly Star Catcher Disk was the divine weapon that the first Sacred Ancestor of the Heavenly Secret Holy Land had left behind. If someone fused with it, they could control it to deduce everything there was to deduce.
That person's deduction would become flawless and could even change fate against God's will!
Crack! Crack!
However, right at that moment, Mo Liuji felt he was about to ascend past this plane of existence. All the images in his mind broke and vanished.
Mo Liuji's entire body was soaked in sweat. He opened his eyes. He had been so frightened that he had almost peed himself.
All the bamboo flasks of wine on his body had exploded. His body was covered in a layer of cold sweat.
The true energy in his body was almost drained, and his lower abdomen emptied out. In his head, his mental force had almost dried up.
If he had continued at that moment…
The Heavenly Star Catcher Disk would have absorbed all his energy, turning him into a dried, withered corpse.
"So horrible… Scared me to death," muttered Mo Liuji as he clutched his chest. His heart was racing frantically.
Squeak.
The door of the house opened…
Mo Liuji was stupefied for a moment before turning around.
A slender and graceful figure slowly emerged from the room.