Transmigrated into an Ancient ABO Fantasy World: A Culinary Comeback - Chapter 21

At the edge of the vast continent lies a cold, gloomy place where the sun never shines. Heavy shadows of trees stand tall in the darkness. This is a place of profound melancholy, known to the world as the Misty Forest.

Beyond the muddy, oppressive woods, rolling mists block the path of any explorer. If an observant traveler were present, they would notice that the fog has grown thicker and more aggressive than ever before.

Deep within an anonymous underground palace in the Yulong Kingdom, the atmosphere is far different. Decorated with magnificent gold and jade, the walls are embedded with luminous pearls the size of fists, lighting the space as bright as day.

A masked man in black stood on a platform, waving his arms and delivering a thunderous speech. “No one can strip the people of Yu of their honor! We are the children of destiny! We are the heart of this continent!”

“It is time to rise! We must reclaim our dignity from the hands of the cunning merchants and the devious people of Jiang and Xin!”

“Long live the Master! Long live!” At his words, thousands of people below responded in unison. These were recently recruited Shadow Guards. Most were dressed in rags, but their eyes burned with a terrifying fanaticism. They gazed at the man on the platform with worship, their shouts shaking the entire cavern, though not a sound escaped to the surface.

The masked man watched with satisfaction. Unseen by the crowd, wisps of black energy seeped from his body, crawling like snakes into the heads of everyone below. The crowd grew even more frenzied, their roars deafening. In this place, anyone who failed to join the chanting would be beaten mercilessly.

These followers were ordered to travel across the lands to find more Shadow Guards. They were to use silver-tongued lies to recruit them; if the targets refused to follow, they were to be eliminated on the spot to leave no loose ends.

One morning in the Jiang Kingdom, Chen Xi finished breakfast and headed toward the factory. She usually chose to walk, enjoying the lively bustle of Zicheng as people hurried to work. She strolled out of the city gates and turned onto a small, overgrown dirt path. Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed by and blocked her way. It was a male Qianyuan.

The man was dressed in black, his eyes bulging and his face a mottled, uneven red. He looked Chen Xi up and down with a lecherous gaze. “Little lady, you are a practitioner, aren’t you?”

Disgusted by his manner, Chen Xi’s expression turned icy. “Move,” she said coldly.

The man’s face flashed with anger, but he forced a grin. “Join us, girl. Follow us to conquer those despicable, shameless merchants and the entire continent!”

As he spoke, he seemed to grow bloated with self-importance, his face flushing deeper. “With us, you can find incredibly powerful Qianyuans. We know how to respect Kunzes; your role is quite special.”

Chen Xi found his words utterly absurd. She gave a mocking laugh. “But I am one of those ‘despicable, shameless merchants’ you speak of.”

The man actually looked pleased at this, his eyes filling with greed. “That is fine. As long as you hand over your wealth, we won’t hurt you. You can redeem yourself for your sins.”

Speechless and unwilling to waste more breath, Chen Xi repeated, “I will say it one more time. Get lost!”

The man’s act finally crumbled. He gnashed his teeth, his face twisting into a violent snarl. “You ungrateful little brat! Let me teach you a lesson!”

He lunged forward, thrusting his palms out. A volley of fire swords surged toward Chen Xi, carrying a scorching heat. However, the flames were shot through with swirling black energy, giving them a sinister, dark-red hue—completely unlike Wang Xiaojin’s bright, warm fire.

Chen Xi was well-trained. she summoned ice-blue, crystalline water swords to parry his attacks. For a while, they were locked in a fierce stalemate. But as time passed, Chen Xi, who had only recently begun her cultivation, began to tire. Her internal energy faltered.

The man rejoiced, malice dancing in his eyes. “Hahaha! Keep acting tough! You’re about to get what’s coming to you!”

“And who exactly are you planning to teach a lesson?” a cold voice rang out from the distance. It was Wang Xiaojin.

She dashed to Chen Xi’s side and raised her hand. A brilliant, powerful fireball roared forth, forcing the dark fire swords back inch by inch. The bright flames seemed to purify the black energy within the man’s fire before slamming into his chest. He collapsed to the ground with a cry of pain.

Wang Qi followed with a barrage of insults, rushing forward to kick and punch the man until his screams turned to moans.

“Alright, Xiao Qi, tie him up,” Wang Xiaojin directed. Chen Xi caught her breath and calmly explained the encounter.

Wang Qi was furious, giving the man a few more kicks. “What kind of logic is this? Do you have a brain? Your ‘Master’ doesn’t care about anyone’s life, let alone yours, you poor wretch.”

“You lie! Do not insult the name of the Master, you despicable Jiang people!” the man struggled, screaming hysterically.

“Don’t waste your breath, Xiao Qi. His mind is gone,” Wang Xiaojin said. Wang Qi conjured a small golden sword, cut a piece of the man’s robe, and gagged him.

Wang Xiaojin grew pensive. Another man in black. And this time, there was an organization behind him. She shared what she knew of the previous encounters with the other two.

“This group is incredibly evil,” Chen Xi remarked. “We cannot underestimate them. Given time, the destruction they could cause is unimaginable.”

“Should we tell Master?” Wang Qi asked.

Wang Xiaojin nodded. “We must. Xiao Qi, you stay here. I will take a team and bring this guy back to Master.”

The next day, Wang Xiaojin and several bodyguards escorted the prisoner back to the Yulong Kingdom. At the training grounds of the Xie estate in Dongyang County, they tied the man to a pillar. Wang Xiaojin, Xie Xing, and Feng Xian gathered around to examine him.

Xie Xing placed a palm over his heart to check his energy. “Black energy is festering inside him, especially in his heart and head. It is dense and deeply sinister.”

She signaled for the servants to take the prisoner away for interrogation before turning to her students. “What do you two think? Who could be behind this?”

“It is hard to say,” they both shook their heads. “The Master always wears a mask. No one knows his identity or what he looks like.”

Xie Xing sighed. “I thought solving the Third Prince’s scheme would be the end of our troubles. I didn’t expect something even worse to take his place.”

“Xiaojin, the only thing we know for sure is that this person is from our kingdom. To cause this much trouble, they must have significant power and wealth. You must return to the capital. Monitor any unusual activity closely and report back to me immediately.”

Wang Xiaojin followed her orders and promptly set off for the capital.

Support Transmigrated into an Ancient ABO Fantasy World: A Culinary Comeback