Ling Feng was a bit surprised.
"Thirty-seven cities, that's no small amount."
The entire Zhou Kingdom had a little over two hundred cities in total.
"Damn it, we absolutely have to reclaim those thirty-seven cities this time!!" Li Xinshu said angrily.
The other companions also showed a look of determination in their eyes.
On this journey, if they couldn't expand their territory, they at least had to reclaim the lost cities! Only then would they live up to the expectations of Zhou's citizens!
The Seven Nations Summit was held at a place called the "Summit of the Heavens."
It was said to be the highest point in the entire Heaven Realm!
There were even rumors that some martial artists had ascended to immortality from there!
Of course, whether that was true or not remained unknown; after all, no one had ascended in over ten thousand years, so it had become something of a legend.
The Summit of the Heavens was tens of thousands of miles away from Zhou.
Even for a Martial Saint, it would take three days and three nights to get there, and the key issue was that Ling Feng and his companions were headed there to participate in a martial arts competition.
If they pushed themselves to rush there, it would deplete too much of their true energy.
It would be detrimental if the competition started immediately after they arrived.
Since they still had time, they didn't rush. As they traveled, they occasionally stopped to rest. One day, they happened to pass by a mountain range.
They had already left Zhou's territory.
This mountain range lay on the border between Zhou and Chu and was called the Black Wind Mountain Range.
Being situated between two major kingdoms, it was a lawless area where countless bandits ran rampant, the largest group being Black Wind Fortress.
Its fortress master was even a martial artist of the Martial Lord rank.
However, right now, this fortress master was drenched in cold sweat as he looked at the group in front of him. The terrifying aura they emitted made it difficult for him to breathe.
"We're passing through and would like to rest here at your fortress for a day. Do you have any objections?" The Sword Saint of Heavenbreakers said indifferently, looking at the Black Wind fortress master.
"No objections, no objections."
The fortress master shook his head hastily, not daring to say a single word of refusal.
What a joke.
These guys were all Martial Saints!
Any one of them could destroy his Black Wind Fortress; what right did he have to object?
More shocking was the astonishingly handsome young man among them. Damn it, he was so young yet already a Martial Saint??
Was there no justice?
The fortress master sighed helplessly, feeling like his decades of cultivation had all been in vain.
And so, Ling Feng and the others stayed temporarily at Black Wind Fortress.
The Black Wind fortress master ordered his people to serve them well, not daring to show any neglect.
That night.
As the Black Wind fortress master got up to relieve himself, several shadows suddenly appeared in front of him, blending into the night as if they were one with it.
Even though he was a Martial Lord, he hadn't sensed them at all.
What the...?!
What was going on now?!
Why had so many terrifying people come to his little Black Wind Fortress today?
The leading figure in black made a "shush" gesture toward him and said calmly, "Some people are staying here overnight, aren't they?"
"Yes."
"They're all Martial Saints, right?"
"Exactly!"
"Good. How many are there, are they male or female, and what weapons do they carry? Tell me everything!"
The leading black-clad figure stepped out from the darkness, and under the moonlight, the fortress master saw his face—a ghastly mask!
His entire being emitted a chilling, murderous aura!
The fortress master swallowed hard, "Th-the Asura Organization!!"
The Asura Organization—a feared assassin organization that terrified the Seven Kingdoms and countless martial artists! It operated independently of the kingdoms, without regard for borders or sects, and followed only one creed... money!
As long as the price was high enough, they would kill anyone!
Even Martial Saints in the Seven Nations or the kings themselves!
Faced with such a terrifying assassin organization, the fortress master dared not defy them and revealed everything he knew.
"Oh, five people, and one of them is a young man?"
"That young man is also a Martial Saint?"
The lead assassin seemed surprised.
"That's right."
"Interesting. A young Martial Saint—Zhou actually produced such a prodigy. But since he's young, even if he's a Martial Saint, his cultivation can't compare to the other Martial Saints, and he's likely the weakest among them due to lack of experience!"
"Heh, let's start with him!"
The lead assassin sneered.
He waved his hand.
The assassins behind him nodded and headed toward Ling Feng's location.
Each of them was a Martial Lord, and as they moved, they seemed to blend seamlessly into the night, making them hard to detect!
It was clearly a highly advanced movement technique.
The assassins arrived outside Ling Feng's room, and one of them took out a tube, aiming it at the gap in the door and windows, releasing wisps of toxic smoke.
"Hehehe, this Asura Bewitching Smoke is colorless and odorless, and even a Martial Saint might not notice it. If they're poisoned, at least half their power will be sealed, and then they'll be at our mercy, right?"
The black-clad assassin sneered.
Inside the room.
Ling Feng, who was sitting cross-legged, slowly opened his eyes.
He sensed something unusual.
But he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was.
In a daze, he felt as though something had entered his body.
"Am I... poisoned?"
He blinked, but noticed that whatever had entered his body had quickly disappeared, leaving him completely unaffected.
He suddenly remembered that he had recently acquired a "poison immunity" physique. Yet, someone had dared to try to poison him?
Was it the Black Wind fortress master?
No, that guy probably wouldn't have the guts.
Ling Feng remained seated in meditation without making a sound, then pretended to collapse onto the bed.
Moments later.
Several shadows burst into the room, and the leader held a dagger, aiming straight for Ling Feng's neck.
Suddenly.
Ling Feng's eyes snapped open, and he reached out to catch the dagger between his fingers.
"Something's wrong!"
The assassin's face changed, and he swiftly retreated.
But Ling Feng was faster. In a blink, he was behind the assassin and struck him with a palm, sending him flying.
The other assassins attacked simultaneously.
Then...
Bang, bang, bang…
They were all thrown back, crashing through the door and windows.
"This isn't right! How could he still have this kind of power?"
"Wasn't he supposed to be affected by the Asura Bewitching Smoke?"
"What's going on?"
The assassins were filled with confusion.
Ling Feng stepped outside slowly. In the moonlight, he stood with his white robes pristine, hair flowing like a waterfall, and an otherworldly aura, like an immortal descending in the moonlight.
"Who sent you?"
Ling Feng asked calmly.
"Hmph, I don't know how you resisted the poison, but you're just a young brat! Even if you were lucky enough to become a Martial Saint, you're no match for me!"
The lead assassin replied coldly.
He unleashed his aura, and instantly, it felt as if thousands of wailing ghosts surrounded them, with a chilling wind howling!
He, too, was a Martial Saint!
"I'm a Martial Saint forged in mountains of corpses and seas of blood, nothing like a Martial Saint nurtured in a greenhouse like you!!"
The black-clad assassin shot towards Ling Feng like a black lightning bolt.
His true energy erupted! He thrust his sword forward!
A sinister aura enveloped Ling Feng.
Ling Feng looked up with indifference and threw a punch!
In an instant, a deafening roar of a hundred elephants echoed, as if a beast god-king himself had descended. The punch tore through the air with a thunderous sound, sending the assassin flying back even faster than he'd come. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he fell to the ground like a pile of mud!
"What was it you were saying just now?" Ling Feng asked, looking at the so-called Martial Saint who claimed he had walked through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. He smiled slightly.