[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-cluster-artillery-shattering-the-immortals":3,"chapter-cluster-artillery-shattering-the-immortals-cluster-artillery-shattering-the-immortals-chapter-44":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Cluster Artillery: Shattering the Immortals",{"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},2342055,4578,"Chapter 44: The News Arrives","cluster-artillery-shattering-the-immortals-chapter-44",44,"\u003Cp>For ten days straight, each day passed the same way: practicing swordplay, drawing talismans, and cultivating the Minor Stillness Technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ding lived in great comfort, with no shortage of resources, steady progress in his studies, and no insurmountable problems—he saw his own improvement every day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zizzi~ As he made one final stroke, the dense array diagram on the table emitted a sound, then billowed blue smoke, the center turning to charred carbon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Spirit Gathering Array is indeed the pinnacle among first-rank arrays; the Great Sun Spirit Gathering Array is even more difficult—again, I failed…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ding sighed, set down his talisman brush, and slowly recalled every detail of his previous talisman-drawing, storing it in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, the talisman brush, paper, and spirit ink were all specially made by the Immortal Sect for after-class practice—success produced a faint reaction, failure caused no serious consequences, and they were cheap to produce and recyclable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to low-rank cultivators from beyond the borders, who waste days or even months on a single failed attempt, the difference is at least dozens or even hundreds of times greater.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All that came before was merely a distraction.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This novel is originally published at {please visit} to read!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who would truly dare such a thing? Even the most favored disciple would be slapped to death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hybrid!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though extremely generous to guests, those they wished to court, and powerful factions, they treated those beneath them and minor factions far less kindly—Huang Deyou’s friends and people like Xiao Cui knew this well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This grudge, the Four Seas Trading Association will not forget!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long San’s veins bulged, his expression like a man ready to devour others, scattering those nearby—but then he calmed down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young Master, rest assured,” Long San said in a low voice. “Those who went to such lengths to seize it won’t let the Blue Glow Butterflies be harmed. The butterfly harvesting in Dongling Mountain won’t stop.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he had anticipated it, Jiang Ding couldn’t help but frown, a faint thread of killing intent radiating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To his surprise, despite his provocation, the two across from him—though their eyes were bloodshot—remained calm, swiftly overturning several young relatives who rushed forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Immortal Sect is the sect of the sect’s great elders and ancestors—not the other way around, where the sect’s great elders neglect their own cultivation to serve a lowly cultivator like you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ding frowned: “You mean, forces within the city are involved in this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some cultivators from beyond the borders had once tried to imitate it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A young man in blue robes stepped out a thousand paces to greet him, standing with his sword at his side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Zhengwu bowed slightly and smiled faintly: “No matter. The Four Seas Trading Association operates throughout Yue State. Losses here can be made up elsewhere. Until we meet again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the back courtyard, the three sat facing each other as Jiang Ding gradually learned the full details of the matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ding the Shopkeeper outmaneuvered us. This time, the Four Seas Trading Association has lost.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rest of the Four Seas Trading Association members were much the same—some with broken arms or legs, others lying on carts barely clinging to life, pitiful and wretched, their numbers reduced by more than half since leaving the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, it felt as if everyone was kicking a man when he was down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tianlong Spear” Long Zhengwu sneered: “Though they masked their faces and altered their appearances, and none used their signature techniques, Dongling Prefecture is a small place—where could three Inner Qi Perfect cultivators come from? And so many Inner Qi cultivators?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding Feng’s sorrowful expression faded, his face shifting between dark and light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These various technologies, as foundational elements, greatly enriched the ranks of the Immortal Sect’s alchemists, array masters, and artifact crafters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This matter was ultimately my greed—I forgot our ancestral teaching to share profits,” Long San said bitterly. “Though we gave up some silver, gold, old herbs, and old ginseng, how could those people ever be satisfied?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Four Seas Trading Association… has fallen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even “Tianlong Spear” Long Zhengwu was pale-faced, severely wounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nearby, a group of black-clad constables who had arrived unnoticed, seeing nothing left to do, slipped away quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It must be so.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they discovered that though this technology seemed insignificant, used only by low-rank cultivators, its technical depth was extremely high—it required the full might of a Nine Immortal Sect-level organization, even the involvement of the sect’s ancient elders and numerous high-rank cultivators, just for a chance to crack it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they passed along the street, many wore smug, gleeful expressions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the murmurs of the crowd, Long San clenched his teeth, gripping his bleeding stump tightly. Jiang Ding suddenly looked up, gazing at the distant sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Four Seas Trading Association had grown large, swallowing the interests of many.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And there was another—his eldest son.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An invisible aura spread, causing passersby to automatically avoid him, forming a wide empty circle around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Zhengwu, with faintly streaked temples, gripped his black-gold iron spear in silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A thin, sharp voice came from nearby: “I told you so—Dongling Mountain is deep and treacherous. You’re not used to it, you’re not used to it, yet you wouldn’t listen. Now look what happened.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luanban Street, General Goods Shop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The street immediately grew quiet, so quiet a pin could be heard dropping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Practice talisman paper, educational system elixirs, optical array engraving machines, the Young Eagle Soaring Sword Technique, anti-magic steel… and so on—seemingly insignificant, yet visible everywhere in daily life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ding comforted them, leading the group into the shop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah! And poor Cousin Long as well…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Long, this is a minor matter—focus on healing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, it was merely a possibility—scientific research is always like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It requires a vast, complex cultivation industry system, continuous cultivation talent, and sustained technological accumulation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long San spoke slowly, each word laden with boundless hatred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, he ignored Ding Feng’s provocation and led his men away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They looked at each other, silently weeping. “Oh my, Long San, how did you get hurt?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long San could no longer hold back his emotions; great tears poured down: “The Four Seas Trading Association is powerless, arrogant, and overestimated itself. Please forgive us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uncle, I was wrong—I thought I could swallow all the profits.” A tear rolled down his cheek: “After this matter, I will go to the Family Gold Chamber and accept my punishment!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long San and Long Zhengwu suddenly looked up, staring fixedly ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sss~ Who dares act? That’s ‘Tianlong Spear’ Long Zhengwu, a long-renowned Inner Qi Perfect expert!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding Feng wore an expression of profound pity and sorrowful lamentation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the city gate, many armored soldiers stared in shock, and a large crowd of civilians scattered, afraid to block the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All the Blue Glow Butterflies accumulated over these past ten days have been lost—seized by the Tiger’s Den bandits.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So who, then, would have the audacity to do such a thing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A tall, stout man in a golden-toad embroidered robe spun two iron balls the size of ox eyes, surrounded by a retinue of servants, speaking slowly: “Poor my nephew Long Yu Yue—he was young, already an Inner Qi cultivator, with a future that might even reach the Primordial Stage—now, because his father died here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But none of these were the work of some genius slapping his forehead and inventing them easily—they were the painstaking efforts of Immortal Sect ancestors over ten thousand years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Four Seas Trading Association, though ruthless, still maintained some dignity of a great merchant house and always had plausible excuses for its actions, this “Spring Hand” had no such scruples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment this person appeared,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Zhengwu roared: “Don’t try to absolve me—I’m the one who ordered this! My son is stuck in a bottleneck!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young Master Jiang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His “Spring” only extended to those friends useful to him on the martial path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this battle, over half of the elite escort team were killed or wounded, most of them members of the Long clan—many were his uncles, aunts, cousins, and childhood companions who had raised him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Soon, someone will come to contact you, Young Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As for this matter, the Four Seas Trading Association is done.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sneered coldly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We have time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1384,"2026-06-20T23:34:14.007Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","92640d2e5bb7bbba9f2a140ffff86bef57640899277200072935875a5a0904a4","cluster-artillery-shattering-the-immortals-chapter-45","cluster-artillery-shattering-the-immortals-chapter-43",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fcluster-artillery-shattering-the-immortals-cover.jpg"]