[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dragon-lies-hidden":3,"chapter-the-dragon-lies-hidden-the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-981":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},2290279,4477,"Chapter 981","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-981",981,"\u003Cp>The Jianmen Mountain Range stretches thirty-one thousand li, located in the northeast of the Human Realm and the southeast of Liaoyu, dividing the human-Liaoyu border and serving as the highest peak within the Northern Qi territory. The main gate of the Jiangong Sect, established over ten thousand years ago, sits atop its central peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the Taichu Palace rose to prominence, Jiangong had always been the sacred land of sword cultivators. Until the ancestral master of Taichu Palace emerged, winning the title of the world’s greatest sword cultivator in a single battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that were all, it might have been bearable—but crucially, in subsequent battles, especially the legendary clash where he slew the First Heavenly Witch, the ancestral master also claimed the titles of the world’s greatest spell cultivator and greatest Dao cultivator, leaving only body cultivators unclaimed. Yet even until his death, no mortal dared call himself the greatest body cultivator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this, Jiangong could no longer remain composed. If another sect occasionally produced a peerless sword cultivator, that might be excusable. But the problem was, the Immortal Sword was merely one of his methods—and still, he seized the title of the world’s greatest sword cultivator, recognized even by the Immortal Realm. This left Jiangong’s entire sect utterly humiliated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since then, Jiangong gradually fell into silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Generation after generation of sect masters refused to accept this, striving with diligence, enduring hardship, and devoting themselves entirely to surpassing the achievements of the Taichu Palace’s ancestral master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the Taichu Palace’s ancestral master had been dead for many years, Jiangong’s entire sect regarded the loss of the title “World’s Greatest Sword Cultivator” as an unforgivable disgrace, burning to challenge him across time and space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After years of concealing their strength, Jiangong produced countless geniuses, adding three new paths to the Celestial Dao. Yet no matter how extraordinary the sword prodigies, they always fell short when facing the Taichu Palace’s ancestral master’s four ordinary-looking Immortal Swords.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Jiangong buried itself in pursuit of the ancestral master, the fourth master of Taichu Palace emerged unexpectedly!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a short time, she crossed the Immortal Gate as easily as eating and drinking, effortlessly dominating the era and casually claiming the title of the world’s greatest sword cultivator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Jiangong faced reality, abandoned lofty ambitions, and refocused its goal on surpassing the fourth master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet just as Jiangong’s geniuses began their hard training, the fourth master fell victim to treachery and perished, leaving Jiangong’s many talents filled with hollow regret and loss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, as expected, an unexpected twist occurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, the fifth master, Bao Kongqing, emerged, having cultivated to mastery as the world’s greatest spell cultivator, sweeping aside all immortals. But to honor the fourth master, he also cultivated the Immortal Sword—and incidentally took up the title of the world’s greatest sword cultivator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the fourth master’s death, the title had briefly returned to Jiangong’s hands, but before it could even warm, it slipped again into the fifth master’s grasp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The problem was, whether the fourth or fifth master, the Immortal Sword was merely one of their combat methods—not their sole focus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fifth master’s sole purpose in emerging was to avenge the fourth master; he slaughtered widely, and among his victims was a cultivator from Jiangong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over this matter, Jiangong and the Bao family became bitter enemies for a full thousand years. The Bao family’s ancestral patriarch once personally visited Jiangong to confront them; the details remain unknown, but it is known that after returning, he rarely fought again. Meanwhile, Jiangong’s then-master died two hundred years later—half his normal lifespan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since then, Taichu Palace has periodically produced astonishing geniuses, each like a meteor—brief yet brilliant, enough to pierce the endless night of antiquity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiangong has never fallen below the top three, but rarely reached the summit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given this tangled history, when Xuan Yue stood before Jiangong’s main gate, the gazes directed at him were anything but friendly. Many young sword cultivators did not know who Xuan Yue was—yet seeing the Taichu Palace insignia on his robes, they were already irritated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sword cultivators value unimpeded resolve and confronting adversity head-on. Even some Xiang Phase sword cultivators grew eager to test Xuan Yue, thinking they could always rely on their senior mentors if they lost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xuan Yue, however, knew his own position: he was here to beg a favor, so his demeanor naturally lowered by three degrees. He could not truly quarrel with these ignorant youths, so he suppressed his unnamed fury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another reason: Xuan Yue’s attire was shabby; his magic robe was still cheaply made.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sword cultivators naturally value appearance and prestige. When they have silver, they first buy swords, then clothes and gear. Many have gone years eating bran and vegetables just to afford an expensive robe or a pair of gleaming magic boots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once they spent Immortal silver, they would never wear such finery in secret. Thus, those sword cultivators flying about in short-hemmed robes invariably had the most expensive item on them: their boots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, even a mid-to-upper-tier Xiang Phase cultivator in Jiangong dressed more decently than Xuan Yue. Seeing his shabby appearance, they grew even more energized, each gleaming sword cultivator deliberately flashing past him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xuan Yue nearly lost his temper several times. If this were his own matter, he would have acted without mercy long ago. But because he came for Zhang Sheng, he discovered his temper could be surprisingly patient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xuan Yue waited at the main gate for a full quarter-hour before two female sword cultivators flew down and coldly said, “You’re Xuan Yue? Our ancestral master is free now. Follow us.”\u003C\u002Fp>",934,"2026-06-20T03:38:38.899Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","c0f11999ec9a6e65f424aa7524268740e944aec4cc932a912c3f5754c167bc5d","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-982","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-980",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dragon-lies-hidden-cover.jpg"]