My cultivation disguise has been exposed by Xiao Sizi.

"It just tastes awful."

Sizi pouted and launched into her merciless professional critique mode.

"First of all, the heat is completely wrong."

"The outside was overcooked and tasted bitter, but the meat inside wasn't cooked through at all, making it incredibly difficult to eat."

The little girl poked at the piece of meat with her greasy fingers.

"Secondly, the spices used are too mixed."

"Are you trying to use all these weird flavors to mask the slight earthy taste of the pork?"

"It didn't bring out the natural flavor of the meat at all."

Si Zi curled his lip in disgust and casually tossed the priceless Crimson Flame Spirit Pig Leg onto the plate.

"If it were in our house..."

"If Grandpa Chef dared to serve this half-cooked, poorly cooked food, he would definitely be punished by having to clean toilets for half a month."

"It doesn't have the crispy outside and tender inside, fragrant aroma that our chef makes at home."

"It's far from good enough."

These sharp and unsparing comments left the Lord of Brahma City completely bewildered.

His grand banquet, a top-tier event at the city lord's mansion, was utterly dismissed as worthless by a mere young girl.

What's even more infuriating is that this girl compared his manor's top-notch chef to some "Grandpa Chef," and even said that he was only fit to clean toilets.

The city lord's face turned pale and then red, and his fists clenched so tightly under his sleeves that they cracked.

He's lived to such an old age and has never suffered such humiliation.

Sitting next to her, Li Chen looked at his sister's picky expression and a faint smile finally appeared in his eyes.

The imperial kitchen in the Tang Dynasty palace was a gathering place for the world's most renowned chefs.

In addition, Li Chen occasionally comes up with some barbecue recipes from his past life, so this little girl's palate has long been spoiled.

It would be strange if a mere chef from a small border town could catch her eye.

"Since the little girl thinks it tastes bad, then she shouldn't eat it."

Li Chen gently patted Sizi's head, then took out a clean handkerchief and carefully wiped away the remaining oil from her cheeks.

"Great! Sixteenth Brother is the best!"

Sizi cheered and immediately pushed the plate in front of her far away, obediently leaning against Li Chen's side.

And at this very moment.

After being repeatedly humiliated and completely ignored, the Lord of Brahma City finally ran out of patience.

His face, which had been plastered with a fake smile, gradually darkened.

The fine, fleshy muscles at the corners of his eyes twitched slightly due to intense killing intent.

"A dog that won't listen to reason will have to suffer the consequences."

The city lord cursed viciously in his heart.

He lowered his head, pretending to reach for the wine jug, but his eyes were actually fixed on the thick carpet on the hall floor.

No one noticed that directly beneath this incredibly luxurious reception hall...

In the dark depths of the earth, dozens of feet deep.

A terrifying crimson array, large enough to cover the entire city lord's mansion, has quietly revived.

It was a complex pattern woven from countless dark red array lines, like a giant diagram of the human body's meridians.

As the formation activated, thick, nauseating blood energy surged forth from the underground passage, rushing towards the area directly beneath the hall.

This blood energy was too immense and too evil.

Inside the lobby.

The finest ambergris that had been filling the air underwent a very subtle change at some point.

The intoxicating sandalwood scent gradually gave way to a faint, slightly metallic, and slightly fishy smell, reminiscent of raw rusted copper.

The luminous pearls embedded in the dome of the hall began to lose their luster.

The originally pure white halo was now covered with a faint blood-red glow that was difficult to see with the naked eye.

The blood-red light grew thicker and thicker, silently spreading upwards along the four walls of the hall.

Until they converge and intertwine at the very center of the dome.

A soft, low hum reverberated through the air.

A layer of blood-red light, as thin as a cicada's wing yet indestructible, resembled an inverted, enormous blood-red porcelain bowl.

The entire reception hall, along with everyone inside, was completely and firmly sealed off.

The airflow in the entire space completely stopped at that moment.

The sounds of the wind, insects, and even the footsteps of the patrolling guards inside the mansion were completely blocked by this blood-red light barrier.

The hall had become a closed, isolated prison.

Sensing the unusual blockade of the surrounding spatial laws, Monk Mingxin suddenly raised his head.

A sharp glint suddenly flashed in his clear eyes.

His hands, which had been resting on his knees, instantly clenched into fists, and the true essence of his recently attained Nascent Soul stage began to circulate wildly through his meridians.

"There's an ambush."

With a low shout, the monk Mingxin flashed forward and stood directly in front of Li Chen and Sizi.

Like an angry Vajra, he stared intently at the Brahma City Lord sitting in the main seat.

Fatty Four, the black and white tabby cat who had been lying on the table, also noticed the bloody smell in the air that it found extremely repulsive.

Its fur stood on end instantly, like sharp steel needles.

The long, fishbone-patterned tail was taut behind him, and a threatening growl came from its throat.

Faced with this sudden change.

Li Chen, sitting on the large rosewood chair, didn't even change his posture.

His eyes, as calm as an abyss, slowly rose and looked at the dome shrouded in a blood-red light curtain.

Their gaze seemed to pierce through the void, revealing the filthy essence behind the formation.

"Finally, you can't resist anymore, are you about to show your true colors?"

Li Chen chuckled softly, his voice ringing out clearly in the deathly silent, blood-red hall.

Above the main seat.

The Lord of Brahma City had completely dropped his obsequious, fake smile.

He slowly stood up and straightened his back.

His dark gold brocade robe fluttered without wind, and a powerful aura belonging to a half-step Nascent Soul stage, mixed with a strong bloodthirsty aura, suddenly erupted.

The city lord looked down at Li Chen and the others, his once prosperous face now contorted with grotesque rage and fanatical cruelty.

He slowly raised the wine cup in his hand, which was carved from ten-thousand-year-old warm jade.

His lips curled into a chilling smile.