Chapter 257: Choosing Punishment Over Peace

“Get back!”

Without even glancing at his opponent, Chen Tianxing thrust both hands forward.

While his talent might not be exceptional, placing him at the same Bright Force stage as Duan Fei, his vast experience in combat was something Duan Fei couldn’t match.

This strike embodied the full, fierce power of the Chen family’s martial arts. Even before his palms touched Duan Fei, the fierce gust generated by his strike instilled a deep sense of dread in Duan Fei. He felt an overwhelming sense of inferiority.

Duan Fei was taken aback. He initially assumed that with his father present, Chen Tianxing, as a mere Bright Force martial artist, would hold back when fighting him. This gave Duan Fei the confidence to launch an aggressive attack.

But now, with Chen Tianxing’s ferocious counterattack, Duan Fei realized he had miscalculated.

It was too late to change his approach. Duan Fei could only turn his clawed hands into open palms. He met Chen Tianxing’s attack head-on.

Bang!

Duan Fei’s forward momentum came to a sudden halt. He was forced back several steps. His face alternated between red and pale as his internal energy churned wildly. His hands and arms tingled with numbness.

He lowered his arms to his sides, glaring at Chen Tianxing. The arrogance he had displayed earlier was nowhere to be seen.

Chen Tianxing, having repelled Duan Fei with a single strike, stood his ground, but his eyes held a trace of seriousness.

Duan Fei’s strength had exceeded Chen Tianxing’s expectations.

For someone so young to have already reached the mid-stage of Bright Force was impressive. No wonder Duan Changhan felt confident letting Duan Fei engage him in combat.

“Fei’er, stand down. Although you’ve reached the mid-stage of Bright Force, you’re still not a match for Master Chen,” Duan Changhan said as he rolled up his sleeves and approached Chen Tianxing. “Master Chen, if I’m not mistaken, you’ve already reached the late stage of Bright Force. Impressive, very impressive. In our Golden Claw Sect, you could just about qualify to be the head of one of our dozen or so martial Arts Halls.”

While his words seemed complimentary, the condescension on his face was impossible to hide.

Chen Tianxing’s eyes flashed with anger at Duan Changhan’s words, but he bit back a retort. As much as he hated to admit it, Duan Changhan was right.

Despite being the head of one of Jiangnan Province’s top four martial Arts Halls, he was indeed too weak.

“Master Duan, don’t push it too far. While our Chen family may not be strong, this is still Jiangnan Province, and we won’t be easily humiliated by outsiders,” Chen Tianxing’s father stood up, his voice low and filled with anger.

“Jiangnan Province? Heh…”

Duan Changhan laughed arrogantly.

“This so-called Jiangnan Province martial arts scene, where even Dark Force practitioners are as rare as phoenix feathers, and your so-called Four Great Martial Arts Halls are nothing but a bunch of useless weaklings. If it weren’t for the rules of the martial arts world, I could single-handedly sweep through all of Jiangnan Province’s martial arts community.”

“You… you…”

The old master of the Chen family was so furious that he pointed a trembling finger at Duan Changhan. Overcome with anger, he nearly collapsed, but Chen Lingxin and Chen Tianliang quickly moved to support him.

“Grandfather… are you okay?”

Duan Changhan sneered coldly at the old master, flexing his fingers. His ten fingers were thin and hard, giving off a steely vibe even without activating his internal energy.

“Old Master Chen, I respect you as a veteran of Jiangnan Province’s martial arts scene, so I’ll give you a chance. If you agree, the Golden Claw Sect and the Chen family can turn hostility into friendship.”

Duan Changhan’s tone was calm and measured, as if nothing in the world could disturb his composure.

The old master hesitated for a moment, then asked, “What do you propose?”

Despite his intense anger at Duan Changhan’s previous words, the old master knew that he wasn’t wrong. Due to historical reasons, the martial arts community in Jiangnan Province was exceptionally weak. If not for the rules of the martial arts world, other provinces would have long since invaded.

If there was a way to avoid conflict with the Golden Claw Sect without harming the reputation and interests of the Chen family, the old master was certainly open to it.

“Senior Brother…”

Standing nearby, Jiang Linfeng suddenly panicked, taking a step forward and preparing to speak.

But as soon as Jiang Linfeng uttered those words, Duan Changhan cast a cold glance his way.

Jiang Linfeng shuddered, instantly silencing himself and lowering his head.

The martial arts world was brutally realistic, where strength reigned supreme. His martial arts abilities were now completely crippled, and if not for the sect’s desire to leverage his feud with the Chen family to bypass the martial arts community’s rules, he would already be a discarded, ignored man.

This deepened his hatred for Lin Xiao even further. If not for Lin Xiao, how could he, a once-proud Dark Force-level martial artist, have fallen into such a miserable state?

At the same time, he harbored resentment against the Golden Claw Sect. When he first sought revenge against the Chen family, the Golden Claw Sect played a significant role, allowing him to invite four peak Bright Force masters to assist him.

“Master Chen, as long as you agree to join our Golden Claw Sect and rebrand the Chen Martial Arts Hall as a branch of our sect, I’ll let everyone here off the hook. You can even continue as the head of this school. What do you say?” Duan Changhan asked with a faint smile.

Upon hearing this, the old master’s face twitched, and his anger instantly reached its peak.

The Chen Martial Arts Hall was founded by the Chen family’s ancestors, who endured countless hardships to establish it. After several generations of effort, the school finally rooted itself in Jiangnan Province and became one of the Four Great Martial Arts Halls in the region.

And now, with just a few words, Duan Changhan wanted to strip the Chen family of their name and replace it with the Golden Claw Sect’s. Was there anything more outrageous?

Not only was the old master furious, but Chen Tianxing and his daughter, Chen Lingxin, were also on the verge of exploding with anger.

Chen Lingxin bit down hard on her lip. If she didn’t know that she was no match for Duan Changhan and his group, she would have rushed forward to teach these despicable people a lesson.

The old master took a deep breath.

“Master Duan, our ancestors built Chen’s Martial Arts Hall. Though we descendants may be unworthy, we would never dare to hand it over to someone else.”

“If you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit, then don’t blame me for teaching you a lesson.”

With that, Duan Changhan gave Duan Fei a look. Duan Fei’s eyes flashed, and he immediately strode out of the hall and into the courtyard.

As soon as Duan Fei appeared, all eyes in the courtyard turned toward him.

Duan Fei raised his arm high, clenched his fist, and shouted in a voice like thunder, “Listen up, brothers! The Chen Martial Arts Hall dares to defy the Golden Claw Sect? Tear this place apart and bring everyone to their knees!”

After a brief moment of silence, the courtyard erupted into chaos.

“Haha, finally, some action!”

“I’ve been waiting for this!”

“Chen Martial Arts Hall weaklings, time to hit the ground!”

The Golden Claw Sect’s students, eyes gleaming with malice, let out wild cries as they charged at the Chen Martial Arts Hall’s students.

“Everyone, fight back!”

“They think they can destroy our school? No way!”

“Charge!”