[{"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-141":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},2267086,4426,"Chapter 141: Medicinal Mercury, the Power of Man","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-141",141,"\u003Cp>Underground floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A stream of spirits was scattering outward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had no notion whether this was some underground level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some soared upward; others pierced straight through the walls, sinking into the earth, flying far beyond measure before finally drilling back to the surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the altar, only Du Chen remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He scraped his chin twice with the razor in his hand; it softened into a silver droplet and vanished into his sleeve. His face was full of suspicion as he stared at the overhead map displayed beneath his feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The light points representing malevolent spirits were still being blocked, still decreasing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the Mo brothers first led their people out, many malevolent spirits had been free to roam unchecked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet this improvement did not last long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Around four or five in the afternoon, Wang Bo exposed the Ghost Market’s headquarters in Guangling. Because of the White Bone Centipede, attention was drawn, and we immediately prepared and opened the altar to commune with the gods…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In this short time, only a fraction of the Jianghuai Special Capture Bureau could possibly arrive. Their manpower is still severely insufficient.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dr. Du weighed his options internally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it because, beyond external aid, so many locals were still actively interfering with the malevolent spirits?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or had the Mo brothers simply slacked off?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That fellow, Mo the Elder, must have some other scheme.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he’d staked his entire Ghost Market enterprise on this night. If the plan failed, what benefit would that bring him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Chen tried placing himself in Mo the Elder’s position—and instantly, a cascade of venomous schemes surged through his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet none of those schemes had sufficient justification.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hss! This man is truly inscrutable—I can’t guess his intentions…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Chen clenched his fists, feeling dampness in his palms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was sweat, seeping from nervous tension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the situation had progressed this far. Even if internal strife and external threats truly emerged, he refused to abandon it halfway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The complete secret method to communicate with the Mirror Ape was his own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had long studied spirit-world data; every detail of this setup had been personally arranged by him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if the Mo brothers turned hostile, they couldn’t easily strip him of his role as ritual master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was entrusted to lead a major project studying spirit-world species’ bloodlines precisely because I’m sensitive enough to spirit-world qi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With my cultivation, even if fire breaks out on all four sides, I still have a chance to snatch the chestnuts from the flames!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Chen continuously calculated in his mind, unable to suppress murmuring aloud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn it! If Chang’an hadn’t shut down my project and refused me any chance to resume research, how could I have sunk to this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These short-sighted, foolish officials, terrified of even the slightest disruption to their positions, spend their days covering up mistakes and clinging to their lucky breaks like beggars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And you old bastards of the Special Capture Bureau—how generous of you, treating the public like pet rabbits you keep at home?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Chen stared at the statue before him, his long-suppressed grievances swelling as if he meant to voice them to the spirits and gods before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A mere breeze or drizzle kills your rabbits? You won’t even promote a technology with flaws but immense potential?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Which great scientist, which great invention, wasn’t deployed while still flawed—and then grew through practice?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Humanity is far more resilient than you imagine!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Throughout the floor, spirits darted wildly, the cold wind shrieking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Du Chen’s voice carried a furious heat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as he spoke these words, a deep, furious voice thundered down from the ceiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Humans are resilient enough—but do you know how much tears, sweat, and blood it costs to force that resilience out?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s no excuse to pressure them recklessly!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Golden blade-light tore through the ceiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blade-qi shattered sections of concrete, forming a vertical fissure shaped like an eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Jianhua lunged down through the fissure, slashing his blade straight at the altar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Chen snapped his head up; a hemispherical ice-blue barrier flared to life above the ten-meter altar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The golden blade crashed against the barrier—producing a sound like a great bell tolling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Jianhua’s internal qi had been condensed within his blade, focused and refined to maximize destructive power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the instant it struck the barrier, his qi transformed into a cyan stream, spilling outward from the blade’s edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The floor’s thick, oppressive yin qi rushed to neutralize it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dozens of drifting malevolent spirits surged toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Jianhua frowned, executed a backward somersault, and retreated far away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he landed, nearby cardboard boxes crumbled into dust, revealing their contents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strings of copper coins, small tripods, incense burners, bone flutes, purple crystal skulls…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These dark ritual artifacts had lost all luster, covered in cracks, as if ready to shatter into fragments at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fool!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Jianhua’s fury still burned; he unleashed his internal qi without restraint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cyan flame, rising like steam from his feet, engulfed his entire body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next instant, he became a cannonball, smashing through several nearby spirits, and drove his blade again into the barrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gaaah!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The barrier shrieked, its surface cracking in jagged lines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Such profound internal qi!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Chen’s expression shifted slightly. “But no matter the nature of human internal qi, it’s intrinsically tied to life essence. Releasing it recklessly here? You’re asking for death.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He formed a hand seal—a lotus flame—his fingers trembling slightly as the seal rose from his dantian to his throat, then thrust forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him stood the towering statue of the Mirror Ape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spirits drifting from the ape’s chest, once aimless, now felt an unseen pull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like streams dividing, they curved into two arcs, sweeping past Du Chen’s left and right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One by one, they filled the cracks in the barrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spirits that had begun fleeing the floor now turned and surged back, slamming into Feng Jianhua.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Jianhua’s internal qi still surged violently, resisting all surrounding yin spirits—but his face had turned deathly pale, his skin dry and flaking from dehydration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stomped the ground, letting out a long, horse-like cry, and pushed his blade forward with all his strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The collision of his qi and the yin aura churned the air around him into a boiling maelstrom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dozens of white threads nearly materialized in the currents, howling back and forth, trembling ceaselessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many of the crumbling cardboard boxes were shredded by the gales.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire floor echoed with the howling wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Chen’s expression grew even more grave; his hand seals shifted rapidly, his full attention focused on controlling the yin spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“?!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Chen’s scalp suddenly exploded with sensation—no sound, no words flashed in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only a sudden, overwhelming terror seized his spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He jerked backward violently; his clothes ripped and twisted, pouring out a thick surge of silver light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that instant—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If one looked upward from the ceiling fissure of this underground floor—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One would see Chu Tianshu leaping up beside the fissure, both hands slamming against the ceiling of the floor above.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With both arms exploding in power, he warped the floor slab violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu’s body, propelled by the reaction force, crashed downward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shot through the blade-shaped fissure and struck the very top of the altar’s barrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qiang!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu’s boots, already damaged, shattered instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His pant legs tore to rags; his entire skeleton resonated with a deep vibration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that same vibration, the top of the barrier cracked open into a massive gap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ragged figure pierced through and landed on the altar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment his feet touched ground, a vast wave of tarnished silver light surged toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It poured from Du Chen’s body—metallic, heavy, shimmering like a torrent of mercury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This doctor dared carry mercury against his skin because it was no ordinary mercury—it was refined “Medicinal Mercury.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Medicinal Mercury Art uses mercury as its core, blended with one hundred and thirty-seven herbal essences, refined and purified through relentless mental force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once perfected, one can command the heavy Medicinal Mercury as easily as one’s own limbs—light as wind, swift as an arrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It can reshape at will: normally, it clings to the body, soft and comfortable, undetectable; a protective medicinal film forms between skin and mercury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In combat, the toxic properties of its many herbs manifest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sorcerer is at severe disadvantage when a martial artist closes in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But one who masters the Medicinal Mercury Art may turn that instant into a fatal counterattack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The silver liquid metal did not form venomous snakes, giant serpents, or crossbow bolts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was simply a vast, watery, seemingly supple glow, drenching and enveloping everything before it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More terrifying than any physical attack is this completely intangible one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each drop of this deadly mercury is a solid entity, denser than normal mercury; even a single drop striking its target can pierce straight to the bone marrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Chen once tested the power of this secret art by firing medicinal mercury at a life-sized bronze statue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A soft, thick silver glow swept over it, turning the statue nearly into a honeycomb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu’s insight-light flared and vanished instantly; as the light retracted, his eyelids closed too, and he stepped forward in a single stride, launching his entire body at full speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air howled like the vibration in a tiger’s throat as it roared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was true dragon-step, tiger-stride—his back muscles surged, contours carved like axe-chisels, his long arm extended, and he shoved forward with one palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>WHOOSH!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Chen’s heart leapt to his throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the thick silver glow successfully engulfed that dangerous figure, relief and astonishment finally flickered in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the dense silver glow suddenly bulged, rolled, and tore open toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From within the heavy, toxic mercury emerged a man bare-chested.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All mercury driven by mental force, desperate to burrow into his body, were deflected at his skin’s surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Skin like yellow jade, wild black hair, every inch of him radiating swelling, explosive power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was fourteen hearts beating in unison, generating Palm Thunder—every part of his body, without exception, was expelling force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when the resilience of the mind itself begins to rise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Can one achieve this state—eyelids, back of the head, ears—all generating force, utterly flawless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Chen had no time to dodge—he screamed in despair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu’s eyes snapped wide open, his palm accelerating again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>WHIRRR—Du Chen’s head was struck by that palm, exploding into a spray of shattered fragments and blood mist, splattering the statue behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Du Chen dead, the toxic mercury lost control, rolling to the ground, writhing and slithering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The altar’s barrier collapsed completely; Feng Jianhua charged forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stabbed his blade into the ground, rapidly drawing in his internal force, breathing deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You scared the hell out of me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu looked at the old man. “Why did the principal rush down first?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Originally, after locating the altar, the plan was for Chu Tianshu to descend and draw attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was more well-rounded, his vitality robust and vigorous, his cultivation method with no obvious flaws.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Feng Jianhua, the swordsman, would lie in wait above, fully poised, and deliver a thunderclap strike to slay the enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Du Chen’s hateful words somehow struck a nerve in Feng Jianhua.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man rushed down and struck first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The planned roles were reversed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Feng Jianhua perfectly fulfilled the role of drawing attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A man who has trained internal energy to this level, when he unleashes it, radiates a terrifying, awe-inspiring aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Chu Tianshu—leapt, fell, and crushed the skull with one palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clean and efficient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He talked too arrogantly. If he’d ever truly paid attention to the lives of ordinary people, he wouldn’t speak so lightly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Jianhua’s voice was hoarse as he stared at the statue. “We still have to deal with this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu looked at the statue and punched the mirror surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>CHING!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu’s expression changed slightly; he stepped back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Jianhua asked urgently, “What’s wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A false sense of threat—but with real pressure…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Chu Tianshu’s fist touched the mirror, he seemed to see ice and snow filling heaven and earth, a towering ape gazing down with cold eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That instinctive threat made him recoil, holding back the full force of the blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this what they call aura pressure?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Jianhua’s gaze shifted, guessing roughly: “Step back. Throw something heavy at it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu took two deep, long breaths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The condensed mental force remaining in the Three Seven Divine Sword had long since been fully absorbed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body, like a sponge, drank in that mental force; once saturated, his entire being became transcendentally clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could sense that the so-called Huangya True Qi or Samadhi True Force was about to emerge, yet still scattered through every sinew, every fiber of his bones and muscles, unconsolidated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nor did it need to be consolidated!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Consolidating it, letting it flow through the meridians—that was for later stages of internal cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The “God of the Martial Hearth” was meant to be in this state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Jianhua’s nostrils flared, as if smelling the sharp, hot scent of blood and molten steel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hairs on his forearms stood on end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The transparent breeding vats around the altar—each housing dormant white-bone centipedes—suddenly awakened, hissing and scrambling wildly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The centipedes, shaped like human spines, now radiated not ferocity, but fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lingering spirits in the floor above also froze mid-motion, hovering stiffly in the air, trembling slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The source of this strange sensation was Chu Tianshu, clenching his fist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it some newly produced hormone spreading through his flesh—or the threat radiating from his fist intent?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three united as one—martial power can forge a god.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ghosts and gods have their own aura pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And a human who has refined his fist art to this level? He has his own aura pressure too!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu swung his fist again, striking the statue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The statue’s eyes flared red, as if trying to memorize this human—but the light flashed once and vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A soft crack echoed from within the statue; it shattered, fine fragments flying everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Jianhua witnessed this, exhaled a long breath, feeling that this night was finally nearing its end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He suddenly realized—he was truly old.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even this single battle had felt endless to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu looked down at the collapsed statue, then turned, his face showing no fatigue, only a spark of excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s keep killing the evil spirits!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The altar is destroyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now we can safely hunt the evil spirits and harvest materials!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2432,"2026-06-19T20:45:51.976Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","6710cb2babd7fb1ac3c4e6995510f2fd4b4a44310535332d1de786336971165a","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-142","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-140",155,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdevouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-cover.jpg"]