Chapter 112: The Wager and the Truce

"You foul old Daoist! You are a man of the path, a cultivator of immortality; you have no business meddling in the disputes of the mortal realm. Since that is the case, even though I may be far inferior to you in martial arts and sorcery, I will never yield to you!"

With these words, Yang Tianbao raised his Thunder-Bolt Hammers and gave his mount, the Wolf-Lion Beast, a sharp kick. The beast understood his intent and leaped back several yards.

Master Xuanzhe watched Yang Tianbao and his mount with composed detachment. Seeing the distance Yang had created, he knew it was to gain the necessary space to unleash the mystical light generated by the clashing of the Thunder-Bolt Hammers.

Master Xuanzhe smiled slightly and said, "General Yang, shall we make a wager? If you lose, you must take your army and leave this place. If I lose, I shall permit both sides to continue your battle. How does that sound?"

Yang Tianbao looked at him with skepticism and asked, "What kind of wager? And how shall the winner and loser be determined?"

Master Xuanzhe replied, "You shall attack me with your Thunder-Bolt Hammers—whether by striking me directly or by firing the mystical light from them. I shall not retaliate. If you manage to harm me, you win, and you may continue your battle with Huang Xianlin's forces as you please. If you cannot harm me, you will take your remaining soldiers, tend to your fallen, and leave this place. What say you?"

Yang Tianbao pondered this. He understood the Daoist's intention: to persuade him to cease hostilities voluntarily, thereby reducing casualties and losses. Regardless of the outcome, the wager seemed designed to force a retreat. Clearly, Master Xuanzhe was intentionally yielding an advantage.

Yang Tianbao looked toward the battlefield. His soldiers were fighting desperately, but their numbers had dwindled significantly, and their casualties far outweighed those of the enemy. His army was in a dire state; to continue this brutal struggle would likely lead to total annihilation. Since he was facing such a grim reality, it would be better to follow the old Daoist's suggestion, cease the fighting, and return to camp to minimize his losses. Furthermore, since the Daoist had voluntarily offered to withstand the attack, he could use the opportunity to test the depth of the old man's power. While the Daoist was not currently his enemy, he was still an adversary. If he ever led his army back here and the Daoist perceived his nation's soldiers to be at a disadvantage, he would surely intervene. If he could kill the Daoist now, it would be a victory indeed.

"Old Daoist, will you keep your word? I fear that even if you agree to a truce, General Huang Xianlin will not," Yang Tianbao said. He knew full well that Huang Xianlin obeyed Master Xuanzhe—he had seen it the moment the Daoist arrived and ordered Huang to withdraw—but he wanted the Master to confirm it himself.

"Young man, you may set your heart at ease. General Huang Xianlin is my junior fellow disciple's student, and I am his senior. He would not dare disobey my words," Master Xuanzhe replied.

"Very well! Prepare yourself!" Yang Tianbao raised his hammers, his eyes blazing with fury as he stared at Master Xuanzhe.

Master Xuanzhe kept his gaze fixed sharply on Yang, secretly channeling his Nine-Heaven Divine Aegis. In the blink of an eye, a massive, invisible, semi-circular barrier enveloped him.

Yang Tianbao aimed his hammers at the Master and slammed them together with all his might.

*BOOM!* A thunderous roar erupted. Instantly, a bolt of lightning-like brilliance flashed from the point of impact and struck directly toward Master Xuanzhe.

Facing the incoming light, Master Xuanzhe did not even blink. There was another massive *boom* as the light collided with the invisible, semi-circular barrier standing two meters before him.

After the sound faded, Yang Tianbao looked closely at the Master. Master Xuanzhe stood perfectly still, not having moved an inch, his eyes still fixed on Yang with solemnity.

Yang Tianbao was astonished. He had used his full strength. The Thunder-Bolt Hammers were forged by ancestors from primordial divine iron and tempered for a thousand years in celestial fire; they were unimaginably hard and possessed innate divine power. When struck together, they unleashed a mystical light that could shatter stone or flesh, and the greater the force applied, the more destructive the blast. He had expected the first strike to kill the Master or at least leave him maimed. Yet, the old man remained unscathed.

Master Xuanzhe looked at the stunned general and said, "General Yang, if you have any other tricks, pray, unleash them now."

Yang Tianbao’s eyes widened with rage. He kicked his mount, leaped into the air, and began circling the Master, striking his hammers repeatedly. Blasts of mystical light rained down, striking the Nine-Heaven Divine Aegis with thunderous *boom-boom-boom* sounds, echoing like heaven's own fury. Yet, not a single hair on the Master's head was harmed.

After a dozen strikes, seeing the Daoist still standing there unharmed, Yang Tianbao grew even more incensed. *What kind of technique is this? Even the light of these thunder hammers, as powerful as lightning, cannot touch him. It seems I truly cannot defeat this old Daoist! But either way, I do not lose! I will use the physical weight of the hammers now; I will strike with every ounce of my strength. If I still cannot harm him, I will lead my men back to camp!*

Yang Tianbao leaped even higher, soaring nearly two hundred meters into the sky. He inverted his body, head and hammers pointing downward, and dove toward the ground with maximum velocity.

Master Xuanzhe watched the descending general. Sparks flew from the hammers and the armor of the charging man due to the friction of the air.

*This Yang Tianbao is truly ruthless,* the Master thought to himself. *I treat him with such benevolence, yet he seeks to use this wager to kill me. Fortunately, my Nine-Heaven Divine Aegis has reached the highest level of cultivation, and by integrating other arts, it has become even more resilient, offering superior protection. I have no fear of such a young man or his divine artifacts.*

In the blink of an eye, the hammers struck the Aegis with the speed of lightning. A flash of electricity erupted from the point of impact, followed by a deafening *bang* that caused the surrounding earth to quake as if by a subterranean dragon. The Wolf-Lion Beast, not far away, was terrified by the sound and tremor, backing away several paces.

Master Xuanzhe, sheltered within the Aegis, felt his heart race from the immense impact, but he suppressed his emotions, maintaining an expression of perfect calm.

Yang Tianbao, having struck the barrier, was repelled by the rebound force and sent hurtling back four or five yards before landing on the ground. He stood there, shaken, his arms aching as if they might fall off. He struggled to maintain his grip on the hammers.

He had never imagined such a colossal impact. He had only been focused on killing or injuring the old man, never considering the recoil. He stood up unsteadily and looked at Master Xuanzhe, who remained in the same spot, his eyes still bright and gentle.

"General Yang, would you like to try a few more times? Judging by your complexion and the way you hold your hammers, you seem to be injured. Let me take a look." Master Xuanzhe floated toward him.

As the Master approached, Yang Tianbao’s hammers dropped to the ground. The Master ignored Yang’s attempts to dodge, took hold of his arms, and straightened them. He pulled them toward himself, then slid his palms along Yang’s arms to his armpits and back again. After repeating this several times, he let go.

"There! General Yang, try moving your arms and see if they feel better. Is the pain still there?"

Only then did Yang Tianbao realize the Master had been healing him. He had initially feared the old man was trying to cripple his arms. He looked away, embarrassed, then clenched his fists and swung the hammers a few times. His arms were indeed as good as new!

"They are fully recovered! Thank you, Master," Yang Tianbao said, bowing.

"Since your arms are healed, shall we continue? I am willing to let you strike until you are satisfied. Once you realize you have lost, you need only fulfill your promise and take your troops away!" Master Xuanzhe said, staring into his eyes.

*Since he has said this,* Yang Tianbao thought, *it proves he does not hold me in any regard, and his cultivation is far beyond my own. To continue would be a waste of strength and time. I had best admit defeat and return to the kingdom. But how will I explain such a crushing defeat to the King?*