[{"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-33":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},2266978,4426,"Chapter 33: Standing in the Flames, Making a Vow","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-33",33,"\u003Cp>Cai Shanjun stared at the clan chief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If an artifact capable of resolving conflict and safeguarding life is merely to be enshrined in the ancestral hall, then what purpose did the Cave Goddess allow me to bring it out?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clan chief frowned. “Even if it truly resolves conflict and protects life, it should only be used when our own village faces danger—not as an excuse to lend it lightly to outsiders.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But when danger truly arrives at your doorstep, is it still possible to contain it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cai Shanjun countered, then suddenly spoke of a topic that seemed long buried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In the early Qing dynasty, the Manchus sought to display imperial authority and assert control over their territories, ordering the collection of treasures of great significance from every region.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At the time, some Miao villages that had pledged allegiance early wished to use Qing authority to become the paramount leaders among all Miao clans. The uniqueness of Wu Family Village became their offering.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They claimed the cave held treasure, and that Wu Family Village possessed the map to it. Again and again, this brought great losses upon Wu Family Village. Eventually, Wu Family Village assassinated the leaders of several rival villages, bribed local officials with great effort, and even offered a village woman as a concubine to bury the matter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clan chief frowned. “Why are you telling me this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The world today is growing more turbulent. Foreign powers are watching us no less fiercely than they did at the end of the Ming dynasty. The foreigners’ scale is vast, and their hunger will far exceed that of the early Manchus who first crossed the pass.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cai Shanjun spoke calmly, steadily. “Moreover, among the foreigners themselves, there is already a shared belief: that all mystery implies treasure.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In the past, they ransacked the snowy highlands, digging relentlessly into every legend, inciting monks and nobles to bring the entire plateau under their control, turning it into a land easier for them to plunder.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I personally led armies to crush their arrogance on the highlands. At that time, the president still had ambition and firmly refused to let their actions succeed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But the current president increasingly relies on foreigners. He is no longer the man he once was. The foreigners are nearly in full control of Jiaozhi, and will inevitably turn their eyes toward Yizhou.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If we do not strike back, if we allow the president to manipulate Yizhou, when the foreigners invade, how will places like yours—places with mysterious legends and records preserved in history—escape their cruelty?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clan chief fell into deep thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one in the hall spoke. No one moved. Only Chu Tianshu quietly sipped his tea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long silence, the clan chief spoke again: “These things you speak of—the foreigners, the president—they are still too distant from us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are they truly distant?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cai Shanjun smiled gently. “Your village is not truly cut off from outside news. You actively seek out information from beyond.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you must know that Cai Shanjun, who left this village over a decade ago, once became the Military Governor of Yizhou and was personally invited by the president to the capital.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And now, that same man sits before you again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He raised his right hand, gesturing between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We are less than a zhang apart.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clan chief suddenly turned his head, one hand braced on his knee, studying Cai Shanjun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He no longer looked like a clan chief—but like a village chief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Village Chief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I do know what happens beyond our borders. That is why, when a great man like you appears before me in ruin, I dare not make any decision.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Village Chief rose. “You have fallen to this state. Do you truly believe lending you a flute will restore you to power?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you cannot return, does Yizhou have no other strong lord who can see the situation clearly, fulfill the duties of a ruler, receive the support of civil and military officials, and thus protect the people of this land?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cai Shanjun did not hesitate. “Yizhou certainly has talent!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But if I do not return, they will not react quickly enough, decisively enough, or in time. If they could have done so, I would never have been the first Military Governor of the Great Han Junzheng Prefecture!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cai Shanjun’s voice was calm, his demeanor serene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was as still as a temple statue, Ouranlaidaorenjian ， Yesuishikenengsashourenhuan 。\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as long as he had not left, he still radiated dazzling brilliance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was once a mountain villager, as mud and stone, coarse and plain, tilling the land south of the colorful clouds, rising with the times, riding the winds and clouds to change.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The winds and clouds have not yet vanished; the future remains uncertain. But now…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cai Shanjun said, “Who else but me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire hall fell silent. All eyes turned to Cai Shanjun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu set down his teacup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This patient, though now unable to summon even a fraction of his cultivation, still carried something finer than spiritual force, yet grander than spiritual force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps it was not something only cultivators could possess—but something ordinary people could hold too, visible only in the most extraordinary among them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this the spirit of a hero?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>History often records deeds that defy reason, attributed solely to the grandeur of great heroes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Precisely because it is you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Village Chief’s eyes burned into this man. “Precisely because it is you—even now, fallen as you are—I dare not make any decision lightly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then let us trust the wisdom of our ancestors!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Village Chief walked to the center of the hall, beside the six-legged iron cauldron. From his waist pouch, he pulled out a handful of powder and sprinkled it over the wood, then drew his short knife.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blade scraped against the sheath, sending sparks tumbling down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The powder ignited instantly. The wood, which should have taken long to catch, was engulfed in flame in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Our Wu Family Village has always followed only two principles.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Worship of the Cave Goddess, and reverence for the brave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Village Chief rolled up one sleeve and extended his hand above the iron cauldron, fingers spread as if grasping the flames. Slowly, he clenched his fist in the heat—without a single sign of burns, though his skin reddened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I became chief by climbing barefoot through fire, proving myself the bravest of our time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Today, my courage is insufficient to make this decision. But you have already been recognized by the Cave Goddess.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then let us follow our ancestors’ law: set three trials. Any outsider seeking the treasure must win these three contests!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Village Chief scanned the crowd and laughed aloud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who among you will step into the fire, grasp my fist, and seal this vow?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cai Shanjun rose naturally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Tugu suddenly spoke: “Your body is damaged now. If you can’t use your arts, holding the fist won’t count unless you grip it firmly. Let your companion do it instead…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cai Shanjun smiled at his kindness. “Not everyone needs arts to endure the pain of fire.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had already reached the cauldron’s edge, reaching toward the fist within the flames.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A figure suddenly appeared beside him, also reaching into the fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man arrived without a whisper of wind; his hand moved no faster than usual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet as he grasped Wu Village Chief’s fist, his palm spread wide—fingers elongating, knuckles bulging like bamboo joints—then snapped shut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That single hand clamped down on Wu Village Chief’s fist. The air compressed and burst open, forcing the flames apart into a hollow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Below, on the wood, the powder directly beneath that spot was blown clear in a perfect circle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the flames rose again, the fire in that section burned lower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cai Shanjun had not reacted yet—his hand reached out just then, landing upon the two clasped fists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You may fear no pain, but my patient will not harm his own body.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu stood there, speaking swiftly and clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This vow—we accept it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three hands overlapped, sealed beneath the witness of the great mountain outside and the fire within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1362,"2026-06-19T20:45:51.976Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","0bb478f980353e12477b3148a4daa888f48327560caa0dd1d317ee3c1cfe08bb","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-34","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-32",155,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdevouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-cover.jpg"]