[{"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-40":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},2292003,4481,"Chapter 40: Chapter Forty: Great Omen of Doom!","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-40",40,"\u003Cp>Ching!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Yingyue Small Sword struck the spiked club, forcibly deflecting the barbarian man’s attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Zixuan retreated several steps, his face as pale as paper, beads of sweat sliding down his cheeks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had just walked through the gates of death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm?” The barbarian man and He Zixuan turned toward the barbarian woman’s direction almost simultaneously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The barbarian woman’s head lay rolled on the sandy ground, leaving only a headless corpse spurting blood from her severed neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang still held his chopping stance, the phantom shadow of Guan Yun Chang behind him still intact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Zixuan’s face brightened at the sight of Lu Fang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The barbarian man’s face twisted in rage as he charged at Lu Fang with his spiked club, “Damned human, I’ll kill you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Petals of peach blossoms fell from the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Spiritual Soul: Green Dragon Crescent Blade!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang slashed at the barbarian man; the slashing aura tore through him like dry grass, severing his head, the gushing blood column beneath the falling peach petals resembling a crimson rain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Plop!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spiked club snapped in two and crashed onto the sand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This battle was over!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re already Rank 3 of the Eighth Tier?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Zixuan gasped for breath, staring at Lu Fang with an expression full of complexity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two tiers upgraded in less than a day?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s absurd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang nodded, took out the Qi Destiny Stone, and absorbed the unclaimed Qi Destiny of the larger barbarian woman. “One unclaimed Qi Destiny each.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If not for you, I’d be dead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Zixuan shook his head vigorously. “Take both. The Heavenly Dao’s restrictions barely affect someone like me—you need Qi Destiny more than I do. If you’re uneasy, repay me later when the chance comes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright.” Lu Fang didn’t refuse; he took the second unclaimed Qi Destiny as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These two barbarians’ Qi Destiny was noticeably larger than the Wild Boar Spirit’s—no one could claim not to covet it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After seizing their Qi Destiny, he found two storage bags on their corpses and tossed one filled with numerous elixirs to He Zixuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, He Zixuan didn’t refuse—he had consumed many elixirs during the fight with the two barbarians and was now running low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can barbarians somehow send two people to the same place in the Lesser Upper Realm? These two seemed coordinated, not like a random team.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang looked puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After swallowing two Xiao Huan Dan, He Zixuan’s expression eased. He shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All other races enter the Lesser Upper Realm the same way we do. They met so quickly because they entered one right after the other.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For example, I entered right after you. If nothing went wrong, I’d appear near you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“His Majesty specifically instructed me to find you in the Lesser Upper Realm. That way, we’d be together—even if we met Xiao Yunru, he’d hesitate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Never thought you’d end up saving my life.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Zixuan hung his head. So far, Lu Fang was far more at ease in the Lesser Upper Realm than he was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang suddenly sensed a faint red glow emanating from his entire body—had his momentum not been strong enough, he might have missed it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing Lu Fang’s description, He Zixuan frantically rummaged through the barbarian woman’s storage bag and pulled out a one-foot-long “bone horn.” His face turned pale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bad! This barbarian woman had Imperial Barbarian blood. You’ve been marked by the Blood Slaughter Curse—no wonder she was so skilled at communicating with ‘Barbarian Heaven.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Blood Slaughter Curse?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang’s face darkened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had read about the Blood Slaughter Curse in texts: anyone who killed a barbarian with Imperial Blood would be marked by it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All barbarians could sense the presence of the Blood Slaughter Curse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once they encountered someone marked by it, barbarians would pursue them relentlessly until death!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worse still, the curse clings for life—only a semi-sage-level or higher treasure with purification properties can remove it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young Master Xiao, where are we headed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The short, fat man asked, puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yunru replied in a low tone:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? Didn’t you just say you’d follow me? I said I’m going to kill someone—if you’re unwilling, leave now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tall, thin man flattered him:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll follow Young Master Xiao wherever he goes. Killing one person? Even slaughtering all those fools wouldn’t be too much—humanity’s rise depends on Young Master Xiao.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The short, fat man quickly explained: “Young Master, I didn’t mean anything by it—this Lesser Upper Realm is vast. In a month, we might never find the person you want to kill.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have my own way to find him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yunru said confidently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lesser Upper Realm was vast, but if you could pinpoint your target, finding one person was effortless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, the “Fragrant Thread Worm”—a creature that could smell its own feces from extreme distances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the crowd at the back mountain of the Wen Yuan Academy welcomed Lu Fang, a member of the Xiao family had secretly smeared some of the worm’s feces on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The worm’s feces were colorless and odorless—even washing with water couldn’t remove the scent, which only the Fragrant Thread Worm could detect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one month in the Lesser Upper Realm was extremely precious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yunru didn’t want to waste time chasing Lu Fang—the Fragrant Thread Worm would be crucial now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s very close.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Fragrant Thread Worm on Xiao Yunru’s hand twitched excitedly—proof the target was near.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Amitabha!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A loud Buddhist chant echoed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dark shadow lightly tapped the crest of a distant dune, then swiftly advanced toward Xiao Yunru and his two companions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a monk from the Buddha Kingdom!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The short, fat man grinned wickedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tall, thin man squinted. When he saw the approaching figure—a young boy in black monastic robes—he frowned:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A novice of the Black Lotus Buddhist Sect?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young novice stood atop a massive stone several zhang high, palms together, head bowed, murmuring a Buddhist chant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He appeared only fifteen or sixteen, slender-faced, with one large and two small “Black Lotus” marks on his forehead and cheeks, a string of black Buddhist beads around his neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What unsettled people was that when he clasped his palms, his mouth would twist into a wild, unnatural grin—half-smiling, half-snarling, radiating madness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are you blocking our path?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yunru shifted uncomfortably, his yin-yang eyes rapidly fluttering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yin-yang eyes could sense fortune and misfortune.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A single eyelid twitch meant good fortune; both twitching together meant disaster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The severity of fortune or misfortune could be judged by the speed of the eyelid’s twitch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A fifteen-year-old novice had made Xiao Yunru’s yin-yang eyes twitch this fast—this was the first time he’d ever encountered such a “great” omen of doom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am Lian Yi. The three of you are destined to meet me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young monk slowly raised his head, his madness and malice laid bare without concealment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Attack! Kill him together!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The short, fat man shouted.\u003C\u002Fp>",1153,"2026-06-20T03:56:21.568Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","6bce7c490b7b4464460828a4619526eeea66eacb1ff32c08aafbb14dbec482cf","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-41","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-39",289,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-cover.jpg"]