“That Three-eyed Spirit Deer belongs to us.” Even though Li Jianqi was her idol, Nalan Rongruo was never one to yield when it came to principles.

“The Spirit Deer was left on the ground without anyone picking it up. Since I picked it up, naturally it’s mine,” Li Jianqi said righteously. “Besides, you caught this deer for food. I didn’t say that I’m going to eat it alone. Everyone’s free to join.”

“If anyone’s eating it, it’s ours,” Nalan Rongruo replied stubbornly.

“Let’s just say the deer is yours, alright?” Li Jianqi rolled her eyes.

“So are you eating or not?”

“Of course! Whoever doesn’t eat it is an idiot.”

“I have never eaten this deer before.”

Their Spiritual Force was fluctuating after spending a good 15 minutes running for their lives. Nalan Rongruo and her fellow disciples had depleted nearly all of their Spiritual Force. This Three-eyed Spirit Deer was exactly what they needed at the moment. To be fair, they had to thank Li Jianqi. Had she not been quick enough to spot and grab the deer, everyone would have to recover slowly.

It was now late afternoon.

They ignited dry wood and placed the deer into the fire. They then huddled around it.

Moments later, the strong aroma of meat filled the place. The Three-eyed Spirit Deer was a rare object even in the Cultivation World. It wasn’t easily sampled. The smell of the meat swiftly gathered and formed a dense Spirit Fog that covered a small area. The eight of them inhaled this Spirit Fog and felt their Spirit Sea shrink like a sponge coming into contact with seawater.

Ye Que rotated the rack set above the fire at an ordinary pace to roast the deer. Li Jianqi sat upright beside him. She swallowed her saliva and reached out to try and hack off a piece of meat to satisfy her hunger. That earned her a glare from Ye Que. Thus, she resorted to hugging herself and closing her eyes.

Out of sight, out of mind!

Ye Que was no stranger to the taste of the Three-eyed Spirit Deer. He was also very familiar with its cooking method. His past memories that spanned a hundred years weren’t merely of him cultivating and battling.

Time was the best kind of mentor. It could teach a person everything he wanted to learn as long as he lived long enough.

It was the same logic behind the saying “wise men were often elderly men”.

Ye Que mentally calculated one hundred breaths. The deer had been roasted long enough that it was edible but he was having second thoughts. He was of the opinion that taste was a very important factor and he mustn’t mistreat his stomach. Thus, he silently calculated another thirty breaths.

The process of waiting idly for a delicacy was an incredibly painful and tortuous one, especially to a group of tired and hungry youngsters who had their Spiritual Force depleted.

However, Ye Que thought that his food must have the right texture while the rest didn’t possess any culinary prowess.

They had no choice but to wait patiently.

The aroma of the meat was getting denser and denser. Ye Que could hear the rumbling sound coming from the stomach of a certain someone sitting near him.

Those who had no idea how to enjoyed life often sliced open the meat after it had just finished roasting and stuffed it into their mouth. Though the meat would be incredibly juicy, this was the wastage of perfectly decent meat. Moreover, they were currently roasting the valuable Three-eyed Spirit Deer.

Rather than putting the best part of the meat directly into the mouth, the accurate method was letting the meat sit so it would absorb all the oil and juice. This would give them the tenderest and juiciest meat to chew on later.

Ye Que waited patiently for the optimal time without missing a beat. Then, he lifted his knife and sliced off a huge chunk of venison, revealing the intersection of the deer that was the size of a sword hilt. The golden-colored flesh was enough to make onlookers salivate.

The meat had been a blood-red color before being barbequed. The current yellowish gold color was the best color for the meat.

The yellowish-gold meat had a tender inside and a crispy outer. It was incredibly tricky to roast the entire Spirit Deer until it turned this color. It was to the extent that it greatly tested one’s patience and control of Spiritual Force.

It was easy to overcook antelope meat because of how tender it was, and the meat of the Three-eyed Spirit Deer was even tenderer.

Ye Que pinched the sliced-off venison with his fingers, first observing its surface color and then bringing it to his nose for a sniff. Only then did he slowly put it into his mouth.

He chewed slowly and purposefully.

The venison was perfect in terms of color, taste, and smell!

When Ye Que turned his head, he saw seven pair of eyes staring fixedly at him. Saliva was even leaking out of the corner of Li Jianqi’s mouth. However, the young woman didn’t care about this insignificant detail and wiped her mouth with her sleeve. She might look like a proper, adorable, and easygoing noble young lady with her long hair falling to its slender waist yet her actions were anything graceful but casual and relaxed.

“How does it taste?” Li Jianqi was no longer using her brain to comprehend things.

In between his chewing of the meat, Ye Que replied, “Delicious.”

“Is it really that good? Is it tastier than Spirit Swords?” Li Jianqi asked, frowning.

“Nonsense. How can swords compare to meat?” “Swords are for killing. Meat is for consumption.” Ye Que was already beginning to taste bliss from chewing the venison.

“I don’t believe you,” Li Jianqi said.

“You can choose not to eat if you don’t believe me.” Ye Que shaved another piece of meat as he spoke but it was swiftly snatched by Nalan Rongruo. She took such a large bit of the meat that her lips were smeared with oil.

Ye Que continued cutting the chest of the roasted Three-eyed Spirit Deer with a smile, with every piece of meat snatched away as soon as he cut it. Disciples of impressive sects like Li Jianqi and Nalan Rongruo were usually under strict supervision and guidance of their masters. Most of their time would be spent on cultivating.

They would have heard of barbecuing meat in the wild but might not have personally tried it.

In no time at all, Ye Que cut the chest of the barbequed deer clean and started moving his knife to the middle. Evidently, the meat there was even tenderer.

The meat there was obviously lean meat yet after undergoing Ye Que’s roasting process, it formed a layer of juicy fat that made it soft and tender. After being cut, the meat shook gently on the back of the knife like it was jelly.

Li Jianqi once again swallowed. Finally, she let go of her hesitation and decisively went up to Ye Que. She reached out her hand to accept the knife in his hand.

“You don’t have to do anything. Just eat.” Ye Que flicked Li Jianqi’s small clawing hands away.

“Just eat?” Li Jianqi was stunned. “It’s not like I’m uncultured! No need to trouble you; I can cut it myself!”

Ye Que shook his head with a laugh. “You wouldn’t know how to cut this Three-eyed Spirit Deer. You’d be wasting the meat if you make a wrong cut. It’s our luck to come across such a great treasure; we mustn’t waste it recklessly!”

“But, but how can we eat with our hands?” Li Jianqi muttered. No matter how carefree she appeared, it was merely an image she put conscious effort into creating. Her status requested that she had a bottom line regardless of how she wanted to connect with commoners. Due to her status, there were some things that she absolutely mustn’t attempt.

It might be no problem for others but if she did it, it would be a grave breach of societal norms!

“I know how to cut it!” Li Jianqi yelled, panting with range.

Ye Que shook his head resolutely. Seconds later, Nalan Rongruo snatched the piece of meat on the back of his knife and swallowed it with a few bites with a satisfied expression.

Why wouldn’t she be satisfied? Eating the meat of a Three-eyed Spirit Deer was a double-attack on both her spirit and taste buds.

Her Spiritual Sea immediately rose in temperature after the piece of meat entered her stomach and her Spiritual Force recovered at a speed visible to the naked eye. Coupled with the tender meat on the tip of her tongue and the rich aroma of the meat, how could she be anything but satisfied?

Finally.

When Ye Que was on his third round of cutting, Li Jianqi reached for the back of his knife.

She grabbed the fleshy piece of meat that was the width of a finger.

First, she placed one-tenth of the meat to the side of her mouth. Then, she opened her mouth as if trying to decide where to start biting.

Out of the blue!

An immense force pushed the hand that was holding the meat and she felt the entire meat get shoved inside her mouth. For a moment, her cheeks were stuffed full.

Her cheeks were even bulging!

“You!” Li Jianqi pointed at Ye Que with anger all while muttering incomprehensively to herself.

Ye Que glanced at Li Jianqi with distaste before saying, “That’s how you should eat meat. It’s not like you’re some kind of precious princess; what’s the point of eating so carefully?”

“I!” Li Jianqi, with her mouth stuffed with venison, pointed to herself. She looked as if she was caught between protesting and explaining herself.

“Stop talking and eat.” Ye Que stuffed another slice of meat into her mouth without bothering to listen to what she was muttering about.

From chewing with a frown, she ended up gorging herself.

The experience of eating the rich and layered taste of a Three-eyed Spirit Deer, coupled with the satisfaction coming from the depths of their Spiritual Sea, was something rare even in the Three Realms. Otherwise, the Young Chamber Lord of the Chamber of the Rainy Duel, Nangong Jie wouldn’t have ambushed them just to get his hands on the deer. Evidently, he had eaten it before.

Those who had tasted the deer would naturally be unable to resist such a temptation.

For a split second, even Ye Que became befuddled.

What did it mean to be truly alive?

Being alive meant being able to eat this sort of top-notch delicacy.

Not only could he absorb Spiritual Force from it, but he could also satisfy his taste buds. This was what life was all about.

The meal was incredibly satisfying for everyone. Not much had time had passed; it had been at most an hour. When Li Jianqi ate the tenth slice of meat, a large shadow suddenly floated above everyone’s heads. They subconsciously raised their head to take a look.

A black cloud?

“This cloud flies so quickly!” Nalan Rongruo said casually.

Then, they noticed the sudden change in Ye Que’s expression. Li Jianqi also stopped eating her meat.

Once again, everyone raised their head and watched attentively.

It wasn’t a black cloud at all. Rather, it was a large flock of blood-colored flying insects! There were tens of thousands of insects, so many that it covered the sky! They flew madly as if it was an army of insects.

The ground shook ever so slightly under their feet as at the end of their sight, a herd of antelopes and horses were galloping wildly.

Even so, as fast as the antelopes and horses were, they were no match for the flying insects. The blood-colored flying insects swept past them and the creatures that had been alive and well earlier turned into a pile of bones.

Nearly at the same time, the ground once again split open from afar and sank.

Overhead were the bloodthirsty, deadly insects!

The ground then sank under their feet!

Once again, they had to reenact their escape earlier. Only this time, no one could fly on their sword. The blood-colored insects feared no one. If there were only hundreds or even thousands of them, they could have still handled the situation. However, this vast amount was enough to cover even the sky. Who among them dared to stay behind and fight with this endless stream of insects? Even if they managed to win by a fluke, they wouldn’t have any ground to step on. It was a death sentence anyhow.

The eight of them didn’t hesitate. Neither did they have to think much. All they had to was run.

To conceal a world in a grain of sand!

The ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum seemed to be concealing a world of its own.

No matter how they ran or looked, they felt as if they couldn’t see the ends of this place!

Of course, if one had the ability to observe the grand formation enveloping the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum, one would clearly see that what Ye Que and his group were encountering wasn’t something unique.

As long as one was in this place, heaven and earth would inevitably chase one away to draw close to the center. It didn’t matter which human, demon, or object it was. It seemed that everything was predestined!

It was ordained that no one was able to resist the summoning of the place!