[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dragon-lies-hidden":3,"chapter-the-dragon-lies-hidden-the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-113":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Dragon Lies Hidden",{"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},2289411,4477,"Chapter 113: I Am Favored by Destiny","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-113",113,"\u003Cp>According to common knowledge taught in class, a divine artifact’s recognition of its master depends on several conditions: destiny, cultivation realm, bloodline connection, karmic bonds, and doctrinal affinity. Wei Yuan knew that, aside from destiny, he met none of these criteria—and fell far short of even the bare minimum. Given the Qingming’s rank, even a True Person’s manifestation might not be able to contain it; only a True Lord could even attempt it. For true safety, one would need an Immortal Lord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After activating Qingming, Wei Yuan understood just how difficult its recognition would be, and his disdain for Yun Xihé deepened further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That man probably didn’t even know recognition was possible, so he toiled faithfully as a flesh-body deity for over fifty years, until his primordial spirit was finally dissolved by the incense and vows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he had worn down the Immortal Lord’s divine thought, Yun Xihé still could never have made Qingming recognize him. Moreover, the Immortal had left behind that divine thought originally to transmit the method of activating the array—to find a destined heir for Qingming. But due to an accident at death, the divine thought inherited the dying man’s agony and madness, turning the legacy into a deadly trap. By eroding the divine thought, Yun Xihé had severed the transmission of the array’s activation entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, it didn’t matter that Qingming wouldn’t recognize him—Wei Yuan had no intention of letting it do so. How could a mere newly established Foundation Establishment cultivator possess such a divine artifact? Even Zhang Sheng couldn’t handle it. Even Fenhai couldn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qingming was surely the object the Immortal Lord had placed as his move. With this artifact, whether Yun Feifei lived or died was irrelevant—she could be left here to fend for herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Yuan gently pressed and pulled, trying to extract Qingming—but as soon as he moved it, the spiritual energy of the surrounding earth veins surged simultaneously. He froze, carefully probing, and realized Qingming had already fused with the land itself—it had been planted! He thought further and concluded it must have been due to prolonged contact with the earth over tens of thousands of years, gradually embedding itself spontaneously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this discovery, many questions found answers. For instance, why were tens of thousands in Quliuzhen on the verge of death from environmental torment, while tens of thousands more in nearby towns around Lanshengong still lived relatively well, merely weakened? The root cause was Qingming’s implantation: though dormant, it was still a divine artifact, subtly softening the surrounding environment and allowing people to barely survive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the Wuyu army had passed through, they had destroyed every boundary stone without time to remove them, allowing the damp winds and poisonous miasma to naturally reclaim the land. Wei Yuan had assumed it was leakage of pure qi from the fragmented paradise that made the region habitable—but now he saw he was wrong. The reason was Qingming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Yuan now hesitated: should he pull it out or not?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he extracted Qingming, the surrounding environment would rapidly deteriorate; the tens of thousands living near Lanshengong would die one by one within a year, and Quliuzhen would be affected too. Without other boundary stones to replace it, at least half the poor in the northern district would die within six months. But human expansion into new territories was a grand undertaking, carried out step by step along the frontier—no one knew when, if ever, the boundary stones would reach here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for ordinary people relocating on their own? Forget it. The journey to Hanyang Pass was thousands of li—no one could survive it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if he didn’t pull it out, this place was dangerously close to Wuyu territory and five thousand li from Hanyang Pass. Unless the Xu family poured all their strength into support, it couldn’t be held—and he’d still have to pull it out eventually. If Wei Yuan didn’t, the Wuyu would come to do it themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Yuan hadn’t anticipated such a dilemma. He pondered silently, his hand unconsciously stroking Qingming—when suddenly, the continent within his spiritual sea trembled slightly, and Qingming began to vibrate too!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the heart of the Ten Thousand Li River and Mountains, Yushan began to change, gradually turning transparent, reshaping itself—until it became a larger version of Qingming. From Qingming itself came a sense of joy, and at its core, a point of light slowly bloomed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it recognizing him? Wei Yuan was startled. Hadn’t this stone just rejected him with utter finality? Why had it suddenly lost its composure?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Yuan quickly raised his hand, interrupting the recognition process. He couldn’t possibly handle a divine artifact like this—recognition would be a nightmare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qingming had already been planted and activated; if it now recognized him, it would truly fuse with this land. With Wei Yuan’s meager Dao power, he’d never be able to pull it out. Moreover, he was attempting recognition through Dao Base resonance—Qingming recognized the Ten Thousand Li River and Mountains, not Wei Yuan himself. Once recognized, Wei Yuan could leave—but the Ten Thousand Li River and Mountains would remain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Yuan didn’t know if he could abandon the Ten Thousand Li River and Mountains and flee alone—he suspected he couldn’t. Even if he could, his master would surely purge him afterward. Wei Yuan had no illusions: the treasure was the Ten Thousand Li River and Mountains, not Wei Yuan himself. If even his Dao Base couldn’t escape, how could he?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, breaking contact had indeed halted the recognition process, relieving Wei Yuan. He circled Qingming several times, unsure how to handle this mess. The ideal solution was to extract Qingming and have the Xu family evacuate the civilians. But relocating hundreds of thousands of ordinary people was no matter he had authority to discuss—it required high-level intervention from the Tai Chu Palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet judging from current signs, the Xu family clearly had no intention of relocating the civilians from the shattered realm—otherwise, they’d have done it in the past two years, which offered ample time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, in the small hut outside, the red-clad woman had tried multiple arguments, but Xu Wan’er refused to erase the soul-binding array—no matter what she said, her reply was always the same: “Wait until Senior Brother returns to decide.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red-clad woman, furious and humiliated, cried: “You’ve only let me touch you a few times, and now you’re acting like this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Wan’er’s face flushed crimson, her speech stuttering, yet her resolve firm: “It’s not like that… we must wait for Senior Brother to decide…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, the junior disciple suddenly said: “Sister Wan, we’ve known each other for years—save me, I’m dying!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Wan’er could no longer bear it. She went to the junior disciple’s side, laid him flat, and tended to his abdominal wound. Senior Brother’s slash had been vicious—his Dao power had shredded his internal organs. Xu Wan’er poured all her Dao power into him, barely keeping him alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, Senior Brother said: “Wan’er, you’ve grown up under my watch—can’t you save me?” Xu Wan’er turned and saw Senior Brother’s face, with only his eyes visible above the ground, the rest buried in soil. She recalled how he’d always taken her playing as a child, and her heart ached. She went to examine his injuries—and discovered his Dao Base had cracked in several places, nearly shattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Wan’er was stunned, and inwardly recoiled. Senior Brother had long reached the Spirit Nurturing realm, his cultivation deep and his combat prowess formidable—he’d once been her idol. Later, when he fell for Yun Feifei, she’d been heartbroken for days, then gone out for a walk, and somehow, it had healed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, after just two blows from that Tai Chu Palace senior brother, his Dao Base was cracked? The senior brothers from Tai Chu Palace truly were extraordinary!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both needed medical attention, and Xu Wan’er was flustered; the woman in red turned ashen-faced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a jade pendant beside Yun Feifei suddenly flickered, displaying a series of characters. This was an emergency communication pendant used within Lanshengong, similar to the one Xu Wan’er held. Lanshengong now had only four people left—only the third junior sister, who had fled to Hanyang Pass, could be sending this message. But pendants had limited range—Hanyang Pass was far beyond it. How had this message reached here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red-clad woman fumed helplessly, unable to move, watching the pendant flicker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a light laugh came from the doorway: “Little Sister Yun, so you’ve been hiding here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another young woman entered, beautiful and alluring, though slightly plump, with a touch of vulgar charm. She held an array plate, upon which the communication pendant rested.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red-clad woman’s heart sank—the pendant didn’t need an array plate; this plate was for tracking the message’s origin!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The newcomer stepped in, eyes brightening with delight: “All you senior and junior brothers and sisters are here! Ha, what a scene! So you sent me away so you could indulge in this kind of pleasure?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Senior Brother cried: “Third junior sister! You’ve come just in time! Yun Feifei has betrayed the sect and murdered her master! Xu Wan’er has conspired with outsiders! Quickly seize them both!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the third junior sister didn’t move. She studied Senior Brother closely, her spiritual sense sweeping through his spiritual sea. His cracked Dao Base offered no resistance; the scan sent him into a shriek of agony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third junior sister let out a soft sigh: “Senior Brother, look at you now! Not only did you fail to win love, but your Dao Base is nearly destroyed. Senior Brother, I’m not saying this to be cruel, but you’ve always been so inept. Look—your sister’s robe is already lifted, yet you still haven’t succeeded? Miss this chance, and you’ll never get another.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Senior Brother grew more uneasy: “Third junior sister, you…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third junior sister’s face hardened with malice: “I once adored you, but you not only rejected me—you humiliated me. Now you want me to save you? Why not ask your beloved Feifei sister? Oh, I get it—Feifei sister likes the junior disciple, not you: no family, no looks, and already past your prime!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Senior Brother’s eyes blazed with rage, but he couldn’t move, only shouting curses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third junior sister remained calm, turning to the red-clad woman: “It’s rare we’re all gathered here—this saves the Master’s trouble. The Master has a method to enter flesh with a soul. Your looks aren’t wasted—perfect as a plaything. Too bad the old ghost died early—if he’d lived, he’d have suffered decades of torment!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red-clad woman’s face darkened: “So you betrayed the sect! That Master of yours—he’s outside now, isn’t he?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third junior sister smiled: “A wise bird chooses its tree. My Master is famous—you all know him: the Jade-Faced Immortal Sword, Xu Jingfeng!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the door, a cough echoed, and a young swordsman pushed the door open, smiling: “I am the Jade-Faced…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He touched the blood-stained bandage still oozing on his face, realizing “Jade-Faced” was hardly fitting. He hated Li Zhi three times more in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jingfeng skipped his usual self-introduction, saying: “It’s rare you’re all gathered here—it saves me the trouble of traveling. It seems the Master’s words were true: I am favored by destiny, and all my wishes come true!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1895,"2026-06-20T03:38:27.933Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","cae87c4019cb739385c6557f92f850472ed9bfd83615bda88e39512cab1ad863","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-114","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-112",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dragon-lies-hidden-cover.jpg"]