[{"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-177":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},2292140,4481,"Chapter 177: The Unknown Presence","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-177",177,"\u003Cp>Lu Fang smiled and shook his head: “My body seems a bit too strong—I sat at the same distance as you, but I didn’t feel much effect from the extreme yin force; it’s just right now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was not a reckless man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nor would he show off for the sake of face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Comfortable was comfortable; uncomfortable was uncomfortable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, this distance suited him better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan frowned: “No wonder you’re the Marquis of Wenguan—I already sensed your physical strength when we climbed the snowy mountain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang smiled but said nothing, closed his eyes, and began to cultivate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Demon Heart: “The extreme yin force here is incredibly abundant. Should I be used? I could help you absorb it rapidly and boost your realm dramatically in a short time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang firmly replied in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Demon Heart sighed: “It seems you still distrust me. Alas—with a great enemy looming—you remain so wary of me. All my abilities are wasted.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang felt the extreme yin force invading his limbs and meridians, leaving no time to converse with Demon Heart—he activated his vast righteous qi to begin cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What he hadn’t anticipated was that he had underestimated the power of the extreme yin force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within just a few breaths, his entire body was nearly frozen—but fortunately, his physique was strong enough; he swallowed some bookish qi and quickly used the extreme yin force to cultivate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After consuming the bookish qi, his stamina and physical injuries recovered swiftly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, misfortune turned to fortune.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang’s cultivation base rose rapidly. After an unknown length of time, he swallowed another large mouthful of bookish qi—and suddenly, a soft pop sounded as he successfully entered the Sixth Rank, Third Stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan sensed it, glanced at Lu Fang, and shook his head with a bitter smile—he had once boasted he’d leave Lu Fang far behind, yet here the man had already reached Sixth Rank, Third Stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow Luo Sha sensed it too; she didn’t open her eyes, only sighed inwardly—she realized the gap between her and Lu Fang was widening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For no reason, she had a premonition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps at the Small Upper Realm of Seventh Rank, she had been closest to Lu Fang—but as time passed, she would fall further and further behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A multicolored snowy mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snap!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint sound echoed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the mountain’s rocky wall, a claw mark appeared—snap, snap, snap—the marks multiplied, climbing toward the summit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the claw marks were visible; no figure could be seen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if an invisible presence were scaling the mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the moment the claw marks reached the summit, the figure flashed away—it was a bizarre beast, humanoid, with green skin, razor-sharp claws and toes, a human-like face but with protruding fangs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looked grotesquely ugly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The green-skinned beast stared motionless at the cave entrance, hesitating—yet finally, it slowly walked toward the cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the cave, Lu Fang, whose righteous qi was far weaker than that of others at his level, had to release his aura outward to resist the extreme yin force—even with bookish qi replenishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of this, he sensed something entering the cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the intruder nearly concealed its aura, Lu Fang’s cultivation of internal martial arts granted him exceptional control over aura—he could subtly project it and subtly perceive his surroundings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“An unknown danger on the snowy mountain?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang silently murmured, focusing intently on the intruder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could it be a Luo Sha from the Luo Sha Kingdom?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or someone guarding the great array?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t look like either—this entity was likely Sixth Rank or higher; it dared enter alone, conceal its aura and footsteps—clearly purposeful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a hundred percent chance it was an enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To avoid alerting it, Lu Fang kept his eyes closed—but due to his mastery of aura, he still locked onto the unknown presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also sensed that Snow Luo Sha and Pan had not noticed the unknown entity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No—Snow Luo Sha had innate talent; she must have heard the intruder’s movements. She, too, was likely waiting for it to draw closer before striking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Lu Fang thought this, Snow Luo Sha’s voice whispered in his ear: “Marquis of Wenguan, be careful—a hidden unknown presence is watching you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve sensed it too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang replied mentally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Pan, who had been sitting still, suddenly opened his eyes, yawned, swallowed an elixir, then closed his eyes again to cultivate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Pan didn’t know the green-skinned beast had arrived, his behavior was perfectly natural—causing the intelligent creature to lower its guard slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It observed Lu Fang and the other two, then fixed its gaze on Lu Fang—the closest one. It was a Fourth Rank special beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it launched a surprise attack, a full-force strike could kill one instantly, making the rest of the battle easier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet for some reason, it felt uneasy—as if the three ahead were dangerous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, it did not flee; instead, it moved toward Lu Fang, drawn by a voice calling from his body, impossible to resist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One step, two steps—closer and closer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The green-skinned beast was now ten paces from Lu Fang. Getting any nearer would risk detection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its killing technique was ambush—not direct confrontation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This distance was perfect. With its burst speed, it could snatch Lu Fang’s head in a single breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a gust of wind passing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The green-skinned beast surged toward Lu Fang with blinding speed. Snow Luo Sha, unable to hold back, snapped open her eyes and shouted: “Watch out—an enemy!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The instant the green-skinned beast attacked, Lu Fang activated his aura and forcibly shoved it far away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The collision caused the beast’s form to flicker—Lu Fang and the others now saw its true appearance: indeed, a beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, quite perceptive—you still didn’t fall for me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A rasping, chewing voice emerged from the green-skinned beast: “So what if you noticed? Even if the ambush fails, you still won’t escape.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, it dropped its invisibility, revealing its grotesque, fearsome form. Its eyes, half-smiling, fixed on Lu Fang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang frowned, hesitating: “Do you know me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The green-skinned beast shook its head with a bitter smile: “I want something you carry. Hand it over, and I’ll leave immediately. Otherwise, all three of you die here. Take me seriously—I’m not joking.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1044,"2026-06-20T03:56:21.568Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","5d1c08baf29cf8158b80c5fa112605a12e00ff68b4db5b57a18b8ca991b73745","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-178","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-176",289,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-cover.jpg"]