[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-a-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality":3,"chapter-a-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-a-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-chapter-81":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","A Mortal's Journey to 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},2335007,4565,"Chapter 81","a-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-chapter-81",81,"\u003Cp>Jia Tianlong, the Golden Wolf, was now brimming with confidence; his usually pale, sallow face flushed faintly with excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was no wonder he looked this way—after all, the Seven Mysteries Sect, his lifelong nemesis, was about to be crushed before his very eyes by his own meticulous planning; how could the master of the Wild Wolf Gang not revel in triumph?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood now on the mid-slope of Sunset Peak, at the former outpost of the Seven Mysteries Sect, surrounded by dozens of his crimson-clad Iron Guards. These fifty or sixty men were his carefully nurtured elite, each a master of martial skill and utterly loyal, bound to him with unwavering devotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had always treasured this group, never risking them in routine skirmishes—but now he had brought them all here, solely to deter the restless ambitions of the smaller gangs. Otherwise, how could the leaders of the Iron Spear Society, the Broken Water Gate, and others have submitted so meekly?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, these gangs never wished for the Wild Wolf Gang to dominate alone; they preferred the two major powers to remain locked in perpetual struggle or balance, so they might survive in the cracks between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had Jia Tianlong not seized the families of these leaders with lightning speed and sweetened the deal with lavish promises, these smaller gangs would have turned against him long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, he glanced back at the dozen or so leaders of the smaller gangs standing not far behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each of them looked dejected; when they noticed Jia Tianlong looking their way, they either glared back defiantly or avoided his gaze entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Jia Tianlong smiled coldly to himself. Turning back, his mind began to plot how best to absorb these smaller gangs after he took the Seven Mysteries Sect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Jia Tianlong stood nearly a thousand men clad in varied garb, wielding all manner of weapons, storming a Seven Mysteries Sect outpost in a chaotic, disorganized mob—suffering heavy casualties from their lack of coordination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Jia Tianlong didn’t care. These were not his Wild Wolf Gang warriors; they were the foot soldiers of the Iron Spear Society, the Broken Water Stream, and other gangs. He never expected them to seize Sunset Peak—the final, most treacherous barrier. He merely wanted them to exhaust the defenders’ strength, so his own elite could finish them off with volleys of repeating crossbows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of those military repeating crossbows, a faint smile touched Jia Tianlong’s refined features.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Wild Wolf Gang had gained such an easy upper hand, these military killing machines were unquestionably the decisive factor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without them, he could never have annihilated the enemy’s negotiation party, nor could he have captured the dozen or so outposts already taken before Sunset Peak without suffering crippling losses—losses that would have severely undermined his plans to absorb the smaller gangs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These military crossbows had cost Jia Tianlong not a single drop of effort—they had simply fallen from the sky into his lap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every time he recalled the event, his heart swelled with satisfaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had happened three months ago. He had been at headquarters planning this campaign when a man claiming to be a relative of his requested an audience. Surprised, he met the man—and discovered it was indeed his cousin. Years ago, when the Wild Wolf Gang had still been bandits, a group of them had been pardoned and recruited into the imperial army; his cousin had been among them. Now, after all these years, the man had risen to the rank of deputy general.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The deputy general, coincidentally escorting supplies to a border post in Jingzhou, happened to pass through the area. Hearing that Jia Tianlong—the close relative he’d once known—was now the leader of the Wild Wolf Gang, he naturally came to pay his respects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They exchanged warm greetings and recounted their years apart. When Jia Tianlong mentioned his recent clashes with the Seven Mysteries Sect, the cousin sneered dismissively: “What’s this? Give me a hundred repeating crossbows, and I’ll wipe every last soul of the Seven Mysteries Sect off the face of the earth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words were spoken carelessly—but Jia Tianlong seized upon them. He cautiously asked if his cousin could spare him some of those crossbows. The man smiled faintly, then admitted frankly that his convoy carried many such weapons. He wouldn’t refuse, but Jia Tianlong would need silver to silence the officers who might report the transfer—and he couldn’t take too many.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Tianlong rejoiced. He immediately paid over twenty thousand taels of silver to acquire three hundred repeating crossbows, entrusting them to his most trusted subordinates for careful use—and these were the weapons behind his string of victories these past days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s broken!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The pass has fallen!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A deafening clamor startled the Jia Da boss from his thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A thunderous clamor jolted Jia Tianlong from his thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked up in surprise: the outpost atop the peak, once flying the Seven Mysteries Sect’s banner, was now swarming with the smaller gangs’ men—it had truly been taken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Tianlong frowned. Something felt off. Given the strength of the previous defenses, this final pass should have been far harder to breach. How had these ragtag forces seized it so quickly? Was there a trap?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His expression darkened. Anyone who knew the Great Boss Jia understood this sign: he was displeased—and anyone who provoked him now would find death too merciful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, if it’s broken, why aren’t you moving?” A voice like a cracked gong rang out, showing not the slightest respect for the Great Boss Jia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Logically, Jia Tianlong should have flown into a rage—but instead, he turned aside and answered respectfully:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Zhang, I find this breach suspicious. There may be a trap. We should proceed with caution.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s there to fear? I’m right beside you. Can these mortals even scratch you? Move, move! I’ve been waiting here nearly all night—I’m exhausted. Finish off these Seven Mysteries Sect fools so I can get some rest.” The voice was not old, yet it carried the haughty tone of an ancient elder—deeply irritating.\u003C\u002Fp>",1015,"2026-06-20T21:12:45.940Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","cf927ff98ad27e95cc19e69ccf65c632ba7e2886bd93695596e27ca22dab5917","a-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-chapter-82","a-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-chapter-80",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-cover.jpg"]