[{"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-49":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},2292012,4481,"Chapter 49: Chapter Forty-Nine: Shui Yao","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-49",49,"\u003Cp>“What? Don’t I have enough to kill you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang snapped his fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Peach blossoms drifted down from the sky like a rain of petals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re bold! Is this all? Do you think these peach blossoms can crush me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Cang didn’t even glance at Lu Fang; his eyes, glowing faintly, scanned every possible hiding spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was being restrained by some force!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Cang sharply retracted his gaze, staring at the swirling peach blossoms—his scorn turned solemn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This human youth hadn’t done anything obvious—why was this happening?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So that’s it! You can use these peach blossoms to suppress your opponent’s strength? Ah Heng Sai was careless and got ambushed by you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Cang believed he had figured it out, and spat out each word: “You’re an idiot!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t cursing Lu Fang—he was cursing Ah Heng Sai!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even weakened, to be killed by a seventh-rank, second-tier Confucian scholar was, in his eyes, deeply shameful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ambush?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang smiled faintly, raising both hands and clenching them firmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Air surged together, coalescing into Guan Yun Chang—his overwhelming aura solidified, crushing the surrounding boulders to dust!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Such immense presence!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Cang’s face flushed red, then darkened, finally turning deathly pale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To kill you, I don’t need an ambush!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang raised an eyebrow and slashed downward: “Spiritual Soul—Green Dragon Crescent Blade!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flash of cold light passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Cang’s eyes widened; he frantically raised his Kaishan Axe to block—CRASH! Behind him, the massive boulder shattered into pieces; the axe’s tip was cleanly severed!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His rolling head lost its glow; the headless corpse knelt on its knees and collapsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So fast!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was Ye Cang’s final thought before death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The barbarians’ presence is indeed far stronger than ordinary humans—perfect targets for Zang Hua Yin!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang reached a conclusion, stepped forward, and took Ye Cang’s storage pouch. After glancing inside, he smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The materials and elixirs on these two were far more abundant than those on the Bloodwing Bats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still not coming out?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang tucked away the pouch and looked up at a wild tree above the waterfall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During his standoff with Ye Cang, he’d sensed an intruder—if the stranger had intended to attack, or if his aura had differed from Xue Luo Sha’s, Lu Fang would’ve already slashed him down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You sensed me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cold female voice echoed; from a rocky outcrop beside the waterfall, a mist-like force of extreme yin emerged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, it took the form of a black-clad woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her features faintly resembled Xue Luosha—shorter, slimmer, without horns on her head, her expression devoid of childishness, instead radiating coldness and ethereal intelligence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your aura is well-hidden. Others might not sense you, but my perception is stronger than theirs,” Lu Fang smiled and asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s your relationship with Princess Xue Luo Sha? You both possess extreme yin energy—are you a ghost cultivator? A ghost clan member?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re Lu Fang? The Imperial Scholar Marquis of Great Zhou?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black-clad woman replied with a question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you’ve exchanged voice-charms with that idiot princess,” Lu Fang smiled. “Correct—I’m the one you’re referring to. How are she and He Zixuan faring atop the Clan Destiny Whale?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your words require caution.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black-clad woman frowned, her brow sharp and commanding. She pulled out a palm-sized jade charm and said: “The Prince said that upon finding you, I was to…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During their conversation, Lu Fang learned the black-clad woman’s name was Shui Yao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was neither a ghost cultivator nor from the ghost clan, but a spirit born from a well in Luo Sha territory saturated with extreme yin energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was Xue Luo Sha’s close friend!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing Xue Luo Sha had entered the Lesser Upper Realm, she had searched everywhere—only to receive word that the idiot princess was trapped atop the human Clan Destiny Whale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Luo Sha could leave the Clan Destiny Whale freely, but the demon and barbarian clans would never let her go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Helpless, Shui Yao had followed Xue Luo Sha’s instructions to seek out—Great Zhou’s Imperial Scholar Marquis, Lu Fang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just now, she had passed by accidentally; seeing the human in the standoff, she had paused to observe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His appearance did resemble Lu Fang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Imperial Scholar Marquis described by the Prince as immensely powerful could not possibly be a seventh-rank, second-tier Confucian scholar—such strength couldn’t even save himself, let alone rescue the Prince.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was Shui Yao’s first thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had heard from Xue Luo Sha Lu Fang’s appearance and attire, but never asked about his realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, anyone entering the Lesser Upper Realm was seventh-rank, third-tier—it was an unspoken rule.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not to mention Xue Luo Sha had repeatedly emphasized Lu Fang’s strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet just as Shui Yao was about to leave—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sudden change!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Peach blossoms rained down, matching Xue Luo Sha’s description of Lu Fang’s battle—was this short-lived Confucian scholar…?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flash of blade-light passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The barbarian, who had seemed dominant, was dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A seventh-rank, second-tier Confucian scholar this strong?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Shui Yao questioned her own existence, Lu Fang revealed her location.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Imperial Scholar Marquis! Is it really you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Luo Sha’s delighted voice rang from the voice-charm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Lu Fang chased after the evil monk Lian Yi, she’d learned many tales of the Imperial Scholar Marquis from He Zixuan and instantly became a fan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s me. Did you and He Zixuan summon the Clan Destiny Whale?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang asked his first question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, Xue Luo Sha’s voice replied:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We couldn’t find you, then we reached a chaotic field of stone pillars. I heard the human ghosts screaming again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This time, the voices were louder—but chaotic. Just as I tried to focus, two Clan Destiny Whales burst from the ground.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come quickly and save us! Demon and barbarian forces are gathering here—if the human Clan Destiny Whale is consumed by the other, we’re doomed!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So it was them who caused this!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang paused, then pressed: “You’re from the Luo Sha clan—how are you on the human Clan Destiny Whale?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Luo Sha replied, equally puzzled: “I don’t know either!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Lu Fang was certain—it wasn’t that Xue Luo Sha carried great human destiny; her own uniqueness allowed her to stand atop the human Clan Destiny Whale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Lu Fang fall silent in thought,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shui Yao frowned and said: “I suggest we inquire about the demon and barbarian deployments, then find a weak point to infiltrate secretly and rescue them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That plan won’t work.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang rejected it:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve been to the demon-barbarian alliance’s base—it’s far from the central stone pillar zone. Those on the Clan Destiny Whale couldn’t sense anything so distant.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shui Yao snatched the voice-charm from Lu Fang’s hand, skeptical, and asked Xue Luo Sha again—she knew nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then what’s your plan?”\u003C\u002Fp>",1122,"2026-06-20T03:56:21.568Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","95dfe3638b65fa793c8432e202abe15c9a7aefb017f479ed5d22ecab9c3be8a5","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-50","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-48",289,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-cover.jpg"]