[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-lord-of-the-immortal-food":3,"chapter-lord-of-the-immortal-food-lord-of-the-immortal-food-chapter-40":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Lord of the Immortal Food",{"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},2313163,4524,"Chapter 40: Chapter Forty: The First Kill","lord-of-the-immortal-food-chapter-40",40,"\u003Cp>Pei Ye stepped across the flames, which burned neither hot nor scorching as always.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as soon as he entered the arena, Pei Ye immediately felt a pull—his abdominal light cocoon had been activated, like a snake emerging from its hole upon smelling rat scent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hostility! Hostility! Hostility!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both men’s abdominal light cocoons sensed each other’s presence simultaneously; before Pei Ye could act, surging fluid had already flooded his entire body, impatient and urgent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike human battles driven by various motives, the desire rising from their abdomens was primal and pure—consume the other, and you will grow stronger!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neither man’s clothing was stained with blood; they were both lowest-rank candidates, yet untested, they would climb to the second tier using the other’s corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was Pei Ye’s first enemy after his old wounds healed and the cocoon took root—he had never grown a meridian tree and could not assess this energy within him, guessing it equaled a fourth- or fifth-generation meridian tree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, when only one arm had been infected, he had been cautious; now, the energy had flowed through every limb and bone, leaving no place to hide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The barbarian bent low, blue tattoos crawling over his body like a serpent; Pei Ye knew his own body bore the same pattern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No signal marked the start—they lunged at each other like two leopards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No strategy, no surprise tactics—only brute strikes and kicks, in this unarmed, empty cage, the most primitive qualities—strength, speed, reflex—were amplified infinitely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The barbarian’s body exuded greater pressure the closer he came; this race, in the northern frontier of the Great Tang, could withstand armored infantry and even light cavalry with bare flesh, and now his fist swung like an iron mallet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Pei Ye had grown up praised for his exceptional bone structure, never having lost in raw strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the opponent’s thunderous punch came, Pei Ye did not blink, did not dodge or retreat—he even reached out one palm to catch it, while his other fist shot straight for the enemy’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the style he had forged over years of martial training—defend with offense, attack with defense in mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a balanced, steady fist path: when defending, it disrupted the enemy’s rhythm; when attacking, it left him three-tenths reserve against sudden counter-moves. This flexible technique always gave him the upper hand at the Mid-Autumn Martial Gathering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, the fist met his palm—a colossal force slammed into his palm like a tidal wave crashing head-on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The swirling azure fluid within him instantly provided firm support, halting the punch’s momentum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the opponent attacked with full force, while Pei Ye did not defend with full strength—this line collapsed in an instant, the rough, massive fist crushed down on Pei Ye’s hand and slammed into his lower abdomen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye knew a better response—he should have fully defended first, assessing the opponent’s strength on his initial strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since stepping onto this ground, the restless cocoon within him had made his emotions more frenzied—attack was the only rhythm here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So when Pei Ye felt his defense failing, he did not retreat—he surged forward with even greater ferocity, hammering the enemy’s face harder, even willing his own abdomen to collide with the incoming fist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Agony surged through his abdomen, yet the impact of his own punch was equally solid and undeniable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both men staggered back a step; Pei Ye bent over, gasping twice, his abdomen spasming uncontrollably; the barbarian before him wept and sniveled, blood gushing from his bent nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye lifted his gaze, grinned, and lunged forward again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this rhythm of battle, it came down to who could launch the next attack faster and harder!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A punch aimed straight at the barbarian’s chest—the barbarian twisted his step and swung his fist, seeking to trade blows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this time, Pei Ye feinted—he released his fist, used it to brace against the barbarian’s arm, and launched himself into the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The true attack would come from his leg—the target shifted from chest to temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The azure fluid differed from true Qi—it could not—nor had anyone yet discovered how to—be used like Qi, with myriad applications, even projected outside the body or onto weapons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It served only as a passive amplifier, freely moving within the body to enhance or weaken specific limbs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, Pei Ye channeled all of it into his leg, seeking a blow powerful enough to cripple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The barbarian reacted swiftly—in the instant his arm was used as a brace, he let it droop, robbing Pei Ye of full momentum, while raising his right shoulder to block the kick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye’s upper body followed naturally downward, assuming a head-down vertical posture; the strike long stored in his leg exploded only after patiently tricking the enemy’s counter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A reverse hook kick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It struck the crown of the head—the barbarian’s massive body shuddered, blood gushing from all seven orifices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the azure fluid’s enhancement, this was not a fatal wound—the barbarian staggered, then lunged again, ferocious as ever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But damage had been done; the barbarian was still human, lacking the unyielding tenacity of a Qiongqi—dazed and dizzy, his reactions dropped another notch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye formed a single hand seal and activated Chenshou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This ability could theoretically be used indefinitely—the Black Chi had opened an unobstructed channel on the Immortal Pool’s wall—but Pei Ye himself possessed only a small bucket; prolonged use gave him splitting headaches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anticipating the intense, continuous battles ahead, Pei Ye used this critical ability with extreme restraint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Chenshou, the barbarian had no chance of reversal—Pei Ye swiftly, ferociously, and precisely targeted every opening, raining down relentless strikes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until the barbarian collapsed into a limp heap of bones, this resilient race finally breathed its last.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, the light cocoon’s intent shifted from hostility to hunger; before Pei Ye could act, several tentacles burst from his chest and abdomen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sudden agony made Pei Ye stagger—he halted, looked up, and saw the patterned tentacles pierce the barbarian’s corpse, “preying” back the unanchored light cocoon from within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the tentacles retracted into his belly, the azure fluid converged, and the blood hole in his abdomen healed rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye watched this grotesque scene with icy dread, realizing more deeply that the light cocoon had never been a symbiotic aid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had its own instincts—it could not be controlled by its host; his body was merely its nesting ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, “it was all the same.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A stronger sense of power surged within him—nearly double his previous level—as it devoured and digested its prey, while simultaneously nourishing its host.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye sensed this was an elevation of its tier—the palace within him grew more luxurious and spacious; next time the tentacles emerged, their patterns would surely be more intricate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was little joy in victory—Pei Ye’s heart grew heavier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When it “matured,” what fate awaited him? How could he escape this destiny?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The destroyed traces and the purple-robed man’s corpse might signal a window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye walked out, expression unreadable; above the arena, the beads began to turn—the barbarian’s corpse was swiftly shredded into strips of flesh and blood, sucked inward, then quickly transformed into that azure fluid for storage.\u003C\u002Fp>",1197,"2026-06-20T13:17:09.438Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","9303e8649da454d28b3fa9686628c6fe4da90380581773e5ffffa1db55eafe68","lord-of-the-immortal-food-chapter-41","lord-of-the-immortal-food-chapter-39",771,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flord-of-the-immortal-food-cover.jpg"]