[{"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-592":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},2317872,4532,"Chapter 592","the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-592",592,"\u003Cp>South of the capital, Mount Fengshan was frozen at its most magnificent moment, the entire mountain ablaze with red, every layer of forest dyed in hue, each tree’s crimson leaves shimmering in the sun—some translucent, some reflective, some casting shadows—as if standing between illusion and reality, at the boundary of dream and waking, radiating exquisite depth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep within the mountain, a sheer cliff hung vertically, yet atop it rose pavilions and halls of varying sizes, staggered and interconnected by wooden walkways and passages carved into the cliff face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mountain’s treasure trees breathed mist and clouds, radiating light, as if declaring to the world that this place was no mere mortal realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clouds drifting at mid-mountain, white egrets gliding leisurely through the air, lent it an ethereal, immortal aura; the precipitous cliffs made it awe-inspiring; the boundless expanse of crimson leaves added a touch of sublime beauty. Only atop the largest pavilion, where its upturned eaves curled skyward, stood a Daoist priest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Daoist priest held an ancient book in his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Opposite him stood a majestic divine lord: clad in black-gold scaled armor, its dents and scars bearing witness to his glorious battles, draped in a gray-white outer robe to temper his killing intent; the black-gold halberd in his hand reflected the autumn scenery and the immortal pavilions as he slowly turned his head, surveying the place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue tossed the ancient book into the air: “Seek your next destined heir.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flash of light—and the book vanished instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is this your cave sanctuary?” the Floating Pool Divine Lord asked, withdrawing his gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It is.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why is there no one inside?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My disciples have left to seek opportunities, Luo Gong has temporarily relocated elsewhere, one of my old friends is still traveling and has not returned, another has gone to Yangzhou to refine pills, and the rest have all gone to Yishan,” Lin Jue said. “But this place was never meant to be inhabited.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then that suits me fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Indeed…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Lin Jue spoke, still standing atop the pavilion’s tiled roof, he suddenly pointed a finger—and flowers bloomed in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Floating Pool Divine Lord did not dodge or retreat—he was immediately ensnared by the spell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath his armor and robe, flowers burst forth, causing his armor and robe to swell slightly; blossoms sprouted from beneath his garments or grew from gaps in his armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Floating Pool Divine Lord slowly lowered his head, reached out, plucked a flower from his chest, and held it before his eyes for close inspection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a red flower, identical in hue to the mountain’s crimson leaves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This absorbs essence and spiritual power, erodes cultivation and divine worship—isn’t this the divine art passed down by the Green Emperor?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Floating Pool Divine Lord remained standing, utterly motionless, as if feeling no pain or fear; his eyes fixed on the red flower, his two fingers gently rubbed it—and it spun and drifted downward. Before it fell even two inches, it, like all the flowers on his body, dissolved into crimson dust and vanished into the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The once-unstoppable “Flowers Bloom Instantly” seemed utterly ineffective against him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What a formidable Floating Pool Divine Lord!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue’s expression hardened, and he formed another hand seal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Steal Life, Grant Longevity!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Floating Pool Divine Lord’s body blazed with golden light; he drew a deep breath—and the entire world’s vitality and lifespan was sucked into his abdomen. The crimson leaves across the mountain instantly fell, swirling in the wind like a river in the air—yet not a single ounce of vitality or lifespan was drawn from the Divine Lord himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is this the divine art of the Eastern Queen Mother? Did you obtain it from your wordless book, or did that fox pass it to you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Floating Pool Divine Lord stared at him with cold, expressionless eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, Lin Jue understood: long ago, when he was still insignificant, traveling through [31] Cuiwei County, he had first encountered the Holy Protecting True Lord and the Floating Pool Divine Lord. He had ordered his subordinates, the Generals Hanging Sun and Hanging Moon, to ascend the tower and investigate—and at that moment, he had already known the fox’s identity and the ancient book hidden beneath it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cuīwēi County, upon first meeting the Holy Protecting True Lord and the Floating Pool Divine Lord, he ordered his subordinates, Generals Suspended Sun and Suspended Moon, to ascend the floor and investigate—by then, he likely already knew the identity of his fox and the ancient book hidden beneath it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what manner of being was the Floating Pool Divine Lord? A descendant of the nine-tailed fox? A wordless ancient book? To him, they were all ordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pity—I have long been invulnerable to all arts. If this is all your skill, today you will surely die.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue formed a seal and pointed—his overwhelming spiritual power surged forth, transforming into invisible chains that pierced the Floating Pool Divine Lord’s body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pulled—and even the Divine Lord frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a flick of his wrist, the halberd severed the chains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What art is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Floating Pool Divine Lord stood in the wind, the sky filled with crimson leaves forming his perfect backdrop—finally, a flicker of interest stirred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It is a method created by mortals in response to the immoral gods of the former dynasty,” Lin Jue said, his tone laden with implication.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s somewhat interesting,” the Floating Pool Divine Lord smiled faintly. “But though I am a god, I still possess a physical body. Your art poses no threat to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You seem to lack battle fervor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know you are a virtuous and meritorious man—I had no intention of killing you. Besides, you are a cultivator; fighting you would be too limp, too dull.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not necessarily!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue waved his hand and scattered a dozen beans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The beans instantly grew upon contact with the wind!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twelve flying swords flashed with reflected sunlight; three long swords mirrored the crimson leaves. One long sword landed in his hand; the other twelve flying swords became streaks of light, hurtling toward the Floating Pool Divine Lord. Two long swords spun into silver moons in midair, slashing toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crimson leaves in the air were cleanly sliced in half!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gleaming blades of the long swords reflected both the leaves and the Floating Pool Divine Lord’s figure; he sidestepped slightly, evading several flying swords, and in the next instant, the long sword struck his black-gold halberd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>CLANG! A shockwave rippled through the air!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The long sword spun away, flung far off; the halberd was knocked sideways, striking another long sword and sending it flying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still limp?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A bit better!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, the twelve flying swords surged forward again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two long swords circled in from opposite directions, one ahead, one behind, one left, one right, spinning as they slashed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dragon Play!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A roar echoed through heaven and earth—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black-gold halberd instantly slipped from the Floating Pool Divine Lord’s grasp, transforming into a colossal black-gold jade dragon that writhed wildly in the air, fleeing from him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>TING-TING-TING! CLANG-CLANG!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The twelve flying swords pierced the Divine Lord’s armor; the two long swords slashed across his neck from left and right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But beneath the armor lay flesh even stronger than the armor itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve grown rusty, Divine Lord—over a hundred years without battle.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue waved his right hand—the flying swords and long swords instantly withdrew from the Floating Pool Divine Lord’s body, shattering countless breezes and crimson leaves. His left hand pointed again—the flying swords became streams of light, folding back; the long swords transformed into silver discs, converging once more toward the Divine Lord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is that so?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, the Floating Pool Divine Lord vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He reappeared beside Lin Jue, his hand now gripping the precious sword at his waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM! The two swords clashed!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue was instantly blasted backward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alongside the falling crimson leaves, the streaks of light from the flying swords and the spinning long swords continued their assault toward the Floating Pool Divine Lord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he still did not dodge or retreat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spiritual energy shattered, divine radiance sprayed everywhere; the sounds of piercing and slashing rang incessantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Floating Pool Divine Lord ignored the flying swords and long swords; growing weary, he hurled his own sword into the air, where it split into fourteen blades that automatically clashed with the incoming weapons. Then he reached out—and an unimaginable surge of divine power erupted, snatching the fleeing black-gold jade dragon back from beyond Mount Fengshan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Floating Pool Divine Lord raised one hand high; divine power and spiritual force bound the dragon. As he clenched his fist, an indescribable force crushed the dragon into nothingness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM! The halberd now rested in his hand once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lifted the halberd and continued walking forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am immortal and indestructible. Your arts mean nothing to me,” the Divine Lord said calmly. “Given our past connection, speak your last words—where you wish to be buried, who inherits your belongings, whom you wish me to protect. Say it all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You are immortal and indestructible, so my arts are useless against you. But do you truly believe your own abilities can threaten me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Arrogant!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, the Floating Pool Divine Lord stood before him again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The halberd was already swinging toward Lin Jue’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Lin Jue, like the Divine Lord, did not dodge or retreat—equally unafraid, equally unshaken, because he too was immortal and indestructible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“BOOM…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Daoist priest was instantly reduced to ash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Floating Pool Divine Lord felt a strange unease—he sensed the profound mystery of the Dao at this very moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned his head—and saw the Daoist priest standing to his left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What divine art is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Also immortality and indestructibility.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The immortality of the Cycle of Life and Death?” The Floating Pool Divine Lord narrowed his eyes, as if he, too, had once sought this path. “No wonder you dared to block me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Immortality through the Way of Life and Death Rebirth?\" Floating Pool Divine Lord squinted and said, as if he too had once sought it, \"No wonder you dare block me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can this art revive others as well?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You truly understand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph! You’ve cultivated such an art, yet you come to fight me and seek death—have you forgotten the people waiting for your promise beyond Mo Dushan, in Zi Yun County? You’re nothing but a faithless traitor!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Floating Pool Divine Lord’s anger suddenly flared:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You yourself are faithless and treacherous, yet you dare place my divine statue there as your protective spirit? Today I shall kill you—and then return to blow away his soul entirely, so he stops waiting foolishly!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His figure flickered; one horizontal slash of the halberd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even as Lin Jue raised his sword to block, he was reduced to ash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You misunderstand, Divine Lord.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice came again from another direction:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice came again from the other end:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I promised Friend Fan not only resurrection, but another thing as well. With my current abilities, I can fulfill only one of them—not enough to reshape his innate talent or rebirth his foundation. Besides, today I cannot overcome the Divine Lord; can the Divine Lord truly overcome me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had he finished speaking than the Divine Lord reappeared beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he summoned ten thousand invisible walls with a single finger, the True Lord shattered and cleaved through them in an instant; even if the Daoist turned into a breeze and scattered into nothingness, he was still obliterated in an instant beneath the Divine Lord’s halberd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is the power of the First Warrior of the Nine Heavens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Undying, unkillable, invincible by any.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue believed his own \"Life-Death Creation\" was perhaps even greater than the Divine Lord of Floating Pool’s \"Undying, Unkillable,\" for it could be applied beyond himself, and even the Dao regarded it as closer to the Supreme Art—yet in direct one-on-one combat, it performed slightly worse than the Divine Lord’s \"Undying, Unkillable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, the outcome was the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neither could overcome the other.\u003C\u002Fp>",2021,"2026-06-20T14:45:37.804Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","63355aa37e3735fab1544f559d3aaff0d63ce9f7b78488cf6d5577f6e6b0c7d3","the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-593","the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-591",608,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-book-of-strange-tales-cover.jpg"]