Winal led the group down the hallway. Using the map that had been created by the Ice Spies earlier, he navigated his way through the winding corridors of the Crimson Gold Sect. Thankfully, they were empty. Majority of the members were outside fighting against the troops of Tentative Camp.

It was just a guess, but Gary Stew was most likely back at his private kitchen. Whether the two young masters were there as well, only time would tell.

The corpses of cultivator guards that guarded the path from the lotus flower-shaped yard to the gate of the sect were gone. Only small red stains remained.

As they entered the yard, a chorus of 'oohs' and 'ahs' escaped from Gus' mouth. His eyes glistened bright, dazzled by the beautiful tree in the center of the courtyard. Even Uchronia couldn't help but admire the splendor of the burning tree constantly being assaulted by lightning from the heavens.

However, she had the restraint not to investigate further. Gus did not. He started drifting toward the tree like a moth to a flame.

"Wait, Gus!" Uchronia hissed. "If you don't follow us, no more treats for you."

Gus paused mid-step, eyes locked onto the radiant piece of nature. "But… pretty tree."

"But, treats."

"Okay, fine." Gus pouted and shuffled back to the group.

They crossed the courtyard and down the corridor where Alwin had once tricked another pair of cultivator guards using his novel methods. Down that hallway and through various winding paths, the trio was getting close. They could smell it. Literally.

The smell of burning permeated through the air. It wasn't the red and yellow torches that lined the walls. Neither was it Winal's flaming body. That scent came down the hallway, where Gary Stew's kitchen was located.

Along with a burning aroma came the distant sound of voices. All too familiar voices. The two young masters, Hong Jian and Huang Jian, were with Gary Stew. They were discussing. No, arguing about something.

Winal used hand signs to communicate with Uchronia and Gus. The Potted Plant Monster understood the instructions perfectly. Gus, on the other hand, was more confused than a cat in a dog park.

They picked up the pace, stopping just at the side of the open doorway to the private kitchen. Winal on one side, Uchronia and Gus on the other. Their ears were peeled, listening in on the debate and for any information about what they had done to Cooper Trooper.

"You imbecile chef!" Huang Jian shouted. "How could you burn down your own kitchen?"

"Exactly! And you call yourself an Immortal Chef. How in the name of the esteemed Elders can you even create a worthy dish for us if you burn down your kitchen?" Hong Jian snapped.

"Like I said a million times. It wasn't me. It must've been one of your useless disciples or someone from Monster Army broke in here," Gary Stew said.

"Preposterous! Members of the Crimson Gold Sect would never make such a blunder," Huang Jian said.

"Sure, sure. So explain to me why one of the ingredients broke out of its cage and killed a couple of your guards."

"That never happened!" Hong Jian shouted.

"I have a burning cage and door that says otherwise."

"The Crimson Gold Sect had nothing to do with it. This must be another one of your schemes. You must've done it yourself and tried to pin the blame on the honorable members of our Sect. It must've been you who led the Monster Army to our location. You will pay for crimes against the Crimson Gold Sect," Huang Jian said.

The sounds of blades being drawn could be heard. They pointed their swords at Gary Stew, who had a smug look on his face.

"Are you sure about that? If you attack me, you can say bye-bye to this." In his hand was Cooper Trooper.

"Why you? Unhand that egg!" Hong Jian shouted.

"If you say so." Gary Stew shrugged.

He twisted his hand and Cooper Trooper slipped through his fingers, falling onto the floor..

"No!" Hong Jian and Huang Jian shouted.

"No!" Uchronia and Gus shouted as well.

Winal shouted in his own unique way, with a shocked look on his face. Eyes wide open and a twitch in his mandibles screamed louder than words ever could.

The trio made their presence known. They burst into the kitchen.

All five of them—monsters and young masters—dashed toward the falling Cooper Trooper.

Hong Jian and Huang Jian tossed their swords to the side and dived down with their arms outstretched. Winal and Uchronia rushed in as fast as their little legs could carry them. Gus activated Lightning Paws and was the first one there.

He stood below Cooper Trooper, arms stretched to the heavens as he waited for him to fall into his grasp. Unfortunately, he was also standing right beside Gary Stew. The Monster Chef was the first to notice the sudden intrusion of the FluffPaw. A look of shock morphed into one of glee as he realized that one of the monsters that had escaped his grasp had come back to him all by themself.

Meanwhile, Hong Jian and Huang Jian were completely oblivious to Gus' presence. Their focus was solely on the egg falling to its doom. In fact, everyone's focus was. All except for Gary Stew.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

He dug into the spice bottles and slid his fingers across his blade.

"Thyme to Sleep."

The blade came down in a flash.

It carved a clean line down Gus' back, a trail of spices and blood following its path. He let out a pained scream that faded into a dreamy hum, before collapsing on the ground with his arms still stretched out..

Still, no one noticed. All except for Mind Alwin.

"Guys! Guys! Watch out for the big, mean chef. He just cut down Gus!"

"We can worry about Gus later. We need to catch Cooper Trooper first," Mind Niwla said.

"But what if we get put to sleep too?"

"I'll make sure that doesn't happen," Winal replied using his signature sign language.

Uchronia and Winal were still running, their eyes locked on Cooper Trooper. Only, Mind Alwin was monitoring Gary Stew. The Monster Chef had turned around and noticed them. A huge grin appeared on his face. He licked his lips and swung his spice-coated chef's knife again.

"Thyme to Sleep."

Uchronia didn't notice the attack. She was too focused on saving the egg. Gary Stew's knife cut into her. It went down the entirety of her body. From the top of her bulbous leafy head to the bottom of her bio-ceramic pot. A fine line of earthy spices was carved into her body.

She froze. Leaves twitched and breath stuttered, struggling to fight off the sedative effect of the spices invading her bloodstream. It was futile. Like Gus, the pain washed away and turned into bliss, before she collapsed to the floor unconscious and with a smile across her face.

A second attack was headed Winal's way.

"Watch out!" Mind Alwin screamed.

Winal didn't need his warnings. He had already spotted the blade slashing toward him. The flames on his mandibles roared as Fire Essence poured out into a blazing inferno. He unleashed a Fire Bite, snapping them shut around the incoming strike.

The spices on the knife blackened instantly, crumbling to ash at the intense heat. Despite the high temperature, the knife didn't show a single sign of melting. Gary Stew was shocked at his spices burning away, but he persevered. He poured all of his strength into pushing the blade toward the defiant Fire Soldier Ant, attempting to cleave past the flaming mandibles.

Between Winal and Gary Stew, Winal was stronger. He twisted his head to the side and tore the knife free from Gary Stew's hand, sending it flying and embedding itself in the ceiling. It was stuck hard and wouldn't come down, unlike Cooper Trooper.

He was almost on the ground. The two young masters were bumping, shoving, and crashing into each other. Both of them were proclaiming that they would be the one to save the ingredient.

Winal wouldn't let them. He lunged forward. Past Gary Stew. Past Gus. Past where Cooper Trooper would land. He unleashed another Fire Bite at the two young masters. Finally, they noticed his presence.

Both of them screamed at the sight of an angry ant on fire about to bite them.

They reached for their swords only to grasp air, realization struck them as they remembered they tossed it aside to catch the egg. Hong Jian braced for a world of hurt. Huang Jian decided that pain wasn't his style.

He grabbed the red-robed Hong Jian and shoved him toward Winal. His screams only grew louder at the betrayal of his twin brother. Hong Jian shielded his eyes with his arms as if that would do something.

Winal's Fire Bite plunged into the red robes. But something was wrong. His mandibles couldn't penetrate the fibers. The flames licked at the robes, but they never caught fire.

Hong Jian's screams died down as he realized that things weren't hurting as much as he thought. He peeked between his arms to find Winal, still biting down with all of his might. But the robes had barely a scorch mark.

"I am the scion of flames!" Hong Jian laughed. "No pitiful fire could even dream of hurting me. I was merely acting. For fun."

"Yes!" Huang Jian said. "That's exactly why I pushed you forward."

"Gary Stew. Use these beasts as ingredients for our dish," Hong Jian instructed.

As there was no use biting down, Winal retreated. Hong Jian had other ideas. With a devilish smirk, he grabbed the Fire Soldier Ant. And he immediately regretted it.

"Ouch!" Hong Jian yelled.

"I mean... Acting."

Hong Jian shoved his hands inside his robes and used them as really large oven mittens to grab Winal. This time, he didn't yelp in pain. The fabric smothered most of the flame, weakening the searing heat.

Winal wriggled and writhed, trying to twist free. But Hong Jian held on. No matter how much Winal bucked, he couldn't break free from the grip.

"Incoming!" Mind Alwin yelled.

Gary Stew was up on the ceiling. Feet planted on either side of his knife. Gripping the handle with both hands, he wrenched it out like he was pulling Excalibur from stone.

Then, he dove down like an arrow shot straight from a bow. Right toward Winal.

"Thyme to Sleep!" he roared.

"Incoming! Incoming Incoming!" Mind Alwin repeated in a panic.

Winal was stuck. Trapped in a cocoon of fire-resistant cloth. The only part of himself he could move freely was the insides of his Core.

He summoned Spirit Hands.

A swarm of translucent spectral hands ascended to intercept Gary Stew. He smirked as he slashed them to bits until there were none left.

The blade sliced through Winal's carapace. A sting of pain wracked through his body. He could feel darkness begin to encroach on the sides of his vision. But he persevered. He was not going down. Not until he saved Cooper Trooper. Not until he earned Uchronia's respect back.

Three more slices came afterward. Two horizontal and one vertical. Each one crippling Winal's ability to fight further. It took all of his willpower not to lose consciousness. Yet, it wasn't enough. He could feel his grasp slipping with every passing second. But he held on. He needed to save Cooper Trooper.

"Say, do you guys have tic-tac-toe in this world?" Gary Stew asked.

"What is this tic-tac of toe that which you speak of? Huang Jian asked.

"It's a game. See, I got a board all set up here," Gary Stew said, pointing at Winal.

With those four 'Thyme to Sleep' slashes, he had carved a tic-tac-toe board onto his back. How cruel. But he needed to save Cooper Trooper. He reached his hand out toward the child. Hoping by some miracle, he was alright.

"Playing with food? Have you no shame?" Hong Jian said.

"And look. The beast is still awake," Huang Jian said. "It's trying to reach for something."

"What would a soon-to-be-dead beast even reach out for?" Hong Jian laughed. "There's nothing there."

"Exactly!" Huang Jian joined in on the laughter.

The laughter died down as realization came upon them. During the skirmish, everybody had forgotten about Cooper Trooper.

All three of them turned.

A sigh of relief escaped their lips.

Through the closing curtains of blackness, Winal could see why. Gus, with his still outstretched paws, had managed to catch Cooper Trooper, even while unconscious.

"That was way too close," Gary Stew said.

"Precisely! As a chef, it is your responsibility to look after the ingredients," Hong Jian said.

"I believe that the beasts here will suffice for your dish?" Huang Jian asked.

"Pretty much." Gary Stew shrugged.

"Now, quick. Prepare a dish so that we may tackle the tribulation. Once we do that, we will wreak havoc on the Monster Army troops that dared to attack our land," Hong Jian said.

"Exactly!"

No. Winal couldn't let them do that. Not...

He lost consciousness.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.