[{"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-498":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},1897272,2531,"Chapter 498: The Realms of the Ghost Race","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-498",498,"\u003Cp>After entering the city gate, the red sedan procession did not linger in those noisy streets and alleys but went straight through the most bustling Ghost Market, heading toward the deepest part of a certain alley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they went deeper, the number of ghost lamps around gradually decreased, yet the area illuminated by each lamp grew larger; the air was no longer filled with noise and clamor but with a silence that made one involuntarily hold their breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi looked out through the sedan curtain; at the end of the alley, a towering black skyscraper rose abruptly from the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the residence of Lady Chi Yan within the Ghost Realm Fortress—Lady Tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Tower stood five stories high, constructed entirely of black crystal stone; the flying eaves of each floor curved high upward, and under the eave corners hung lanterns glowing with an eerie green light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flickering flames emitted a bewitching and sinister radiance in the darkness, making people dare not approach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The buildings within the Ghost Realm Fortress were not constructed arbitrarily; their heights were determined by the cultivation level of their owners, serving as the most direct symbol of status and absolute power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The realms of the Ghost Race are divided according to the strength of their ghost bodies and souls (primordial spirits).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From low to high, they are: Little Ghost, Big Ghost, Ghost Captain, Ghost General, Ghost Commander, Ghost King, Ghost Emperor, Ghost Venerable, and Ghost God.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Little Ghost Realm and Big Ghost Realm are both the lowest ranks of ghost soldiers and troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only upon reaching the Ghost Captain Realm does one count as a mid-tier member of the Ghost Race.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Tower being five stories high meant that Lady Chi Yan's power lay at the Ghost Commander Realm, which corresponds to the Spirit Platform Realm of the Human Race.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lady has already broken through the Ghost Commander Realm; nowadays, Lady Tower can be built to a sixth story.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The maid's voice rang out, filled with both flattery and awe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A height of five stories only represented the past; the Lady Chi Yan who was beheaded by Hua Changxi in the Chaotic Stone Forest had actually stepped into the Ghost King Realm!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Chi Yan entered the Ghost Realm Fortress at this time; although the appearance of the Yellow Spring Master was a catalyst, the true core reason was her successful advancement to the Ghost King Realm—entering the fortress was truly to seize a territory large enough to bear her ambitions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For no other reason, while Ghost Yan Village bordered the forbidden lands of the Ghost Domain and possessed dense ghost qi, its territory was ultimately too small to support the cultivation needs of the Ghost King Realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must be known that after stepping into the Ghost King Realm, Lady Chi Yan could open up her own exclusive 'Small Ghost Domain,' similar to a cultivation ground for human cultivators.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The larger the 'Small Ghost Domain,' the more ghosts one commands, the stronger the power gained, and the greater the possibility of advancing to the Ghost Emperor Realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, any ghost who enters the Ghost King Realm must face a very worldly problem: seizing territory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The size of one's territory directly relates to the abundance of cultivation resources and simultaneously serves as a symbol of status and authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Hua Changxi pondered these thoughts, the scarlet great sedan slowly came to a halt before the main entrance of Lady Tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sharply detecting the faint intent of spying lurking in the air around her, she did not directly reveal herself and disembark but instead flew straight into the building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other ghosts in the procession showed no special reaction to this but entered the building in an orderly fashion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After entering the tower, Hua Changxi subtly surveyed everything inside; before she could look much, she suddenly sensed countless scorching, burning gazes sticking tenaciously to her person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following the line of sight, she saw it was those attending ghost servants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, these ghost servants were staring at her eagerly, their eyes revealing thick hunger and expectation, causing her expression to stiffen slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was not surprised by the reaction of the ghost servants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For no other reason, whenever Lady Chi Yan previously entered the Ghost Realm Fortress, she would employ the Nightmare Bell to manipulate the low-tier ghosts surrounding Lady Tower into falling asleep, then transform them into 'food' to reward the attending ghosts, allowing them to 'feast' fully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There are two paths for ghosts to increase their power: one is to cultivate step by step, and the other is to devour their own kind to seize their cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to the time and effort consumed by arduous cultivation, devouring one's own kind is undoubtedly a shortcut; therefore, the vast majority of ghosts flock to this method.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We beg Lady to bestow a reward.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Hua Changxi standing motionless, the ghost servants felt somewhat confused, then immediately knelt down to 'beg for a reward.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the kneeling ghosts, Hua Changxi did not take action immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Lady Chi Yan bestowed food, not only did the ghost servants anticipate it, but other ghost factions surrounding Lady Tower also tacitly accepted this 'rule'; if she failed to comply, it would surely attract attention and investigation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shaking the Nightmare Bell was easy enough, but did she really want to do so?\u003C\u002Fp>",899,"2026-06-12T02:51:24.126Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","509ff837a42b2840aa685ea17d273042161a82a3d5beb0c04bd3b634d181de7c","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-499","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-497",558,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-cover.jpg"]