Chapter 3, The Duel

However, all the members of the Fire Crow tribe possess a unique affinity for flames by nature. The young man shouted angrily, his hands flailing about his body, causing the flames to extinguish wherever he passed, leaving only wisps of black smoke swirling around him

The boy, whose hair and eyebrows had been burned off, let out a loud roar and took a giant step forward, covering several meters. He swung a punch down towards Ji Hao's face. As he exhaled and threw the punch, the boy shouted angrily: "You cowardly scoundrel who only dares to attack from behind, I am Ji Wu, the son of the powerful Ji Shu!"

Amidst the laughter, Ji Hao reached out to grab a long spear from the wooden rack on the side wall of the cabin. The spear, with a handle made of green mulberry wood and a head crafted from flint, whistled through the air and landed steadily in Ji Hao's hand

Ji Xia gently exhaled, looking at the dancing fire serpents and said with a smile: "Several esteemed elders, it seems that over the years, Hao has made some achievements in learning witchcraft from you all."

Ji Xia took a deep breath and said in a low voice: "Let everything be determined according to the rules left by our ancestors. In half a month, during the ancestral worship ceremony, we will decide everything with our fists"

The soft yet intense heat penetrated Ji Wu's strong bones and muscles, invading his internal organs and violently shaking them. Ji Wu felt a surge of warmth in his heart, as if a bomb had exploded in his chest, and he could not help but spit out a mouthful of blood, which quickly transformed into a ball of flame that blazed fiercely on the ground.

Enough! Ji Xia stood up and shouted, "Enough! This is the place for tribal discussions, not a venue for you little brats to fight."

In this strike, Ji Hao exerted all his strength, and the primordial dan, which seemed to condense like mist in the purple palace of his brow, pulsated violently, while all the magical power in his body surged out in an instant

Ji Shu let out a cold snort and said in a soft tone: "Brother Ji Xia, why don't we let the young ones settle the score? As for us, we can compete for the position of the warrior leader of the tribe, while our children can have some fun and let the clansmen enjoy the spectacle!"

Dozens of fire serpents suddenly expanded in size, with variously sized fire serpents devouring and merging into one another. In the blink of an eye, three fire dragons, each over ten zhang long, took shape, crashing against the shield with a whooshing sound.

Ji Hao looked at Ji Wu's eyes, which were flashing with a fierce light, and felt a palpable killing intent. Did this guy really intend to take the opportunity to kill him?

This shield looks so familiar! Ji Hao gazed at the exquisite patterns on the shield's surface, and his heart suddenly trembled.

While drinking and scolding, Ji Shu frowned and cast an unhappy glance at the few elders sitting at the top. These elders were the most esteemed shamans of the Fire Crow tribe, and their favoritism towards Ji Hao was evident to all.

After launching over 100 attacks, Ji Hao took a breath. Ji Wu then pushed the shield, causing the three fire dragons to completely collapse. A powerful force surged from the shield, and Ji Hao felt a tremendous震动 in his hands. The overwhelming power surged through his arms, and he realized that his physical strength was utterly incapable of resisting it

Ji Wu, without uttering a word, swung his right arm. The large axe tattoo on his right forearm gleamed, and a dark metallic great axe whistled out. He swung the axe with force, mercilessly aiming to cleave Ji Hao's head.

Ji Xia and several warriors beside her laughed simultaneously, while Ji Shu, Ji Hong, and others sitting opposite Ji Xia frowned at the same time

Ji Hao let out a cold snort, raised his right hand, and slowly brushed across his own neck, accepting Ji Wu's challenge

Ji Hao looked at the other person's shiny bald head with satisfaction and shouted sternly: "Ha, a useless person who can't even withstand a fire, what right do you have to talk nonsense here? Who gave you the audacity to shout here?"

Ji Xia looked at Ji Hao with a sense of relief, her arms crossed over her chest, remaining silent.

Ji Wu let out a low growl, and a shield-shaped tattoo on his left arm flickered. A metal round shield with a diameter of three feet burst forth from the flames, protecting most of Ji Wu's body behind it. The bronze-colored metal shield was exquisitely crafted, with intricate patterns inlaid on its surface—a tall tower reaching into the clouds, at the top of which floated a blood-red eye.

The spear was violently knocked away, and Ji Hao staggered backward in a hurried retreat

The fair-skinned and delicate Ji Shu shouted angrily: "Wu! Ji Hao is a legendary genius, you must be very careful!"

A gust of foul wind rushed towards him, and Ji Wu's fist wind blew Ji Hao's long hair, causing each strand to be pulled back straight, tugging painfully at his scalp

The power of this punch is formidable. Ji Hao immediately assessed that Ji Wu's punch possesses a strength that is at least three times greater than his own maximum strength. It is simply impossible to withstand Ji Wu's punch using mere physical strength.

"Wu, do not bring shame to our family." The man's voice was soft and calm, carrying a chilling undertone.

The buzzing and rumbling sounds continued to resonate, a flicker of azure light shimmering on the shield. Twelve fist-sized twisted runes emerged from the edge of the shield, and a blue cold light with a diameter of three feet shot out over ten feet from the shield's surface. Three fire dragons collided and rubbed against the azure cold light, producing a muffled explosion. Ji Wu, holding the shield, was impacted by the immense force, his body trembling slightly, yet his robust figure did not retreat in the slightest

Several elderly men, frail and aged, chuckled with a cackling sound, nodding with great satisfaction. One elder, with flickering green fire in his eyes, spoke sternly: "Hao is a promising talent, possessing an exceptionally high aptitude for witchcraft. Perhaps, he will become the first witch king of our Fire Crow tribe in ten thousand years"

Among a group of burly men sitting opposite Ji Xia, one man, whose height was nearly on par with hers, stood up. He had a well-proportioned physique, lacking the bulging muscles seen on the other men; his skin was fair and delicate, showing no signs of being a tribesman who had survived in the jungles of the Southern Wilderness; his long hair was tied into a single thick braid at the back with three jade rings, and his slender eyes sparkled with a lively brilliance.

With ten fingers trembling, the hand seals were rapidly formed, and Ji Hao's figure vanished into thin air. A whirlwind "whooshed" out from behind Ji Wu, and Ji Hao emerged from the whirlwind, perfectly catching the spear that fell from the sky, and with all his strength, he swept it down onto Ji Wu's back.

A single sentence pierced through, causing Ji Wu's eyes to turn red; suddenly, he radiated a bright light, and a layer of extremely dim fire energy surged from the top of his head.

Sitting by the fire pit, several of the oldest and most emaciated elders nodded in agreement, simultaneously letting out a strange, cackling laugh

Ji Hao let out a strange laugh, relinquishing control over the rapidly shrinking fire dragon, and looked at Ji Wu with a smile, saying: "Did I hurt your hair? Do you still have any hair for me to hurt? Hey, how does it feel to be bald?"

Like a bear that has been kicked in the rear, Ji Wu, with blood at the corners of his mouth, stood up howling, brandishing a large axe, ready to continue the fight

With a shake of his arms, Ji Hao swung his spear and struck down towards Ji Wu's shield. Flames surged like waves, and the spear's shadow resembled a dragon. In an instant, Ji Hao struck the shield surface more than one hundred times, with the spear and shield colliding violently, producing a harsh sound as the blue cold light and red flames rubbed and pressed against each other.

"Haha, are you Ji Hao? The one who, according to legend, could speak at birth, run around chaotically a day later, and wield fire-controlling sorcery at one month old?" Ji Wu, holding a shield to fend off the encroaching fire dragon, roared loudly, "But why is your power so weak? It's too weak, Ji Hao, you can't even harm a single hair on me!"

The flames blazed fiercely, catching the young man completely off guard

Embarrassed and blushing, Ji Wu unwillingly slammed the shield and axe onto the ground, pointing at Ji Hao and shouting fiercely: "Ji Hao, like a real man, duel with me at the ancestral worship ceremony, do you dare? If you lose, you will live your life like a coward!"

With both hands forming seals, Ji Hao's body swayed slightly and then exploded in place, transforming into seven or eight afterimages that swiftly darted in all directions with a rustling sound. Ji Wu's fist struck the air with a thunderous roar, yet he couldn't even touch Ji Hao's shadow.

With a sharp crack, the spear sent Ji Wu flying several dozen zhang away, crashing into the wall of the wooden house. The impact caused dozens of weapons hanging on the wooden frame of the wall to fall, all of which struck him on the head

A true word was lightly uttered, and the flames in the campfire flickered chaotically. Dozens of fire serpents, as thick as arms, howled and shot out, directed towards Ji Wu's body by Ji Hao's thoughts

With both hands instinctively forming seals, what was originally controlled with only 30% of his strength now erupted with a full 100% of power.

With a loud shout, he spun a spear that was more than twice his height in his hands for several circles. A surge of intense power flowed from his palms into the spear, and a series of more than a dozen ancient crimson runes lit up on the azure spear. The three-foot spearhead, made of flint, emitted flames that shot out to a length of about ten feet.