Chef God of the Wuxia and Fantasy World

The Jade Emperor was deeply shocked: "My dear minister is actually..."

Ling Chi nodded and said, "Therefore, I am not going to the Great Thousand World of this realm, but to a much wider world that does not belong to this realm. I do not know if I will be able to return after this parting, so please do not worry about me, Your Majesty."

"..." The Jade Emperor sighed and said, "Very well, since you have such aspirations, I will not stop you. If you ever return, I will drink and make merry with you again."

Ling Chi clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, saying, "Your subject takes his leave."

……

Tushita Palace.

"Greetings, Laozi." Ling Chi bowed to Laozi, who stood beside the alchemy furnace.

Lao Tzu nodded and asked, "When will you leave?"

"I'll leave after visiting some friends," Ling Chi said. "Did Laozi give any instructions?"

Lao Tzu remained silent for a moment, then said, "There are people beyond people, and heavens beyond heavens. Be careful in everything you do."

Ling Chi clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, Laozi. I will take my leave now."

Watching Ling Chi leave the Tushita Palace, Laozi sighed softly, "It's going to be lonely from now on."

……

Longevity Hill, Wuzhuang Temple.

"My dear brother, are you leaving already?" Zhen Yuanzi was filled with reluctance. "We have only known each other for a few hundred years, and yet we must part ways. I am your foolish brother..."

Ling Chi smiled and said, "All good things must come to an end, but I still have the pursuit of culinary arts. However, six saints have been born in this world, and my path to advancement has ended. I have no choice but to find another way."

Zhen Yuanzi sighed, "Well, my brother has such ambition, how can I stop him? But the road is long and the mountains are high, so I hope you will take good care of yourself. When you return, I will drink and chat with you again."

Ling Chi smiled and said, "If that day ever comes, I will certainly bring out the finest wine and delicacies to share a drink with you, brother."

Zhen Yuanzi laughed heartily: "I, your foolish brother, look forward to that day arriving soon."

……

It was springtime when a scholar named Liu Xi, courtesy name Yanchang, was traveling to the capital for the imperial examinations. He passed through Huayin and heard that the Third Lady of the West Mountain Temple was a compassionate and efficacious deity. So he respectfully entered the temple, prepared some incense offerings before the altar in Xueying Palace, tidied his appearance and clothes, lit an incense stick with trepidation, and kowtowed three times.

The hall was filled with the smoke of incense. The statue of the Third Holy Mother sat cross-legged on the altar, dignified, beautiful, and lifelike. He couldn't help but feel a sense of awe. However, unfortunately, Liu Xi drew three blank lots in a row. Thinking of ten years of hard study and nine years of mental torment, his future was uncertain and his hopes for fame and success were dashed. He couldn't help but feel a deep sadness and spontaneously composed a doggerel poem to express his resentment, which he then wrote on the wall of Xueying Palace.

The poem reads: Liu Xi picks up his pen, his heart filled with anger, only to lament the Holy Mother and Third Sister, who dwell in their shrines with hearts of iron, unworthy of the incense offerings they receive in one place.

After finishing his work, Liu Xi seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. He brushed the dust off his sleeves, held his head high, and strode away.

Ling Chi, who had just left Wuzhuang Temple, sensed something and scanned the area with his divine sense to learn the whole story. His eyes immediately turned cold, and he flicked his fingers lightly.

Liu Yanchang, who was walking on the road, was suddenly smashed to pieces and his soul was destroyed.

The temple attendant, witnessing this scene, immediately felt a chill run down his spine. Although it was Liu Yanchang who had died, the fleeting terrifying aura he had just experienced still made him taste the bitterness of death.

Thinking that Liu Yanchang had ended up like this because he had insulted the Third Holy Mother with his poem, he felt both fear and excitement. The fear was understandable, but the excitement stemmed from his pride in serving such a powerful deity as the Third Holy Mother.

Yang Chan, who was chatting and drinking tea with Yang Jian at the mouth of the Guan River, sensed what was happening here. She was ashamed and angry that a mere mortal dared to insult her, but she was also happy that Ling Chi cared for her so much. This strengthened her determination to go with Ling Chi.

Poor Liu Yanchang, he probably never dreamed that his destined marriage would be so drastically altered by the appearance of Ling Chi. He didn't get the beautiful woman he wanted, nor the obedient and sensible son, and instead ended up utterly devastated. If he had known that his impulsive act would lead to such an end, how could he have dared to vent his dissatisfaction by writing a poem at the Temple of the Three Holy Mothers?

Liu Yanchang inadvertently became a prime example of "no zuo no die" (a Chinese idiom meaning someone who courts disaster).

……

After leaving the Wanshou Mountain area, Lingchi returned to the Tang Dynasty.

In the original history, the Tang Dynasty had already perished by this time, replaced by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. However, Lingchi left Li Shimin with a strategy for stabilizing the country, which enabled the Tang Dynasty to maintain its prosperity for more than three hundred years. It had more than a dozen emperors, almost all of whom were wise and powerful, which made the Tang Dynasty more and more stable and the people's livelihood more prosperous.

Moreover, as early as the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang, industrial research began. Now, more than 300 years later, the Tang Dynasty has become a relatively developed industrial empire with automobiles, trains, ships, airplanes, and electrical appliances. In particular, with the emergence of firearms, cannons, steel warships, and bombers, the Tang Dynasty has become the true master of the entire Jambudvipa and is even expanding towards the other three continents.

Unfortunately, this world is ruled by gods and demons. Although the Tang Dynasty developed a super-powerful industrial civilization, these powerful industrial weapons were useless against the gods and Buddhas. Moreover, with the development of industry, the environment deteriorated rapidly, thus polluting the spiritual energy of this world. This has become particularly serious in recent decades, which is why the Culinary God School has been unable to recruit qualified assistant chefs for three consecutive years.

Ling Chi did not regret helping the Tang Dynasty develop its industry. After all, humans were weak, and gods and demons vied for human offerings, making humans believers and vassals of gods and demons. When necessary, young boys and girls had to be sacrificed in exchange for peace.

Although Ling Chi was already a peak Quasi-Saint, he was still human at heart. As a human, he didn't want to see any god or race riding on the human race and defecating on them. Although humans were weak, their wisdom was boundless. Ling Chi had only described the outline of an industrial empire to Li Shimin. The Tang Dynasty, relying on its own talent and development, had built such a powerful industrial empire in just three hundred years. This was the capital that allowed humanity to fight against gods and demons.

Although we are not yet rivals, as long as we continue to develop, sooner or later, the human race will become the true rulers of this world.

Ling Chi was very confident about this, because he could say with certainty that even the Heavenly Palace would not be able to withstand the bombardment of the mushroom bomb. The power of the mushroom bomb was comparable to the full-force attack of a quasi-saint.

Although the Tang Dynasty has not yet developed nuclear weapons.

……

Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, the center of the world.

Ling Chi strolled along Chang'an Street, which had a permanent population of 30 million. He watched as merchants and students from all over the world set up stalls to sell their goods or traveled together. They showed only awe towards the people of the Tang Dynasty and had no contempt for them. Ling Chi smiled and felt very satisfied.

This was the Tang Dynasty he envisioned, a golden age where all nations paid tribute to the world.

"Hey!"

A sachet was suddenly tossed over. Ling Chi caught it and saw a girl in a floral dress a few meters away, her eyes sparkling with a smile and her gaze conveying affection. She smiled and asked, "What is the meaning of this, Miss?"

"Are you from out of town?" Noticing Ling Chi's accent was off, the girl in the floral dress stepped forward, her eyes filled with a hint of infatuation: "Are you married?"

Ling Chi chuckled and said, "I see. I'm sorry, I already have wives and concubines, so I can only decline your kind offer, Miss." With that, she returned the sachet to her.

The girl in the floral dress looked disappointed as she took the sachet and said, "I didn't expect you to have married and taken concubines so early. Do you still have any brothers?"

Ling Chi smiled and said, "Although I have a sworn brother, he is quite old, probably old enough to be Miss's grandfather."

"Pah!" The girl in the floral dress spat lightly, "This young lady isn't a junk collector." She paused, then added, "You came to Chang'an alone?"

Ling Chi looked at her and said, "What would you like to ask, Miss? Please speak frankly."

"In that case, I'll get straight to the point." The girl in the floral dress, her face flushed with a charming blush, said, "Would you be willing to spend a night with me?"

"..."

The Tang Dynasty's reputation for boldness and unrestraint was well-deserved.

Ling Chi shook his head, turned around and disappeared into the crowd. Seeing him leave so decisively, the girl in the floral dress stomped her feet, feeling very unwilling: Damn it, it's hard to find such a handsome young man again.

……

Ling Chi walked the streets of Chang'an all day, but only after nightfall did she realize that adult life was just beginning.

At that time, the Tang Dynasty did indeed have the bright lights and bustling atmosphere of a modern metropolis. Even ordinary people would go to small taverns for a drink, and if they encountered a woman who was lonely, they would talk to her and offer her some comfort.

In the streets and squares, there are middle-aged women dancing to music, and under the streetlights, there are elderly men setting up chessboards. The contrast between movement and stillness complements each other perfectly.

The grandeur of a great nation is nothing more than this.

Lingchi stayed in Chang'an for several days, and then spent three months traveling all over the mountains and rivers of the Tang Dynasty, witnessing the development achievements of the Tang Dynasty over three hundred years.

Compared to modern times, although some remote areas are still poor and lack any social welfare, at least ordinary people can eat their fill through hard work as long as they are not lazy. This can be considered an unprecedented prosperity in this era.

Seeing that the Tang Dynasty had developed to this extent, Ling Chi felt relieved and arrived at the mouth of the Guanjiang River in the blink of an eye.

Yang Chan had already lived here for a hundred days and said everything she needed to say. When Ling Chi came to pick her up, Yang Chan said goodbye to Yang Jian, took Ling Chi's hand, and disappeared from this world together.

(Journey to the West, End)

The Tenth Realm of Primordial Gods

Chapter One: The Creation of Heaven

Before the primordial chaos was formed, in the beginning of time, in a vast, gray void, neither above nor below, time and space were beyond our comprehension.

Ling Chi sat cross-legged in mid-air, gently tapping his knees with his fingers, and said calmly, "Tell me! What happened?"

"Ding! Even the best of us can make mistakes. The system is not omnipotent either. Due to unknown reasons, this time travel has been significantly advanced, bringing us to the chaotic period before the creation of the world."

Ling Chi looked at the endless, gray void before him and said calmly, "Are you sure I won't go crazy if I stay here too long?"

"Ding, host, don't worry, with the farm and ranch here, you won't be lonely."

“But don’t forget, the time flow in the farm is ten times faster than in the outside world.” Ling Chi’s eyes turned cold.

"Ding, host, rest assured, the chaotic world has no concept of time, and the internal space of the system cannot connect with it. Before Pangu created the world, the flow of time will remain consistent with the outside world."

Ling Chi's expression softened slightly. Feeling the chaotic energy eroding his body, he frowned and said, "There seems to be no spiritual energy here."

"Ding, spiritual energy is a beneficial gas that existed after Pangu separated heaven and earth. If the host wants to obtain spiritual energy in the chaos, he can use the laws of space to open up a world. Once the world is formed, spiritual energy will naturally be generated."

"The creation of heaven and earth?" Ling Chi seemed to be deep in thought.

When reading prehistoric fantasy novels, many readers had differing opinions on Pangu's strength. Some believed that Pangu created the world to prove his Dao, and since it was to prove his Dao, he certainly didn't reach the Saint realm, at most reaching the peak of Quasi-Saint. Moreover, Pangu created the world using the power of the Heaven-Opening Axe and the help of the Chaos Green Lotus, so his own cultivation level wouldn't be too high.

After all, the Heaven-Opening Axe split into three innate treasures after the failure to open the heavens, and the Chaos Green Lotus also shattered into several top-grade innate spiritual treasures, such as the Five Innate Banners, four twelve-grade lotus platforms, and even the quasi-innate treasure God-Slaying Spear.

With these two super magic treasures in hand, Pangu still failed to create the world, which indirectly proves that Pangu really did not have the cultivation of a saint.

Of course, some readers believe that Pangu attained the status of a Great Dao Saint, not a Heavenly Dao Saint. The strength of a Great Dao Saint should be equal to that of the Heavenly Dao, which is the realm after Hongjun Laozu merged with the Heavenly Dao. Therefore, Pangu should have chosen to create the world at the Saint realm, but ultimately failed because the primordial world he created was too large and he consumed too much energy.

Both sides have their own reasons.

Ling Chi wouldn't concern himself with Pangu's cultivation level; he only cared about when Pangu would create the world. This chaotic space was truly too empty, a hazy gray expanse, like smog, which made him very unhappy.

"With my strength, can I create something from nothing?" Ling Chi asked.

"Ding, with the host's current cultivation level, creating a world the size of the solar system is no problem at all."

The size of the solar system? That's quite large, equivalent to a diameter of one light-year. But to this chaotic space, a space the size of the solar system is probably no different from a speck of dust. In the end, it's because Ling Chi's cultivation level is not high enough. Although the peak of the Quasi-Saint level is only one step away from the Saint level, how can he overcome the gap of the vast universe in front of him?

If you take too big a step, you might end up hurting yourself and not be able to get through.

"Is it okay to create a new world here?" Ling Chi looked around at the surrounding environment, which was nothing but gray and hazy.

"Ding, it should be fine."

What does "should" mean?

Ling Chi was too lazy to pay attention to this damn system. After thinking for a while, he summoned Shuang'er and the others, and then started a live broadcast on the farm, so that everyone could witness the power of creation.

"Brother, are you really going to create something new?" Shuang'er's face was a little red, and she seemed very excited.

"Why are you so happy?" Ling Chi retorted, "Creating the heavens is no joke."

"Although it's not fun, it's the creation of the world! The creation of the world only happens in legends." Shuang'er said excitedly, "If it really succeeds, wouldn't brother be a supreme being like the Great God Pangu!"

“It’s incomparable.” Ling Chi pinched Shuang’er’s cheek and smiled. “The primordial world created by the Great God Pangu is vast and incomparable to the small world I created.”

“Although it’s a small world, it’s already quite magnificent,” Shuang’er said. “We will all help improve this world when the time comes.”