“Audacious!”
“Yet another conceited fool who overestimates himself just because he has accomplished something!”
“Naive! Do you think that you are invincible just because you have tamed a couple of beasts?”
While Zhang Xuan was dueling Bei Yuan, quite a number of Otherworldly Demons had already headed out of the Pavilion of Irate Summer. Upon hearing the arrogant words spouting from Zhang Xuan’s mouth, their faces turned livid with anger, and infuriated bellows escaped their lips.
There were around thirty Otherworldly Demons in sight at the moment, and over six of them possessed similar strength to Bei Yuan. Even though Zhang Xuan had tamed five Sempiternal realm consummation beasts, he still would not stand a chance against all of them combined.
“What’s the use of arguing over there? If you have the guts to accept my challenge, take out your treasures and stake them as wagers,” Zhang Xuan replied boredly. “Similarly, I’ll also put the Celestial Amulet of Legacy on the line. Those who possess true strength speak through actions, not through words!”
The faces of the Otherworldly Demons turned livid in fury.
The young man was right. Nothing that they said would be meaningful; strength was something that had to be displayed!
“I’ll give you ten minutes to think about it. I’ll take a short nap for the time being. If you wish to take me up on my challenge, I don’t mind playing with you all!” Zhang Xuan tossed those words to the Otherworldly Demon before returning to the Pavilion of Warm Spring while lazily stretching his back.
“Our clan head sure is formidable…”
“He’s actually able to render so many Otherworldly Demons speechless at once. This is the kind of imposing air that a true powerhouse should have!”
The cultivators in the Pavilion of Spring Autumn nodded in respect.
It was true that neither side dared go too far due to the involvement of the Ancient Sages, but the Otherworldly Demons were clearly in a more advantageous position than the humans due to their superior strength. As a result, it had been the humans who were in a passive position so far.
They did not think that the head of the Zhang Clan would actually be able to turn the tables on the Otherworldly Demons as soon as he appeared!
“You’re Zhang Xuan, aren’t you? I am Bei Feng, and I’m willing to accept your challenge!”
Before Zhang Xuan could return to the Pavilion of Warm Spring, a towering Otherworldly Demon suddenly walked out from the crowd. He was one of the remaining six Sempiternal realm consummation cultivators.
Seeing that someone had taken the bait, Zhang Xuan asked with a smile, “What’s your wager?”
“I only have a Great Sage artifact. I can give it to you if I lose the duel. In exchange, I won’t ask for you to give me the Celestial Amulet of Legacy if I win. All I want is to claim three slots to enter the Hall of Great Accomplishment!” Bei Feng said.
“Three slots?” Zhang Xuan frowned in bewilderment.
“Based on the inscriptions that we have found in the area, it seems that our Celestial Amulet of Legacy allows us to bring ten people into the Hall of Great Accomplishment,” Sword Saint Xing said.
“I see!” Zhang Xuan nodded contemplatively. “Sure, I have no problem with that. I’ll accept your wager!”
Even if Bei Feng won the duel and obtained three slots to enter the Hall of Great Accomplishment, it would still be a highly disadvantageous situation for them. In a battle of seven against three, the Zhang Clan should be able to easily overpower and kill those three unfortunate Otherworldly Demons tagging along with them.
In any case, Ancient Sages were not able to enter the Temple of Confucius, and they did not have the power to interfere with the happenings inside.
“I know that those five beasts are your tamed beasts, but they aren’t a clear indication of your individual prowess. The one I am challenging is you, not your beasts. As a master teacher, won’t you cast aside your beasts and face me in a proper duel?” Bei Feng asked.
“In other words, you don’t want to use my tamed beasts?” Zhang Xuan asked as an unreadable smile crept onto his lips.
“That’s right! I admit that your five beasts are formidable, but do you dare pit your true ability against me and fight me with your own strength? Don’t you think that it’s dishonorable for a master teacher like you to be so reliant on your tamed beasts?” Bei Feng taunted.
“I can face you without my tamed beasts… but since it’s a handicap on my side, I want you to wager another Great Sage artifact!” Zhang Xuan said.
“You want me to wager another Great Sage artifact?” Bei Feng frowned as he lowered his gaze in hesitation. After a moment of contemplation, he flicked his wrist, and a crimson spirit stone materialized on his palm. “I don’t have any more Great Sage artifacts, but this Sacred Blood Crystal is fueled using the blood essence of Sempiternal realm consummation beasts. It harnesses the full energy of an expert of that caliber. It’ll be a convenient source of spiritual energy for your cultivation. While it can’t compete with a true Great Sage artifact, its value should almost be on par with one. Will you take this as a replacement?”
Zhang Xuan took a look at the crimson spirit stone, and he immediately sensed the concentrated spiritual energy that was emanating from the rock. It was so concentrated that it almost felt tangible.
If he cultivated using it, he would indeed be able to advance his cultivation swiftly. Without a doubt, it was something that would be useful to him.
“Very well, I’ll accept your deal!” Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.
To be honest, he felt like he was hoarding a little too many Great Sage artifacts at this point. He did not need any more of them. In terms of utility, the Sacred Blood Crystal was definitely far more useful to him.
Perhaps still a little worried about the matter, Bei Feng declared loudly, “The Ancient Sage of you humans and the Ancient Sage of my tribe will bear witness that the use of tamed beasts is forbidden in this duel!”
Zhang Xuan did not know where the Ancient Sages were hidden, but this declaration effectively meant that the rule had been officialized. Anyone who dared turn their back on this rule would be severely punished.
This was because the ceasefire was of the utmost importance for both sides to preserve their fighting prowess for the fight over the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn later on. While it was true that every single Sempiternal realm consummation cultivator was an invaluable addition to the team, the Ancient Sages would not compromise the bigger picture just to protect a single one of them.
“Rest assured! Since I have already agreed to your terms, you can expect me to honor my promise!” Zhang Xuan replied confidently as he moved his tamed beasts into his Myriad Anthive Nest.
“I’ll believe in your honor as a master teacher!” Bei Feng nodded.
Taking a deep breath, he took a step forward and whipped out his weapon.
It was a Great Sage tier moon glaive. This was also the artifact that he was wagering on the duel.
“Clan head, be careful!” one of the grand elders exclaimed worriedly.
Without his tamed beasts, their clan head would only be an Aureate Body realm cultivator. It did not seem impossible for him to match an enemy two realms stronger than him.
Was it really possible for one to breach such a huge disparity in strength?”
“Heh!” Zhang Xuan chuckled softly as he stepped forward. With a flick of his wrist, a jade-like root appeared on his palm.
“I did say that I wouldn’t use a tamed beast, and I’ll honor the end of my promise… However, I don’t have any formidable Great Sage artifacts, and this root is something that I have acquired out of coincidence. It’s still decently resilient and hard to be used as a weapon. You shouldn’t have any qualms with me using it in battle, right?”
“A root?” Bei Feng took a look at the item that the young man was holding in his hand, and only after confirming that it was indeed a root did he finally nod in agreement. “Feel free to use it as your weapon!”
As long as the young man did not use his tamed beasts, it would not matter much to him whether the young man used a Great Sage artifact or not. Besides, he had taken a closer look at the root and had not noticed anything peculiar about it.
“That’s good… Little Root, I’ll leave the rest to you!” Zhang Xuan nodded as he lazily tossed the root up into the air.
“Leave it to me!” the root replied through the diffusion of its thoughts.
After that, it flew into the aerial space right above Bei Feng.
“Mere cheap street tricks!” Bei Feng spat coldly as he flung the moon glaive in his grasp toward the root.
Si la!
The space tremored under Bei Feng’s movements. A Sempiternal realm consummation cultivator paired with a Great Sage artifact produced a might that would leave anyone trembling in fear.
Hu!
But before the moon glaive could strike the root, the space around them suddenly jolted. The next instant, Bei Feng found himself standing in the midst of a desert. A towering tree stood quietly in front of him. With a tug of a light breeze, buds of cotton slowly descended upon the ground as if snow.
Alarmed by the changes around him, Bei Feng narrowed his eyes and shouted, “What’s this?”
Unbeknownst to him, wisps of nearly indiscernible cotton had fallen into his mouth as he spoke.
“What’s going on?”
“What kind of artifact is that?”
Not expecting a mere root to produce such a massive desert, everyone was stunned. For a moment, they were not able to react at all.
“Bei Feng, it’s just an illusion. You just have to find a way to break it…” one of the experts of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe shouted in agitation.
“Alright…” Bei Feng said.
However, before he could finish speaking, his body suddenly started convulsing wildly.
Hualala!
The next instant, Bei Feng was reduced to a pile of yellow sand. Not a trace of him remained.
Silence immediately devoured the entire area.
