[{"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-141":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},2292104,4481,"Chapter 141: The Dead End","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-141",141,"\u003Cp>Lu Fang was about to speak when a massive shadow suddenly engulfed the room; the clinking of chains echoed outside the castle, and he could even feel the heavy breathing of the Horned Crimson-Eyed Demon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry—it can’t enter without my permission.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Qingzhu said with certainty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she said, the Horned Crimson-Eyed Demon paced around the castle, roaring constantly, sometimes reaching out to touch its walls, causing the entire structure to tremble—but it could not enter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This castle was like a safe zone in a game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang asked hesitantly: “Is it only the Horned Crimson-Eyed Demon that can’t enter, or can everyone else enter except it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Qingzhu thought for a moment and said: “Since you’re the only person who’s ever come here, I’m not entirely sure.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang nodded: “Have you been here for over a decade? With the Horned Crimson-Eyed Demon outside, what do you eat?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Qingzhu smiled bitterly: “Outside, it only appears at night; during the day, I can leave freely. There are strange herbs, unusual fruits, and small beasts here—enough to barely survive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She sighed and continued: “But after searching for over a decade, this place has no entrance at all—I simply can’t get out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I didn’t tell you about the entrance in your dreams for this very reason. I never expected you’d still find your way here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang said nothing but took from his storage pouch a painting of Lu Ling and a white jade lion carving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Zhao Qingzhu saw the white jade lion, tears streamed down her face; she unrolled the painting, gazed at Lu Ling, and reached out with trembling hands to touch Lu Ling’s smiling face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She could no longer hold back and burst into loud sobs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lu Ling is well. She said if she ever met you, she wanted me to tell you she misses you terribly—and she’s doing fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang whispered gently to comfort her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As long as she’s well,” Zhao Qingzhu said, wiping her tears with a handkerchief. After steadying her emotions, she let out a heavy sigh: “But now that you’ve come in here, you’re trapped too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang smiled: “Actually, I’m not the only one who entered this place. Another person was possessed by some entity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He said there’s a way out—if we understand and resolve the rules of this place, we can leave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But that person is dangerous. Be careful of him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang warned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Qingzhu nodded absently. Of course she wanted to leave—but over the past decade, she’d tried countless methods; the greater the hope, the deeper the disappointment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She desperately wanted to see Lu Ling, but the moment she thought about how to escape, she was utterly lost—and the feeling made her heart ache, causing her to cry again without realizing it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Zhao Qingzhu had calmed somewhat, Lu Fang asked: “What happened back then? I heard Lu Ling’s father came to the Western Regions looking for you, then rumors spread that you fell ill and died—after that, no trace.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From Mo Fen, he actually knew that Wan Juan had performed some ritual, after which both Zhao Qingzhu and Wan Juan vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether Lu Ling’s father ever came to the Western Regions remained unknown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Qingzhu lowered her head, her voice tinged with sorrow: “Over a decade ago, Lu Ling’s father, Liu Yifeng, did come to the Western Regions searching for me—but he never met me. Wan Juan killed him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Using Yifeng’s name, Wan Juan tricked me into a castle, making me witness Yifeng’s body. Overcome with grief, I suddenly felt my consciousness grow hazy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The space around me seemed to twist violently; within those warped dimensions, something terrifying—a demon—struggled to emerge.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At that moment, Wan Juan laughed maniacally, declaring his ritual had succeeded—that my blood truly resonated with some entity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He chanted an odd incantation I didn’t understand, but I knew his meaning: he intended to sacrifice me, so the entity called ‘Punishment’ would grant him power.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I wanted to escape, but fear—or the ritual itself—left me utterly paralyzed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then I found myself here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have you seen Wan Juan outside? Oh— if he knows Lu Ling is my daughter, he’ll target her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang frowned. He knew Zhao Qingzhu had once been betrothed to Wan Juan, but after her trip to the Great Zhou and her meeting with Lu Ling’s father, their relationship had turned irreconcilable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry. Wan Juan isn’t in the Western Buddhist Kingdom. That ritual over a decade ago failed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know how it failed, but he vanished along with you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Lu Fang spoke, a sudden thought struck him—he turned to gaze at the Horned Crimson-Eyed Demon pacing outside the window: “Could that thing outside be Wan Juan?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Qingzhu froze, then thought for a moment: “If that ritual truly failed, maybe… he did gain immense power—but at the cost of becoming this monstrous form, trapped here. Serves him right!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more Lu Fang thought about it, the more convinced he became. He shouted toward the outside: “Wan Juan! How do you feel now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At once, the Horned Crimson-Eyed Demon halted. After a brief silence, it seemed enraged—pounding its chest and roaring loudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The castle shook violently, as if struck by an earthquake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Qingzhu’s eyes sharpened: “It reacted so strongly—it must be him. No one else would respond like that to your words.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She frowned after a pause: “Even if we know it’s Wan Juan, transformed by a failed ritual, how do we escape? You mentioned the rules of this place—I have no idea what you mean.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This place isn’t large—roughly the size of a city.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Surrounding it is thick fog. Once, I entered it, trying to find a way out—but I just circled endlessly. It’s an extremely powerful array.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang scratched his head: “I don’t understand arrays. I’ve got several basic array books in my storage pouch—maybe during the day, I can study the fog and the books.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Qingzhu shook her head bitterly: “Useless. Do you know why I went to the Great Zhou? Because I was fascinated by Daoist arrays—and I had a natural talent for them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let me put it this way: among fourth-rank cultivators, my understanding of arrays was among the very best.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This fog array isn’t something a fourth-rank cultivator could ever break. I’ve spent over a decade studying it—and the more I study, the more terrifying it becomes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s why I gave up on escaping—and why I told you not to come in. I believe this is a dead end. No one can leave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At least, not through the fog array.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1099,"2026-06-20T03:56:21.568Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","daf2950419f54728f7c1b20c3226756d7ac7cec9a7dc468c41f02499902afb5d","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-142","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-140",289,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-cover.jpg"]