[{"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-125":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},2267070,4426,"Chapter 125: Old Man Li","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-125",125,"\u003Cp>Spirit communication arts originate from fangshi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As early as the Western Zhou dynasty, fangshi served in court, overseeing criminal justice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The practice of lianjing boxing stems from ancient strongmen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Gongyang Commentary, Xuan Gong Year Six: “Qi Miming, Zhao Dun’s chariot guard, was a national strongman.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Records of the Grand Historian also records that Zhang Liang enlisted a strongman to jointly assassinate Qin Shi Huang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the rise of religion, Daoist and Buddhist schools bestowed various alternative names upon these two types of cultivators—all variations of the same root.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how many names they changed to, the essential nature of their cultivation remained these two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet in this world, there exists a third cultivation path: the internal energy lineage descended from qi cultivators.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Internal energy techniques are endlessly varied; at the same level, they possess far more mystic subtleties than lianjing boxing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Internal energy manifests as techniques more swiftly than spellcasting or talisman drawing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the flaws of internal energy are so severe they cannot be ignored.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When spirit communication arts reach minor mastery, one can summon spirits, exorcise ghosts, cast curses from afar, place talismans to guard homes, dispel illusions, and drive away evil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But one who achieves minor mastery in internal energy can only manifest extraordinary lightness skills—nothing else works.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One who achieves minor mastery in lianjing boxing gains permanent physical enhancement; even if unconscious, their self-healing and drug absorption far exceed ordinary people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if an internal energy cultivator exhausts their qi or falls into unconsciousness without activating their practice, they are no different from an ordinary patient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, the internal energy lineage has risen and fallen throughout history, and in modern times, it has largely sunk to a low point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Very, very few people begin specializing in internal energy upon opening their dantian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most are lianjing masters who, having hit a dead end on their path and found further progress impossible, consider switching to internal energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Chu Tianshu had heard of internal energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in all his life, he had never actually encountered a master of internal energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Old Man Li truly practiced internal energy…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The faint resentment Chu Tianshu felt toward the fugitive now mingled with heightened eagerness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yao Liben had no photo of Old Man Li, but he provided a detailed description of his appearance and build, barely managing to produce a rough sketch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After passing the sketch around, Chu Tianshu and his team drove toward Guangling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The captured vehicle led the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Lianyong drove, while Chu Tianshu sat in the front passenger seat, opened his phone, and chatted for a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scenery gradually grew unfamiliar, leaving behind the towns and counties Chu Tianshu had known since childhood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did he put away his phone and gaze out the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Lianyong seemed familiar with the roads and, with navigation’s aid, deliberately chose backroads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vehicles traveled on cement and asphalt roads between the city and suburbs—far smaller than highways, yet easier to clear of snow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Often, only a narrow strip down the center was plowed for passage, while both sides piled with dirty and fresh snow, mixed and heaped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shop signs along the roadside, colorful and varied, bore traces of snow on their edges; nearby residents still came to shop, so it was far from deserted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After watching for a while, Chu Tianshu grew bored, closed his eyes to rest, and lightly traced four vertical and five horizontal lines on his left palm, silently cultivating his mental force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They knew backroads were easier, but others knew too—so the road was blocked several times; after finally detouring, night had fallen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Warriors possess abundant energy; Qi Lianyong did not delay, continuing to drive under the moonlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thin moon, flying snow, the world faintly white.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After slowly crossing a stretch of icy road, Qi Lianyong perked up and tapped the steering wheel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ve reached Guangling!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu opened his eyes and looked ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guangling City lies beside Hailing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Guangling’s fame far surpasses Hailing’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ancient melody “Guangling San” truly means a qin tune disseminated throughout the Guangling region.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, Guangling is also known as Yangzhou, the confluence of the Yangtze River and the Grand Canal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through the mottled annals, poems, legends, imperial rumors about this place have endured for millennia, adding threefold brilliance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Our journey here, from southeast to northwest…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu gazed at the snowy landscape ahead, thought of the card in his pocket, and smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Truly—‘Belted with ten thousand strings of cash, riding a crane to Yangzhou!’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Lianyong asked in surprise: “Isn’t it ‘riding a crane down to Yangzhou’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu said: “Either way is fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arriving here meant the timing was ripe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu and his partner got out, summoned Yao Liben, and, per plan, had Yao Liben begin making calls to set the trap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yao Liben performed flawlessly; though merely on the phone, he mimicked body language convincingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He claimed they had spent their own money to rent several vans for swift transport, and on the way had encountered an old buyer whose vehicle seemed to be tailing them—they’d tried shaking him off multiple times, yet he always reappeared shortly after.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the long call ended, Yao Liben held his phone, sweat glistening on his forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“H-he agreed—he’ll head to the old campus cultural hall.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When analyzing, Yao Liben always claimed Old Man Li was just putting on airs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when he actually devised the deception to lure Old Man Li, he still felt immense pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, Old Man Li’s methods—his aura, built upon tomb-raiding prowess—were genuinely effective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over time, through constant exposure, this aura intimidated all underlings, whether loyal or not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, Old Man Li never imagined one of his men would, after reviewing each tomb-robbing assignment, go home and look up the relevant criminal statutes to calculate his sentence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then you’ll drive from now on.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu studied Yao Liben for a moment, opened the rear door, took off his windbreaker, and swapped it for a captured man’s coat, then donned a baseball cap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also pulled a black mask from the bundle on the truck and wore it over his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two men from Jindao Martial School also changed into captured men’s clothing and took charge of the following vehicle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then I’ll have to squeeze in with these three captives.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Qi Lianyong spoke, his hand rested on the car door, gazing into the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the road ahead, snowplows worked through the night, and workers scattered de-icing agents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cold wind blew snowflakes, endlessly drifting through the glow of streetlights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The world was desolate; after prolonged viewing, one felt an immense, distant loneliness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Belted with ten thousand strings of cash, riding a crane down to Yangzhou—what a pity, with weather like this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Lianyong tapped the car door and said to Chu Tianshu before climbing into the backseat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When the snow melts, I’ll take you to tour every attraction in Guangling.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu smiled beneath his mask and slid into the front passenger seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the 1950s, Jindao Martial School was merely a martial arts studio.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from the owner’s family, there were only a dozen apprentices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the 1980s, the owner’s reputation had grown, he hired several additional masters, and the number of apprentices increased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even after expanding the studio, with everyone entering only during daylight, it remained extremely crowded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that time, residents of Guangling City approached voluntarily, proposing to establish a school.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Combined with urban planning, they approved a vast plot of over seven hundred mu, giving rise to the later famed Jindao Martial School across the entire Jianghuai region.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old campus—or the original studio—was later taken over by the city, converted into a cultural hall, promoting Jianghuai martial arts culture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the 1980s and 1990s, many elderly men and women exercised there, and it was once lively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In recent years, Guangling’s urbanization accelerated, with new residential districts and parks built everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cultural hall was forgotten on the urban-rural fringe, isolated beyond the town.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The southern brick-and-wood building had been repaired with concrete; its main gate was locked, and in front stood two rows of weapon racks displaying ornamental replicas of the eighteen weapons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dozens of meters behind the building stood a three-story concrete structure, its two heavy glass doors also locked, with only a small guardhouse on the side lit by a lamp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The surrounding grounds were entirely paved with concrete; the only road leading to town was also concrete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid thick snow, only a few bicycle tracks remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Distant headlights appeared; three vans approached one after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bundled old man emerged from the guardhouse, gaunt-faced, wearing reading glasses, one hand holding an umbrella, the other a flashlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you the people Xiao Li recommended?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yao Liben stepped out first, his full face visible in the moonlight; he feigned nervousness, glancing around before stepping forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t ask so much—cargo’s here. Where do we put it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man squinted, his vision too poor even with glasses to make out Yao Liben’s expression; he pointed vaguely at the three-story building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Put it there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu also got out, scanning the surroundings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guardhouse had held only this one old man—now it was empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earlier, they had seen no other vehicle tracks; Old Man Li had not yet arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Chu Tianshu thought this, he suddenly felt a gaze upon him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He whirled his head and caught a fleeting shadow at the corner of the southern building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu’s mind stirred; he placed a hand on Yao Liben’s shoulder and muttered two words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yao Liben finally grew genuinely nervous when he suddenly felt a sharp pain on his shoulder—he realized a thin silver needle had pierced one of his acupoints.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu wore a mask, but his clear eyes, as if smiling, glanced at him once before turning away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yao Liben stood frozen in place, forced to comply, shouting loudly: “There must be a toilet around here—just ask!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s so cold—why the hell do we have to go somewhere else to piss?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With these words, Chu Tianshu’s footsteps sounded perfectly natural, and before he knew it, he had drawn near the large house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His ears trembled slightly in the fine snow, catching the sound of footsteps shifting near the front of the house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Puff!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The snow beneath Chu Tianshu’s feet exploded outward—in a single step, he shot from the left rear of the house to its left front.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A furrow marked the snow behind him, while flakes flew wildly in all directions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the house stood a man in a white down jacket and white trousers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had pulled the jacket’s hood over his head and clasped his hands before his chest, resembling a snowman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But beneath the white hood, his face was a dull yellow, cheeks sunken, lips thin, with a short beard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the instant the snowflakes flew, their eyes met.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu instantly recognized this man as Li Laoda.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Laoda likewise realized in an instant—this man was not one of his own men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hummm!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air shuddered violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu moved his body and his palm together, leading with his right hand, stepping into a wide bow stance and lunging sideways—his palm slammed into the opponent’s chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Shaolin Fist style, this move—Luo Han Zhuang Zhong—delivered the purest force!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he lunged forward, every joint in his body compressed tightly together; no matter what he struck, the impact would instantly transmit and disperse through the joints at maximum speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, when initiating this technique, one could be utterly reckless, launching with the fastest possible start.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Laoda heard the air itself hum from the sudden thrust of Chu Tianshu’s palm and his face turned pale with shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white-clad, yellow-faced man leapt like a rabbit startled by lightning, drawing his feet sharply inward while thrusting his arms outward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both sleeves of the down jacket shattered completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rags, feathers, and snowflakes mingled midair, indistinguishable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Laoda’s figure shot out like an arrow through the chaotic, fragmented scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He flew forty meters away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu’s palm should have struck the man’s bones directly; even if the residual force hurled him backward, it would have been no more than five or six meters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the moment his palm made contact, he felt as if he’d struck a wicker ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t tell what kind of strange vine it was—far tougher than a soccer ball, yet lighter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who cultivate strength could channel force like a ball, but never could they make themselves this light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this qigong?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu’s eyelids widened with excitement; he took only two giant steps, his body flashing like a lingering shadow across the snow, appearing before Li Laoda in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snowflakes erupted violently from the air current!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The accumulated snow rose like a long curtain, surging upward from its origin and lifting snow particles along the entire path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Laoda had barely landed when he saw a dark shadow hurtling toward his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind the shadow surged a massive plume of cold, flying white snow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where the hell did this top-tier strength cultivator come from?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And why the hell is he chasing me down?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Laoda, terrified and desperate, tensed both arms, forcing his energy to surge—his eyelids and lips instantly flushed with a faint blue hue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu’s palm came again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still one hand, but his five fingers spread wide, knuckles slightly bent, not fully extended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, it wasn’t a push—it was a downward grab!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The icy snow didn’t matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu had come to Guangling specifically to see this man, the suspected internal strength cultivator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Internal strength—use more of it, I want to see!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2277,"2026-06-19T20:45:51.976Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","5202e3ca513ca3aabc78a5c8229383e52f0840aa8ba1e617a618b8ffe0a00e6f","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-126","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-124",155,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdevouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-cover.jpg"]