The night was silent. Too silent.
Shen Zong opened his eyes. The air carried a faint metallic tang—bloodlust, hidden yet sharp.
He did not move from his seat on the cliff. Instead, he closed his eyes once more, letting his other senses guide him.
Rustling leaves. The scrape of a blade against bark. The faint tremor of footsteps upon earth.
"They come," he murmured.
---
A silver gleam split the night.
The first assassin struck without warning, a sword qi thrust so fast it howled like a wolf. Shen Zong tilted his head, the blade grazing his cheek before he caught the assassin's wrist and twisted.
Crack. A muffled scream was silenced as Shen Zong crushed the man's throat.
But no sooner had the body fallen than six more shadows emerged from the trees.
---
Their coordination was terrifying.
One dropped smoke bombs, drowning the cliff in choking black haze. Another's chains snaked out, binding Shen Zong's arms. Two more unleashed talismans, fire and lightning exploding around him.
The last three were masters of sword and spear, their strikes weaving a cage of death.
Even Shen Zong, with his newfound resilience, felt his body torn apart. Blades pierced his chest. Lightning charred his flesh. The chains tightened until his bones creaked.
But still—he did not fall.
---
Through the haze, one assassin muttered in disbelief.
"Why… why won't he die?!"
Shen Zong's voice was calm, like cold water pouring into their ears.
"Because you are too weak."
With a surge of qi, his flesh knitted together even as wounds opened. He ripped the chains apart, the fragments slicing two assassins in half. He seized the lightning talisman and forced it into the chest of its wielder, exploding him into mist.
---
The remaining three panicked. But retreat was impossible—this was the Martial Alliance's order.
They fought desperately, each blow meant to cripple, to seal, to bind. Shen Zong was pushed back, his skin peeling, blood spraying—but each time he faltered, his body restored itself with eerie calm.
By the time the smoke cleared, only one assassin remained, trembling, kneeling on the ground.
He dropped his weapon, voice breaking. "W-what… are you?"
Shen Zong's eyes gleamed with a cold, ruthless wisdom.
"I am what you fear. I am what your masters will never control."
Then his palm descended. Silence followed.
---
High above, hidden among the trees, a Martial Alliance elder watched the massacre unfold. His eyes narrowed as he witnessed Shen Zong's flesh heal, as he saw assassins reduced to corpses.
He whispered to himself:
"…The boy truly walks the path of immortality."
And then, without hesitation, he vanished into the darkness—carrying news that would shake the Alliance to its core.