[{"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-218":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},2292181,4481,"Chapter 218","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-218",218,"\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan and the other two nodded in unison at Lu Fang; they didn’t yet know why they could mimic so perfectly, but they had confirmed Lu Fang meant them no harm—indeed, there were signs he intended to protect them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, they could only choose to trust Lu Fang completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang nodded in satisfaction and surged forward at once; the sealing ground had finally been found, and he was curious what kind of place it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What manner of ancient alien race was sealed within?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It certainly wouldn’t be something like Fa; after all, this was the Lesser Upper Realm, bound by realm restrictions. The ancient aliens might be powerful, but here, their strength would be around the Fourth Rank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like the Demon Heart—it was indeed immensely strong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it still needed to feed on Lu Fang’s cultivation source to recover gradually; he suspected the ancient aliens were in a similar predicament.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he mused, Lu Fang finally saw the sealing ground ahead: the mist barrier that once existed before the Lesser Upper Realm had become a mysterious golden gate standing firm upon the earth, its surroundings transformed into grotesque illusions of demons, skeletons, and mountains of corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Merely witnessing these mist illusions made Lu Fang feel as if he stood before a battlefield piled high with corpses—he even smelled the stench of rotting flesh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the golden gate, Pan and Zheng Xu, the two appointed commanders of the Demon and Barbarian forces, watched the sealing ground with unmistakable delight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No wonder the Seer said the sealing ground here emitted anomalous energy fluctuations—this golden gate seals the ancient aliens. Something must have gone wrong; the mist has seeped out from within.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan analyzed solemnly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xu nodded, agreeing with Pan’s assessment and adding: “Either the seal here has aged too long and weakened, or the sealed ancient aliens did something to make the mist leak out and loosen the seal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The demon and barbarian analyzed clearly—only these two possibilities existed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang stood silently beside Pan, observing. Finding the sealing ground was one thing; breaking it was another. Until he understood fully, he had no intention of acting rashly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How do we break this seal?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He whispered to Pan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan grinned, revealing sharp fangs, and said gravely: “Who among my demon warriors dares to push open that golden gate? The one who succeeds shall receive one hundred thousand mid-grade Ten Thousand Dao Stones.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang paused, startled. Was that really how to break the seal? Just push the golden gate—and the reward was one hundred thousand mid-grade Ten Thousand Dao Stones? For an ordinary Fourth Rank demon, this was an extraordinarily generous prize.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected, upon hearing the reward, every demon showed greed, whispering and murmuring among themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Demons who had cultivated to around the Fourth Rank were no ordinary beings; such a high reward implied equal danger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xu glanced at Pan with amusement and mimicked him: “The same goes for our barbarians—anyone who steps forward to push open that golden gate shall also receive one hundred thousand mid-grade Ten Thousand Dao Stones.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan and Zheng Xu exchanged glances and spoke in unison: “One demon, one barbarian. Take turns.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite the obvious abnormality, one demon stepped forward. As the saying goes: great rewards attract brave men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There are always one or two who believe themselves special.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The demon who stepped forward was a Fifth Rank equine demon, with a horse’s face and human body. It bared its teeth in a neigh, bowed to Pan, and said: “Commander Pan, I volunteer to try.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After receiving Pan’s permission, the equine demon advanced toward the mist with excitement and caution. This time, unlike before, the mist barrier did not vanish upon contact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This truly is the sealing ground.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The equine demon paced back and forth within the mist, shouting excitedly to Pan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang frowned, his peripheral vision catching Pan’s sly smile—he felt a creeping unease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it were truly that easy to push open the golden gate…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t believe Pan would have failed to try first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the goal was merely to test the mist barrier, there was no need to offer one hundred thousand mid-grade Ten Thousand Dao Stones—and Zheng Xu of the barbarians had offered the same reward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang didn’t know why, but he sensed Pan and Zheng Xu knew something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to the urgency of time, he couldn’t piece it together yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he puzzled, the equine demon reached the golden gate, its glow radiating. It cautiously touched the light—no harm came. Emboldened, it extended both hands to push the gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that instant, chaos erupted: the mist around it turned into countless blades, slicing the demon into countless fragments in the blink of an eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood gushed onto the ground, flowing like a small stream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pungent stench of blood made Lu Fang, standing near the front, frown tightly—sure enough, pushing open the golden gate was no simple matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mist, sensing flesh and blood, moved like living things, absorbing every shred of meat and blood within moments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In barely a dozen breaths, the once-living equine demon vanished as if it had never existed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Supreme Demon Sovereign, what did I just see? Those evil mists actually consume the lives of those who enter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One hundred thousand mid-grade Ten Thousand Dao Stones? Let whoever wants it take it—I won’t throw away my life for nothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let the lowly, base barbarians push the gate—it’s too dangerous.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The demons, horrified by the equine demon’s fate, whispered in fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The barbarians reacted similarly; some even retreated several zhang away, terrified of being chosen by Zheng Xu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan sneered at Zheng Xu: “As agreed, it’s your turn to send someone to push open the golden gate in the mist. Hurry up—don’t waste everyone’s time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xu snorted and turned to the hooded barbarian warrior: “From now on, any clan member who shows cowardice and flees without fighting shall be executed on the spot. And if no one volunteers to push the gate, you will choose the candidate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hooded barbarian warrior exhaled in relief and quickly replied, “Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least now, he wouldn’t have to push that cursed golden gate himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long passed before the hooded barbarian selected a weak barbarian, forcing him into the mist to push the gate through threats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing certain death either way, the barbarian with large ears had no choice but to enter the mist—and like the equine demon before him, the moment his hand touched the golden gate, he was killed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within moments, the mist devoured his flesh and blood completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He never even screamed—killed and consumed in eerie silence.\u003C\u002Fp>",1109,"2026-06-20T03:56:22.339Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","0a0e4288f503dc5227e2d4364c1962ea3f0d24f58d343a4c6d036742b1edf009","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-219","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-217",289,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-cover.jpg"]