[{"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-764":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},2263069,4415,"Chapter 764","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-764",764,"\u003Cp>“Bad!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the golden flames roar toward him, Li Yan’s face turned pale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This fire was no ordinary flame—it was the accumulated devotional power of millennia of mortal offerings to Mount Tai, most adept at burning spiritual souls; even earth immortals could not withstand it, let alone him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One touch would mean instant death and the dissolution of his Dao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, Li Yan leaped backward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, the yin-spirit soldiers who had captured the two earth immortals began to dissipate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They too could not endure this divine flame, and since their task was complete, there was no reason to remain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this left Li Yan in dire straits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thick yin-sha qi around him vanished, fully exposing him; the devotional divine flames poured like a celestial river, instantly becoming a sea of fire ten thousand zhang wide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though Li Yan retreated swiftly, he was instantly engulfed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt his soul plunge into a molten furnace; his yin spirit body began to crack inch by inch, black smoke gushing from his seven orifices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Done for!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan had not expected this divine flame to move so fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He frantically retreated, but the flame moved even faster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he was about to be swallowed, the surroundings suddenly spun wildly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if lifted by an invisible giant hand, he opened his eyes to find himself on the other side of the Divine Palace square.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spot where he had stood was now consumed by the devotional golden flames.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This technique…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan’s heart leapt with joy—he knew someone familiar had arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, thick gang-sha qi suddenly appeared behind him, bringing heavy pressure—not just one, but two!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan narrowed his eyes and spun around, retreating swiftly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the dense yin mist, two glowing orbs—red and gold—hung in midair; only faintly discernible as humanoid figures, tall and radiating overwhelming pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Pan had come too…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Li Yan could not see clearly, he guessed their identities; feigning ignorance of the Five Paths General, he retreated with wary expression and raised his Duanchen Blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew that even though Cui Pan was his superior and roughly on his side, the fact that he had ties to Erlang Shen and the Five Paths General must never be revealed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected, the Five Paths General remained silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet neither of them revealed their forms—only glowing orbs hidden within the black mist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, Li Yan did not know what to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, the black mist before him surged violently; a red sleeve billowed as a massive hand reached out, clutching a thick bronze brush, painting in the air with yin-sha qi as ink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, a complex talisman materialized in midair—twice the size of Li Yan—and hurtled toward him at unmatched speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan instinctively retreated, but there was no escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ink talisman struck him and dissolved into scattered yin qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet a strange force had already surged into the warrant in his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The warrant instantly grew scorching hot; Li Yan hastily pulled it out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On its surface, the original talisman glowed crimson, spreading outward, emitting wisps of charred smoke, while the surrounding cloud script grew even more intricate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this upgrading the “Living Yin Officer”’s authority?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Li Yan pondered, his palm burned again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the warrant imprinting itself onto his soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan gritted his teeth and bowed, “Your humble servant greets the Divine One.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the black mist before him remained silent; after the imprint was complete, a fierce wind surged again, and darkness swallowed them whole.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Plop!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A scroll fell to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan hurried forward, picked it up, and examined it closely—his face lit up with delight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he had suspected, the Living Yin Officer’s authority had been upgraded again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The power had not increased, but his rank had risen one level, and his freedom had expanded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, after discovering a yin criminal, he needed to claim a mission first; now, upon detecting any anomaly, he could immediately apprehend the soul and later deliver it to the yin bureaucracy for reward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words: arrest first, interrogate later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, he no longer needed to fear hidden earth immortals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The key to this was summoning fixed troops!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could contact the Five Paths General anytime?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Li Yan pondered, a gust of wind surged again behind him; a massive golden-armored phantom appeared, still wreathed in thick mist, but now clearly identifiable as the Five Paths General.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahahaha! Greetings, General.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan smiled broadly and bowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re not entirely foolish…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A solemn voice echoed in his mind: “This was sheer chance—they hunted too many Living Yin Officers, provoking the Yin Bureaucracy’s wrath, and your arrival here tipped the scales.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Great chaos approaches; even the Yin Bureaucracy has learned to exploit loopholes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan was startled. “Can you speak now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He naturally recognized the Five Paths General’s voice—but only heard it through the warrant’s jade pendant while stealing glances at missions; last time at the Nine Gates Yin Ruins, he had only gestured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Five Paths General glanced around and spoke low: “This place is the Dao field of the Lord of Mount Tai, connecting the Great Luo Dharma Realm’s netherworld with the mortal realm—it has unique properties. Elsewhere, tread carefully.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan half-understood, looked up at the Lord of Mount Tai’s Divine Palace, and winced: “This place’s restrictions are severe—I can’t even approach. How am I to act?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He meant, of course, the plan to place Erlang Zhenjun in charge here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he had luckily arrived, he had no idea how to proceed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cannot be spoken.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Five Paths General shook his head, then raised a finger and flicked it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, the warrant in Li Yan’s hand rose into the air, flipped, and fell back down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The back of his warrant was precisely the “Celestial Official Edict”!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So this was the key!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan instantly understood, gripped the warrant, and strode boldly toward the Divine Palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he neared the palace, the xuan-huang mist formed by devotional power surged again, coalescing into golden divine flames that roared toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Celestial Official on patrol—no taboos! Retreat!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing the terrifying divine flames, Li Yan raised the Celestial Official Edict.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, as he advanced, the golden flames parted like a split tide, revealing a passage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Li Yan moved forward, the flames closed behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arriving at the palace gates, Li Yan turned to look back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the square, the Five Paths General still stood—but remained utterly silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan pondered, then stepped into the Divine Palace without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the Five Paths General said nothing, Li Yan now understood something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The succession of the Lord of Mount Tai—what a monumental event.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally, decisions were made in the Great Luo Dharma Realm, then cultivated in the mortal realm through gradual consensus, for this position involved the heart of Shenzhou and billions of devotional offerings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this succession came suddenly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Great Luo Dharma Realm remained silent, causing chaos in the mortal realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something must have happened—something forbidden—leading to this situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They could vie for the position, but the Great Luo Dharma Realm must not interfere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That must be why the Five Paths General stayed silent…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gathering his thoughts, Li Yan turned to survey his surroundings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The interior of the Divine Palace was far grander than what he had seen outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire hall was carved from a single massive stone; its ceiling was formed by an inverted Mount Tai, dotted with countless small recesses holding golden divine flame lamps, like a star-strewn sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ancient murals on the palace walls were illuminated in exquisite detail:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Scenes of the Bi Xia Yuanjun Temple’s construction, imperial processions of Qin Shi Huang and Han Wu Di performing Fengshan rites, even ancient folk fires for heaven worship—many of these scenes he had seen before in the corridor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan gazed at the murals, then looked up at the lamps on the ceiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The arrangement matched what he had encountered outside—it must be some profound array, but with his cultivation and perception, he could not discern or even comprehend it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could this be the work of immortals from the Great Luo Dharma Realm?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan shook his head and turned to the center.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most striking was the ten-zhang-tall divine niche at the hall’s heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Below it, the bas-relief of a hundred ghosts carrying the niche now slowly writhed—the green-faced, fanged demon statues turned their eyes, bared their teeth, and all stared at him in unison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its structure is largely similar to that of external Daoist temples and Buddhist monasteries.\u003C\u002Fp>",1436,"2026-06-19T18:28:35.913Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","bc1d8327ddf2dbcdcfef277c68c34085ee20922a5d50a9968a9a3a0fd82fdd73","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-765","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-763",801,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-cursed-blade-s-walk-cover.jpg"]