[{"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-293":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},151979,261,"Chapter 293: Demon Race Threat","the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-chapter-293",293,"\u003Cp>Ensuring the stability of the capital was the shared hope of the royal family and the Five Sacred Lands; thus, all six parties cooperated actively and quickly finalized various deployments to prevent potential unrest caused by cultivators entering the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the emperor received the list of resources the four Sacred Lands—Dan, Sacred, Talisman, and Array—were to supply, which Xue Xian had submitted, he issued an imperial edict without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That same day, notices were posted at every major city gate of the capital, forbidding cultivators from flying and fighting within the city, along with a clarification of the respective responsibilities of the court and the Five Sacred Lands once cultivators entered the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing how swiftly the royal family acted, Hua Changxi, Tong Yao, Jing Liao, and Yan Zhenzhen also made their stance known, promising to deliver their resources to the Northern Guard as quickly as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the Central Sacred Land, starting from the first day of the ninth month, five thousand Demon-Suppressing Troops would patrol the capital alongside the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Five City Military Command, and the Six Doors, maintaining public order.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon receiving the news, the various parties were not particularly surprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most people actually did not want chaos in the capital. Seeing that the royal family and the Five Sacred Lands had united, the various factions also made some arrangements accordingly, without secretly causing any trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, there were those who did not want the capital to be peaceful and stable. In their eyes, only when the capital was in turmoil could they fish in troubled waters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a dimly lit basement in the capital, the wall cast the massive shadows of a giant serpent, a giant rat, a four-headed duck, and a giant lizard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Has the emperor lost his mind? Letting the Demon-Suppressing Troops patrol the capital—isn't he afraid of losing control over it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"With so many princes under the Grand Emperor, why did he end up ascending the throne... Because he knows how to read the times. Since the rise of the Five Sacred Lands is inevitable, why not form a good relationship with them in advance?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Demon-Suppressing Troops of the Central Sacred Land have existed since ancient times. Their most formidable skill is identifying demons and monsters. We need to withdraw some of our deployments in the capital as quickly as possible, and if any can't be withdrawn, we need to abandon them outright. In short, we must not attract the attention of the Demon-Suppressing Troops.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Damn it, that means all our efforts will be wasted.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There's no helping it. It's still too hard for the demon race to hide among humans; one careless slip and we'll be discovered. The Demon-Suppressing Troops are highly skilled—once they track down a demon race gathering spot, we'll become the sinners of our race.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wait a little longer. Once more demons have transformed into human form, the situation will improve.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That will take forever. Most of the relics and secret realms are in human hands. Without enough resources, there's no way to support the demon race's advancement.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It won't be too long. The activity in Nanxiang County grows by the day. I have a feeling that Nanxiang City will soon reappear. When that happens, as long as the demon race can seize a few blessed caves and paradise retreats, it will be enough to support our early development.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you crazy? Nanxiang City was the residence of the Vermilion Bird Lord in the Central Continent.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So what! In ancient times, the Four Spirit Lords were indeed all humans, but the Four Spirit Realm has gone through the Great Desolation. Now spiritual energy is reviving, and everything is starting anew. The position of the Four Spirit Lords can also be contested by us, the demon race.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don't forget, when humans first appeared in the Four Spirit Realm, they were just livestock that our demon race raised for food.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Enough, stop arguing. Tail Fire Tiger is watching over Nanxiang County, so we don't need to worry about that. Let's focus on arranging matters in the capital. In particular, we must placate those humans who have surrendered to the demon race.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next, the four demons began discussing how to use their subjugated human pawns to maximize benefits for the demon race.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the discussion, the four-headed duck demon fumed: \"No, I can't swallow this frustration. It's all because of the Four Sacred Lands, insisting on recruiting disciples, disrupting all our arrangements in the capital.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Aren't the people from the Four Sacred Lands going to guard the four major city gates—east, south, west, and north? Let's go confront them and take the opportunity to probe the strength of the humans.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the other three demons remain silent, the four-headed duck demon added: \"The Five Sacred Lands are the Pillar of Stability in the Central Continent. If we can actually take out the successors of the Sacred Lands, it's sure to boost the morale of the demon race.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The serpent demon spoke: \"We can give it a try, but we can't act rashly. We need to plan first. At the very least, we must avoid the Demon-Suppressing Troops.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rat demon: \"If the four of us attack together, taking on one opponent at a time, even if the Demon-Suppressing Troops discover us, we'll have the ability to escape.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The four-headed duck demon laughed: \"That's a good idea. It's settled.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The beast shadows on the wall twisted and, one after another, transformed into two men and two women, who left the basement in succession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other side, Hua Changxi, Tong Yao, Jing Liao, and Yan Zhenzhen also walked out of the Northern Guard, along with Chu Junling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The five of them said their goodbyes at the entrance of the yamen, and then Hua Changxi and the other three left together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Junling, left alone, watched the retreating figures of the four, narrowing his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The relationship among Hua Changxi and the other three was clearly exceptional; it seemed the four Sacred Lands—Dan, Artifact, Talisman, and Array—had very close ties!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After leaving the street where the Northern Guard was located, Hua Changxi looked at Tong Yao and the other two: \"Do you really think unrest will break out when cultivators from all over enter the capital?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tong Yao and the other two were silent for a moment, then nodded in unison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tong Yao spoke: \"The Chu Imperial Dynasty is gradually declining and can no longer suppress the various powers. A new power capable of commanding the world has not yet emerged. During this period, unrest is unavoidable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Struggles for power and profit will inevitably drive people to conflict; there is no avoiding it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Zhenzhen also looked grave: \"Besides internal conflicts among humans, the demon race is watching covetously.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jing Liao added: \"The Nine Nether is not peaceful either.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After speaking, the three of them sighed in unison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi looked at them and reminded, \"Perhaps we should also add outside cultivators.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tong Yao smiled, \"There are indeed some outside cultivators in the Four Spirit Realms, but they are a minority after all and don't pose too great a threat.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi frowned, \"Is that so?\" She felt the threat from outside cultivators was also quite significant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Zhenzhen looked at Hua Changxi, \"Our greatest threat is the yao race.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You may not know that after human beings were born in the Four Spirit Realms, for a long time they were blood food raised by the yao race. The yao race holds the secret blood curse technique to control humans.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why is guarding the Demon Prison so important? Because once the demonic aura spreads into the human world, even if the phenomenon of human demonization is secondary, the most important thing is that demonic aura can help the yao race activate the blood curse technique.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Once the yao race uses the blood curse to control a large number of humans, the harm would be unimaginable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi's expression also became serious. She didn't know much about the yao race and indeed hadn't realized the threat they posed to humans was so great.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tong Yao said with a serious expression, \"This time we are taking over the four main city gates. During our patrols, we must thoroughly investigate all parts of the capital.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"According to information from the Heavenly Division, the yao race has planted many human spies in the city, and what's more, there are even yao in human form hiding among the crowd.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi asked curiously, \"Is there anything different about humans who have been afflicted with the blood curse?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Zhenzhen, who understood this aspect the most, shook her head, \"They are no different from normal people, unless a great battle breaks out and they use yao race divine abilities.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But some human cultivators with atavistic bloodlines can also use yao race divine abilities, so it's impossible to identify them solely based on that.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Humans afflicted with the blood curse can be said to be completely inclined toward the yao race in both body and mind, and are even more harmful than the yao race itself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1522,"2026-05-29T04:10:48.594Z","2026-06-01T04:29:08.487Z",1,"deepseek-v4-flash","17bf1c5a4dd6db266dee559e1af612c7c77d6e8964c6edeed4dedbe098f285e3","the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-chapter-294","the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-chapter-292",547,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-cover.jpg"]