[{"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-502":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},152188,261,"Chapter 502","the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-chapter-502",502,"\u003Cp>Hua Changxi leaped into the black sea of clouds and was instantly swallowed by the whirlpool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The danger she had anticipated did not come—only a weightless, plummeting fall, as if an invisible force was dragging her into the abyss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was nothing else but the helplessness and uncertainty of having no sky above and no ground below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A chill wind howled past her ears, piercing through her clothes and stabbing straight into her bones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After falling through the darkness for who knew how long, her feet suddenly met solid ground—she had landed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi stood steady, but as far as her eyes could see, there was only a thick, impenetrable gloom, as if even light itself had been devoured by this realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hoo~\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi took out the bone-white lantern, and in the next moment, the ghostfire was lit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through the eerie green light, the surrounding scene finally revealed some rough outlines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jagged rocks crouched like crawling beasts; faint silhouettes of twisted dead trees could be seen in the distance; the air was thick with a blend of decay and dampness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, the second layer of the Nine Nether was even darker and more oppressive than the first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the first layer, though her vision was obstructed, there had still been a faint glimmer to discern direction; it hadn't been completely pitch-black.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But here, without the ghostfire for illumination, it would be impossible to take even a single step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, she could also use her spiritual sense to probe the surroundings, but doing so would consume too much of it. Since she had not yet opened her spiritual platform, her spiritual sense was weaker than others'. While traversing the Nine Nether, it was best to avoid using it whenever possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bam~\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bam~\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of heavy objects hitting the ground rang out. Hua Changxi immediately became alert, guessing that other ghost clan members had fallen into the second layer of the Nine Nether.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, before long, the figures of several ghost clans appeared within her line of sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the bone-white lantern in Hua Changxi's hand, those ghost clans hesitated for a moment, then did not approach—instead, they ran toward the direction where other ghost clans had landed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then came the slaughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The weak ghost clans were directly killed and devoured by the strong ones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi watched expressionlessly, then turned and left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along the way, as long as the ghost clans did not provoke her, she simply ignored them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carrying the bone-white lantern, Hua Changxi looked around constantly. She was still thinking about those disciples of the Shura Gate, but unfortunately, she couldn't find any trace of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Nine Nether was different from the mortal world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the mortal world, the land was divided into five continents by vast oceans, but the territory of the Nine Nether was a single, unbroken expanse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of this, the Nine Nether was far larger than imagination. Even a single ghost domain was astoundingly vast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the first layer of the Nine Nether, Hua Changxi could barely find her way, let alone in the even darker second layer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, she had the black broken blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since there was no clear destination, Hua Changxi simply followed the guidance of the broken blade, heading in the direction where it trembled most intensely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After walking through the gloom for an unknown time, a vague outline of mountain ranges gradually appeared in the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those mountains stretched on and on, like a slumbering giant dragon lying across heaven and earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even more striking were the ghost lamps shaped like long dragons hanging high above the mountains, their green flames swaying in the darkness, proclaiming that this mountain range had an owner—and one with a powerful presence guarding it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing light ahead that allowed her to see, Hua Changxi extinguished the bone-white lantern in her hand and, imitating the ordinary ghost clans, slowly approached the mountains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she drew nearer, she saw that the mountain range was actually a Netherstone mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The exposed mineral veins gave off a faint, ghostly light, and the air was thick with dense Nether Qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath the mountains, ghostly shadows swarmed; countless ghost clans gathered densely like a moving tide of black water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some spoke in low, hoarse voices that grated like sandpaper; others were silent, staring fixedly at the direction of the mine with crimson or eerie green eyes, their gazes full of greed and longing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, Hua Changxi thought these ghost clans had come to mine. After all, Netherstones were the most important resource for all races in the Nine Nether—indispensable for both cultivation and weapon forging.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But soon, she realized she was mistaken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A suffocating aura filled the air, as if a storm could erupt at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those Ghost Clan members weren’t here to mine ore—they were clearly here to steal it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is the territory of Soul-Hunting Ghost General—get lost now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Midair, several Ghosts at the Ghost Lieutenant realm stood above the void, ghostly aura surging around them, their voices booming like thunderclaps, carrying rolling pressure as they tried to intimidate the ghost horde gathered at the mountain’s foot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what answered them wasn’t retreat—it was a thicker killing intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the ghost tide at the mountain’s base, several figures likewise shot into the sky, their aura no weaker than those before them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two sides faced off in midair, ghostly energies clashing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next second, battle erupted without warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ghost Lieutenant realm experts struck first—ghost claws tore through the void, ghostly aura surged, and every impact made the mountain rocks split and crumble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment they started fighting, the ghost horde below spiraled completely out of control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>High rank fought high rank, low rank fought low rank; countless Ghosts locked in tangled combat, tearing and biting each other without mercy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oily-green ghost flames leaped in the darkness, like infernal lanterns, illuminating every ferocious face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a time, the mountain base rang with deafening war cries as ghostly aura spilled in all directions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The weak were torn apart and devoured by the strong, while the victors’ ghostly bodies grew more solid, their strength quietly increasing through plunder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi stood in the distance, watching the scene in silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Netherworld, seizing territory was far more straightforward than in the mortal world—if you had the strength, even something already claimed could be taken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though she had long known this was the law of survival in the Netherworld—the strong devour the weak, survival of the fittest; in this place there was no pity, no mercy, only endless slaughter and plunder—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She still felt somewhat unsettled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A group of Ghosts ran past her; Hua Changxi bent down and picked up a Netherstone they had dropped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a mid-grade Netherstone!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the concentration of Netherworld Qi differed across the Nine Layers of the Netherworld, the first layer could only produce low-grade Netherstone mines, while the second layer could produce mid-grade Netherstone mines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The deeper one went, the higher the grade of the Netherstone that formed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, the mountain range in the distance was a mid-grade Netherstone mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gazing at the distant Netherstone mine, Hua Changxi suddenly recalled that Lady Blazing Flame also had her own territories, spanning from the first layer to the fifth—all of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The territories from the second to the fourth layers had been delegated to subordinates to manage; she personally oversaw only the Ghostmare Village in the first layer and the Soulmare Valley in the fifth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking about the Soul-Nurturing Wood, Soul-Seeking Worms, Life-Extending Flowers, and other things that grew in Soulmare Valley, Hua Changxi felt a strong urge to act.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the fifth layer of the Netherworld, only Ghosts of the Ghost General realm could set foot; any Ghost below that realm who entered would die a violent death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With her strength, she could easily handle Ghost General realm Ghosts, and she should be able to withstand the Netherworld Qi of the fifth layer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why not go down and take a look?” After all, since she was already here!\u003C\u002Fp>",1340,"2026-05-29T04:11:04.856Z","2026-06-01T04:29:08.487Z",1,"deepseek-v4-flash","ebca288d3297c8cfe5d5843ae2c9a92ee87ecf990bc613f25343560df9301c3f","the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-chapter-503","the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-chapter-501",547,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-cover.jpg"]