[{"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-178":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},2292141,4481,"Chapter 178: Frenzy","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-178",178,"\u003Cp>Strange beasts are generally much stronger than beings of the same realm, and most of them possess extremely low spiritual awareness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The green-skinned strange beast before Lu Fang wasn’t just far more intelligent than its kind—it could even speak, proving its uniqueness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could respond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan, beside him, sensing the green-skinned beast’s power, involuntarily cried out: “It’s an unknown entity from the snowy mountains.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Luo Sha had heard of the green-skinned beast’s existence but didn’t know its exact realm; now that she saw it with her own eyes, she could sense it was immensely powerful—possibly stronger than all three of them combined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, she was caught off guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had only heard rumors that strange beasts in the snowy mountains were extremely powerful and dangerous; she never dreamed she’d actually encounter one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The green-skinned beast stepped forward irritably, glaring fixedly at Lu Fang as if pressuring him—or demanding an answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang met its gaze calmly and said: “You say you want something from me. I’m willing to give it—but shouldn’t you tell me what it is?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was filled with confusion. The green-skinned beast was a creature of the snowy mountains—why would it want something from him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had never met before, surely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang was confident: based on his memory and his grasp of the Dao’s momentum, if he had ever encountered this green-skinned beast, he couldn’t possibly have forgotten it entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the moment they met, it claimed it wanted something from him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That made no sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the saying goes: when something happens abnormally, there’s always a trick behind it. Lu Fang needed to know what this trick was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The green-skinned beast snorted coldly: “I don’t know what it is—I just feel it’s…”—its voice cut off abruptly; its body froze, and within a few breaths, its eyes turned blood-red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if it had entered a state of frenzy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without warning, it lunged at Lu Fang like a wild beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The instant Lu Fang sensed something was wrong, he summoned Qimen Flying Armor and activated the Extraordinary Power: Dirge of Fallen Petals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the green-skinned beast could reach him, petals of peach blossom descended from the sky, locking it in place. *Clang!* As the Book Spirit Yan Chixia appeared, a glowing little sword stabbed straight toward it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to the Book Spirit’s unique nature, it could grow stronger alongside Lu Fang’s cultivation level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Chixia was now Fifth Rank, Third Stage—and even against the green-skinned beast, she held her own. Combined with Lu Fang’s assaults, the beast, under normal circumstances, would have already shown signs of wanting to retreat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this version of it was not normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let me lend you a hand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Luo Sha drew a whip and moved forward to assist Lu Fang in attacking the green-skinned beast; she sensed its power and feared for his safety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this was clearly wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Lu Fang shared a mental link with the Book Spirit Yan Chixia and wielded Extraordinary Powers, though he couldn’t defeat the green-skinned beast outright, he was confident he could hold it off—if Xue Luo Sha suddenly joined the fight,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he wasn’t sure he could guarantee her safety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing this, Lu Fang stepped back two paces, his eyes locked on the green-skinned beast in its frenzy, and said to Xue Luo Sha behind him: “It seems its specialty is stealth and ambush—it’s not as strong as it appears.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You don’t need to be here. I’ll hold it off. You two go outside and summon help.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Luo Sha frowned: “I’ll stay and help you. More hands mean more support. Besides, sending for help only needs one person. Pan, find a chance to leave and get help. I’ve seen how strong this green-skinned beast is.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan glanced at Xue Luo Sha, surprised by her decision. He opened his mouth to speak, hesitated, then after much thought, nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Marquis Wen Guan, for holding it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he spoke, Pan seized the right moment and vanished in a streak of light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, the green-skinned beast in its frenzy was mentally confused—it acted purely on instinct, seeking to slaughter every living being nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just now, it had been enraged by Lu Fang’s attacks and was solely focused on tearing him to pieces; it hadn’t even noticed those who had left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the green-skinned beast’s full assault, Lu Fang truly felt its strength: its speed was astonishing, far exceeding any fourth-rank being he had ever encountered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though he had been extremely cautious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had nearly been injured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, he activated the Extraordinary Power: Conceal Heaven and Cover Earth, transforming into his strongest state—the Giant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The green-skinned beast before him was the strongest opponent he had ever faced—he had no choice but to do this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he didn’t use his Extraordinary Power, he and Xue Luo Sha might not survive until reinforcements arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Luo Sha had ignored Lu Fang’s advice. In the few brief exchanges she’d had with the green-skinned beast, she had nearly been killed—only Lu Fang’s Heaven-and-Earth Momentum technique had allowed her to escape repeatedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She now understood: simply staying out of the fight was already helping Lu Fang greatly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she first saw Lu Fang transform into a Giant, she was stunned. Her first thought was: My heavens! A Sixth Rank, Third Stage Confucian scholar, fighting evenly against an exceptionally rare fourth-rank strange beast!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had already thought him incredibly strong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But seeing this, she realized she had still underestimated him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to her internal energy cultivation, Lu Fang had developed exquisite control over momentum. He had tested before: even in his transformed state, he could still use Heaven-and-Earth Momentum without interfering with other Extraordinary Powers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why a Sixth Rank, Third Stage Confucian scholar could stand toe-to-toe with a fourth-rank strange beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Dirge of Fallen Petals restricting it, and Heaven-and-Earth Momentum further limiting it, the frenzied fourth-rank beast was severely crippled—unable to unleash even half its full power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang wasn’t in a rush. He had no desire to clash head-on or prove superiority—he was purely focused on holding it off, waiting for reinforcements to arrive, ensuring a safer resolution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, he held the advantages of timing, terrain, and circumstance—there was nothing left to do but wait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The green-skinned beast’s attacks were ferocious, but as it failed to land a single blow on Lu Fang, its blood-red eyes suddenly returned to normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment it regained its reason, it didn’t hesitate—it turned and activated its stealth ability, sprinting desperately out of the cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang wouldn’t let it escape—he chased after it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to the target-lock of Dirge of Fallen Petals, even though it was invisible, peach petals still trailed after it—saving Lu Fang considerable trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>",1126,"2026-06-20T03:56:21.568Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","d4f5715d6e600f966b90276ea43da3169b644187e5e11f9772e3d8f73ab5d5d0","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-179","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-177",289,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-cover.jpg"]