The South Sea Gourmet!

Even Xue Daozi couldn’t help the shudder that ran down his spine. He’d heard of the name before as well, but just never had the chance to meet the personage in the flesh.

Of course, if he had, he’d most likely be resting in the Gourmet’s stomach by now.

However, he quickly recalled his new identity, and the terror on his face vanished without a trace.

……

“Hehehe, I didn’t expect to see so much delicious foodstuffs gathered here.” All smiles, the South Sea Gourmet sized up the crowd on the Divine Glory’s deck. “A divine octopus with an ancient bloodline, a silverbrow whale, and a pure-blooded xiangliu. There’s even a skydragon, a demon dragon…. Tsk tsk tsk, there’s even a kunpeng! And what’s that? An unknown dragon breed….”

The meatball’s eyes narrowed into slits, sparing no one on the ship his scrutiny. “Fox meat doesn’t taste good, so forget that. I should dice all this delicious meat together and make a stew out of them….” His drool was about to hit the ground.

Supposedly fearing nothing beneath the heavens or atop the earth, the troublemakers on the ship were shaking and ashen, the dread in their eyes plain for all to see.

No one had ever escaped from the South Sea Gourmet’s clutches once he’d set his sights on them. Rumor had it that he’d even once chopped up a monster spirit prince from the Truewater clan in one of the ten lands and made a stew from the meat.

“Little fellows, don’t you worry ‘bout a thing. This connoisseur respects the elderly and cherishes the young. I won’t cook you for the time being!” he beamed when he noticed the fear in the four youngsters’ eyes. “You’re not immortals yet. Too tender, too tender! Not chewy enough… I’ll wait for you to become immortals before cooking you!”

He swallowed loudly again and wiped off the saliva bubbling from his lips with a hand.

The four youngsters turned even more pale upon hearing the words that boomed like a death sentence sealing their fates. They were dead without a doubt after ascending to immortality!

The Gourmet’s eyes then landed on Xue Daozi.

“This silverbrow whale, now, he’s already reached the aether dao immortal realm and his flesh has been nourished by nine aether dao fruits. The texture is just right, not too tough and not too tender… paired with the octopus, it’ll make for a delicious meal!” He slid out the cleaver by his hip as he spoke.

“Bastard! Who dares kill a king of my West Sea!” An angry shout ripped through the sky, quickly followed by a man in purple descending from the sky amidst rumbling thunder. When he saw the Octopus King’s corpse floating on the water, his purple eyes almost belched fire.

In response, thunder and lightning raged even more intensely amongst the clouds. The aura emanating from the newcomer wasn’t any weaker than Xue Daozi’s in the slightest. He was, without a doubt, another peak aether dao immortal powerhouse.

“Goodness—” the South Sea Gourmet suddenly shrieked. “A thunder eel! A dao realm thunder eel! With flesh cleansed by celestial lightning, not to mention his dao fruits…. This is a supreme delicacy! Hahahaha. I really haven’t made the trip in vain!

“So… now you can die!” The cleaver in the Gourmet’s hand flared with a dark blade-light that slashed across the sky, making straight for the purple-clad man hovering amidst the lightning.

“What?!” The man jumped in fright. His real form was indeed a thunder eel, but after reaching the dao immortal realm and concealing his nature, even an arcane dao immortal would’ve had trouble discerning the truth.

However, the meatball in front of him had seen through his concealment with a single glance and sent out a terrifying blade light that almost split the sky in two!

As a peak aether dao immortal, he was only one step away from plucking an arcane dao fruit. He only needed to comprehend some of the arcane truths of the universe and harmonize with the world. But he found himself powerless when faced with this blade light, feeling a bizarre sense of only being able to stick out his neck for the butcher’s block.

“You’re the South Sea Gorb Demon!” he suddenly screamed in terror.

Gourmet was merely the moniker the man had given himself. Gorb Demon was his true identifier.

Boom!

Lightning zigzagged across the sky right at that instant, highlighting the backdrop behind a tremendous eel that extended five kilometers above.

Four slim dragon claws extended from the bottom of the creature, and two immature dragon horns sprouted from the top of its head. Obviously possessing a dragon bloodline, the giant eel had opted to discard the form of a fish and go for a dragon.

Strangely enough, the Gorb Demon’s attack hadn’t inflicted material injuries, but had instead forced him to reveal his true form.

“Die!” The meatball roared as his cleaver glowed once again. Blade light several hundred meters long landed mercilessly on the eel’s neck, separating head from body and splashing purple blood tinged with lightning all over the sea.

A peak aether dao immortal eel, hacked to death in two simple attacks! [1]

“Hahaha—this trip just keeps on giving!” The Gorb Demon brayed with laughter before looking back at Xue Daozi, baring his white teeth in a wide grin. “Your turn now. ...hmm? What’s that?”

He stiffened as vast, white brilliance coalescing at lightning speed hinted in the corner of his eye. Subconsciously twisting his head backward, he saw a magnificent, awe-inspiring ship posturing threateningly.

Boom!

A white pillar of light spewed from the ship’s bow and ruthlessly blasted into him.

“You fucker!! An immortal weapon of war!!” he shrieked as the white column swallowed his figure. “Ahhhhhhh—” came mournful wails from inside the column of light.

Throughout the duration of the attack, the giant thunder eel and dead octopus had somehow vanished without a trace.

“Hehehe—you four little fellows, and you, kunpeng, and also you, unknown dragon. Oh, and let’s not forget you either, silverbrow whale. I’ll remember you all!! Wash yourself nice and clean and wait for this connoisseur to come feast on you!” The Gorb Demon’s voice came from far away.

Plop!

The Deaf Prince flopped bonelessly on the deck, gasping for dear life. “Good grief, to think I’d meet the rumored Gorb Demon in person and even manage to survive the encounter….” His forehead was drenched in cold sweat.

“He said he’d come to eat us after we’ve ascended to immortality,” Jing Dichen transmitted to the Deaf Prince, her small face deathly pale.

“What?!” The prince jumped out of his skin. “In that case, I’ll never become an immortal!”

“Relax.” Lu Yun arrived beside them. With a gentle pat of his hand, the Deaf Prince’s flesh and bones began changing, transforming him into someone else with another aura entirely.

“Eh? What’s going on?” The change struck the group speechless. If not for the transformation taking place right beneath their noses, they never would’ve believed it to be the same person.

The Deaf Prince himself froze with shock.

Merging death arts with his expertise in talismans, Lu Yun had infused the art of Shapeshifting with the dao of talisman. Therefore, sticking this particular talisman on someone was equivalent to using Shapeshifting on them.

Shapeshifting was a death art that could genuinely transform someone’s flesh and bones, an ability that approached the power of creation itself. But he didn’t mention anything and offered a type of transformation talisman as the only explanation.

“Since this Gorb Demon’s come to the North Sea, I’ll find a way to have him killed.” The meatball gave Lu Yun a very familiar feeling, but he couldn’t put his finger on the exact reason why at the moment.

Divine Glory’s main cannon wasn’t a true immortal siege weapon, but it’d been enough to harm the demon. This was proof that, though formidable, the Gourmet’s strength had its limits.

1. Wtf, that was… easy?!