[{"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-46":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},2292009,4481,"Chapter 46: Chapter Forty-Six: The Ancestral Qi-Kun","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-46",46,"\u003Cp>The Taoist rolled his eyes, looking utterly baffled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord Wenguan, what are you thinking? How could the Demon-Barbarian Alliance possibly mobilize all their forces to chase just me, one bat demon not enough?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, just one bat demon?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang slowed his speed and grabbed the Taoist’s wrist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This…” The Taoist’s expression shifted from confusion to delight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How did I never think of this! Lord Wenguan, your speed is so fast—you can just carry me away! You don’t know how many elixirs I’ve burned just to shake off that bat demon behind us!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Taoist screamed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang had abruptly halted, pulling the Taoist’s wrist to a stop, smiling lightly: “Why should we fear a single bat demon? We’ve been searching for unclaimed qi fortune—here it is, walking right up to us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Taoist watched the bloodwing bat drawing nearer, hopping in panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Lu Fang’s hand clamped his wrist like an iron vice—no matter how he struggled, he could not break free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord Wenguan, let go of me! You’re insane! I can’t fight that bat demon! You’re only seventh-rank first tier—you can’t help at all! If we don’t run now, it’ll be too late!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Taoist’s voice cracked with tears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh? He loosened his grip?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Taoist didn’t think twice—he activated his “Eight Trigrams” and surged forward again. Suddenly, his heart lurched—he felt a powerful pressure behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh no, oh no!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lord Wenguan’s stupidly standing still—he’s going to be drained dry by the bat demon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Taoist twisted his neck, pitying, ready to cast one last glance at Lu Fang, silently vowing: From now on, every year on this day, I’ll burn paper money to honor Lord Wenguan…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh? What’s going on?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Taoist stomped hard on his “Eight Trigrams,” his body leaning forward from momentum, and came to a sudden stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something’s wrong!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The overwhelming pressure was radiating from Lord Wenguan himself!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A majestic Guan Yun Chang with a flowing beard materialized behind Lu Fang, swinging his Green Dragon Crescent Blade at the bat demon with casual ease!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flash of blade-light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bloodwing bat split cleanly in two!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Taoist stood frozen, as if struck by lightning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lord Wenguan slew the bloodwing bat with a single slash!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Am I dead? Is all this just a hallucination before I die?” The Taoist pinched his thigh hard—pain shot through him, and he winced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That bat demon wasn’t that strong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang strolled up calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Taoist spoke awkwardly: “That bat demon still had some power—it’s just that you’re too strong. What you just used… was transcendent power?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang nodded, changing the subject: “Earlier you said the Demon-Barbarian Alliance had formed a pact in the east?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After further questioning, Lu Fang learned the Taoist’s name was Pei Kuang, Daoist title Qingfeng, a priest of the “Qingfeng Temple” in Shangjing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After entering the Lesser Upper Realm,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Kuang had good fortune—he slew several creatures bound by qi fortune and gathered much unclaimed qi fortune.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Last night, I was dozing in a sand cave when suddenly I heard a cry—not from any bird, not from any beast, but a… chilling sound that made my bones tremble.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Kuang paused, searching for the right word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And then?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Kuang’s expression turned dreamy as he murmured:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So I crept closer. After walking half a day, I finally saw the ancestral qi-kun.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ancestral qi-kun!” Lu Fang exclaimed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sages of old had written extensively about the kun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether in Sage Lie Kozhong’s “Liezi: Tang Wen”: “Far north of the northernmost land lies the Minghai, a heavenly pool. There dwells a fish, thousands of li wide, its length immeasurable, named kun.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or in Sage Zhuang Zhou’s “Zhuangzi: Free and Easy Wandering”: “In the Northern Darkness there is a fish, named kun. The kun is so vast, no one knows how many thousands of li it spans.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ancestral qi-kun was a creature unique to the Lesser Upper Realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It resembled a fish, able to swim in oceans and soar through the skies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a spirit born from the convergence of a race’s collective qi fortune—human ancestral qi-kun represented the qi fortune of humanity, demonic ancestral qi-kun represented the qi fortune of demons…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ancestral qi-kun were exceedingly rare!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When an ancestral qi-kun sensed another of its kind nearby, it emitted a low “wuuu” cry, signaling those of the same qi lineage to mount its back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When it accumulated sufficient qi fortune, the ancestral qi-kun would transform itself into countless fragments of qi fortune, bestowing them upon nearby members of its kind—a phenomenon commonly called “Kun’s Fall.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is it the human ancestral qi-kun?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang asked, his expression grave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Kuang nodded firmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know what He Zixuan did, but he drew out two ancestral qi-kun—one human, the other strange: both demons and barbarians could mount its back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It must be the demon-barbarian ancestral qi-kun.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When I arrived, the demon and barbarian tribes had just arrived too. Seeing the two ancestral qi-kun chasing and devouring each other, they immediately formed an alliance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They agreed to seal off the area and kill any human who appeared.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t think I’m just injured—I was there when…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang frowned, interrupting: “Wait—you just said He Zixuan was there too. Is he alright?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Kuang shook his head rapidly: “He Zixuan and the Luo Sha woman, sensing danger, flew straight onto the human ancestral qi-kun’s back. Protected by human qi fortune, the demon and barbarian tribes couldn’t harm them for now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s strange, though.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Luo Sha woman isn’t human—how could she be protected by human qi fortune?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Logically, she shouldn’t even be able to mount the ancestral qi-kun.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Kuang puzzled over it endlessly—he still didn’t understand, and no records mentioned such a case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, a single ancestral qi-kun embodying both demon and barbarian qi—this was his first time seeing it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is Luo Sha there too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang’s expression turned thoughtful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could it be that He Zixuan and Luo Sha had gone searching for some ancient site of human transcendents—and accidentally triggered the ancestral qi-kun?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more he thought, the more certain he became.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if that place truly was an ancient site of human transcendents, why would a demon-barbarian ancestral qi-kun appear?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Luo Sha being able to mount the human ancestral qi-kun—either she carried immense human qi fortune, or she possessed some extraordinary quality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, even beyond the Lesser Upper Realm, people could hear the wails of human ghosts—this alone proved Luo Sha had unique transcendent power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Kuang slapped his forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh! I need to warn others—don’t go east! If you meet the demon-barbarian alliance, you’re dead!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang watched as Pei Kuang pulled out a “voice-transmitting talisman.” “No! We must go to the human ancestral qi-kun!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why? Going now is just suicide!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Kuang was baffled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang sighed:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Didn’t you just say the two ancestral qi-kun were chasing and devouring each other? If the demon-barbarian ancestral qi-kun succeeds in devouring the human one, the demon and barbarian tribes will gain immense qi fortune—and the Man Sha will expand again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The soldiers of the Great Zhou’s northern border will face an even greater disaster in battle!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then it won’t be just one or two dying—it’ll be tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of soldiers slain, and tens of thousands of border civilians forced to flee—or die.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1231,"2026-06-20T03:56:21.568Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","76d81dfb13ac4492d051cd4ea4d356f1880b636bf4bd83ea3499d52ce3f0b8b5","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-47","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-45",289,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-cover.jpg"]