[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s":3,"chapter-immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-985":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Immortal Through Martial Path, I Who Cannot Die Shall Ultimately Be Invincible",{"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},2326203,4549,"Chapter 985: Hunt and Kill","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-985",985,"\u003Cp>Xizhou, the Ten Thousand Mountains, a realm of towering peaks and dense forests—historically a barbaric land used by the imperial court to exile criminals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This land breeds bandits in abundance!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The local government was deeply troubled, with no good solution. Every year they would launch a routine campaign to suppress them, but afterward, everything remained exactly as before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this barren, hostile land, even the wealthiest families carried the stench of poverty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet in this place despised by all, a band of bandits suddenly raised their banner in open rebellion, killing officials and terrorizing the people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The local government was stunned, yet remained calm, following protocol to report the uprising while methodically organizing troops to crush the rebels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The local government had long dealt with all manner of villains and bandits; though its administrative structure was lacking, its military strength was certainly not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After several probing engagements, the rebels fled, killing and escaping along the way, leaving behind a trail of suffering civilians.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rebels took refuge in the mountains, and the government was not worried—until the rebels suddenly turned northward, and the government grew tense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These rebels slaughtered without mercy, sparing neither the virtuous nor the young or old. If they moved north and left behind more bloodshed, the imperial court would hold everyone accountable—no one would escape punishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No need to relocate—just strip off your official robes and be exiled on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rebels were useless at everything except mobility. Especially with a highly active leader leading them, their movements were so swift that the local government couldn’t react in time before the rebels had already slipped into the next county or prefecture. The local authorities were left exhausted, frantic, and utterly helpless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, a commander was urgently needed to unify the local armed forces and coordinate their actions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Xizhou was far too distant from the capital; by the time news reached the capital and imperial orders were sent back, months would have passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the rebels grow stronger, the local government could only do its best to encircle and block them, trying to trap them inside the mountains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the flatter areas of the forest, there were villages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The villages were shrouded in smoke, houses collapsed and burned, corpses sprawled on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the village, in the woods, came laughter and cheers—like wild beasts—mixed with agonized screams, women’s weeping, and children’s terrified cries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep in the woods, one saw a dozen men and women stripped naked. The men had been impaled on wooden stakes and hung upside down from trees—still alive, enduring the agony before death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The women had been violated with unspeakably cruel and grotesque methods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The children became tools of vengeance, drawing bursts of mocking laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the center of the crowd sat a young man, barely in his twenties. The way others around him treated him—with reverence and fear—clearly marked him as the leader of these rebels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This man was Wang Wu, once the disciple of Qi Wuxiu, now self-proclaimed King of Xizhou!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rebels, absorbed in their cruel amusement, suddenly collapsed without warning, their skulls pierced through, blood and white matter spilling onto the women’s faces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The women, having endured unspeakable humiliation, did not even scream—they fainted dead away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This minor commotion did not alarm anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next, the rebel who had been tossing a child back and forth collapsed with a thud. The others burst into laughter, mocking him for being too drunk to stand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Laughter grew sparser.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why hadn’t the fallen man gotten up after so long?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Faking death! Get up right now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go check!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boss, he can’t move—he’s dead!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bullshit! He was fine a moment ago! Can you die from a simple fall?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Puff!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The junior commander had just risen—his body suddenly collapsed, eyes wide open, dead with unblinking horror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come out!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you all standing there for? Someone’s attacking! Quickly—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing of an ambush, the bandits snatched up weapons and tensed, scanning the surroundings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Wang Wu, the self-proclaimed King of Xizhou, sat calmly in the center, still eating a bowl of brain matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Near him lay several partially severed heads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Puff!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Puff! Puff! Puff!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With each puff, the rebels’ bodies exploded outward, bursting into blood as they died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What is most terrifying?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The unknown is most terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No enemy in sight—only death—equivalent to the unknown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These ruthless rebels, who had raised their banner in rebellion, were terrified into fleeing in panic!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A ghost!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s a ghost!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you’ve got guts, show yourself!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boss, we must retreat!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Wu finally felt fear—he slammed down his chopsticks and knife, “Retreat!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the order to retreat, the bandits all sighed with relief and scrambled into the forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But death followed like a shadow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Puff!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One man fell!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Puff!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another man fell!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood sprayed!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The surviving rebels paid no heed to their fallen comrades, didn’t bother checking if any still lived—they ran like men fleeing ghosts, faces twisted in terror deeper into the forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Run!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Keep running!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you run fast enough, you’ll live!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the survival lesson they’d learned from countless encounters with the government troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Puff!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something pierced his chest cavity, dragging his heart clean out of his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the first time in his life, he saw his own heart—so small.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body hit the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His final sight: a ghostly shadow—shhh—had he really seen a ghost before dying?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bandits ran until exhausted, their numbers dwindling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boss, what do we do now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every face, soaked in sweat, screamed one thing: we can’t run anymore!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Wu turned back—around him, only birdsong echoed. The silence was like countless past days he’d spent moving through the woods—days he’d once loved, savoring the thrill of hunting his “prey”!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, he was the prey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gritted his teeth, “Whoever you are, venerable master of the martial world, please reveal yourself. All can be negotiated—I have some modest wealth. If you’re not disgusted, take it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice echoed through the forest, but no reply came. Only birdsong. No other sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boss, could it be a ghost?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There are no ghosts in this world!” Wang Wu roared hysterically, then slapped the man who spoke, “Remember—there are no ghosts, only people!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No buts!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he spoke, blood sprayed—Wang Wu slashed the man down with his knife.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone who dared question him deserved death!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Puff!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another bandit collapsed silently, skull pierced clean through—dead beyond doubt!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone was stunned!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What strength? What cultivation? To pierce a man’s skull instantly!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Run!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No time to think—feet reacted faster than the mind: run, keep running!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another chase for life began!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This day, deep in the forest, was destined to be anything but peaceful!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The slaughter continued!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mysterious hunter seemed to be using slaughter to drive the rebels onward, savoring their terror and panic, relishing the sound of blood spattering with a puff!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sky gradually darkened!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Night is even more dangerous!\u003C\u002Fp>",1153,"2026-06-20T17:40:00.288Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","70140ebafba43e44f55a70e7fcb3e01af1052bd71ad3c853f06c46db80b87021","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-986","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-984",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fimmortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-cover.jpg"]