[{"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-495":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},1897269,2531,"Chapter 495: A Hundred Ghosts Parade at Night","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-495",495,"\u003Cp>Deep within a mist-shrouded hollow on the Ancient Yellow Spring Road, Hua Changxi lay concealed among dozens of fierce ghosts and countless wandering spirits until the figures of the Yellow Spring Lord and the Ghost King had completely vanished; only after a quarter of an hour did she hold her breath, steady her mind, and cautiously step out of the hollow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi slowly exhaled a mouthful of turbid air, stabilizing her spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That woman in red was actually the wife of the Yellow Spring Lord, and moreover, merely a clone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A single clone possessing strength comparable to the peak of the Spirit Platform realm meant her true body... had absolutely already stepped into the Spirit Concentration realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Spirit Concentration realm...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi's eyes flickered as she raised a hand to rub her swollen, aching head; thinking that she had still not opened her Spirit Platform, a surge of anxiety welled up in her heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before reaching the Infant Transformation realm, cultivators could still contend in battle relying solely on spiritual power, but once stepping into the Spirit Platform realm, combat required the coordination of both spiritual power and soul power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her persistent failure to open her Spirit Platform meant that while she feared no opponent at the Spirit Platform realm relying only on her Infant Transformation cultivation and formidable physical body, she had to be wary when facing experts at the Spirit Concentration realm and above.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At such times, her lack of soul power would become a fatal weakness; the slightest carelessness could result in severe injury, or even being killed in return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as before, the sweep of the Ghost King and Yellow Spring Lord's divine consciousness had shaken her sea of consciousness so violently that the functioning of her mind had momentarily stuttered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long ago, she had heard that the Nine Netherworlds had begun its spiritual energy recovery earlier than the mortal world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, on only her fourth descent into the Nine Netherworlds, she had already encountered three experts at the Spirit Concentration realm...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a heavy heart, Hua Changxi continued advancing toward the giant castle ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to the appearance of the Ghost King, she knew that the giant fortress must be the central city of the ghost race—the Ghost Realm Fortress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By logic, the Ghost Realm Fortress should be built before the Ghost Domain Forbidden Land to guard it; therefore, to exit the Ghost Domain, she would have to pass through the Ghost Realm Fortress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, dozens of miles away, the figures of Chu Junyi and four others suddenly materialized on the Ancient Yellow Spring Road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That truly scared me to death; fortunately, our leader reacted quickly, otherwise we would definitely have been discovered,\" Meng Ziyu said, patting his chest and exhaling a long breath of turbid air, his heart still pounding with lingering fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Junyi put away the black formation disk in his hand, his gaze grave as he locked onto the Ghost Realm Fortress ahead: \"After this incident, the Ghost Realm Fortress will inevitably heighten its defenses; once we infiltrate, I fear things will not be very peaceful.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Jingzhou frowned tightly, speaking with deep worry: \"Long ago I heard that the Yellow Spring Lord had already broken through to the Spirit Concentration realm and stepped into the Soul Projection realm; judging from the pressure we just felt and his dominance over the Ghost King, the rumors are likely true.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not only him,\" Sheng Pengyun added in a deep voice, \"but also that Lady of the Spider Lily; she has already been able to condense a clone...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The art of cloning can only be cultivated after stepping into the Soul Projection realm.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, Meng Ziyu's face instantly turned pale with shock: \"No way, does this not mean that both the Yellow Spring Lord and the Lady of the Spider Lily are experts at the Soul Projection realm?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not necessarily.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Junyi interrupted: \"The requirement to reach the Soul Projection realm before condensing a clone applies only to the human race and the demon race.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"For some races in the Nine Netherworlds, as long as their primordial spirit is sufficiently powerful, they can condense a clone even at the Spirit Concentration realm.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused briefly before analyzing: \"The clone that fought us just now possessed strength no greater than the peak of the Spirit Platform realm; if her true body were truly at the Soul Projection realm, her clone would not be so weak; in my opinion, her true body's cultivation should stop at the Spirit Concentration realm.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hearing this, Meng Ziyu clicked his tongue: \"Even at the Spirit Concentration realm, she is an absolute expert... it seems the situation in the Nine Netherworlds is three parts more perilous than in the mortal world.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Junyi gazed at this dim world, his eyes flickering: \"It is not three parts more perilous, but ten thousand times more so; the land of the Nine Netherworlds is inherently a breeding ground for chaos and slaughter; here, there is only—the strong devouring the weak.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment of silence, Chu Junyi spoke again: \"Let us go, continue the journey.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The five of them immediately moved like ghosts, swiftly traversing the Ancient Yellow Spring Road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Leader, I always felt that ghost from before was somewhat strange.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Indeed, even the Ghost King harbored some apprehension toward the Yellow Spring Lord, yet he directly killed the Lady of the Spider Lily's clone; is this not exacerbating the conflict between the ghost race and the Yellow Spring faction?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just like the mortal world, as spiritual energy recovery progresses in the Nine Netherworlds, all manner of demons and monsters have emerged; internal struggles within the ghost race will only become more intense and chaotic.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But having said that, the more chaotic the various races of the Nine Netherworlds become, the more peaceful the Nine Gates of the Demon Prison will be; if that ghost just now truly triggered a brawl between the ghost race and the Yellow Spring faction, it would actually be helping us.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Racing at full speed, Hua Changxi finally reached the end of the Ancient Yellow Spring Road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the Yellow Spring River ceased flowing, the path ahead was not as desolate and dead as expected; instead, it became even more 'lively,' with the ghostly qi in the air growing even denser.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This scene was just like leaving a desolate mountainous area and entering a 'bustling' urban district.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi crept forward cautiously; while only unintelligent wandering spirits roamed the Ancient Yellow Spring Road, once beyond it, figures of the ghost race suddenly became dense, and their cultivation auras far surpassed those before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As far as the eye could see, deep within the yin mist, stood row upon row of ghost villages and ghost towns, dotted with ghostly fires, resembling cities of the mortal world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi held her breath and steeled her mind, peering at the distant ghost villages and towns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, in a ghost village in the distance, ghost fires blazed brightly, followed immediately by a high-pitched, piercing suona sound that sliced through the sky like a sword, stabbing straight into the eardrums!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as the suona sounded, it seemed to trigger some switch, with the noises of gongs, drums, cymbals, and clappers following in its wake, playing a tune that was eerie, solemn, and distinctly characteristic of the netherworld.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the music rose, the gray mist hovering over that ghost village began to churn; the next moment, a procession holding bone-white lanterns slowly emerged from the depths of the ghost village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Contrary to Hua Changxi's expectations, those ghostly entities were not the ferocious-faced, roaring, unintelligent dead souls she had imagined; on the contrary, the procession was strictly disciplined and highly orderly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the front rank were ghost soldiers clad in black iron heavy armor, their steps steady and their killing intent oppressive; in the middle section were dancer spirits dressed in rainbow skirts and feathered robes, their feet not touching the ground as they floated forward, scattering specks of phosphorescent light with the graceful wave of their long sleeves, a beauty that was tragically stunning; bringing up the rear were ghost troops riding skeletal black horses and holding black banners, accompanied by gusts of yin wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And at the center of this star-surrounded-moon procession stood conspicuously a scarlet palanquin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The body of the palanquin was crafted from some unknown black wood, entirely wrapped in vivid red hanging curtains, while from its four corners hung paper-mache lanterns within which oily green ghost fires swayed in the wind, emitting a strange, light \"click-click\" sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a gust of yin wind blew past, the palanquin curtain lifted slightly, revealing a flash of blinding red that seized Hua Changxi's gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside sat a female ghost dressed in red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red-clad female ghost wore makeup as exquisite as that of a living person, her brows and eyes painted like a masterpiece, yet only her pupils were hollow and deep, radiating a chill of deathly solemnity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint, almost imperceptible smile played on the corners of her lips; with a lazy expression, amidst the earth-shaking sound of the suona, she resembled a queen touring her territory, exuding a suffocating, bewitching allure.\u003C\u002Fp>",1536,"2026-06-12T02:51:24.126Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","1e290afd1db837ca137338506b990a49f81ed996b96c7e7e0ae78dbf16e2cd66","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-496","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-494",558,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-cover.jpg"]