The sun had just barely risen over the horizon when Chu Changsheng got up. He scratched his head of white hair, walking barefoot on the wooden floor. His eyes were blurry.
Many of the equipment in his room was a new experience for him. For example, the bathroom Bu Fang told him about was novel and intriguing to him.
However, after many days of staying here, Chu Changsheng had gotten used to them. He had to admit that they were really convenient and useful.
Descending the stairs, Chu Changsheng was a little surprised. He realized that the restaurant was extremely quiet this morning.
By the kitchen's entrance, Whitey's plump body stood there, obscuring his view. He could not see what was inside the kitchen.
After swallowing Yan Cheng's God Slaying Bow, Whitey had begun to evolve. Up to now, it was still in progress, and he did not know when it would finish its ascension.
Normally, by this time of day, cooking sounds could be heard from the kitchen, such as stir-frying vegetables or something. However, today, it was utterly silent.
There was no noise in the restaurant at all. Chu Changsheng found it extremely peculiar.
Entering the restaurant, the snoring black dog that had always leaned against the Path-understanding Tree had disappeared. The Netherworld Ship was also gone. At that moment, the restaurant looked completely abandoned.
"Where did they go? Why is there no one here?" Chu Changsheng was bewildered.
So they weren't doing business today?
The corners of Chu Changsheng's mouth twitched. He walked to the door, and as he opened it, he heard some wooden things clanging.
He turned around and found a wooden plank with the words "Temporarily Closed" written on it.
Oh, so they were temporarily closed… Where did Bu Fang take Lord Dog and Nethery to?
Wait… Temporarily closed?
Chu Changsheng was dumbfounded. So, he didn't need to work today?
Thinking of this, Chu Changsheng's eyes narrowed. He whipped his white hair and walked out of the restaurant, entering the long street of the Gluttony God City.
Clasping his hands together, he swayed and stepped into the Phoenix Pavilion at the opposite side.
If he didn't have to work today, he should do the things he had always wanted to do. For example, visiting each restaurant to check on those kiddos' food to see if they had made any progress.
Of course, he wouldn't just eat and leave. He would give them critical suggestions to improve.
And so, he decided to start with little Mu Cheng's restaurant.
The ten-mile long street was bustling and really boisterous.
Although it was still early in the morning, the restaurants along the street were already lively and buzzing with activity. The calls of the hawkers were endless.
Further away, Mo Liuji was in a good mood. He had left his inn early and could not wait to explore the city.
He had set his heart on Owner Bu's wine. Of course, he was filled with anticipation of tasting such a delicacy.
The Heavenly Secret Saintess wore thin, white silk clothes. She walked out of the inn, strolling as if she was a graceful fairy.
Soon, they reached the Gluttony God City.
However, they were speechless when they saw the restaurant's door closed. A wooden board hanging beside it said that the restaurant was temporarily closed.
Mo Liuji was stunned speechless.
Where was that trust between friends? Didn't that Bu Fang tell him to come early and queue today?
And to think that they did not open up shop today? Did the owner made up his mind and did not want him to come and drink wine?
"Saintess Your Highness, was Owner Bu afraid of… seeing you? Is that why he closed his restaurant and traveled?" Mo Liuji cocked his head to one side, asking the Saintess.
The Heavenly Secret Saintess recognized the familiar writing style on the board. Her red lips under the veil slightly curled.
"It's Owner Bu's style, indeed. If he says he will stop doing business, he will actually stop."
Smiling, Heavenly Secret Saintess didn't really mind. She clasped her hands together and turned around, returning to her inn.
Mo Liuji's red, swollen nose flared up.
Owner Bu's style?
Those two… really did have some sort of hidden past!
…
Earth Prison, Netherworld
The sky was gloomy with drifting dark clouds, giving the atmosphere a sense of heaviness.
The Earth Prison was immensely vast. It was created by cyan-colored stones, which interlocked to create dense mountain ranges. There weren't many kinds of plants growing in the area. However, the thick spirit energy in the air was really astonishing.
Dots of white light manifested in the air. Shortly after, a wind rose and howled.
That wind twirled and became a strong tornado, sweeping up the dust from the ground like a long and fearsome dragon.
Soon, an array made of white dots of light appeared in the sky.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Gradually, the radiance dispersed.
A moment later, several figures stepped out of the array.
The wind had taken off the velvet rope on Bu Fang's hair, making his black hair flutter in the wind.
Nether King Er Ha inhaled the familiar air of the Netherworld. He gently exhaled. He hadn't thought that he could return to the Netherworld that easily.
Without the Great Path's Principle suppressing him, he felt so light and refreshed.
Nethery felt the same. She hadn't returned to the Netherworld for a long time. She looked around, her heart filled with various emotions.
Compared to the Hidden Dragon Continent, the Netherworld seemed much more barren.
"Let's move. There's nothing nice to see here. No ordinary flora could grow by the Yellow Spring River. If anything could grow there, it would be the earth and heaven spirit herbs." Lord Dog's rolls of fat jiggled on his body as he yawned and walked ahead of the group
He had a graceful feline gait, which made his fat rolls shake and sway.
Nether King Er Ha walked behind him. Seeing the dog's fats swaying from side to side, he couldn't help but pout, scoffing, "What a showy, mangy dog."
"What did you say? You wanna fight?" Lord Dog's ears twitched. It cocked his head to the side, casting the Nether King a sidelong glance.
Nether King Er Ha's brows rose. He pulled his sleeves, gasping, "Come then. His Highness isn't afraid of some mangy dog!"
The normally emotionless Nethery felt a twitch at her mouth. She rose her exquisite hand, covering her face.
Bu Fang's breathing became heavy. The gravity in this land was much stronger than in the Hidden Dragon Continent. It was as if his body was weighed down by logs.
For each step he made, he had to use a lot of strength.
"It'll be better if you get used to it. The spirit energy in the Earth Prison in the Netherworld is much thicker than that in the Hidden Dragon Continent. Anyway, the Hidden Dragon Continent is just a low-level place. If its location wasn't crucial, the big characters of the Netherworld would never bat an eye at it," said Nethery as she glanced at Bu Fang.
She raised her hand, and a black wisp of Nether energy wound around her arm. She then gently placed her hand on Bu Fang's back.
Bu Fang's eyes brightened. He could feel his body become lighter as Nethery's palm touched him.
It was as if a big boulder on his body had been removed.
"The Earth Prison is incredibly vast and rich. Real divine herbs can be found here, too. You'll know later. Anyway, with your current cultivation base, even if you got the divine herbs, you wouldn't be able to cook anything."
Lord Dog seemed to have formed a tacit agreement with the Nether King. They didn't even look at each other.
"Divine herbs?" Bu Fang nodded. The damaged Taotie's heart was a little less effective than real divine herbs. If he weren't lucky, he would not have been able to cook that soup.
Bu Fang was quite interested in divine herbs.
"Not only divine herbs, but there are also many divine-grade cooking ingredients. The Hidden Dragon Continent has Divine Spirit Realm existences, but it doesn't have many divine-grade cooking ingredients. Anyway, to grow that sort of quality ingredients, it requires dense spirit energy and gradual accumulation," Lord Dog explained.
Bu Fang nodded.
"You want to find Yellow Spring Grass? What level?" asked Lord Dog.
The Yellow Spring Grass grew by the Yellow Spring River. However, the level of the Yellow Spring Grass varied from the areas in which they grew. The types that grew in the upstream, downstream, and middle reaches were all different.
"The one-leaf Yellow Spring Grass at the source of Yellow Spring River will be enough," Bu Fang answered seriously.
Lord Dog's eyes rolled. Nether King Er Ha couldn't help but glance at him.
The corners of Nethery's mouth convulsed.
"Bu Fang young man, you really aren't polite. The Yellow Spring Grass that grows at the source of the Yellow Spring River is the most precious. Luckily, you only need the one-leaf Yellow Spring Grass. If you want the nine-leaf Yellow Spring Grass, that moron Yellow Spring Great Sage will fight you until his dying breath."
Lord Dog's mouth twitched. He was rather astounded.
Nether King Er Ha agreed with Lord Dog's opinion, which was a rare occurrence.
The team continued to move forward.
"The Yellow Spring River is a hundred miles ahead… Nethery and Bu Fang can go together. Nether King, you wait here. I'm going to find Yellow Spring Great Sage for some casual chit-chat…" Lord Dog said reluctantly.
"Why do I have to stay here?" Nether King Er Ha rolled his eyes, saying unwillingly.
"Then, will you go and talk to him? Lord Dog will wait here." Lord Dog glanced at the Nether King.
Nether King was scared. "Nah, I think you should go. I'm afraid that old moron would risk his life to fight me… For stealing the Reincarnation Fruit, he still hasn't found me to settle the score yet."
"Funny idiot." Lord Dog's mouth rose, sneering.
A moment later, he walked with an exquisite feline gait, stepping into the void. He instructed, "Lord Dog is going to find Yellow Spring Great Sage to chat. You guys, seize the chance and take the Yellow Spring Grass… Remember, you can only take one one-leaf Yellow Spring Grass, no more. Keep that in mind."
Not long after, he shook his rolls of fat, disappearing from their sight.
Nether King Er Ha took out a Spicy Strip, sat on the ground, and began sucking on it.
"You guys should go. His Highness got your back. If you encounter anything, use the Spicy Strip to call me." Nether King Er Ha kept a Spicy Strip in his mouth, talking seriously to Bu Fang.
Using the Spicy Strip to call him, only he could come up with that.
Nethery rolled her eyes, then pulled Bu Fang, walking forward.
"Follow me. The Earth Prison isn't like the Hidden Dragon Continent… It's very dangerous," said Nethery.
Following Nethery, they had walked for slightly more than ten miles.
Bu Fang looked at Nethery skeptically. It seemed that there was nothing dangerous here. It was so quiet.
However, when Bu Fang took one more step, his brows slightly furrowed.
Boom! Boom!
The ground underneath broke. A bestial roar echoed as the ground parted open, and a big mouth launched straight at Bu Fang!
…
Heavenly Secret Holy Land
Darkness covered the entire area. A Divine Altar hovered in the sky, desperately trying to release even more radiance to resist the darkness.
On the ground, Granny Mo looked messy. Her hair was disheveled as she was catching her breath.
The hand holding onto the God Slaying Mace shivered slightly.
The entire Heavenly Secret Holy Land was now in ruins. Rocks and stones were strewn all over, and the entire landscape had become extremely disorderly.
A dreary wind blew. The Heavenly Secret Holy Land's disciples inside the array felt heavy-hearted.
All this time, they had just watched Granny Mo fight bravely against those monsters. They were utterly powerless and helpless.
In the sky, Mo Sa's giant body had holes from which black blood oozed.
As for Mo Cha, his clones were long gone, and all that was left was his real body holding the trident.
Mo Ye, who had two vertical eyes on his forehead, watched everything unfold indifferently.
"Kakaka… If the Great Path's Principle wasn't suppressing my powers, I would've ripped you to pieces!" Mo Cha's nose exhaled the black smoke as he talked coldly.
He tucked his tongue out, licking the cold blades of his trident before saying, "Let see how much longer you can remain standing…"
"Don't play. Attack fast and win fast. Take the Heavenly Star Catcher Disk and leave," said Mo Ye.
"You devils came for the Heavenly Star Catcher Disk? Even in your dreams, you will never get it!" Granny Mo said coldly. A moment later, a compass appeared in her hand.
Her hand squeezed, and the compass was shattered.
In the sky, the Divine Altar broke, causing the divine flame to burst out instantly.
Granny Mo's aura instantaneously increased to an extremely terrifying point. Her body was luminous, resisting the darkness.
"Anyone who schemes to obtain the Heavenly Star Catcher Disk must die!" Granny Mo held the God Slaying Mace, her voice booming like thunder.
A moment later, her body dashed past the numerous shadows, tearing through the void, as she aimed straight at the devils.
"No, something's wrong! The Heavenly Star Catcher Disk isn't here!" Mo Cha squinted before widening his eyes, crying out indignantly.
Mo Ye raised his brows. The Heavenly Star Catcher Disk wasn't here?!
"Not here? Then why would you still babble on with that hag… The holy lands' experts are coming. Kill her immediately and retreat!"
"You're leaving?! I'll make you stay!"
The God Slaying Mace swung across the sky, completely shattering the void!
After bursting the Divine Flame, Granny Mo's intimidating power had reached an extraordinary level.
Mo Cha's and Mo Sa's faces twitched.
"Crazy hag!" Mo Cha roared angrily. The feather wings on his back spread and flapped to escape.
However, the God Slaying Mace closed the distance in an instant, blocking the way. He couldn't dodge, and the mace hit him instantly.
Mo Cha spurted a stream of black blood, which poured on the ground and disturbed the dust.
Mo Sa roared furiously as his body leaped up. The muscles on his arms bulged, pounding on the God Slaying Mace.
Granny Mo seemed to have the divine flame burning in her eyes. Her body bloomed with the pinnacle of radiance.
Boom!
Mo Sa screeched. The God Slaying Mace had cut his arms off!
The God Slaying Mace's power didn't cease to increase. It began to aim straight at Mo Sa's head. If the mace were to smash his head, he would definitely die!
"Enough!"
Far from them, Mo Ye suddenly shouted. He couldn't stand to see Mo Sa get killed.
The two small eyes on his forehead opened.
The eyes were black, but they released halos of white light rippling through the air.
Suddenly, a beam of black light shot out from his eyes, hitting Granny Mo's body dead-on.
Granny Mo's eyes shrank. She screamed in agony, spurting out blood with specks of gold light within it. She fell on the protection array, and her helpless body slid down to the ground.
From a distance, thunderous noises arose.
Terrifyingly formidable auras were approaching. It was as if the fiery sun itself was gliding over as arrays shot towards the sky.
Several shadows came, roaring and shouting!
"Evil animals! You deserve to die!"