[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign":3,"chapter-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-69":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Eternal Green Immortal Sovereign",{"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},2270077,4432,"Chapter 69: Shaken Heaven-Earth Alliance","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-69",69,"\u003Cp>Zhao Wei is dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He died on the path investigating the Ghost Ming  Sect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the rain slightly ceased and the sky turned dimly light, Dao Xiong had already received the news and waited early behind the Heaven-Earth Alliance’s gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Qin bowed slightly: “Brother Dao, Brother Zhao has been murdered—we will avenge him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dao Xiong stared at Zhao Wei’s corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who killed him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Qin hesitated slightly; based on the disciple’s account and the wounds on the body, it was likely the Ghost Mask Knife, but given his cautious nature, he could not be certain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yue spoke: “It was the Ghost Mask Knife.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ghost Mask Knife.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dao Xiong’s eyelids trembled, clearly struggling to suppress his fury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you truly think the Heaven-Earth Alliance has no one left?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Heaven-Earth Alliance had already suffered a setback at the hands of the Ghost Ming  Sect; now a vice-captain has been killed—this failure falls squarely on the captain’s shoulders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He will surely be punished by the main headquarters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But none of that matters; the most important thing in forming a gang or establishing a sect is face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Minor squabbles among subordinates—even the death of a hall master—are acceptable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But a vice-captain? No!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Three of you, thank you for returning the body—we are deeply grateful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dao Xiong bowed slightly to Han Qin and the other two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Qin sighed softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could clearly see that Dao Xiong was still treating them with such courtesy only because of the Huaqing Sect’s reputation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He ventured cautiously:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are your plans now, Brother Dao?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dao Xiong’s eyes burned with killing intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Revenge!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Ghost Ming  Sect dared kill one of our men—they must pay. If I’m not enough, there’s the vice-chairman; if that’s still not enough, we’ll summon the chairman himself!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spoke with iron certainty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flash of delight passed through Han Qin’s eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t expected Zhao Wei’s death to harden Dao Xiong instead of driving him to retreat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He nodded inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Heaven-Earth Alliance has grown so rapidly for good reason—they’re real men.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xuanjin Iron? That’s a fine material—when forged into blades, it enhances toughness and strength, ideal for crafting divine weapons.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bare-chested man weighed the golden ore in his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the forge, hammers clanged incessantly against iron, heat rushing toward them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where did you get this Xuanjin Iron?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui chuckled: “Do you even ask your customers that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The big man realized he’d spoken foolishly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My apologies, sir—I spoke out of turn.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui obtained the golden ore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He intended to use this Xuanjin Iron to forge a better weapon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His great sword was already useful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if it could be sharper, it would be better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t go to the Heaven-Earth Alliance’s own forge—someone might connect Zhao Wei’s auction incident with his weapon crafting, and that would be trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Xuanjin Iron was rare in Qinghe County.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since he couldn’t use the Alliance’s forge, he’d have to pay top price at an official workshop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The workshop was directly under Anning Prefecture, strictly managed, and since he concealed his identity, he had no fear of being discovered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The big man asked: “What weapon are you making with this Xuanjin Iron? For a blade or sword, this amount is too little—you’d need to blend it with other materials.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui took down his black great sword:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Reforged this sword—use only Xuanjin Iron.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The big man frowned slightly: “Your sword is too heavy—even with Xuanjin Iron, the improvement won’t be great.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew nothing about forging weapons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After careful thought:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the big man said, the piece of Xuanjin Iron he got from Zhao Wei was far too small—barely enough for a blade’s edge, but his sword was twice the size of an ordinary one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he pondered how to use the Xuanjin Iron:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The big man suggested: “Why not make a soft armor? Use the Xuanjin Iron on the chest—it’s tough enough, perfect for soft armor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui’s eyes lit up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wealthy people traveling the martial world often wore soft armor, given by their families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This armor was worn under clothing, invisible in daily life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in danger, it could block blade strikes, preventing fatal cuts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The drawback: it couldn’t stop blunt-force trauma.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui’s great sword was barely sufficient—he needed an inner armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And since the armor was hidden under clothes, no one would notice his weapon used Xuanjin Iron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perfect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The big man said: “Including auxiliary materials, it’s one hundred and twenty taels of silver.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui inwardly whistled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder the imperial court banned private iron casting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was outrageously profitable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll pay when I come to collect the weapon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The big man nodded: “Alright.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui provided the Xuanjin Iron—its value far exceeded a hundred taels—so there was no fear he’d default.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Zhao Wei’s death, the entire Heaven-Earth Alliance was shaken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rumors spread that the main headquarters had sent elite cultivators, determined to avenge him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A vice-captain had died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant power had shifted—someone else had to take his place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dao Xiong intensified manhunt efforts while swiftly redistributing authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ge Hong took over the Civil and Military Halls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other two halls were assigned to Zhou Rui, who had previously lost his vice-captain position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A stroke of unexpected fortune.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The former Vice-Captain Zhou was overjoyed for days—rumor said he drank for days straight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui continued as usual: cultivating, reading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the black market:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crowds bustled along the street; he sat alone by the window on the fifth floor, calmly flipping through a Daoist scripture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, life is so unpredictable—just yesterday, Brother Zhao was about to enter the Huaqing Sect, even the chairman might have looked at him with new respect—and now he’s dead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Wei’s death deeply affected Liang He.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The more successful you become, the more cautious you must be.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The higher you climb, the harder you fall.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sat in the corner of Li Rui’s room, muttering incessantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many others thought like Liang He.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Wei had been a powerful vice-captain with boundless prospects last month—now he was gone, sudden and shocking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the truth was—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui’s hand turning the pages showed no change.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least in his view, Zhao Wei had done well enough—he hadn’t forgotten his place in his moment of success.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Calm, composed, knew when to advance and when to retreat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a man, had he truly entered the Huaqing Sect, would have had an unlimited future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But life is capricious—being cautious doesn’t guarantee survival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some things simply cannot be avoided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could only blame himself for crossing paths with Li Rui, a monster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This served as a warning to Li Rui.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The real big boss never appears as a great demon; even a beggar on the street might kill you with a single palm strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Take it one step at a time and cherish it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before absolute power, all caution and adaptability become powerless; only by growing stronger can one gain enough room to maneuver, otherwise one is simply crushed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Though Zhao Wei is dead, cultivation must not be neglected.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1189,"2026-06-19T22:01:09.077Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","9b1d7b733899b58c07f298347d261a5b8689504f3108caea288253825bda0737","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-70","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-68",866,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Feternal-green-immortal-sovereign-cover.jpg"]