191: Mysterious creature

Lin Luo leaped down, landing lightly on an ozone grass leaf. A strong, pungent odor rushed toward him instantly, and he wrinkled his nose: "A natural insecticide, huh? No wonder there isn't even a single bug nearby."

Erina slid down the rope ladder he had set up, and it was only when she stood close that she truly felt the enormity of this plant.

It stood towering like a green mountain peak; only the endless cloud soil and nourishment of this Sky Vegetable Garden could give birth to such a miracle.

"The outer layer isn't edible," Lin Luo said, tapping the thick, hard leaf. "It's tough and the taste is too strong." He tried punching it a few times with his strength, but only left shallow marks on the surface.

"The real ozone grass is protected in the very center," Erina said, gazing at the layered leaf structure with a focused look. "We need to peel back these protections in a specific order."

"Alright, I'll do it!" Lin Luo was eager to try.

"Wait—" A strange sense of unease suddenly flashed through Erina's heart, as if a voice were stopping her. But Lin Luo moved faster; he had already grabbed a leaf and pulled hard—

Rip!

The leaf peeled away at his touch.

At that exact moment, the entire massive ozone grass plant shuddered violently. Then, at a speed visible to the naked eye, it rapidly withered, rotted, and shrank, finally turning into a dull seed lying quietly on the cloud soil, leaving behind only a strong stench of rot that permeated the air.

"Cough, cough... it stinks!" Lin Luo covered his nose, looking bewildered. "What happened? Why did it... rot?"

Erina sighed, her suspicion confirmed. "ozone grass is an extremely special cooking ingredient; the order in which the leaves are peeled is crucial. If it's wrong, it immediately self-decomposes... I didn't expect to see it in person; it's faster and more thorough than I imagined."

"You knew, and you still let me mess around?" Lin Luo didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Erina turned her face away slightly, her ears turning a bit red. "If I didn't try it myself, how would I know if the legends were true..." She then straightened up and said seriously, "However, I have a lead now. Follow me. This time... I need your cooperation."

The two quickly crossed a cloud slope, and a more spectacular sight suddenly appeared before them—dozens of giant ozone grass plants loomed in the clouds, each over ten meters tall, like a silent green forest.

They climbed onto another one. Erina closed her eyes and concentrated, her fingertips lightly brushing over different leaves as if listening to a silent whisper. After a moment, she opened her eyes, her gaze clear. "Grab this one." She pointed to a leaf near her hand and then to another on the opposite side. "You grab that one. On my command, pull at the same time."

"One, two... pull!"

Rip!

The leaves fell. The ozone grass shuddered again and instantly rotted into a seed.

"Not right..." Erina was undeterred and immediately turned to the next one. "Again!"

Trial after trial, failure after failure. The stench of rot drifted through the clouds, and seeds were scattered all over the ground. Though Lin Luo was confused, he followed her instructions perfectly, synchronized with precision.

Until they climbed the seventh plant.

Erina's hand moved between different leaves, her brow furrowed slightly as she seemed to discern extremely subtle differences. Finally, she selected two: "Here, and there. Are you ready?"

Lin Luo's hands firmly gripped the edges of the leaves.

"Three, two, one... pull!"

Rip—!

The two thick leaves were peeled away simultaneously, the movement incredibly smooth. The ozone grass swayed slightly, but it did not rot! A clear juice seeped from the break in the leaves, emitting a completely different, fresh, and crisp fragrance.

"It worked!" Lin Luo said in surprise. "Erina, you're amazing!"

Erina let out a soft breath, fine sweat already on her forehead. "I seem to be able to feel... its 'emotions'. When I get close, some leaves send a feeling of rejection, while others are 'calling' to be touched. If the leaf in your hand isn't peeled at the same time as mine, it will also refuse, leading to failure." Her eyes shone with the light of enlightenment. "Perhaps this is what my teacher once said... listening to the voice of the ingredients."

"Top chefs can sense the 'mood' of ingredients. Erina, you're getting more and more incredible," Lin Luo marveled.

"It's still just a vague feeling right now," Erina smiled helplessly, but the feeling was becoming clearer and clearer.

Guided by this mysterious perception, the cooperation between the two became more and more tacit. Layer after layer of thick, tough protective leaves were peeled away simultaneously in an orderly manner, gradually approaching the core.

After an unknown amount of time, the complex 'armor' finally had only two pieces left.

Erina's breathing was slightly hurried; the long period of high concentration and physical exertion had left her somewhat exhausted, but her eyes remained bright.

"The last two pieces!" Lin Luo's voice carried an irrepressible excitement. Protected by so many layers, what kind of ultimate delicacy would the interior be?

"Three, two, one... rip!"

The two exerted force at the same time, and the last two leaves opened!

Splash—!

Cool droplets of water suddenly burst from the opening gap, showering their faces with an indescribable, life-filled fresh scent.

Lin Luo wiped the water droplets from his face and looked closely—

He finally saw the true form of the ozone grass.

At first glance, it looked like an enormous, succulent tongue, curled up cutely. Then, the 'tip of the tongue' trembled slightly and slowly unfurled. More crystal-clear juice flowed and splashed out, like the manifestation of a sudden burst of inspiration.

The flesh was translucent and incredibly delicate. The fine veins on the leaves glowed slightly, like twinkling stars or the curious blinking eyes of countless spirits. Listening closely, one could almost catch the slow, powerful pulse of the leaf itself, brimming with vitality.

This was the essence of the Sky Vegetable Garden, born from the pure sunlight that pierced the clouds and the mineral-rich cloud soil ash, having undergone layers of rigorous selection and protection.

However strong the pungent smell of the leaves that wrapped it had been, it now gave back an exceptionally pure, fresh, and surging fragrance.

Just by revealing its true form, this ozone grass had already proven itself worthy of the title of King of Cloud Vegetables.

"So beautiful..." Erina sighed softly, her purple eyes reflecting the dancing light and flawless texture. She reached out, her fingertips about to touch the dreamlike flesh.

And Lin Luo couldn't help but swallow his saliva.

Erina reached out her hand, gently stopping Lin Luo. "Wait, the way to eat ozone grass is also very special—you must take two bites at the same time."

"Bite at the same time?" Lin Luo was surprised at first, then realized, his eyes glowing with heat. "I see... this can be called an 'Ingredient of Bonds'. Alright, just like peeling the leaves, let's do it together!"

The two approached the unfurled, succulent, and translucent core of the ozone grass and found their positions.

"Three, two, one... bite!"

Almost at the same instant, the two opened their mouths and bit down together.

Crunch.

A crisp breaking sound was accompanied by an ultimate springy texture. Lin Luo's eyes suddenly widened—

What an intense eating sensation!

With a light bite, there was an amazing elasticity; with a little more force, the firm fibers burst between the teeth. The subtle vibrations were clearly transmitted to the upper and lower jaws, bringing an intoxicating rhythm of chewing.

What followed was an explosion of indescribable refreshment and sweetness, mixed with a hint of perfectly balanced, non-offensive bitterness. The complex and harmonious flavors rippled through the mouth in layers, instantly capturing all the senses.

The King of Vegetables, truly deserving of the name!

Gulp... The food slid down the esophagus, and a warm, majestic power immediately rose from the stomach, flowing into every limb and bone.

Thump, thump... A soft, translucent light naturally emanated from Lin Luo's body, as if he were being lit from within.

The exhaustion from the previous fierce battles and the Soul contract—both physical and Mental Energy—was rapidly replenished and repaired within this light.

Behind him, eight feet's phantom appeared soundlessly. Her lively eyes first quietly watched Lin Luo for a moment, then slowly turned toward Erina, lingering on her before nodding slightly, and then quietly dissipating like mist.

Boom—!

While the two were intoxicated, a low sonic boom that shook the clouds suddenly exploded from behind them, making even the thick cloud soil beneath their feet tremble.

Lin Luo was instantly jolted awake from the intoxication of the delicious food. He turned his head sharply, his expression immediately darkening.

It was a figure covered in short black fur, about three meters tall, wearing a crude animal skin skirt on its lower body and a necklace made of bleached white animal bones around its neck.

Its head was small, and its snout was sharp and protruding; its appearance was sixty to seventy percent similar to the gt robot developed by the Gourmet Association.

But Lin Luo knew clearly—the guy in front of him was alive, a real, flesh-and-blood creature. Moreover, it was far more oppressive than a cold machine.

For someone whose strength had reached a certain level, they could more keenly perceive the abyss-like, profound, and terrifying aura it naturally radiated.

He instinctively swept his Divine Sense toward it, but it was like crashing into an invisible quagmire, instantly swallowed and blocked out.

Lin Luo's heart skipped a beat.

Of the existences capable of passively blocking Divine Sense probes, all those he had encountered so far were powerhouses who actively released the will of their Gourmet Devil.

Yet this creature in front of him clearly hadn't done anything, but his Divine Sense probe was like a stone sinking into the ocean.

He immediately pulled Erina to his side, shielding her behind him, and stared solemnly at this uninvited guest, his muscles quietly tensing up.

However, unexpectedly, the mysterious creature seemed to have no interest in the two of them. It walked straight between them with steady steps, went to the peeled ozone grass, and crouched down.

In the next second, it lowered its head, its long, sharp mouth opening and closing at a speed difficult for the eye to catch—

Swoosh!

"So fast!" Lin Luo's pupils constricted. "It took two bites almost at the same instant!" This creature actually knew the rule for eating ozone grass.

But what stunned him even more was that the ozone grass flesh, which he and Erina had regarded as a precious, peerless delicacy, was chewed twice by this creature and then spat out with a "ptui" onto the cloud soil, discarded like rotting trash with undisguised disdain.

Whoosh!

While an afterimage still remained in place, the mysterious creature had appeared before Lin Luo without warning, so close that he could almost feel the pressure of the profound aura coming from it.

Erina was so scared her breath hitched, and she instinctively gripped the corner of Lin Luo's clothes tightly.

Lin Luo's brow was tightly furrowed as he shielded Erina further behind him, saying in a deep voice, " I didn't provoke you, did I? What do you want to do?"

He wasn't afraid of the other's unfathomable aura; if it came to a life-and-death struggle, he had his own trump cards. It was just that this creature's behavior was too bizarre.

"...Strange."

A hoarse, dry voice, like the friction of rusted iron or the snapping of rotten wood, squeezed out of its long, sharp mouth in fragments. It was as if it hadn't used language for far too long.

Lin Luo was startled.

Bang—!!!

Without any warning, it was faster than the limits of visual perception!

A heavy punch slammed squarely into Lin Luo's abdomen.

"Pfft—!" Lin Luo's eyes bulged out, and a mouthful of blood mixed with organ fragments sprayed out. All his defenses shattered like paper in that instant.

"Ah—!"

The intense pain and massive force sent him flying like a broken sack. His body turned into a blurred afterimage, piercing through several massive ozone grass plants in a row, smashing through the cloud slope all the way, and finally disappearing into the vast sea of clouds at the end of Erina's vision.

Everything happened too fast, in the blink of an eye.

Erina couldn't even see how the creature had attacked. She only felt a blur before her eyes, and Lin Luo beside her had disappeared, leaving only a mist of blood and a pungent bloody smell in the air.

Time seemed to freeze for a second.

"Lin... Luo?"

She called out blankly, and then, immense fear and panic washed over her like ice water, instantly overwhelming her.

"Lin Luo—!!!"

Her shrill cry suddenly tore through the silence of the Sky Vegetable Garden, carrying endless terror and despair as it echoed helplessly through the empty clouds.

The mysterious creature slowly turned its head, its long, sharp skull tilting slightly toward Erina, its hollow eye sockets seemingly "glancing" at her.

There was no emotion in that gaze, only a bottomless indifference, as if she were no different from a pebble on the side of the road.

Seemingly having no interest in her, it allowed Erina to stumble and rush toward the direction where Lin Luo had disappeared, without stopping her.

Swoosh!

The mysterious creature disappeared from the Sky Vegetable Garden, leaving behind only the trampled ozone grass and scattered seeds.