The entire border town was engulfed in a lively spectacle. Everyone now knew that an outsider had killed a disciple of Lingshan and was now preparing to ascend Lingshan, even declaring his intent to cleanse the Buddhist sect.
This was the biggest event to occur at Lingshan in billions of years.
In truth, the local populace had long been resentful of Lingshan's tyranny in the border town, harboring deep-seated animosity and wishing for the downfall of those bald monks.
The Buddhist temple, in its inception, was a sanctuary. People would visit to burn incense with devotion, pray to the Buddha, and find solace for their souls.
But things had changed drastically. The people of Lingshan seemed to have transformed.
Not only did they hoard wealth, but they also began extorting protection fees.
Disguised as safety fees, they were, in essence, protection money.
More critically, customers had to pay 30% of the cost, while merchants were compelled to give an additional 20% to Lingshan. Consequently, prices in the border town soared, leaving the local residents in silent despair.
There was little that could be done, as the burden ultimately fell on the customers.
Lingshan was originally a sacred Buddhist site, rumored to have once produced mighty figures who ascended to the Chaos Realm.
Thus, Lingshan had been cultivating their Dao there. Since an unknown young monk broke through to the Great Perfection of the Saint Venerable realm over a hundred million years ago, everything at Lingshan began to change.
That young monk was now the Abbot of the Lingshan Buddhist temple, Master Ku Xiu.
Master Ku Xiu now possessed the strength of a quasi-Saint Emperor, unrivaled below the Saint Emperor realm, and capable of a one-for-one exchange above it.
This was not mere boasting; Master Ku Xiu truly possessed such power.
Tens of thousands of years ago, Master Ku Xiu had emerged once. On that occasion, two experts at the Great Perfection of the Saint Venerable realm came to Lingshan seeking justice. Master Ku Xiu, without a word, engaged them in battle.
Those two Saint Venerable Great Perfection powerhouses did not last three moves against Master Ku Xiu, one falling and the other being gravely wounded.
The severely injured party had traded their life for the chance to wound the other Saint Venerable Great Perfection expert.
From that day forth, Master Ku Xiu's dharma name spread throughout the Saint Venerable realm. It was also because of this battle that everyone realized Master Ku Xiu was at the quasi-Saint Emperor realm, leading to the conclusion of his invincibility below Saint Emperors and the one-for-one exchange above them.
As for the one-for-one exchange above Saint Emperors, it remained unverified. After all, Saint Emperors were nowhere to be found in the Saint Realm, making it impossible to ascertain if Master Ku Xiu could indeed achieve a one-for-one exchange.
Thus, people tacitly accepted this assertion.
Now, with Xia Feng heading to Lingshan to cause trouble, it seemed history was repeating itself from fifty million years ago.
The entire town descended into chaos, with many flocking towards Lingshan to witness the spectacle.
"Did you see the person? What was that young man's strength like?"
"Does that even need asking? Regardless of his strength, could he possibly defeat Master Ku Xiu, the quasi-Saint Emperor?"
"Wouldn't that mean certain death upon arrival?"
"Alas... although the truth is hard to accept, in the face of absolute power, all other factors become meaningless."
"Sigh... a pity for such a young man."
"Young people are still too impulsive. Lingshan has dominated this border town for so many years; who doesn't harbor resentment? It's a shame their strength doesn't match; the tallest tree catches the wind."
"Never mind that, let's head to Lingshan together and watch. It's also a way to send off that young man."
These sentiments echoed throughout the border town.
Without exception, not a single person believed Xia Feng would emerge alive from Lingshan.
After all, the outcome seemed obvious. Master Ku Xiu's strength was unparalleled in the Saint Realm.
Since Saint Emperors had vanished, Master Ku Xiu was effectively invincible. Moreover, given the passage of time, Master Ku Xiu might have even ascended to the Saint Emperor realm.
Xia Feng, like a gust of wind, arrived directly above Lingshan and then rapidly descended towards the Lingshan Buddhist temple.