[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dragon-lies-hidden":3,"chapter-the-dragon-lies-hidden-the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-959":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},2290257,4477,"Chapter 959","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-959",959,"\u003Cp>The full moon hung high in the sky, silently watching the Tianwu below about to clash. The shadow upon it showed no visible change, but every Tianwu knew it was growing, bit by bit, faster and faster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ming Lei seized the ribbon and immediately summoned faint dark flames, but each flame that sprouted was extinguished by an invisible force. For a few brief breaths, hundreds of these flames flickered into existence and died, yet Ming Lei’s hand remained utterly still, and the ribbon stayed trapped, unable to advance or retreat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You Feng snorted and cut off the dark flames. As the flames vanished, Ming Lei released his grip; the ribbon flew back into You Feng’s hand and did not lash out at Yan Mo again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the clash was brief, all the Tianwu clearly saw that Ming Lei had gained the upper hand in direct confrontation with You Feng. Though Ming Lei held the authority of the First Tianwu, You Feng possessed the ancestral blood of the Zuwu—her authority was no less. Thus, the outcome was simply that You Feng had been defeated outright by Ming Lei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this, the Tianwu had no reason to stay; they dispersed in ill humor. As for the shadow within the moon, half of them assumed someone else would handle it—it wasn’t their concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ming Lei appeared in the great hall of Tiancheng, where another slender Wu approached and asked, “Unpleasant?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ming Lei sighed. “Expected.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I watched the whole thing. I don’t understand—why did You Feng push Yan Mo so hard? What does she gain from this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The slender Wu was short, barely reaching Ming Lei’s waist, yet she was another Tianwu among the Shengwu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ming Lei glanced around, found no suitable chair, and sat cross-legged on the floor, so their eyes met levelly. Then he said, “She’s afraid.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wu woman blinked. “Afraid? She’s afraid? She’s a descendant of the Zuwu—when has she ever feared anything in the Wu Realm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ming Lei said, “Everyone fears. She was once fearless because her bloodline shielded her, and every reckless mistake she made stayed within the Zuwu’s tolerance. For instance, she’d occasionally insult me. To others, that was a major offense. But it was merely her way of asserting her superiority, making everyone know she was the highest-ranked Tianwu in the Wu Realm—not me, the nominal First Tianwu. So as long as I didn’t take it seriously, it wasn’t a big deal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But this time is different. The trouble she caused is too great—her few drops of ancestral blood cannot shield her from the consequences. She knows this. That’s why she’s afraid.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yet she seems more arrogant than ever.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ming Lei smiled. “Precisely because she’s afraid, she’s become hysterical—to momentarily forget her terror. She’s irrational, relentlessly provoking Yan Mo, not because she truly believes Yan Mo is at fault. She wants to force Yan Mo into rebellion. Only when the Steel Ancestor fully awakens will the crisis be grave enough for the Zuwu to temporarily overlook her loss of the Ancient Moon and the authority over the Wasteland.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wu woman asked, “Why do you rank the Ancient Moon above the Wasteland’s authority? Is losing it worse than losing half the Wasteland? Isn’t it just Huiye’s Dao foundation?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ming Lei nodded. “Don’t mistake the Ancient Moon for merely a Dao foundation—it’s the only one in all realms. Its existence within the Wu Realm supplements and supports the Dao of this world. I know this. You Feng knows this. But no other Tianwu does. That’s why the moon’s crisis drove her mad.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wu woman asked, “Does Huiye know this too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ming Lei’s lips twitched almost imperceptibly. “She… probably doesn’t.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wu woman bowed and turned to leave the hall. Behind her stood Ming Lei; behind Ming Lei loomed the immense statue of the Zuwu, silently overlooking the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an unnamed Wu clan town, Sheng Xin and Hui Xin were ragged and filthy. The Wu who passed by instinctively stepped two paces away, avoiding this pair of ugly, filthy lowborn Wu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hui Xin sighed. “I never thought I’d starve—let alone for so long. What are we even doing? Why are we always so cursed that we’ve lost our cultivation?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your cultivation isn’t gone—it’s sealed,” Sheng Xin explained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hui Xin, weak from hunger, muttered, “What’s the difference? I still don’t get it—we were just walking normally, and a black bird flew overhead. Why did you suddenly curse it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sheng Xin fell silent for a moment, unusually offering no defense, then slapped himself across the face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Hui Xin softened. “Forget it, forget it—at least we’re still alive, and we still have something to eat… What are you doing?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sheng Xin knelt before a thin, leashed dog and offered it a filthy steamed bun. The dog, clearly starving, swallowed it whole, then licked Sheng Xin’s hand in gratitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sheng Xin turned and met Hui Xin’s murderous gaze. He grimaced. “I can’t bear to see dogs tied up—fed when their master’s in a good mood, starved when he’s not. Beating and yelling are the least of it. But at least they get something to eat. We? We don’t even have a chain—we’re just wandering.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hui Xin murmured, “You know we’re worse off than that dog. Then why feed it? Shouldn’t it be feeding us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sheng Xin froze, lost in thought, his expression darkening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Mo left the secret realm and headed straight for the teleportation gate, entering the Wasteland. The Wu guarding the gate waited until he vanished, then sprinted off to report.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Wasteland, Ji Mu dozed under the sun, then opened one eye, watching Yan Mo appear. “Why are you back? Isn’t this the time to avoid suspicion?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Mo spat, “Avoid suspicion? What good does that do? Will they stop bothering you if you do? Besides, if she doesn’t come after me, I’ll go after her!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Mu propped himself up. “Why so angry today?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A ring of fire erupted around Yan Mo, engulfing a hundred zhang around him.\u003C\u002Fp>",1007,"2026-06-20T03:38:38.899Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","b8597fba59c411455bd559da041b3173274e8482d374c59682cf4ad84a108a80","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-960","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-958",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dragon-lies-hidden-cover.jpg"]