The Deathmatch Contract

“Not many conditions. Simple, in fact. Only two.” Wang Juechu’s face was expressionless.

“First: your people must withdraw from this sect’s territory. The withdrawal will happen in batches, under the supervision of our disciples.” His tone was hard.

“Agreed. No problem.” Jia Tianlong answered without the slightest hesitation.

Seeing the other party agree so readily, Wang Juechu let out a cold laugh before delivering the next condition—one that would surprise Jia Tianlong.

“Second: before you leave, both sides must hold a Deathmatch Blood Duel right here.”

“Deathmatch Duel!”

“Is he serious?”

“Has the man lost his mind?”

…

The moment Wang Juechu’s words left his mouth, an uproar broke out among the opposing crowd. The expressions on every face were different. Some looked as if they had touched a scorpion, their faces drained of color. Others were excited, practically itching to step forward.

Jia Tianlong’s expression shifted as well, but he quickly recovered.

“Did I hear that correctly? A duel where both sides sign a death contract, and only one side is allowed to walk out of the arena?” He gave a dry laugh, as if asking casually.

“That is exactly right. This is a death match to demand blood repayment for Sect Leader Wu and the others. You and I will both be participating.” Wang Juechu’s hand rested on his sword hilt as he stared at Jia Tianlong, his voice icy.

Jia Tianlong chuckled but did not immediately respond. Instead, his eyes flickered as he weighed the matter. Clearly, he did not take the Deathmatch Blood Duel lightly and would only answer after careful deliberation.

Seeing the commotion around them and the endless讨论 about the Deathmatch Duel, the utterly confused Han Li could no longer hold back. He turned and asked Li Feiyu in a low voice.

“What’s a Deathmatch Duel? Sounds like a big deal.”

“No way! You don’t even know what a Deathmatch Duel is? That’s unbelievable! It’s the most famous bloody way of settling disputes in the martial world!” Li Feiyu looked as if he had seen a ghost, his face a picture of utter disbelief.

“Nonsense. You know I’m not familiar with these martial world matters. What’s so strange about not knowing this one?” Han Li replied in a low, irritated voice.

“Oh. Right. I almost forgot about that.” Li Feiyu scratched his head sheepishly.

“So, a Deathmatch Duel is when two sides with a deep, bloody grudge sign a death contract before the fight. It declares that once both sides enter the arena, only one side is allowed to walk out alive. If anyone privately leaves the duel, they won’t just lose their reputation and be spat on by everyone—they’ll be hunted and killed by the entire martial world. Because everyone in the Jianghu considers the Deathmatch Duel a sacred form of combat. Anyone who defiles it should be executed as a warning.”

“And this kind of duel is usually used in multi-person death matches, which makes it especially bloody and cruel. In recent years, you rarely hear of anyone using this method anymore.”

Li Feiyu spoke slowly, his explanation thorough.

After listening, Han Li furrowed his brow. Now that he understood the nature of the Deathmatch Duel, he couldn’t help but feel that the death match Sect Leader Wang had suddenly proposed was unnecessary. In his view, this kind of duel was obviously a lose-lose outcome. Why bother? It would be much cleaner to simply let the enemy leave early and avoid any future complications.

“Fine. I accept. We can hold the Deathmatch Duel.” After repeated deliberation, Jia Tianlong’s gaze swept over the Brilliant Gold Elder several times before he finally made up his mind.

The other side wanted to use this chance to kill him, but wasn’t he also hoping to take this golden opportunity to sweep away the remaining精锐 of the Seven Mysteries Sect?

Wang Juechu’s plan was clear to Jia Tianlong. Wasn’t the other side relying on their three unknown uncles for support? Unfortunately, Jia Tianlong had long since learned the details through planted spies and was already prepared against them.

Now that he had an immortal master who could use the Flying Sword Technique as a trump card, combined with planning against the unprepared, his chances of emerging victorious from the Deathmatch Duel were over ninety percent.

As long as he could eliminate Wang Juechu and the remaining experts of the Seven Mysteries Sect in the death match, it wouldn’t matter even if this campaign failed. Because the next time he attacked, the other side would have absolutely no strength to resist. After all, cultivating experts was not something that could be accomplished in a year or two.

That was why Jia Tianlong, a man known for thinking thrice before acting, was willing to take this risk and resolutely agree to sign the death contract.

“Sect Leader Wang! According to the rules of the Deathmatch Duel, since you proposed the time and place of the duel, and I haven’t objected, then the number of combatants and the format should be decided by me, correct?” Jia Tianlong said with a forced smile.

“Hmph. That’s right.” Wang Juechu reluctantly agreed.

“Very well. I request that the duel involve one hundred people—fifty on each side—using a free-for-all format.” Jia Tianlong stated his demand without the slightest courtesy.

“Fifty people? A free-for-all?” A flicker of surprise crossed Sect Leader Wang’s cold face.

Normally, in a death match, both sides would limit the number to twenty or thirty at most to avoid crippling themselves. And a free-for-all format was even rarer; one-on-one duels were far more common.

But since he had been the one to propose the death match, he naturally couldn’t back out now. Besides, he had full confidence in his three uncles and believed that even in a free-for-all, his side would be the one to win.

Moreover, as long as he could kill Jia Tianlong, no price was too high. Once this scheming Wild Wolf Gang leader was dead, his unruly subordinates would quickly fall into disarray, tearing each other apart for the leader’s throne. They would have no time to concern themselves with the severely weakened Seven Mysteries Sect, giving it a chance to recover.

With this thought, Sect Leader Wang nodded and agreed to the other’s request.

“Someone! Mark out the dueling grounds! Prepare the death contract!” Wang Juechu barked sharply behind him.

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