"I only have two conditions, and they are simple," Wang Juechu expressionlessly said.
"First, your men have to evacuate outside of my sect's sphere of influence, and they have to do so in groups under the supervision of my sect's disciples." His tone hardened considerably.
"Sure, that's not a problem." Jia Tianlong replied without hesitation.
Seeing how his opponent answered so steadfastly, Wang Juechu coldly laughed as he directly told Jia Tianlong his second condition.
"Second, both you and I have to sign a death contract and fight in a duel before you all can leave."
"Death contract!"
"Are you serious?"
"Has he gone mad!"
......
As Wang Juechu's sentence left his mouth, it caused a huge ruckus to break out among the crowd. All those who heard the sentence had varied expressions on their faces. Some were excited, some were ashen, while some were eager to see the outcome of the duel.
After hearing Sect Leader Wang's conditions, Jia Tianlong's expression flickered before swiftly reverting back to its normal state.
"Did I hear that condition incorrectly? Both of us sign a death contract and fight until there is only one survivor?" After his seemingly nonchalant question, Jia Tianlong broke out into a laugh.
"No, your ears are fine. This is to collect the blood debt for Vice Sect Leader Wu and the others who died. Thus, I have no choice but to propose this: a death contract between you and me," ;Wang Juechu stated coldly, staring directly at Jia Tianlong with his hand on his sword.
Jia Tianlong laughed but did not give an immediate reply. His eyes flashed while he pondered. It appeared that he did not dare to treat this lightly and would only answer after deep contemplation.
Voices broke out in discussion among the crowd. Even the oblivious Han Li couldn't take it anymore and chose to question Li Feiyu, who was standing by his side, instead.
"What is a death contract? Seems like it's something incredible!"
"What? You don't even know about death contracts? This is too inconceivable! Of all the ways to settle the disputes of Jiang Hu, this is, by far, the most famous and bloody method!" Stunned with amazement, Li Feiyu explained with a facial expression akin to the fascination of meeting a ghost.
"You don't say! You should know that I barely know anything beyond God Hand Valley and have no interest regarding matters of Jiang Hu. Is it really so strange that I did not know?" Han Li replied in a low tone, seemingly in a bad mood.
"Oh! Right, true enough, I almost forgot." Li Feiyu scratched his head in embarrassment.
"The death contract is often used by two parties who have great hatred and enmity towards each other. Before their battle, they would sign a life-death statement, stating that after they enter the battle, they would battle until there would only be a single survivor. If someone left halfway, not only would that person's reputation plummet and face everyone's disdain, anyone in the entirety of Jiang Hu would have the right to kill him. Because all the people of Jiang Hu believe that death contracts are extremely sacred, those who destroy or taint the essence of this contract will be annihilated as a warning to others."
"What's more is that most of these battle are staged in arenas where people have often fought to death, consequently appearing even more bloody and cruel than normal. In recent years, the number of people using this method to resolve their disputes has lessened."
Li Feiyu slowly and elaborately explained.
After hearing the explanation, Han Li furrowed his brows as he understood the true meaning of death contracts. He seemed to disapprove of Sect Leader Wang's decision to enter into a death contract with Jia Tianlong. From his perspective, this would only end with one dead and one grievously injured. In the first place, if there was to be such an ending, it might as well not be started at all. Sect Leader Wang might as well just let the enemy go free or just kill the enemy straight away, saving himself from all this unnecessary trouble.
"Fine, I agree. Let's enter into a death contract." After repeatedly deliberating, Jia Tianlong's gaze roaming about before riveting on the figure of Monk Golden Light. Then, he made his final decision.
Since Jia Tianlong's opponent wanted to use this as an excuse to kill him, wasn't this a good opportunity for him to remove the roots of the troublesome Seven Mysteries Sect?
Jia Tianlong was very clear about what Wang Juechu was thinking. He obviously wanted the support of his three hidden martial uncles! But what a pity, he had already knew of their existences through reports from his spies and had already prepared countermeasures against them.
With the immortal cultivator and his flying swords techniques by his side, his chances of winning the battle was definitely more than ninety percent.
As long as he killed Wang Juechu as well as the remaining experts of the Seven Mysteries Sect during the deathmatch, it would be worth it. Even if his attack failed this time around, there was no cause for concern, because the next time he attacked, the Seven Mysteries Sect would no longer have any strength to resist. After all, nurturing an expert was not something that could be done within a single year.
Thus, this was the reason why the cautious Jia Tianlong would now chose to take such a risk and agree to sign the death contract.
"Sect Leader Wang! According to rules of the death contract, you should be the one to select the time and location of the battle. I will have no objections, but as for the number of fighters and methods of battle, I should be the one to decide, am I right?" An enigmatic smile spread on Jia Tianlong's face.
"Hmmp! You are right," Wang Juechu answered somewhat unwillingly.
"Okay, then. I want the number of people fighting to be a hundred; fifty men from each party in a;battle royal." With no signs of being courteous, Jia Tianlong directly stated his request.
"Fifty people? Battle royal?" Sect Leader Wang's cold face actually revealed a hint of surprise.
Death contract battles allowed multiple people to take part to prevent one side's strength to be greatly depleted. However, twenty or thirty people was already considered excessive, and Jia Tianlong's proposed method of battle--battle royal--was rarely used in comparison to one-on-one battles.
However, since it was Wang Juechu himself who requested the death contract battle, there was no way he could take back his words. Moreover, he was extremely confident in the battle prowess of his three senior martial uncles. Even if it was a battle royal, victory would most assuredly belong to his side.
Moreover, as long as he was able to kill Jia Tianlong, it would be worth it no matter how great a price he had to pay. As long as this scheming Jia Tianlong died, he was sure that the forces under him would almost immediately try to fight to be the next gang leader, resulting in the gang splintering into different groups as they vied for power and authority. This would no longer make them a threat to Wang Juechu's Seven Mysteries Sect.
As he thought of this, Sect Leader Wang nodded his head, agreeing to his opponent's request.
"Men, go prepare the arena and the death contract!" Wang Juechu commanded in a stern voice to the people standing behind him.
