[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dao-dust-pearl":3,"chapter-the-dao-dust-pearl-the-dao-dust-pearl-chapter-65":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Dao Dust Pearl",{"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},2359566,4614,"Chapter 65: The Spirit Enters Gao Huang","the-dao-dust-pearl-chapter-65",65,"\u003Cp>Amid the chaos of the stone pavilion, one after another strange event left the onlookers stunned... The black light, trailing a long tail of dark mist, vanished into Zhen Daoren’s body; no one knew what had transpired, only that Zhen Daoren trembled as he reached into his robe and pulled out a Qiankun pouch, then withdrew a single emerald-colored spirit pill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Three Corpses... Three Corpse Spirits!” Zhen Daoren’s hand shook uncontrollably, barely able to hold the tiny pill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Lecheng cautiously stepped forward, wanting to see what had happened—but when he reached Zhen Daoren’s side, he was startled by his appearance...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhen Daoren’s jet-black hair had turned brittle and white—not the serene white of a transcendent, but the dull, lifeless gray of withered grass; the flesh beneath his jaw sagged, wrinkles and age spots erupted across his face, and he aged not merely ten years... but far more than fifty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhen Daoren lifted his head—his eyes were clouded, devoid of any spiritual radiance a cultivator should possess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Lecheng asked cautiously: “Master Zhen, what has happened to you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhen Daoren forced his trembling hand steady and swallowed the pill in one desperate gulp: “Bai Ling Ning Bi Pill... there’s still another Bai Ling Ning Bi Pill that can save me—destroy the Corpse Worms!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Too late!” Cui Dan interjected. “I don’t know which high cultivator you offended, but they wielded a technique beyond comprehension.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“While you were refining your pill, that high cultivator used your hands to brew a Gu  and cultivate worms. In the end, the worm he planted stole the spiritual essence from your entire batch of pills, and during the moment your refining and the pill’s spiritual aura intermingled, it forged a connection with your qi... Thus, the moment the pill emerged, it burst free and slipped into your body... Ordinary Three Corpse Worms dwell in the three dantians.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Dan tapped lightly at Zhen Daoren’s third eye, shanzhong, and qihai shenque points: “If the Three Corpse Worms still lingered here, there might still be ways to eradicate them—external medicines, arcane techniques, methods to subdue the Corpse Spirits... But the Three Corpses in that pill have already become Spirits! The moment they entered your body, they surged straight toward the Gao Huang cavity!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Gao Huang cavity connects to life and longevity... When illness reaches Gao Huang, no medicine can save you!” Cui Dan shook his head in sorrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Impossible...” Zhen Daoren realized the moment the pill entered his body, it was being stolen away like his own cultivation base—this pill meant to purge the Corpse Worms had instead become nourishment for the Three Corpse Spirit within him. He trembled in terror: “Impossible...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why impossible?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A voice inaudible to ordinary ears came from outside the pavilion. Suddenly, a yin spirit clad entirely in black official robes, his face resembling a middle-aged scholar, stepped into the pavilion. Wei Lecheng recognized him at once and bowed deeply: “Your Excellency, City God.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhen Chengjiao, how dare you! The other day, a high cultivator exorcised a demon beneath the big plum tree in Sanyang Village—I recorded that as merit in the yin ledger. Yet you dared to claim it as your own... And you, Lecheng—you truly lack discernment. A high cultivator came seeking the map, yet you were deceived by this impostor...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhen Chengjiao, you recklessly misjudged the true spirit pill. That high cultivator did not punish you. But you dared to target an innocent child—clouded his mind, wounded his soul, simply because he exposed your fraud... How vile!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then you incited Wei Taiping to come and assault others...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Only then did the True One finally lose patience and act!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The True One commanded a hundred ghosts to steal the medicine, summoned Five Poisons as Spirits and Five Demons as Immortals, refining these three poisons—greed, anger, delusion—and all the hidden malice of human hearts into a single batch of Three Corpse Spirits. You refined your pill here, while the high cultivator refined you... The mind-clouding, spirit-destroying aura became a lurking worm that punished the scoundrel Wei Taiping, spoiled your entire batch of pills, and drove your Three Poisons and Three Corpse Spirits into your Gao Huang cavity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now this is what the Supreme One said: Misfortune and blessing have no gate; they are summoned by man alone. The retribution for good and evil follows like shadow follows form.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhen Chengjiao... do you acknowledge your guilt?” The City God’s sharp cry caused Zhen Daoren to collapse to his knees, bowing his head: “Disciple acknowledges guilt, acknowledges guilt! I beg Your Excellency, consider my hard-won cultivation—show mercy!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhen Daoren’s flesh had already loosened, as if his bones could no longer support it, his body sagging everywhere. Seeing this, Cui Dan finally understood the meaning of “abdominal distension, bones withered, flesh scorched.” The man knelt painfully, his repeated prostrations pitiful... Yet even now, Zhen Daoren emitted a faint stench—like rotting decay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dirt and sweat clung to his armpits and back—after Foundation Establishment, a cultivator’s body naturally purifies itself. This state could only be the Five Decays signaling imminent death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Chenghuang shook his head: “Apologizing to me won’t help.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have no authority to pardon you. If that high cultivator intended to spare your life, why would he not come himself? Why kill you from a hundred li away? My appearance here is only to ask: what merits have you accumulated? If you have even a little yin virtue, perhaps your next life may still hold some hope. Here, you need not suffer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The City God pulled out the ledger of yin virtue and raised his brush.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhen Daoren’s yin spirit was already clouded, so his reactions were sluggish; he only wailed: “Please, True One, spare my life... Please, True One...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Chenghuang flipped through the ledger, then set down his brush: “You are not utterly wicked, but you have repeatedly committed evil deeds and accumulated no yin virtue. You cannot pass my judgment.” He shook his head, then bowed slightly to Cui Dan: “Since the county magistrate is present, I shall not inquire into matters of the mortal realm. I shall wait only until his lifespan ends.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The matter here is concluded. I take my leave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Dan rose immediately and bowed respectfully to see him off...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Zhen Daoren staggered out of the stone pavilion, stumbling through the dust until he vanished into the crowd. The guests dared not stop him. Though his Qiankun pouch clearly held great wealth, all knew he had angered a high cultivator and been brought to this ruin—none dared lay a hand on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when Zhen Daoren disappeared did the boss of the Tu Long Gang mutter weakly: “We were all deceived by this demonic Daoist!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Lecheng, though outwardly unshaken by the rebuke, felt relief when he learned his son had awakened—though his primordial energy was shattered, his life had been spared. He realized the high cultivator had merely delivered a stern warning, leaving him alive. He exhaled in relief... Had Qian Chen insisted on vengeance, he did not know whether he would abandon his son or fight desperately to save him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Lecheng spoke to his shaken, dazed steward: “Go fetch the secret map of the Nine True Marshes and deliver it to the high cultivator we expelled from our Wei household...” He gave a bitter smile: “These days, the world is truly mud and sand mixed together, false pearls passed for real. But the true pearl I encountered... is far too large.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Wei Lecheng passed the old alchemist, he glanced at him: “What you saw just now—was it an illusion?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old alchemist was in a daze, not even hearing his master’s words; he muttered to himself: “What alchemical method is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What alchemical formula is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This... is this even alchemy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the old man’s vacant stare, Wei Lecheng had no heart to reprimand him... After all, he himself had misjudged the person—why blame others? Shifting blame like this is not the act of a wise man...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, he had always been cautious, giving the high cultivator no excuse to act...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, the high cultivator was still reasonable...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, he was a righteous high cultivator!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Lecheng sighed, resolved to strictly discipline his household and keep a low profile for the next three to five years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Dan returned to his seat and excitedly told Wu Bo: “It must have been that elder who acted... I won’t mistake it this time. I’ve seen many techniques, yet never anything like this. Only that high cultivator I met in Wukang County could wield such divine alchemical skill...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve lived how many years to speak so boldly?” Wu Bo scolded him, then stroked his beard: “I’m fifty-six, have served the Lady and seen countless true transmissions from great sects—and I’ve never seen a cultivator like this!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Dan had expected Wu Bo to lecture him on experience—but this twist stunned him. He froze mid-step, his hat slightly askew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, Master, you were right this time!” Wu Bo nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“From a hundred li away, he forged the Three Corpse Spirit within a single pill—unheard of... utterly unheard of!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I believe you now. The high cultivator you befriended is surely a true transmission of the Daoist sect—likely even a true heir of the Supreme One’s lineage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The elder refused to come himself—he must still be settling matters. We must not disturb him. Let us use these days to gather the secret maps of the Nine True Marshes. When he reappears, we may invite him to rest awhile and present the maps to him!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Dan whispered his plan, while Wu Bo offered counsel, advising him on the subtleties of human relations.\u003C\u002Fp>",1616,"2026-06-21T05:39:58.326Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","fda5e4613aee4aaca974ecfcc811af2c93c4b3f2ad5d30511d19723df1bb052a","the-dao-dust-pearl-chapter-66","the-dao-dust-pearl-chapter-64",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dao-dust-pearl-cover.jpg"]