[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl":3,"chapter-the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-396":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Great Jin's Most Iron Rice Bowl",{"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},1897170,2531,"Chapter 396: Ten Years","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-396",396,"\u003Cp>The vibrating alert from the Zhu Que Army roster informed Hua Changxi that a major catastrophe had struck the Zhu Que Army, filling her mind with extreme agitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet now, she could not escape this egg-shaped chaotic space at all; coupled with the two super threats of Chu Junshan and Zhu Yan still unresolved, her irritation only compounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi strove to calm her emotions, casting her gaze toward the other end of the space, where Chu Junshan and Zhu Yan were currently healing and recovering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'First eliminate these two, then figure out how to get out.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi quickly made her decision and immediately began execution, unleashing the divine ability 'Law of Heaven and Earth Manifestation.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once her nearly thousand-zhang tall dharma aspect manifested, she began striding toward Chu Junshan and Zhu Yan, swinging her fire axe to cleave the spatial barrier as she walked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bang, bang, bang~\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The realm wall trembled violently under the axe strikes; the impure interior of the chaotic space also quaked from the movement of Hua Changxi's dharma aspect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yan and Chu Junshan sensed the spatial tremors, their expressions becoming exceedingly grave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Junshan snorted coldly: \"We haven't even gone to seek revenge on Hua Changxi yet, but she has taken the initiative to attack us.\" Saying this, he turned to look at Zhu Yan, whose expression was unreadable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You and I have no path of retreat.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Hua Changxi crossed the egg-shaped chaotic space, preparing to eliminate Chu Junshan and Zhu Yan, the outside world of Nanxiang County underwent shifting winds and clouds, with undercurrents surging.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The emergence of the Wutong Forest had attracted far too many cultivators.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though the existence of spatial rifts blocked most people outside the Wutong Forest, countless daredevils every day risked being sliced to death by these rifts to venture deep into the forest, hoping to try their luck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though not a single person emerged alive, this failed to dampen everyone's enthusiasm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the Wutong Forest drew the attention of the vast majority, in other neglected regions, warfare occurred no less frequently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, no large-scale unrest appeared on the surface, but secretly, cultivators died or were injured every day, and the numbers were significant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them, the Zhu Que Army, tasked with maintaining order in Nanxiang County, suffered the most severe hostility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For no other reason than that no faction wished to see the Zhu Que Army grow and strengthen too quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zhu Que Army was the most legitimate force governing Nanxiang City; once its overall strength improved and it stood guard to maintain order, it would be far from easy for other factions to seek resources and territory within Nanxiang City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The top ten powers of the Central Continent, the Five Great Sacred Lands, had long been monopolized by top-tier noble families, making it difficult for other factions to intervene; nowadays, the only places within their reach were Xuanyuan City and the Four Symbols Cities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Xuanyuan City, guarded by the Five Generals of Xuanyuan, no faction dared to act rashly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, only the Four Symbols Cities remained as options.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the Four Symbols Cities, Nanxiang City showed the most obvious signs of revival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Consequently, the eyes of all cultivators turned here, and most, determined to seize cultivation resources and claim territory for themselves, were bent on success.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although on the surface no cultivator would directly confront the Zhu Que Army, they would unanimously choose to strike secretly from the shadows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Halting the further growth of the Zhu Que Army had become an unspoken understanding among cultivators of various factions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Secret assassinations were the conspiracies various factions employed against the Zhu Que Army, but they also had open strategies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was to demand the Zhu Que Army devote its full strength to resisting the Phoenix Clan of the Demon Race, citing that the Zhu Que Army was the most regular garrison force in Nanxiang County.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wutong Forest was one of the blessed grotto-heavens of Nanxiang City; now that the Phoenix Clan sought to lay hands on it, the Zhu Que Army would resist even without external instigation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, after the Wutong Forest appeared, the Zhu Que Army frequently erupted into major battles with the Phoenix Clan while driving away their demon kin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond this, with attention diverted to the Wutong Forest, the Longevity King, who urgently desired to seize the Ghost Fire Well, began secretly reaching out against the Zhu Que Army once again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the Phoenix Clan to resist on the surface, various factions delivering deadly blows in the shadows, and the Longevity King launching occasional surprise attacks, the Zhu Que Army suffered massive casualties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Still no message from the Hall Master?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Lingguang Hall, all the stewards and battalion commanders gathered together, every face bearing an extremely grave expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ten years; the Hall Master has not appeared for ten years.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yun You glanced around at the frowning crowd, then thoughtfully said: \"The Hall Master would not vanish without cause; she must be delayed by some matter.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duan Jishan took up the conversation: \"No one knows when the Hall Master will appear; we must rely on ourselves to resolve the chaos in Nanxiang County.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Zhaoye looked over: \"Recently, more and more Zhu Que Army soldiers are disappearing; should we temporarily suspend sending people out on patrols?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duan Jishan shook his head: \"No; there are too many cultivators lingering within Nanxiang County. If the Zhu Que Army does not step forward to maintain order, who knows how much unrest they will stir up, and then the common people will suffer again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yun You added: \"The missing Zhu Que Army soldiers must be related to the mass grave in the southeast region; that mass grave is suspected to be connected to the Ghost Race.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Ghost Race smuggling into the human realm violates a major taboo; I think we can seek help from the Heavenly Department and the Xuanyuan Prefecture.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Zhaoye immediately snorted coldly: \"Seek help from the Heavenly Department and the Xuanyuan Prefecture? I'd say forget it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Over these years, various factions have secretly delivered deadly blows against the Zhu Que Army, causing heavy casualties; I do not believe the Heavenly Department and the Xuanyuan Prefecture know nothing of this, yet have they stepped forward to stop it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Yun You fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment, Duan Jishan looked at Yang Zhaoye: \"Very well, from now on, I will take charge of dealing with the Phoenix Clan outside the Wutong Forest; you will be responsible for patrolling Nanxiang County.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Given the high frequency of Zhu Que Army disappearances, henceforth each patrol squad going out must consist of five thousand people, with no one separating; we would rather extend the patrol duration than give the Ghost Race another opportunity to ambush.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yun You followed up: \"Only a few dozen new Zhu Que Tokens remain; from now on, every patrol squad going out must carry at least three tokens.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Hall Master had retrieved a total of five thousand Zhu Que Tokens, but over these ten years, because the Zhu Que Army suffered so many attacks, most of the tokens distributed below were destroyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Zhaoye nodded helplessly: \"We can only do this for now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, Xie Hanzhang's thought-communication talisman vibrated; she picked it up to look, and her expression immediately sank: \"Three Fire Phoenixes are rampaging through villages and towns in the southeast region; several villages have been entirely devoured by them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, Yang Zhaoye immediately stood up and pointed to five battalion commanders: \"Assemble the troops; we will go immediately to slaughter those three beasts.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wait.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Hanzhang, with a grave expression, called out to stop them: \"The southeast region borders the mass grave; with the Phoenix Clan devouring people there on such a scale, I fear there may be some conspiracy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Zhaoye replied: \"...Even if there is a conspiracy, we must go; we cannot simply let the demons of the Phoenix Clan devour all the common people in that region.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon the troops assembled, and Yang Zhaoye led five thousand Zhu Que Army soldiers to swiftly depart from the Lingguang Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be safe, Duan Jishan also led the battalion commanders to the Wutong Forest to join the twenty thousand Zhu Que Army soldiers stationed there, preventing the Phoenix Clan from causing trouble while they were away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Yang Zhaoye led the Zhu Que Army to locate the traces of the three Fire Phoenixes, the village they were in was already submerged in a sea of fire; on the threshing floor outside the village, the three Fire Phoenixes were picking and choosing, eating villagers who lay in pools of blood, screaming incessantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Kill these three monstrous beasts!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the five thousand Zhu Que Army soldiers charging over, the three Fire Phoenixes revealed expressions of mockery in their eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The leading Spirit Platform realm Fire Phoenix spoke to a patch of ground where black qi was dissipating: \"This time, we have drawn thousands of Zhu Que soldiers for you; you must help us send ten more Fire Phoenixes into the Wutong Forest.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black qi churned violently, and a voice emerged: \"Ten is impossible; one at most.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Fire Phoenix retorted: \"One is far too few; at least three, otherwise...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black qi conceded: \"Very well, then three.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Fire Phoenix said: \"Enough talk; the Zhu Que army is charging. The three of us will attack head-on while you strike from the shadows. Let us end this quickly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, the three Fire Phoenixes spread their wings and rushed swiftly toward Yang Zhao and his companions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Form the formation!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing a Spirit Platform realm great demon was present, Yang Zhao dared not withstand it directly; he immediately ordered the Zhu Que soldiers behind him to form their military array: \"Do not separate!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They carried three Zhu Que tokens, capable of withstanding nine attacks from Spirit Platform realm demons; as long as they exhausted the leading Spirit Platform Fire Phoenix, the remaining two Infant Transformation realm Fire Phoenixes would be no cause for concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, these Fire Phoenixes possessed combat power far exceeding any they had encountered before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After nearly a decade of skirmishes with the Zhu Que army, the Phoenix clan had roughly discerned the attack range of the Zhu Que tokens; thus, the three Fire Phoenixes did not attack at close range but hovered high above, scattering a sky-full of flowing fire with every flap of their wings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clusters of fireballs continuously crashed down upon the Zhu Que army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with their superior numbers, the Zhu Que army could not withstand the impact of the fireballs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Spirit Platform realm Fire Phoenix also wielded soul attacks; when it raised its head and let out a long cry, the sound waves shook the mountains to their core. When it fully spread its wings, its wingspan covered the entire battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zhu Que soldiers whose cultivation was at the Core Formation realm or below simply could not endure; in but a short while, they could barely maintain their formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmph, what a joke of a Zhu Que army; they do not even possess a single decent weapon. If not for the Demon Saint's disagreement, the Phoenix clan would have already seized the Lingguang Hall.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why have you not attacked yet!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as these words were spoken, copious amounts of black qi immediately seeped from the ground; the black qi boiled and churned, coalescing into a giant black skull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The skull opened its massive jaws, poised to bite down on the Zhu Que army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Boom~\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that very moment, an earth-shattering roar erupted, echoing directly in the ears of every living being within Nanxiang County.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately afterward, a muffled rumble emanated from the depths of the earth across Nanxiang County, as if a colossal beast that had slept for hundreds of millions of years was about to awaken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Distant mountain ranges began to tremble slightly, causing rocks to tumble down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Lingguang Hall, the Wutong Forest, Xiangcheng of Nanxiang County, and every village and town, anyone situated within the borders of Nanxiang County had their attention captured by this disturbance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black skull and the three Fire Phoenixes were all startled; forgetting entirely about the Zhu Que army, they stared blankly toward the horizon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the void above the southwestern border of Nanxiang County, space began to distort and ripple, spewing forth vast quantities of blood-red gas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within the area shrouded by this blood-red gas, humans clearly felt their bodies strengthened; the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled, who lacked sufficient vital energy, inhaled the blood-red gas and found their bodies lighter and more vigorous than ever before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simultaneously, beasts within the forests, after inhaling the blood-red gas, began to grow wildly in size; some demonic beasts that had awakened spiritual intelligence raised their heads and roared at the sky, as if ancient memories within their bloodlines had been awakened, gazing toward the center of the anomaly with both fear and longing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the drying ground outside the village, villagers who had been burned bloody and fleshless by the three Fire Phoenixes watched in utter horror as their wounds healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the center where the blood-red gas was most dense, a chaotic, black, egg-shaped space gradually expanded, slowly manifesting in the air bit by bit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within this egg-shaped space, there was no light and no sound, only boundless gray darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep within that dead silence, suddenly, a point of light appeared and began to burn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, it was merely a single spark; then, the firelight erupted explosively, dispelling all chaos and revealing a towering, fiery-red figure standing between heaven and earth, wielding a fire axe.\u003C\u002Fp>",2291,"2026-06-12T02:51:23.636Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","e676de08f3427900f15fd6d8272436e950c083bc95c127aa4254d6013e339b22","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-397","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-395",558,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-cover.jpg"]