[{"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-78":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},2267023,4426,"Chapter 78: Stick, Knife, Sword","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-78",78,"\u003Cp>In this area, it’s rare for a single company to occupy multiple large buildings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many companies are lucky just to rent half a floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a complex like this, several buildings each serve different purposes and are rented or sold to different people—it’s common.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mr. Yin and his group usually operate in the building on the west side of the main road; this was their first time entering this three-story, especially lavish event hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And they entered through the south entrance of the event hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, they didn’t know that early that morning, a group of distinguished guests had already arrived at the north entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were VIPs attending a gambling skills competition on the second floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the gilded hall sat twelve casino owners, each accompanied by personal bodyguards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had come full of ambition, aiming to seize competitors’ assets and challenge the Gambling King.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, they were all drenched in sweat, their bodyguards utterly lifeless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some propped themselves up with both hands on the table to avoid collapsing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others slumped back in their chairs, pale-faced, gasping as if they had only breath to exhale, none to inhale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xia Houwei, what trick did you use?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A muscular woman covered in tattoos gripped her wine cup, “We were careful with every drink and bite—you couldn’t have poisoned us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A blue-eyed mixed-race man in a suit stood beside the gambling table: “Because this isn’t poison—it’s resentment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The vessel of this resentment gathers beneath your feet. The soundproofing is excellent, and you were all focused on gambling—you didn’t notice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Originally, only a small portion of this resentment targeted you, but under the ritual’s influence, all of it will crush over you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Houwei spoke calmly, “Resist as hard as you can—the more you resist, the faster your mental cultivation will be washed away by this resentment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In the end, your souls will become essential ingredients in this grand sacrifice—like salt on roasted meat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Ying clutched his chest with one hand and gripped the table with the other, sweat pouring down: “You—you’re a cultist of evil spirits.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I won’t accept this—I haven’t challenged Nie Longding yet, I haven’t become the Gambling King…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Houwei’s tone shifted: “Do you even deserve to challenge him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What have you all been studying—gambling skills, or cheating techniques? When did it become the only standard to outwit each other in gambling?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Houwei’s face showed reverence: “Father said he once strayed, but eventually understood the true essence of gambling—he hasn’t cheated in over ten years.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The true heart of gambling lies in speculation—from a single table, the fate of a family or village, to the rise and fall of entire eras.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re fortunate today—to experience the essence of gambling as sacrificial offerings.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone stared in shock: “Is this… all because of Nie Longding?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone felt a violent tremor beneath their feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The massive solid wood table was shattered by a conical object surging upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Concrete shards and wood fragments flew into the air, slamming into the ceiling and scattering everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The twelve men seated around the table, already at their limit, were thrown backward, rolling like tumbleweeds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Ying caught a glimpse of a familiar face before his body hit the wall corner and he passed out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu blasted a hole through the floor, stepped off the edge with his back foot, and surged forward onto the solid floor above.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Houwei retreated rapidly, drawing two short knives from behind his waist, staring in shock and fury at the intruder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re the mastermind behind—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Chu Tianshu finished speaking, his gaze involuntarily lifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though lavish, this hall was far smaller than the venue below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, the resentment had merged with additional mental energy, becoming more organized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Chu Tianshu saw at a glance that these energies were still flowing upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s another floor?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu almost laughed in anger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You cultist lunatics, using your own countrymen as sacrifices—and you need even more layers so the evil spirit can savor them better?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he finished speaking, he lunged forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This strike was wide and sweeping—a direct downward slash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Houwei crouched low, as if to dodge sideways, while both hands thrust upward, blades angled up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This man used a style close to dual short staves—short, explosive power, usually striking with the blade tips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short staff techniques, there’s a saying: “No double strike.” It’s a supreme defensive maneuver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both staff ends strike the opponent’s weapon simultaneously—one hand absorbs the force, the other exploits the opening to pierce through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Houwei’s movements were slightly slower than Chu Tianshu’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he conserved his strength and precisely used one knife to block the guard of Chu Tianshu’s long sword, while the other knife “pushed” toward Chu Tianshu’s arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu’s motion didn’t change—his arm suddenly shortened by a great deal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if his arm had been elastic all along, stretched out when he swung the sword, now naturally retracting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tong Bei Quan means “back passage”—it allows one arm to retract into the back, sliding into the other arm’s skin, making one arm extremely short, the other extremely long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, this fist style includes both long-arm and retracted-arm techniques.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that instant of lightning speed, he retracted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Houwei’s forward knife stabbed into Chu Tianshu’s forearm—shattered instantly by the iron-charm copper rope wrapped around it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If his knife had been of better quality, it wouldn’t have shattered—it would have slid away under the shockwave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But regardless, Chu Tianshu used this contact to redirect his arm in a sweeping motion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>SWISH!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blade swept across—Xia Houwei’s head flew into the air, spurting blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Killing such an opponent didn’t even require the stored mental energy in the sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether he used it or not, it was still a one-second affair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu bent his arm slightly, sword tip pointing upward, ready to replicate his method of breaking through the floor again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, he frowned slightly and stepped two paces sideways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ceiling showed no anomaly except for a few splatters of blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu stared at the ceiling, then moved three more steps forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His Insight ability gave him a distinct sensation—the Three Seven Divine Sword sharpened his perception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To the naked eye, the ceiling was impenetrable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in his inner vision, he saw a figure above, holding a weapon, moving at the same rhythm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The difference: Chu Tianshu’s sword pointed up—the other’s weapon pointed down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third floor had elegant, plain white decor, with a few potted plants along the edges.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A three-tiered concentric circular altar, made of white ceramic tiles and concrete, stood in the northern part of this floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the altar sat Liu Tianxu’s head-and-infant-body statue, with Wang Zifang standing beside it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around the altar sat nearly twenty others, all half-dead, unconscious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rough stitching marked their wrists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nie Longding stood about twenty meters from the altar, eyes fixed below, his sandalwood staff subtly adjusting direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Zifang whispered: “Master, what’s going on?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Someone’s breaking up from below—a troublesome one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tianxu’s voice was also low: “Didn’t you hear that sound just now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He smashed straight through the barrier between the first and second floors.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Zifang hurriedly said: “If someone found us, what do we do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Panicking won’t help—this area is already covered by the Overflow Zone; few will get in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tianxu exuded seasoned calm: “The ritual is already active. Unless they come here to destroy the altar, killing anyone below is meaningless.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hehehe, this is the first time of the new era—Long Hua Shangshen will protect us!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nie Longding, hearing the conversation behind him, twitched his white eyebrows slightly, annoyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t worship Long Hua Shangshen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spent two years preparing outstanding children he secretly adopted as universal offerings, then chose a spirit to sacrifice to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a spirit needed a channel to communicate with the real world, couldn’t be too weak, and needed some reputation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After much deliberation, Nie Longding chose Long Hua—but learned another fact from Liu Tianxu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The larger the sacrifice to spirits of the spirit realm, the more spiritual impurities accompany the spirit’s power granted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from the offerings and auxiliary ingredients.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You also need a group positioned as filters to absorb those spiritual impurities—they lose their sanity but become excellent puppets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tianxu dared to strike during the imperial officials’ tomb visit because he had accumulated a large number of such fearless puppets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s why Nie Longding targeted Scarface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, acting last night and starting the sacrifice today was quick enough—perfectly safe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unexpectedly, someone still came to disrupt it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two children below…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath Nie Longding’s thick brows, murderous intent swelled—he shifted half a meter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A chilling perception locked onto the person below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu looked up, motionless, his arm shifting right, the sword tip still pointing upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the large hole behind, several young figures in black suits leapt up one after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The leader had just asked, but then seemed to sense something and fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most widely spread and renowned fist style along the southeastern coast is Hong Quan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These six men were all elite practitioners selected from the Hong Quan lineage, specially assigned to protect Shen Yuntai, proficient in firearms, driving, and security, battle-hardened veterans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if their perception wasn’t as sharp as Chu Tianshu’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From Chu Tianshu’s demeanor, they could guess the general situation by experience alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The six exchanged glances, then simultaneously drew two-section short staves from behind their backs and twisted them together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They spun the staves into a flourish, each end extending into segments that locked firmly in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Six specially made Qimei staves now rested in their hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The men moved to Chu Tianshu’s side, deliberately leaving one position open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu sensed it, stepped sideways, and slipped into the vacant spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seven moved in a circle, like riders passing a scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, one black-clad man entered the center position; a second later, he swapped places with another black-clad man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu kept circling; by the time he completed half a lap, he saw the man in the center change positions at least four times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He suppressed his aura, kept his gaze calm, indistinguishable from the surrounding black-clad men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seven suddenly scattered, expanding with identical strides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The six men looked at Chu Tianshu with admiration for his quick adaptability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Chu Tianshu harbored a slight doubt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if they could temporarily keep the man above indecisive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when Chu Tianshu struck the floor with the Sanqi Divine Sword, the other six couldn’t produce such a massive disturbance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Should they abandon attacking the floor?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the man above had extremely keen perception and posed a grave threat; any other method of ascent would still force them to face his initiative.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Chu Tianshu thought this, he saw the black-clad man directly opposite him flick his staff tip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The force of that strike was heavy and thick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Hong family’s Qimei staff technique is also called Menqi Staff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because when performed, the staff wind flares like a giant banner, possessing a unique “sweeping and smashing force.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black-clad man’s flick of the staff tip seemed to coil a thick mass of viscous air around its tip and smash it upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The staff struck the ceiling, leaving only cracks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet purely by sound, it was no less powerful than Chu Tianshu’s earlier sword strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu felt the man above shift half a step toward that spot, then abruptly turn back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three black-clad men flicked their staves upward simultaneously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu’s eyes gleamed; he channeled his sword and rose abruptly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the instant he rose, two more black-clad men flicked their staves upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nie Longding heard several thunderous impacts overlapping; his fierce, icy gaze snapped, and his left hand shot upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dozens of sharp rays shot from his palm, turning colorless mid-flight, striking different positions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The instant Chu Tianshu broke through the floor, debris of steel rebar and concrete around him was still moving outward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A blade of invisible sharpness reached his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Tianshu’s figure surged; in a flash, he kicked the edge of the hole and slashed through it with his sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nie Longding’s focus locked onto him; he swung his staff with such force that the staff bent into an arc as it tore through the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>THUD!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wooden sword and wooden staff collided, shards flying, each rebounding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wooden staff shattered, revealing a long blade within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wooden sword’s surface glowed, taking on a hard, smooth luster, like crystal or metal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blade and sword instantly shifted direction and clashed again, edges meeting head-on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>CLANG!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Veins bulged on Nie Longding’s knuckles as he gripped the blade; his entire bearing radiated a sharp, intimidating aura, utterly unlike that of an old man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes flickered—he spotted the colorless plaque embedded diagonally across Chu Tianshu’s chest and abdomen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2140,"2026-06-19T20:45:51.976Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","919d0a892a5f773a477f5d406184e8828d85cc100349c85170f221e9f35bec16","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-79","devouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-chapter-77",155,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdevouring-evil-exterminating-demons-across-all-h-cover.jpg"]