[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-watching-the-immortals-fall":3,"chapter-watching-the-immortals-fall-watching-the-immortals-fall-chapter-363":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},2260236,4410,"Chapter 363","watching-the-immortals-fall-chapter-363",363,"\u003Cp>Youyun Two Provinces were fully occupied, but no further southward advance followed, allowing the Nine Provinces of Qingyun to enjoy a rare period of stability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the autumn outbreak of the zombie tide until the eve of the New Year, a full six months passed, and humanity finally gained a moment of respite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet no one knew how long this fragile stability could last.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this time, the new era arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the great war, countless noble families clashed violently over the legacies of the ancient clans, leaving many bitter enemies and greatly reducing interactions between them; the atmosphere of joy and festivity was diminished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the immortal sects canceled the tradition of noble families ascending the mountains to pay homage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In contrast, Fengzhou presented a scene of perfect peace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the twelfth lunar month onward, the festive atmosphere for the New Year gradually intensified, peaking on the day itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following government directives, every commandery in Fengzhou organized large-scale New Year gatherings; from afar, crowds surged endlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every junior examiner of Spirit Sword Mountain attended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially the lantern festivals across the region—every single one was visited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You, while continuously refining his body, accompanied Yan Shuyi on leisurely strolls, seeing every corner of Fengzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On New Year's Eve, Jizhai prepared a sumptuous banquet; everyone gathered together, drinking and laughing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the true lord of Fengzhou, the junior examiner remained her usual impassive self, sitting quietly and composedly, yet she drank every toast offered to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You was surprised to discover that Yan Shuyi’s alcohol tolerance was actually quite poor—after just one round, she collapsed, and he had to carry her away from the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the front courtyard to the back, cold wind struck their faces; Yan Shuyi, lifted in his arms, slightly opened her eyes and stared at Ji You, lost in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Husband.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t know what she was thinking, but softly called out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You looked down at the drowsy immortal in his arms and murmured, “Only when drunk do you call me husband?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The junior examiner blinked blankly for a moment, then snuggled deeper into his arms, and was gently carried into the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, as the bed creaked softly, a gentle whimper rose from within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flat sheet gradually wrinkled; snow-white feet trembled lightly in the air, followed by a glistening sheen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But by the next morning, sobered and denying everything, Yan Shuyi opened her mouth and declared herself a mere disciple of the Tiny Heavenly Book Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Cao Jingsong, Wen Zhengxin, and Ban Yangshu came to take their leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from the Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion, which had sealed its mountains entirely like Yu Danzong, the other five immortal sects announced they would resume accepting new disciples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, they all drastically lowered their admission thresholds, aiming to expand their ranks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Jingsong, though promoted to Elder, still served as an outer courtyard instructor; after the New Year, he was recalled to the Heavenly Book Academy to prepare for admissions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ban Yangshu and Wen Zhengxin departed soon after, planning to return to the Heavenly Book Academy to cultivate and break through barriers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You saw them off, then began his own cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the barbarian and demon races, they remained busy constructing infrastructure across Youyun Two Provinces to relocate their people before spring, showing no signs of reassembling their armies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the demon race began selling Snowfield Demon Stones to outsiders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Yu Danzong sealed and Yunzhou occupied, humanity lacked both elixirs and spirit stones; cultivation became arduous, and the demon race’s move struck straight at the heart of human cultivators.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this manipulation of humanity ignited much anger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The demon race has seized our lands and dares to seek trade with us? Pure fantasy!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly! Pure fantasy!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Loud condemnations echoed endlessly, stirring the masses into fury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet soon, the demon and barbarian races produced their own historical records—precisely, records kept by both races a thousand years ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These records stated only one thing: a millennium ago, their races coexisted with humanity across the Nine Provinces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Youzhou and Yunzhou have underdeveloped agriculture; Yunzhou especially relies on spirit mines. Reclaiming wasteland for farming is difficult for them. Trade is merely to feed the people about to migrate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This historical record is quite interesting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“War is brutal; battles for cities and lands inevitably bring casualties. A righteous cause inspires soldiers far more than mere slaughter—it drives them to fight without hesitation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within the inner courtyard of the Heavenly Book Academy, the three directors debated the demon and barbarian races’ release of historical records and their request for trade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Large-scale wars always require a cause to unite every soldier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the demon and barbarian races have always proclaimed their goal: to return to the Nine Provinces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In their records, the Nine Provinces were their ancestral homeland—humanity had seized their lands and driven them to barren wastelands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the demon race’s claim had some merit, the barbarian race’s assertion was laughable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the Great War of the Remnant Clans erupted, they fled in fear; their claim of “returning” was nothing but hollow pretense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lang Hetong rolled up his sleeves: “This situation now resembles the final phase of the ancient warring states—the tripartite standoff.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, it’s four.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Four?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Rong lifted his gaze: “Don’t forget Fengzhou.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Lang Hetong and Ji Jingyao both paused slightly, wondering how Fengzhou could be counted as a state—it hadn’t been occupied by foreign races.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as they thought deeper, their eyes flickered, then sank into contemplation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, four.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Humanity’s five provinces, dominated by cultivators; Yunzhou, represented by the demon race; Youzhou, represented by the barbarian race.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And one more: Fengzhou, represented by commoners.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, had this discussion occurred before the Wu Lü Trading House sold grain, they would never have singled out Fengzhou. But the grain sale revealed to the world that Fengzhou was different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tax and tribute system was the foundation of human cultivators; under Ji You’s leadership, Fengzhou nearly severed that foundation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Fengzhou under Ji You was the strangest and most complex of all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In principle, it was human territory, but differing ideologies and class conflicts meant that, like the barbarian and demon races, it held a subversive potential.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You’s nature told them that though the land lease attempt failed, he would not easily give up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In just five years, he had grown strong enough to leave many powerless—no one knew what he might become next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhum—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the eve of spring, in the back courtyard of Jizhai.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the courtyard’s piles of spirit stones were fully drained, their glow dimmed and cracked apart, a vast, scorching energy surged relentlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You sat amid the spirit stones; his aura grew even more immense, like an unceasing tidal wave, and the spiritual flames on his body flickered upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, as those flames surged, his aura climbed to an unparalleled level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sixth barrier broken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji You took a deep breath and clenched his fist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Breaking minor barriers doesn’t grant the body great supernatural changes, but the increase in qi power was unmistakable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He slowly unclenched his fist and looked at the drained spirit stones around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were leftovers from trade with the demon race; one breakthrough consumed hundreds, leaving him aching with loss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He muttered to himself in the courtyard, unaware that Yan Shuyi stood beneath the eaves behind him, her beautiful phoenix eyes filled with mischief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she decisively decided to return to the mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She could barely hold on anymore—she’d nearly called Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu for help multiple times; this rogue clearly had stronger physicality, and if she stayed longer, she’d die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Yan Shuyi coldly spoke her thanks and announced her departure, Ji You’s eyes narrowed slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, he realized: body refinement wasn’t just expensive—it was exhausting his wife.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the gate of Jizhai, Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu waved gently, their cheeks pinched twice, then boarded the carriage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Didn’t the junior examiner just say she’d stay longer?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Shuyi’s eyelashes trembled: “A mere disciple of the Tiny Heavenly Book Academy, your hospitality is thorough—but we can’t be so familiar, imposing ourselves indefinitely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhuo Wanqiu thought: the junior examiner’s mouth is hard as stone; Ding Yao, however, at the phrase “thorough hospitality,” pictured a fiery shape in her mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the young master’s body refinement improved further, his hospitality must be even stronger—the junior examiner clearly left because of this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But avoiding it for now won’t solve it forever—what then next time?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, Ding Yao’s eyes flickered with mischief, and beneath it, a faint anticipation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the carriage began to move, Yan Shuyi glanced out, her proud gaze revealing a trace of reluctant longing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t just the mischief that made her leave—otherwise, she wouldn’t have stayed every night…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The greater reason was that she felt if she stayed longer, she’d never want to return to Spirit Sword Mountain as junior examiner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, with humanity facing internal strife and external threats, with hidden currents swirling, she couldn’t just walk away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“?”\u003C\u002Fp>",1510,"2026-06-19T15:28:41.422Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","7d7a7e617273eca8e4abbdf465270f4596e6414552691e8b0300855e40002ee7","watching-the-immortals-fall-chapter-364","watching-the-immortals-fall-chapter-362",430,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwatching-the-immortals-fall-cover.jpg"]