Chapter 534: Chen Banxia's Culinary Appreciation Conference

This war has stopped.

The gap is too great, so there is no need to continue.

Thus, both sides stand in a standoff, silent, and even the clashes between the gods have ceased. In this withered world, the True Flame of the Scorching Sun cannot burn for long; the world seems to have returned to its original darkness and tranquility, devoid of light, deathly still.

Yet both sides can clearly perceive the other's existence, can perceive the other's gaze fixed upon them, and can perceive the other's emotions.

Chen Shu can even perceive the silence of the opposing gods.

That is a very deep silence.

At this moment, the greatest fear is that the opposing gods might choose to perish together, refusing to hold back, directly shattering this Plane until it collapses completely, burying all the combatants from both sides along with the Plane Origin here; if I cannot have it, then no one shall.

Chen Shu even thinks to himself, if that were truly the case, he would use the Crystal to take the group members and travel back, fuse with Space-Time Energy to become a "God," and in the future, strike directly at their Plane to slaughter all their gods.

However, the other side did not do so.

Chen Shu perceives that this Plane is opening a Plane Channel once again, and this is clearly not the handiwork of their own gods.

This means they have abandoned the subsequent war.

It is unknown how much time passed—

"Boom!"

Terrifying power tears through the Plane barrier.

Under the powerful Spirit Field Effect, a gorgeous, multicolored shimmer radiates overhead, illuminating the figures of the other side, one after another, all silent.

The gazes of both sides pierce through the vast distance, touching one another, and then they soar into the sky one by one.

"I wish you good luck."

Chen Shu says this in his heart.

It was the same for both sides in the Qianweimian, only they were the ones at a disadvantage and ultimately defeated.

When the fighting first began, they gave their all, risking their lives to sway the balance of victory, but when the outcome was destined regardless, both sides tacitly stopped. At that time, the other side did not blindly pursue total annihilation, but instead watched them depart in silence.

Just like them now.

This war was never meant for slaughter; on the contrary, it was for survival.

Perhaps someone back then was also wishing them good luck in their hearts?

Chen Shu thinks this to himself.

Once the other side had all departed and the Plane Channel closed, the many combatants all breathed a sigh of relief, but looking around, they could not bring themselves to be happy.

Although the duration of the battle between the two sides was not long, the intensity was as high as it could possibly be; almost every collision claimed a life.

The old seniors were the primary casualties.

Few of the super-new generation died in battle.

This might be related to the strength and choices of these old seniors, and it might also be related to Ning Qing, the commander.

These old seniors had little lifespan left and were already nearing Spirit Decay; almost none of them intended to return alive, so every strike was made without reservation, gambling with their lives. The super-new generation, however, was not only stronger than them but also had to fuse with the Origin and inherit Godhood upon returning; as the commander, Ning Qing naturally took extra care of them.

For a moment, even someone with a carefree personality like Zhang Suannai could not be happy.

Because her master and First Senior Brother had both died in battle.

The Ling Sect Old Sect Master had also sacrificed himself.

The Yi Emperor and King Jin did not survive either.

Among them, the Yi Emperor was nearly a hundred years younger than the others; perhaps it was related to the fighting style of the Imperial Family cultivators and his own personal ideas—there was no help for it, as the three old ancestors of the Meng Yi Imperial Family were watching from above.

Only two of the fourteen Green Demons remained; besides providing fire support, they were often sacrificial pawns.

And there were many other fallen...

Everyone looks at each other, silent.

Next is the collection of the Origin.

Naturally, there are also the heroic souls scattered here.

Plane Core.

The Group Leader wears the black armor passed down through generations of the Dayi Imperial Family; after today, a few more ferocious scars have been added to it. He bows to everyone: "Senior, Your Excellency, it is the honor of this junior's life to have fought alongside you all. I hope that after we return, we can still maintain lasting peace and defend against foreign enemies together."

Everyone looks at him, as if seeing an emperor from the Meng Yi Imperial Family once again.

Everyone then looks at Chen Shu and Ning Qing.

This generation of Dayi seems quite remarkable.

Everyone echoes in agreement.

"Lao Zhang."

Chen Shu pats Zhang Suannai on the shoulder:

"Still sad?"

"?"

Zhang Suannai turns her head instantly, sees this person, and the expressionless Ning Qing following behind him, and frowns: "Sad? Who? I stopped being sad a long time ago, okay! I was only sad for half an hour, alright?"

"Such great filial piety."

"Go to hell."

"Hurry up and pull yourself together."

"Pull my ass."

"We are going back."

"Go back my ass."

"I can't wait to see the sun."

"Sun my ass."

"Aren't you sad?"

"Sad my ass."

"……"

Chen Shu shook his head; Lao Zhang was still a man who valued emotions.

He then looked toward the other group members.

These people either had sect elders who had sacrificed themselves, or were suffering from severe injuries that had yet to recover; only Yan Keling and the Nameless Person looked to be in better condition. Yan Keling was currently saying goodbye to the Alien Giant Beast, and the Nameless Person met his gaze and suddenly smiled.

Chen Shu rarely saw him smile.

He then heard him say: "Brother Qingcai, after we go back, teach me how to play chess."

Upon hearing this, Chen Shu couldn't help but laugh, saying: "It's a good thing you only said that after the fighting was over."

"Why do you say that?"

"Hahaha……"

While they were talking, the Plane Channel had already opened.

This time, a total of thirty-five Daoist origins were seized from the alien plane, which, added to the original thirty-two, made a total of sixty-seven. According to the calculations of the Qianweimian, only over sixty deities were needed to protect this plane from the invasion of the Withered Power, so there was already a surplus of over 10%.

"How long has it been outside?"

"Two years, I suppose."

"That long……"

"Yeah."

Chen Shu felt a moment of emotion; in truth, for them, it had only taken a very short time, as most of that time had been spent on the road.

……

In the spring of 5031, Yujing had already warmed up.

Chen Banxia was curled up on the sofa, bored to death. She had just woken up from a nap, rubbing her sleepy eyes. When she checked the time, it was already past lunchtime.

"Gurgle……"

Her stomach began to growl.

That's right, she wouldn't have woken up if she weren't hungry.

Chen Banxia wanted to order takeout, but didn't want to choose; she wanted to cook something for herself, but didn't want to move. So, she just stayed curled up on the sofa, quietly waiting for time to pass.

Hungry → getting hungrier → not hungry anymore.

There were no classes today, and nothing to do.

Last month, she had broken through the High-Tier Spirit Decay, causing a sensation worldwide. It was equivalent to completing the scientific research tasks for the next few decades, so the school didn't dare to urge her anymore. Chen Banxia had entered a very leisurely period, as if she had returned to her student days.

On weekdays, she would go to class, averaging less than two classes a day, and would sleep after finishing them.

She slept on weekends too.

Sleeping during the day and sleeping at night, she seemed to have become a good-for-nothing who was about to receive a top-tier world scientific research award.

Chen Banxia silently took out her Mobile Phone, her chubby cheeks pressed against the sofa, the phone also lying horizontally on the sofa. Her fingers slid left and right across the screen a few times. Looking at the numerous software icons, she didn't know which one to click on. Sliding back and forth like this, a mechanical action, she felt a sense of emptiness.

Finally, she clicked into Feixin, but didn't know who to chat with.

There were people looking to chat with her, though.

Several classmates were asking her for advice on problems.

Sigh, I'll reply after I eat.

An old professor wanted to find her to tackle the problem of lifespan.

Chen Banxia felt she was still young. The research on Spirit Decay over the past few years had worn her out, and she wasn't in a hurry to research the lifespan problem for the time being.

A male teacher from the same department had been looking to chat with her lately, seemingly wanting to develop her into his girlfriend.

That male teacher was actually quite nice, but it was a pity. Chen Banxia felt that a life of being carefree, financially independent, doing whatever she wanted, and sleeping as many hours as she wanted a day was her ideal state of life. Finding a boyfriend would only be a burden and a drag on her life, and she would never allow anyone to destroy such a perfect life of hers.

This was the thinking of a firm celibate.

Chen Banxia had thought this way over a decade ago, and she still thought so now.

No, this kind of life wasn't perfect enough either.

At least the current life wasn't perfect enough.

It was still missing something—

Missing a younger brother! Missing a little sister!

Chen Banxia thought of the plate of shredded potatoes she had cooked on a whim last night, and the various fast foods within a few kilometers that she had long since grown tired of, and couldn't help but think of her younger brother's cooking.

If her younger brother were here, she definitely wouldn't have been this hungry on the weekend.

If she had a little sister, the weekend definitely wouldn't have been this dull.

Suddenly, a knock on the door sounded.

"Knock, knock, knock……"

"Who is it?"

Chen Banxia frowned and replied subconsciously.

A thick, deep voice sounded: "Community staff checking the safety facilities of the Spirit Power network."

"Spirit Power network……"

Chen Banxia muttered, struggling to toss aside the pillow in her arms and climbing up. She never would have expected that even hunger hadn't been able to wake her up, yet she had been woken up by a community worker checking the safety of the Spirit Power network.

That's fine, since she was up, she would go cook a bowl of noodles after the inspection.

"Knock, knock, knock……"

"Coming, coming."

Chen Banxia impatiently opened the door.

Two figures stood outside the door, staring straight at her.

"!? "

Chen Banxia was stunned for a moment.

She saw her younger brother speak again, still with that thick, robust voice: "Hello, is it convenient for us to come in?"

"Ah!!"

Chen Banxia immediately rushed forward, opened her arms, and gave her younger brother a hug, wailing loudly; after hugging her brother, even though Qingqing on the side had an icy expression, since they hadn't seen each other for two years, she still forcibly gave her a hug as well.

"Why didn't you say anything when you came back?"

"To give you a Surprise, of course, and because I missed you. I pushed aside a lot of important things just to come here to see you the first chance I got."

"Really?"

"Of course it's true!"

"I guess I didn't spoil you for nothing." The elder sister felt great Joy and hurriedly greeted them, "Come in, come in quickly."

Chen Shu followed her inside, looking left and right.

It was still the same rental apartment, the facilities and decor were about the same, and Chen Banxia still habitually threw things around, making it messy; the air was filled with a faint medicinal scent, and everything made him feel familiar.

It seemed like nothing had changed in ten years?

"Are you sleeping again?"

"How did you know?"

"Heh..." Chen Shu gave a cold laugh, "Have you eaten lunch?"

"Not yet..."

"What time is it already?"

"I'm not hungry."

Chen Banxia thought about changing the subject, so she put on the air of an elder sister and asked her younger brother and sister: "What do you want to drink? There is soda and sparkling water."

"I'll have soda."

"Sparkling water."

"I'll go get them for you."

Chen Banxia ran to the refrigerator to get them.

She hopped and skipped, looking just like a student from the Talent Academy.

Chen Shu's gaze followed her; even though she was over thirty, she still had the face of a sixteen or seventeen-year-old, her face was chubby, her skin was snow-white, and without the hardships of life, she had always maintained a youthful mindset, truly looking like a young woman in her early twenties.

As she opened the refrigerator, Chen Shu caught a glimpse of a dish in her fridge, which actually looked like it had been stir-fried by her.

"Hm?"

He immediately became interested.

"What is that?"

"Hiss!"

Chen Banxia was startled, and when she turned her head to look, the younger brother who had just been sitting on the sofa was already standing behind her.

"What are you doing? You scared me to death!"

"You actually stir-fried a dish yourself?"

"Uh..."

Chen Banxia's expression was a bit stiff.

One minute later.

A plate of cold shredded potatoes was placed on the coffee table, and the younger brother stood to the side, bending over to look at it closely. Qingqing also walked over, expressionlessly glancing at them and the dish.

"What... what are you doing?"

"Looking at the dish you stir-fried."

"What's there to look at..."

"Appreciating it."

"You guys were gone for so long... aren't you going to look for Xiaoxiao?"

"She's almost here."

"Emmm..."

Chen Banxia twisted her hands together, feeling uneasy.