Chapter 1758: Sneaking Attack on the Ancient Saint

The seal outside the Grand Completion Hall flashed, and Zhang Xuan and Zhao Ya flew out.

"Stop right there!" The youth with the shoe sole and his companions quickly surrounded them.

"What, do you want another beating?" Zhang Xuan frowned and scoffed coldly. After he had spared their lives, they were ungrateful enough to block his path again. Did they truly believe he wouldn't kill them?

"We just want a fair, one-on-one duel with you, no weapons or beast pets allowed! Do you dare or not?" the youth with the shoe sole gritted his teeth.

"A fair duel? What's the stake?" Zhang Xuan asked, raising an eyebrow. He had no time to waste on these people if there was no stake.

"Brother Hongtian just gave you five drops of Ancient Sage blood. If you compete with them, I will also put up five drops of blood as a stake!" Before the youth with the shoe sole and his companions could reply, the voice of the Ancient Sage from before rang out. "This is our stake, what is yours?"

"Mine?" Zhang Xuan paused for a moment. "I can show mercy and not kill them!"

The Ancient Sage felt a tightness in his chest, stifled by the reply. It was a fair duel, and the outcome was uncertain. Yet, while he offered five drops of Ancient Sage blood, Zhang Xuan's stake implied absolute certainty of victory.

"If you lose, hand over the Four Seasons Map!"

"That's right, the Four Seasons Map as the stake!" the youth with the shoe sole and his companions shouted in agreement.

Before their voices faded, Zhang Xuan looked at them with an expression that suggested they were idiots. "Are you still dreaming? Do you really think his few drops of worthless blood can compare to the Four Seasons Map?"

"Well... your stake definitely won't do. If you lose, that stake doesn't even need to be honored!" After a moment of silence, the others reiterated.

The Ancient Sage felt an even sharper pain in his chest.

"It doesn't matter," Zhang Xuan said, stretching. "I don't want to compete anyway, so if we're not doing it, that's fine." He hadn't intended to compete anyway, so not doing so was perfectly fine with him.

"How about this then? Five drops of Ancient Sage blood in exchange for one opportunity to advance within your Four Seasons Map?" The Ancient Sage from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers' voice rang out.

"This... is acceptable," Zhang Xuan said. "However, I'm at the Grand Completion of Golden Body realm, while they are at the Grand Completion of Immortal realm. That's a difference of two major realms. With no weapons or beast pets allowed, do you call that fair?" He wouldn't lose anyway, so one opportunity to advance was nothing to him.

"In that case, I will have them suppress their cultivation to match your level!" the Ancient Sage said. Not allowing weapons or beast pets was already a significant restriction; to then rely on their higher cultivation would indeed be unfair.

"Good, let's begin!" Zhang Xuan stepped forward and chuckled. "To save time, you can all come at once. However... with so many attacking simultaneously, I might not be able to hold back. If a few of you die, I hope Senior will forgive me!"

"To kill us, you'll need to see if your strength is enough..."

The youth with the shoe sole gritted his teeth. His cultivation immediately suppressed to the Grand Completion of Golden Body realm, and he charged forward first. His speed was incredibly fast, and he used some unknown martial art. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Zhang Xuan, his five fingers spread, chopping down at his head.

Just as he thought his opponent would surely be unable to escape, a sharp pain shot through his chest. Before he could even react, he saw Zhang Xuan's palm already pressed against his chest. He was sent flying backward, landing on the ground and spitting up mouthfuls of blood. He hadn't seen how Zhang Xuan attacked or moved at all!

"Come on, all of you! One person definitely can't win!" After sending the youth with the shoe sole flying with one move, Zhang Xuan calmly looked at the others.

"All at once!" The others had witnessed the previous fight and knew that, at the same cultivation level, this youth's combat power far exceeded theirs. Without hesitation, they charged forward simultaneously.

A series of thuds and impacts! Before they even reached him, Zhang Xuan charged forward, like a tiger among sheep. No one could withstand even a single blow. Those fighting him were all prodigies from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers, who believed no one at their level could contend with them. Yet, before Zhang Xuan, they were as ridiculous as children.

"So strong..." Witnessing this scene, the Ancient Sage knew they had lost! Although this fellow was only at the Grand Completion of Golden Body realm, his true combat power could already rival an Immortal realm expert! Such an ability to challenge across realms had only ever been seen in Kong Shiyao throughout the entire Hundred Schools of Philosophers!

"You are not his match... surrender!" After fighting for a while longer, and seeing that the others were indeed no match for a single blow, the Ancient Sage's voice still rang out, though he clearly didn't want to admit defeat.

However, before his words even finished, a sudden change occurred. Zhang Xuan, amidst the crowd and under siege, appeared to make a mistake, which the youth with the shoe sole spotted. He pointed his fingers like a sword and thrust them forward. Seeing that the attack was about to pierce his heart, Zhang Xuan raised his palm and slapped it towards the youth's head. It was a mutually destructive move: while the youth with the shoe sole could certainly pierce Zhang Xuan's heart, his own head would also be smashed into pulp, resulting in instant death. The most crucial point was that, judging by their positions, neither could pull back.

"Stop!" The Ancient Sage roared, and a surge of power erupted, enveloping the surrounding space, intending to stop the fatal stalemate. However, as soon as the power was released, he saw Zhang Xuan, whose heart was moments away from being pierced by the youth with the shoe sole, transform into a strange blur and dodge the attack. The next moment, a long saber appeared in Zhang Xuan's palm.

*Whoosh!* He chopped it towards the Ancient Sage.

"This is... an Ancient Sage-tier divine weapon..." The Ancient Sage's pupils contracted. He hadn't expected this fellow's supposed vulnerability was just a trick to draw him out and pinpoint his location! He tried to shrink back and dodge, but found himself enveloped by the saber's aura, completely unable to escape.

*Splat!* The saber light pierced his body, and blood gushed out.

"Haha, thank you!" With a light laugh, Zhang Xuan made a gourd appear beneath him, catching all the blood, which amounted to over twenty drops. Five drops of Ancient Sage blood naturally wouldn't have been enough to make him act. He had calculated from the start to make this fellow lose more. The Ancient Sage had previously suppressed him, rendering him unable to move. Zhang Xuan had long wanted to teach him a lesson, and now that he had the chance, he wouldn't let it go.

"You..." Losing too much blood, the Ancient Sage's face turned pale. Enraged, he wanted to retaliate but felt a surge of power lock onto him. Knowing that the Zhang Clan's ancestor, Hongtian, was ready to act at any moment, he stopped despite his anger. A dignified Ancient Sage, tricked and, crucially, injured by a Golden Body realm boy—if word got out, no one would believe it.

"Indeed, heroes emerge from the young. Well done, well done! Today, my Hundred Schools of Philosophers have lost. I'll take my leave!"

*Whoosh!* A gust of wind swept by, carrying away the youth with the shoe sole and his companions. The Ancient Sage swayed and prepared to depart.

"You lost, but you haven't given me the five drops of Ancient Sage blood yet?" Zhang Xuan called out, seeing him walk away. "What, trying to renege on our deal?"

He stumbled, his throat dry, nearly spitting out a mouthful of blood. He flicked his finger, and a jade bottle flew backward. He turned and left immediately. He was afraid that saying anything more would literally infuriate him to death. He clutched his chest... *Forget it,* he thought, *it's like I don't even have a chest anymore!*