[{"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-39":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},2266984,4426,"Chapter 39: Phoenix Egg, the Man Who Walks Through Fire","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-39",39,"\u003Cp>\"In past years, when we entered the cave, we brought large quantities of eggs.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chief Wu said, \"These insects are mainly troublesome because there are too many of them; once inside, we smash raw eggs along the walls, and the raw eggs attract swarms of insects.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As we walk, we keep throwing them—this lets us seize other dangerous poisons along the way, then deal with those insects specifically.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Insect toxins naturally crave fishy smells and feed on vital energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But animals and humans are too large; though their vital energy is strong, they fight back, and many insects suffer severe damage after biting people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eggs, however, have pure yet weak vital energy, combined with a fishy odor—they’re the easiest to attract weak Gu insects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the Miao villages of Great Mountain in Yizhou, there’s a custom: if someone is afflicted by Gu poison but only lightly, rolling a half-cooked egg over the chest and abdomen can draw the poison out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hence, these eggs are also called Phoenix Eggs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chief Wu waved his hand, ordering men to gather eggs first, then continued: \"But in past years, we only began stockpiling eggs in winter; lately, the village hasn’t had many eggs to begin with, and recent gatherings have used up even more.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Besides, the flute’s sound stirs the insects—these eggs won’t be as effective as they were in past years.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu said, \"You’re not the only one in the village who knows Gu techniques, are you? She can stir the insects—can’t you counter or soothe them?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chief Wu shook his head: \"These insects are wild, never truly cultivated; stirring them is easy, soothing them is hard. If we all start blowing, we’ll only amplify the disturbance.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu looked into the cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The poison insects startled by the flames earlier still crawled everywhere, and where they passed, more insects emerged from cracks in the walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This morning, I saw someone in your village brushing oil onto several cloaks.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu suddenly said, \"As I passed, I sniffed twice—the smell was definitely fire oil.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chief Wu sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s right. Those cloaks were meant for the third trial.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Three Trials of Wu Family Village: the Pillar of the Middle Stream, the Miao King’s Crouching Ox, the Path Through Fire!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The final trial requires laying down an eighteen-zhang-long path of burning charcoal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ordinary people, if bold enough, can cross such a path unharmed by relying on sweat evaporating instantly from their soles to cool their feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But such a path can only be three or four zhang long; beyond that, it becomes extremely dangerous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Wu Family Village’s eighteen-zhang charcoal path, red-hot knives, hoes, plowshares, and shards of iron are mixed in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The challenger must wear a cloak brushed with fire oil and cross barefoot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He must not only kick away the red-hot metal tools but also guard against sparks catching on his cloak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if sparks don’t ignite the cloak, the intense heat will cause it to catch fire by the latter half of the path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He must kick away all remaining metal tools before the cloak burns through, and reach the end—only then is he successful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Chief Wu himself has the confidence to pass this trial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body has been hardened by medicinal treatments over years, especially his hands and feet; when he made his vow, he once stuck his fist directly into a boiling iron pot to roast it—this is why.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So that’s how it is.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu smiled. \"Could I perhaps try this trial under different circumstances?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chief Wu frowned. \"You mean to wear those cloaks into this cave? The fire ants and flying mantis insects will ignite you instantly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I only need to ignite the outer layer of the cloak—doesn’t it take a while before it burns through completely?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu pointed into the cave. \"I noticed that while some insects here can spark flames directly, most poison insects still fear fire.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Walking through fire should scare off many of them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chief Wu warned again: \"If that worked, I could just wear a fire cloak and charge through myself—but deep inside the cave, fungal spores ignite into poison smoke; even one breath—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then I won’t breathe!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu stared into the cave’s depths. \"Holding my breath to rush to the deepest point and grab her out—that’s certainly a challenge.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But even without this, my third trial would be a major challenge—why not try this one too?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cai Shanjun now urged: \"There’s no need to rush so urgently. Why not wait two days, find a deep night, and strike while she sleeps?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Does she really have such a regular routine inside the cave?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu laughed. \"She nearly ambushed me today—I’ll drag her out within this very day, no more waiting!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Xus and the Zhous are formidable, armed with military power—they must wait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this old woman—does she deserve my patience too?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moments later, sunlight at the cave mouth darkened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A human shadow stretched long, cast inside the cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone outside stared without blinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu, wrapped in a hooded great cloak, stepped soundlessly inward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He carried no raw eggs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would rely on speed—raw eggs were useless to him, and carrying them would only be a burden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, because he made no footsteps, the shrine keeper deep inside didn’t notice him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after walking thirty or forty meters did the poison insects, untouched by the flute’s sound, begin gathering around him out of instinctive aggression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dozens of spotted spiders hung down from the ceiling; ground-level centipedes swarmed in thick clusters, racing toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Poison insects clinging to the rock walls took flight in increasing numbers, nearly forming a \"cloud of insects\" around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu inhaled slowly, deeply, and fully—then narrowed his eyes into slits and stomped hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>THUD!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stone floor cracked beneath his foot; his figure shot forward like a released crossbow bolt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His speed was so violent, the insect cloud shattered instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some insects struck his face but had no time to act before being scattered by the rushing air before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the blink of an eye, he took two or three more strides—already twenty or thirty meters inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The person deep in the cave realized something was wrong and blew the flute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The poison insects were stirred and guided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Certain species began flying toward him before he even reached them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Chu Tianshu arrived, the insects collided head-on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Intense flames erupted in midair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the moment they exploded, a black shadow descended at blinding speed and slashed them apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Chu Tianshu’s arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He swung a whip-like strike, cleaving the fiercest point of the flame, and his body shot through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flames licked the edges of his cloak, igniting along the fire-oil coating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Chu Tianshu moved too fast—his cloak flapped behind him like a banner torn by a gale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fire barely began to spread before being smothered by wind and violent motion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the narrow cave, one fireball exploded after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time Chu Tianshu burst through the fifth fireball, the outer layer of his cloak was fully ablaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He became a fire-dragon skimming the ground, racing through the winding cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At sharp turns, his body leapt into the air, feet stamping against the cave walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ahead, poison insects buzzed thicker than ever—many were no longer flame-sparking types, but ones skilled at biting and stinging.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu grabbed the cloak with his left hand, held it before him, and charged forward with his head down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, he truly became a blazing, high-speed fireball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clouds of poison insects were scattered and startled away by his passage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fungi growing in rock crevices, fungal spores drifting in the soil—all ignited by his fiery trail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pale green smoke began drifting through the cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flute’s sound from the cave’s deepest point grew frantic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shrine keeper leaned against the far wall, eyes wide, refusing to blink, her eyeballs reddened from dryness, the bamboo flute in her hand shrieking with piercing, stone-piercing notes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she still saw the distant light drawing nearer—flames flared suddenly around the bend, and he burst through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>CRACK!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shrine keeper, horrified, shattered her bamboo flute—then switched to her right hand and blew into the jade flute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wuuuu—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound from the jade flute was hollow, endless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its tone was so low, it didn’t sound like a flute at all—more like a jade xiao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The deep cave’s stone walls seemed to resonate with the note.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu, hurtling forward, suddenly grunted and slowed his step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt as if something had struck his internal organs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His skin bore no impact—but his organs were directly hit: his heart crushed, lungs compressed, intestines shriveled, liver and gallbladder trembling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shrine keeper herself clutched her stomach, as if in unbearable agony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet her right hand still gripped the jade flute, using a unique breathing technique to keep the sound unbroken, suddenly deeper and more distant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a roar like a war drum shattering, like a grenade exploding, drowned out the flute entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"GET OUT!!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu spread his arms wide, muscles exploding outward, internal organs surging, force transmitting through his inner garments and into the outermost cloak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The burning cloak exploded on the spot, shards flying in all directions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flute’s effect on the internal organs was instantly suppressed by this violent outburst of force, nearly imperceptible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old woman guarding the ancestral hall had just heard that bomb-like roar when her vision went black.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu slapped his palm over her face, crushing her head against the stone wall, knocking her unconscious instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1602,"2026-06-19T20:45:51.976Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","7cf88881d87e875d6ea97bed99ab8dbbc3a0475e3c88f14f2219dacd52edc796","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-40","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-38",155,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdevouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-cover.jpg"]