[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-watching-the-immortals-fall":3,"chapter-watching-the-immortals-fall-watching-the-immortals-fall-chapter-31":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Watching the Immortals Fall",{"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},2259904,4410,"Chapter 31: The Stolen Spiritual Core","watching-the-immortals-fall-chapter-31",31,"\u003Cp>When Ji You entered the Hall of Affairs, the dim chamber was already full of people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were team leaders who had gone out searching, instructors who had participated in the search, and Ban Yangshu, his arm suspended in bandages; on the left side was Ji Qirui, half his shirt torn away, his chest tightly wrapped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ban Yangshu’s shoulder had been crushed by an iron fist, fracturing his bones; Ji Qirui’s left chest had been grazed by lightning art, his arm charred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Ji You walk in, both men wore complex expressions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the same battle—how could he seem to have taken no part in it, yet still look so composed and elegant?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet after silently muttering to themselves, both rose at once and bowed deeply to Ji You, offering sincere thanks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three Hall Masters also rose, expressing genuine concern as if Ji You had suffered wounds as severe as Ban Yangshu and Ji Qirui.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where were you just now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ban Yangshu spoke up: “We were talking about the demonic seeds.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You blinked slightly: “Yesterday you shouted ‘demonic seed’—what exactly is that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In ancient times, the rulers of Qingyun were not our human race, but a race later called the Ancient Remnant Clan—physically formidable, innately attuned to the Dao, feeding on humans and enslaving all things, until they finally enraged the Dao.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Dao then sent down seven sacred artifacts, wielded by seven sages of our race, and the Ancient Remnant Clan was wiped out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These demonic seeds are what remain of the Ancient Remnant Clan after death, corrupted by evil.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Qirui added: “After the Ancient War, Qingyun retained many Ancient relics scattered across the land—some vast and boundless, so dangerous not even the top five realms dare enter; others small as ruined huts, called ‘relic shrines’ by common folk. Demonic seeds lurk around them, feasting raw on passing woodcutters and scholars.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You’s eyes widened—he now understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder Kuangcheng said only two out of five who took the land route to the capital for the imperial exams survived—it wasn’t an exaggeration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those shrines weren’t filled with Xiao Qian—they were full of old hag spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With such things around, Old Kuang barely escaped death on the road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment’s thought, Ji You frowned: “You say demonic seeds prefer to eat humans alive—then why are the bodies we recovered all desiccated corpses?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Qin nodded after hearing Ban Yangshu and Ji Qirui’s account: “Ji You, you’re sharp—this is one of the key mysteries we must investigate. Do you have any leads?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That thing was incredibly strong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Ancient Remnant Clan’s physiology differs from ours—they were naturally immensely strong, and even in death, their bodies retained their power. That’s not unusual.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You paused, then looked up: “But can the body think?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Qin shook his head: “Corrupted bodies are bloodthirsty, but there’s no record of them possessing thought.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No—that thing feared death when it fought me. After my second strike, it began dodging, its eyes filled with terror.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this, the Hall Masters began murmuring among themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Demonic seeds were never feared, nor cleaned up by immortal sects, precisely because they lacked thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eating a few passing woodcutters or scholars didn’t warrant intervention from immortal sects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Ji You claimed the one he fought understood fear—a chill spread through the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Ji interrupted the murmurs: “Forget the demonic seed for now—do you have any leads on the swordsman and the black-clad cultivator of the Fusion Dao realm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You thought a moment: “The swordsman is a skilled killer—he’s clearly fought often, unlike immortal sect disciples who seclude themselves in mountains.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What of the Fusion Dao cultivator?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I only indirectly clashed with him—I have no information to offer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Ji nodded: “Ban Yangshu and Ji Qirui—any additions?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ban Yangshu bowed: “He used only basic lightning art—clearly hiding his identity. Left no trace.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After listening to the discussion, Ji Qirui suddenly spoke up: “I have something to add.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go on.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When we left the building, we halted due to dark energy—but that dark energy first passed by us, then suddenly turned back. I suspect their attack on us was impulsive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ban Yangshu’s eyes lit up: “Yes—the Fusion Dao cultivator only arrived after the demonic seed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Qin frowned: “So they didn’t plan to attack you? The demonic seed went rogue?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Likely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Ji You frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The demonic seed lunged as if to grab Lu Qingqiu—but as the one who faced it, Ji You knew it wanted to kill him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Ji Qirui was right, the attackers had intended to bypass them—yet the demonic seed, for some reason, lost control and fixed on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You’s brow relaxed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The demonic seed was female—and fond of beauty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Case solved!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No—wrong. If it loved beauty, why keep scratching at his face?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You looked up at the three Hall Masters seated above—they exchanged glances, nodding with cryptic solemnity, as if they already had leads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, they had none.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they first received the report, they assumed some immortal sect was secretly targeting the Heavenly Book Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after finding the corpses, they discovered the victims weren’t just Heavenly Book Academy disciples—two were imperial clan members with decent cultivation potential, and one’s identity remained unknown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To trace clues, you need commonalities—but the five victims shared only one thing: they were all cultivators. Nothing more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When all information was reviewed, the assembly dispersed; the three Hall Masters moved into the rear hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rear hall had only one small window, dim and shadowed. The tables and chairs had been removed; five desiccated corpses lay in the empty chamber, while a robed Daoist knelt beside them, scrutinizing them closely, his brow furrowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Zuoqiu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zuoqiu Yang turned to them: “Any findings?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Qin bowed: “It’s nearly impossible to reach the Fusion Dao realm through private cultivation—he must be registered in the Immortal Roster. The swordsman may be privately cultivated. But the most peculiar thing is the demonic seed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How so?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Qin lowered his voice: “Everyone knows demonic seeds cannot stray more than ten li from Ancient relics—yet it appeared in Shengjing. That’s one oddity. Second: Ji You says it felt fear. That’s even stranger.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Ji now looked at the five corpses: “Master Zuoqiu—have you found any clues?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Qingyun is about to descend into chaos.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zuoqiu Yang’s words stunned the three Hall Masters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The corpses had indeed been drained of essence—not devoured raw—but that wasn’t the point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The point was: all five were cultivators, all at the stage of refining their spiritual cores—and now, every single one of their spiritual cores had been cleanly ripped out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Killing them was one thing—but when something defies understanding, it signals greater disaster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More crucially: when you notice this, it means the act no longer fears being noticed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1139,"2026-06-19T15:28:39.995Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","6ee32eba8810dab1163ae998ec2fede5b0f2b7a9d30ba95b6f867dde8cef04a5","watching-the-immortals-fall-chapter-32","watching-the-immortals-fall-chapter-30",430,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwatching-the-immortals-fall-cover.jpg"]