[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-book-of-strange-tales":3,"chapter-the-book-of-strange-tales-the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-563":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Book of Strange Tales",{"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},2317843,4532,"Chapter 563: One Strike, Destroy the Sea Monster","the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-563",563,"\u003Cp>A small brown-clad spirit floated in the air, then vanished suddenly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When it reappeared, it had already flown straight into the face of the massive eight-tentacled sea monster, staring at it solemnly, pointing down at the island and asking:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eight-tentacled sea monster dared not speak!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it had attained true cultivation, it was merely an unintentional byproduct of time lingering in this vast ocean—a barbarian at heart—and how could it know of spiritual arts that allowed for bodily division?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had only seen twelve beings who had attained true cultivation arrive riding on thunderous clouds of divine majesty and five-colored auspicious clouds; among them, four humans and seven foxes looked identical, nearly scaring it to death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Chen Niu, true to his stubborn nature, seeing no answer, tightened his expression and pointed again at the island, asking sternly once more:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is this the land of Longbo?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, his gaze flickered downward—the massive eight-tentacled sea monster had begun a faint preparatory stance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spirit did not hesitate, and vanished instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It vanished without a sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boom!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eight-tentacled sea monster suddenly surged upward—not to attack Chen Niu, nor the twelve true immortals in the sky, but to launch itself away from the ground and speed toward the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Run?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The junior sister on the auspicious cloud did not hesitate, pointing a finger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mountain Crushes from Above!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A true immortal who cultivated the Five Elements spiritual arts, using a technique aligned with them, and possessing profound mastery in this path—this “Mountain Crushes from Above” became, in true sense, a mountain crushing from above.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the eight-tentacled sea monster had flown two li, it suddenly looked up and felt heavy spiritual energy gathering in the sky, radiating an arcane mystery it could not comprehend; it could only vaguely sense that it had coalesced into an invisible mountain, descending upon it in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Crash!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, mountains collapsed and the earth trembled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eight-tentacled sea monster was slammed hard onto the ground, carving out a deep crater, unable to rise again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The junior sister immediately left the five-colored auspicious cloud, dissolving into a gentle breeze, then reappeared atop the eight-tentacled sea monster’s head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She pointed her long sword—intense true fire surged like a dragon, engulfing the sea monster’s body, spreading and tracing its contours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eight-tentacled sea monster twisted and writhed in agony, its flesh and skin charred, blackened, curled, and peeled away, shrinking as white smoke hissed from its body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It tried to flee, yet a great mountain pressed down upon it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even its tentacles were burned clean off, and a strange fragrance began to fill the air; carried by the wind, it reached not just miles around, but the entire island could smell it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The colorful foxes in the sky sniffed hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The foxes could not help but glance downward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sea monsters on the island were terrified, their souls nearly fleeing their bodies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the eight-tentacled sea monster had its own ability—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how badly its body burned, it could rapidly regenerate, even grow new limbs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was not the same as the mainland’s spiritual art of severing and regrowing, yet it could be called such—a natural, self-awakened ability of severing and regrowing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this did not help it win.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The invisible mountain pinned it down relentlessly; each regeneration was merely more torment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue did not move, watching from afar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He fell silent for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the junior sister seemed to realize that true fire alone could not kill it, so she pointed again—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stone Seal Technique!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As one who cultivated the Five Elements spiritual arts and specialized in these techniques, her execution was, as Lin Jue had once said, far stronger than the Stone Seal Technique he had used in Yuanqiu Immortal Realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, the entire massive body of the eight-tentacled sea monster, hundreds of thousands of points, began petrifying—like dense raindrops striking a calm lake, rippling outward, but these ripples were stone-colored; when they converged, the sea monster’s entire body became a stone mountain, utterly immobilized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In mere moments, just a few moves, she subdued a sea demon king who had also attained true cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The power of a Five Elements Combat Immortal was evident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did the sea monster soldiers and officers below finally react.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, eight or nine out of ten fled—countless giant shrimp, crabs, and fish demons surged away like a tide in all directions; some loyal ones rushed swiftly toward the stone mountain of the eight-tentacled monster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them were even several Longbo giants wielding massive clubs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seven foxes descended from the sky, transforming into seven full-bodied seven-tailed white foxes, circling the stone mountain formed by the eight-tentacled sea monster, watching the surrounding demons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One fox exhaled icy breath—a large group of charging giant shrimp and crabs froze in place before taking two steps, stiffening on the island; one exhaled solar true fire—the armor of a group of giant shrimp and crabs visibly reddened, and they collapsed screaming; one exhaled yellow smoke, and the giant shrimp and crabs immediately began fighting the fish demons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three other seven-tailed white foxes transformed into their true forms, as large as hills, and casually pounced, knocking down the four Longbo giants wielding clubs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The remaining one sat upright, watching the spectacle with great enjoyment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The four Lin Jues merged into one, riding thunderclouds down from the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, are you hurt?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just skin-deep wounds,” the third brother exclaimed. “How did you all get here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You refused to cultivate properly and insisted on wandering around—look, you can’t even handle an eight-tentacled fish. If you can’t fight it yourself, fine, but you even forgot about us brothers, didn’t even think to send for help.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How did you know I was here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What else could it be? Of course we came for our brother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re also here to find the Longbo?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ve said it—we came specifically for our brother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How did you know I was here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Divination.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third brother immediately understood: “Sixth brother has grown this powerful now?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue said nothing, stepping on the island and looking around: “Is this the land of Longbo?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This was once the land of Longbo, perpetually shrouded in thick fog, inaccessible to ordinary mortals,” the third brother replied. “This sea monster was originally a demon king of the nearby deep sea; it once ventured to the coast, witnessed heavenly deities exterminating demons, thought the palaces in the sky were magnificent, so it captured merchant ships as craftsmen, scoured the seas for massive sunken logs, came to this island, and forced the local Longbo to labor in building its palace, killing many who refused.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you find the lingering soul fragments?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I found some, and a few are willing to follow me,” the third brother said. “But this is the land of Longbo—hundreds of Longbo, and after a thousand years, there must be more still unlocated.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now we can search slowly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you need any?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue thought a moment and said: “If any are willing to follow me, brother, please give me one—I have one, but I feel lonely. Pairing up, we’d stand more symmetrically.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh my, Lin Zhenren, you humiliate me! Lin Zhenren traveled all this way, braved hardship, saved my life—how dare I speak so to Lin Zhenren?” The third brother bowed repeatedly, lowering his head sideways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But something feels off…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s off?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did we misjudge the timing and arrive too late, or is there something else? It doesn’t feel right that brother should have fought it today.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How should I know?” the third brother said. “I intended to sneak into its palace, see if I could burn it down—but somehow, all the shrimp and crab soldiers poured out, patrolling everywhere. Seeing the palace interior was poorly guarded, I released the Yellow Emperor’s Divine Fire I had gathered from elsewhere.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So that’s how it happened…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue frowned, thinking as he gazed at the distant massive stone mountain of the eight-tentacled sea monster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coincidentally, when he asked for directions on the way, he had also asked an eight-tentacled fish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So that’s it…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it wasn’t necessarily that eight-tentacled fish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More likely, he had asked for directions at sea, or Chen Niu had asked around, or their cloud-riding search had been noticed by sea spirits, who somehow alerted this place—causing the palace guards to move to the perimeter and island patrols, leaving the palace interior vulnerable, giving the third brother his chance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The world’s changes are capricious; a whisper, a trace, and everything shifts elsewhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or perhaps this place is too distant from the mainland, too far from Yuanqiu Mountain’s timeline—the Old Man of Heaven’s divination was inaccurate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, the junior sister flew back:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, the eight-tentacled sea monster’s vitality is incredibly tenacious—it seems to have learned your ‘sever and regrow’ technique. I sealed it, but I can’t kill it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No matter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue turned and pointed a finger—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Buds sprouted across the massive stone mountain; in a blink, they became flowering branches and wild grass; another blink, buds rose, and soon the entire mountain bloomed with crimson and pink blossoms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eight-tentacled sea monster sealed beneath the stone seemed to sense immense pain and mortal threat, struggling desperately in its final moments—stone cracked and crumbled from its body, shaking the entire island; as the blossoms bloomed, they absorbed the magical force of the Stone Seal Technique along with its life essence, and the junior sister’s seal nearly broke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet under Lin Jue’s “Blossom in an Instant,” its spiritual energy and cultivation rapidly diminished; by the time the Stone Seal Technique shattered, it was already lifeless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boom… boom… boom…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, aside from a group of giant shrimp, crabs, and deep-sea demons still killing each other, no demon soldiers remained—only a dozen merchant craftsmen stood dazed in place, and a crowd of simple-minded Longbo giants stared at the scene—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stone mountain formed by the eight-tentacled sea monster suddenly shattered, crumbling into stones of varying sizes, mixed with colorful flowers, scattering across the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This sea demon king was utterly destroyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, the junior sister was already scolding the third brother, saying words nearly identical to Lin Jue’s:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, you’re such a wanderer! You haven’t contacted us in years, and now, at a time like this, you still won’t bother to let us know!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How could I dare trouble Zhenren Liu?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you only feel comfortable after being seriously wounded?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Getting scolded, getting scolded…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third brother laughed heartily, as if utterly unconcerned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for those nearby, seeing the Daoist’s robe and the seven giant white foxes, they already guessed who the visitor was.\u003C\u002Fp>",1783,"2026-06-20T14:45:37.804Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","12b18543278209d8629b28fd093d5f64a64f228e959367c057bcd866a4499ea1","the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-564","the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-562",608,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-book-of-strange-tales-cover.jpg"]