Apocalypse Forecast

Chapter 763 - 621 Shan Lao_1

When that figure emerged from the darkness, all the watching Chef Demons furrowed their brows at once.

The middle-aged man dressed like a hippie lifted his hand, pushed up his sunglasses, and revealed a stunned gaze. "Is it really necessary to arrange such a troublesome opponent just for the opening battle?"

"Hmm? Arumu, you know him?"

"I encountered that guy in America half a year ago," the hippie Arumu shook his head and said. "A very tricky opponent, slippery as a snake—Mr. Guo should know, right?"

"A Two-star Chef Demon from Yingzhou, one of the rising stars of recent years. I have heard a little about him," the hunched Dongxia elder, leaning on his cane, examined the figure enveloped in resentment and chuckled lightly. "Shenjin Qing, the head chef of 'San Tu' from Huangquan Slope. He's quite a handful. It seems his Shan Lao cuisine has improved a lot since the last time we met... The younger generation is indeed fearsome, truly fearsome."

Mr. Guo lamented his own inadequacy with a look of resignation, like a wave dying on the sand, revealing the twilight of his years—if one didn't know how much this old fox loved to steam his colleagues into buns, they might actually believe him.

"Heard it's Shan Lao cuisine, a faction from Yingzhou?"

The burly Tattooed Chef Demon pinched his chin and asked in Latin with a thick accent, "Never experienced it. What's special about it?"

"Ah, Mr. Vladimir, are you pretending to be a newbie to gather intelligence again?"

The Tattooed Chef Demon gave a simple smile. "I really don't know either. Is there anyone kind enough to explain it to me?"

"Then just watch." Hippie Arumu didn't take the bait, shrugging. "We'll run into them sooner or later in the upcoming competitions."

Among the many Chef Demons, Shenjin Qing, who carried the legacy of the indigenous Shan Lao Chef Demons of Yingzhou, was undoubtedly one of the trickiest. Anyone encountering him for the first time was sure to suffer a great loss. It was far too dangerous a skill, risky not just for others, but for oneself. A slip-up, and even a Chef Demon's endurance might not be enough to avoid death...

Vladimir smirked slyly, unperturbed by his opponent's concealment as he broached another topic.

"Then... how about the other one?"

"Don't know her," Arumu shook his head, his gaze fixed on the woman called Huaizhi Sushi, his expression somewhat puzzled. As far as he knew from the list, there shouldn't be such a Chef Demon locally in Yingzhou. She had no insignia and carried no tools—a clear case of concealed identity. But even if she was a formidable character, possessing such exquisite beauty, she shouldn't be obscure and unheard of.

Could she be a rookie who just got her license and naively joined the competition, overconfident in her abilities? That would be far too innocent. Even among Chef Demons, there's a terrifying gap between star levels. Recklessly challenging a far superior opponent can really lead to disaster.

"What does Mr. Guo think?" Arumu cunningly tossed the question to the old man.

"Her? Well, she's impressive... terrifyingly so. I always feel I can't compare." After thoroughly enjoying the suspense he had built, Chef Demon Guo cracked a smile, revealing a mouth full of white, sharp teeth. "Such a young and beautiful Chef Demon, and yet even an old man like me has never heard of her! Isn't that something?"

"..."

The people nearby could hardly resist rolling their eyes, and no one continued the conversation.

In the silence, only Chef Demon Guo's nostrils quivered slightly, and the smile that lingered around his mouth became subtler.

That scent... it has a hint of Tengu Mountain about it. But beyond that, it's filled with strange aromas I've never encountered before—a bitter dampness of plants and trees, the cold of bones, coupled with the fragrance of young children. Could it be a type like my own Yi Ya lineage? Or could it be that the master I devoured had other disciples?

In his throat, the wrinkled and sagging skin suddenly bulged out, as if a python had swallowed a metal ball, as he gulped down his rapidly secreting saliva. He felt an odd hunger stirring within. It had been a long time since he'd felt such an appetite—a craving stemming from the Chef Demon's instinctual anticipation and hunger. All of it persistently told him: that woman, something was off!

Gazing at the name on the opposite cooking station, Huai Shi raised his head to look at his opponent.

It was as if the man had been soaking in filthy water for an unknown length of time. His opponent had a perpetually damp look about him, long black hair clinging to his face, his smile pale. He appeared clean and sharp, yet an inescapable, pungent odor clung to him, like something rotting.

While Huai Shi scrutinized the other, his opponent was also looking at him.

"Oh ho, a beautiful opponent. How delightful, truly delightful."

The middle-aged man extended his tongue, licking his dry lips, peering at Huai Shi with a smirk, and also at Zhenxi sitting in the audience behind him.

"Did you offend someone?"

Compared to Huai Shi's expressionless face, Zhenxi's gaze shifted slightly, revealing a trace of unease and guilt.

"It seems your employer is somewhat lacking in confidence, Miss?"

Shenjin Qing laughed hoarsely, placing his toolbox beside him, and proposed as he looked up, "Before we begin, would you like to forfeit, Miss? Honestly... your face is so perfect, it moves me, and I truly don't wish to mar such beauty."

"..."

Huai Shi really wanted to retort with some banter, but restrained by his disguise, he couldn't utter a word and felt incredibly frustrated.

Seriously, does everyone here judge by appearances? Do they all freeze up at the sight of a woman?

He could only roll his eyes in disdain.

"Oh? Have I offended you?"

Shenjin Qing laughed with an eerie chuckle, unconcerned. "Since that's the case, let's dispense with the extraneous talk... For the sake of that pleasant face, I'll ensure the pain doesn't last too long."

Beside him, his toolbox opened.

The sound of metal scraping metal rang out as a Short Knife, two inches long, was drawn from it, revealing its terrifying, multicolored pattern under the dim light. Extracted from countless poisons, its essence culminated into this deadly instrument designed to dissect and obliterate any creature.

"That guy, he's bringing out his ace in the hole right from the start?" Arumu, in the audience, was astounded. "Just like the legends say, the weaker the opponent, the more thrilled the perverse sadist."

That was the specialty skill truly mastered by Shan Lao cuisine—the dark side of the mountains, the fallen mountain gods, a reflection in Hell of the divine nature that nurtures all things. What once nurtured life was transformed into something brutally ferocious. After careful brewing and creation, they became terrifying toxins that even Chef Demons couldn't withstand!

While irresistibly delicious, what awaited after such blissful gluttony was nothing but despair and death… Once a diner lifted their utensils, their life was in the hands of a Shan Lao chef's knife.

Without any trace of condescension or arrogance, even though he verbally seemed flippant and frivolous, Shenjin Qing chose to go all out right from the start!

Now this was going to be quite a show...

"So, are both parties ready?"

From the extended viewing platform high above, from behind a curtain, an affected, eunuch-like voice emerged. The eunuch, an envoy of the Former Emperor, his face coated in white powder, spoke, his parting lips revealing blackened teeth, "All here is indeed witnessed before His Majesty. You must not conceal anything or slack off. Understood?"

No one responded.

But this was expected.

The envoy, unconcerned, waved his hand, signaling to Inu River, who knelt by his side, that the rest was up to him.

The aged samurai rose and stepped forward, his hoarse voice booming like thunder, echoing through this vast underground space.

"—Let us then, with all due honor, determine the victor!"

In that moment, the high, piercing sound of a bell rang out once more.

"HEHEHE! Excellent, excellent!"

Shenjin Qing laughed heartily, his long fingers landing on the cooking station, causing it to tremble. Utensils flew from the rack. Following a shrug of his shoulders, accompanied by a viscous sound, four more arms extended from his back, catching the falling items and slowly unfurling.

He perched over his Domain, just like an Octopus Spider.

The ingredients within the adjacent water tank had already settled on the cutting board.

It was a ferocious pufferfish! This particular specimen was the Dragon Pufferfish, hailing from Huangquan Slope on the border of Kyoto—a special breed nurtured by 'San Tu,' the Chef Demon establishment with over six hundred years of history and notorious in Hell!

It boasted a deliciousness surpassing ordinary pufferfish by tenfold or even a hundredfold, and at the same time, it carried a terrifying toxin ten million times greater!

Yellow and black like a dragon, the massive pufferfish twisted menacingly in the air, ready to devour anything.

Yet, with Shenjin Qing's smooth motions, the colorful Short Knife sliced through the slick body of the Tiger Pufferfish in mid-air. It didn't even have a chance to inflate and unleash its sharp spines before its entrails spilled forth.

Then came the merciless dissection and slicing.

Surprisingly, even after being reduced to a skeleton, the pufferfish's mouth was still struggling to open and close... It was still alive!

To ensure the utmost freshness and flavor, the pufferfish cuisine of 'San Tu,' famed in Hell, was notorious for this very aspect. Even at the moment of serving, right up until the honored guest began to eat, it could maintain its vitality, detonating the essence of its freshness like a bomb upon the diner's taste buds.

As for whether it contained poison... that was left to the chef's mood.

However, if it were a dish, it certainly wouldn't be as simple as just sashimi. As an inheritor of Shan Lao cuisine and one of the head chefs of 'San Tu,' Shenjin Qing wouldn't merely present such a heinous natural toxin on his opponent's plate.

In his hands, countless strangely colored poisonous ingredients were extracted from the toolbox. They were processed with the smoothness of flowing water and thrown into the burning cauldron to start brewing the base for a rich soup.

This was a grand feast combining sashimi, nigiri, tempura, hotpot, rice porridge, and even a final milt dessert—an exquisite essence distilled from a myriad of deadly poisons.

—Hell's Dragon Slaying·Musketry Feast!

Vague apparitions emerged behind him. It was as if rivers of amber wine had merged, forming the Sanzu River, its poisonous Huangquan waters surging incessantly. In resonance with the power emanating from Hell, this malice created by human hands birthed the archetype of a Disaster.

Just a whiff... and Huai Shi felt his appetite surge.

Within the Dream Cage, a chorus of crows cried out urgently, unable to wait any longer!

Yet, in stark contrast to his opponent's full effort, Huaizhi Sushi's approach was oddly lackadaisical...

She moved unhurriedly, reaching into the cabinet under the cooking station. Apparently not even intending to use her own tools, she then... pulled out a cocktail shaker.

Weighing it in hand, it seemed adequate.

Lady SuZi's lips curved into a pleasant smile.

This will do.