[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h":3,"chapter-devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-11":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Devouring Evil, Exterminating Demons Across All Heavens",{"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},2266956,4426,"Chapter 11: Throat-Slitting Kill","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-11",11,"\u003Cp>Shh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black-clad man leaned back to dodge the punch, his back bones and muscles all coordinating like a spring already stretched, now snapping back automatically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body executed an extremely fluid backward fold, his head striking the ground instantly, followed by a rising kick aimed straight at Chu Tianshu’s chin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Techniques using the head to touch the ground while inverted are not unheard of.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to do so at such speed, with no hands for support and no sign of dizziness or impact shock, was truly astonishing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu retreated half a step; the black-clad man powered through his waist and back, twisting his body as his legs swept open and closed in a spinning kick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His legs were not fully extended and flat, so the angle of this spinning kick did not target Chu Tianshu’s hips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It targeted instead the lowest rib on Chu Tianshu’s right side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu’s pupils flickered; he deliberately leapt backward, putting a full step between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using the head as a pivot and relying on waist and back torque to generate power cannot be sustained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After one or two explosive kicks meant to intimidate, holding that posture would leave fatal openings—it was suicide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black-clad man pushed with all his strength to drive Chu Tianshu back, then immediately sought to rise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His foot had just missed its target, his body’s rotation still unspent, when his hands slammed onto the ground and he flipped up like a leaping carp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black-clad man’s balance and agility in mid-air rotation were faster than a wild lynx.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Chu Tianshu, just forced back, had barely touched the ground with his sole and had no time to generate force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This black-clad man, who fought with the ferocity of a beast, also possessed human martial techniques and combat experience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such precise timing could only have been forged through countless life-or-death battles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as he flipped upright, his body still not fully straightened, he heard an unusual cracking shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu, mid-backward leap, did not wait for his foot to naturally land—he sucked in a silent breath mid-air, leaned his torso forward, tensed his waist, and whipped his leg out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His left foot remained light, not yet grounded, while his right foot slammed diagonally backward with crushing force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The human body’s length is not entirely fixed—it has a degree of plasticity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, the explosive power of Chu Tianshu’s right leg made his right limb appear slightly longer than his left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tong Bei Quan imitates the monkey; the monkey’s most admirable trait is its leaping ability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Gluttonous Tong Bei Quan further evolved from the original Tong Bei Quan footwork, adding brutally efficient methods of power generation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the thick-soled cloth shoe struck the ground, the packed earth visibly sank; the sole was thick enough, but the stitching along its edge snapped completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the cracking shock the black-clad man heard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This kick nullified Chu Tianshu’s backward momentum and generated surplus force, launching him hurtling back instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the black-clad man even saw a clear figure, he shrieked and thrust both hands forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint crack echoed through the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Chu Tianshu surged forward, his right arm stabbed straight ahead, palm like a sword, piercing through the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood erupted in a flash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu’s palm felt as if it had plunged into a warm, mushy sludge—his fingertips kept driving deeper, striking something hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hss! Crack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black-clad man’s body stiffened upright, eyes wide open, pupils enlarged as if swollen, limbs rigid, both arms straight as wooden rods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hands were aimed at Chu Tianshu’s ears—a last-ditch suicide move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Chu Tianshu had shown even a hint of fear, the fight would still have been live.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if Chu Tianshu had charged in to strike his heart or head, the black-clad man’s dying counterattack would have landed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Chu Tianshu’s strike didn’t just target the throat—it pierced straight into the cervical vertebrae.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the human cervical spine fractures, the brain and spinal cord instantly disconnect, triggering full-body muscle rigidity, limbs locking rigidly in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black-clad man’s hands had already reached within half a foot of Chu Tianshu’s skull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the rigidity froze his arms like a jammed mechanism—no chance to strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu stared into the dead man’s eyes, holding the pose, his body gradually relaxing, breathing heavily. This sudden, unprovoked fight had been a clear, perilous duel—leaving him with a baffling, senseless anger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He extended his left hand to push the corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the body fell backward, the wound on its neck lost its seal—a gush of blood sprayed onto its own black robe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The corpse hit the ground, kicking up dust; blood continued to flow, slowly pooling around the neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few seconds later, the rigor mortis faded; the black-clad man’s raised arms dropped limply to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu stared at the blood on his right hand, silent for a moment, then looked at the corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had slain many malevolent spirits, but this was the first time he had killed a human—especially in such a bloody manner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This death… hm, no more terrifying than a ghost.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu relaxed his brow and shook the blood from his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Footsteps suddenly echoed along the street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu turned his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Ma hurried toward them, carrying a kerosene lamp, moving quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Little Chu, I just heard the alarm bell—what’s going on… Huh?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Ma stopped abruptly, his expression grim; he raised the lamp toward the scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The warm yellow glow revealed the iron finger-guards on the ground, swept over Chu Tianshu, and landed on his bloodied hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, the lamp’s light mingled with moonlight to illuminate the corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he was in the right, it looked as if he’d been caught red-handed at a murder scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu felt a flicker of tension, about to explain—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t panic!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Ma’s voice was low, but he comforted Chu Tianshu instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My old eyes may be dim, but I’m not blind—you were a greenhorn who’d never taken a life before. This is your first time, isn’t it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stepped forward again. “You sell medicine to earn coins, eat meat to cultivate—your mind is simple and pure. I know you wouldn’t kill without cause. Who is this man?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu was surprised; he stepped back two paces, letting Master Ma approach the corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This man ambushed me out of nowhere—I don’t know his origins. But before this, he killed a bamboo weaver.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Ma reached the corpse, gazing at its wide-open eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The green, vertical pupils were slowly returning to normal, then dilating into emptiness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Ma’s face changed; his left hand formed a sword finger and pressed against the kerosene lamp’s glass cover.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“East family’s firewood, west family’s charcoal, burning bright through heaven and earth. Fire dragons, fire crows guard the doors and windows. The flame drives the plague god frantic.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spoke rapidly, the phrases fused together, finished in a single breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the lamp, the flame flickered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The glass cover was intact, yet the old man pinched a wisp of flame from outside the cover and hurled it at the wound on the black-clad man’s neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flame flashed and vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu saw clearly—it didn’t go out; it seemed to burrow into the wound: “Master Ma, you’re no ordinary man.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The man lying here isn’t ordinary either.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Ma glanced at Chu Tianshu. “You killed him—you’re even more extraordinary.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the black-clad man’s skin began to writhe; insect-like creatures, shaped like cockroaches and no larger than ants, crawled from his seven orifices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu frowned deeply, tore off a strip of his robe’s hem, and wiped his right hand: “What are these things?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Poisoned lynx claws, crocodile-skin boots, leopard insects inside the body—this is a Viet leopard-cat warrior.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Ma’s face darkened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In ancient Viet royalty, such death-servants were bred: children were taken young, trained in martial arts mimicking tigers, leopards, and lynxes, and kept alongside a leopard cat that fed on human flesh and drank corpse oil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When both human and beast matured, perfectly synchronized in movement—human like cat, cat like human—a shaman would kill the leopard cat, let insects devour its flesh clean, then force the human to swallow the insects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The leopard cat’s spirit would attach to these insects, living inside the host, sharing his food and drink, and at need, possess him to unleash supernatural abilities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were the finest assassins and spies of ancient Viet—silent limbs, scaling walls and rooftops, finger strength capable of tearing off a man’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their behavior resembled accomplished martial artists, but they walked a different path: the path of spirit communion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even those who normally sense spirits could rarely detect such a malevolent soul hidden within insects, which themselves were concealed inside a human body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You killed him while he was fully engaged—so the leopard-cat spirit died instantly. But the insects are still alive. They must be destroyed, lest they fly out and bite someone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The insects Master Ma had forced out were already weak; the flame he hurled at them ignited them all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Chu Tianshu silently summoned his token screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, the Malevolent Spirit Materials column now listed a new entry: “Insect-Borne Leopard-Cat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the insects burned to ash, Master Ma’s face grew heavier, not lighter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You said he killed a bamboo weaver—that’s where the alarm bell rang, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Ma asked, “Was the corpse made to look as if it had been torn apart by wild beasts?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu sensed what was coming. “Yes. Was there a special purpose? Is he performing some dark ritual?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not a ritual—the leopard-cat warrior can’t perform other dark arts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Ma’s expression darkened. “But it’s worse—he’s almost certainly scouting for bandits.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Leopard-cat spirits are prone to backlash in spring—they need someone to suppress them. Only Viet nobles or bandit chieftains would keep such a man.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The foreigners have seized more than half of Jiaozhi, and there’s fighting everywhere there; bandits crossing into Yizhou are not uncommon. Because they can’t speak the language, when they scout, they always send their most capable and fierce men—other than their leader—to sneak into towns and kill someone, leaving the body behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then they watch from the shadows: how are the local customs? How often do the town militia come? What weapons do they use?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Master Ma spoke, he frowned. “That doesn’t make sense—if he already killed one person, why would he attack you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu thought for a moment and understood—it was because of that lingering yin corruption in his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those prone to yin corruption are easily tainted by it, especially in the eyes of beastly spirits, who find them especially delicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back in his hometown, his family had placed many protective charms; the spirits he encountered were mostly human souls, weak and harmless, never beastly, ferocious entities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This kind of leopard-cat warrior—he’d never seen one before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I went to where the bell was struck, looking for clues to the killer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu said, “His murderous soul was already defiant. My strong hostility must have triggered it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Ma stared at the corpse, murmuring, “That makes sense. If a leopard-cat warrior survives to middle age, his murderous soul grows stronger over time—it becomes more reactive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To keep a leopard-cat warrior like this—this bandit gang’s ferocity and brutality far surpasses ordinary outlaws…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Ma’s expression turned grim. “I must warn the town at once!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1909,"2026-06-19T20:45:51.976Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","92a790e12df1c7a84471fc4f18e25309dc93186f7d83633baa95365fb52a1012","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-12","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-10",155,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdevouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-cover.jpg"]