[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou":3,"chapter-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-130":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Ink Saint of Great Zhou",{"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},2292093,4481,"Chapter 130","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-130",130,"\u003Cp>“You killed the woman who treated you as her own child, who thought of nothing but your welfare—how terrible!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spirit’s voice was faint, yet it exploded in Song Ce’s mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I I…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Ce’s trembling lips opened in a choked sob; he couldn’t tell if it was tears blurring his vision or darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li the steward saw Song Ce standing frozen, his sclera swallowed by black, as if possessed—crack! Song Ce turned his neck and moved his limbs like a wooden puppet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Y-Young Master?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li the steward swallowed hard; whether it was an illusion or not, he felt Song Ce now resembled a puppet whose limbs were being pulled by unseen strings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Ce tilted his head and sneered at Li the steward, grinning wickedly: “Your young master is too fragile. But this body is truly weak. By the way, your lady never wrote you a letter—I sent you to the Western Regions.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Li the steward opened his mouth, Song Ce seized his throat—crack!—Li’s head lolled, life gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Ce tossed Li’s corpse aside like trash, murmuring with a curled lip:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I thought I’d have to wait much longer to take this body—earlier than I expected. Once inside the trial ground, I’ll kill that damned Marquis Wen and seize his fortune; cultivation will accelerate faster.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After pausing briefly, the spirit-possessed Song Ce turned and left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three days later, Chen hour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In front of the Buddha Cave at the back of Foyou Temple, over a hundred monks in varied robes stood gathered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were monks from major Buddhist sects of the Buddhist Kingdom; due to differing beliefs, they did not speak to one another, but occasionally cast furtive glances at the thirty men from Great Zhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten more monks, with black lotuses embroidered on their sleeves and chests, stared openly and unashamedly at Lu Fang’s group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yu whispered a reminder: “Once inside the trial ground, Young Uncle, try not to interact with anyone. I’ll do my best to find you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was already the how-manyth time he’d reminded him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The truth was, Lu Fang’s rank was far too low for this trial ground—while everyone else was at least Sixth Rank Third Stage, he alone was Sixth Rank First Stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant, if he encountered anyone with ill intent, he’d have to flee for his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm.” Lu Fang replied absently, glancing at Song Ce nearby—this man seemed like a different person today, constantly glancing over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Ce’s gaze was like that of a wild beast, making Lu Fang uneasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could think further, a monk in a bright red kasaya appeared before the various Buddha murals, spoke in Western Regions tongue, and activated the trial ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Golden Sanskrit characters sank into the Buddha statues; powerful energy rippled outward, revealing a bizarrely shaped array.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Foyou Temple still showed some consideration for Great Zhou’s delegation—after stating the entry rules, they let Lu Fang and the others enter first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang and Li Yu were the last to enter; in places like the Lesser Upper Realm, entrants were typically scattered across different locations—the closer the landing points, the easier it was to find each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sensation of falling through empty air struck him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang stabilized his form and floated gently down onto the roof of a ruined temple; the stench of decay hit him. Looking around, he saw a vast temple ruin—buildings crumbling, weeds choking every corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a light toe-tap, he landed in the courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On a rotting black plaque, faint traces of the four characters “Henghong Grand Hall” remained. Two stone lanterns flanked the hall, thick with dust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the hall stood a Buddha statue with glaring eyes, more like a demon or an evil from the abyss—sharp fangs, bulging eyes, crimson skin, a necklace of skull beads around its neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The statue’s hands were clasped in prayer, yet its furious face curled into a grin, radiating madness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On either side, stone walls bore countless statues resembling demons and yakshas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang frowned, a deep discomfort crawling over his skin—he felt as if he’d entered a temple impersonated by demons and mountain spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t imagine what this place had once been.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did anyone truly worship these things?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang cautiously sensed the area and detected a powerful aura fluctuation at the back of the hall—similar to the aura of Wandaoshi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Special place?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He murmured to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the trial ground’s special places, one could enter a mysterious state, making enlightenment easier and boosting cultivation and realm faster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If one’s cultivation had stagnated, such enlightenment could break the barrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But such special places were exceedingly rare and hard to find—yet Lu Fang had stumbled upon one the moment he arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, to be safe, Lu Fang crept forward cautiously, alert to any hidden threats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, all remained quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A pond?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang stared at the lotus pond before him, surprised—everywhere else in the ruined temple was decay and rot, yet this pond was astonishingly clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only did lotus leaves float on its surface, but fish occasionally leapt from the water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The contrast was jarring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Should he enter?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang hesitated at the arched entrance, suddenly recalling a saying: the more beautiful something appears, the greater the danger hidden within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would enter—it was too rare an opportunity to pass up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before entering, he must be cautious—his life came first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After searching, Lu Fang found a wild rabbit outside the temple and tossed it through the archway. To his shock, the moment it crossed the threshold, it shrank to the size of a fingernail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How is this possible?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tried using Hao Ran Zheng Qi to probe and retrieve the rabbit—but the energy vanished the moment it entered the arch, completely untraceable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was as if crossing the arch meant entering another world entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a fish leapt from the pond, startling the rabbit, which spun and bolted back out of the arch—once outside, it instantly returned to its original size.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang watched the rabbit restore itself, murmuring: “Could this pond be a miniature realm? Entering shrinks one’s size… I wonder if Hao Ran Zheng Qi would still work inside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This discovery made him even more cautious. After multiple trials with the rabbit, he found no apparent danger within the pond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And even if danger arose, he could escape instantly—his speed summoning Qimen Feijia should be sufficient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flash of golden light rippled out, forming Xuan armor that clung to Lu Fang’s body. He took several deep breaths, then stepped through the arch.\u003C\u002Fp>",1094,"2026-06-20T03:56:21.568Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","f857e4dd02f2915809793eb5c14d4668191f61e5fb3a0e003993ffa00757841f","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-131","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-129",289,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-cover.jpg"]