But within the soul, the pages of the Book of Fate were constantly turning.
Constantly maintaining Huai Shi's consciousness and all his memories intact. Like a grand competition of deletion and input. Every time the divine nature erased a line, the Book of Fate would rewrite that line, rapidly filling in Huai Shi's persona and history.
The remnants of the Heavenly Kingdom firmly safeguarded that flickering spark of humanity, preventing it from being extinguished under the solemn divine nature.
And that already excessively complete divine nature solemnly operated within Huai Shi's soul, stripping away all human weaknesses.
What remained was an almost non-human clarity.
A majestic light burst forth from Huai Shi's eyes.
No sadness or joy.
It was at this moment that he realized... he had lost emotions?
Anger, love, sorrow, pieta, and hatred...
The weapons that lay dormant within the soul had already vanished without a trace, because their source no longer existed within Huai Shi's consciousness. At this moment, he had already ascended to overlook the mortal realm as a demigod.
Even if it was only the moon in the mirror, the flower in the water, a fleeting illusion of prosperity.
In front of him, Guo ShouQue smiled benevolently, folded his hands, and offered his own praise and prayers.
As if from the bottom of his heart, hoping Huai Shi was okay.
"Soon, you will be completed, Miss Huaizhi."
He spoke gently, full of hope and expectancy: "Then, I will offer you sustenance."
Yet no matter how gentle the demeanor, it could not hide... the malevolent intent concealed beneath that smile, nearly filling all of Hell!
Joy.
An indescribable joy.
Schadenfreude, hitting a person when they're down, slander, rumors, betrayal, murder, deceit... All these primal darkness seemed to ignite in his dark eyes, burning vigorously.
He said, "After this, it's your turn."
Huai Shi felt more clear-minded than ever.
As if drinking the Raven's potion of regret, entering a mechanical state of mind even more thorough, dealing calmly with everything in front of him.
Enduring the endless divine nature's erosion deep within the soul...
But it did not matter.
Even though the desire for this impulse had disappeared, the plan would not change, he knew he was steadily progressing towards the path of victory.
If dealt unexpected heavy blows, then, it's time to turn the tides in the next round, reclaim the advantage!
This round's defeat wasn't in vain; it was through testing, that precious information about the opponent was found.
Huai Shi looked at the opponent in front calmly and asked: "Guo ShouQue, are you afraid of loneliness?"
"Yes, indeed, I am very afraid."
Guo ShouQue nodded without any concealment: "I fear my skills being buried in dust, even more, I fear being forgotten by people... at my age, I should have seen through it all, but unexpectedly, I possess a profound wickedness."
This man bathed in the shadows of the Abyss opened his mouth, revealing sharp teeth, his smile twisted:
"Miss Huaizhi, to catch the eye, to prove my strength—just to make myself a bit less lonely, I would do anything.
Realizing this, your boasting indeed wasn't groundless, so... what's the next dish? Where did the recipe come from, what malice did it integrate, and what result will it produce?"
"The next one... let me think, something with enough calories."
Huai Shi rolled up his sleeves and calmly said: "Some things that can make people enthusiastic."
Just like that, he emptied a bucket full of fuel into the deep fryer.
The silver-white liquid resembled mercury, smooth, reflecting every detail on the face, from the cold metallic light, it was impossible to tell just how terrifying the heat was brewing within.
This was metal fuel transformed and enhanced by a Great Grandmaster, already reborn as the Wrath of Ramses!
Every drop of it was an insidious liquid fuel that could burn through marrow upon contact, now the heat contained in the fryer was sufficient for an aircraft to ascend the sky, conducting long-duration offensive sweeps and cruises.
Next, amidst the flowing thick batter, heavy parts and mechanical fragments fell into it, after being coated with a sticky medium, they appeared more presentable.
Iron, absolutely unusable by humans, was tenderly clad in a sugary coating, as the mercury-like metallic fuel began to slowly move and gradually heat up, it was thrown into the fryer.
Welcoming the tempering and rebirth.
Is this metallurgy or cooking? No one could discern the boundary.
But when the sound of steel ringing erupted, Kujikane in the audience bit his teeth in humiliation, widened his eyes, staring intently at the wilderness phantom rising within.
Unwilling to admit, but forced to admit.
This was industrial cooking already surpassing his level, entering a new phase, a new realm, a new path!
In the icy light without warmth, a deathly silent phantom of Hell slowly emerged.
After millennia of decay, the Town of Dusk again revealed its deranged outline, injecting the essence of Hell into this disaster cuisine.
Guo ShouQue's pupils were illuminated by that light, seeming to shimmer.
"Marvelous, marvelous... such a decadent form, truly intoxicating!" He examined Huai Shi's appearance and smiled as he asked, "But, merely a shell, isn't it? How will you, devoid of all emotions now, use your best skills to imbue it with soul, your Source Substance and will?"
What to do with lost emotions?
Isn't it very simple?
At that moment, Huai Shi's mouth seemed to twitch, curling into a faint arc.
——Just forge emotions anew, and it's done?