[{"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-733":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},2313856,4524,"Chapter 733","lord-of-the-immortal-food-chapter-733",733,"\u003Cp>“Yes. Those giant scaled demons have all vanished. If we’d swallowed them, we should’ve been able to spur the vein-tree again.” Pei Ye gazed into the distance. “I wonder if those scaled demons will change.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As long as Zhao Lingjun lives, it won’t return to normal anytime soon.” Li Xizhou smiled and turned back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then we still need to clear them out.” Pei Ye nodded thoughtfully. “What are they doing abducting people into the harem?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xizhou narrowed her eyes as the boy gazed at her with innocent curiosity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sometimes you’re truly foolish, sometimes you pretend to be—your specialty, Master Pei.” She gave a charmingly exasperated eye-roll and plunged downward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where are you going?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come on, new sovereign. Touring the realm and purging the remnants is the first duty after ascending the throne.” Li Xizhou mimicked his tone. “Grateful for your grace, I, the Jiao girl Xixi, will carry out your will faithfully.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye smiled and followed her down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no need for her to explain everything; as he carefully examined his newly acquired [Bai Shui], Pei Ye could already clearly sense many new abilities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, he could now enter and exit the mirage realm without hindrance. He could enter it from any location where the mirage existed—not as if walking on flat ground, but as entering a place more intimate and familiar, where the entire mirage realm belonged solely to him, free for him to wander as he pleased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, he held authority over the opening and closing of the mirage realm. The mirage’s own rules still operated: the boundary markers would still open their spirit gates to those lost in dreams, and entry via strange means like jiao pearl powder remained possible. The only difference was that the Water Lord’s consent now preceded and superseded all such rules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third, all things within the spirit realm—plants, fish, scaled demons—shared a peculiar affinity with him. To some extent, he could command any scaled demon, but not as brutally or absolutely as with the mirage city, for the scaled demons possessed their own innate natures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fourth, all water obeyed him as effortlessly as his own limbs, just as he controlled Chi Fire. The boy who had once stumbled helplessly beneath the waters of Yang Family Ferry was gone entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the rightful Water Lord, possessing both the true blood of the Mirage Dragon and the [Bai Shui], Pei Ye directly inherited the entire thousand-year-spread spirit realm and truly held the power to control it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond these directly granted basic abilities, he should be able to achieve effects beyond expectation through countless more subtle and complex operations; and if the Illusion Water and Mystic Fire could be combined, how many marvels might arise?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as when he first obtained Chi Fire, everything about the Bai Shui required learning and familiarity—and the higher his position, the more he could unlock its true limits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The good news was that, unlike Chi Fire, which required him to seek out flames across the land to grow, the Bai Shui already carried the legacy of its previous owner, four millennia of growth—it was already complete, needing only its new master to slowly explore and master it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These two towering trees are the Mirage Dragon’s horns,” Li Xizhou said. “Its buried bones lie at the center of the mirage realm. We can’t possibly traverse the entire mirage from afar; just touring the Dragon Lake area will suffice. Those giant scaled demons won’t have run far.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye asked: “Do you know where they’ve gone?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know, but we can ask.” Li Xizhou turned back and smiled at him—bright, playful, reminiscent of that time in the forest of Leyou Plain. “I’ll take you to meet these water friends of mine. They’re all so interesting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So there are still good scaled demons? I thought they’d all been killed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All the scaled demons in Dragon Lake have been scattered, but not wiped out—they’ve all hidden in the corners. Farther away, in the lonely ponds, mountain streams, underground rivers where the mirage flows, there are still countless scaled demons, just as changes in mortal dynasties rarely affect the folk living deep in the mountains.” Li Xizhou said. “Moreover, these mindless little scaled demons won’t vanish entirely. Over time, they’ll either recover, be killed by other scaled demons, or die somewhere—and in the end, they’ll all return to their roots, their trace of mirage blood and Bai Shui re-forming into new scaled demons.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She paused. “Of course, if you eat them, they’re truly gone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She glanced at the boy, as if he were the only plague in the mirage realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So… we don’t have to kill the giant scaled demons?” Pei Ye thought. Now that he was Water Lord, his perspective on these scaled demons had shifted. If the two Water Lords were his Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, then these scaled demons were Ma Chao and Pang De—eating them now felt vaguely wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They won’t listen to you even if you spare them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, then we’ll kill them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They may recover someday, but while alive, they’ll keep slaughtering your subjects. Unlike ordinary scaled demons, only you can deal with these giants. This is quelling rebellion, Your Majesty—mercy does not command armies.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your words, Minister Li, are most wise.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The days spent lingering were not wasted; Li Xizhou clearly knew this world well. She led the boy on a tour starting from the north, and only now did Pei Ye truly feel the serene, profound, and magnificent beauty of the mirage realm. Winding paths led to hidden depths, open grasslands stretched endlessly, and everywhere he looked, scaled armor glittered in dazzling, intricate patterns—shimmering, radiant, with colors vast and boundless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye drifted through it, occasionally drawn by something that caught his attention, his childlike curiosity leading him to chase after it. Li Xizhou followed behind, smiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye touched the beautiful strange stones, soft waterweeds brushing his face. He turned and whispered: “Do you think these stones could be sold for silver?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xizhou sighed lightly: “On the first day of your ascension, the first lesson you learn is how to sell your country.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What nonsense. Mutual exchange is perfectly normal—it benefits your subjects.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xizhou glanced around coolly: “Is it? Which of your subjects needs silver?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A water eel watched them nearby; fish and shrimp darted among the rocks; farther off, a giant turtle stretched its neck as it crawled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I do.” Pei Ye spoke with perfect confidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Luxurious and decadent,” Li Xizhou murmured, turning to swim away. “The mirage’s strange stones can certainly be sold—they’ve never appeared in the mortal world. But if they flow out in large quantities, they’ll draw attention and blur the boundary between spirit realm and mortal world… the mirage is illusion, hidden—it should not mingle too much with mortal dust.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That makes sense… then if I run out of silver, can I occasionally pick up a few to sell?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do as you please.” Li Xizhou clearly wasn’t pleased. “Silver is everywhere. But the mirage is unique. Think carefully, Your Majesty, what matters more.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye tossed a few carefully chosen, beautiful little stones in his hand, pretending not to hear, like a decadent monarch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Silver is everywhere”—only a princess would say such a thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They met the giant water wyrm at the northernmost point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Li Xizhou had said, it still followed its instinct to kill other scaled demons. Its massive, elongated body churned the waters into chaos; fleeing fish scattered in all directions. When Pei Ye and Li Xizhou spotted it, it was biting down on a giant turtle, its steel-like fangs already cracking the shell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye slowly raised his hand, palm facing it—his first attempt at controlling water. Recalling his experience with controlling Qi, he directed his palm toward the wyrm, then gently lowered his five fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Far easier than he imagined. Seven or eight solid water ropes shot out with such force that their hair fluttered wildly. The wyrm whipped its head around—already bound in rings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More accustomed to acting himself than manipulating water, the new Water Lord drew his sword and leapt upward, his lithe form hovering behind its neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His blade slashed out a straight line of light, then returned smoothly to its sheath. The wyrm stiffened, its head cleanly severed, blood gushing forth only a moment later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Don’t fight over it.” Pei Ye watched the fish and shrimp rushing out to devour the precious blood. He didn’t drive them off; he laid down his sword, sat cross-legged on a rock, and raised his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a glutton, every drop of flesh, bone, and sinew dissolved into a sweet, clear spring that seeped into his skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fish and shrimp were feasting happily when suddenly they shuddered—only clear water remained around them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This meal’s duration and satisfaction surpassed imagination. If before, devouring scaled demons had been like nibbling rice grain by grain, now it was a sustained, whale-like gulp. After the blood mist came the body—uninterrupted for a full half-minute. The Bailing absorbed every drop, sharing with Pei Ye an indescribable sense of ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye was still tired and injured, but he gave only a sip to his body. He was truly eager—this divine substance seemed ready to reveal its wonder beyond ordinary dantian seeds. He longed to fill it completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took a deep breath and rose from the rock, turning—only to see the woman squatting alone, her back to him, idly fiddling with something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye walked over and saw it was the turtle whose shell had just been cracked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was clearly still alive, not badly wounded, now stretching its neck to chase the woman’s fingers. Its wound was bound by two thin, soft jiao silk strips. Li Xizhou gently coaxed it, her face beaming like a ten-year-old child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye squatted beside her, poked it twice with his finger—nearly flipping it over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you doing?” Li Xizhou laughed, catching his arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are you playing with it? You look like an idiot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xizhou ignored him, stroked the turtle again, then gently pushed it away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In the mirage realm, you must cherish all these living things, big and small, do you understand?” Li Xizhou watched it go. “Here, everything is pure, innocent, natural—no evil spirits.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she spoke, her voice was soft. Pei Ye half-understood, but Li Xizhou said no more. She stood. “These giant scaled demons each dominate a territory, like lions and tigers. Since there’s a water wyrm here, the other two must be elsewhere. Let’s head west.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though called pursuit and suppression, their journey was leisurely and easy. Li Xizhou told him about every plant, flower, stone, water spirit, and scaled creature—what their natures were, what uses they served. For those that had appeared in the mortal world, she always had a story to tell—a natural memory fused with learned knowledge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They often encountered creatures she’d never seen, and the two would experiment together. A beautiful blue fish caught their attention, trapped in a water bubble and repeatedly prodded. After shooting arrow-like jets of water and unfurling a rainbow-like tail, it still couldn’t scare them off—so it rolled its eyes, flipped onto its back, and feigned death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye laughed, grabbed it by the tail, and tickled its belly. It instantly sprang up. Li Xizhou laughed and stopped his persecution, releasing it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the mirage realm, life had evolved in countless ways. Many mortal fish and shrimp had swum in, absorbed spiritual energy, and interbred—now impossible to classify. Even the Water Lord needed years of familiarity to understand them all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they reached the west, the scenery changed. The broad, soft grasslands vanished. Here, dense rocks stood like forests, with towering peaks and caverns, twisting endlessly, hiding countless strange creatures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Xizhou moved here with ease. She said she’d gathered the scaled demon army here just days ago to counterattack the mirage city, but had been scattered, so she’d ordered them to hide in all directions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here they indeed encountered the giant leopard-shaped scaled demon. Unlike the wyrm, it didn’t rampage—it lay in ambush, and when the two were blocked from view by a massive rock, it lunged out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how dominant it was in this water, before Pei Ye it was as transparent as a child. He easily pinned it to the rock and pierced its throat with a single sword thrust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Bailing feasted again. New sprouts had begun to emerge, and Pei Ye clearly felt the faint stirring within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xizhou led Pei Ye deeper. “I’ll introduce you to another friend. It can traverse both realms—it’s a guest of the spirit realm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye was curious: “What do you mean? Don’t the Red Pearl Carp and Water Lords both traverse both realms?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, no. Those are spirit realm creatures—they open doors from within. This one is a mortal creature that dwells in the spirit realm—it opens doors from outside.” Li Xizhou smiled, tilting her head. “By the way, you never answered me—did you use the horn I gave you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that, Pei Ye remembered: “I was going to ask you. You gave me the horn—why didn’t you write anything on it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What should I write?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Something like ‘use fire to burn it.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...” Li Xizhou thought a moment. “You didn’t know you had to burn it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why would I know I had to burn it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a famous anecdote from the Book of Jin. Wen Jiao dreamed of a spirit demon, woke up, and lit his rhino horn to illuminate the water—seeing the demon’s form. The demon said: ‘We parted between the mortal and spirit realms—why do you shine light upon me?’” Li Xizhou said. “I, too, parted from you between the mortal and spirit realms—wasn’t this precisely why I gave you the horn?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She thought again, narrowed her eyes: “I see. When you were at the Imperial Academy, I made you read the Book of Jin—you never read it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...I didn’t have time.” Pei Ye turned away. “Anyway, it’s not important. Where’s your friend?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xizhou gave a slight eye-roll, didn’t press him further, and swam downward: “Right here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye saw it—a giant, snow-white rhinoceros.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It lay peacefully in the cavern, its thick hide marked with fresh and old bloodstains—from battles with scaled demon hordes, or perhaps injuries from the water tiger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye sensed in it a spiritual awareness far exceeding other scaled demons. Li Xizhou swam over and stroked its head; the rhino affectionately rubbed her palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The mirage realm is now calm. You can enter without worry from now on.” Li Xizhou smiled, pulling Pei Ye’s sleeve over. “This is our new Water Lord. When you roam the realm, tell other spirit creatures: the new sovereign saved the mirage. They must revere him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white rhino’s eyes were warm and sentient. It stepped forward, gently and submissively nuzzled Pei Ye’s calf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye, delighted and curious, rubbed its head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he noticed the abrupt, broken horn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you helped me enter.” Pei Ye gently patted it. “Don’t worry—you’ll rest safely in the mirage from now on.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A rhino horn grows one inch every hundred years—it’s precious.” Li Xizhou smiled. “But it’s fine—it can be reattached. Bring it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye was even more moved: “So that’s why—what?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The remaining rhino horn. I gave it all to you to ensure your entry. But since you didn’t take a wrong path, burning it shouldn’t have consumed much. The rest should be returned to it.” Li Xizhou smiled at him. The white rhino beneath them nuzzled his leg again, respectfully and hopefully watching the new sovereign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Ye made a sound of sudden realization, then fell silent, motionless beside Li Xizhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xizhou extended her hand again, puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I ate it.” Pei Ye’s face was expressionless.\u003C\u002Fp>",2636,"2026-06-20T13:17:12.150Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","7996ae56999ab29f7223078eba6e594034a4eefa107004c80d3e8b1d469eed63","lord-of-the-immortal-food-chapter-734","lord-of-the-immortal-food-chapter-732",771,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flord-of-the-immortal-food-cover.jpg"]