Chen Zhou nodded in praise.
"Good eyes."
"This is the Lord of a Thousand Dreams under my seat, a great fiend in the seventh-stage Symbiosis stage."
"How old do you think it is this year?"
Yu He's gaze sharpened as he carefully observed the little pig.
He did not understand how the topic had turned to the little pig's age.
Was the True God testing his insight?
But the lifespan of demons and fiends was long.
For a strange beast capable of controlling the dreams of tens of thousands of souls in the Path of Hungry Ghosts, reaching a cultivation level as high as the seventh-stage Symbiosis stage, and being the beloved pet under the True God...
It must have at least several thousand years of accumulation, right?
But after all, this was a True God. How could a mortal presume to guess the methods of a deity?
Even the creations of a false god like Zhu Pan could easily solve the copper poison that had left Yin Xuan in a state of distress. The methods of the True God before him were surely even more unfathomable.
After careful deliberation, Yu He cautiously spoke a number he felt was already quite exaggerated.
"One... one thousand years old?"
The little pig suddenly became dissatisfied, its fiendish qi transforming into a beast's mouth that emitted a garbled sound.
"Am I that old?"
Yu He was startled.
To be able to cultivate to the seventh-stage in a thousand years was already considered exceptional talent. Had he still underestimated it?
He tried again tentatively: "Five hundred years?"
Chen Zhou shook his head.
The little pig snorted petulantly, its fiendish qi churning.
Yu He was shocked: "Could it be... a hundred years?"
To achieve the seventh-stage in a century?
What kind of monster was that?
He himself was over five hundred years old and possessed the Heavenly Chef Noble destiny, yet he was still stuck at the third transformation of eerification, not even having touched the threshold of the Symbiosis stage.
Chen Zhou simply told him directly.
"Less than ten years old."
"Since the little pig gained sentience, it has cultivated for less than a year."
Yu He's mind went blank.
Less than... ten years?
Cultivation... for less than a year?
Seventh-stage... ymbiosis stage?
He recognized every word, but why couldn't he understand them when they were put together?
This completely exceeded his range of comprehension, even surpassing the common logic of cultivation in this world!
Chen Zhou pinched the little pig's nose. The little pig puffed out its chest proudly, allowing Chen Zhou to squeeze and pull it at will.
"I personally raised it from a level below the first-stage to its current state."
"It is not just him. In my City of the Wrongfully Dead, there are many others like him."
Chen Zhou was not exaggerating.
Whether it was Jian Huaishuang, the Plague Rat, or Piao, they had all achieved a leap in strength under his hand in a short period of time.
"So, Yu He."
Chen Zhou looked into the distance, his gaze deep.
"A hundred years."
"There is still plenty of time."
"In fact, it won't even take that long before I personally pay a visit to the Central Province."
"I will personally seek justice from heaven and earth for all the living beings of Gloomlight Province."
"I hope the hospitality of the Central Province will satisfy me."
Yu He stared blankly at Chen Zhou, then at the little pig, and finally at Song Zi'an and the Nine-Age Crane.
So...
A true deity was like this.
Having lived for over five hundred years, he had once thought that gods were unattainable, greedily demanding, and pits of desire that mortals needed to fill with flesh and blood.
But now, he discovered it.
Divine might could be so domineering that a single word could determine life and death, and a single hand could break a cage.
Divine grace could also be so simple.
Those who did good would be rewarded, those with grievances would be vindicated, and those who were lost would be guided.
A true deity did not sit high above the clouds ignoring all living beings. Instead, he stood in hell, holding up the sky for the ants.
"In my life, the first half was spent on Zhenlong Mountain, the second half in the Path of Hungry Ghosts, and finally, as my soul is about to dissipate."
"Although the end is somewhat pathetic, to be able to see the True God Dharma image and experience the vast divine grace is... a supreme blessing."
Yu He's figure had almost completely turned into starlight. The dense Golden Light of Merit wrapped around him, making his features look a bit warmer.
He gave Chen Zhou a deep bow.
"Yu He... dies without regrets."
"Lord has pardoned thousands of vengeful spirits, ended a five-hundred-year nightmare, and even left a trace of life in this scorched earth of the Path of Hungry Ghosts..."
"This kindness and virtue are heavier than mountains."
"I have nothing to my name, only a heart obsessed with researching the culinary arts and wishing for a world without hunger, and a minor skill in harmonizing the dingnai and preparing a hundred flavors."
The face within the starlight revealed a smile.
"In this life, I have no chance to hold the ladle again and serve at Lord's side."
"I am willing to use the merit of this body as an oath and my remaining heart-intent as a guide to wait for the next life..."
"In the next life, I will surely serve Lord faithfully, managing the dingnai vessels and cooking the supreme delicacies of the world to repay today's kindness."
Chen Zhou looked at him quietly, able to clearly see the heart-fire that had burned for five hundred years deep within Yu He's soul.
Chen Zhou nodded slightly, a smile playing on his lips.
"Fine, it's a deal!"
As his voice fell, the starlight trembled slightly and suddenly scattered, turning into countless tiny points of light that vanished into the sky.
【Your special building, the Myriad Herbs Life-Death Realm, has successfully guided a special soul to be reborn.】
【Go and take a look.】
The system notification sounded at the right time.
As Chen Zhou had expected.
How could the system let go of any talent with a special destiny?
The soul of the Heavenly Chef Noble, carrying unfulfilled obsession and abundant merit, had been guided by the Myriad Herbs Life-Death Realm to be reborn within it.
Before long, the City of the Wrongfully Dead would have one more little fellow who was naturally fated with food.
"Master—!"
Song Zi'an collapsed to the ground, crying out in grief toward the direction where the starlight had vanished.
The Nine-Age Crane also lowered its long neck, letting out a sorrowful low cry.
"Stop crying." Chen Zhou walked over and reached out to pick Song Zi'an up.
"Your master isn't completely dead; he just changed locations to go to work."
Song Zi'an, covered in snot and tears, looked at Chen Zhou with a face full of confusion: "Huh?"
"Go... to work?"
"You will see him again in the future." Chen Zhou patted his shoulder and said meaningfully.
"As long as you are willing to work hard, perhaps by then your master will have to be your assistant chef."
Although Song Zi'an didn't quite understand, looking at Chen Zhou's certain eyes, a sense of hope arose in his heart for no reason.
"Really?"
"Lord... you aren't lying to me?"
"I never lie." Chen Zhou said plainly.
"Alright, wipe your face. It's time to go out."
As all the hosts who were dreaming in the Path of Hungry Ghosts went to reincarnation, the massive dream lost all its pillars.
Crack— crack—
The masterless dream began to collapse.
The colors in the sky began to peel away, revealing the void of darkness behind.
The earth trembled, and the palace buildings constructed from obsession vanished like sand sculptures in the wind.
In the midst of this collapsing chaos, a soft Buddhist light suddenly lit up in the center of the ruins.
Wherever this light passed, the death qi, resentment, and the stench of corpses that had remained in the Path of Hungry Ghosts for five hundred years were instantly swept away.
It was like a spring breeze blowing over frozen earth, a resurgence of all things.
A very faint green sprout quietly poked its head out from the charred earth.
It was only the size of a fingernail, yet it appeared exceptionally resilient in the middle of these ruins.
That was the lingering warmth of Yu He's unextinguished heart-fire, and also the trace of life left behind after Chen Zhou's divine pardon.
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