[{"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-76":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},2363204,4620,"Chapter 76","commanding-the-five-thunders-across-two-worlds-chapter-76",76,"\u003Cp>Anlin Town, a subordinate town of Wuhe County, is named for its location beside mountains and the Anqu River.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Changping Prefecture lies south of the Wanling River; the Changshui River flows through it, and when passing Wuhe County, four tributaries join it—this is precisely the origin of Wuhe County’s name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Anqu River is one of these four tributaries, and Anlin Town is the largest settlement along its banks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the carriage arrived at Anlin Town, mealtime had long passed, and dusk had begun to fall; Gu Zhao was about to ask a passerby where an inn might be when he saw lanterns and torches already lit throughout the town, illuminating it nearly as bright as day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, finding an inn was easy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhao parked the carriage at the entrance of an inn, then stepped down with He Xiuniang and Zhuo Qingyan, only to see all the guests in the main hall bearing expressions of sorrow and moving with nervous haste.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They ate hastily, drank hastily, then rushed upstairs to their rooms as if a tiger were chasing them from behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The innkeeper and the staff also wore grim faces; when they saw Gu Zhao’s group, their expressions turned sympathetic, but they quickly masked their emotions and asked, “Guests, are you staying the night? How many rooms?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhao frowned slightly but did not press for answers; instead, he placed a silver ingot on the counter. “Four upper rooms.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had no lack of money now and would not let his companions suffer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?” The innkeeper blinked in surprise; though puzzled, he swiftly snatched the silver and called for a servant to lead the four upstairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhao and the others exchanged glances, then followed the servant to the third floor; just as the servant pushed open the first room’s door, Gu Zhao finally asked, “What’s happened in Anlin Town?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The servant’s face flickered with fear; as he shook his head to speak, a small silver ingot was placed in his palm. “Is there danger in the town?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the silver, the servant licked his lips and gritted his teeth to warn, “If you dare travel at night, don’t stay in town—leave immediately!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s going on?” Gu Zhao asked curiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A river demon haunts the Anqu River! In the past seven or eight days, dozens have died in the Anqu River!” the servant whispered, as if afraid the demon in the river might hear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhao and Daoist Yan Song exchanged glances—this was work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Gu Zhao was puzzled. “If all the deaths happened in the Anqu River, why fear staying in town?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The servant’s voice cracked with tears. “Because dozens died in the river, the fishermen and boatmen dare not go out—so for the past three or four days, the demon has come ashore to kill people!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The servant had professional ethics: once paid, he had to give full details.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The demon comes every night, killing ten or more each time—it’s been going on for four days; today is the fifth!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The town reported it to the authorities. Word is a high-level cultivator came to handle it yesterday, but he only said the river demon will leave on its own in ten days, and we needn’t panic.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How can we not panic? No one knows who’ll be next—we can only stay home and leave it to fate!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, traveling at night is dangerous too,” the servant added finally. “Whether you leave tonight or stay and gamble that the demon won’t choose you—that’s for you to decide.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the servant leave, Daoist Yan Song suddenly said, “Earlier today, General Yan of the Golden Wind Sect mentioned trouble around Wuhe County—that Liu Qingfeng might be in danger coming here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Xiuniang asked, “Did the Golden Wind Sect kill them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhuo Qingyan shook her head slightly. “The Golden Wind Sect wouldn’t kill Liu Qingfeng.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhao thought for a moment. “Could the high-level cultivator from the county be from the Golden Wind Sect? If so, they know about the demon but can’t stop it from killing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Ke suddenly spoke up. “It must be the Bi’ang Palace. Otherwise, the Golden Wind Sect wouldn’t have backed down.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bi’ang Palace dwells beneath the Changshui River; normally, they just snack on fishermen and boatmen, or occasionally capsize boats for a big meal—they rarely come ashore to kill.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But Bi’ang Palace’s demons rarely come ashore because, though powerful in water, they’re no match for the Golden Wind Sect or Sanjue Mountain,” Bai Ke explained, then added curiously, “Could something have happened?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daoist Yan Song grinned sharply. “What an arrogant demon—treating humans as food!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Ke sighed. “The demons of Bi’ang Palace and Sanjue Mountain have always seen humans as food.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But today, he’s the one who’ll be eaten,” Gu Zhao chuckled. “I wonder what kind of fish he is—will his meat be tender enough?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daoist Yan Song shot him a sidelong glance. “This is a man-eating demon—sure you can eat its flesh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh…” Gu Zhao blinked, then looked at Bai Ke. “We can’t kill demons that don’t eat people!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Ke’s tail fur bristled at Gu Zhao’s glance. “Eat demons that drain human qi instead—they turn into ordinary beasts when killed, and eating them strengthens your bones and blood, increasing strength.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daoist Yan Song nodded. “Demons eat humans; humans eat demons—this is the natural cycle of the Dao.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhao raised his thumb. “Uncle’s right!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhuo Qingyan smiled faintly, then pulled He Xiuniang off to their room to rest, idly playing with her jade flute as she gazed across the moonlit Anqu River beyond the town.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moon was bright; the town glowed with light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath the moonlit Anqu River, silver ripples shimmered; suddenly, a black shadow, dozens of zhang long, appeared beneath the surface. As water surged, the upper body of a green-robed man rose from the water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the green-robed man emerged fully, the shadow beneath grew shorter until his silver boots stepped lightly upon the water’s surface—the shadow vanished, leaving only his reflection on the water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man looked toward Anlin Town, jiggled the copper pot in his hand, grinned, then walked across the water, reaching the riverbank and arriving at the town’s entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The town’s lights shone brightly enough to illuminate his figure—if anyone in town had sharp eyes, they might have spotted him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking this, the man scanned the town, searching for some unlucky soul who might see him—and then he saw a girl suddenly emerge from the darkness, a pure white fox perched on her shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man froze; his spiritual sense surged to probe the girl, but was abruptly blocked by demonic power—yet he still discerned her and the white fox’s true nature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the girl’s tense eyes, the green-robed man chuckled. “You want to stop me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Xiuniang shook her head. “Are you a snake?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The green-robed man glanced at the white fox on her shoulder and answered evasively. “Snakes eat foxes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Xiuniang frowned, glanced back apologetically, then answered evasively too. “But I’ve never made snake soup.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1173,"2026-06-21T06:19:08.116Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","fd1da8f7e18ac837bf8fbd377da05e55584060e9869040675f7c607d4b38561e","commanding-the-five-thunders-across-two-worlds-chapter-77","commanding-the-five-thunders-across-two-worlds-chapter-75",141,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fcommanding-the-five-thunders-across-two-worlds-cover.jpg"]