Chapter 1254: Chapter 1254: Fighting Locusts Together
Upon hearing that Ancestor Luoluo had arrived, the Five-Grains Emperors all had their expressions change.
"Why has Luoluo come?"
"Wasnât the karma between us settled three hundred thousand years ago?"
"Could it be that he still remembers the events of the past and has come to punish us..."
"Unlikely! We are already old and weary, according to his preferences, he would surely disdain bothering with us anymore..."
"Let us go meet him and see why he has come today."
...
The truth proved that the Five-Grains Emperors were worried over nothing.
Ancestor Luoluo had come not to trouble them but simply to ask for some food.
Upon hearing it was such a trivial matter, the Five-Grains Emperors breathed a huge sigh of relief. What is in abundance in the Partridge Head Palace? Spiritual Valley! The palace is filled with Spiritual Fields, with countless Immortal Burning Valleys and Immortal Provisions, eating as much as one likes is not an issue!
Thus, upon meeting in the palace, they offered tea. While hosting Ancestor Luoluo and his party, the Five-Grains Emperors ordered the little demons to transport grains from the major granaries.
However, they needed to wait for a while.
"Please have some tea snacks in the meanwhile, Senior," the Five-Grains Emperor said with an apologetic smile.
"Hehe, waiting for a while is no problem, just one thing, make sure to bring some top-grade Spiritual Valley, the Daoist I brought has an enormous appetite, even tens of thousands of pounds of ordinary Spiritual Valley wouldnât be enough to fill his teeth," Luoluo laughed.
The Daoist he spoke of, of course, was Ning Fan. Although Ning Fan was the Barbaric God and his lord, it wasnât appropriate to publicize this, hence he referred to him in such a manner.
"Oh? So this time Senior has come not for himself, but for this Daoist friend...," the Five-Grains Emperor was first surprised, then as he looked at Ning Fan, his gaze turned meaningful.
I see.
Understood, understood.
In a flash, the five emperors filled in all the causes and effects in their minds.
The more they thought, the more they found Ning Fan pitiable.
The gaze from the five made Ning Fanâs heart flutter unnervingly, he subconsciously touched his face, wondering, is there something on my face?
Otherwise, why are these five old men looking at me so strangely...
Gurgle.
Ning Fanâs stomach rumbled again.
The Five-Grains Emperor gave a kind smile, saying to Ning Fan, "Daoist friend, how about trying some tea snacks."
"Sorry for the rudeness..." Ning Fan nodded, picking up the wheat tea from the table and downed it in one gulp.
He then grabbed piece after piece of pastries, finishing the entire plate in just three to five bites.
This left the Five-Grains Emperor utterly bewildered.
This Daoist named Ning seems to be merely an Immortal King?
Yet he emptied an entire plate of thousand-year pastries in just three to five bites?
Drained a whole cup of Dragon Blood Wheat Tea in a single gulp?
Such a ferocious eating speed, is he not afraid of bursting from the medicinal effects?
Even they, as Immortal Emperors, dared not eat like this, it seems this person is not simple...
Considering this, the Five-Grains Emperor conferred quietly for a few moments, summoned a few more little demons, and gave them orders in a low voice.
On the other side.
Seeing Ning Fanâs tea snacks insufficient, Luoluo immediately brought her pastries in front of Ning Fan, respectfully lowered her head.
"This portion of snacks from me for you, Sir."
Chi Yi, who had remained silent all along, also brought her pastries in front of Ning Fan, imitating as she said, "Chi Yi will not eat, for Sir to have."
She didnât know her identity, but Ning Fan told her she was Chi Yi.
So she would be Chi Yi.
Ning Fan did not refuse their goodwill, nodded, and accepted their snacks, once again finishing the two portions in six or seven bites.
This scene left the Five-Grains Emperor once again stunned.
Ning Fanâs ability to eat was one thing, more importantly... did they hear wrong?
Did Senior Luoluo just refer to Ning Fan as Sir...
This!
Could it be!
Some new kind of play!
At this rate, this Daoist named Ning sure eats a lot. In no time, he had devoured three portions of tea snacks...
A clever little demon at the side, seeing this scene, quietly asked, "Do you need me to serve more tea snacks for this gentleman..."
"Hmm, serve more for this person, do not neglect our distinguished guest," the eldest among the five emperors, Lord Daox, instructed.
Subsequently, more tea snacks were presented in front of Ning Fan.
Ning Fan, feeling the urgency of hunger, did not hold back at all, eating as much tea snacks as were presented to him.
In no time, he had cleaned out all the tea snacks stored in the teahouse!
Leaving the Five-Grains Emperor utterly dumbfounded.
"Regardless of his cultivation level, just speaking of his appetite, itâs absolutely not inferior to any Quasi-Saint!"
"I wonder, compared to the Great Kun of the Northern Sea, who can eat more..."
Chi Yi felt a bit bored.
She had no interest in eating, but rather, she was intrigued by the small table holding the tea snacks.
Running her palm over the tabletop, feeling the material, tree species, texture, saw path, she inexplicably felt a sense of peace.
"Who made this little table..." Chi Yi murmured softly.
"Haha, the tables and chairs here are all trifles by this old man, made rather crudely, forgive the laughter of the girl," the second-ranked among the Five-Grains Emperors, Lord Shu, replied with a laugh.
As he spoke of his crude work, his face was full of self-satisfaction, clearly confident in his woodworking skills.
"Indeed crude craftsmanship, but I will not laugh, old master need not worry..." Chi Yi sincerely replied.
Her words left Lord Shu red-faced and at a loss for words.
This little Immortal Venerable girl either cannot speak or does not know how to speak, how she could end a conversation so abruptly...
Actually saying my workmanship is crude?
How utterly absurd!
Throughout the Northern Pole Palace, who doesnât know this old man is the foremost craftsman within!
Forget it, not angry, not angry, this old man as an Immortal Emperor Senior, is above bickering with a little Immortal Venerable child.
Let alone this little girl being from Senior Luoluoâs faction.
Lord Shu truly is a gentle elder; in the blink of an eye, he became calm and kindly again.
This young girl clearly doesnât understand the wonders of the tables and chairs heâs crafted.
Well, he likes being a teacher and has no class distinctions. Today, heâll teach this girl about the wonders of woodworking.
"Haha, can the young lady tell which school or sectâs woodworking technique I used to create these tables and chairs?" Lord Shu stroked his beard and said with a smile.
"I donât know, what is woodworking technique?" Chi Yi said blankly.
"Woodworking technique is the craft that a woodworker possesses; from small tables and chairs to large gimmick puppets, all require this technique."
"What is woodworking? What are tables and chairs? What are gimmick puppets? What is technique?" Chi Yi remained puzzled and asked.
"Uh..." Lord Shu was stumped.
He didnât know how to answer.
Was this Immortal Venerable girl deliberately playing games with him?
No, that canât be right.
No matter how arrogant this girl is, she wouldnât openly challenge an Immortal Emperor.
Ah, I see.
This girl asked four questions, and the key is the fourth question.
She is seeking my guidance!
What is technique?
Haha, such a broad topic.
Cultivators spend their lives honing either technique or the Dao; even though I am an Immortal Emperor, I find it difficult to explain what technique is...
After all, the Dao can be spoken of, yet it is not the eternal Dao.
Technique can be spoken of, yet it is not the ultimate technique.
How am I supposed to explain to this young girl?
I have an idea.
Lord Shuâs murky old eyes suddenly brightened, and he pointed to the small wooden table in front of Chi Yi, and said, "This wooden table is technique."
After a pause, seeing that Chi Yi was indeed struck by his words, he chuckled and added, "Technique cannot be conveyed through words, but it can be experienced. By carefully studying this table, you may receive a glimpse and slightly understand the lifetime of technique I have honed."
"Study this table?" Chi Yiâs eyes lit up.
"Yes."
"Is it acceptable to study it in any manner?"
"Of course."
"If I dismantle it, is that okay too..."
"Hahaha! The tables and chairs Iâve made use the Luxx Schoolâs secret mortise and tenon structure. From its appearance, you cannot find the mortise or tenon, even if you want to dismantle it, you canât."
Lord Shu laughed.
He was amused by Chi Yiâs naive words.
If woodworking technique reaches the realm of Immortal Technique, it wouldnât be so easily unraveled. Want to dismantle my tables and chairs? Not to brag, even a Quasi-Saint like Ancestor Luoluo couldnât accomplish that!
Destroying these tables and chairs is easy!
Unraveling their mysteries is difficult!
As Lord Shu was laughing, suddenly all his laughter froze on his face.
Then that laughter turned into surprise, and surprise became shock.
What did Chi Yi do?
With her memory completely lost, how could she understand human etiquette, empty courtesies?
If you say it can be dismantled, then Iâll dismantle it.
She truly dismantled a perfectly good small wooden table into hundreds of small pieces within moments.
"This impossibility! You are not the maker; how could you discern all the connection points of this table at a glance, moreover I have set a layer of mechanical ban on every mortise joint. Without the setter of the ban, even if the mortise joint is found, it cannot be forcefully dismantled; otherwise, the wood will be destroyed..." Lord Shu couldnât comprehend!
He couldnât understand Chi Yiâs method of dismantling the wooden table!
The woodworking technique this girl used to dismantle the table was too profound; he couldnât understand a bit of it.
"So, this wooden table is technique? In that case, this technique isnât much..." Chi Yi shook her head and again, within moments, pieced together the chaotic wooden components scattered on the ground.
But she wasnât reconstructing the previous table.
No one knows how she did it, but she assembled the tableâs parts into a mechanical wooden magpie.
"This, this is... the Luxx Schoolâs lost mechanical technique! Without a doubt! This is definitely a mechanical wooden magpie!" Lord Shu excitedly looked at the mechanical wooden magpie.
Dared not breathe aloud!
As if witnessing a miracle!
"Can this thing... fly?" Lord Shu asked tensely.
"I donât know." Chi Yi replied casually.
She was just assembling randomly for fun; she also didnât know how she ended up creating such a wooden bird.
Seems interesting.
"May I try?" Lord Shuâs tone carried a hint of request, as if he would regret for life if he didnât personally test the mechanical wooden magpie.
"Sure, it originally belongs to you." Chi Yi said casually.
"Thank you!"
Lord Shu excitedly accepted the mechanical wooden magpie, which stood as tall as half a person. But the dignified Immortal Emperor certainly couldnât possibly not be able to carry it.
He placed the mechanical wooden magpie on the ground and searched repeatedly. You ask what he was searching for? He was looking for the secret switch of the mechanical wooden magpie.
Unfortunately, he searched for a long time but still couldnât find the secret switchâs location.
He had to seek guidance from Chi Yi again.
"The switch is here, donât you see? You first open here, then open here, just like this, in this manner, see, isnât this opened?" Chi Yi patiently explained.
But Lord Shu listened in total confusion, with a blank face.
Couldnât understand!
Couldnât understand a word!
The technique Chi Yi used to open the secret switch, he watched the whole process, yet if he were to imitate or demonstrate, he wouldnât even be able to perform the initial step.
Who am I!
Where am I!
What am I doing!
For the first time in his life, Lord Shu doubted himself, wondering if he was a mechanical technique idiot.
The only solace was he finally witnessed the mechanical wooden magpie taking flight!
With Chi Yi activating the secret switch, what looked like a mere ornament suddenly gained life and took off flying!
Itâs not just flying like a marionette!
It has autonomous consciousness!
This is... such miraculous craftsmanship!
This is a divine mechanism that even Lord Shu could not understand in his entire life!
Originally, the conversation between Lord Shu and Chi Yi was only between the two of them.
But when the Gimmick Puppet took off, everyoneâs attention was drawn to it.
Only those who have reached a certain level can understand the incredible feat of this puppet!
Can understand Chi Yiâs extraordinary skills!
Nvluo looked at the Gimmick Puppet in shock, unable to discern the divine mechanism of this puppet, even with his Quasi-Saint eyes.
One must know, this puppet was merely a playful assembly by Chi Yi, with all the parts randomly pieced together from a dismantled table.
Even such a haphazardly assembled puppet, he couldnât understand it in the slightest!
What an incredible feat of mechanical techniques!
"This girl can casually assemble, creating such an incredible feat of a puppet. If she had enough time and materials, what else could she build!"
Nvluo thought fearfully.
Perhaps Chi Yi could mass-produce True Immortal realm puppets.
Or even mass-produce Immortal Venerable, Immortal King puppets.
Or perhaps, even more...
Ning Fan, however, was not too surprised.
When he awakened Chi Yiâs autonomous consciousness, to connect their spirit sense, he used the Reverse Spirit Technique of the True Dragon Race.
Therefore, he saw some fragmented memories of Chi Yi.
Those memories were chaotic, but it was vaguely known that this girlâs name, as well as her teacher being a Saint skilled in mechanical techniques.
As a disciple of a Saint, and holding the Title of Divine Craftsman, being able to create such an extraordinary puppet is not surprising.
While everyone was exclaiming at the miraculous craftsmanship of the puppet, suddenly there was a clamor from outside the palace.
It was the little demons transporting food, they had returned!
Ning Fan turned to look, just in time to see six Demon Giants carrying a large square table, struggling to walk into the palace.
On the table, there was an enormous white-faced longevity peach as big as high mountains.
The white-faced longevity peach, made with mystical ingredients, was glowing, with a fragrance reaching straight to the Immortal Clouds!
Having consumed much giant food before, Ning Fan was just craving some culinary marvel, and the scent of this longevity peach made him swallow with anticipation.
This is exactly what he wanted at the moment!
"Is this made from top-grade mystical ingredients?"
Nvluo was not fooled by the appearance of the white-faced longevity peach, but out of caution, asked.
"Rest assured, Senior. This is indeed made from top-grade mystical ingredients. Allow my brother to elaborate." Lord Daox respectfully replied, signaling with his eyes towards Wheat Lord, ranked fourth.
Wheat Lord nodded, stepped forward, respectfully saluted, and then explained, "This is made primarily from Mount Qi Wheat, using three hundred thousand jin; Dragon Blood Wheat, Cold State Wheat, and Three Heavens Wheat as supplementary ingredients, using fifty thousand jin each; supplemented by various auxiliary ingredients, providing overwhelming consumption! An Immortal King would take hundreds of years to fully consume this longevity peach. For us Immortal Emperors, it might take us ten years to finish it. Even as strong as the Great Kun of the Northern Sea, it would only manage three to five peaches in one meal. Is this item enough to satisfy you, Senior?"
"This item will suffice." Nvluo nodded in satisfaction.
He knew Mount Qi Wheat and also the other supplementary grains, all mystical ingredients that could strengthen oneâs muscle and blood energy.
This item might temporarily relieve Ning Fanâs insatiable appetite.
"This item... Ning Fan probably canât finish it, right?" Chi Yi was a bit worried.
She had never seen Ning Fanâs overwhelming consumption of giant food, only his culinary marvel indulgence, and feared Ning Fan might not handle such a big longevity peach, possibly overeating.
But facts prove that Chi Yiâs worries were entirely unnecessary.
With over four hundred thousand jin worth of ingredients, Ning Fan polished it off in just forty bites.
An average of over ten thousand jin per bite!
And having devoured such a massive peach, his appetite was even more pronounced!
Gurgling sounds!
Itâs the craving finally stirred up!
Itâs a prelude to an overwhelming consumption with all these culinary marvels!
"Impossible..."
Chi Yi gesticulated around her stomach while looking at Ning Fanâs stomach repeatedly.
Unable to understand.
Hard to comprehend.
Ning Fan wasnât much bulkier than her, so where did all that food go...
"It naturally digested instantly." With Mind Reading Technique, how could Ning Fan not know Chi Yiâs bewilderment, so he replied with a smile.
Why smile?
Because he was in good spirits!
Because the longevity peach was such a delectable culinary marvel!
Although the portion was small...
If only there were hundreds of these peaches, that would be a treat.
"Did you just devour the peach like it was nothing???????"
The Five-Grains Emperor was dumbfounded.
The countless clever little demons of the Partridge Head Palace were dumbfounded.
Each looked at Ning Fan as if looking at some mystical creature!
"Is there only this little food?" Nvluo was displeased again.
"There is more, naturally more..." The Five-Grains Emperor breathed a sigh of relief, having prepared extra food just in case, and it came in handy indeed.
Thus, the empty table was carried away by the Demon Giants.
A new table was brought in.
This time, on the table was an enormous pigâs head!
Of course, it wasnât real meat, but made from Eastern Desolate Beans and Sea God Millet ground into powder.
"This item is primarily made from Eastern Desolate Beans, Sea God Millet, forty thousand jin each; supplementary ingredients are Red Beans, White Dragon Grain, Four Directions Grass, ten thousand jin each..."
Lord Shu and Bean Lord were explaining together.
Their explanation was a bit long-winded.
Which led to the result that they hadnât finished speaking when Ning Fan had already polished off the huge pigâs head.
"Serve the next dish!" Nvluo immediately urged.
If each dish were to wait for an explanation, Nvluo worried the Barbaric God would starve.
Thus, the third dish was served, a steaming bowl of Eight Treasures Rice.
Using more than two million jin of top-grade mystical ingredients!
The aroma was enticing!
Soft and delicious!
The food is superb! Ning Fan could tell just by the scent.
But, who could tell him why there were two chopsticks stuck into the Eight Treasures Rice.
Sticking chopsticks like that always looks a bit eerie... Speaking of which, the dishes served earlier were all pig heads and longevity peaches...
While eating, it didnât feel strange, but looking back now, the dishes seemed rather familiar...
Ah, I remember now.
Ning Fan recalled.
When he was just an ordinary mortal, he had seen others holding funeral feasts which seemed to have these dishes.
Never mind...
We cultivators need not mind such mundane taboos.
Letâs eat first!
So, in the blink of an eye, Ning Fan devoured two million catties of Eight Treasures Rice.
Then came the fourth dish, the fifth dish, the sixth dish...
The Five-Grains Emperor was shocked, astonished, his worldview refreshed over and over.
What Ning Fan consumed had long exceeded the food capacity of hundreds of Quasi-Saints, yet he was still not full!
Even the Great Kun of the Northern Sea could not compare with Ning Fan. If the Great Kun was a monster with an astonishing appetite, Ning Fan was the freak among freaks, the freak king!
"My lord, somethingâs wrong! The rice granary is in crisis, three thousand rice granaries have been emptied!"
"Report! The wheat granary is in crisis! The bean granary is in crisis!"
"Report! The millet granary is in crisis! The millet granary is in crisis!"
"Report! There are no grains left in the palace, weâll have to harvest from the fields..."
"Report! All harvestable grains have been collected, and the rest are only seedlings; there isnât a single grain of high-grade Spiritual Valley left in the palace..."
"I wonder if mid-grade or low-grade Spiritual Valley can substitute..."
"Damn it! If itâs mid or low-grade Spiritual Valley, even tens of millions of pounds wouldnât alleviate Ning Fanâs hunger in the slightest. What are we to do..."
The Five-Grains Emperor was already in chaos due to the grain shortage.
And yet, Ning Fanâs stomach was still rumbling endlessly, as if no matter what, it couldnât be sated.
Just as they were troubled about where to find more food, an urgent report came in.
The Five-Grains Emperor thought it was another report about the shortage, but after reading it, his face changed dramatically!
This time, it was a battle report!
The Five-Grains Emperor set the report down, rushed out of the palace, and soared into the sky, casting his gaze far into the distance, seeing black clouds covering the sky in the direction of Sacrificial Altar Mountain!
No, those werenât black clouds, no...
Those were locust demons covering the sky, attacking Sacrificial Altar Mountain!
Sacrificial Altar Mountain is the core site of Partridge Head Palace, a sacrificial mountain personally established by Ziwei Lord in the past!
"This is impossible! We clearly havenât left Partridge Head Palace, and with us five Emperors guarding the palace, those locust demons couldnât possibly break the seal no matter what powers they have!"
"How did they get out!"
"Could it be that Fire Fish Immortalâs berserk rage disturbed the foundations of the Northern Constellation Palaces, allowing those locust demons the chance to break the seal?"
"These locust demons must be planning to steal the offerings in the mountain!"
"Should we go stop them, or just watch these locust demons consume the offerings and throw themselves into peril..."
"Since these locust demons are courting death themselves, let them be..."
"But we mustnât be too careless; if these locust demons suffer in Sacrificial Altar Mountain, they might immediately turn around and come after us next."
"We might not be able to avoid a great battle after all..."
"Ah, truly a troublesome season, first Fire Fish Immortal goes berserk, then Nvluo visits, and now thereâs a locust demon uprising..."
As the Five-Grains Emperor lamented, he suddenly saw a streak of light shooting through the sky, heading straight for Sacrificial Altar Mountain.
It was Ning Fan!
"Such strong mana aura! This personâs mana is comparable to a Quasi-Saint!"
"Truly not an ordinary Immortal King!"
"I had guessed from his astonishing appetite that he wasnât an ordinary Immortal King, but I didnât expect him to be this powerful!"
"Is Ning Fan planning to aid Sacrificial Altar Mountain!"
"Could it be that after consuming all our stores of food, heâs feeling guilty and intends to drive away the locust demons to repay us?"
"Truly a gentleman! He refuses to take advantage of us at all!"
"Since Ning Fan is a guest from afar, how can we let him face these endless locust demons alone? Letâs also join the battle!"
"Hahaha! Letâs go together!"
The Five-Grains Emperor was filled with heroic spirit, following closely behind Ning Fan, rushing towards Sacrificial Altar Mountain.
As for Nvluo and Chi Yi, they didnât follow along.
Because before Ning Fan left, he instructed them with a sentence.
"Wait here for a while, Iâm going to find some meat, and Iâll be back soon."
This was a command from the Barbarian God, and Nvluo dared not disobey, leaving her with no choice but to wait here.
As for Chi Yi, from the depths of his heart, he also dared not defy the Barbarian Godâs command and obediently complied.
The Five-Grains Emperor thought Ning Fan had gone to kill locusts to repay a favor, but little did he know Ning Fan had merely gone out searching for meat.
Too much fish makes one crave grains.
Too much grain makes one crave meat.
Greedy indeed, this is the case here.
Or perhaps in Ning Fanâs heart, there did indeed linger a bit of a debt of gratitude he intended to repay...
"Fight alongside Senior Ning!"
"How can we say thereâs no food, letâs slay the locusts together!"
"How can we say thereâs no food, letâs slay the locusts together!"
"Slay the locusts!"
"Slay the locusts!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
The little demons of Partridge Head Palace, long oppressed by the locust demons, were roused to boiling point by Ning Fanâs charge to Sacrificial Altar Mountain.
Countless little demons shouted slogans, boiling with enthusiasm, and followed closely behind the Five-Grains Emperor, flying towards Sacrificial Altar Mountain!
"Why are these people following along too..." Ning Fan, in flight, swept his spirit sense behind him, and was left speechless.
Were these people also craving meat like him...