[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin":3,"chapter-the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-chapter-123":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The First Iron Rice Bowl of Great Jin",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},151809,261,"Chapter 123: Soul-Eating Tree","the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-chapter-123",123,"\u003Cp>The yellow ox didn't move on its own, but instead had two burly men drag her to some \"Soul Well\"—this actually made Hua Changxi heave a sigh of relief; as long as she wasn't dead, there was still a chance to escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi was dragged by the two burly men to a well opening in the stone mountain that emitted a white glow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The well opening was about ten meters in diameter. When Hua Changxi was shoved to the edge and bathed in the white glow, she felt not the slightest discomfort; on the contrary, she felt extremely comfortable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two burly men also wore expressions of intoxication, greedily inhaling the white glow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Hua Changxi was wondering what the white glow was, one of the burly men removed the Buddhist beads from her wrist, and after confirming that she had no other storage artifacts on her, took the iron claw from her left shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before she could react, the other burly man kicked her directly in the lower back, sending her tumbling into the well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Falling into the well, Hua Changxi realized that without the iron claw, she could control her body again. She immediately gathered her spiritual power, and a spiritual cloud formed beneath her feet, stabilizing her plummeting body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a rustling sound came from beside her ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the white glow inside the well was too intense, she couldn't see a thing, so she could only steer the cloud carefully to avoid the source of the sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Crack~\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi had thought that by dodging carefully she could avoid the danger in the dark, but unexpectedly, a crystal-clear white tree branch materialized out of nowhere and struck her precisely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What did it mean for one's very soul to tremble? Hua Changxi felt it in that moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This kind of pain was somewhat different from the physical pain she had endured before—just as unbearable, but in that agony it also filled one with despair and the urge to give up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Crack~\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another branch struck the frantically dodging Hua Changxi with pinpoint accuracy, nearly causing her to lose control of her spiritual cloud and fall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing she couldn't evade the branches' strikes, Hua Changxi, ignoring whether the two burly men at the well mouth had left, steered the cloud and charged straight back up toward the well opening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps sensing her intent to escape, she was met with even fiercer strikes the next moment; several branches tore through the air simultaneously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Crack~\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi rode the cloud and dodged desperately, but no matter how she moved, she couldn't avoid the branches—they seemed to know her exact location with uncanny precision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the relentless assault of seven or eight branches, Hua Changxi could no longer hold out and fell from midair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bang!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi hit the ground hard. Near the ground, the light was not as dazzling as in the air, and at last she could see something clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next moment, she was struck speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A giant umbrella-shaped tree—crystal clear, with lush foliage, tangled roots, soaring at least several thousand meters, and emitting a soft white glow—appeared before her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sacred—that was Hua Changxi's first impression of the giant tree. But gradually, terror emerged on her face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She recalled the record of this tree in the *Annotated Hundred Herbs Scripture*: it was the Soul-Devouring Tree, which specialized in devouring the soul energy of living beings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder this place was called the Soul Well. The yellow ox had thrown her down here to be fertilizer for the Soul-Devouring Tree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Rustle~\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sound of vines and roots scraping against the ground reached her ears. Hua Changxi followed the sound and saw several snake-like white roots slithering toward her, attempting to bind her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Hua Changxi did not dodge. Since she now knew it was the Soul-Devouring Tree, she also knew how to deal with it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others might be unable to escape the Soul-Devouring Tree, but she could.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Boom~\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi circulated her spiritual power, and flames erupted around her body. Then, a fire lotus bloomed upon her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the fire lotus, a firebird flew out and circled above Hua Changxi's head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if sensing the threat, the roots that had been trying to bind her paused for a moment, but after a while, they continued to coil toward her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, the firebird flew out and spewed flames at the roots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Vermilion Bird fire clung to the Soul-Devouring Tree's roots like an incurable disease—once it touched them, the tree could not shake it off. Though it could not directly burn them to ashes, it still made the roots writhe in agony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sensing the danger, the Soul-Devouring Tree's roots severed themselves, discarding the flame-covered tips, while the remaining parts retracted rapidly with a *whoosh*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the Soul-Devouring Tree's roots retreat, Hua Changxi immediately walked over to the discarded roots still coated with Vermilion Bird fire and waved her hand to extinguish the flames.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the Soul-Devouring Tree posed a lethal danger, its entire body was a treasure—whether branches, leaves, roots, or the soul-flowers and soul-fruits it bore, all were rare treasures for replenishing soul power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi picked up several pieces of Soul-Devouring Tree roots and stowed them into the Shennong Cauldron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the Nascent Infant stage comes the Spirit Platform stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the Spirit Platform stage, cultivators need to absorb a large amount of soul force to strengthen their soul body, preparing for the later condensation of the Primordial Spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since she had encountered the Soul-Devouring Tree and had the Vermilion Bird Fire to rely on, Hua Changxi wanted to bring back more root materials, so she cautiously approached the isolated roots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The roots of the Soul-Devouring Tree were tangled and intertwined; the part connecting to the trunk was shaped like a volcanic cone, while below, countless roots radiated outward, deeply rooted in the earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi did not dare go near where the roots clustered; she only targeted those sparsely distributed roots. Because she had not yet condensed the Vermilion Bird Fire, the Soul-Devouring Tree roots, sensing no danger, instinctively tried to entangle her, pulling out from the ground and attacking her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was only then that Hua Changxi condensed a fire lotus, letting a fire bird fly out to burn the roots apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After luring and obtaining over a dozen pieces of roots in this way, the other roots stopped falling for the trick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, Hua Changxi also noticed something special: a sunken area where a root had pulled out revealed a faint white gleam.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi dug in the depression for a while and unearthed several dozen white jade-like stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soul Crystals!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the Soul Crystals, excitement flickered in Hua Changxi's eyes — these were essential resources for cultivating the Primordial Spirit!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi began digging in other depressions left by pulled-out roots, and unearthed several dozen more Soul Crystals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she stored the Soul Crystals into the Shennong Cauldron, she was surprised to find it had absorbed both the previously collected Soul-Devouring Tree roots and the Soul Crystals. However, understanding soon dawned on her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having read more cultivator texts, she had also come to understand many common principles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She guessed that the Shennong Cauldron was likely a divine artifact, also known as a soul artifact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cultivators used two types of magical instruments: spiritual instruments and divine artifacts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A high-quality spiritual instrument could be taken into the cultivator's dantian sea of qi as a natal instrument; when the nascent infant left the body, it could carry the spiritual instrument. A high-quality divine artifact could be taken into the Spirit Platform within the cultivator's brain; when the Primordial Spirit left the body, it could also carry the divine artifact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spiritual instruments were nourished by spiritual energy, while divine artifacts required both spiritual energy and soul force for nourishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Shennong Cauldron, won't you leave me a little?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both the Soul-Devouring Tree roots and Soul Crystals had been absorbed by the Shennong Cauldron, leaving Hua Changxi somewhat helpless. Although she did not need them yet, she wanted to keep some on hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi could only continue trying to acquire Soul-Devouring Tree roots, and as she did so, she gradually drew closer to where the roots clustered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After burning a Soul-Devouring Tree root half a meter in diameter, the sound of air splitting rang out, and seven or eight branches over a meter thick descended from above, striking heavily at Hua Changxi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing she could not dodge the branches, Hua Changxi chose to withstand them head-on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fire lotuses circled her body, and a fire bird hovered above her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Slap, slap, slap~\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Soul-Devouring Tree branches lashed against the fire lotus petals, directly extinguishing dozens of flame petals. However, the branches fared no better — the Vermilion Bird Fire clung to them, eventually forcing the branches to break off and quickly retract.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the branches retreat, Hua Changxi breathed a sigh of relief. After waiting a moment and confirming no more branches would attack, she withdrew the fire lotus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the seven severed branches over a meter thick and more than ten meters long lying on the ground, Hua Changxi secretly rejoiced and quickly went over to store them into the Shennong Cauldron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, the Shennong Cauldron did not absorb everything — it left her one branch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterward, Hua Changxi decided not to continue digging up Soul-Devouring Tree roots. Although she possessed the Vermilion Bird Fire that could burn soul force, activating such a divine ability consumed a great deal of spiritual power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was still in danger and needed to conserve her spiritual power to escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Hua Changxi was thinking of a way to leave this Soul-Devouring Well, she heard a faint call.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Help!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following the sound, Hua Changxi searched for a while before spotting several dozen cocoon-like humanoid objects where the roots were most densely clustered and the light was brightest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no need to guess — those cocoons were likely cultivators entangled by the roots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The humanoid cocoons were wreathed in strands of white light that continuously converged upward toward the Soul-Devouring Tree's trunk. Hua Changxi knew that the tree was devouring their soul force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Help!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The weak call sounded again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing it, Hua Changxi hesitated. To save them, she would have to burn away the Soul-Devouring Tree roots, which would surely provoke a fierce attack from the tree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These people had nothing to do with her. From the two battles she had seen when crossing the wooden bridge earlier, many of the cultivators coming to Demon Market were hostile to each other, robbing and killing anyone weaker than themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn't want to take risks for people like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She definitely had to escape this Soul-Eating Well, ideally without disturbing the yellow ox in the stone mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That yellow ox could transform into a human form and had no spiritual power fluctuations. She guessed that the yellow ox was most likely a soul-cultivating demon beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was only at the Nascent Soul stage now, and hadn't even opened her Spiritual Platform, so she couldn't withstand soul attacks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she saved these people and provoked the Soul-Eating Tree into a frenzy, it would definitely alert the yellow ox, which would be extremely disadvantageous for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking this, Hua Changxi moved away from the roots of the Soul-Eating Tree to an open area. While cautiously guarding against a sudden attack from the Soul-Eating Tree, she gripped a top-grade spirit stone and quickly replenished her depleted spiritual power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One top-grade spirit stone after another turned to powder in her hand. After she had fully replenished her spiritual power, she condensed a spirit cloud beneath her feet, preparing to escape from the Soul-Eating Well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spirit cloud hesitated to rise. Hua Changxi looked back at the dozens of human-shaped cocoons. Should she really let these human cultivators become nourishment for the Soul-Eating Tree, allowing it to bloom soul flowers and bear soul fruit, strengthening the yellow ox and those demon clans?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hesitating repeatedly, Hua Changxi still drove her cloud toward the roots of the Soul-Eating Tree. When she was still several dozen meters from the root cluster, she condensed one fire lotus after another and swiftly attacked those human-shaped cocoons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next moment, regardless of whether the fire lotuses had burned the Soul-Eating Tree's roots or whether the cultivators inside could get out, she threw several bottles of Spirit-Release Pills on a spot not rooted by the tree, then dashed toward the well mouth without looking back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, with dozens of fire lotuses attacking, the Soul-Eating Tree flew into a rage. Dozens of branches shot through the air, lashing at the fire lotuses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Hua Changxi. The Soul-Eating Tree was busy attacking the fire lotuses and didn't bother to block her escape from the deep well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi hadn't expected such a windfall. Looking down at the chaos of thrashing branches, she felt a twinge of guilt, tossed down a few bottles of healing pills, and then paid no more attention to what was happening below, focusing entirely on rushing toward the well mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the well mouth, Hua Changxi didn't charge out directly. Instead, she hung by the edge and surveyed the situation above. Seeing no one there, she quickly exited the Soul-Eating Well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once out of the Soul-Eating Well, she carefully retraced her steps along the route the two large men had brought her in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earlier, when she was caught by the iron claws and moved like a zombie, her eyes could still move, so she had memorized the path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Hua Changxi was passing the hall where the yellow ox was, a noisy uproar suddenly erupted from the stone mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Disaster! Something happened at the Soul Well!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Quick, report to the Venerable One! The Soul Well is in trouble!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earlier, when Hua Changxi walked through the stone mountain, she hadn't encountered a single living creature. But now, countless demon beasts rushed out of the stone mountain, all running toward the Soul Well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taking advantage of the demons' distraction, Hua Changxi quickly slipped away. Soon, she arrived at the gate of Ox-Head Mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not sensing any spiritual energy at the mountain gate, she still didn't dare to be careless. After all, this Demon Market—no, she felt it should be called the Demon Realm—seemed to be territory of soul cultivators.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not having reached the Spiritual Platform stage, she couldn't project her divine sense outward, so she had no way to detect whether any soul-cultivating demon beasts were hiding outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The commotion in the stone mountain grew louder. Hua Changxi quietly observed the mountain gate for a while, then gritted her teeth, mounted her cloud, and shot out through the gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as she was about to fly out of the mountain gate, a giant python that had blended perfectly with the gray mist suddenly appeared and blocked her path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having guessed that the mountain gate wouldn't be unguarded, Hua Changxi was not surprised. She condensed a fire lotus and took the initiative to attack the giant python.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after the battle began did she get a full view of the python.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was enormous—the python's body was several meters thick and hundreds of meters long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the white moon mark on the python's forehead, Hua Changxi recognized it as a Moon Shadow Python, mentioned in the *Myriad Spirit Meridian Illustrated Classic* given by the Divine Cauldron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Moon Shadow Python could emit a toxic mist. When inhaled, the mist would taint the Spiritual Platform and trap the primordial spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hadn't yet condensed a primordial spirit, but every human naturally possessed a soul. If she inhaled the toxic mist, she would probably end up like before when the iron claws had caught her—unable to control her own body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing mist already seeping from the giant python's body, Hua Changxi's expression drastically changed. She gathered spiritual power in her hands and condensed a fire lotus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Boom~\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Countless spiritual energies surged out, the fire lotus rapidly expanded, and its seventy-two flaming lotus petals quickly enveloped the entire mountain gate, trapping the Moon Shadow Python inside the fire lotus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After burning the Buddha's hand at Five Finger Mountain, the fire lotus had gained the power to burn mountains and boil seas. After activating her lotus bloodline, the fire lotus unlocked the Lotus Domain divine ability. Combined with the Vermilion Bird Fire, which could burn primordial spirits—that is, souls—the Moon Shadow Python, which had been about to attack, panicked and began to rampage recklessly within the fire lotus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Activating three divine abilities at once consumed nearly thirty percent of Hua Changxi's spiritual power. Seeing the giant python trapped, she immediately shot out of the fire lotus, mounted her cloud, and swiftly left Ox-Head Mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After she had flown more than a kilometer away from Ox-Head Mountain, a furious \"Moo~\" sounded out in the night sky. Then, a huge ox silhouette radiating intense white light appeared above Ox-Head Mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi initially thought that her fire lotus blocking Ox-Head Mountain had enraged the yellow ox. But the next moment, a golden \"卐\" character flew out and smashed the giant ox into pieces.\u003C\u002Fp>",2875,"2026-05-29T04:10:26.746Z","2026-06-01T04:29:08.487Z",1,"deepseek-v4-flash","6a1109de2c4936f2bdb824e1cff9b181c7e42f3bdcd6a3e7562b2bf67dc8b8f9","the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-chapter-124","the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-chapter-122",547,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-cover.jpg"]