[{"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-732":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},2263037,4415,"Chapter 732","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-732",732,"\u003Cp>Thick fog, solid as substance, gradually thinned, revealing a bizarre scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu San and Wu Ba turned to survey their surroundings, finding beneath their feet an ancient street of blue stone slabs and packed earth, stretching endlessly in all directions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mist was dim; the houses on either side were dilapidated, as if they had entered the ghostly realm of the netherworld.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, both men felt a chill in their hearts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Ba clenched his iron fist, watching warily in all directions, while Lu San formed the Yang Seal with his fingers and listened intently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within this Nine Gates Yin Ruins, spiritual arts and techniques could still be used.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Certain special artifacts, such as Li Yan’s Dust-Cutting Blade, could also be employed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But weapons like Wu Ba’s Tiger Squat Cannon could not manifest in this space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Lu San’s ears twitched slightly, and he made a shushing gesture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Ba immediately crouched low, gazing into the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rustle~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From within the mist, a figure slowly emerged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a giant rat, sneaky and furtive, sometimes walking upright, sometimes crouching to sniff the ground—resembling nothing so much as a petty thief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This thing was still alive…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing it, Lu San’s lips curled into a faint smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This creature was a rat spirit hiding within the Nine Gates Yin Ruins, stealing incense offerings from the Earth God.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan had followed it here originally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entrance to the Earth God’s shrine had been discovered and destroyed by the Clan Office, yet this thing had escaped death and survived to this day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swish!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, the rat spirit dissolved into mist and vanished underground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu San’s ears twitched again; he pulled Wu Ba into the ruins of a broken house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, several yellow-robed sorcerers appeared in the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each held ancient jade ritual vessels, their feet bound with yellow talismans; the wind howled as mist-dragons churned around them—clearly using some form of divine-speed technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the blink of an eye, the Clan Office sorcerers vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Ba loosened his clenched fist and grunted the question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the Nine Gates Yin Ruins incident, the Clan Office had strengthened its guards. Lin Fatty and the others had only managed to sneak in during the Academy’s grand opening ceremony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, getting inside would be nearly impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu San pondered, watching the rat spirit reappear furtively, then chuckled silently and gave a signal: “Follow it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two held their breath and crept along the blue stone street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Lu San suspected, this rat spirit had survived so long in the Nine Gates Yin Ruins because it possessed a unique sensitivity to danger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whenever a Clan Office patrol neared, it vanished instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to this, the two passed through the Clan Office’s defenses without trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the mist, the silhouette of a towering city gate slowly emerged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Above it, three large characters were inscribed: Chongwen Gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The towering gate floated in midair, slowly drifting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When it reached certain positions, the gate would rumble open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rat spirit leading the way showed no hesitation—it shot forward with a “whoosh” and vanished into the gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Follow!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu San muttered sharply and leapt into the air with Wu Ba.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time was critical; the longer Lin Fatty and the others remained trapped inside, the greater the danger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though they knew this place was perilous, they had no choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief resistance, the scene before them spun violently!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thick fog tore open, and a deafening clamor crashed over them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s going on?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the scene before him, Lu San froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He remembered Li Yan saying that behind Chongwen Gate lay a strange street and a ghost market.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, everything had changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before them stood a brightly lit corridor of an academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carved beams and painted rafters, the sound of students reciting aloud; scholars in robes of the former dynasty sat upright, chanting “The Master said, the poems say,” incense curling in the air, portraits of sages hanging on every wall—a scene of flourishing scholarship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is…” Wu Ba stared, his massive frame unsure where to move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Lu San sharply caught a faint, nearly imperceptible scent of blood in the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet this tranquil scholarly atmosphere lasted less than a breath before the scene tore open like a painted scroll.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The recitations turned into piercing screams!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bright lights were instantly drenched in blood-red glow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gentle faces of the scholars twisted into monstrous expressions, eyes blazing red, wielding spears and curved blades, slashing at each other like madmen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their robes soaked in blood, the portraits of sages torn and trampled; the clashing of blades, the crunching of bone and flesh, the dying screams—all wove into a cruel symphony of hell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kill! Kill every stinking Confucian!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Protect our scholarly lineage! Execute the traitors!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The frenzied roars battered their eardrums.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was no ordinary battle—it was utter madness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A suffocating wave of killing intent and bloody savagery surged like a tangible tide, drowning Lu San and Wu Ba.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the mad scholars charging toward them, Lu San grabbed Wu Ba and ran.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew these were merely echoes of the past—unkillable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for what had once happened here, he had no interest in finding out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The academy was vast; they risked being overtaken by the mad scholars, but Wu Ba’s brute strength cleared a path, smashing aside the grotesque students blocking their way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No spiritual familiars could be brought in; Lu San’s combat power would be severely reduced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Splash!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they burst through the main gate, the “Academy Blood Hell” scene shattered like a mirror!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their feet lost purchase; they stumbled backward violently, the world spinning again as they reappeared elsewhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, the deafening roar of artillery replaced the fighting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Scorching airwaves, thick with smoke and the stench of burning, slammed into their senses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They stood atop a ruined city gate!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath them burned a hell of fire-ravaged city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Massive earth cannons belched flame; below, rebel troops waved all manner of weapons, their foreheads marked with lotus symbols of the Maitreya Sect, while mounted foreign cavalry in armor and weapons charged on towering steeds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The city walls, as fragile as tofu, were shattered by red barbarian cannons; defending soldiers clad in tattered armor of the former Da Xing dynasty fell like grass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heavenly fire! The Buddha’s heavenly fire has descended!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Break the city! Leave not a single chicken or dog alive!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rebels’ howls, clashing weapons, neighing horses, wounded cries, crackling flames—all merged into a scorching, destructive storm threatening to shred any intruder to pieces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The walls trembled violently, stones rained down; the entire space thrummed with the horrifying clamor of war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time here stretched endlessly; they felt plunged into the heart of a siege that had lasted for ages, each moment an agony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another charge passed; at last, the two broke free from the battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Absolute silence descended, nearly deafening them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blinding sunlight vanished, replaced by a deathly dimness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They stood on a blue stone street, flanked by rows of shops, doors wide open, banners hanging motionless in the windless air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stalls overflowed with all manner of goods: porcelain, silk, spices, mountain produce… dazzling, yet all coated in thick dust, colors dull as faded ancient paintings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strangely, the street was empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So silent it was terrifying—even the rustle of falling dust could be heard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bloody, smoky stench of war had turned into a thick, cloying moldy odor, faintly mingled with the stink of countless dead rats piled and rotting.\u003C\u002Fp>",1248,"2026-06-19T18:28:35.913Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e5c62d83847becf84ff1821b8836ad742c6b39995d01add46422a816d5eb84f8","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-733","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-731",801,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-cursed-blade-s-walk-cover.jpg"]