[{"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-283":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},2292246,4481,"Chapter 283","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-283",283,"\u003Cp>The Demon Heart knew of the existence of the Book Qi, and knew that Lu Fang had acquired far more of it than others, but it did not know that whenever anyone obtained Book Qi, he could obtain the same amount.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Using the Supernatural Power—Divine Needle That Stabilizes the Sea—was easier than I thought,” Lu Fang said without elaborating further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Demon Heart knew he was hiding something, but did not press further; instead, it said, “No one knows how long we can stay in this minor upper realm. How high do you plan to ascend before seeking the scent of Punishment?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang shook his head. “We’ll see. I’m not certain yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this, he sat cross-legged in the cave and began swallowing Book Qi repeatedly. Since he was using external means to elevate his realm, he had no reservations—just kept consuming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Book Qi, the moment it entered his stomach, automatically digested itself, saving him considerable time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With no restriction from the Heavenly Dao, by the next morning, Lu Fang successfully entered the Fourth Rank, Third Stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Demon Heart paid no mind to this minor advancement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To it, Lu Fang had lingered too long in Fourth Rank, Second Stage; now, using Book Qi to ascend, this was already painfully slow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But gradually, the Demon Heart sensed something amiss: Lu Fang was swallowing Book Qi as if it were free, leaving it deeply puzzled—could Book Qi really be this easy to obtain? Hadn’t it heard it was exceedingly hard to acquire?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Lu Fang had far too much of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third Rank, First Stage!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two more days passed, and Lu Fang successfully entered the Third Rank. Just as the Demon Heart assumed his Book Qi was exhausted, he did not stop—he continued swallowing Book Qi at a steady pace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang himself was somewhat annoyed: although swallowing Book Qi allowed automatic digestion, it still required a little time; if he swallowed more during that interval, some of its effect would be wasted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In combat, of course, he had no need to worry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But during cultivation, he did not wish to waste anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A single strand of Book Qi, thick and long, had seemed fine before—but now it felt painfully slow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third Rank, Second Stage!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third Rank, Third Stage!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second Rank, First Stage!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without the full restriction of the Heavenly Dao, it was good: Lu Fang consumed two thousand one hundred strands of Book Qi, along with a number of Ten Thousand Dao Stones, and finally entered the ranks of Second Rank cultivators.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this minor upper realm, with his current strength, as long as he was cautious, he believed no one could kill him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Demon Heart’s tone had grown numb: “You’ve actually ascended to Second Rank, First Stage? I thought you’d max out at Third Rank, First Stage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang smiled bitterly. “Even this fragmented Heavenly Dao imposes heavy restrictions on me. Otherwise, I would have ascended faster. Now, I should have the strength to seek out that scent of Punishment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You may,” the Demon Heart said seriously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving aside Lu Fang’s myriad divine arts and supernatural powers, even the sheer force of his Inner Will made him untouchable in this minor upper realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then let’s go meet this scent of Punishment,” Lu Fang said, brimming with confidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, he had not lost his head. With his cautious nature, before leaving the cave, he deliberately used the Supernatural Power—Conceal Heaven and Cover Earth—to disguise his appearance and realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He did all this to make his enemies underestimate him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could deliver a fatal strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the Demon Heart, Lu Fang learned that the weaker scent of Punishment remained motionless to the east. He swiftly crossed the desert, traveled for several days, and finally arrived at a mountain range.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Demon Heart’s perception was correct, the scent of Punishment should lie somewhere within this mountain range.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, the other had sensed Lu Fang’s arrival; barely had he entered the mountains when the Demon Heart said, “To your west—the scent of Punishment is watching you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even without the Demon Heart’s warning, Lu Fang’s current physique, immense momentum, and enhanced perception allowed him to sense the other’s presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet what surprised Lu Fang was that the aura of the watcher behind him carried a familiar scent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sir, why not step forward and show yourself?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang turned toward that location.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air behind him twisted violently, and a young man clad in a purple robe materialized—it was none other than Song Ce, who had clashed with Lu Fang multiple times before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s you,” Lu Fang said, frowning as he recognized the man. He silently asked the Demon Heart: “Are you certain he is the source of that Punishment scent?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Demon Heart replied firmly: “No mistake. He must have used some secret technique to absorb a fragment of Punishment’s aura. His realm was once lower; now he’s reached Second Rank, First Stage—same as you. Unless he had a miraculous encounter, he couldn’t have achieved this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Ce raised an eyebrow. “You know me? If I recall correctly, we’ve never met.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang chuckled. “Irrelevant. You only need to know today is your death day.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bold words! Are you insane?” Song Ce laughed bitterly. A Fourth Rank, Second Stage Confucian, seeing him, didn’t flee—dared to speak so arrogantly before him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Utterly presumptuous!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dirge of Fallen Petals!” Lu Fang murmured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Petals of peach blossoms rained from the sky, swiftly forming a circular barrier that trapped Song Ce.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Ce’s face turned pale. “Who are you! How do you know this Supernatural Power? Even if this Dirge of Fallen Petals restrains my strength, our realm gap is too vast—do you really think you can kill me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even as he spoke, his divine power erupted—he prepared to end this swiftly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Crush and Kill!” Lu Fang paid Song Ce no mind. In the same realm, he could never lose to anyone—not even with Song Ce’s countless miraculous gains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Divine Needle That Stabilizes the Sea appeared, shimmering with intricate runes, descending like a mountain to crush Song Ce.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Crush!” Lu Fang swallowed more Book Qi while continuing to control the Divine Needle, inflicting massive secondary damage upon Song Ce.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath the Divine Needle, Song Ce bled from all seven orifices—but he did not die. He deployed every means at his disposal to escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he made slight progress, he suddenly felt another colossal mountain press down upon him—his breath choked, and he spat out a gout of blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the Divine Art of Heaven and Earth’s Momentum!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Song Ce finally understand why this man knew him: only one person in the world knew this ancient divine art—Lu Fang, the Marquis of Literary Crown of Great Zhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Song Ce could act, the Divine Needle descended again, driven by Lu Fang’s will. Song Ce’s divine power scattered, his bones cracked and shattered under the pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>",1156,"2026-06-20T03:56:22.339Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","66f991b66a88c856dfe7d87ad5be887c4be316f4121c8711ac90ff97e8e63f96","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-284","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-282",289,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-cover.jpg"]