[{"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-243":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},2292206,4481,"Chapter 243","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-243",243,"\u003Cp>Just as Song Ce was about to collapse, the Illusion Guardian suddenly stopped and said, “The King wishes to see you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stepped aside, clearing a path before the black mist tunnel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji turned back, glancing at Song Ce, who was panting but had regained his composure, then shook his head and walked into the black mist tunnel first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hui immediately followed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After taking an elixir from his storage pouch, Song Ce regained some vigor and entered as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hurry up!” The Illusion Guardian glared at Lu Fang, who stood motionless in the distance, his eyes filled with threat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang smiled bitterly—he had no choice but to walk into the black mist tunnel under the Guardian’s watchful gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The world spun, black light flashed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Lu Fang regained his senses, he stood in a vast canyon, behind him the great mountain. So that was it—the reason they had failed to find the Wuyi Clan’s King was because someone had concealed this canyon with a secret technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From outside, it appeared only as a great mountain; without the black mist tunnel, they would never have found this place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the canyon’s bottom lay a man-made cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three Wuyi Clan members, all equally beyond ninth-rank, stood at the cave entrance—each uniquely shaped, and from their power, clearly the other three Guardians.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three Guardians with the strength of great Confucian warriors, plus a King stronger still—this force alone could sweep away every faction in the Scorched Lands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang now truly understood the terror of the ancient clans—this was even under Heaven’s restrictions. Outside the Lesser Upper Realm, they had restored from fourth-rank to this level—truly defied Heaven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder the Demon Barbarians had said that releasing the ancient clans from their seals could overturn the Northern and Southern Frontiers of the Great Zhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had doubted it before; now he agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Illusion Guardian entered last, but instead of following Ji and the others toward the cave, he remained guarding the entrance to the black mist tunnel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji stepped forward eagerly, bowing respectfully to the three Wuyi Guardians. “Your servant Ji has come to pledge loyalty to the King.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A three-meter-tall, thousand-jin spherical Wuyi member grinned, his voice booming. “Stand aside. The King is resting in the cave. He only ordered the Divine Race fellow to enter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Lord Li!” Ji replied, then walked with Hui to a distance to await orders—by their status, they could not stand near the Guardians.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wuyi Clan’s hierarchy was rigid, even more terrifying than humans’.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cross the line, and you die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Ce took several deep breaths and strode into the cave. He looked tense—after all, the King needed only one moment of displeasure to kill him inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Another ghost cultivator?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A tall Wuyi woman in tight red leather armor extended a snake-like tongue to lick her lips, her eyes fixed on Lu Fang with a hungry gleam.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was evil light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s my subordinate,” Song Ce said casually as he stepped toward the cave. Hoping to groom Lu Fang’s disguised ghost cultivator form into a trusted ally, he offered a convenient lie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang hadn’t expected it—Ji, upon hearing Song Ce’s lie, made no protest. He clearly didn’t regard Lu Fang as anything at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wuyi Clan’s power would never take seriously a mere fifth-rank, third-stage ghost cultivator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang calmly sat down on the spot. The situation had already unfolded this way—no amount of fear would change it. He might as well accept it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wuyi King’s willingness to meet Song Ce meant they had a real chance of survival. That was one reason he hadn’t fought to escape earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So he’s from the Divine Race.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang thought to himself. He had sensed the divine energy felt familiar—he’d suspected Song Ce’s possessor was from the Divine Race. He hadn’t expected it to be true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t know how the Wuyi King had discerned it, but he wouldn’t be mistaken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, gods were spirits born from the blood of the Divine Race, capable of awakening fragments of their ancestral memories—calling them part of the Divine Race wasn’t inaccurate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Too close to use a voice talisman!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang sensed the glowing voice talisman in his storage pouch but dared not retrieve it—the Wuyi King had seen through Song Ce’s identity; he might see through the talisman’s message too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unable to check it, he could still guess who sent it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since meeting Song Ce and Ji, he had only contacted Xue Luo Sha, informing her of the Wuyi King’s presence; they had confirmed a rescue force would arrive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Xue Luo Sha’s message was likely to say the reinforcements were en route, warning him to be cautious—or perhaps to flee outright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Lu Fang had told Xue Luo Sha the Wuyi King’s strength was likely top-tier or beyond ninth-rank, that was because he didn’t understand ancient clans well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Sha, knowing this, could surely estimate the true power of the ancient clan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus Lu Fang wasn’t worried the Luo Sha Kingdom would send weak reinforcements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if things went against his hopes, he had no recourse—he was barely holding on himself. He wouldn’t risk any dangerous move that might arouse the Wuyi King’s suspicion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only by surviving could he do more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang hadn’t expected Song Ce to remain inside the cave so long—the sky had darkened, yet he still hadn’t emerged. Meanwhile, over a dozen more Wuyi members had arrived in the canyon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Summoned by the King, their restored power hovered around third-rank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this short time, Ji had advanced to third-rank, second stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang stared in shock. Was this really under Heaven’s restrictions? He hadn’t seen Ji cultivate at all, yet he’d ascended a full sub-stage—truly terrifying!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s your name?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Lu Fang pretended to nap, a seductive female voice suddenly spoke beside him—he recognized it instantly as the only female Wuyi Guardian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder she was beyond ninth-rank—though he’d been lost in thought, she had approached silently. Had she wished to kill him then, he’d already be dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jia Sheng,” Lu Fang opened his eyes, studying the Wuyi woman. He’d noticed before: all female Wuyi shared a uniform beauty and voluptuous figures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Guardian was among the finest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet despite her delicate appearance, the subtle revulsion shown by the other two Guardians suggested she was no innocent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How should I address you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang raised an eyebrow and asked.\u003C\u002Fp>",1076,"2026-06-20T03:56:22.339Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","0bd412098b4e02ee0c424e4c50aa750c5b231f39439beaeab387a5481d341c8d","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-244","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-242",289,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-cover.jpg"]