Part 1: The Grease-Storm Approaches
The heavens rumbled.
Not with thunder, but with the roar of heaven-forged frying pans spinning at Mach 10. Great flying woks the size of palaces descended, belching smoke and spicy scent into the atmosphere.
Atop the lead wok stood a man in a chef's hat the size of a pavilion.
He had six arms, each flipping a dish with demonic precision. His eyes were chili red, and his apron read: "Everything Tastes Better Fried."
"I am Chef Overlord Zha Tianbao of the Sky-Fried Sect!" His voice echoed like a wok slammed against heaven's face. "You dared season soup in our sky. Prepare for your ingredients to be deep-fried… PERMANENTLY!"
Wei Yun: "Did this man just threaten eternal tempura?"
Tang Zhi (whispering): "We're gonna get flash-fried."
Pan-Pan (already hiding in a soup pot): "I'm not even marinated yet!"
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Part 2: Battle Among the Boiling Clouds
A thousand wok ships descended, firing oil bombs and dumpling artillery.
System alert:
> [Entering battlefield: Sky Kitchen Domain. Gravity: reduced. Oil: airborne. Flavor levels: unstable.]
Wei Yun leapt skyward on a steaming cloud of broth.
Mu Yao followed on her Szechuan Storm Blade.
Tang Zhi activated Vinegar Mist Jetpack.
They soared into the fray.
Wei Yun spun his ladle, deflecting pork buns the size of boulders. "Frying is a technique of balance. Not everything should be dunked in oil!"
Zha Tianbao screamed. "HERESY!"
He hurled six flaming woks, each carrying a different dish: fried mantou, battered spiritual shrimp, tempura phoenix wings…
Each one exploded on impact, coating the sky in crunchy destruction.
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Part 3: Crispy Chaos Unleashed
Mu Yao sliced through a flying scallion pancake drone.
Tang Zhi hijacked a wokship and screamed, "I'm pan-frying reality now!"
Pan-Pan was flung into a vat of spirit-oil and emerged screaming, "WHY IS MY SKIN SO TASTY?!"
Meanwhile, Zha Tianbao revealed his secret:
> Ultimate Technique: Ten Thousand Tempests of Tempura!
The sky cracked.
A storm of golden lightning rained down, each bolt a perfectly fried artifact.
Wei Yun responded by calling forth:
> Soup Emperor Art: Broth Barrier of Eternal Simmering!
A massive barrier of swirling miso, bone broth, and seaweed rose up, absorbing the storm with a satisfying slurp.
Wei Yun floated forward.
"I'm not against frying. But your oil? It's unrefined. Your technique? Brutish. Your taste? Overcompensating."
Zha Tianbao exploded in rage.
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Part 4: Duel of Flame and Broth
Wei Yun and Zha Tianbao clashed in midair.
Wok met ladle.
Oil splashed against broth.
Flames whirled with steam.
Zha Tianbao's six arms moved like a culinary windmill, sending out dishes faster than bullets. His signature move:
> Sky Frying Style – Exploding Lotus Root Cannon!
Wei Yun grunted, catching the dish with his bare hands.
He channeled every ounce of flavor into his counter:
> Divine Ladle Strike – Taste of Rebirth!
The attack blasted through Tianbao's oil aura, sending him crashing into his own wokship.
Zha coughed up soy sauce.
"You… you know the wok… better than I thought…"
Wei Yun stood over him.
"It's not about frying everything. It's about knowing what to fry and when."
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Part 5: Frying Sect Falls... with Honor
The remaining wokships hovered, stunned.
Wei Yun poured a bowl of spicy broth, then gently dunked a dumpling into it.
"Try balance," he said.
Zha Tianbao sipped.
He wept.
"…it's… it's chewy… and moist…"
System alert:
> [Sky-Fried Sect reputation improved. Alliance formed: Flying Kitchen Coalition.]
[New technique unlocked: "Aerial Frying Form – Cloud Tempura Dive."]
[Artifact acquired: "Legendary Ladle of the Sky Chef."]
Pan-Pan emerged wrapped in lettuce. "I lived. And I'm edible."
Tang Zhi high-fived a wok.
Mu Yao wiped her blade. "Next time, let's stay grounded."
But the system pinged again.
> [Warning: Ghost-Pickled Cult of the Fermented Abyss is rising in the east. Signature scent: Vengeful kimchi.]
Wei Yun facepalmed.
"I just wanted a peaceful soup night…"
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End of Chapter 19.