Chapter 1374: Single Duel

"This is a Saint 8-dan expert!"

Luo Xuanqing watched the Hell Fowl Dragon Beast in the air, effortlessly handling five masters without a care, and was filled with envy. A Saint 8-dan expert, having comprehended the power of Void Shattering, could unleash a domain like their own personal grotto-heaven. Indeed, victory in such a battle couldn't be achieved by numbers alone. Even though Zhang Chun and the others were all peak inner court experts from the Saint Son Hall, their strength was still far too inferior compared to this level.

"He's truly formidable!" Zhang Xuan couldn't help but exclaim. He had thought the beast used its full power when it attacked him earlier, but now it seemed it might not have even exerted one-tenth of its strength. Otherwise, he wouldn't have even had a chance to bring out the Ruthless Man's finger bone; he would have been instantly crushed into a pulp.

"If I had this kind of strength, proposing to the Luo Clan would be much simpler..." His eyes glinted. While a Saint 8-dan cultivation might not be extraordinary in a Saint Clan like the Luo Clan, being at the absolute peak of the continent, combined with being only twenty years old, would surely draw their attention.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As he mused, the Hell Fowl Dragon Beast continued its attacks. The four latecomers, just like Zhang Chun, ended up plastered against the rock wall, resembling sausages.

"Kid, what kind of hero uses a spirit beast to fight us?! Do you dare to fight me one-on-one?" Knowing that continuing to take a beating would be as good as death, Zhang Chun bit his lip until it bled.

"One-on-one? You, a dignified Saint 7-dan peak expert, want to challenge me, who's only Saint 5-dan?" Zhang Xuan scoffed. Although he possessed the ability to fight opponents above his level, there was still a significant gap between him and a Saint 7-dan peak expert. Since he wasn't a match, why would he accept a challenge? Was he looking for a beating?

"I'll suppress my cultivation to fight you!" Zhang Chun quickly said.

Zhang Xuan lifted an eyebrow. "No time!" As a tamed beast master, his spirit beasts were part of his own strength. Since he could easily defeat them without personally stepping in, there was no need for him to participate.

Zhang Chun was furious, almost to the point of exploding, and somewhat frantic. As a super genius of the Zhang Clan, he had always enjoyed smooth sailing, whether within the clan or in the Saint Son Hall. When had he ever suffered such humiliation? "You don't dare?" His fists were clenched so tightly they almost fractured, and his eyes were bloodshot.

The Fowl Dragon Beast was too powerful; defeating it was utterly impossible. Even if he unleashed his bloodline power, at most he could only escape... However, bloodline power could not be easily used, and even with his strong talent, he dared not use it rashly. Therefore, the only way to resolve the current predicament was to defeat this guy! As long as he could lure Zhang Xuan into fighting and subdue him instantly, he could not only avenge the present humiliation but also make the Fowl Dragon Beast obey his commands, and even teach Luo Xuanqing a good lesson. Otherwise, having suffered such a huge loss, if the news got out, how could he possibly remain in the Saint Son Hall?

"That's right, I don't dare!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

Zhang Chun staggered. Other cultivators, especially those so young, would surely rush forward with red eyes upon hearing such words. But this guy? He looked indifferent, acting like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, as if saying, 'I don't dare, and I'm proud of it!' How could his face be so thick-skinned?

"What did Luo Xuanqing give you? I'll give you the same compensation, as long as you have a match with me!" Taking a deep breath, Zhang Chun spoke again. Since Zhang Xuan had been invited by Luo Xuanqing, he must have received some reward. Zhang Chun didn't expect him to betray Luo Xuanqing; he just needed him to agree to a duel. As long as that big beast didn't intervene, teaching a lesson to a minor figure who was only at the peak of the Out-of-Body realm would be easy and enjoyable.

"He gave me... five high-grade spirit stones! If you can produce them, not only will I fight you, but all five of you can come at me at once!" Upon hearing the offer of compensation, Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

"..." Zhang Chun was so choked he couldn't speak. Just now he said he didn't dare, but as soon as money was mentioned, he immediately accepted, and even wanted all five of them to fight him... Couldn't he be less greedy?

"Fine, I'll give you five high-grade spirit stones. However, I don't have them on me right now. As long as you agree to the match, regardless of winning or losing, I will apply to my clan upon returning to the Saint Son Hall and bring them to you!" Though seething with anger, Zhang Chun gritted his teeth and said.

"This..." Hearing that Zhang Chun didn't have them, Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment. "How about this: you first write an IOU stating that you owe me five high-grade spirit stones. Once I have the IOU, I'll fight you!"

"Alright!" Fearing Zhang Xuan might back out, Zhang Chun didn't hesitate much. He took out a piece of paper, bit his fingertip, and quickly wrote a line of text: "This is written with my blood, containing the power of my bloodline; it cannot be faked!"

Zhang Xuan took the paper, glanced at it, and seeing that the other party wasn't playing tricks, he nodded with satisfaction. He then looked at the Fowl Dragon Beast in the air. "Release them!"

"Yes!" The Fowl Dragon Beast responded, its spirit relaxed, and the power of Void Shattering that had trapped the opponents dissipated.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The five individuals swayed, dropped halfway, but eventually stabilized themselves in mid-air. "Here..." Zhang Chun took out a bottle of pills, poured out five, gave one to each of the others, and took one himself. Only then did he feel significantly better. The Fowl Dragon Beast was too strong; even with the five of them working together, they were still far outmatched.

"Suppress your cultivation then!" After letting them adjust for a while, Zhang Xuan said indifferently.

"Alright..." Zhang Chun's body swayed, and his aura rapidly plummeted from Saint 7-dan peak. Soon, he was at the same level as Zhang Xuan, Saint 5-dan, peak Out-of-Body realm.

Although his cultivation was suppressed, his spirit and energy were much more robust than before, and his injuries seemed to have instantly alleviated. "Since this is a match, I hope we can adhere to the Master Teacher's agreement: I will not unseal my cultivation, and you must not let the Fowl Dragon Beast intervene further!" Approaching Zhang Xuan, Zhang Chun scoffed.

"Of course!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Good then..." A cold glint flashed in Zhang Chun's eyes, revealing a ruthless intent. What he feared now was only the Fowl Dragon Beast. As long as that beast didn't interfere, Zhang Xuan was merely a small figure at the Out-of-Body realm. With Zhang Chun's understanding of combat and his talent, he should be able to easily crush him! As for how Zhang Xuan managed to tame such a formidable beast, it must have been through some special means. Powerful tamed beast masters often had many methods that didn't solely rely on raw strength. He refused to believe that someone who couldn't defeat the beast himself could have beaten it into submission.

"Begin!" With a flip of his hand, Zhang Chun was about to make his move.

"Wait!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

"What? Trying to back out?"

"You're overthinking it. Let the other four suppress their cultivation and join in as well. Otherwise, I'm afraid you'll get an even worse beating!" Looking at him with sympathy, Zhang Xuan shook his head. It wasn't that he looked down on Zhang Chun, but at the same cultivation level, Zhang Chun was certainly no match for him. Since he had already made them write an IOU, it wouldn't be good to beat them so badly they lost all hope. After all, he was a man of principle and didn't like to bully too harshly.

"Teacher Zhang... Zhang Chun not only progresses quickly, but he's also virtually invincible at the same cultivation level..." Luo Xuanqing couldn't help but interject. His ability to contend with Zhang Xuan until now spoke volumes about his strength. Luo Xuanqing was already a bit worried when Zhang Xuan agreed to a one-on-one fight, but one person challenging five... wasn't that a bit too arrogant?

"It's fine!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand. He had just finished consolidating his cultivation and hadn't had anyone to spar with yet. Since the other party was rushing in, he might as well try!

"But..." Luo Xuanqing frowned, wanting to dissuade him further, but then Yuan Xiao stepped forward. "Teacher Zhang must have his own judgment in this; there's no need to worry!"

"Someone who can scare away heavenly tribulations when undergoing tribulation... at the same cultivation level, I don't think Zhang Chun can necessarily win!" Yuan Xiao added, seeing Luo Xuanqing's continued concern.

"You're right!" Realizing this, Luo Xuanqing said no more, but still reminded everyone: "Zhang Chun proposing a one-on-one fight might be a ploy to seize Teacher Zhang. In a moment, if anything seems amiss, intervene immediately to save him!"

"Understood!" Knowing that Yuan Xiao had fought Zhang Chun for many years and understood his character and temperament thoroughly, everyone immediately nodded in agreement.

"You said this yourself; I hope you won't go back on your word..." Although he was fuming, Zhang Chun knew this was an opportunity. He scoffed, beckoned to the others, and simultaneously sent a telepathic message: "In a moment, I will be primarily responsible for the attack and will subdue this guy in the shortest time possible. As for you, guard against Luo Xuanqing and the others, as well as that Fowl Dragon Beast, from rescuing him... If you can just hold them off for one breath, I guarantee I'll make this kid never utter another word of nonsense!" Hearing his words, the remaining four quietly nodded. Having been mercilessly beaten by a spirit beast, they too felt a surge of suppressed anger.

*Whoosh!*

After their discussion, the four also suppressed their cultivations and landed on the ground, surrounding Zhang Xuan. "Begin!" With a loud shout, the five simultaneously attacked. Although they had all suppressed their cultivation, they were still Saint 7-dan experts, geniuses among geniuses, with an understanding of cultivation ingrained in their very bones. The moment they moved, true energy instantly filled the valley. In an instant, sword qi and saber qi descended like rain, leaving no room to dodge.

"So strong..." Luo Xuanqing and the others' pupils contracted, and their bodies tensed. These five had practiced a formation together in advance to deal with the Fowl Dragon Beast; it had already reached level eight. Although their cultivation was now suppressed to the peak of the Out-of-Body realm, the level of the formation remained unchanged. United, they could easily kill even an early Saint 7-dan expert!

"Teacher Zhang... he'll be alright, won't he?" Not only Luo Xuanqing, but everyone else also showed worried expressions. Looking at the combined attack of the five, let alone someone at the suppressed Out-of-Body realm peak, even a Saint 6-dan peak expert wouldn't be confident in escaping!

Just as everyone circulated their true energy, ready to intervene and rescue him at any moment, a faint voice echoed amidst the overwhelming true energy. "Is this the extent of your combined strength?" The voice carried a hint of doubt, then filled with disappointment: "What a joke!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Five crisp thuds followed in quick succession. Then, the sword qi and saber qi vanished. The five masters flew back like soccer balls, each once again embedded in the rock wall. Blood continuously flowed from the corners of their mouths, their eyes filled with despair, and their heads slumped as they all fainted.

"This..." Luo Xuanqing and the others' eyes widened. They hurriedly looked towards the direction of the voice, then saw Zhang Xuan pursing his lips, clapping his hands, and walking towards them, an expression of 'lonely as snow, everyone else is too weak' on his face.