Apocalypse Forecast

I wanted to escape to a place where not even shadows could follow. To forget everything... and from then on, it was a long, hollow passage of time.

On the competition grounds, Shenjin Qing had already immersed himself in the mirage of dreams, casting everything to the back of his mind. He simply gulped down the bitterness in his cup; unwittingly, tears streamed down his face.

How had it come to this? Since when had everything changed? I never even noticed. But what about her? Did she truly understand my feelings?

In the silence, tears gradually fell into the cup, drop by drop, dampening the palm of his hand. Then they evaporated quickly. It was as if he wasn’t holding a water cup at all, but rather a red-hot branding iron. It slowly burned his hand to a charred cinder, sizzling. This was the heat hidden within the cup that finally erupted, spreading out as the ice water diminished.

Though letting go would bring relief, Shenjin couldn’t bear to release his grip. Instead, with tears flowing, he sipped the boiling, bitter drink in a daze.

I just wanted to see that phantom once more. To return to that first meeting beneath the plum blossoms, to gaze at the teenage girl bathed in the snow, and tell her what I had always wanted to say.

”Miss A Tao, I truly... love you from the bottom of my heart.”

So humbly, those words spilled from a broken heart. But there was no one to respond anymore.

Shenjin Qing closed his eyes and lost consciousness. However, even in his faint, he continued to cry, clinging to that cup. He held it so tightly that not even rescuers with iron tongs could pry it from his grasp.

Nearby, Huai Shi stood stunned.

Truth be told, this was an inspiration Huai Shi had gleaned from observing a certain individual. He used the Source Substance of the Rotten Dream from the Dream Cage as material, transformed various emotions, and then forged this outcome.

Water was just water. What was blended in was nothing but an insignificant Seed of Bubble Shadow.

Starting with the joyful illusion, gradually degenerating under the guidance of Apocalypse, and finally becoming trapped in desperate agony, unable to extricate themselves.

This was The Water-Cut Dream.

It was a pity that Dream Operation was not Huai Shi’s forte; he relied only on the bonus from Rotten Dream Debris and the Forgers’ furnace. Not only could it not be preserved for long, but the production time was also astonishingly lengthy. Limited by his skill, it required the target to personally ingest it. Only then could it take root, growing through the vulnerabilities in their soul to induce maximum agony. This was a poison coated in sugar; compared to such a nightmare, the high temperature of the cup was merely an add-on.

One could say he took advantage of the Chef Demon competition.

He couldn’t imagine what Shenjin Qing had seen, nor could he empathize, but he could somewhat guess from the external manifestation. And then, he felt a sincere admiration from within.

After all, such unwavering devotion was truly incredible.

Not long after, the outcome became crystal clear. Shenjin Qing was judged completely unable to recover, losing the ability to continue the competition. It was uncertain if he would awaken anytime soon.

Amidst many astonished gazes, Miss Huaizhi grinned slightly, then took her employer and left.

The opening match of the Chef Demon duel.

Huaizhi Sushi, victorious!

Up to this moment, many Chef Demons in the audience still hadn’t quite processed what had happened. Some had their suspicions but wouldn’t voice them. On one hand, they weren’t very certain; on the other, they rather hoped others would also suffer a hidden setback when facing her.

After all, Ms. SuZi was a genuinely formidable opponent. This point was beyond doubt. One should not assume that Shenjin Qing was a simple character just because he was defeated so abruptly and unceremoniously. After all, the reputation of San Tu was well-known; no one present could guarantee they would emerge unscathed after consuming an entire Ironclad Feast.

To achieve victory, one must strike first. By exploiting the competition rules, the Chef Demon who finished first could make their opponent eat their dish, then aim for a one-hit KO. Unlike that eerie woman, who had utterly consumed the Poison of Mutation without any means of neutralization. She had still found it inadequate and even wanted more.

One could only say that Shenjin Qing was truly unfortunate. He had originally been a hopeful contender for the final rounds, but he ended up encountering the worst possible opponent. It was evident to everyone: the woman named SuZi had an excessively high resistance to poison!

Besides, only Chef Demon Guo was somewhat familiar with the power of that upgraded Fat Otaku’s Sorrow Water. He was simply too old. He had seen too much and experienced too much, having felt every kind of technique from his adversaries. If his guess was correct, it should be a technique similar to that of the Fangxian tradition; no, it should be called a cooking style like the Offering Feast. It was a tradition of Chef Demons originating from India, a unique culinary technique mimicking the disasters Heavenly Demons caused to disrupt Buddha’s enlightenment.

It seemed simple, and the materials used were not particularly magical, but the application of the Source Substance was frighteningly impressive. Even monks deeply accomplished in Zen meditation, upon consuming just a bowl of milk congee, would still be ensnared by fundamental afflictions such as birth, aging, sickness, death, encountering what they despise, unfulfilled desires, and the raging of the five aggregates, their composure utterly lost.

If it weren’t for the fact that the woman called Huaizhi Sushi hadn’t worn a monk’s robe during the Chef Demon duel, he would have almost mistaken her for the current generation’s White Lotus Seed. After all, the hallmark style of that lineage of Chef Demons is to appear safe and harmless. The women seem as pure as possible, and the men as herbivorous as can be. Their disguise is better than anyone else’s, but when they make their move, they are the most poisonous.

Shenjin Qing’s defeat by such an opponent was not unjust. From the beginning, he fell into the opponent’s rhythm, and then his innermost flaws were thoroughly exploited for a Strengthened Special Attack; his complete collapse was entirely within reason. From the moment Huaizhi Sushi finished the entire Ironclad Feast, he had already lost half the battle.

”Ho ho,” the old Chef Demon chuckled contentedly, clapping his hands in encouragement. Like a kindly old predecessor, he praised, ”The younger generation is formidable, truly formidable. Truly, as terrifying as that!”

Thus, he suppressed the surging hunger and killing intent in his heart. He narrowed his eyes, keeping the second half of his thoughts to himself.

This one... must not be allowed to live...