Chapter 38: The Duel's Oath

Xiong Zhan’s face darkened completely. Rage surged from his heart, evil rose from his courage! Suddenly, with a swift and powerful gust, Xiong Zhan threw a punch at Chu Feng without a second thought—regardless of what the future held, he would kill Chu Feng now and avenge his two sons first!

The punch carried immense force, quick as lightning, the wind of his fist echoing with thunder. At the instant Xiong Zhan struck, Chu Feng also triggered the hidden weapon in his hand; a projectile shot violently toward Xiong Zhan’s forehead.

At the same time, Mu Zhentong, who had been poised and ready, moved like a flash.

A sharp sound cut through the air.

Two heavy thuds followed!

Xiong Zhan was, after all, a master at the eighth stage of Body Refinement, and he had been wary of Chu Feng’s concealed weapon. As the projectile flew toward him, he dodged by tilting his head; with a piercing sound, the round attack object tore through the window paper and vanished without a trace.

Meanwhile, the heavy punch Xiong Zhan aimed at Chu Feng was intercepted and deflected by Mu Zhentong’s palm. With two explosive sounds, the two exchanged blows in lightning-fast succession.

The result: Mu Zhentong stood his ground like a mountain, calm and composed, whereas Xiong Zhan involuntarily took a step back.

Though it was merely a small step, it was undeniable that Xiong Zhan’s strength was slightly inferior to Mu Zhentong’s.

If combined with the Fear Gate’s battle beast, the Ghost-faced Flying Bear, Xiong Zhan’s eighth-stage Body Refinement could rival masters at the ninth stage. Without the aid of the Ghost-faced Flying Bear, among eighth-stage warriors, Xiong Zhan’s abilities were only middle-tier.

“Master Xiong, what impressive skills you have! As the head of your sect—an eighth-stage Body Refinement master—yet you would launch a sneak attack on Chu Feng? Is your shamelessness boundless?” Mu Zhentong fixed his gaze on Xiong Zhan and sneered coldly.

“I’m avenging my sons; shamelessness is irrelevant!” Xiong Zhan replied angrily.

“Brother Xiong, Brother Mu, by rights, your families’ grievances with Chu Feng are not the concern of Wind and Thunder Martial Hall. However, since I’ve stumbled upon this today, I must say a few words,” Han Mo slowly stood up and spoke. “Enemies should be resolved, not deepened. Brother Xiong, your family and Chu Feng are locked in endless revenge—fighting and killing, when will it end? Why not agree on a date for a final duel? Cease fighting for now, and when that day comes, settle it once and for all. Wouldn’t that be more straightforward?”

Chu Feng and Xiong Zhan glared at each other, neither speaking.

“Brother Mu, what do you think?” Han Mo asked.

“I am not at liberty to decide; this matter must be left to the opinion of my esteemed nephew Chu!” Mu Zhentong patted Chu Feng’s shoulder, clearly showing his full support.

“I agree with Uncle Han’s proposal!” Chu Feng nodded, then asked Xiong Zhan, “Old man, what about you?”

“Fine! I have no objections!” Xiong Zhan answered loudly.

Though burning with fury, Xiong Zhan remained clear-headed, aware of his and the Fear Gate’s current predicament.

To kill Chu Feng now was utterly impossible—even if he risked everything, it was unlikely to succeed. In the future, if he tried to kill Chu Feng openly, Chu Feng would have the protection of the Celestial Wood family; in secret, Chu Feng was not a sitting target—he could evade and hide, making it just as difficult.

Thus, rather than waste endless effort later, it was better to agree now and set a date for a life-or-death duel.

“Han Mo will propose terms for the duel, so you may all listen—” Han Mo paused briefly. “Starting from today, for five years, Fear Gate and Chu Feng shall cease hostilities. On this day five years hence, Fear Gate and Chu Feng will engage in a life-or-death duel! By then, Brother Mu must not interfere; each side will rely on their own abilities, win or lose, live or die. What do you say?”

“What? Five years? That’s too long!” Xiong Zhan immediately shook his head. “One year at most!”

Xiong Zhan wasn’t foolish; Han Mo’s proposal seemed fair—Fear Gate would give Chu Feng time to grow, and when the day came, the Wood family could not intervene, allowing Fear Gate and Chu Feng to battle one-on-one.

But fairness depended entirely on the length of time granted.

If Fear Gate only allowed a month, Chu Feng would suffer greatly. If, as Han Mo suggested, five years were given, Chu Feng would be at a tremendous advantage.

Currently, Chu Feng was at the fourth stage of Body Refinement, the Rhinoceros Strength realm. With the Wood family’s support and assistance, who could say he wouldn’t surpass everyone in Fear Gate in five years, perhaps even become the foremost figure among the Nine Mountains and Eighteen Branches?

“Absurd! One year is hardly enough. If only a year is given, we might as well settle it now!” Mu Zhentong replied forcefully, his words holding a note of warning.

“Two years at most!” Xiong Zhan declared loudly. “If that’s acceptable, then a duel in two years—no one else may interfere! If not, Fear Gate has never feared anyone…”

“Two years is too long! You Fear Gate can wait, but I, Chu Feng, cannot!” Chu Feng abruptly interrupted Xiong Zhan, saying, “Four months! From now, the duel will be at the end of the year at most! Then, I will wipe out your entire Xiong clan, taking every last life!”

“What?”

Upon hearing this, Xiong Zhan was shocked, and Mu Zhentong and Han Mo were equally taken aback.

In this situation, Chu Feng should be fighting for more time—the more, the better, increasing his odds for the final duel. Why on earth would he reduce it himself?

And to cut it down from two years to a mere four months?

Four months would pass in the blink of an eye. Chu Feng was at the fourth stage of Body Refinement; even with relentless training, he could never be a match for Xiong Zhan in this short span!

He wouldn’t even be able to defeat Xiong Zhan’s other two sons, Xiong Wei and Xiong Wu!

Unless Chu Feng gained some extraordinary fortune, a miraculous encounter that catapulted his martial progress overnight—but how likely was that?

“Fine, Chu Feng, you said it! You promised with your own mouth! A duel in four months—I accept!” Xiong Zhan, after the initial shock, immediately agreed loudly.

“Ridiculous!” Mu Zhentong sneered. “Master Xiong, aren’t you being petty? Do you take such jest seriously? If Chu Feng said the duel was in four days, would you believe him as well? Do you still have the dignity of a sect master?”

“Indeed,” Han Mo nodded. “Brother Xiong, Chu Feng’s impulsive words shouldn’t be taken as truth, lest you violate the fairness of the duel agreement!”

“Hmph!” Xiong Zhan snorted. On this question of time, he couldn’t insist on four months. He barked at Chu Feng, “Boy, how long will it be? Give me a straight answer—I’m not in the mood for jokes!”

“Old man, I’m not joking with you! Four months means four months! In one hundred and twenty days, I’ll settle things with you and your Fear Gate; not even a day later!” Chu Feng spoke with heroic vigor.

Seeing Chu Feng’s resolute stance, Mu Zhentong and Han Mo said no more, nor did they try to persuade him to reconsider.

“Fine, four months from now, the battle between us will be to the death!” Xiong Zhan roared, then turned to Mu Zhentong, “Master Mu, you must honor the duel agreement and stay out of it!”

“Of course! But the condition is that in these four months, Chu Feng will not suffer any threat or harm from Fear Gate. Can you guarantee that?” Mu Zhentong demanded.

“If not, I wouldn’t agree to the duel! Chu Feng, we’ll see!” Xiong Zhan growled.

With that, Xiong Zhan didn’t even bother with a farewell. He summoned the other clan chiefs, gathered Pan Ba’s shattered corpse, and left in a fury.

When Xiong Zhan arrived at the Wood family, he was full of bluster, as if he’d caught Celestial Wood’s weakness. But once Master Mu Zhentong made his position clear and showed strength, Xiong Zhan’s momentum steadily diminished.

Now, Xiong Zhan left the Wood family utterly defeated!

Watching Xiong Zhan depart, Chu Feng immediately turned to Mu Zhentong, cupped his fists, and apologized, “Uncle Mu, I have hidden my identity in the Wood family, not to deceive, but to avoid Fear Gate discovering me and bringing trouble to the Wood family. I hope you understand!”

“I do understand,” Mu Zhentong replied, patting Chu Feng’s shoulder. He then turned his gaze to Han Mo. “Brother Han, thanks to your fair words, we managed to set a duel with that villain Xiong Zhan—thank you! May I ask, what business does Wind and Thunder Martial Hall have with Chu Feng? What’s the story with the Golden Battle Python and Tang Dong?”

Chu Feng’s heart tightened, and he listened intently.

Though he didn’t know why Wind and Thunder Martial Hall sought him, judging from Han Mo’s expression, it wasn’t necessarily a good thing, but it didn’t seem terribly bad, either.

This only made Chu Feng more curious.