Hell Emperor.

Chapter 589 Ye Jie - Three Snake Soup

As Ye Jie arrived, the crowd in the wine country who had been eagerly awaiting his arrival erupted in cheers.

When news of the demon god's fall spread, cultivators across the continent heard about the battle. Just as the demon god was about to revive, a sage attained enlightenment and turned the tide, slaying the demon god on the spot.

As for the saint who slew the demon god, opinions vary. Before this, many people had never even heard of that name. Only a very few people who knew Ye Jie understood what it meant.

Throughout the wine country, former companions and immortals who had come upon hearing the news had already crowded the place, all eager to catch a glimpse of the saint who had slain the demon god. Immortals from all walks of life, rarely seen in ordinary times, gathered here to express their heartfelt congratulations to Ye Jie.

In the distance, Yulan, holding her zither, leaned against the railing, gazing at Ye Jie, who was surrounded by immortals like a star being worshipped by the moon, and let out a soft sigh.

"What's wrong? He finally won a victory, why don't you go up and congratulate him? Why are you standing here sighing all by yourself?"

After congratulating Ye Jie, Fu Ling walked over, fanning herself with a folding fan. Seeing Yu Lan standing alone there, she asked her a question out of curiosity.

Yulan sighed, "Times have changed. He is now a saint who has slain a demon god. When his achievements spread, he will surely become famous throughout the Three Realms. Those who can stand on equal footing with him are all legendary beings. Ghost maids like you and me probably don't even have the right to come forward and congratulate him."

Fuling paused in her hand, which was waving a folding fan. Although she and Yulan had also received good fortune and ascended to the level of ghost immortals because Xia Wei had altered the Investiture of the Gods, their own cultivation level was only at the first stage.

The gap between a first-stage Ghost Immortal and a Saint is no less than the gap between a mayfly and an immortal. In the eyes of those Saints who have mastered the Great Dao, these first-stage Ghost Immortals, who are as insignificant as dust, are like another species altogether, and it is impossible to communicate with them.

Yulan pursed her lips and said, "I knew long ago that he would be extraordinary, but I didn't expect this day to come so soon. The realm of a saint... who could have imagined that just a few years ago, he was just an ordinary ghost messenger?"

Fu Ling also exclaimed, "This rapid progress is unparalleled in the world. If the news were to spread, the entire cultivation world would be shaken. Even the legendary Emperor of the Underworld would probably not be able to achieve this."

Past experiences surfaced in their eyes. Gazing at Ye Jie, who stood tall and unparalleled in the distance, having entered the Saint Realm, they felt a sense of unreality. No one could connect him with the ghost messenger from the past.

As the two were reminiscing, they heard a series of exclamations from afar. Looking closely, they saw that Ye Jie had bypassed the crowd and arrived in front of Xiang Liu's seven-inch flesh.

Although Xiangliu is dead, its seven-inch flesh still exudes an eerie and ominous light. Upon closer inspection, one can see the flesh mass opening and closing, writhing incessantly. With each thud, black, foul blood is pumped out from the crack, even corroding the earth and creating a deep pit. Within it lies the unparalleled life force of a demon god.

Looking at the lump of flesh, the nearby immortals could not hide the disgust in their eyes. It seemed that even approaching it was a disrespect to the heavens. If Ye Jie had not been there, they would not have wanted to get close at all.

In front of the meat chunk, Mint looked troubled. Upon seeing Ye Jie arrive, she immediately complained to him, "You're finally back! This chunk of meat contains the filthy power of the demon god. Just leaving it here is a desecration of heaven and earth. The customers in the wine village have no appetite at all. We should get rid of it quickly."

Ye Jie nodded, then picked up a boning knife from the kitchen of the wine shop, and walked towards the Xiangliu meat chunks. He held the knife in his hand, gesturing around as if searching for the best angle to cut the meat.

Mint was a little dumbfounded: "Wait a minute, what are you planning to do?"

Ye Jie's lips curled up: "What are we doing? Cooking, of course."

Mint looked astonished: "This is the flesh of a demon god. Even an ordinary immortal would be corrupted and die from just a drop of Xiang Liu's blood. If someone were to eat it, they would probably bleed from all seven orifices and die on the spot. How can you use it to cook?"

Ye Jie replied confidently, "Don't worry, leave it to me."

Ye Jie's words were not empty boasting or bravado; he truly had something to rely on.

Each celestial official position has its own area of ​​expertise, which is incredibly diverse and encompasses everything without any discernible pattern. Some celestial officials are skilled at fishing, some at playing music, and others at cooking.

To ensure the success of the cooking, Ye Jie had previously made a special trip to the Stove God Sect and used the Stove God's Black Pot to complete this promotion to Celestial Official.

Now he has become the Kitchen God, and any kind of cooking is easy for him. Even Xiang Liu's seven-inch flesh, which is considered extremely evil and filthy by ordinary people, can be transformed into exquisite ingredients in his eyes.

A silver light flashed, and in Ye Jie's hand, the bone-piercing dagger seemed to come alive, with a thousand layers of blade light blooming from it. Xiang Liu's skin instantly disintegrated, and all the bones fell off. The remaining parts fell off layer by layer, turning into thin slices thinner than cicada wings.

The surrounding crowd stared wide-eyed, straining their eyes to the limit, but none of them could see clearly what Ye Jie was doing; it all happened in an instant.

After processing Xiangliu's flesh, Ye Jie patted the Crossing Yin Banner and took out two more large, exceptionally good-looking, and warm-colored pieces of snake meat.

The two lumps of snake meat, one darker in color, came from Pantian Zun, and the other lighter in color, came from the Corrupted Corpse Dragon. Although they were not as strong as Xiang Liu, they were still rare and powerful giant pythons. This snake meat came from their seven-inch flesh, which contained the most precious essence of power.

Ye Jie processed the two clumps of snake meat in the same way. A silver light swirled and twisted, slicing the thick snake meat open and removing the bones, arranging them neatly. The difference was that Ye Jie chose to cut the snake meat of the Pantian Zun into fist-sized pieces, each piece seemingly carved from a mold, perfectly sized. For the snake meat of the Corrupted Corpse Dragon, Ye Jie chose to cut it into long, thin strips, each strip as thin as the smoothest snow-white silk.

In the kitchen, Youkui also saw Ye Jie's actions and couldn't help but widen her eyes. Ordinary people might not be able to tell what those actions meant, but how could she, who had been cooking spiritual delicacies for many years, not see it?
Ye Jie's knife skills transcended all worldly techniques, almost reaching the level of the Dao. He could even precisely cut away the barely perceptible tendons and fascia within the snake meat, making it seem less like processing food and more like sculpting a fine work of art. From Ye Jie's actions, Mint gradually discerned the underlying meaning. Her cat ears twitched slightly, and her face showed difficulty: "Are you really planning to use Xiangliu's flesh and this snake meat to cook?"

Ye Jie smiled and reminded him, "Don't sneak a bite before I finish cooking, or you'll be poisoned by Xiang Liu's blood and die."

Mint quickly took a step back, her eyes filled with utter hostility as she looked at the snake meat. She didn't know what Ye Jie was thinking; this was the flesh of a demon god, a poisonous and extremely evil creature, and she had no intention of eating it.

After moving a little further away, Mint's delicate nose twitched slightly. As Ye Jie dissected the snake meat, a foul, fishy odor rose up, causing her to frown involuntarily.

"This snake meat smells so strongly of poison, and the snake blood is so filthy it could corrode anything. Is it really safe to eat? Even if you offered it to us, we wouldn't eat it, let alone steal it!"

Ye Jie had expected this all along. As the Kitchen God, how could he be stumped by such a thing?
As soon as Ye Jie had a thought, a huge, pitch-black pot, as if formed from the deepest darkness of night, appeared on the stove.

After summoning the Kitchen God's black pot, Ye Jie reached into his robes and took out a brocade pouch. Although the pouch was only the size of a palm, it contained the power of Mount Sumeru, and the contents of it were enough to fill the entire wine village.

This bag was a gift from an elder of the Stove God Sect to Ye Jie. It contains rare seasonings, including fine salt from the Northern Sea, coral from the Eastern Sea, jade dew from the Jade Garden, and snow buds from the Cold Abyss.

Each disciple of the Stove God Sect carries a similar pouch containing rare materials they have collected while traveling far and wide, but the amount of material they have is far less than what Ye Jie has.

Although the Stove God Sect sold the Stove God's Black Pot to Ye Jie, the elders still held special feelings for this pot left behind by the former Stove God. They gave the seasonings to Ye Jie in the hope that he would make good use of the pot. If Ye Jie only used the Stove God's Black Pot as a sturdy shield for fighting, instead of using it for cooking, then the elders would be heartbroken and cry out that it was a waste of a precious resource.

After opening the pocket, Ye Jie reached into his palm and found a variety of seasonings, including the golden, thousand-year-old ginger king, the deep-colored immortal tangerine peel, and the fragrant, finely brewed yellow wine. Just by placing them there, they radiated dazzling brilliance, making people dazzled.

After a simple treatment, the celestial official's powers were activated, and a strange and extraordinary black pot, as if it had been smoked by a stove fire for countless years, appeared on the open-air stove in front of Ye Jie. It continued to expand according to Ye Jie's will, and in the blink of an eye, it expanded to a size of ten zhang.

The immortal essence transformed into pure, immaculate, icy water, filling the bottom of the pot. With a series of splashes, Ye Jie put the flesh of the three snake demons, including their seven-inch parts, into the pot with some seasonings.

A raging fire erupted, the crimson lotus flames belonging exclusively to the Kitchen God igniting beneath the large cauldron. The moment these flames appeared, the surrounding immortals paled. Even with their high level of cultivation, if they were to touch the crimson lotus flames, they would likely be instantly incinerated. A murmur of discussion arose:

"How could that raging flame possess such power?"

"Let alone getting close, just looking at it makes my soul feel like it's on fire..."

"That fierce and incomparable flame, capable of incinerating souls, was merely the fire under the stove for cooking. The power of the Palace Master Ziwei is indeed unparalleled in the world. He truly deserves to be called a saint who slew a demon god!"

The distant chatter did not disturb Ye Jie's mind in the slightest. His expression was calm and focused, and nothing in the world could shake his heart. At this moment, there was nothing in his world except the delicious food in the pot. He had actually entered a state of harmony with nature while cooking!
Before long, once the blanching was complete, Ye Jie shook the black pot, and the snake meat inside seemed to have a spirit, leaping out and landing precisely on the plate in front of Ye Jie without the slightest deviation. What remained in the pot was only a large amount of nauseating foam, and even the filthy power within Xiang Liu's body, which was sure to kill upon contact, was blanched out as well.

Looking at the snake meat that had just come out of the pot, Mint subconsciously swallowed. Even though she already knew that the snake meat came from a ferocious giant python, and that some of it even belonged to the demon god Xiang Liu, it didn't look unusual at all. On the contrary, it was full of color, exquisite and translucent. After absorbing many precious ingredients, the original fishy smell was gone, replaced by an enticing aroma.

After changing the water, Ye Jie channeled his inner energy again. The hideous snake bones that had been peeled off were thrown into the pot to boil, along with many precious seasonings.

Flames surged, and the power of the Crimson Lotus Stove Fire was fully unleashed. Under the scorching heatwave that could incinerate everything, light and shadow were completely distorted. It was extremely difficult for the people around to even see what was happening, and they also had to risk having their vision burned through. Not to mention Ye Jie in the center, even a seventh-level immortal would be burned to ashes under such high temperatures.

At the center of the flames, Ye Jie remained calm and composed, his expression unchanged. Not only him, but the black pot in front of him was also unharmed. No matter how high the temperature, it could not damage the Kitchen God's black pot in the slightest.

As the heat subsided, the grotesque bones that had once belonged to the giant python in the pot melted away completely, disappearing without a trace. The essence of the bones flowed into the snow-white, boiling broth inside the pot.

Adding the previously blanched snake meat to the soup, Ye Jie's action was like a thunderbolt striking the earth, causing an explosive aroma to spread and captivate everyone. Even those who had practiced asceticism for many years would break their vows on the spot upon smelling this aroma, and would try to have a bowl even if it cost them all their possessions.

Ye Jie remained calm. The cooking was not yet finished. It still needed to be simmered for a while with the precisely temperature-controlled Red Lotus Stove to bring out the best in the Three-Snake Soup.

As a sect that cultivates Taoism through food, the Kitchen God Sect possesses a large number of rare recipes, and this Three-Snake Soup is one of them.

Consuming the Three-Snake Soup can enhance a cultivator's comprehension, and not just temporarily, but permanently. This is an immense temptation for any cultivator.

Cultivation can be increased, and one's horizons can be broadened, but comprehension is an innate ability of every cultivator. Only a very few methods in the world have the miraculous effect of enhancing comprehension, and Three-Snake Soup can achieve this.

The extent to which the Three Snake Soup enhances one's comprehension depends entirely on the quality of the snake meat used in its preparation. Ye Jie, however, selected only powerful snake demons, including a demon god like Xiang Liu. It can be said that there is no Three Snake Soup in the world more luxurious than the one before Ye Jie.

Looking at the snake soup in the pot, Ye Jie couldn't help but smile. He wondered how much his comprehension would be enhanced by this three-snake soup.
(End of this chapter)