Of course, Kael didn't let the people of the Taiji Cuisine Realm sit idle. Now that they were under his command, it was only natural to put them to work.
"Since you've joined me, I'll extend your lifespans and eliminate the side effects in your bodies. As for what you need to do next, there's only one task—replace the current imperial court."
The moment Kael said that, the Phoenix Eight Immortals froze. None of them had expected that the very first thing Kael would ask after taking in the Taiji Cuisine Realm… was rebellion.
No matter the dynasty, rebellion was the gravest of crimes. People of this era didn't think the same way as those of later generations. Still, for the Taiji Cuisine Realm, this wasn't actually that big of a problem.
After all, their original plan had been to put Lan Fei Hong on the throne, which was why they had stolen the imperial bloodline to create him in the first place.
As for Kaiyu of the Dark Cooking Society, he'd wanted to control the court as well. The Taiji Cuisine Realm had always pursued immortality, but that didn't mean they were willing to give up power.
"Replace the current court? Kael-sama, do you mean… you want to become emperor?"
Jing Hua couldn't help asking. In his eyes, Kael becoming emperor wouldn't be an issue at all. With Kael's overwhelming strength, who would dare object?
"I'm not interested," Kael shook his head. "It won't be me. You'll choose someone. I'll stay behind the scenes."
His reason for having the Taiji Cuisine Realm overthrow the current court was simple—the present regime was basically a watered-down version of the Qing dynasty. It wasn't as absurd as the historical Qing, but it wasn't far off either.
If things continued like this, the court would inevitably rot to that same level. Kael just decided to act first and give the Taiji Cuisine Realm something to do.
As for who would sit on the throne afterward, he didn't really care. The system would be set by him anyway.
For someone from a modern world who had traveled back in time and gained invincible strength, becoming emperor was rarely appealing. Sure, emperors held great power, but the responsibility was just as heavy. To be a wise ruler meant endless restraint; to be a tyrant meant endless trouble. Kael had no interest in either. Supporting a figurehead was more than enough.
Then he could push reforms based on later generations and gradually change this era.
"I see. To be honest, we did have plans regarding the court," Jing Hua admitted frankly. "It's just that our focus was always on immortality cuisine, so we didn't have the energy to act."
The Dark Cooking Society had thought the same way—why wouldn't the Taiji Cuisine Realm? But pursuing immortality had drained too much of their time and effort. All they'd done was plant a few people in the court to gather information. If they truly wanted to take it, conquering the court wouldn't be difficult at all.
"I'll give you control of the GT Robots protecting Arkan and the others. With them, the court stands no chance against you," Kael said directly.
What he wanted was speed. Right now, the Taiji Cuisine Realm alone couldn't withstand the imperial army—but Kael could.
Kael himself, the GT Robots, and Behemoth, the Jack Elephant, all possessed the power to wipe out armies. Against them, an army of ordinary soldiers was no different from paper.
So Kael temporarily handed over control of the GT Robots to the Taiji Cuisine Realm. With enough incentive—like directly transferring lifespan—they'd move fast enough.
He also resolved Song Wan's condition. Kael didn't like the man, but Song Wan was still his subordinate now, and there would be things only Song Wan could handle.
As Kael extracted most of Song Wan's unstable life force and stabilized what remained, Song Wan felt the pain he'd endured for decades rapidly fade.
At the same time, his skin color gradually returned to normal. The change left him completely stunned.
For dozens of years, he hadn't felt this light.
After standing there in a daze for several seconds, Song Wan ripped off the bandages covering his body. Healthy skin was revealed beneath.
"It's real… it actually worked. Kael-sama—whatever you tell me to do from now on, I'll do it!"
Song Wan dropped to his knees without hesitation. His gratitude toward Kael had reached its peak. Truth be told, his obsession with the Eight Scriptures had never come from certainty. He hadn't even known whether they truly held the solution to his problem.
But he'd had no other choice.
Now Kael had done what the scriptures never could. Song Wan's loyalty followed naturally.
Kael, however, didn't care much about Song Wan's devotion. The man's character was questionable to begin with, and Kael had no intention of giving him any major responsibilities. A few rewards to keep him obedient were enough.
After all, if you want a horse to run, you have to feed it first.
Kael also added some lifespan to the other members of the Phoenix Eight Immortals. They looked young, but they were all decades old. His actions made them feel as if they'd truly returned to their youth.
Only then did they fully understand why Kael looked down on immortality cuisine. He already held the power to extend life—something far superior.
Just look at Song Wan. Immortality cuisine had turned him into something neither human nor ghost, yet Kael had restored him completely.
From that moment on, the Taiji Cuisine Realm truly submitted. Everything they'd sought was already in Kael's hands. All they needed to do now was follow his orders.
After issuing his command, Kael left. He planned to test his beast-taming ability.
As for where—naturally, Mt. Qingzhao.
In the world of Cooking Master Boy, there was no place more suitable.
So Kael mounted Behemoth and departed from the Taiji Cuisine Realm's headquarters, heading straight for Mt. Qingzhao.
"The leader has left. Next, it's our turn," Jing Hua said. "Once Arkan and the others arrive, we move against the court."
No one objected. They all nodded in agreement.
In their eyes, speed wasn't an issue at all. The Taiji Cuisine Realm stood above the court. Replacing it was nothing more than a matter of time.
As for the Light Culinary World, they didn't take it seriously. That world relied on the court anyway. When things couldn't be solved with cooking, they just used airships—no one could stop them.
With Kael's order, the direction of fate itself shifted.
Liu Maoxing was no longer the protagonist of this world. Kael had become the driving force, and fate now leaned toward him.
Since Kael wanted to replace the court, fate naturally supported it. If you can't beat them, join them—even fate seemed to understand that principle.
The moment Kael gave his command, the Big Four sensed the change in fate. They knew chaos was coming.
But this chaos wouldn't last long.
For the Big Four, that wasn't a bad thing. Dynastic change was normal. When a dynasty became corrupt, replacement was inevitable. Even if the Taiji Cuisine Realm didn't act, someone else would sooner or later.
So after realizing this, the Big Four didn't interfere. All they needed to do was refuse the protection of the Light Culinary World.
They belonged to the Light Culinary World in name, but final decisions were always their own. It was precisely because of the court's restrictions that they'd never joined the Imperial Kitchen.
"Great change is coming," Master Yuxian said calmly. "Egg Child, go bring Arman back. From today onward, Mt. Qingzhao will refuse all visitors."
"Yes. I'll go get Arman right away," Egg Child replied.
Though he didn't know the reason, the words "great change" told him enough. Whatever was coming was beyond even Master Yuxian's ability to interfere with.
At the same time, Master Shuijing by West Lake also sensed the shift in fate.
"Well, this is troublesome," he muttered. "You stay here. I'll be away for a while. If anyone asks, just say I'm traveling. As for when I'll return—no idea."
With that, he packed some money and walked across the water, leaving behind confused attendants.
The remaining two of the Big Four made similar choices. One by one, they all went into hiding.
Mt. Qingzhao reacted first. Arman was called back, and all visitors were refused—essentially sealing the mountain.
That alone drew the attention of the culinary world.
The Light Culinary World had been celebrating Kael's takeover of the Taiji Cuisine Realm. After all, Kael was one of theirs, and the news had come from Churin Temple—a highly trusted source.
To them, it meant the Dark Cooking Society had suffered a massive defeat.
But Mt. Qingzhao's sudden move left them confused.
With no other choice, they tried to contact the other Big Four. The easiest to reach should've been Master Shuijing—but he was gone, with no return date.
Two of the Big Four refusing to meet anyone, the others unreachable—the Light Culinary World was completely baffled.
And then—
The Taiji Cuisine Realm openly declared its return to the world.
They seized a city and announced their intention to overthrow the current court, presenting a mountain of evidence exposing its corruption.
Even rebellion needed a respectable banner. Charging in blindly would still work, but it would only invite unnecessary trouble.
Better to avoid what could be avoided.
The entire culinary world was stunned.
Bao Zhenghong immediately convened an emergency meeting and dispatched troops to suppress the rebellion.
But the Taiji Cuisine Realm wasn't incompetent. Once they made their declaration, they began conquering cities.
With the GT Robots and their own support, it was like cutting through vegetables.
Taking a city was effortless.
They followed Kael's orders strictly. The soldiers they recruited dared not cause trouble—anyone who did was dealt with on the spot.
Kael wanted to overthrow the court because it was rotten. If it hadn't been, he wouldn't have bothered.
In his view, chaos was inevitable anyway. Acting first meant crushing all risks before they could grow.
And so, the wheel of fate turned.