Volume 1, Chapter 24: Mapo Tofu with Dragon Liver and Phoenix Marrow

"The primary ingredient for 'tofu' must be the marrow of a Chaos Demon God, tempered in the Fire of Creation for forty-nine epochs; only then can it solidify into its form and achieve its 'true essence'!"

The God of Cookery let out a cold snort, his hand tightening with sudden force.

"Crack!"

Accompanied by a scream of extreme agony from the Demon God of Devouring, his spine—thicker than a mountain range—was ripped out by force!

The Demon God's massive body instantly went limp, dissolving into dust within the chaos.

The God of Cookery drew out the intact marrow, his other hand reaching into the void to snatch a cluster of golden flames. Ye Qingxian recognized it: the legendary "Fire of Creation," which supposedly only appears at the dawn of the universe.

The flames enveloped the marrow, beginning the calcination.

The tyrannical and evil aura belonging to the Demon God within the marrow was refined away bit by bit, leaving behind only the purest, most primordial energy. Finally, it transformed into a piece of crystal-clear, jade-white "tofu" that radiated the faint, sublime fragrance of the Great Dao.

Ji Ruxue watched, dumbfounded, and muttered, "Is... is this really tofu?"

"This is the 'form,' but it still lacks the 'flavor,'" the God of Cookery’s voice echoed again.

"For Mapo Tofu, the essence lies in the 'numbing' and 'spicy' sensations. This flavor must be derived from 'Nirvana' and 'Resentment'!"

His other hand reached toward a different void.

There lay a long-dead star system, where dark red stars floated, exuding an ominous aura.

"This is the 'Nether-Blood Chili' star field. Each star is formed from the endless resentment of a perished world. Its flavor is fiery and can scorch the soul."

The God of Cookery plucked seven or eight "Blood Chili Stars," crushed them in his palm, and ground them into the finest powder.

"With the 'spicy' accounted for, we need the 'numbing'."

He reached again, this time toward a forbidden zone crackling with lightning.

"This is the Sea of 'Myriad Punishment Heavenly Hemp,' formed from the punitive power of all heavenly tribulations across the myriad realms. Its flavor is paralyzing and can sever karma."

He scooped up a handful of purple lightning liquid and mixed it with the powdered stars.

A "Mapo" sauce potent enough to poison an Immortal King was thus completed.

"Next, the 'Scrambled Eggs with Tomato'."

The God of Cookery’s gaze pierced through the river of time, looking toward the future.

At the end of the river, in a place of rebirth, a magnificent Immortal Divine Phoenix was bathing in flames, preparing for its ninth and final nirvana. Beneath it lay a giant egg, burning with the fire of life.

The God of Cookery appeared silently before the Phoenix.

The Phoenix looked at him, its eyes devoid of fear, filled only with a sense of release and understanding.

"You’ve come?"

"I have." The God of Cookery’s voice carried a hint of respect. "The Progenitor wishes to dine."

"Please," the Phoenix closed its eyes. "This is my honor. I only ask that you find a good reincarnation for my unborn child."

"Agreed." The God of Cookery nodded and solemnly took the Divine Phoenix egg.

Simultaneously, he flicked his finger, sending a light of primordial essence into the Phoenix’s true spirit.

"This is a wisp of the Progenitor’s 'breath of life'; it will ensure you ascend directly to transcendence in your next life."

The Phoenix’s body turned to ash in the flames, but its true spirit, filled with satisfaction and gratitude, cast itself into the cycle of reincarnation.

Having secured the "egg," the God of Cookery traveled to a universe nearing heat death and its final end.

At the core of that universe grew a withered blood-red divine tree, bearing its final fruit.

The fruit had absorbed the last glimmer of light from the entire universe; it was an alluring, vibrant red, as round as a pearl.

"This is the 'Universal Blood Bodhi.' Its flavor is sweet and sour, containing the principles of life and death. It shall serve as the 'tomato'."

The God of Cookery plucked the fruit. All ingredients were now prepared.

Next came the cooking.

The God of Cookery moved his thousand hands in unison. For a moment, the universe roared with the Great Dao, and the laws of nature danced in harmony.

He used a collapsing black hole as his pot and the turbulent currents of reversed time and space as his spatula, beginning to stir-fry.

As the "Mapo Tofu" hit the pot, the Fire of Creation surged. The domineering, intense numbing-spicy aroma instantly made Ye Qingxian and Ji Ruxue feel as though their Dao hearts were melting, with countless insights into "destruction" and "punishment" flooding their minds.

When the "Scrambled Eggs with Tomato" hit the pot, the flames of nirvana burned. The sweet-and-sour aroma, containing the cycle of "life" and "death," made them feel as though they had experienced reincarnation over and over, granting them a brand-new understanding of the Great Dao of life.

The entire process was less like cooking and more like the creation of a world, the unfolding of the Great Dao itself!

After an unknown amount of time, the God of Cookery ceased his movements.

Two plates of what looked like the most ordinary home-cooked dishes hovered quietly before him.

One was a plate of red-and-white Mapo Tofu, its aroma piercing.

The other was a plate of red-and-yellow Scrambled Eggs with Tomato, vibrant and tempting.

All supernatural phenomena vanished, all traces of the Dao were hidden away, achieving a true "return to simplicity."

Uncle Fu stepped forward and carried the two plates out on an ordinary-looking tray.

In the courtyard, Gu Changsheng smelled the aroma and felt a surge of energy.

"Oh? It’s ready? That was quick."

He looked at the two dishes. From their appearance, they certainly looked the part.

He picked up the chopsticks carved from a World Tree branch, handed to him by Uncle Fu, and lifted a piece of "tofu," placing it into his mouth.

He chewed slowly.

His brow furrowed once more.

"Hmm... the texture of this tofu is a bit coarse; it's not tender or smooth enough."

"And the taste—it’s just numbing, lacking fragrance. The spiciness is too aggressive, masking the inherent flavor of the beans."

He picked up a piece of the "scrambled egg."

"The eggs are a bit overcooked."

"The tomato is too sour; it overpowers everything else."

He set down his chopsticks and sighed, a trace of disappointment on his face.

"Forget it. The taste is mediocre—barely edible. I’ve lost my appetite."

He waved his hand, pushing the two plates aside.

At these words, Uncle Fu, Ye Qingxian, and Ji Ruxue were struck as if by lightning, frozen in place.

Back in the kitchen-universe, the thousand-handed God of Cookery heard the phrase "taste is mediocre," and his body, constructed of the Great Dao, "cracked" with a sound, a fissure appearing across it.

His Dao heart... had shattered.

The atmosphere in the courtyard dropped to freezing point because of Gu Changsheng’s comment.

For the first time, a look of bewilderment appeared on Uncle Fu’s face.

Ye Qingxian and Ji Ruxue were so terrified they barely dared to breathe.

Just by watching the cooking process, their cultivation bases had broken through several major realms, and their Dao hearts had been purified to an incredible degree.

Yet, this supreme delicacy, crafted from the marrow of a Chaos Demon God and the egg of an Immortal Divine Phoenix, was merely "mediocre" in their young master’s eyes?

Then... what kind of food could possibly meet his standards?

The realm of the Progenitor was truly too high—so high that they weren't even qualified to look up to it.

Gu Changsheng didn't think much of it.

He truly felt the taste was lacking.

Perhaps the cook’s skills were limited, he thought.

Looking at the two barely touched plates, he felt it was a waste.

Just then, his peripheral vision caught sight of a small black dog lying not far away, gazing at them eagerly, tail wagging frantically, a suspicious droplet of saliva hanging from its mouth.

"Oh, right, there’s you, little glutton."

Gu Changsheng smiled and beckoned to the little black dog.

"Come here. You can have it; don't let it go to waste."

Given permission, the little black dog turned into a streak of black lightning, instantly darting to the table.

Gu Changsheng couldn't be bothered to find a dog bowl, so he simply pushed the two plates toward it.

The little dog’s head immediately buried itself in the plates.

"Slurp, gulp..."

In a whirlwind, the food was devoured.