Exploring Huyang City (Part 1)

Luo Feng glanced at the wine jug and roasted meat in Morosa's hands and couldn't help but chuckle, "You've been enjoying yourself, haven't you? You couldn't even put down your food and drink on the way back."

"Enjoying myself?" Morosa took a big bite of the meat and shook his head repeatedly, "Not at all! You told me not to cause trouble, so for more than an epoch, I didn't dare to stir up any trouble! It was so stifling, I had to keep holding back!"

"Really stifling?" Luo Feng inquired further.

Morosa nodded emphatically, "Huyang City is full of mixed forces, and some crazy people who love to fight deliberately picked on me! Normally, I would have crushed them with one hand, but your orders come first. I would never disobey, even if it meant dying! So, I had to endure, making big issues small and small issues disappear."

Luo Feng was intrigued, "You managed to make big issues small and small issues disappear?"

As a Sector Beast born from the Path of Destruction, Morosa's nature was inherently violent, so Luo Feng was curious about how he managed to hold back.

"I only slightly injured them to make them feel the difference in strength! Then I made them pay a fine," Morosa quickly explained, "I wasn't causing trouble, but if I didn't fight back at all, I'd just end up being bullied even more."

Luo Feng nodded, "I understand. A coward would be eaten alive in Huyang City."

"Master is wise," Morosa grinned and couldn't resist taking a few more sips of wine.

"You didn't seem to be into drinking back home," Luo Feng observed curiously.

Morosa's eyes lit up, and he quickly responded, "Master, since you've arrived on Origin Continent, you haven't properly tasted the local wines, have you? Some of the wines here are far better than anything back home."

"Let me try," Luo Feng took the jug from Morosa and took a swig.

As the wine flowed down his throat, Luo Feng felt his soul and consciousness being nourished, giving him a comfortable and relaxed sensation.

"Interesting," Luo Feng remarked in surprise. "Since arriving on Origin Continent, the only drink I've had was the Chunmi wine at the Yan Feng Pavilion, which had a more subtle flavor. But this wine of yours is quite bold. It even has an effect on my soul and consciousness."

Luo Feng's soul and consciousness were immensely strong, yet he still felt the soothing and relaxing effects of the wine.

If a Void True God were to drink it, they would probably feel as if they were floating on air.

Morosa nodded, "The beings born on Origin Continent can absorb the energy of heaven and earth directly, so they don't need food or drink. That's why their food and wine often have unique effects."

"Whether it's intense sensory stimulation or benefits for the divine body and soul consciousness, the gods here find these things very tempting," Morosa explained.

Luo Feng nodded in agreement.

He was aware that ordinary food and drink on Origin Continent were not particularly valuable; only those with special properties fetched high prices, often possessing effects like refining the divine body or nourishing the soul.

"This jug of wine costs three Chaos Crystals! I have to drink it sparingly," Morosa said, carefully putting the jug away.

"Is the food and wine here really that appealing? Come on, Morosa, show me around," Luo Feng suggested.

Morosa's eyes brightened, and with his mouth wide open, he swallowed the large piece of roasted meat in one gulp. "Don't worry, Master! Over the past epoch, I've familiarized myself with almost all the food and wine in Huyang City. I'll guide you."

"But..." Morosa hesitated with a grin, "I'm a bit broke, so you'll have to cover the bill."

"You're so stingy! That allowance of yours comes from me anyway," Luo Feng said with a smile. "Alright, let's get going!"

"Let's go!" Morosa responded energetically and led Luo Feng out of the cave.

...

After flying for a while, they arrived at a modest restaurant called the "Fire Realm Food Hall," which was relatively inconspicuous in Huyang City.

"Over the past epoch, I've tried a lot of different foods, and the Fire Realm Feast here is my favorite. Plus, it's not too expensive," Morosa introduced.

Luo Feng looked up at the restaurant.

The name "Fire Realm Food Hall" was prominently integrated into the formation, making it stand out.

"Black Butcher, come out here!" Morosa called out, then explained to Luo Feng, "Master, Black Butcher is the owner of this place. I've come here many times, so we're quite familiar. He's also someone who came to Origin Continent after surviving the cycle of reincarnation."

"Came to Origin Continent after surviving reincarnation?" Luo Feng was surprised.

Just then, a burly man with hair and beard like steel needles came out to greet them. The man was covered in scales, with fangs and fiery eyes that resembled burning stars. He approached them with great enthusiasm and respect, "It's an honor for my humble Fire Realm Food Hall to welcome you, Your Excellency."

An Eternal True God!

In all the years his small, unremarkable restaurant had been open, the number of Eternal True Gods who had visited could be counted on one hand.

"Hurry up and prepare your signature Fire Realm Feast," Morosa urged.

"Right this way," the burly man, known as Black Butcher, quickly led them inside.

In one of the small buildings within the Fire Realm Food Hall, Luo Feng and Morosa took their seats.

"The Fire Realm Feast requires my personal attention, so please be patient, Your Excellency," Black Butcher said before respectfully leaving. A servant soon entered with some drinks and side dishes.

As soon as the servant entered, Luo Feng recognized him and was a bit surprised, "It's you, young one?"

The servant was none other than Sozi, one of the young men from the tribe Luo Feng had saved.

"Greetings, Your Excellency," Sozi immediately bowed respectfully.

"Hahaha," Morosa laughed, "I've come here many times, and I often have Sozi serve me. Master, you saved them before, and now you've run into him here at the restaurant—what a coincidence."

"It is quite a coincidence," Luo Feng nodded. "What brings you to work here?"

Sozi was deeply grateful to this benevolent Eternal True God. After all, without Luo Feng, their entire group would have perished.

"To answer Your Excellency, after my brother So Yun and I settled in Huyang City, we needed to earn Chaos Crystals for living expenses and cultivation. I was lucky enough to be noticed by the owner and taken in as an apprentice," Sozi explained.

"This kid has some talent for cooking," Morosa said. "With good cooking skills, you can truly establish yourself in Huyang City."

Sozi quickly added, "I'm doing my best to learn. If I don't, I'll be kicked out and forced to fight for survival outside the city."

Luo Feng listened and then asked, "What about your brother who settled with you?"

"So Yun became a guard for a large family," Sozi replied in a low voice, "He's risking his life every day."

Luo Feng understood.

Being an ordinary guard for a large family meant being expendable—doing all the dirty, dangerous work.

"They're both talented, which is why they managed to find work," Morosa commented. "From what I've seen, about half of the True Gods in Huyang City have to go outside the city to hunt beasts regularly."

Luo Feng was aware of this information.

On Origin Continent, most of the mid- to low-level beings made a living by hunting beasts, and many were involved in collecting and processing beast materials, forming a vast industry chain.

As for service jobs within a large city? The requirements were extremely high. Without sufficient talent and strength, one had no chance of securing such positions.

As they chatted,

"Here it comes," Black Butcher entered, and with a wave of his hand, a sumptuous feast appeared on the table. The most striking dish was a large, fiery red piece of meat at the center.

The meat emitted a fiery aura.

"Your Excellency, I became a True God by following the path of culinary arts in my home, the original universe," Black Butcher explained with a smile. "After becoming a Void True God, I traversed the cycle of reincarnation to reach Origin Continent, but I struggled to establish myself in Huyang City with just my cooking skills. So, I started over as a butcher, learning the characteristics of beast materials step by step by helping to slaughter them. It took me 50,000 epochs of hard work before I made some progress and opened this Fire Realm Food Hall."

"Your Excellency, please enjoy the Fire Realm Feast," Black Butcher said confidently.

Throughout the long history of Origin Continent, many strong individuals from the 3,000 original universes have come through the cycle of reincarnation. Every Chaos State has its share of them.

To promote his business and attract customers, Black Butcher had tried everything.

"I'll give it a try," Luo Feng began tasting the dishes.

Black Butcher watched nervously from the side.

If an Eternal True God liked the food and became a regular, it would be the best advertisement! The reputation of his food hall would grow, attracting more customers.

Luo Feng tasted each dish one by one. The side dishes and drinks were decent.

But when he finally tasted the large piece of meat in the center, Luo Feng's eyes lit up.

"Master, you need to take big bites to fully appreciate the flavor," Morosa advised. Luo Feng took a large bite, and a third of the massive meat quickly shrank and flew into his mouth.

The meat was huge, but it easily crumbled and was swallowed.

"Boom!!!"

Luo Feng felt as if flames were spreading from his stomach throughout his entire body, as if his divine body was being refined, and his soul consciousness felt warm and comfortable.

"Consuming the Fire Realm Feast is like swallowing a world of flames—it feels like both your divine body and soul are being transformed," Black Butcher explained from the side. "It feels like being reborn."

Luo Feng glanced at him with a smile.

Reborn?

That was a bit of an exaggeration! But it was indeed very satisfying.

For those with weaker divine bodies, they might indeed feel as if their divine body and soul were being transformed, as if they were being reborn.

"What do you think, Your Excellency?" Black Butcher asked nervously.

"Not bad," Luo Feng complimented.

Black Butcher could only nod, "This is a dish I created myself. In Huyang City, the top restaurants and food halls have culinary techniques passed down from Chaos Masters and even god-kings. What I do is just a minor art."

Luo Feng took another sip of wine and then asked, "Cultivation is fundamental. Since you came from the original universe, I assume you can't practice the bloodline cultivation method."

"That's right," Black Butcher nodded. "I can only follow the path of laws, but comprehending the source of laws is extremely difficult! Even though the laws are much clearer on Origin Continent, I've hit some bottlenecks and haven't been able to break through. So, I've been looking for external help, trying to earn some wealth by running this food hall and buying resources to aid my cultivation."

"But running a food hall is tough," Black Butcher added.

"This Fire Realm Feast is quite good. Keep up the hard work," Luo Feng said as he ate half of it, leaving the rest for Morosa, who quickly devoured the remaining food with great satisfaction.

After paying the 10 Chaos Crystals, Luo Feng and Morosa left.

Black Butcher and Sozi saw them off at the entrance of the food hall.

"Sozi," Black Butcher said as he looked into the distance, "Do you think this Excellency will come back?"

"His Excellency seemed to enjoy the Fire Realm Feast," Sozi replied.

"I hope so," Black Butcher sighed. "If an Eternal True God becomes a regular, it will attract enough True Gods to come here!"

He had once been an invincible figure in his home, the original universe, but after arriving on Origin Continent, he had faced countless hardships. In a large city like this, Void True Gods were everywhere! Even someone like Mo Yuhu had to venture into the wild to explore.

Black Butcher was very proud at heart, and he didn't want to risk his life in the wild. So, he had started at the bottom as a butcher, and now, after years of hard work, he had accumulated a loyal customer base for his food hall.

"If I can grow this food hall bigger, I'll be able to earn more, and my chances of becoming an Eternal True God will be much higher!" Black Butcher said as he turned back towards the food hall.

In Huyang City, even a small food hall owner might have an extraordinary background.

It was precisely because the city was full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers that it was so difficult to stand out.