Chapter 1745: Tree Root's Meritorious Deed

"How dare you!"

"What arrogant words! You don't know your own limitations!"

"Utterly ignorant! Do you truly believe that taming a few Holy Beasts makes you invincible?"

While the two were fighting, many members of the Spirit race emerged from the Summer Agitation Pavilion. Hearing these words, they all turned pale with rage and shouted loudly. This group consisted of over thirty individuals, six of whom were similar in strength to Bol Yuan. Even if Zhang Xuan had tamed five Holy Beasts at the Immortal Great Perfection realm, defeating all of them alone was undoubtedly a pipe dream.

"Arguing is useless," Zhang Xuan said calmly. "If you dare to accept the challenge, put up a treasure as a wager. I will use a Heaven Talisman as my stake... Strength is proven through combat, not through insults!"

The many members of the Spirit race all turned pale with anger. The opponent was right; strength was proven through combat, and more words here would be pointless.

"I'll give you ten minutes to think it over. I'm going to take a nap first. Whether you fight or not, I'm ready anytime!" Too lazy to bother with them, Zhang Xuan stretched again and walked back.

"The Clan Head is amazing..."

"He single-handedly silenced so many members of the Spirit race—this is the true demeanor of a Celestial Master!"

The many cultivators in the Spring Warmth Pavilion looked on again, each filled with admiration. Although there was an Ancient Sage presiding, preventing the Spirit race from harming them, the Spirit race's influence here was clearly stronger than humanity's. Thus, they had always passively accepted challenges. They never imagined that Clan Head Zhang, upon his appearance, would display such overwhelming courage.

"You are Zhang Xuan, correct? I am Bo Feng, and I wish to fight you!"

Before he had even returned to the Spring Warmth Pavilion, a tall member of the Spirit race stepped forward. It was one of the remaining six Immortal Great Perfection experts.

"What's the wager?" Zhang Xuan asked with a smile, seeing someone "deliver themselves" to him.

"I only have one Divine Supreme Treasure!" Bo Feng stated. "If I lose, it's yours. If I win, I don't want the Transmitted Heaven Talisman. I only ask for three slots to enter the Great Accomplishment Hall after you!"

"Slots?" Zhang Xuan was somewhat puzzled.

"One Transmitted Heaven Talisman allows ten people to enter the Great Accomplishment Hall. I only learned this after arriving here..." Xing Jiansheng explained.

"Oh!" Zhang Xuan nodded. "Giving you three is no problem. I agree!" Giving them three slots was nothing; at worst, he would find a way to kill them after entering the Great Accomplishment Hall. Ancient Sages couldn't enter the Temple of Confucius, so they wouldn't be able to interfere with what happened inside. A few deaths would be perfectly normal.

"Though these five Holy Beasts are your beast pets, having them gang up on me wouldn't demonstrate your personal strength," Bo Feng sneered after Zhang Xuan agreed. "I'm challenging you, not your beasts. As a Celestial Master, do you dare to cast aside your beast pets and fight me alone?"

"Are you saying you don't want me to use my beast pets?" Zhang Xuan asked with a slight smile, looking at him.

"Exactly," Bo Feng replied. "Do you dare to fight me with your own strength, without relying on your Holy Beasts—a true battle? If you do, and I lose, I will concede wholeheartedly!"

"I can fight without my beast pets," Zhang Xuan said, "but... you'll need to add another Great Sage Supreme Treasure!"

"Another one?"

Frowning, Bo Feng hesitated, then flipped his wrist, and a blood-red spiritual stone appeared before them. "I don't have another Great Sage Supreme Treasure," he said, "but this Holy Blood Spiritual Stone was nourished by the essence blood of an Immortal Great Perfection Holy Beast. It contains all the power of such a mighty being and is incredibly rich in spiritual energy for cultivation. Though it can't compare to a Great Sage Supreme Treasure, it's not far behind. Do you think it can serve as a substitute?"

Zhang Xuan looked at it and indeed easily sensed the dense, almost palpable spiritual energy emanating from the stone. For cultivation, it could indeed lead to rapid progress and would be of considerable help to him.

"Deal!" Zhang Xuan quickly nodded. To be honest, he already had many Great Sage Supreme Treasures, so more would be useless. In terms of actual utility, it might not even be as good as this spiritual stone.

"Then let's begin," Bo Feng declared loudly, still somewhat uneasy. "The Ancient Sages of your human race and my race can bear witness: during this duel, no beast pets may be used again!" Although he didn't know where the Ancient Sages were hidden, stating this openly was tantamount to setting a rule that no one would dare defy.

"Don't worry," Zhang Xuan said with certainty, "Since I've agreed to it, I naturally won't use them again!" With a grab of his hand, Zhang Xuan collected his many Holy Beasts into his folded space, his expression firm.

"I believe a Celestial Master's word is as good as gold!"

Bo Feng nodded, took a step forward, and took a deep breath. The weapon in his hand released a dazzling light. It was a Cold Moon Hook, which had reached the Great Sage level. This was the weapon included in the wager.

"Clan Head, be careful..." Seeing an Immortal Great Perfection expert take out a Great Sage-level weapon, one of the Grand Elders cried out with concern. If the Clan Head didn't use his Holy Beasts, he was merely at the Golden Body realm peak, two major cultivation realms below his opponent. With such a significant power gap, could he truly win?

"Heh heh!" With a light chuckle, Zhang Xuan walked over. A jade-like tree root appeared in his palm. "Don't worry," he said, "I told you I wouldn't use Holy Beasts, and I won't. However... I don't have any very powerful Great Sage Supreme Treasures. This tree root, which I obtained by chance, is quite sturdy. I should be able to use it, right?"

"A tree root?" After confirming that what was in the opponent's hand was indeed a tree root, Bo Feng nodded. "Of course!" As long as Zhang Xuan didn't use beast pets, even if he used a Great Sage Supreme Treasure, it wouldn't have much impact on Bo Feng. What's more, it was just a tree root that didn't look particularly special.

"That's good... Little Root, I'm counting on you now!" Nodding, Zhang Xuan casually tossed it.

"Alrighty!"

Immediately, a spiritual thought emanated from the root and ascended above Bo Feng.

"Playing tricks!" Unexpecting a mere tree root to speak, Bo Feng's eyes immediately narrowed. He lightly flicked the Cold Moon Hook in his hand, and it instantly slashed towards the root.

*Rip!*

The space around them trembled. An Immortal Great Perfection expert, wielding a formidable Great Sage Supreme Treasure, unleashed a terrifying power. Before the Cold Moon Hook even reached the tree root, Bo Feng felt the space before him waver. The next moment, he seemed to plummet into a desert, and then a towering tree appeared before his eyes. As a gentle breeze stirred, flakes of down, like snowflakes, enveloped him.

"What is this?" Bo Feng's pupils contracted as he cried out, immediately feeling several flakes of down fly into his throat. Immediately, his body stiffened, as if half-bound, and he could no longer move.

"What's happening?"

"What kind of weapon is this?"

No one had expected this tree root to instantly conjure a vast desert, leaving everyone dumbfounded and unable to react.

"Bo Feng, it must be an illusion! Find a way to break it..." a powerful figure among the Spirit race shouted.

"Alri—" Struggling to shout out a reply, Bo Feng's voice was cut short as his entire body suddenly convulsed.

*Whoosh!*

In an instant, he turned into a pile of yellow sand, scattering to the ground without leaving a trace.

A deathly silence fell over the surroundings.