"Go somewhere?"
"The Primordial Great World is boundless, nurturing countless worlds. It was created by Father God when he split apart heaven and earth, and merit has illuminated countless ages. What magnificent grandeur! I, Houtu, control the laws of the earth and know the vastness of heaven and earth. How could I not know that there was another mysterious place?"
Houtu was very curious. Her bright eyes were kind and broad, as if she wanted to see through Chen Xuan. This brat, who could be blown to death with a single breath, was actually impossible to see through...
"The world is vast and mysterious. How could you possibly see through every secret? If you don't trust me, at least trust Great God Nuwa..." Chen Xuan tried a little harder without revealing too much.
The fewer people who knew the secrets of later generations, the better...
He definitely had to bring Houtu back to the countryside to help plow the fields...
"I'll consider it first. The Witch Clan is still very weak right now. I can't bear to part with my ten elder brothers and one younger sister. They've truly given me a great deal to worry about..." Houtu sighed.
"It's fine." Chen Xuan nodded, indicating that he understood completely. The Twelve Ancestral Witches all had different personalities and often got into little disagreements. Most of the time, Houtu had to step in and mediate...
With the current strength of the Twelve Ancestral Witches, and the assistance of the divine palace, they were probably at the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm. They had no primordial spirits and could only cultivate their physical bodies. Fortunately, they possessed innate divine abilities...
"Great God Nuwa... I want to eat Dragon Meat. How about having a barbecue?"
Chen Xuan changed the subject and looked toward the mountains and rivers. Outside the pavilion flowed a river, surrounded by lush green mountains. Demon beasts roared everywhere, most of them lacking spiritual intelligence.
Only a small portion belonged to the Demonic Race. Before Eastern Emperor Taiyi, Di Jun, and the other Demon Emperors established the Heavenly Court, the concept of the demon race did not yet exist...
"Sure... It would be even better if we had some good dipping sauce." Great God Nuwa's eyes lit up. What she would remember most fondly from later generations was their delicious cuisine.
"You handle the Dragon Meat. I'll look around nearby and see if I can find some ingredients." Chen Xuan was also curious. Did the Primordial Great World have any barbecue seasonings?
Woof, woof, woof...
Big Yellow had spiritual intelligence, so he naturally eagerly followed along...
"Heh heh... I'll help too. Let's look together." Duobao rolled around a few times before following.
Nuwa did not remain idle. She took out a massive Five-Clawed Golden Dragon and began carving it up, conveniently drawing away most of its spiritual power so that it would be suitable for the weaker ones to eat...
"Little Wa... Is this barbecue really that delicious?" Fuxi asked, puzzled. Innate Gods generally ate spirit fruits and never touched such trash. They rarely ate anything at all.
"Our Witch Clan mainly cultivates the physical body. We usually drink spirit spring water and eat various spirit fruits. We rarely eat beast meat because it's too fishy and difficult to swallow..." Houtu was also full of disdain.
"You don't partake of the pleasures of the mortal world, so naturally you don't know..." Nuwa waved one hand, and the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon was dismembered. She condensed a stream of the Power of Creation and drew out a large amount of its nourishment. A mortal would burst if they ate even a drop of its blood. Even an immortal could not eat more than a few bites without first purifying some of its power.
Soon, row after row of cleaned Dragon Meat was hung along the riverbank. A pile of firewood was lit, and smoke curled into the air. It looked just like a little riverside household, peaceful and leisurely...
About half an hour later...
One man, one dog, and one mouse finally returned...
"We didn't disappoint. We found pepper, angelica dahurica, star anise, perilla, and some mineral salt. I never imagined they already existed in the Primordial era. It's truly incredible..."
Chen Xuan was genuinely surprised. Looking through the history of later generations, pepper had come from the west. It was a form of Traditional Chinese Medicine before later becoming a seasoning.
"The Primordial Great World is the origin of all things. It isn't strange for them to exist. But aren't your pepper, star anise, and angelica dahurica a little too large? They're practically the size of fists!"
Nuwa had watched Chen Xuan cook and was familiar with some seasonings. If she had not been a Grand Unity Golden Immortal, she would have wondered whether eating them would poison her.
"It's fine... They've all been altered by the passage of time, so some strangeness is normal. Corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes... Which one wasn't improved through science? They didn't become high-yield crops overnight."
Chen Xuan explained as he crushed the seasonings with one hand, spread the powder over the Dragon Meat, and began marinating it.
Houtu watched without blinking, utterly amazed. The Witch Clan did not eat much meat. When they did, they generally ate it raw, drinking blood and eating flesh. They had yet to begin roasting meat. It was as if he had opened an entirely new window for her...
"This is barbecue? Why does it look so ordinary..." Houtu looked at the large chunks of meat. It seemed overly complicated to her. It would be better to eat them directly.
"You'll know in a moment..." Chen Xuan gave a mysterious smile.
Half an hour later...
The marinated Dragon Meat was placed over the fire by Chen Xuan. The flames seared it, and fat began to sizzle. It truly was meat of the highest quality in the Primordial Great World. Before long, its fragrance spread everywhere.
"Culinary arts are broad and profound. Barbecue is all about the seasonings, while fire is merely an aid. An experienced master can easily judge when the meat is done. Just looking at it makes me want to eat..."
"Of course, there's a prerequisite. The simplest food must have an authentic flavor, using a simple cooking method..."
Chen Xuan explained as he roasted the meat.
"How... how is this possible? I never thought of using fire to roast meat before. I always thought meat was meant to be eaten raw." Houtu was stunned...
"Sister Houtu... You're wrong! We don't need to eat. Breathing in wind and drinking dew is enough. Looking at this delicious food, don't you feel that you've wasted countless years?" Nuwa teased.
"Hmph... You can boast all you like. We'll see how it tastes!" Houtu harrumphed arrogantly.
Fuxi stood to the side and watched. The fragrance filled his nose and stirred his appetite. It truly was delicious food. The enjoyment of later generations made him yearn for them...
"Come... Have a taste." Chen Xuan took a large piece of meat and gave some to Nuwa and Houtu first, then distributed it to everyone one by one...
Houtu looked at the sizzling, fragrant barbecue and could not resist taking a bite. Her beautiful eyes widened instantly as an entirely new flavor danced across her taste buds...
"This... This is too delicious..." Houtu exclaimed, devouring the meat in large bites.
"It's excellent... Dragon Meat truly is a peerless delicacy." Nuwa was not polite either.
"I feel as though I've wasted countless years too..." Fuxi sighed in admiration.
Woof, woof, woof...
Big Yellow and Duobao were not polite at all. They began eating wildly, afraid that someone else would snatch the food away. The rich, delicious flavor filled their mouths and flowed through every limb and bone, nourishing them intensely.
"It's so delicious..." Houtu took another piece of Dragon Meat and ate it in great, thoroughly un-immortal bites. She looked warmly at Chen Xuan and asked, "Could you teach me? This is definitely the first delicacy in the Primordial Great World..."
"No problem... Besides barbecue, I also know steaming, frying, braising, smoking, poaching, raw meat... There are countless cooking methods. I'll teach them all to you. I guarantee that everyone in this culinary wasteland called the Primordial Great World will be able to enjoy delicious food..."
Chen Xuan was very generous. He had truly achieved the opposite of what he intended. A single barbecue had already made Houtu so enthusiastic. Could one meal really be enough to bring a goddess to the later generations?
"I'll listen to you... Just teach me how to barbecue. It's truly delicious." Houtu ate another piece of meat, completely unconcerned about gaining weight. The advantages of being a goddess were something mortals could only dream of.
Rumble...
Suddenly, a disturbance erupted in the sky. Echoes resounded in all directions as a wave of golden light descended from beyond the nine heavens and poured toward the earth, shocking the entire Primordial Great World.
"The Power of Merit? Who has created something else for the Primordial World, causing merit to descend once again..."
"Ever since Pangu Creates the Heavens, every descent of great merit has meant that something of immense benefit to the Primordial World has been created. It has descended again after such a short time. What kind of divine being is responsible..."
"Look over there! It seems to be twelve physical cultivators who call themselves the descendants of the Pangu Bloodline..."
Throughout the Primordial Great World, whether on the sun or within the moon, including the Endless Sea of Blood and the various immortal mountains, one figure after another stared in shock at the descending golden light of merit.
Every one of them performed divinations, yet none could deduce anything about the people involved. During the early stages of the tribulation, the heavenly secrets were in chaos. Even Hongjun and Luohu could not glimpse the cause and effect.
Of this golden light of merit, seventy percent descended upon Chen Xuan, twenty percent upon Nuwa, and the final ten percent upon Houtu, Fuxi, Big Yellow, Duobao, and the others...
"What... We only had a barbecue, and merit descended from heaven? Isn't that a little too generous?" Nuwa was stunned...
"Have you forgotten Suirenshi?" Chen Xuan immediately thought of someone.
"I almost forgot him. Suirenshi drilled wood to make fire, allowing humanity to stop eating raw meat and drinking blood. That advanced civilization by a major step and earned immeasurable merit. He became an Innate Human Emperor and was also the foremost of the Three Innate Emperors..."
"What... This is the merit of your ancestor. Don't you have any shame?"
Nuwa looked at Chen Xuan with deep disdain.
Before you continue