Chapter 1744: Zhang Xuan Goes into Battle

“A challenge?” Zhang Xuan frowned slightly, a bit puzzled. “The Otherworldly Demonic Tribe dares to show themselves so openly, and... they even follow rules?”

In his impression, the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe loved slaughter and knew no rules. For them to come forward with a challenge now felt incredibly strange.

More importantly, here at the Warm Spring Pavilion, with so many Master Teachers present... The conflict between Master Teachers and the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe had spanned tens of thousands of years, with countless relatives and friends on both sides having died at the hands of the other. For one of them to appear alone, wasn't he afraid of being hacked to pieces?

“It’s not that we follow rules, but that we *have* to!”

Sword Saint Xing gave a bitter smile.

“Have to? Could it be... there’s an Ancient Sage here?” Zhang Xuan’s pupils contracted, and he narrowed his eyes.

Only an Ancient Sage could make a peak Immortal-level expert abide by rules; he couldn’t think of anyone else.

“That’s right, there are Ancient Sages here. Our Zhang Clan’s Ancient Sage has also arrived... Both sides have their reservations, so we’ve jointly agreed that any conflicts will be resolved through fair duels, with no massacres allowed. Otherwise, chaos would have erupted long ago, and there would be no peace like this.”

Sword Saint Xing explained.

Zhang Xuan suddenly understood, letting out a breath.

No wonder he hadn’t encountered any dangers along the way; it must have been a rule both parties abided by.

Otherwise, before the sub-temple even opened, the area would be engulfed in fierce fighting, and no one would be able to obtain the true treasures when they appeared.

At this moment, the Ancient Sages were like nuclear weapons. With both sides possessing them, neither dared to overstep. If one side lost theirs, the balance would immediately tip, and there would be no more peace.

“Hmm, their challenge is to get our Legacy Heavenly Token, or... to follow us into the Temple of Confucius!”

Sword Saint Xing chuckled softly, a long sword appearing in his palm. “But how can I let them have their way?”

“Father, please wait!”

Seeing him about to go downstairs, Zhang Xuan also stood up. “Your son is willing to take on this task!”

“You?”

Sword Saint Xing was stunned.

“Yes. Although my cultivation is at the Golden Body realm, it won’t be easy for them to defeat me. Moreover, while I haven’t had the grand opportunities my parents had here, I’ve still encountered some minor ones. This would be a good chance to test them out...”

With a light smile, deep confidence shone in Zhang Xuan’s eyes.

Filial piety came first among all virtues. As a son, he absolutely could not stand by while his father was challenged.

“Very well!” Sword Saint Xing nodded.

Although his son was only twenty years old, his array of abilities was so vast that even the Master Teacher Pavilion was wary of him. While Sword Saint Xing himself might not necessarily defeat Bo Yuan, if his son made a move, the opponent certainly wouldn't be able to withstand him.

Seeing his father agree, Zhang Xuan’s body swayed, and he flew out, landing before the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe member. “I am Zhang Xuan. If you wish to challenge my father, you’ll have to get past me first!”

“Can you make the decision?”

Bo Yuan seemed not to recognize Zhang Xuan. Seeing only a young man in his twenties, he curled his lips. “If you lose, you’ll have to hand over the Legacy Heavenly Token!”

“Of course, I can!” With a light smile, Zhang Xuan nodded. “If I lose, I’ll hand over the Heavenly Token. But what if I win?”

“This armored robe of mine is a Great Sage artifact. If I lose, it will be your compensation!”

With a wave of his hand, an armored robe appeared before him. Bo Yuan snorted.

“You want to exchange one Great Sage artifact for the Legacy Heavenly Token? Is that what you call fair?” Zhang Xuan raised an eyebrow.

Even if the philosophers from the Hundred Schools of Thought came, they’d offer Ancient Sage artifacts for the Legacy Heavenly Token. Trying to exchange it for just one Great Sage artifact... who was he trying to fool?

“Then what do you want?”

Bo Yuan frowned.

They had engaged in such duels before, and though their tribesmen had lost, Sword Saint Xing hadn’t raised any objections. Why did this person suddenly find it unfair?

“Three Great Sage artifacts!” Zhang Xuan smiled faintly.

“Three?”

Bo Yuan narrowed his eyes. “You’re dreaming!”

“If you’re unwilling, then forget it. We don’t have time to waste with you! Possessing a Legacy Heavenly Token grants an opportunity to enter the Temple of Confucius. Even if this sub-temple doesn’t contain the Spring and Autumn Canon, anything left by Kong shi is bound to be extraordinary! Think carefully; don’t say I didn’t give you a chance... If you disagree, make your decision soon. I’m going back to rest for a bit!”

Stretching, Zhang Xuan began walking towards the pavilion.

“This...”

Bo Yuan fell silent.

Three Great Sage artifacts were indeed valuable, but compared to the opportunity to enter the Temple of Confucius, they were still far inferior.

“Wait a moment. I’ll go back and discuss this!”

With that, Bo Yuan turned and walked towards another pavilion, which had the characters “Xia Zao” written on it.

It wasn’t long before he returned. “I agree!”

He then flicked his palm, and three Great Sage artifacts floated nearby.

Sword Saint Xing walked over, and the Legacy Heavenly Token floated in the air.

“Let’s begin! I don’t believe a twenty-year-old kid like you could be stronger than me!”

With the stakes set, Bo Yuan wasted no more words. He shook his long sword, which hummed loudly.

“Hold on, don’t rush. Before we start, I want to clarify the rules!”

Zhang Xuan said.

“Rules?”

“Exactly. Is our match a fair duel?”

“Of course!” Bo Yuan nodded.

“Since it’s a fair duel, if I’m a formation master, can I use formations? If I’m a beast tamer, can I use my beast companions?” Zhang Xuan asked.

“Naturally!” Bo Yuan snorted.

Formation masters setting up formations and beast tamers having beast companions were all part of their own strength; even he couldn’t deny that.

“In that case, it’ll be simple...” Hearing the other party agree, Zhang Xuan crooked a finger. “Beast companions, come out and beat him up!”

*Whoosh!*

As his words fell, five kings suddenly appeared before them, surrounding Bo Yuan. The surging aura from their bodies seemed capable of tearing space apart.

“...These are your beast companions?”

Bo Yuan swayed, almost bursting into tears.

Sword Saint Xing, Dream Sword Saint, and the many Master Teachers in the Warm Spring Pavilion also widened their eyes, their faces filled with exasperation.

Five peak Immortal-level beast companions...

*These* were the “minor opportunities” you mentioned?

If these were minor, what would a major one be like?

“That’s right, I’m a beast tamer, so I can use my beast companions. Go on, attack them! You hit my beast companions, and my beast companions hit you... it’s perfectly fair!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

“...” Bo Yuan almost spat blood.

Fair, my foot!

How was he supposed to fight sacred beasts of this caliber?

“If you don’t make a move, then I will!” Seeing that the fellow no longer had his previous imposing demeanor, Zhang Xuan flicked his palm and gave the command: “Attack!”

*Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar!*

The five sacred beasts charged forward in unison.

These five possessed the bloodline of ancient divine beasts and were kings of the jungle world, having experienced countless battles. Although Bo Yuan was not weak, he couldn’t defeat even one of them, let alone so many.

After a few breaths, he was beaten beyond recognition, with more than a dozen bones broken throughout his body and his face covered in blood.

“I surrender...”

Realizing that he would die horribly if he didn’t give up, he quickly shouted.

“That’s more like it...”

Zhang Xuan nodded, his face filled with satisfaction as he collected the three Great Sage artifacts into his spatial ring. He then looked around again. “Does anyone else want to challenge me? I, Zhang Xuan, am happy to oblige... If not, I challenge all members of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe present. Do you dare to accept?”