The chamber grew colder as Yao Shen's mocking laugh echoed off the walls, his shadowy figure still standing tall before the altar, the Phantom Pepper glimmering menacingly in its resting place.
Lin Feng stepped forward cautiously, his heart pounding in his chest. His grip on the ladle tightened as the heat from the flame spoon surged through his veins. The time for words was over. It was time for action.
"Yao Shen," Lin Feng called, his voice firm. "This isn't you. The Phantom Pepper doesn't control us unless we let it."
Yao Shen's head tilted slightly, his expression cold and unreadable. "You think I've been controlled by it, Lin Feng? No. I've become it. The power it holds is beyond anything you can imagine. I've transcended flavor, transcended the rules. It's not about cooking anymore. It's about conquering, about making the world bend to my will."
Jia Yun scowled, her eyes narrowing with determination. "You've lost your mind. This isn't about power, it's about balance. Without that, everything you've built will collapse. You'll bring destruction—not just to the tombs, but to everything."
Yao Shen's lips curled into a cruel smile. "You don't understand. The world I'm building doesn't need balance. It needs flavor—a new kind of flavor. One that will burn away the weak and leave only the strongest."
With a sudden, violent motion, Yao Shen reached out and plucked the scarlet pepper from the altar. Its aroma exploded into the air, pungent and overwhelming. The walls trembled with the intensity of the scent, and the ground beneath them seemed to shift, as if the tomb itself was reacting to the potent energy of the pepper.
"Prepare to witness true power," Yao Shen snarled, holding the pepper aloft. "This is only the beginning."
Before Lin Feng or Jia Yun could react, Yao Shen bit down on the Phantom Pepper.
The world seemed to stop.
The air crackled with an intense energy, and the ground beneath their feet trembled violently. Lin Feng's mind raced, trying to comprehend what was happening. Yao Shen's body began to glow with an unnatural red light, his eyes burning with an almost insane intensity.
"Yao Shen!" Lin Feng shouted, rushing forward.
But it was too late. The power of the Phantom Pepper coursed through Yao Shen like wildfire, his form flickering in and out of existence, as though he was losing control over his own body. A searing, fiery aura surrounded him, distorting the air and making it nearly impossible to breathe.
"You still don't understand," Yao Shen growled, his voice now a blend of madness and power. "I am no longer bound by the limits of flavor. I am the spice that will reshape everything."
Lin Feng felt a surge of fear. The Phantom Pepper was supposed to be a source of incredible strength, but this... this was something else. It was as if Yao Shen was transforming, transcending into something beyond their comprehension.
Jia Yun stepped forward, her eyes wide with shock. "What do we do now?"
Lin Feng didn't have an answer. His mind raced, trying to think of a way to stop this madness. But Yao Shen was no longer just a person. He was something more—a force of nature driven by the intense power of the Phantom Pepper.
"We need to contain him," Lin Feng said, his voice strained. "We can't let this power escape the tombs. If it spreads, it could destroy everything."
He looked down at the ladle, the flame spoon in his hand pulsing with heat. There was only one way to stop Yao Shen now—he would have to use the full force of the ladle's power.
"I'm going in," Lin Feng said, determination settling over him. He couldn't let Yao Shen fall further into madness. "Stay back, Jia Yun. This will be dangerous."
"Don't even think about it," Jia Yun snapped, grabbing his arm. "We'll handle this together."
Together, they stepped toward Yao Shen, who was now surrounded by an aura of fire and spice so intense it burned their skin. The walls of the chamber seemed to warp and distort, as if the very reality of the tomb was being twisted by the power Yao Shen had unleashed.
Yao Shen let out a guttural laugh, the sound echoing like thunder. "You think you can stop me? You're nothing compared to the power of the Phantom Pepper."
Lin Feng's heart thundered in his chest as he raised the ladle. The flame spoon flared to life in his hand, its heat scorching the air around them. He focused all his energy into it, channeling the power he had yet to fully understand.
This was it. The final confrontation.
The first strike came from Lin Feng, a concentrated burst of fiery energy aimed directly at Yao Shen. The blast hit him head-on, but it was absorbed by the fire surrounding him. Yao Shen let out a roar, and the flames around him intensified, pushing back with a force that almost knocked Lin Feng off his feet.
Jia Yun wasn't about to back down. She leaped into the fray, her agility allowing her to dart between the surging flames. With a quick swipe, she unleashed a wave of sharp energy, cutting through the blaze and striking at Yao Shen's vulnerable side.
For a moment, it seemed like they had an opening, but Yao Shen was quick to retaliate, his form shifting like liquid fire. He caught Jia Yun in midair, throwing her aside with a violent twist of his energy.
"Don't get in my way," Yao Shen hissed, his voice a distorted echo of his former self.
But Jia Yun wasn't done. She recovered quickly, her eyes blazing with fury. "You're not the only one who can play with fire."
With a flick of her wrist, she summoned a burst of fiery energy of her own, slamming it into Yao Shen's back.
For the first time, Yao Shen staggered. The flames flickered, weakening for just a moment.
"This is it," Lin Feng whispered, pushing forward with all his strength. He focused all of his energy into the ladle, unleashing a final, concentrated burst of heat.
The flames around Yao Shen roared one last time, but the force of Lin Feng's power broke through, striking Yao Shen directly in the chest. The explosion of energy sent shockwaves throughout the tomb, the air burning with the intensity of the impact.
When the smoke cleared, Yao Shen was on his knees, breathing heavily, his form flickering in and out of existence. The scarlet glow in his eyes began to fade.
"You… you think you've won?" Yao Shen's voice was weak, full of bitterness. "You still don't understand…"
"I understand enough," Lin Feng said, breathing heavily, the flame spoon still crackling in his hand. "This isn't about power. It's about the cost of chasing it."
Yao Shen's eyes flickered one last time before he collapsed into a heap on the ground.
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