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Part 1: A Foul Aroma from the East
The morning was calm.
Birds chirped. Soup simmered.
Then, the sky turned red. The air curdled. Crops wilted.
Tang Zhi screamed, "OH NO! I KNOW THAT SMELL!"
Pan-Pan gagged. "It's like spicy socks got angry!"
System alert:
> [Warning: Fermentation levels exceeding mortal tolerance.]
[Scent Signature Detected: The Ghost-Pickled Cult of the Fermented Abyss has emerged.]
Wei Yun's nose twitched.
"…they've opened the ancient kimchi jars."
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Part 2: A Cult That Should've Stayed Sealed
Flashback: Centuries ago, the Ghost-Pickled Cult was exiled for crimes against culinary taste.
They believed all food should be fermented for at least 1,000 years.
Their crimes included:
Pickling phoenix eggs in sulfur jars.
Creating cursed fermented durian.
Brewing the Sour Spirit Soju of Madness.
Their leader: Grand Fermenter Ju Chunshou, also known as The Pickle Pope.
Back to present.
A wave of cultists poured out from their underground brine crypt, robes sloshing with vinegar. Their chants echoed:
> "FERMENT OR PERISH! THE SOFT SHALL STINK!"
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Part 3: The Pickle Pope Emerges
He arrived atop a bubbling jar of ancestral kimchi.
His robe was made of pickled cabbage leaves.
His beard? Shredded radish strands.
In one hand, he held the Jar of Eternal Brine, in the other… the Fermentation Staff, made of ancient bamboo and vinegar.
Ju Chunshou laughed. "You thought frying was bad? HA! Now you face rot with purpose!"
Wei Yun grimaced. "He's marinating in his own madness."
Tang Zhi dry-heaved.
Mu Yao drew her sword. "I will cleanse this heresy with fire."
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Part 4: The Great Standoff
Cultists unleashed Spoiled Spirit Arts:
Kimchi Slap of Thousand Burps!
Rot Bomb Barrage!
Fermented Fog of Forgetfulness!
Wei Yun activated:
> Soup Sovereign Art: Simmering Sanitation Shield!
A protective dome of miso and green onions blocked the initial wave.
Mu Yao countered with Szechuan Scorched Blade – Fiery Ferment Purge!
Tang Zhi launched Pickle-Repellent Pillars into the sky, releasing fresh mint and star anise.
Pan-Pan… just ran in circles screaming, "TOO MUCH STINK!"
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Part 5: Duel in the Brine
Ju Chunshou bellowed, "You reject the aged! But the old tastes DEEPER!"
Wei Yun met him midair.
Ladle clashed against bamboo staff.
Kimchi bombs exploded in the sky, painting clouds orange.
Ju Chunshou unleashed his ultimate move:
> Fermentation Annihilation Technique: One Thousand-Year Pickle Purgatory!
A tidal wave of brine, vinegar, cabbage, and pain surged forward.
Wei Yun bit down on a spicy dumpling, blood boiling.
Then he activated his own forbidden art:
> Divine Soup Reversal – Cleanse of Ten Thousand Stinks!
A vortex of pure broth, lotus essence, and garlic-chili rain burst forth.
The two powers clashed, turning the battlefield into a chaotic stew of smells.
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Part 6: Cleansing the Cult
In the final moment, Wei Yun hurled his Legendary Ladle of the Sky Chef directly into the Jar of Eternal Brine.
It shattered.
The pickled mist lifted.
Ju Chunshou fell from the sky, sobbing. "I just wanted the world… to taste like ancient cabbage…"
Wei Yun caught him mid-fall. "Some things are better left… unfermented."
System alert:
> [Ghost-Pickled Cult defeated. Remaining members joining culinary rehab.]
[New technique unlocked: Sour-to-Savory Alchemy – Brine Redemption Arts.]
[Artifact gained: "Cleansing Broth Core."]
Pan-Pan sniffed the air. "Smells… normal again."
Mu Yao nodded. "Too normal."
Tang Zhi raised an eyebrow. "Dare I ask… what's next?"
System pinged.
> [Warning: A strange dimensional dish is breaching the realm.]
[Threat Level: ELDRITCH. Name: The Forbidden Stew of Outer Flavor.]
Wei Yun groaned. "Of course it's stew. It's always stew."
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End of Chapter 20.