Jia Tianlong, the Golden Wolf, now stood with confident resolve. His usually pale and wan face had taken on a few rosy hues from excitement. It was no surprise, given that his long-standing adversary, the Seven Perfection Sect, was about to collapse right before his eyes—just as he had meticulously planned. As the master of the Wild Wolf Clan, how could he not feel triumphant? Standing on the slopes of the Sunset Peak, he was joined by a number of red-robed iron guards from the Wild Wolf Clan. Around fifty or sixty strong, these guards were the carefully nurtured offspring he had devoted countless efforts to cultivate. Not only were they all highly skilled in martial arts, but they were also deeply loyal, utterly devoted to him. He had always treated them as his most precious assets, rarely deploying them in routine conflicts. Yet now, he had brought them all along, precisely to solidify his authority and silence any potential stirrings from smaller clans. Otherwise, how could the leaders of the Iron Spear Guild or the Broken Water Sect have remained so obedient and compliant? After all, these factions were determined not to see the Wolf Clan dominate entirely, but rather to maintain a state of rivalry or balance between the two powers, so that they themselves might survive in the midst of competition. Had it not been for Jia Tianlong's swift and decisive action—seizing control of the families and children of these leaders and securing their loyalty through substantial incentives—many of these smaller factions would have already switched their allegiance. Reflecting on this, he turned to look back at the group of about fifteen leaders from the smaller factions standing not far behind him. Each of them appeared subdued, and whenever Jia Tianlong glanced their way, they either glared angrily or shyly avoided making eye contact. Seeing this scene, Jia Tianlong smiled coldly, then turned back to consider in his mind the strategic plan for absorbing these smaller factions once he had taken over the Qi Xuan Sect. In front of Jia Tianlong, nearly a thousand men in various garments, wielding diverse weapons, were charging furiously against a seven-xuan gate post. Their formation was chaotic, lacking coordination, and they suffered significant casualties. Yet Jia Tianlong showed no concern, for the attackers were not his own Wild Wolf Clan members but rather troops from the Iron Spear Guild and the Broken Stream Guild. He had not expected these allied factions to succeed in capturing the final, most formidable barrier—the Sunset Peak—nor did he intend for them to expend much effort. His real aim was simply to drain the defenders' energy, then dispatch his own elite forces with a barrage of crossbows to swiftly secure the position. As he thought of the military crossbows, a gentle smile of satisfaction spread across his refined face. These battlefield weapons had undoubtedly played a decisive role in enabling the Wild Wolf Clan to gain such a favorable position so easily. Otherwise, not only would the opposing negotiation team be unable to be completely eliminated, but even the dozen outposts already secured ahead of the setting sun peak would suffer significant losses, severely undermining the Wild Wolf Clan's future plans to absorb smaller and medium-sized clans. These military crossbows had required not a single effort from Jia Tianlong—they had simply materialized at his doorstep, as if falling from the sky. Every time Jia Tianlong recalled this incident, he felt a great sense of satisfaction. It had happened three months prior, when he was finalizing the operational plan at headquarters. Suddenly, an officer claiming to be a relative of his requested an audience. He found this somewhat surprising, so he met with the officer, and to his delight, it turned out to be his cousin. Back when the Wild Wolf Clan was still a band of horse-thieves, a group of individuals had been recruited by the government, and his cousin was among them. Over the years, he had risen steadily to the rank of Deputy Commander in the military. Now, his cousin, serving as a deputy commander, is currently escorting a batch of supplies to a frontier garrison in Jingzhou, passing through this very area. Hearing of his close relative, Jia Tianlong, the chief of the Wild Wolf Clan, he naturally makes the trip to visit his younger brother. The two exchange heartfelt greetings upon meeting, then share their respective experiences over the years. When Jia Tianlong mentions the recent conflicts and battles with the Qi Xuan Sect, his cousin gives a dismissive shrug, proudly stating, "That's nothing—just give me a hundred linked crossbows, and I'll wipe out the entire Qi Xuan Sect from top to bottom." Unintentional in speech, yet clearly meaningful to the listener, Jia Tianlong is struck by this remark and gently probes whether his cousin could supply him with some of these crossbows. The cousin smiles slightly and responds frankly: he does have several linked crossbows among the supplies he's transporting, and indeed, he can provide them—only he'll need a certain amount of silver to secure the official's silence. However, he won't be able to offer a large quantity. Jia Tianlong was overjoyed upon hearing this. He immediately spent over 20,000 taels of silver to acquire more than 300 crossbow units from his elder brother, entrusting them to his most trusted subordinates for careful deployment—this was what had led to the series of victories in the past few days. "Broken!" "Captured!" ... A thunderous commotion shook the scene, rousing Jia from his contemplation. He was surprised and quickly raised his head toward the mountain peak. There, where the sentry posts had previously displayed the flags of the Qi Xu Sect, the posts were now crowded with members from smaller and mid-sized guilds—indeed, the stronghold had been successfully breached. Jia Tianlong furrowed his brows. He found it odd. Based on the strength of defense observed at the earlier checkpoints, the final one should have been the most difficult to overcome. Yet now, it had been taken by these less-experienced troops. Was there some hidden scheme at play? His expression darkened. Anyone familiar with Master Jia knew this was a clear sign of his displeasure. If someone offended him at this moment, they would find it extremely difficult—nearly impossible—to escape unscathed. "Hey! Since the barrier has been broken, why aren't you moving?" A voice, rough as a broken gong, rang out, devoid of the slightest respect for Master Jia. Jia Tianlong ought to have been furious, yet instead, the master turned gently and replied with deference: "Master Zhang, I find this breach rather unusual. It seems too coincidental—there may be a trap set in place. I think we should proceed with caution." "What's there to fear? With me right here, these ordinary people won't be able to harm you. Move quickly! Move quickly! I've been waiting here nearly all night—my eyes are starting to close. Let's get rid of these seven-xuan disciples as soon as possible, so I can finally rest." The voice was not aged, yet it carried the air of someone much older, and it was most unpleasant to listen to.