[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-commanding-the-five-thunders-across-two-worlds":3,"chapter-commanding-the-five-thunders-across-two-worlds-commanding-the-five-thunders-across-two-worlds-chapter-48":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Commanding the Five Thunders Across Two Worlds",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2363176,4620,"Chapter 48","commanding-the-five-thunders-across-two-worlds-chapter-48",48,"\u003Cp>“Are you sure this is a malevolent ghost? Don’t mistake the wrong person and end up embarrassed,” Gu Zhao asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Definitely malevolent!” Bai Ke patted his chest in assurance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhao looked curious. “Then why doesn’t he enter the town, but hides in this abandoned village?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because he’s half a corpse-ghost—half his lingering soul is trapped inside the corpse and can’t escape, so he can’t stray far from the village,” Bai Ke murmured, resting his head on Xiuniang’s shoulder. “Like a chain tied around his neck—he can’t run far.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, Bai Ke added, “Of course, there’s an advantage: if you can’t completely destroy his corpse, you can’t kill him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where is his corpse then?” Gu Zhao asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know,” Bai Ke shook his head. “But I saw him kill two lost travelers, draining their blood and qi completely—he’s definitely not a good person… or a good ghost.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daoist Yan Song narrowed his eyes but said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhao asked, “Ghosts usually consume spiritual energy—why does he suck in blood?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Typically, ghosts consume soul and spiritual energy; demons devour essence and blood. But there are exceptions,” Bai Ke flicked his tail. “Some demons swallow souls too—like the painting demon you met in Xiuyue County. Some powerful ghosts also feed on blood—like…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Corpse-ghost?” Gu Zhao thought. “Does his corpse need living blood?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“His lingering soul is bound to his corpse. The corpse is stiff and immobile, so he can’t leave this place. That’s why he consumes blood—to refine the corpse. If he can revive it, he’ll be free to roam,” Daoist Yan Song said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Ke nodded. “Something like that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they spoke, the three men and the fox stood outside the abandoned village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking around, they saw a forest with strangely growing trees; the path they’d taken was already buried under wild grass. Had it not been slightly lower than the surrounding shrubs, they might never have found it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was high noon, yet mist rose thickly through the woods. Sunlight filtered through the dense fog, casting only faint glimmers that illuminated the surroundings but brought no warmth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This abandoned village clearly feels wrong. How could those lost people dare walk in?” Gu Zhao could already sense the ominous aura emanating from within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Ke sighed softly. “They got lost, caught in heavy rain—what else could they do but take shelter in these ruined huts?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhao glanced at Bai Ke. “Did you try to stop them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Ke didn’t deny it. “But they ran faster.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three fell silent. In this desolate mountain, under unbroken sky, with white shadows flickering and fox whispers echoing—any normal person would be terrified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you certain this ghost isn’t too powerful?” Gu Zhao asked again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the first time he’d actively sought out another being’s trouble. Honestly, he felt uneasy—if he lost again, it’d be even more humiliating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Relax. Even if I wanted you to die, I wouldn’t let Xiuniang walk into danger,” Bai Ke gently brushed a strand of hair from Xiuniang’s ear. “I’ve faced him twice. As long as we leave the village, he won’t follow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then let’s go!” Gu Zhao waved his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three men and the fox stepped into the village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The village had once been surrounded by a dirt wall, now collapsed and scattered. But the wooden gate at the entrance, bearing a plaque, remained relatively intact. The three black-painted characters “Liu Family Village” flickered faintly in the mist, exuding menace and strangeness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the village, silence reigned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thin mist didn’t impair vision much. Though abandoned, the houses remained intact—only half-open doors, torn window paper, overgrown weeds, and faint waves of lingering spiritual energy revealed the village’s true state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Their flesh was drained, their souls devoured. With no sunlight for years, only a sliver of resentment remains,” Bai Ke murmured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiuniang shivered. “Such deep resentment… how many people did he kill?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Ke glanced around. Everyone fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The mist is thickening,” Daoist Yan Song suddenly said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they ventured deeper into the village, though fewer trees surrounded them, the sunlight above didn’t increase at all—it was blocked by a layer of mist, as if it could never reach the village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why hasn’t he shown himself yet?” Gu Zhao asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>None of them had released their spiritual sense—they were waiting for the ghost to reveal himself. According to Bai Ke, everyone who entered the village was killed by the ghost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Ke yawned. “Who knows? Maybe he knows no one comes here during the day, so he sleeps through it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiuniang asked, “Do ghosts even sleep?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Humans and demons sleep—ghosts sleep too!” Bai Ke said matter-of-factly. “Don’t ghosts come out at night? That proves they sleep during the day.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhao and Daoist Yan Song exchanged glances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It sounded odd, but since there were no ghosts on their modern Blue Star, neither had Bai Ke’s expertise—they truly didn’t know if ghosts needed sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So much knowledge still needed filling!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whoosh—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sinister wind blew, rattling the dead branches of ancient trees. From nearby, a chilling ghostly aura suddenly surged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Over there?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why doesn’t he come closer? Hasn’t he noticed us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That spot is the village’s central axis—not a meeting hall, then a ancestral shrine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three men and the fox moved quietly toward it. As they drew nearer, the thin mist no longer obscured their view: beneath an ancient locust tree stood a clearly dilapidated large house, its carved eaves and pillars unmistakably an ancestral hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hall’s doors were tightly shut; not a blade of grass grew before them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That ghostly aura just now came from inside the hall,” Bai Ke said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s inside?” Xiuniang whispered, uneasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is he cultivating and didn’t notice us?” Daoist Yan Song asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough talk. Let’s go!” Gu Zhao rubbed his hands, stepped forward, and pushed open the hall’s doors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Creeeak—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The doors swung open instantly. Four pairs of eyes stared inside—and met two pairs of eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A young man in a white robe stood to the left—his face pale, his features refined, yet his eyes cold and menacing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An elderly man in brocade robes, resembling a squire, stood to the right, subtly facing off against the youth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Six pairs of eyes locked in silent stare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhao turned to Bai Ke. “Didn’t you say there was only one ghost in the village?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The brocade-robed elder narrowed his eyes, cautiously studying the white-robed man. “Who are they?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white-robed man froze. His already pale, bluish face flushed faintly red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the next instant, his eyes sharpened. He raised his right hand, clenching the air. The surrounding mist twisted into chains of iron, crushing down toward Gu Zhao and the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling the Five Thunder Talisman’s pulse in his spiritual sea, Gu Zhao inwardly approved—no wasted words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If so…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Attack!” Gu Zhao shouted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiuniang moved first. She raised her hand, and the Celestial Fox Nail shot forth, darting through the mist. But though its magic power pierced small holes in the mist, it couldn’t stop the mist from closing in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white-robed man sneered, increasing his pressure. Everyone felt the mist not only crushing them but also pulling—like it sought to drain their blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young Master!” Xiuniang, powerless, cried for help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let the old Taoist try,” Daoist Yan Song chuckled, stepping forward two paces and sweeping his sleeve before his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, his face changed: blue as base, black as lines, gold as outline, white as accents—imposing, solemn, yet eerily terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The transformation startled even the white-robed ghost. “What is this…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When Daoists from Qingcheng Mountain fight, they always change faces first. Have you ever watched ‘The Smiling, Proud Wanderer’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daoist Yan Song swayed his head, forming the Laozi Seal before his chest, drew a deep breath, puckered his lips into a whistle, and exhaled gently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sssss—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A piercing wind howled suddenly from his mouth. He merely shook his head—and the wind scattered all the surrounding mist.\u003C\u002Fp>",1322,"2026-06-21T06:19:08.116Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","a4594a799730925fae30de3abec6d51495e1ca5df3158d8b5e3c305f4e6bfbcb","commanding-the-five-thunders-across-two-worlds-chapter-49","commanding-the-five-thunders-across-two-worlds-chapter-47",141,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fcommanding-the-five-thunders-across-two-worlds-cover.jpg"]