Duel

Taicang Mountain Assembly Hall!

"Raging Fire Mad Saber? Perfect, I'll test the strength of the top experts in this world against you!"

Zhang Yunhao clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking loudly, his heart filled with confidence. This past month had not been wasted.

The greatest characteristic of the Good and Evil Divine Art was its ability to rapidly increase one's power through acts of good and evil. Over the past month, Zhang Yunhao had killed numerous bandits who committed evil deeds and rescued many women imprisoned by them. He had also instructed the bandits to refrain from evil for the time being, all of which were acts of merit.

Simultaneously, as the bandit leader, Zhang Yunhao had no shortage of wicked deeds. With both approaches, his power had surged.

Currently, Zhang Yunhao had reached the mid-stage of the True Qi Realm, and he also possessed the strength of five bulls. If this speed were to spread, everyone would dismiss it as a joke!

However, rapid power growth wasn't entirely a good thing!

"I can't quite control my surging strength. My punches aren't as precise as before, but it shouldn't be a major issue in this world."

Zhang Yunhao's eyes flickered. He needed to end this mission quickly and obtain the Mind Space. Otherwise, it wouldn't just be about uncontrollable force; it could even affect his foundation.

"Leader, the arena has been set up according to your instructions."

At this moment, Scholar Lu entered to report. He hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice, "Leader, since the dueling arena is here, we could tamper with it and catch them all in one go. There's no need to take risks."

Zhang Yunhao glanced at Scholar Lu, a half-smile on his face, and asked, "Do you think I will lose?"

"Leader is mighty, how could you possibly lose? It's just that your noble self doesn't need to risk your life against an old man."

Scholar Lu was startled and quickly explained. He had initially been very confident in Zhang Yunhao, but after hearing how strong Raging Fire Mad Saber was, he had become uneasy, as the opponent's reputation was too great.

"In the martial world, one cannot become a hegemon through despicable means. Since they have come to our doorstep this time, it's the perfect opportunity to settle it in one battle. Only by displaying sufficient strength can one gain credibility."

Zhang Yunhao shook his head and said, "Go and make the preparations. Don't be disrespectful. The day of the duel will also be the day I become the hegemon. By then, all the bandits in Nanyang Prefecture will submit to me!"

Although Scholar Lu was worried, he could only accept the order and leave. After he departed, Zhang Yunhao summoned Zhang Dazhuang.

Zhang Yunhao coldly issued his command: "After I defeat Raging Fire Mad Saber, you will lead my eighteen heroes to kill all the bandit leaders, not a single one left. Anyone who dares to oppose me is seeking death!"

"Yes, Leader."

Unlike Scholar Lu, Zhang Dazhuang admired Zhang Yunhao to an extreme degree. He absolutely did not believe he would lose, so he agreed without hesitation, his heart filled with excitement. Soon, the Leader would be the overlord of this region!

The day of the duel!

Early in the morning, a large number of martial artists excitedly arrived at Taicang Mountain. Under the guidance of the bandits, they were led to a dedicated observation hill, about a hundred meters away from the arena.

The fact that they couldn't watch from the edge of the arena dissatisfied many, but no one dared to complain. The number of bandits gathered at Taicang Mountain now was nearly ten thousand. Who would dare cause trouble at this time?

Huang Lei, the junior sister of Tian Ming, was also on this hill. Although she could have gone to the edge of the arena if she revealed her identity, the situation was unclear, and it was not convenient for them to go. If Tian Ming were killed, they would likely be in trouble.

"The one sitting on the tiger-skin chair must be Divine Fist Blood Hand, right? So imposing. Sitting there gives the feeling of a fierce tiger. Even from this distance, I feel a bit intimidated."

"That's him. Behind him are the eighteen heroes of the Good Men Gang, loyal to him."

"Several of them were able to break through because Divine Fist Blood Hand taught them martial arts, hence their loyalty!"

"Divine Fist Blood Hand is truly generous, willing to teach even martial arts. No wonder he rose so quickly."

"Hmph, what's the point of being imposing or generous? He's still going to die today, isn't he?"

Huang Lei listened to the surrounding discussions while observing Zhang Yunhao, frowning inwardly. Her senior brother had changed so much. Before, he always had a gloomy expression, as if everyone owed him millions. Now, he truly exuded an aura of dominance.

Just then, someone shouted, "Raging Fire Mad Saber has arrived!"

"Where? Where?"

"He's here, he's here! He came with more than ten bandit leaders, the old man in the middle."

"Isn't that just a small old man from the countryside who farms?"

"Is this really Raging Fire Mad Saber? Why is he so ordinary?"

"That's called returning to simplicity. This is the demeanor of a true master. Don't you see the saber at his waist?"

"That saber looks tattered, probably rusty inside."

Unlike the noisy crowd over there, Zhang Yunhao's pupils contracted the moment he saw Raging Fire Mad Saber. This time, it might not be so easy.

In the martial world, there are no wrong nicknames, only wrong names. Raging Fire Mad Saber, by all rights, should be a berserker who flies into a rage at any moment. But for Raging Fire Mad Saber to appear so ordinary now clearly indicated that his cultivation had reached a new level!

"The bearing of a master!"

Zhang Yunhao smiled slightly and stood up, leading his men to welcome Raging Fire Mad Saber. Of course, he only acknowledged Raging Fire Mad Saber; the other bandit leaders were not worth his attention at all.

However, those bandit leaders clearly had a high opinion of themselves. A bearded strong man said arrogantly, "Tian Ming, disband the Good Men Gang obediently and get down the mountain to continue being a lone wolf. We can spare you. Otherwise, today will be your death day!"

Zhang Yunhao completely ignored the strong man and made an inviting gesture towards Raging Fire Mad Saber, saying, "Esteemed elder, please!"

With that, Zhang Yunhao used his Qinggong, leaping onto the arena like a fierce tiger in two steps. Though not agile, it was powerful.

"Truly a fierce tiger!"

Raging Fire Mad Saber, Lei Jue, nodded appreciatively. With a slight push of his foot, he floated onto the arena as lightly as a piece of paper. His mastery of Qinggong was clearly extremely high; otherwise, he would have been killed by the authorities long ago.

The ignored bearded strong man was furious and was about to say something when the tall Zhang Dazhuang stood in front of him and said coldly, "This way, please!"

"You... let's see how long you can be arrogant."

The bearded strong man wanted to erupt in anger, but seeing the eighteen heroes staring at him with unfriendly expressions, he felt intimidated. He could only utter a threat before sitting down with the other bandit leaders.

Zhang Dazhuang and the others also sat down, subtly surrounding the bandit leaders. However, they didn't notice anything amiss, their attention focused on the arena—they had great confidence in Raging Fire Mad Saber and believed Divine Fist Blood Hand was doomed, so they weren't worried about anything.

As for the other bandits, they surrounded the arena, each holding a weapon and nervously watching the two men on the stage. The battle today was of great importance, directly affecting the future of Nanyang Prefecture.