[{"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-117":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},2267062,4426,"Chapter 117: Heaven and Earth Restore Their Place, the Martial Souls Chuckle","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-117",117,"\u003Cp>The route from Haidong... is a bit insane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu stood with his hands on his hips amid the wild grass, gazing at the red sun just about to rise beyond the eastern clouds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The morning glow painted the towering buildings of Chang’an in gold and crimson, turning the city into a fortress of molten hues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He drew a deep breath toward the grand city, as if drawing in its steady aura to dispel the ruggedness of his journey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he set out, hearing Haidong’s descriptions, he had prepared himself for steep climbs, desolate, malarial wastes, and thickets choked with thorns and vines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what he had walked most of the way was not the imagined deep forests or quiet wilderness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was cliffs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red line on the route map ran along the riverbank, hugging the cliffside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu had assumed there was some distance between the mountain base and the riverbank, passable ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when he arrived, he realized the path referred to a fracture in the cliff face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To cross it meant walking along that fracture, like a narrow tunnel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this “tunnel” had the mountain wall on one side, the ground underfoot less than half a foot wide, and outside—howling winds and thick fog.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The drop to the river below was at least thirty to forty zhang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Below, the great river roared like thunder, ceaseless and raging.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Above, clouds swirled, and wild geese occasionally pierced through them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good thing my martial skill has deepened—if I’d been in this world when I first arrived, I might’ve truly struggled.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After resting a while, Chu Tianshu headed toward the city gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here in Chang’an, the markets outside the walls were far larger than those in Nanzhao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a city that had fallen multiple times since the founding of the Great Tang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet now, no trace of ruin or decay was visible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The city gate tower itself stood like a mighty general, armored and helmeted, towering to the clouds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soldiers patrolling the walls and gate seemed like children raised by this silent giant—radiating authority, yet brimming with vitality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The townsfolk queuing early to enter carried little; even those with baskets of vegetables were barely checked and let through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only those with obvious cargo carts or curtained carriages were stopped and inspected by the guards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu, empty-handed, drifted casually through the crowd and entered Chang’an.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The main street inside the gate was wide enough for countless carts to pass side by side, stretching long and level as if laid straight to the city’s far end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Street vendors had either opened their stalls or already lit their stoves; the cries of hot-water sellers rose and fell from every neighborhood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spotted a night watchman passing nearby—likely familiar with Chang’an’s streets—and asked him about Haidong’s residence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The watchman stared in surprise, steadied himself, then pointed the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the Haidong residence, Chu Tianshu saw two tall, red-armored guards standing at the gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After presenting a token, he was admitted inside and met the steward of the Haidong household.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though dressed as a man, she was clearly a woman—thirty or forty, wearing a black official cap, with slender eyes and a white robe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am of the Yuwen clan, single name Zhong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu blinked: “Yuwen?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuwen Zhong smiled: “There are many with the Yuwen surname—you may have met others elsewhere—but I was merely one of Chang’an’s petty gossip traders, not from any noble house.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu nodded slightly and handed over the letter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuwen Zhong took it, her expression freezing: “Lord Haidong sent you all the demonic weapons?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu said: “He said as long as you see this seal, you’ll know the order is genuine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s authentic.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuwen Zhong sighed, “Lord Haidong loved collecting demonic weapons. He once crossed paths with me over a single sword once wielded by a rebel king of the Sui’s end.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I never imagined he’d give them all away.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If he weren’t far away in Nanzhao, and if he weren’t the kind who never shied from action, I’d almost think he’d heard whispers from Chang’an.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu was curious: “What whispers?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Recently, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau has been circulating a theory—that during the Shang and Zhou dynasties, martial souls often manifested visible forms: divine, saintly, ghostly, demonic.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuwen Zhong smiled, “Back then, even without masters or bodies, martial souls could feed on human essence directly—no puppets needed, no killing required. Their workings were uncanny, their morality unfathomable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As the ancients said: ‘Essence becomes form; wandering souls transform.’ There were eleven thousand five hundred and twenty such forms—proof that martial souls then lived side by side with humans.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu caught the implication: “So the Imperial Astronomical Bureau is saying our world is reverting to that era?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s the theory.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuwen Zhong nodded. “They claim heaven and earth never cease shifting—two thousand years have passed, and in the last two decades, signs of cosmic reversal, of heaven and earth returning to their original positions, have emerged.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thus, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau has petitioned to warn all: noble houses and military forces must ban demonic weapons.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu scratched his temple with his little finger, a strange unease stirring within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back home, strange events had multiplied in recent years—could there be some connection between these trends across worlds?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He asked: “Does the Imperial Astronomical Bureau have many ancient texts on this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If so, he might try contacting them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Internally, the Bureau still debates this theory. The ancient turtle shells and stone carvings they’ve gathered are scarce, and many are likely false or corrupted—no solid proof exists.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Many still believe the sages merely seek an excuse to pressure noble families, deliberately stoking the rumor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Yuwen Zhong spoke, she moved without pause, leading Chu Tianshu to a courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is where Lord Haidong stores the demonic weapons. The doors and walls are inscribed with talismans drawn by Imperial Astronomical Bureau sorcerers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu saw tiny cloud-script charms carved into every brick, sealing off demonic energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After unlocking the door, Yuwen Zhong remained outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu stepped inside, crossed the courtyard, then pushed open the inner door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The door wasn’t locked, but as he pushed, he sensed the dark energies within, tangled and matured over time, forming a resistant force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hand met not only invisible pressure but a bone-chilling cold—ordinary men couldn’t have opened it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A soft pulse from Chu Tianshu’s palm shattered the door inward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The swords, spears, and halberds hanging on walls and shelves trembled slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one had tended this room, yet not a speck of dust marred any weapon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu walked in, smiled, and counted—fourteen weapons, exactly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By aura, several were weaker than “Snow River Collapse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only three matched “Snow River Collapse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two matched “Blazing Sun Wheel” in intensity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But none rivaled the Phoenix Wing Gilded Spade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu glanced around—he found the quality unexpectedly impressive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both quality and quantity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu chuckled softly and shut the door behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1163,"2026-06-19T20:45:51.976Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","1e040eaa415989c75d28fb9d315c69367e367d1664f6c5969e57476778712c08","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-118","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-116",155,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdevouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-cover.jpg"]