[{"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-72":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},2267017,4426,"Chapter 72: The Thing Within the Painting","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-72",72,"\u003Cp>Splash!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu dragged Su Ha onto the shore and found fine threads of blood oozing from his eyes and ears—he had stopped breathing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had been the last one left; Chu Tianshu had intended to take him alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But during that clash with the mental force, he couldn’t hold back—the man must have overtaxed his mental energy, causing his cerebral blood vessels to rupture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu tossed the corpse onto the ground and frowned at Su Ha’s mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just now, this man had bitten his own tongue, yet the bleeding from his mouth was not obvious; his cheeks were swollen, and a green hue deepened inside his oral cavity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dozens of tender green willow branches slithered out like living snakes, automatically forming the shape of a small doll.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a thoroughly disgusting sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet that fresh, vibrant color stirred a strange thrill, as if brimming with vital life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crude appearance of the doll somehow felt oddly endearing—its sprouting buds formed short, stubby eyebrows and eyes, giving it a plump, innocent, rustic charm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looked like something you’d toss by the roadside and draw a crowd eager to pick it up and play with it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hiss!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A silver needle pierced the willow doll’s head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu’s expression didn’t change; his left hand moved like a piano master playing a climactic passage, fingers flicking rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dozens of silver needles pierced the willow doll in succession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One needle each at the head and extremities; the needles along the torso were tightly linked, forming a grid of four vertical and five horizontal lines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu pointed his right hand downward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lin Bing Dou Zhe Jie Zhen Lie Qian Xing!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The willow doll exploded with a bang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evil spirits possessing human bodies are usually tightly bound to their hosts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the Golden-Swallowing Beast Mask on Chen the Eunuch had fallen silent after his death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this willow doll had no loyalty—it had barely waited for its former host to die before rushing to lure a new one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu had read about such things in books, but this was his first real encounter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Willow Spirit Old Body: A Willow Spirit Child, after years of growth, breaks free from its shackles, leaves the body, becomes a spirit, enters the Spirit Realm, and fails to return.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A new evil spirit born within the old body remains under the distant control of the Spirit Realm Child and is taken as a messenger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trait: Those possessed by this wood spirit share the messenger’s status; the difficulty of casting hexes drops by thirty percent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Serving the Spirit Realm Child as master, through communication, sacrifice, and blessing, the old body filters impurities from the Spirit Realm, prolonging the possessed’s sanity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of a vehicle approaching came from nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Jun slammed on the brakes, flung open the door, and asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What happened?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The loud splash of Chu Tianshu’s car plunging into the pond, along with Li Kang’s roar, had drawn attention from many nearby residents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some households had already come out to peek.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Jun glanced back, pulled a fist-sized warning light from inside the van, and placed it on the roof, flipping the switch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red and blue lights inside the warning light flared to life and began rotating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These three have no known background, but before we even laid eyes on them, they launched lethal attacks—first glass hex, then stone hex, each more vicious than the last.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu’s face twisted in disgust as he looked toward Aruo, who lay farther away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And that one—his hands had mother-child nails. From the aura, they were crafted by this hex master at my feet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Jun also frowned, crouched down, and searched the body, pulling a phone from Su Ha’s inner chest pocket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu said: “It’s probably fried by mental force.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Jun replied: “Don’t underestimate our division’s technicians—they might be able to fix it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu nodded: “Alright, there’s another corpse in the pond—might have a phone on him too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Jun pondered: “Strange. In the city, other trades favor feng shui, but only the entertainment circle deals much with hex masters. Why would a hex master come here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could it be targeting me? Come to think of it, when I investigated cases before, I did cross paths with quite a few in the entertainment industry…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu’s ears twitched, and he turned his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There stood Yin Fengxin in Fang Jun’s courtyard, gaping in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu walked over: “Didn’t I tell you to stay in the basement? When did you come out?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I heard a huge noise…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yin Fengxin’s expression was strange, as if in a dream—he looked at the warning light, the sunken car, the corpses, and swallowed hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So… I must’ve accidentally eaten some drug and become a bio-enhanced test subject?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Was it from some free drink at a shop? I’ve heard rumors—some places serve free drinks with dubious origins.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re not from the social investigation unit—you’re a special operations team, and you’ve been investigating me, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more Yin Fengxin thought, the more convinced he became; he clenched his fists, as if sensing a mission upon him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Has there already been many cases of modified humans lurking in the city’s dark corners?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I get it—I must be a rare living specimen, which is why someone came to silence me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Chu, don’t worry—I’ll cooperate fully with your research. Help you develop an antidote serum as soon as possible.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu stopped walking, pressed his lips together, and gave a faint, wry smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young Yin, you don’t actually like watching workplace dramas—you like sci-fi dramas, don’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu couldn’t hold back, letting out two short laughs, then added, “Well then, your situation isn’t as dangerous anymore—I’ll tell you the truth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He brought Yin Fengxin back into the living room and explained everything in a few brief sentences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Jun was indeed from a special department, but Yin Fengxin hadn’t been modified—he’d been possessed by an evil spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Yin Fengxin listened, he instinctively touched his waist, his face filled with disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Magic?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yin Fengxin paused, then suddenly remembered something else: “If that’s true, then are urban legends about every casino having a feng shui setup that drains money and traps people—do those effects actually exist?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They do exist, but those feng shui setups cover vast areas and compete with each other—they also require gamblers to already harbor those thoughts; only after prolonged exposure do they become strongly affected.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu explained a bit more, then pulled open a drawer and took out the painting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In fact, even this painting is tied to magic—likely left behind by the famed Li Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty, who hid medical formulas and poison recipes within it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Too bad, I’ve been pouring mental force into it daily, and still…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Chu Tianshu spoke, he naturally released mental force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After about ten seconds, he suddenly sensed the painting’s rate of absorbing mental force had noticeably slowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu let out a soft “Huh?” and focused his gaze on the painting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two minutes later, the ancient painting suddenly trembled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu released his grip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A layer of transparent flame rose from the painting’s surface, hovering midair, rapidly contracting into the shape of a rigid short rod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within the firelight, the fibers of the paper and scroll were visibly dissolving and reorganizing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu’s eyes, lit by the flame, felt a sudden insight—he reached out and caught it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fire vanished instantly; the transformed ancient painting landed in his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu’s face showed surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What he held was no longer a painting—it was a long, off-white sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blade bore none of the original painting’s pigments; apart from its uniform off-white hue, it bore only patterns resembling cross-sections of tree roots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The legendary physician Li Shizhen, famed for his mastery of herbal medicine and his journeys through perilous mountains and rivers to verify herbs!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thing he had painstakingly hidden within the ancient painting was…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sword?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1335,"2026-06-19T20:45:51.976Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","192d844e56965aa9bfe910461759f86e1dca6be863eba26968573138cf435090","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-73","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-71",155,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdevouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-cover.jpg"]