[{"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-136":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},2267081,4426,"Chapter 136: The Prelude to the Century, Guangling Night","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-136",136,"\u003Cp>Suburban chicken farm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The owner and his wife hadn’t returned home even after dark; they had turned on all the lights, waiting for customers to pick chickens so they could slaughter them immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the chicken farm, roosters were always fewer than hens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For meat chickens, the male-to-female ratio was typically above one to eight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For egg-laying hens, the ratio could be as high as one to twenty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, many people came—some on tricycles, some on motorcycles, even a few in cars—all demanding roosters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They wanted the oldest roosters, and when slaughtering them, they collected the fresh blood, immediately transferring it into other containers to mix with something unknown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The farm was small, and the owner and his wife were usually quiet, honest people who didn’t meddle in others’ affairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But seeing how strangely the customers behaved, as if sharing a secret, the couple began to feel uneasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t look like these people were gathering for some collective purpose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They hadn’t arrived together, and they left separately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The last customer to arrive was a burly man walking on foot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had a crew cut, wasn’t young, and had a solid build; even bundled in a down jacket, he didn’t look bulky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snowflakes melted on his head the moment they touched it, and he wiped them away casually—he looked full of vital energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After asking the price of the roosters, he muttered under his breath before pulling out money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A handful of old banknotes, including a one-yuan bill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside him, an old man on a tricycle had already mixed the chicken blood, tossed the chicken into the tricycle, put on his helmet, and now lifted his face shield, shouting: “Ma Dengwan?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uncle Nan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The big man leaned over curiously, “You buying chickens or blood?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncle Nan chuckled, “Buying cinnabar, medicine powder, blood—all taken care of. I’m taking the chicken home for my daughter-in-law to stew for my grandson.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Dengwan whispered, “Uncle Nan, are you also looking into the Ghost Market? You’ve got several fruit shops—you’re well-off, living in peace. Why get involved in this mess?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncle Nan grunted, “My mother and I were both saved by Brother Yuan back then. When he called, if I turned him down, would I still be human?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides, my kids and grandkids are fine. My old bones? I’ll do what I want!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Dengwan gave a thumbs-up. “Uncle Nan, true man—unfettered.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncle Nan smiled, “Aren’t your wife’s dumpling stall doing well? You’re not exactly short on cash, are you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Dengwan shrugged, “Using her money feels wrong. I want to see if I can make some extra cash myself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncle Nan laughed loudly, waved his hand, turned the tricycle around, and drove off slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Dengwan drifted into thought, his smile fading; snow landed on his head, and he forgot to wipe it off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t quite explain why he’d taken the Gold Knife Martial School job.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It certainly wasn’t just for the extra money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His salary was modest, but he had few expenses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His wife was a good woman, no bad habits; his son was grown and didn’t beg him for toys.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he himself, after spending over a decade in prison, had developed good habits; since his release, he hadn’t smoked once, let alone touched anything else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His life now was truly good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the kind of life his childhood self would have envied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he still felt uneasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he was young, his family was poor; strong idle men bullied them, and educated intellectuals looked down on them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His parents wanted to send him to school but had no connections; when he grew older, he channeled his frustration into fighting, and his older brother noticed him, teaching him martial arts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those were the happiest days of his life—he could now beat the idle men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The intellectuals, though they carried status, crumbled at the slightest threat, revealing their cowardice and weakness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His brothers were loyal; their elder brother treated them well, so they followed him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But later, their elder brother went to prison, and they all became convicts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Dengwan was sentenced to fifteen years; he was released after serving fourteen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His best brothers were either still inside, or had moved away; one had even become a teacher at a martial arts school.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old saying goes: things remain, but people change.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when he came out, he saw that even Guangling itself was different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Few places looked the same as before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His wife had aged; his son had grown up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The very same year he went to prison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That July 1st, they introduced something called “nine-year compulsory education.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with his wife managing everything alone, their son still went to school.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His sweet little child had become an “old nine”… hey, so scholarly now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet this life still left him feeling something was off, compared to the past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Dengwan snapped back to reality, took the bowl of chicken blood, pulled out a plastic bag of cinnabar, poured the blood inside, sealed it, and rubbed the bag with his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking back toward the city, he felt a small flicker of hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ghost Market! That term felt distant—could he really stumble upon a clue?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Dengwan took the chicken home, then stepped out again, cinnabar in hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recalling places in the city rumored to be quiet, he decided to wander and scout first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The roads were piled with snow; shops were closed, shuttered; some families lived in their stores, still lit up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lights varied, and so did their brightness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Streetlights were uniform, but several were broken, and no one had come to fix them recently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Dengwan pondered where the Ghost Market might be connected, glancing around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bright streetlight above him suddenly flickered twice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he looked up, his nose twitched—he smelled the stench of rotting tree bark soaked in water for years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>HU!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Dengwan rolled forward on the spot, covering over three meters, his right hand slipping into his coat pocket; he knelt half-up and turned—no one there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the streetlight flickered more rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stench of rotting bark surged toward his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Dengwan’s pupils contracted; his right hand shot out of his pocket and shoved forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His knuckles stretched slightly, producing a sharp crack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Extended strike, long-range—Shaolin Long Fist’s firecracker force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially since his palm was smeared with crimson cinnabar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ahh!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A strange scream echoed through the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A crimson cinnabar handprint hovered in midair, retreating rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Dengwan had no ability to create floating handprints.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, the cinnabar had stuck to something unclean—and it was fleeing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sweat beaded on his neck, his face flushed; he took a sharp breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who trained hard in martial arts had heightened senses; though they couldn’t see the unclean things, they could smell their stench.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The nose is the organ through which humans connect with heaven and earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Detecting unclean things through smell was the most common method.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sensing them through hearing or touch was far less likely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Dengwan focused his nose—he could still smell the rotting bark odor fading away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was just relaxing when he caught several other strange scents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One smelled like spoiled meat; another like muddy ground after autumn straw fires.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And there was the metallic stench of iron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That iron smell terrified him—he felt his heart contract, and he bolted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he ran, he smeared cinnabar on his forehead, nose, mouth, and the back of his neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mixing the yang energy of chicken blood and cinnabar with the body’s natural yang-leaking points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They said this made unclean things think the “prey” was foul and poisonous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Dengwan ran for several blocks, and sure enough, the stench didn’t follow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Multiple unclean things, each with different deaths, guarding the area? That’s abnormal—is there a Ghost Market warehouse over there?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fear and excitement stirred in Ma Dengwan; he oriented himself and headed toward the martial arts school, already pulling out his phone to call his brother who’d become a teacher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, Old Sha, I just…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t finished speaking when he froze, looking up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air was thick with the stench of unclean things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fresh lacquer, wet cement pillars after rain, vomit mixed with blood from drunkenness…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the subtle odors invisible to ordinary people nearly choked him in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But these stenches weren’t aimed at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each followed its own path, mostly just passing by.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Dengwan’s eyeballs turned rigidly in one direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stench of blood mixed with alcohol and stomach acid drifted toward Dongguan Street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His house is on Dongguan Street—who knows if that thing might land on his roof?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wife…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The giant man’s excitement vanished, replaced by panic and fury; he gripped his phone and sprinted off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hello? Hello?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the martial arts school, Teacher Sha asked several times but received no reply; he hurried toward the cafeteria.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The principal and the others should be eating there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as Teacher Sha neared the cafeteria, he noticed many teachers running toward it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some teachers still held one phone to their ear while another phone rang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Number 29 Beiguan should have a Ghost Market…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Futou Village—the one right by Exit 8 of the highway—I ran into something dirty there…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn, I vaguely saw an old woman.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We martial artists find it too exhausting to fight things like this—thankfully, I brought my family’s prayer beads when I left this afternoon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...I’m almost out of cinnabar—hurry and help! This thing seems to be that famous bride who drowned herself nearby…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wasn’t that a 1950s incident? The family that drove her to suicide probably all died by now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Teacher Sha slowed his pace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why are so many places showing disturbances? What is the Ghost Market trying to do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the underground level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All lights had gone out, yet the entire floor was suffused with an icy blue-white glow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ghost Market’s trusted agents were scattered among hundreds, even thousands, of goods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Mo brothers and Du Chen were all on the altar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The statue before them resembled a monkey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It bore ice-blue antlers on its head, red eyes, white fur, long limbs, and a circular ice mirror embedded in its chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The aura of every item was swallowed whole, draining into the monkey from all around it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From that circular mirror, one after another malevolent spirit drifted forth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These spirits, having lingered in the Spirit Realm for decades or even centuries, had long been worn down and transformed—but they deliberately preserved their hatred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They did not know what had become of their enemies since.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they knew their hatred still lived—in the human world—in Guangling!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Chen stared at the breeding boxes surrounding the altar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He awaited the descent of divine power to purify those centipede eggs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Projecting these vengeful spirits was the prerequisite for the Mirror Monkey to unleash its divine force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, to promote the White Bone Centipedes, one must consider public acceptance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those already cultivated might not need these centipedes—but once the truth behind these extraordinary events was exposed and could no longer be hidden,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>enough people would willingly accept centipede implantation, desperate to seize this opportunity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Chang’an, the crisis in the Spirit Realm is closing in—how can you afford such indecisiveness?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Chen thought silently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let Guangling be the beginning of the truth; then we will infiltrate every corner, spreading these superior seeds, giving more people the chance to change their lives!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My research findings are what should shine brightest in this era!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zzzzzz!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The altar floor suddenly hummed, turning pitch black.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the darkness, a panoramic view of Guangling emerged, looking down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Chen and the others looked down at their feet and saw many icy blue dots halted mid-flight, failing to make sufficient impact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s going on?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Chen’s whiskers twitched. “How many meddling sorcerers are there?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Shengyi whispered, “Who said only sorcerers can interfere with these things?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tonight, too many people have been wandering around Guangling—and now it seems they’ve all prepared for something.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Shengyi tossed aside his fur-lined coat, turned with a smile, and gave orders to the Ghost Market’s followers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then, for our kind, go meet them!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Dao Martial School.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the cafeteria.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu had just been biting into a bun while chatting on his phone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw that Baishui had said most of the Jianghuai Special Captors who could move had already entered Guangling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Lin Baishui: You haven’t met many of my colleagues yet—want to get together?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Chu Tianshu could reply, his gaze turned toward the cafeteria entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many teachers were approaching the cafeteria.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He heard the chaotic chatter and, in his Spirit-Opening state, directed his vision toward the night sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his sight, irregular, translucent shadows flew past the neighborhoods near the martial school.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu rose, swallowed the meat filling in his mouth with force, his teeth clashing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Malevolent spirits!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2138,"2026-06-19T20:45:51.976Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e1c453101c8327d5fefb1a16fb717215f05c16366bb21351ad4ba128db1aa973","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-137","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-135",155,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdevouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-cover.jpg"]