Wait a minute, where is my master?

The tremendous explosion slowed the footsteps of the strange creatures emerging from Elder Lin's forest.

Seizing the opportunity,

Jin Xu enveloped the surrounding twenty meters with a Golden Spiritual Power Shield to prevent any more peculiar creatures from taking up residence.

As the dense fog gradually dispersed,

the aroma of crispy pork belly and the fresh sweetness of seafood became increasingly intense in the air.

The little Taoist looked towards the location where the fire-roasted pig had been and to his amazement, the enormous animal had vanished.

The once moist ground had been charred over a large area, revealing a crater about three meters deep.

Inside the pit lay half of a shrimp-like creature, emitting puffs of steam and the fresh scent of seafood.

It seemed that this creature was the culprit behind the mysterious fog.

Jin Xu pinched his brow, recalling the scene he had observed with his Spiritual Sense just before the explosion.

This shrimp-like creature was one of the three beings that had rushed out of Elder Lin's woods first.

"It appears it wanted to ambush the wild boar and enjoy the prey all to itself, burrowing underground for the attack. Unfortunately, it coincided with the boar's body amassing a powerful Fire Attribute Spiritual Power. Although the ambush was successful, did it get killed in the explosion?"

"However, when the explosion happened, it seemed as though something strange scattered in all directions, hiss..."

Engrossed in thought, the little Taoist stepped to the edge of the pit.

Looking down at the two-meter-long half of the shrimp's body, he couldn't help but swallow.

Ahem, the circumstances weren't quite right.

Nevertheless, the irresistible seafood fragrance emanating from the shrimp creature was just too enticing.

"Temple master, look at this!"

No sooner had Jin Xu restrained himself from swallowing his saliva than he heard Little White's excited call.

He turned his head and saw that the latter was holding a half-eaten pork leg, glistening golden and oozing with oil!

"Little White, did you bring this from Sae Island?"

The little Taoist's tone carried a hint of surprise.

Actually, there was another thought in his mind, so absurd that he instinctively wanted to dismiss it.

"No, temple master. This thing just flew over after the explosion, and I caught it," replied Little White.

With the Golden Shield on her head, the husky couldn't smell the fragrance of the pork knuckle in her hand, but that didn't stop her from drooling over the golden-colored pork hock.

Meanwhile, Yu Yaoer ran to a spot at the edge of the Spiritual Power Shield.

After fiddling around on the ground for a while, she actually picked up a long strip of crispy pork belly, still steaming hot!

"Young master, look!"

During her enthusiastic approach, Little Fish Demon carried the fragrant, vibrantly colored crispy pork belly.

Seeing this scene, Jin Xu's astonishment grew deeper.

His mind told him that such an outrageous thing should not be possible. Yet his nose confirmed that the rich aroma of the crispy pork belly in the air was indeed contributed to by this piece of meat.

He shook his head gently.

The little Taoist then turned his gaze to the Age Chicken, implying it should explain what these three creatures were.

"Cluck-cluck-da!"

"Cluck-cluck-da!"

Little Hong called out excitedly twice, then strutted over with pride.

Without waiting for Jin Xu to speak, Little White, holding the pork hock, excitedly ran over and translated,

"Temple master, Little Hong says that wild boar is known as Fire Roast. It has low intelligence but its meat is exquisitely succulent. It is usually found living amidst dense aromatic shrubs and is an omnivorous creature.

"Its body contains a fire sac, and when extremely angry, enduring external forces might cause it to explode.

"And the power of the explosion is just enough to cook itself through. Plus, it usually lives among spice forests, so its body is likely covered in various flavors of spices. Therefore, after the explosion, it becomes a naturally prepared delicacy.

"Because of such habits, there are quite a few creatures with spiritual intelligence in its hometown who would deliberately provoke it to anger, and then apply an external force to make it burst."

The little Taoist paused in surprise.

Well, that pig leg and crispy skin belly pork were really from that wild boar just now.

He had observed with his Spiritual Sense the things scattered about during the explosion. He hadn't seen wrong; it was indeed ready-to-eat gourmet food!?

"This..."

Jin Xu opened his mouth, feeling that his vocabulary was somewhat lacking.

He had thought the various rare and exotic beasts from Little Hong's hometown would all be flavorful, each with distinctive features and strengths.

But he had never imagined encountering one that could turn itself into a dish.

If all the rare and exotic beasts in this small world were like that, then there wouldn't even be a need for a chef.

The way this creature was structured was just too thoughtful.

The Age Chicken, sensing the little Taoist's thoughts, clucked again and had Little White translate.

"temple master, Little Hong says that in his hometown's small world, only the Fire-roasted Pig turns itself into a dish. Also, may he have a taste of the crispy belly pork that Little Fish Demon is holding? He says it's been a long time since he last tasted it."

"..."

After hearing this, Jin Xu waved his hand to signify Yu Yaoer to hand over the crispy skin belly pork to the other party.

Along the way, he considerately used the "Body Purification Skill" to clean off the mud and grass from it.

Little Hong finally got to taste the long-missed flavor of his hometown.

The little Taoist leaned over and continued peering into the big hole, "That mantis shrimp in the pit..."

"Ko ko da."

"temple master, Little Hong says this creature should live in water, and he doesn't recognize it. Moreover, he infers that it seldom comes onto land and probably doesn't recognize the Fire-roasted Pig, or its spiritual intelligence is very low. Otherwise, any creature that understands the nature of another would not directly collide with it when the Fire-roasted Pig is gathering its strength," Little White mentioned contentedly after sharing the crispy pork belly with the Age Chicken, stuffing a bite into its mouth before translating.

After listening, a hint of surprise appeared in Jin Xu's eyes.

He had previously asked the Age Chicken how their tribe managed to identify species within the small world while staying within special tribal lands to avoid the disasters caused by their unique fragrances. What was their secret?

The answer was...

Because for generations, various spirits and creatures had hunted the Age Chicken tribe due to their peculiar scent.

As a result, their ancestors left behind a list known as the "Death Note."

It detailed all the creatures that had eaten members of the Age Chicken tribe, with accurate descriptions of their features and habits.

According to their ancestors, with this list, the survival rate of the Age Chicken tribe in the wild would significantly increase.

Even if they couldn't escape and were to be eaten, at least they could choose a less painful way to go.

"Now that Little Hong says he doesn't recognize this creature that looks like a mantis shrimp, it's likely that this one hasn't made it into their list," Jin Xu pondered as he lightly leapt into the pit before him.

Yu Yaoer followed closely, jumping down as well. Then they both carefully examined the now-cooked half of the mantis shrimp.

Moments later.

"Young master, I think I recognize this creature, but its upper half is missing, so I'm not completely sure," Yu Yaoer noted.

——————

Meanwhile.

The Ancestor of the Kunlun Immortal Palace, Elder Lin, had finally arrived above Sae Island.