"Brother… th-this… is this real?"
"Brother… th-this… is this real?"
The martial monk poked the ground with his staff, completely at a loss, and looked toward the senior brother beside him.
"Even if you ask me, I wouldn't know. But now that I think about it… didn't that guy just now look kind of familiar? Feels like I've seen him somewhere before."
Another monk frowned in confusion. Because of the recent attacks by the Taiji Cuisine Realm, they'd all been jumpy. Thinking back carefully, that man really did seem familiar.
"I thought so too… I've definitely seen him somewhere. Wait—I remember now! The portrait the Light Culinary World circulated!"
After thinking hard, one of the monks finally remembered. The portrait didn't look exactly like the real person, but it was close enough.
"Wasn't his name Kael? Yeah, Kael—the chef who wiped out the Dark Cooking Society. If that's the case… we really did wrong him just now."
Only then did everyone realize they'd truly misunderstood Kael. And now that they thought about it, his terrifying strength suddenly made sense. Otherwise, how could he have destroyed the Dark Cooking Society?
After all, even if the Dark Cooking Society couldn't compare to the Taiji Cuisine Realm, it wasn't some weak nobody organization either.
"He said he was summoned by the Eight-Spirit Pagoda. And lately, the Taiji Cuisine Realm has been relentlessly attacking the Eight-Spirit Pagoda… Could it be that the pagoda is about to open?!"
That single sentence plunged the entire area into silence.
Everyone was shaken. None of them had ever seen the Eight-Spirit Pagoda open before. In the entire Churin Temple, the only person who had witnessed it was the abbot himself. And it was said that every time the Eight-Spirit Pagoda opened, nothing good followed.
"Quick, inform the abbot! The opening of the Eight-Spirit Pagoda is no small matter!"
Without bothering to guard the mountain gate anymore, the monks rushed back to Churin Temple and quickly reported everything about Kael to the abbot.
"All of you—head to the Eight-Spirit Pagoda immediately!"
The abbot didn't hesitate for a second. He led his people straight there. By the time he arrived, Kael was already standing before the Eight-Spirit Pagoda, surrounded by numerous monks.
An outsider appearing so suddenly naturally made them wary.
"Put your weapons down. He's not an enemy!"
The moment the abbot spoke, the monks immediately lowered their weapons.
Before the abbot could say anything else, another group arrived. Three figures stood at the front.
The first was wrapped head to toe in bandages. Only his eyes were visible—and they were bloodshot, crazed, unsettling to look at. This was Song Wan. Kael could understand why he'd ended up like this.
The twisted plot surrounding him had ruined his very foundation, nearly blinding him. And yet, his terrifying vitality kept him alive and alert—an ultimate form of torment.
But immortality was never free. A price always had to be paid.
The second was a young man clad in armor bearing the Taiji insignia, a spiked mace in his hands. This was Ramon. The armor existed to suppress the terrifying lightning within his body.
The last looked like a little girl—but in truth, she was a monster who'd lived for over a century. Pei.
Kael glanced at the three of them, then shifted his gaze to Zhou Yu and Meili Zhou.
In the next instant, Kael vanished.
When he reappeared, he was already within the enemy ranks.
"Not good—stop him!"
Pei shouted the moment she realized Kael had reached Zhou Yu and Meili. Members of the Taiji Cuisine Realm immediately swung their weapons at him.
Then—
A pressure like a falling mountain crashed down from above.
Weapons flew from their hands. Bodies were slammed into the ground.
Above Kael, a massive crimson demon manifested, staring coldly at them all.
Only the Phoenix Eight Immortals, with bodies reinforced by internal qi, managed to barely endure. Everyone else collapsed without exception.
Kael grabbed the iron cage imprisoning Meili Zhou and tore it apart with brute force. The refined iron bars snapped like twigs.
Meili stared in shock and joy, scrambling out immediately.
Over by Zhou Yu, Kael simply ripped the chains apart with his hands.
Just like that, both were free.
After escorting them back toward Churin Temple, Kael withdrew his pressure. Only then did everyone feel their bodies loosen again.
"A monster… He's definitely a monster. That red demon earlier—that was his true form!"
No matter whether it was the Taiji Cuisine Realm or Churin Temple, nearly everyone stared at Kael in horror. They were no longer looking at a man—but at a monster.
"What monster?! He's obviously human!"
Meili Zhou snapped back without hesitation. She'd been shocked too, but hearing her and her father's savior insulted like that, she wasn't about to stay quiet.
"Thank you, Mr. Kael."
Zhou Yu clasped his fists in sincere gratitude. This time, it truly came from the bottom of his heart.
The Taiji Cuisine Realm had promised to spare them if they cooperated—but they were the successors of the Dark Cooking Society. How could their words ever be trusted?
Zhou Yu himself had already been betrayed once in the original events. Back then, to save his daughter, he'd fallen into Song Wan's hands. Song Wan claimed he'd let them go if Zhou Yu cooked a dish that satisfied him.
Zhou Yu did it.
And the result?
He was still forcibly detained.
The Taiji Cuisine Realm's words were only trustworthy when spoken by a select few—people like Ramon. Though he belonged to the Taiji Cuisine Realm, he meant what he said. He'd even risked violating their rules to save Sanzhi.
As for the others… maybe Chu Lan was tolerable. But Song Wan?
Kael didn't even bother hiding his disdain.
Living for centuries hadn't improved his character in the slightest. Back then, when they were sent to investigate ancient texts, he slept with his leader's wife.
No matter how neglected she might have been, she was still married. That alone was enough to make Kael look down on him.
Later, Song Wan's promises were nothing but hot air.
Someone like that was beneath Kael's respect.
As for Pei, Kael didn't feel particularly negative toward her. She used imperial bloodlines to give birth to Lan Feihong, hoping he'd become emperor—but that was her choice.
She hadn't deliberately abandoned him either. He'd been taken away during chaos within the Dark Cooking Society, and she'd been unable to search for him due to her own condition. Once she recovered, she went to find him immediately.
But by then, Lan Feihong already had a mother—Chef Pai.
Chef Pai had raised him as her own. In Lan Feihong's heart, she was his real mother.
So when a biological mother who looked like a little girl suddenly appeared, talking about imperial blood and urging him to seize the throne… of course he rejected her.
Especially since he was already a Dragon Chef of the Imperial Kitchen. From every angle, he wanted nothing to do with her ambitions.
From Kael's perspective, though, Pei was just a stranger—nothing more.
"No need to thank me. I just couldn't stand the way those people do things."
Kael spoke calmly. He was domineering too—but his dominance had principles. Unlike the Taiji Cuisine Realm, he didn't trample lives without restraint.
"What kind of monster is this… Can we really steal the legendary kitchenware and the Eight Extremes Sacred Codex from him?"
Ramon was drowning in self-doubt. Under that pressure just now, he hadn't even been able to muster the will to resist. He was certain that if he'd tried, he would've died horribly.
It was pure instinct—his body screaming danger.
As for his lightning? He didn't believe it would even scratch Kael.
"Steal? Are you stupid? We should be inviting him instead."
Pei rolled her eyes. Kael was far too terrifying. If they tried to take anything by force, they'd die on the spot.
Even Song Wan—who'd been screaming about slaughtering Churin Temple just moments ago—had gone silent.
In the face of absolute death, resistance was meaningless.
Song Wan feared death more than anything. That was why he'd endured centuries of torment without killing himself. The longer he lived, the more attached he became to the world.
Otherwise, he could've just jumped into a volcano long ago.
"I… have no objections either. Avoiding conflict is the only option."
Kael's display had crushed all fighting spirit within the three Phoenix Eight Immortals. Their only thought now was to invite him.
"This is the perfect moment. Look at Churin Temple—they're already treating Kael like a monster. Even if we left a bad first impression, they've given us an opening."
Pei spoke quietly.
Ramon and Song Wan looked over. Indeed, the monks of Churin Temple now regarded Kael like a calamity incarnate.
Only the abbot remained unmoved.
Partly because he was blind.
And partly because he didn't believe in nonsense like demons and monsters.
Kael was clearly aligned with the Light Culinary World. Otherwise, why would he have wiped out the Dark Cooking Society?
Kael had openly declared his allegiance.
The abbot trusted him completely.
As for the others… the abbot could only sigh. They simply lacked experience.
"Mr. Kael, you'll only be shunned in the Light Culinary World. Why not join our Taiji Cuisine Realm instead? If you do, all our resources will be open to you."
Ramon extended the invitation directly.
A chance like this couldn't be wasted.
With Kael's terrifying combat power alone, the Taiji Cuisine Realm would be unstoppable. They might even overthrow the imperial court outright.
"You?"
Kael looked at them and shook his head.
"You're no better than them. Your methods are no different from the Dark Cooking Society's—you have no regard for human life. Do you really think I'd destroy the Dark Cooking Society just to join the Taiji Cuisine Realm?"
He looked at them like they were idiots.
The thing Kael despised most about both organizations was their utter disregard for life.
Even though he'd become something beyond human, his worldview had long been set before his transmigration.
He wouldn't become some mad tyrant just because he held power.
He had limits.
That was why the devastation of those villages had enraged him.
He wasn't a good person—but he wasn't irredeemably evil either.
He would never stand by while innocents were slaughtered in front of him.
Between the three factions, only the Light Culinary World was tolerable.
Yes, it had corruption. Yes, it had rot.
But most of its people were still decent.
A forest that big was bound to have all kinds of birds.
Kael couldn't control everyone—but he could choose where to stand.
If he joined the other two?
The first thing he'd probably do… would be to destroy them himself.