[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-cursed-blade-s-walk":3,"chapter-the-cursed-blade-s-walk-the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-652":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Cursed Blade's Walk",{"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},2262957,4415,"Chapter 652: Heavenly Thunder Subdues Demons","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-652",652,"\u003Cp>\"Did you see that? This is the lowly ant!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Their lives are like morning dew; all they care about in life is eating, drinking, and excreting—no different from beasts.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So what if they’ve read books?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They praise the glory of history, but they’re all dead men—and even more laughable, those foolish peasants still worship them, burning incense for thousands of years. Yet the pride of Shenzhou? It’s all been used by me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wake up! Human justice? It’s all bullshit!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Follow me to the sea, and henceforth you’ll never again be bound by heaven and earth—fearless of life or death—wouldn’t that be glorious?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even now, he still tries to persuade Li Yan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, traveling from Yuzhou to the open sea would be fraught with difficulties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the aid of Tian Guan, many obstacles could be avoided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing that arrogant laughter, Li Yan’s expression grew colder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the saying goes: those on different paths cannot work together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From a purely selfish standpoint, Wang Xuanmo’s choice might have been reasonable—but he achieved it by trampling countless heads. Li Yan could not accept it, not even bothering to speak another word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The surrounding yin energy grew denser; ice blades reversed like spears formed on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everywhere his eyes could see was wind and darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the aura of the Underworld’s troops had emerged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the extreme manifestation of dense yin sha earth qi—no less formidable than some deadly lands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Any ordinary person stepping into it would immediately be overwhelmed by illusions and frozen alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Li Yan’s thunder was steadily being worn away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After advancing less than a hundred meters, the thunder essence stored in the Soul-Grabbing Thunder Ropes was nearly depleted again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, Li Yan raised the Broken Dust Blade once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another bolt of lightning, connecting heaven and earth, engulfed his entire body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What an idiot!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Xuanmo’s voice sounded again, \"I’ll see just how long you can hold out.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His tone was brimming with confidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He understood the Divine Transformation Art well enough—it relied on external forces, using powerful artifacts to store and amplify power, temporarily breaking through physical limits. But even with artifacts, one couldn’t act so recklessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He feared the boy’s body would collapse before he even reached him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The truth was exactly that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drawing down another bolt of lightning, Li Yan felt searing pain as if knives were cutting through his five viscera, six bowels, even his bone marrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt as if countless electric drills were darting wildly inside his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ahh—!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Li Yan could not endure this pain, letting out a cry of agony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, it drew Wang Xuanmo’s mocking laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Li Yan so foolishly seeking death, Wang Xuanmo no longer paid attention. He formed hand seals, bit his tongue repeatedly, spat blood onto the five black flags before him, and chanted incantations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan suffered—but so did he.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Controlling this sect’s sacred artifact alone, while triggering resonance with the Mangshan earth vein—even in his peak state, he would expend vast amounts of blood and vitality, let alone now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each time he chanted, Wang Xuanmo felt his vision darken in waves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the increasingly distinct cauldron-shaped yin clouds in the sky made him tremble with excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As early as the Northern Song era, he had already cultivated to completion, hoping to break through and revive his sect—but then the Ghost Sect’s leader, Zhao Changsheng, appeared and offered him a better path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After decades of waiting, the result was finally here…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom! Boom! Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the array activated, the vibrations from beneath the earth vein grew louder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Luoyang City, Yin Jiuge, Wang Daoxuan, and others watched the array’s focal point tremble violently, even cracking—each of them frantic, yet powerless to act…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the Northern Wei imperial tombs of Mangshan, massive bulges appeared on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Master, hurry and leave! If we wait any longer, it’ll be too late!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The disciples urged repeatedly; Master Huiyuan sighed sadly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gazed toward distant Luoyang City, already picturing its ruins, corpses strewn across the streets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, the earth vein’s vibrations suddenly ceased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wait a moment!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Huiyuan quickly halted the monks, staring down at the plains below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Perhaps… there’s still a chance.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sky was blood-red; the mountains and rivers grew darker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet all could see: one thunderbolt after another kept crashing down upon the plains…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, a turning point had emerged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You… who are you?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ghost King Wang Xuanmo stared at Li Yan approaching relentlessly, his eyes filled with horror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lightning rained down like madness, striking again and again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Far away, Li Yan was entirely engulfed in thunderlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What sent chills down Wang Xuanmo’s spine was that when the terrifying lightning neared the ground, it always split into two streams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One thin stream was absorbed by Li Yan; the two Soul-Grabbing Thunder Ropes, each over ten meters long, became lightning tentacles…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other stream was thicker, charged with the might of thunder, directly cleaving through the yin sha qi ahead…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The distance between them was rapidly shrinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Xuanmo did not know that Li Yan was now in a strange state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After absorbing multiple bolts of lightning, even with the Soul-Grabbing Thunder Ropes, his body had already been damaged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His skin was covered with branching, charred patterns; flesh and skin had been burned away, and beads of blood oozed from his pores, instantly vaporized by the lightning into a crimson mist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Chengdu battle, Li Yan lost one soul flame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, with his body damaged, the Great Luo Dharma Body was repairing itself again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wounds healed rapidly, yet cracks were forming across the Great Luo Dharma Body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Yan had no time to care about the loss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes held only blinding white thunderlight; the world spun, his ears filled with piercing, shrill buzzing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he gritted his teeth, letting the lightning rage through his meridians.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each time the thunder pierced his body, it felt like millions of steel needles crawling through his bone marrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He instinctively activated the \"Immortal Seal Technique,\" his muscles trembling to dissipate the lightning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be honest, it helped little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But through this repeated refining, he finally pierced the thin veil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His entire body’s strength, resisting the lightning, gathered toward his dantian with his blood and qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body, spirit, and soul fused perfectly in this moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had finally entered the Martial Art realm of Dan Jing!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once entering Dan Jing, one’s control over the body reached its limit—whole body unified as one, even plucking a flower or flying a leaf could injure an opponent, with exquisite mastery of force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the greater benefit was endurance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ordinary martial artists, no matter what kind of force they used, had to circulate blood and qi, drive tendons and muscles, even use special breathing methods—all of which consumed vast energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Continuous combat would inevitably lead to exhaustion and death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But a Dan Jing master, with all blood and force gathered, had peak control over the body, so energy loss was minimal; even prolonged combat left him neither flushed nor breathless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The legendary generals in history who charged into enemy ranks, fighting hundreds of rounds without tiring—this was the mark of Dan Jing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This step was the absolute limit of pure physical power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond it lay Gang Jing, where the spirit grew even stronger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Martial intent could even summon gang sha qi, shattering ordinary spells with a single strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Entering Gang Jing, even orthodox Daoist sects would treat one with respect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Li Yan had no time to rejoice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, continuously drawing down heavenly thunder accelerated his advance—but he feared that once near Wang Xuanmo, his Great Luo Dharma Body would lose another soul flame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reigniting a soul flame required celestial substances rich with vital energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since leaving Qingcheng, he had found no leads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each soul flame was a life—when the chance arose, one must never waste it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He needed a way to reduce the thunder’s damage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the Chengdu battle, he had two divine Gang ; he gave one to Wang Daoxuan, and earlier, in the fake Underworld of Qin Palace, he slew the ancient zombie infected by the \"Yang Shi\" demonic aura and gained another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, he absorbed both divine Gang .\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the Soul Register, only the spiritual resonance of the Great Luo Artifact, the Five Directions Luo Feng Flags, remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the two soul-snatching thunder chains suddenly surged, extending to twenty meters long, lashing through the air with overwhelming force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pain in his body immediately lessened somewhat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even this was still not enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had to reduce the damage from the falling thunder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, an idea surged into Li Yan’s mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He now controlled five thunder techniques.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First was the Great Luo Divine Art: Soul-Snatching Thunder Chains, which could enhance thunder arts with unmatched power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second was summoning the Thunder Bureau by invoking the Heavenly Official Seal on the soul warrant—its power was most terrifying, but heavily restricted: he could only cast it after receiving a mission from the Heavenly Thunder Bureau and identifying a target.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third was the Divine Transformation Art: Thunder God Body, a commonly used technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fourth was the Northern Emperor’s Yin Thunder Palm, unsuitable for this situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the fifth, the Heavenly Thunder Exorcism Hammer, seemed capable of resolving his current predicament.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This thunder technique was passed down by Master Yulong of Mount Wudang, exchanged for a national sacrificial artifact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Legend said it originated from the Nine Heavens Thunder Duke General, a martial art.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Nine Heavens Thunder Duke General was a member of the Thunder Bureau, the most skilled in controlling thunder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan paused for a moment, then unhesitatingly chanted the Scripture of the Universal Marvelous Thunder of the Nine Heavens: “The Thunder Emperor of the Nine Heavens, in the Jade Pure Heaven, convened with the Ten Directions’ Heavenly Emperors in the Nine Palaces of Jade Xu…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he chanted, he simultaneously formed hand seals and activated the Heavenly Thunder Exorcism Hammer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps due to his entry into Dan Jing, unifying his spirit and will, this time he faintly sensed the thunder above resonating with his clenched fist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan’s intuition surged—he lunged forward and smashed out a punch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM! CRACK!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The heavenly thunder split into two streams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One was absorbed by him; the other, infused with the fist’s intent, slammed forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the turning point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Heavenly Thunder Exorcism Hammer was too brutal and fierce, and its cultivation was exceedingly difficult; few on Mount Wudang practiced it, and Yulong likely never imagined Li Yan could advance it further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Li Yan resembled a true Thunder God.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each punch brought down thunder like a colossal hammer, cleaving a path ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Yin Fu  Sect’s grand array was no longer an obstacle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, Li Yan saw Wang Xuanmo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man sat cross-legged at the center of five black flags, disheveled and terrified; even his Earth Immortal body was pale, drenched in blood, on the verge of collapse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing his target, Li Yan unleashed his full strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pushed off the ground, streaking through the earth wrapped in lightning, and unleashed the Heavenly Thunder Exorcism Hammer again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simultaneously, his Slashing and Hanging Fist extended its reach and crashed down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Die—!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thunder roared from the sky, faintly taking the shape of a fist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No—!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Xuanmo’s face turned ashen, his voice pleading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he was still channeling the array, and the lightning moved too fast for him to react.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, the area around him was engulfed in lightning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the thunder faded, another deafening crash echoed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A violent wind surged, soil exploded outward, and the surrounding dark mist churned and spread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the sign of the array being shattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Li Yan finally reached the array’s core.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw a massive crater on the ground, billowing thick green smoke; beside it lay a charred body, skin and flesh burned black, chest rising and falling—still alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The array’s resistance, combined with his Earth Immortal body’s resilience, had kept Wang Xuanmo from being utterly obliterated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even so, he was moments from death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body had already been destroyed in Qianyang Palace; he’d used a life-preserving talisman to enter this Earth Immortal form, then continuously controlled the array and endured a direct thunder strike—his vital essence was utterly severed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh~ Huh~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood gurgled from his mouth; his eyes burned with fury as he stared at Li Yan approaching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he saw Li Yan’s wounds healing visibly before his eyes, Wang Xuanmo grew bewildered. “You… who are you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan had no patience for words—he seized the sparking Duan Chen Blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man no longer possessed the Earth Official’s Scripture of Pardon; the soul warrant had grown hot again. He could summon Yin Soldiers to banish him to the Underworld—but Li Yan preferred to eliminate this threat himself, even without the reward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Xuanmo suddenly spoke. “Their organization is called ‘Jianmu’.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan’s eyes narrowed slightly; he said nothing, but held back his blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without being pressed, Wang Xuanmo spilled everything:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know how many they are—Zhao Changsheng never reveals others’ identities, but I’ve uncovered a few.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who are they?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan finally asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One is Kong Hui, nicknamed the Rotten Scroll Master, from the Kong family of Qufu—he once came to Mangshan with Zhao Changsheng…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Another is Lei Yin, secretly spreading teachings in Jiangzhe…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And one is in the capital—only known to be surnamed ‘Zhao’; the rest, I don’t know…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Also, Zhao Changsheng has fled to Japan—they have grand schemes…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, his breath grew threadbare, yet his pace quickened, as if afraid he’d run out of time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan frowned. “What are you trying to do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Xuanmo’s laugh was hoarse and bitter, his eyes filled with venom. “Zhao Changsheng used me as bait—I’m going to die, but neither will they escape unscathed. What I can’t have, neither will they…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he finished, he expired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan still wasn’t satisfied—he slashed again, shattering the man’s lingering soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After this, he looked up at the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Xuanmo was dead; they had re-sealed the Seven Orifices Locking Dragon Array, but due to prior damage, the cauldron-shaped dark cloud at the center of the blood cloud vortex had not dissipated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan frowned tightly, but had no solution—he could only head to Mangshan first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced around, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Xuanmo’s five black talisman flags—unknown in material—had survived the heavenly thunder intact, though their aura had significantly weakened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After picking them up, Li Yan sensed them briefly—and felt sudden delight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These five flags contained extremely pure Yin Qi, perfect as vessels for the Five Directions’ Luo Feng Flags.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But within them still lingered streams of qi, emitting the scent of incense—these were the local deities of Mangshan that Wang Xuanmo had gathered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan pondered a moment, then his palm flared with lightning, tracing over the talisman inscriptions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These local deities were a force—but to accommodate the Five Directions’ Luo Feng Flags, he had to release them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How to handle them—he’d report to the City God Temple later; let them worry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>ZZZT~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As electric arcs leapt, streams of black smoke sank into the earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, the cauldron-shaped dark cloud above began to fade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On Mangshan, several Shaolin monks stared in astonishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, the Yuzhou Cauldron seems to have been suppressed!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2571,"2026-06-19T18:28:35.913Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","6076cf2d3d1a457c4a00db09cdbbddaea31c18b436402b2bac610dfbd8e3a776","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-653","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-651",801,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-cursed-blade-s-walk-cover.jpg"]