[{"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-242":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},2292205,4481,"Chapter 242: Give Me a Reason Not to Kill You","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-242",242,"\u003Cp>Ji hurried ahead as a guide, with Song Ce and Lu Fang silently following behind; as time passed, the path grew increasingly remote, and after traveling day and night, they reached a great mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why did you suddenly stop? Are we there?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Ce asked in confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had sensed nothing nearby, hence the question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang, at the rear, raised an eyebrow slightly; he too had sensed nothing earlier, but when Ji halted to observe, he closed his eyes and focused his perception—and beneath the mountain’s foot, there seemed to be a faint energy fluctuation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was too subtle; without deliberate attention, it would be utterly undetectable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could the King of the Wuyi Clan be there?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had he used some secret technique to conceal his form, rendering normal cultivators unable to detect him—even Lu Fang, with his heightened perception, had almost missed it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji frowned, his expression clouded with confusion; he had clearly sensed the King was here, yet there was no trace of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Logically, after issuing the call, the King should have remained at that location for a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Ji puzzled over this, a dark dot streaked from afar; as it drew near, it revealed itself as a mass of black mist, which parted to unveil a sturdy middle-aged man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like Ji, the man bore a mist-like mark on his forehead—the distinctive emblem of the Wuyi Clan, which glowed when their cultivation base was activated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most importantly, even if the mark were hidden, the unique aura of the Wuyi Clan could not be concealed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ji, why have you brought two humans here? Have you betrayed us?” the burly man glared at Ji.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji snorted impatiently. “Hui, don’t spout nonsense. If I had truly betrayed you, would I have brought only two such weak humans? One of them is also an ancient race.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I brought them here for my own reasons.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In terms of rank and status, you have no right to lecture me. I will explain myself to the King when I meet him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The burly man called Hui glanced at Song Ce and Lu Fang, then fell silent; after all, he was a Third Rank, Second Stage, Ji a Third Rank, First Stage—these two low-rank human cultivators were no threat to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How have you only recovered to Third Rank, First Stage? I sustained minor injuries too, yet I’ve already regained Third Rank, Second Stage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hui asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji cursed angrily. “Our cultivation is restricted by this realm’s heavenly dao, making recovery painfully slow. I was injured before and nearly died in the Lesser Upper Realm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pointed to Song Ce beside him. “This fellow, who claims to be an ancient race, saved my life—that’s why my recovery has been so slow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Ce cast a thoughtful glance at Ji; it seemed his earlier claim of establishing a faction led by ancient races had been accepted, hence the mention of “saving his life,” though he had done nothing at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if Song Ce had not been there, Ji would have survived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hui nodded slightly, dissatisfied. “After sleeping so long, I never imagined the heavenly dao here would so severely restrict us. In ancient times, we were the favored children of heaven and earth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji’s expression softened with memory. “You must have come here after hearing the King’s call. I wonder whether our Wuyi Clan’s Four Guardians managed to survive the sealing grounds.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Unclear. But the situation is grim,” Hui frowned. “Many of our elite perished in the sealing grounds. If the Four Guardians still lived, they should have arrived here before us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji nodded in agreement; silence fell over the group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Ce glanced around, then spoke gravely. “Are we just going to wait here? Could it be that your clan’s King isn’t even here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he finished speaking—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A vast expanse of black mist surged from the mountain’s foot, coalescing and refusing to disperse, gradually forming a tunnel of darkness stretching endlessly into the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The King is truly here! We simply couldn’t see him—he concealed his location. I should have realized sooner,” Ji exclaimed, his expression alight with excitement as he advanced toward the black mist tunnel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a Wuyi Clan member with long flowing hair leapt from within the tunnel; he appeared young, with an unusually slender build, and behind him stretched a pair of black wings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Super-Ninth Rank ancient race!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Lu Fang sensed the young Wuyi’s cultivation level, his eyelids twitched violently—he had not expected that within such a short time, a Wuyi Clan member would have recovered to Super-Ninth Rank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was a level rivaling a Great Confucian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not to mention the ancient races possessed even greater power, making them nearly unbeatable within their own realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this the King of the Wuyi Clan?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hui’s earlier words proved true: this race had once been favored by heaven and earth. A King of an ancient race, so young, yet so powerful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Guardian Huan, you’re here too. We came upon hearing the King’s call, hoping to lend our strength.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji bowed respectfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hui also bowed deeply. “Guardian Huan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang’s eyes widened; this Super-Ninth Rank Wuyi youth, so immensely powerful, was not the King—only a Guardian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then what was the King’s current strength?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half-Saint realm?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or Saint realm?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that instant, Lu Fang regretted coming here. He had assumed the Wuyi Clan’s King would not recover much power in such a short time; now he saw he had been deluded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had already imagined the Wuyi Clan as strong as possible—yet he had still underestimated them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, escape was impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing a Super-Ninth Rank Wuyi Guardian, he had no confidence he could survive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Ce’s face had turned pale; he too had not expected that so soon after escaping the sealing grounds, someone from the Wuyi Clan had already regained Super-Ninth Rank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Guardian Huan’s crimson eyes turned toward him, Song Ce forced a smile. “Guardian Huan, please don’t misunderstand—I am also an ancient race, here to pledge allegiance to the King. I...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guardian Huan stared at Song Ce without expression. “Give me a reason not to kill you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Ce trembled like a leaf; the vast gap in cultivation level crushed him under Huan’s pressure, nearly forcing him to his knees—only his divine power, unlike ordinary mortals, kept him upright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He struggled to speak. “I am also an ancient race—I escaped the sealing grounds earlier than you, so I understand this world well...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that point, Song Ce could no longer speak; sweat drenched his face, his legs quivered violently, as if he would collapse at any second.\u003C\u002Fp>",1102,"2026-06-20T03:56:22.339Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","9eb7a1d60f7b5c6383b386edaf0ce82a4757b3c4e7f410bb2f8e4c4cf161b577","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-243","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-241",289,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-cover.jpg"]