[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-path-of-immortality":3,"chapter-the-path-of-immortality-the-path-of-immortality-chapter-522":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Path of Immortality",{"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},2271672,4436,"Chapter 522: The Chaotic Clouds Suddenly Roll Away","the-path-of-immortality-chapter-522",522,"\u003Cp>“Counting this one, that makes five copper fish to have appeared in the world, doesn’t it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yin Ruohua pulled back the curtain, glanced outside, then turned back to Chen Hang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In your opinion, could Chen Bai be here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the day Yin Ruohua agreed, along the journey, besides the two copper fish held by Chen and Yin, two more had gradually surfaced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Add this one now, and the Imperial Ancestral Map already holds five copper fish floating to the surface!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the earlier two copper fish—one was taken by Dou Shu Sect’s Jia Xiu, with no connection to Chen Bai.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other was too far away; Chen Hang and Yin Ruohua could not reach it in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet on the way, they encountered yet another copper fish emerging—something truly unforeseen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It doesn’t feel like Chen Bai’s spiritual aura.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Hang lowered his eyelids slightly, summoned magic power, as if sensing something, then shook his head after a long while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So it’s like this?” Yin Ruohua withdrew her gaze, sounding somewhat disappointed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Hang slowly retracted his cultivation, and above his head, a cloud the size of a basket had gathered—vivid, luminous, as if about to flow, with a dozen Zhengyang True Sands rolling within like roasted beans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each rotation of the cloud caused the dozen Zhengyang True Sands to shrink slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Purest spiritual energy entered through the purple palace at his third eye, wandered through the seven orifices, flowed through all major and minor acupoints, then traced the Small and Great Celestial Circuits, gradually healing his injuries and replenishing his primordial qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yin Ruohua watched this scene with interest, only shifting her gaze when Chen Hang rose from the cushion and rolled up his sleeves to gather the True Sands in one hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Had I known this, I should’ve gone to the Sand Dunes to watch the spectacle—how the True Person Chen fought off the crowd.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yin Ruohua’s voice carried amusement, yet also a hint of confusion:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But if the True Person Chen’s injuries haven’t healed, why not rest and replenish his primordial qi early? Why insist on chasing after Chen Bai?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During these days guarding Chen Hang in the Golden Palanquin, Yin Ruohua had noticed his primordial qi had not truly recovered—only skillfully concealed, so it didn’t show on the surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To return to full strength would take far more than a few days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Summoning Seal of Ten Thousand Spirits, the Great Fire Heaven’s Possession, the Ten Thousand Demonic Robe—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially when breaking those three supreme divine arts, the toll must have been severe, not something easily brushed aside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though as to the feud between Chen Hang and Chen Bai, Yin Ruohua, by her status, naturally knew the full story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She understood that, given their current positions and stances, there was no room for reconciliation between the two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Chen Hang’s actions still left her slightly puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Defeating Chen Bai—what’s the trouble?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Imperial Ancestral Map, due to its internal and external isolation, this is the perfect moment to strike; otherwise, once outside, under all possible circumstances, if he insists on fleeing, I won’t be able to kill him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Hang smiled faintly and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As for the final contest for the Dan Yuan crown, when that time comes, my primordial qi will have fully restored, and I can act with full strength.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Bai is no ordinary person; though his reputation is vile, even his own sect members look down on his deeds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he is one of the few young disciples whom Chen Yupu deeply values, permitted to enter and exit the “Rongcheng’s Lifesaving Waters” Celestial Realm at will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Nine Provinces, he is unquestionably a celestial prodigy, destined to wield the “Changchao Upper Cauldron,” attuned to his nature, and become the next-generation successor of the Huai Zhuo Phase.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Truly, his future is brilliant and boundless!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet this illustrious celestial noble, in Chen Hang’s mouth, was no better than an ordinary cultivator—as if killing him were effortless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Yin Ruohua raised her gaze to Chen Hang, her bright eyes faintly gleaming with intrigue, and teased:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m beginning to understand why Gu Yi can’t forget you. But I’m curious—what do you intend to do about your feelings for Little Gu?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Between her and that Chi Ming’s Wei True Person… whom do you truly favor?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There is no romantic entanglement between Gu Yi and me. You’re imagining things, Yin True Person.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Hang shifted the topic, smoothly avoiding it:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I must thank you for your righteous intervention. Without your Blood Expiation Needles, dealing with Chen Bai would’ve required far more effort.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No entanglement with Little Gu—then what about Wei Lingjiang?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yin Ruohua found this amusing inwardly, yet kept her expression calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She nodded solemnly, feigning seriousness:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My brother and I are not of the Primordial Demonic Sect. Though the Six Sects are kin, the Elder Master’s hand cannot reach into the inner workings of the Pestilence and Blood Rivers. Besides, our masters have long had secret tensions with that Elder Master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given this history, and since you, True Person Chen, are willing to protect me and secure me a top-ten position, I naturally lend my aid.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Chen Yupu’s bloodline, for various reasons, has produced many with extraordinary talent,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>within Chen Yupu’s faction, figures like Chen Bai—qualified to compete in the Dan Yuan—are exceedingly rare, truly few and far between.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From this perspective, ruining Chen Bai’s path is tantamount to destroying one of Chen Yupu’s favored hounds, weakening his faction’s strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who in the Nine Provinces would dare do such a thing, dare offend Chen Yupu so brazenly?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There are truly not many…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your master and Chen Yupu are at odds?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Hang thought for a moment, sensing a possible answer, and asked Yin Ruohua:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is it because of the Convergence?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After seeing Yin Ruohua give a slight nod, Chen Hang understood at once, a glimmer of insight flashing in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rise of the Six Sects, the surge of their cosmic fortune!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long before Chen Yupu fled from Xu Huang and sought refuge with Dou Shu, according to the principle of cosmic cycles and yin-yang ebb and flow,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>this era—and even longer—should have belonged to the demonic path, with even the Eight Sects yielding to the Six.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet this great cosmic fortune, this convergence, did not go to any of the Six Sects’ Sect Masters or Hall Lords, but to Chen Yupu—a renegade from the Xuanyuan path, regarded by others as a “latecomer” to demon cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with the full backing of the Primordial Demonic Sect and the Five Manifest Dao Lords of Xuanming, it was inevitable that this choice left many of the Six Sects’ True Persons resentful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them, perhaps, were Yin Wuji and Yin Ruohua’s master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To carve a path to heaven from among the Six Sects’ True Persons, beyond the influence of the Primordial Demonic Sect, Chen Yupu’s own methods cannot be overlooked…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And how does it feel, to embody the fate of the Six Sects?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Hang lowered his gaze, thinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Chen Hang pondered this, Yin Ruohua’s voice sounded beside him:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Though there is this prior context, helping you against Chen Bai still means I’ve offended that Elder Master, and I’ve also labored hard to guard you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given your generosity, you must owe me a small favor, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Hang saw Yin Ruohua blink, her lips slightly curved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He returned a polite smile: “What favor do you wish me to repay?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yin Ruohua deliberately stretched the word, smiling brightly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Perhaps during this Dan Yuan Competition, you could show my brother a little mercy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With my brother’s abilities, if I held back, it would be the same as surrendering.” Chen Hang smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You two hold each other in such high regard… then how about this: after the Dan Yuan Assembly, you visit Chou Yuan and meet Gu Yi?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yin Ruohua paused her gaze on Chen Hang briefly, then winked mischievously:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Never mind—it was just a joke. True Person Chen, don’t take it seriously.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a few more casual remarks, they saw a glow rising in the distant clouds, thunderous and roaring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rainbow-like aura, dazzling and radiant, stained the heavy clouds as if set ablaze—strangely magnificent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, more than one person had arrived to contest the Fire Bell Copper Fish, and they were already fighting fiercely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Hang’s heart stirred; he swept his sleeve and stepped out of the Golden Palanquin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yin Ruohua thought for a moment, then followed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before pulling back the pearl curtain, she raised a finger and summoned forth the palanquin’s spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t mention today’s events to my brother. If he asks you, don’t say a word. Also, the reason I let Chen Hang enter the carriage to be guarded is purely out of public duty…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yin Ruohua deliberately hardened her expression:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You possess the ability to gather qi and store spirit, nurturing primordial truth. The sooner Chen Hang fully restores his magic power, the sooner I can rest easy, without worrying the copper fish will be stolen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If my brother ever finds out and asks you, tell him exactly this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The palanquin’s spirit was a young woman, about twenty, dressed in emerald silk robes, her expression sweet and innocent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had served Yin Ruohua for years and knew her well; now, far from fearing her, she covered her mouth and laughed:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood. When Wuji True Person asks, I shall answer him exactly as instructed—not a single word changed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the spirit’s tone laden with implication, Yin Ruohua felt a pang of headache, gave further detailed instructions, then signaled the smiling spirit to depart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My brother specifically warned me to keep away from Chen Hang and Zhou Fugai…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he saw this, wouldn’t he be angry?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recalling Yin Wuji’s earlier words, Yin Ruohua suddenly felt a twinge of guilt. She shook her head, muttering to herself:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And Gu Yi… no, I was speaking up for her—she should thank me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Yin Ruohua arrived beside Chen Hang and saw him gazing at the distant sky as if practicing a divine technique, she asked casually:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“True Person Chen, are you using your technique to see who will claim this Fire Bell Copper Fish?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need to use any technique.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Hang shook his head and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’re almost here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had he spoken than a clear, piercing crane cry rang out—no one knew its origin, yet even from afar, it shook the soul, as if the spirit might detach from the body and be swept away in a single breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yin Ruohua steeled herself, and within half a stick of incense, a shower of light and colorful clouds surged from the southwest sky, faster than lightning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three figures darted apart and clashed together, the collisions of magic power and divine arts merging into a continuous roar—clearly, the battle had reached its critical moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is it her?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yin Ruohua’s eyes flashed with spiritual light, piercing through layers of radiant energy, landing on a beautiful woman with a flying-immortal bun and a deep emerald Langxiao feather robe; she could not help but be startled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tai Fu Palace, Pei Zhi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yin Ruohua thought to herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Colors of light surged chaotically through the clouds, blinding the eyes; stray waves occasionally shot out, piercing and shattering rocks with ease, sending stones flying like locusts, dense and countless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ones currently battling Pei Zhi for the bronze fish were Hu Zhao Peng Qian and Chi Ming Zuo Peng Zong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Peng Qian was shrouded in layers of demonic shadows, impenetrable to wind or rain, wielding a star banner whose surface was neither silk nor gauze, but some strange supple hide—unknown whether beast or human skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the banner’s head was carved a jade-faced divine figure, whose features bore a striking resemblance—seven or eight parts identical—to Peng Qian himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zuo Peng Zong, meanwhile, fought with broad, sweeping motions; each shift of his qi emitted a roaring sound like tidal waves, revealing the immense power of his magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His Chi Ming divine art seemed vast in variety; within moments, he had already revealed six distinct techniques, each seamlessly linked and mutually reinforcing, his methods remarkably adept.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Peng Qian and Zuo Pengzong had silently teamed up to confront Pei Zhi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zuo Peng Zong launched direct assaults from the front, while Peng Qian responded from the flank, conserving his spiritual energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This strategy ensured that if one failed, the other could step in to aid, preventing the situation from collapsing beyond recovery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For now, though Pei Zhi clearly held the upper hand, she could not crush them with overwhelming force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the battle continued, Pei Zhi realized these two were trying to stall for time, waiting for some unforeseen turn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the emergence of the bronze fish could not be concealed—it might attract nearby True Persons of Golden Core, such as Chen Hang and Yin Ruohua in the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If others arrived with the intent to first unite against Pei Zhi and ally with Peng Qian and Zuo Peng Zong, the situation would descend into chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Child’s play.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After dispelling the divine flame launched by Zuo Peng Zong with a flick of her hand, Pei Zhi gave a faint, cold smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She glanced at Chen Hang, then raised a slender hand—immediately, a small dragon, a foot long, materialized from nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dragon twisted its body, growing rapidly with the wind, summoning torrents of water that surged straight toward Zuo and Peng!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zuo Peng Zong’s face darkened, but retreating now would only invite an opening; he growled, and a golden light, like a blazing sun, erupted behind his head, charging forward defiantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside him, Peng Qian moved just as swiftly, forming a hand seal and hurling his star banner into the air; countless demonic shadows surged forward, howling across the heavens!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, thick smoke and fiery mist exploded with a series of pops, like a river bursting its banks, flooding the land and obscuring vision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond this thick fog, Yin Ruohua suddenly sensed something amiss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had barely instinctively raised a protective spell when Chen Hang had already extended a sword finger, blocking before her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sharp metallic clang rang out through the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sudden, slashing blade of qi colliding with Chen Hang’s was another equally sharp and piercing sword qi!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The booming echoes rang dozens of times; only then did Yin Ruohua see clearly—a small, armadillo-like beast with fleshy wings, slashing its claws in relentless combat with the sword qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it could not withstand the blade’s sharpness; after faint blood marks appeared on its body, the beast began to retreat, flapping its wings urgently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Chen Hang would not give it that chance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shifted his intent, and the sword qi flickered midair, instantly splitting into sixteen blades; with a single slash, he cut the beast to shreds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pei Zhi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the armadillo’s corpse dissolve into a tattered yellow talisman that ignited without fire and vanished swiftly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Hang gazed into the thick fog and shook his head slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>",2505,"2026-06-19T22:30:06.574Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","f53bfcd4bfd1d4b79bb54bc876e4e22449b91a0aeb0e01e1118dee4b19da209d","the-path-of-immortality-chapter-523","the-path-of-immortality-chapter-521",545,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-path-of-immortality-cover.jpg"]