[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete":3,"chapter-starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-32":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Starting from the Apocalypse, I Alone Severed Eternity",{"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},2312414,4518,"Chapter 32: Pale White Door, Giant Scorpion Bandits","starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-32",32,"\u003Cp>Before the pale white door, a faint, almost imperceptible dragon aura drifted from within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi stood before the door, listening intently, but heard nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long before seeing the dog-headed ones’ ritual, Fang Shi had noticed the altar built before the door and the offerings upon it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When faced with dog-headed sacrifices, dragons always respond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For great dragons, the flattery and service of these lowly servants are quite pleasing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, great dragons have enormous appetites; having servants reduces their hunting time, and no offering is ever left uneaten on the altar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If a dragon gives no response, there are only two possibilities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One: the great dragon is absent or in hibernation—in which case, it cannot act upon the offerings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two: the great dragon is reclusive and dislikes disturbance. The group of dog-headed ones gathered here solely because they sensed the dragon’s aura and developed spontaneous worship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Based on this reasoning, Fang Shi had launched his massacre without restraint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, with a dragon present, the dog-headed ones would have found their anchor, charging wildly under its command, fearless of sacrifice, serving as cannon fodder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, to slay a dragon, one must first sever its wings—otherwise, one will only perish miserably beneath its servants’ onslaught.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that Fang Shi had slaughtered the entire dog-headed tribe, he no longer feared the young dragon summoning its servants to surround him; his safety had greatly increased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi was certain: the young dragon lay behind this pale white door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now there was a problem—he could not push open the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The door was extremely tall, reaching nearly to the ceiling of the underground palace, and ten meters wide on each side; a single panel weighed dozens of tons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi was certain the original owner of this underground palace never opened it by hand—otherwise, he’d have needed a giant to push it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Are there giants in the desert?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi vaguely recalled that sand giants lived in desert regions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the corridor of this underground palace was only three meters high—clearly unsuitable for a giant to dwell within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There must be some mechanism controlling the door, allowing it to open easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now the problem was: Fang Shi had searched the entire hall and found no mechanism whatsoever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It couldn’t be that the mechanism was inside, operated from within—that design would be absurd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or perhaps it was a magic door?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That would be even more troublesome; early-stage martial artists are physical specialists and have no knowledge of magic whatsoever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if martial artists later comprehend the fundamental truths of heaven and earth, that comes much later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the early stages, they cannot handle magical artifacts at all—unless they resort to brute force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That wasn’t impossible; the door’s material didn’t look particularly strong. When Fang Shi struck it with his steel sword, he easily dented it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But given the door’s size, its thickness was at least one meter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if Fang Shi dug until the secret realm’s time limit expired, he could not carve a passage wide enough for him to pass through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if he dug halfway and woke the dragon, it would be far worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi had a premonition: he would likely gain nothing more from this place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I return empty-handed, so be it—I’ve already profited immensely from the experience. I’ll sit down and eat something first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides, my exploration progress reached 85% after clearing the dog-headed ones—the Tongguan  reward won’t be bad.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After such prolonged combat, Fang Shi was exhausted and too lazy to study the stone door further—he decided to eat first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the pale white door, the chamber glowed brightly; fire elementals from the Fire Plane danced on the candlestands, burning eternally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A spherical object rested on a raised platform in the center of the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sphere was rock-gray, its surface densely clustered with stone protrusions, layered one upon another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arranged in orderly, uneven patterns across the sphere’s surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looked like a fine work of art.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the moment the dog-headed shaman died, the entire sphere trembled slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A low, youthful voice spoke: “Where are my servants? Why are they all dead?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Worthless trash. Dog-headed ones are a pitiful race.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a pause, it continued: “Never mind. Better dead—they never stopped bothering me. I couldn’t even rest properly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After those three sentences, the sphere fell still again. The chamber returned to silence, save for the slow flickering of the candle flames.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Abandoned temple, before the underground passage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is this the place?” said a bearded giant, gripping a steel blade and wearing a headwrap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, this is it,” replied a thin, sly-looking man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bearded giant gave a signal; two other men, also wearing headwraps, stepped forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pointed at the stone slab on the ground; his two subordinates immediately gripped the recesses on either side and lifted it up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you certain there’s a young dragon inside?” the bearded giant asked again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Absolutely, my lord, I swear I’m not lying,” the sly man hurriedly said, pulling a trembling rat from his pocket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord, look—this is a Treasure-Seeking Rat. It’s said to carry a trace of dragon blood and can detect treasures.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But it’s also extremely sensitive to dragon aura—it trembles the moment it smells a dragon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, the sly man held the rat high before the bearded giant’s face for a clear look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bearded giant’s eyes glinted with malice: “How can you be sure it’s a young dragon? What if it’s an adult? Wouldn’t that kill us all?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well…” the sly man hesitated, “I’m not entirely certain. But after the last sandstorm, I hid in the temple and discovered the underground palace.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At first, seeing the little gold one trembling, I hesitated—but then I thought of the dragon’s wealth, and couldn’t bear to leave. So I crept inside and found the dog-headed ones’ nest.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As a child, I was once captured by dog-headed ones and served them for a time before being rescued—but I picked up a bit of Dragon Tongue.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I overheard the dog-headed knights talking. They called their master the King of Earth and Mountains. I thought it must be some mighty dragon and prepared to flee.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But then I heard them say their master was still a young dragon, and had entered hibernation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Overjoyed, I rushed back to town to gather men—but what happened after, you already know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bearded giant naturally understood: after returning, he’d been captured by them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bearded giant was no good man—he was the leader of the Giant Scorpion Bandits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t believe you. You look so cowardly—I can’t believe you’d dare descend after sensing a dragon’s presence.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sly man sighed: “I’m cowardly because I value my life. I descended because I sought wealth. These two motives aren’t contradictory. Only poverty is truly terrifying.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, the bearded giant and his men fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Across eight hundred li of desert, the land was barren, oases scarce—unable to sustain so many.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet even so, society divided into nobles and peasants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nobles lived extravagantly: porcelain and silk worth more than gold filled their warehouses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They ate meat daily, bathed every day, had countless servants and concubines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Peasants struggled for three meals a day, bathed at most three times in their lives—some never bathed at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some, with no other options, turned to banditry, robbing merchants on the road, gradually living in comfort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some may have once held onto kindness—but after countless killings, each became ruthless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They slaughtered the old, the weak, women, and children without mercy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why should you live in luxury while we die in the desert? Then let me grant you the justice of death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This widely circulated saying came from the famed bandit king, Clements, who once ruled all bandits of the Eight Hundred Li Desert.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, his words became the creed of countless outlaws.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, from the moment they took up the sword, they could never turn back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I believe you,” the bearded giant said, clapping the sly man on the shoulder and raising his hand. “Brothers, today is the day we grow rich. If we slay the dragon, we’ll have endless meat and wine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rooms full of gold, rooms full of beauties—living like nobles of the Eight Hundred Li Desert.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, the bearded giant changed tone: “But slaying a dragon is dangerous. One misstep, and you die. If you’re afraid, now’s your chance to leave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But if you leave, you’re no longer a brother of the Giant Scorpion Bandits—and you must wait outside until we emerge before you may go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After speaking, the bearded giant scanned his thirty-odd men. No one stepped forward to leave; all stared at the passage with burning eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was natural: any bandit who had joined the gang and survived this long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had already died the moment they picked up their blades, living day to day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving the gang? Ridiculous. After tasting blood and feasts, who would return to the miserable life of a noble’s servant?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Better to have never joined the gang at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides—would the bearded giant really let anyone leave alive after seeing such a precious thing as a dragon?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone who tried to leave would be cut down instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“May the great god Set bless us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the bearded giant finished praying, he prepared to lead his bandits down the passage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sly man volunteered: “My lord, let me go first to scout for traps. Dog-headed ones are paranoid—they’ve filled their nest with traps and mechanisms.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m a Level 5 Rogue—I know this well. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have escaped safely last time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw the bandits’ determination and decided to join—perhaps he could gain something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, once they saw the countless traps inside, wouldn’t they force him to lead anyway?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bearded giant thought for a moment: “Very well. If you clear the traps, and we slay the dragon, your contribution counts. From now on, you’re a brother of the Giant Scorpion Bandits.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, leader.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1659,"2026-06-20T12:43:33.559Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","90ca1b511f16422a1fc6685ffc91f4c6229d936d6c6a3aef2a862f3f269c2482","starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-33","starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-31",109,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstarting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-cover.jpg"]