Chapter 12: Fire Realm Eatery: The Black Butcher

Luo Feng looked at the wine jar and roasted meat in Mo Luo Sa’s hands and chuckled: “You’ve been living quite comfortably these past days—can’t even bear to put down your wine and meat on the way back.”

"Comfortably?" Mo Luo Sa took a huge bite of meat and shook his head vigorously. "Not comfortable at all, Master! You told me not to cause trouble! For over one eon, I dared not stir up a single problem! It was suffocating—I just kept enduring, enduring, enduring!"

“That suffocating?” Luo Feng pressed.

Mo Luo Sa nodded eagerly: “Hu Yangcheng’s factions are a mess, and some crazy fighters deliberately pick fights! Given my temper, I’d have crushed them with one hand long ago. But your orders supersede all else—I’d rather die than defy them! So I had to swallow it all, turn big issues small, small issues gone.”

Luo Feng was curious: “You turned big issues small, small issues gone?”

A Jieshou born of the Path of Destruction was inherently ferocious; Luo Feng wondered how he endured it.

“I just slightly injured them, made them feel the gap in power, then made them pay a fine,” Mo Luo Sa quickly explained. “I’m not causing trouble—if I took every beating without fighting back, I’d get abused even worse.”

Luo Feng nodded: “I understand. A coward in Hu Yangcheng gets devoured down to the last scrap.”

“Master is wise,” Mo Luo Sa grinned, then couldn’t help himself—he took another few sips of wine.

“Back home, you never liked drinking much,” Luo Feng remarked.

Mo Luo Sa’s eyes lit up: “Master, you’ve come to the Origin Continent but haven’t properly tasted its native wines yet? Some of these wines here are far superior to those back home.”

“I’ll try,” Luo Feng said, taking the wine jar and tilting it back for a sip.

The moment it entered his belly, his soul and consciousness felt nourished, relaxed, and at ease.

“Interesting,” Luo Feng said in surprise. “Since arriving on the Origin Continent, I’ve only drunk one cup of Chun Mi wine at the Yan Feng Pavilion—it was subtle. But this wine is brutal—it already affects my soul and consciousness.”

Luo Feng’s soul and consciousness were immensely powerful, yet he still felt comfort and relaxation.

If a Void True God drank this, they’d probably float into blissful oblivion.

Mo Luo Sa nodded: “Lifeforms born on the Origin Continent can absorb heavenly and earthly energy directly—they don’t need to eat or drink. So their delicacies and wines… aren’t for replenishing energy, but for special effects.”

“Strong olfactory stimulation, or benefits to the divine body or soul—making True Gods all crave them,” Mo Luo Sa said.

Luo Feng nodded.

He knew this well: ordinary food and drink on the Origin Continent were worthless; only special ones commanded high prices, offering effects like refining the divine body or nourishing the soul.

“This jar of wine costs three Chaos Crystals! I have to drink it sparingly,” Mo Luo Sa said, carefully putting it away.

“Food and wine this enticing? Come on, Mo Luo Sa, take me to see them,” Luo Feng said.

Mo Luo Sa’s eyes lit up, his mouth opened wide, and he swallowed the enormous roast whole, then hurriedly said: “Master, don’t worry—I’ve spent over one eon here, and while I know little else, I know every single food and wine in Hu Yangcheng. I’ll guide you right away.”

“But…” Mo Luo Sa chuckled nervously, “I’m broke. I’ll need you to pay the bill.”

“Look at you, so stingy—all your pocket money comes from me,” Luo Feng said. “Enough talk, lead the way!”

“Let’s go!” Mo Luo Sa moved swiftly, leading Luo Feng out of the cave dwelling.

…

Under Mo Luo Sa’s guidance, they flew for a while before arriving at a modest eatery named “Fire Realm Eatery.” It was small and unremarkable in Hu Yangcheng.

“Over this past eon, I’ve eaten many delicacies, but this place’s Fire Realm Banquet is my favorite—and it’s not expensive,” Mo Luo Sa said.

Luo Feng looked up.

The name “Fire Realm Eatery” was woven into the formation, strikingly visible.

“Black Butcher, get out here!” Mo Luo Sa shouted, then explained to Luo Feng: “Master, Black Butcher is the owner of this eatery. I’ve come here many times—we’re very familiar. And he’s one who crossed the Cycle to reach the Origin Continent.”

“Crossed the Cycle to reach the Origin Continent?” Luo Feng was surprised.

Out stepped a fat man with bristling hair and beard like steel needles, his body covered in scales, fangs protruding, and eyes like twin burning stars. He came forward warmly and humbly bowed: "Your Eminence’s arrival is an honor to my Fire Realm Eatery."

He was an Eternal True God!

Since opening, his tiny eatery had seen only a handful of Eternal True God patrons.

“Quickly prepare your signature Fire Realm Banquet,” Mo Luo Sa urged.

“This way, please,” the fat man, Black Butcher, immediately led the way.

Inside one of the small buildings of the Fire Realm Eatery.

Luo Feng and Mo Luo Sa sat down.

“The Fire Realm Banquet requires my personal preparation—please wait a moment,” Black Butcher said, then bowed respectfully and withdrew. A server entered, bringing wine and side dishes.

As soon as the server entered, Luo Feng recognized him, surprised: “It’s you, kid?”

The server was Suo Zi, the young man Luo Feng had saved from the tribe.

“Honor Your Eminence,” Suo Zi bowed deeply.

“Hahaha…” Mo Luo Sa laughed. “I’ve come here many times—I often ask for Suo Zi to serve me. Master, you saved them once, and now you meet here—it’s fate.”

“Quite a coincidence,” Luo Feng nodded. “How did you end up here?”

Suo Zi was deeply grateful to this benevolent Eternal True God—he knew without Luo Feng, his entire team would have died.

“Your Eminence, after settling in Hu Yangcheng with Suo Yun, we needed Chaos Crystals—for residence fees, for our own cultivation,” Suo Zi said. “I was lucky—the owner took notice and took me on as an apprentice.”

“This kid’s got real culinary talent,” Mo Luo Sa said. “Master a good kitchen craft, and you can truly root yourself in Hu Yangcheng.”

Suo Zi immediately said: “I’m learning from the owner.”

“Your owner is somewhat famous in Hu Yangcheng—he came from the legendary Prime Universe, crossed the Cycle, and was already skilled in cooking. Then he learned Origin Continent culinary traditions… fused them together. Among Void True Gods, your owner’s culinary art stands alone,” Mo Luo Sa praised—he himself had become a true gourmet. Suo Zi nodded: “I work hard. If I don’t learn well and get kicked out, I’ll have to fight for survival outside the city.”

Luo Feng listened, then asked: “What about your brother who settled here with you?”

“Suo Yun became a lowly guard for a major clan,” Suo Zi said quietly. “He’s risking his life.”

Luo Feng understood.

A lowly guard in a major clan? A cannon fodder. Always sent first into the worst, hardest work.

“They both have talent—that’s why they found work,” Mo Luo Sa said. “From what I’ve seen, about half the True Gods in Hu Yangcheng must regularly hunt beasts outside the city.”

Luo Feng knew these facts well.

On the Origin Continent, most low- and mid-tier lifeforms survived by hunting beasts; many others collected and processed beast materials—this had become a vast industry.

As for service jobs within a major city? The threshold was extremely high. Without sufficient talent or strength, you had no qualification for such positions.

As they chatted:

“Here it comes!” The eatery owner, Black Butcher, entered, waved his hand, and a lavish banquet appeared—various dishes, the most prominent being a massive, fiery red meat in the center.

!.

The central meat emitted a flame aura.

“Your Eminence, back in my home Prime Universe, I became a True God through the Chef Path,” Black Butcher smiled. “Later, as a Void True God, I crossed the Cycle to the Origin Continent—but even my cooking couldn’t help me settle in Hu Yangcheng. So I started over: became a butcher, began slaughtering beast materials, learned their properties step by step. I endured fifty thousand eons before achieving anything—then opened this Fire Realm Eatery.”

“Your Eminence, please taste my Fire Realm Banquet,” Black Butcher said confidently.

In the long history of the Origin Continent, many Qiangzhe from the three thousand Prime Universes crossed the Cycle—each Chaos Province had some.

To promote his business and attract customers, Black Butcher pulled out all the stops!

“I’ll try,” Luo Feng began tasting.

Black Butcher watched nervously.

If an Eternal True God liked it—and came often—it would be a living advertisement. His eatery’s reputation would grow, drawing more customers.

Luo Feng sampled each dish one by one—the side dishes and wines were merely good.

Only when he bit into the massive central meat did his eyes brighten.

“Master, you must eat it in big bites—the flavor’s strongest,” Mo Luo Sa said. Luo Feng obeyed, opening his mouth—the huge chunk of meat instantly shrank, one-third of it flying into his mouth.

The meat was large, but this single bite easily crushed and swallowed.

“BOOM!!!”

Luo Feng felt flames spreading from his belly through his entire body, as if refining his divine body, his soul and consciousness warmed and soothed.

“Eating the Fire Realm Banquet feels like swallowing an entire world of fire—your divine body and spirit undergo transformation,” Black Butcher said. “You feel reborn.”

Luo Feng glanced at him with a smile.

Reborn?

How exaggerated! But it was indeed comfortable.

For those with weak divine bodies, perhaps they truly felt “transformation of body and spirit,” “rebirth.”

“Your Eminence, what do you think?” Black Butcher asked nervously.

“Not bad,” Luo Feng praised.

Black Butcher could only nod: “This is my own creation. In Hu Yangcheng, the top restaurants’ culinary arts come from Chaos Dominators or even Divine Kings. Mine is just a minor craft.”

Luo Feng drank some wine, then said: “Cultivation is the root. You came from the Prime Universe—you can’t use bloodline cultivation methods.”

“Yes,” Black Butcher nodded. “I can only follow the Law Path—but comprehending the Source of Laws is too hard! Even here on the Origin Continent, where Laws are clearer, I’ve hit a bottleneck and can’t break through. So I sought external aid—opened this eatery to earn wealth, buy resources to assist my cultivation.”

“But even running an eatery is hard,” Black Butcher said.

“Your Fire Realm Banquet is good enough. Keep working,” Luo Feng said. He ate half, then left the rest for Mo Luo Sa, who devoured it greedily, clearing the plate in moments.

After paying ten Chaos Crystals, Luo Feng and Mo Luo Sa left.

Black Butcher, accompanied by server Suo Zi, saw them off outside the eatery.

“Suo Zi,” Black Butcher gazed into the distance. “Do you think His Eminence will come again?”

“He seemed to like the Fire Realm Banquet,” Suo Zi said.

“I hope so.”

Black Butcher sighed: “Only if an Eternal True God comes often can I draw enough True Gods here!”

He had been an invincible force in his home Prime Universe—but on the Origin Continent, he’d been battered and bruised. Strength? In a major city, Void True Gods were everywhere! Even Mo Yu Hu and others had to venture into the wilds.

Black Butcher was deeply proud—he refused to risk his life in the wilds. He bowed his head, started as a butcher, and now, in this Hu Yangcheng eatery, he’d built up a loyal clientele.

“If I make this eatery bigger, I’ll earn more—and my chance to become an Eternal True God grows!” Black Butcher turned and walked back inside.

In Hu Yangcheng, even a small eatery owner might have an extraordinary past.

Precisely because dragons and tigers hid here, because the strong were too numerous, standing out became even harder.

(End of Chapter)