Chapter 48: Bloody Duel

From the forest directly ahead emerged a tall, burly man holding an enormous wooden club. His robust build seemed brimming with strength, and with his thick eyebrows and large ears, he clearly looked like no good sort.

Apart from the pair of small bear ears on his head—identical to those of Xiong Er and the others—he appeared entirely human. The two tiny ears twitched slightly.

Several more black giant bears emerged from the forest, their bodies far larger than Xiong Batian’s bear form. The black bears surrounded Zhai Guangyi and his companions, appearing extremely vigilant.

Zhai Guangyi promptly used Appraisal to check the attributes of the leading man.

Race: Frenzied Battle Bear (Nameless)

Level: 59

Life Value: 11,420

Magic Power: 150

Strength: 7,300

Defense: 2,900

Speed: 200

His overall attributes were similar to Xiong Batian’s, but his Magic Power was very low, suggesting he relied purely on physical strength in combat. His race name differed slightly from Frenzied Black Bear, likely indicating an evolved type.

Normally, a Frenzied Black Bear would be unable to level up beyond Level 20. To grow stronger, evolution was necessary. This Demon Human had reached Level 59, making him exceptionally powerful.

As for the surrounding black bears, they were all Frenzied Black Bears at Level 20. Had they not lacked the opportunity to evolve, their strength might not have stagnated here.

The leading man, upon seeing the small bear ears on Xiong Batian and Xiong Er’s heads, was momentarily stunned. He raised a hand to stop the surrounding black bears from approaching Zhai Guangyi’s group, then stepped forward himself.

“Who are you people, and why have you come to our Black Bear Clan’s territory?”

Normally, these black bears wouldn’t engage in lengthy conversation with their prey while hunting—they preferred action over words.

But the man, seeing Xiong Batian’s powerful physique and imposing stature, the iron rod held across her body, and those small bear ears, knew at once she was extraordinarily strong. He was certain this beautiful Demon Human belonged to their Bear Clan.

Having led the Black Bear Clan for decades, ever since he evolved into a Demon Human, he had looked down upon the female black bears in his clan and remained single. Now, it seemed, heaven had finally blessed him with a suitable match.

“Don’t you remember me? Well, I suppose no one has seen me like this before. I’ve become as strong as you now, Clan Leader.”

At Xiong Batian’s reply, the Black Bear Clan Leader stared at her face in confusion, still unable to recall who she was.

“Back then, you wanted to send my child away, chased us out, and even my husband died. Have you forgotten so quickly?”

Xiong Batian’s emotions grew agitated. Zhai Guangyi was dumbfounded—she had refused to speak of it earlier, but now, upon meeting the Black Bear Clan, everything came pouring out.

“It’s you! I didn’t want it to be that way back then, but there was no other choice.”

“Mom, what exactly happened?”

Zhai Guangyi and the others still didn’t understand what they were talking about and couldn’t interject, so they could only wait for Xiong Batian to explain slowly.

“Back then, the clan wanted to send you to a Demon Human. That Demon Human had taken a liking to you—he was immensely powerful and had protected our Black Bear Clan for many years.”

“I disagreed, so I took you and fled, but they pursued relentlessly, and your father died at their hands. That’s why I didn’t want to bring you back here.”

Xiong Batian, who was not skilled with words and rarely spoke much, did her best to summarize the events clearly.

It seemed a powerful Demon Human had long been sheltering the Black Bear Clan. He took a liking to Xiong Er, a Rare Variant Species, and wanted to claim her for himself. But Xiong Batian would never agree to hand over her newborn child just like that, so she resisted and fled. This, however, led to them being hunted down, and Xiong Er’s father lost his life because of it.

From this perspective, Xiong Batian held a deep grudge against the Black Bear Clan. Zhai Guangyi had wanted to win them over—why hadn’t she made this clear earlier? Now, coming directly to seek revenge while still hoping to recruit them—was she planning to persuade them with reason? Or beat them into submission? And settle the score along the way?

After explaining to Xiong Er and the others, Xiong Batian picked up her Spiked Club again, pointing it at the Black Bear Clan Leader as she loudly demanded.

“What do you mean you didn’t want to? He must have promised you plenty of benefits! That’s why you’ve been working for him all along, selling out your own clansmen.”

“Bah, that’s slander!”

Xiong Batian’s words seemed to have struck a nerve with the Black Bear Clan Leader. Both of their faces instantly flushed red and swelled with anger. The Clan Leader spat and then swung his large wooden club, clashing it against Xiong Batian’s Spiked Club.

The surrounding Frenzied Black Bears listened quietly to their exchange, seemingly recognizing Xiong Batian. None of them made a move to intervene, simply watching as the two began to fight.

Xiong Batian’s Spiked Club was no ordinary stick that could be casually picked up inside the Forest—it was made of solid alloy. It had no other merits, but its one advantage was its hardness.

When the two clubs collided, the Black Bear Clan Leader’s wooden club shattered instantly. Xiong Batian’s Spiked Club continued its momentum, cutting through the air as it swung toward the Clan Leader’s face.

The Clan Leader raised his arm to block, but he was still sent flying by the blow, crashing into the depths of the dark Forest.

Zhai Guangyi raised his hand, preparing to use Magic and summon a Spirit. After all, he was too close to the fight, and if a battle broke out, he would be at the greatest disadvantage.

The surrounding Black Bears also readied themselves for combat, their bodies gradually turning red as Berserk mode quietly activated.

“Black Bear Clan Leader, I’ve returned to seek my revenge. Let’s settle this with a blood duel—one of us must die.”

The Black Bear Clan Leader emerged from the woods in a disheveled state. Despite being sent flying so far and smashing through several giant trees, he showed no signs of injury.

He waved his hand again, signaling the surrounding Black Bears not to intervene.

“Fine, I accept.”

“What’s a blood duel?”

Zhai Guangyi turned and asked Xiong Er.

Zhai Guangyi thought that if Xiong Batian wanted revenge, he would definitely side with her. Failing to recruit the Black Bear Clan this time was unavoidable—the Forest was vast, and there would be other opportunities. But Xiong Batian was his companion, who had protected him for so long. There was no reason not to help her.

“I understand now. I understand how Xiong Batian plans to win over the Black Bear Clan to join us.”

“Huh? So what exactly is a blood duel?”

Xiong Er turned her head with a grin, leaning close to Zhai Guangyi’s ear and gesturing for him to come closer. Zhai Guangyi lowered his head, pressing his long Elf ear toward her.

“A blood duel is a method used within the Black Bear Clan to prove one’s status and can be used to seize leadership. The defeated Magical Beast must submit to the victor. This is a blood duel with the Black Bear Clan Leader.”

Xiong Batian probably wanted to use the blood feud to overthrow the Black Bear Clan Leader and become the leader of the Black Bear Clan herself. This way, she could not only settle past grudges but also rightfully become the leader of the Black Bear Clan.

“I see.”

Zhai Guangyi nodded, never expecting Xiong Batian to be so clever. Looking at her terrifying muscle mass, he realized one truly shouldn’t judge by appearances—there was subtlety within her roughness.