Chapter 112: Chapter 112: It’s You I’m Hitting
The Ninth Princess didn’t rush to cut a path forward. Instead, she cupped her fists and bowed to the illusory soldiers.
The soldier opposite her seemed to possess its own consciousness, returning the bow with cupped fists.
After that, the Ninth Princess summoned her longsword and charged forward.
Shen Daoxing followed behind without offering much help. Since this was a trial, it was meant to test the Ninth Princess’s own strength.
Shen Daoxing only stepped in when she encountered illusory soldiers that lacked self-awareness and were exceptionally vicious.
As for the others, they had long since vanished far ahead of the pair.
But the Ninth Princess wasn’t worried. Her goal this time was to pass the trial and awaken her bloodline’s power, not to compete for first place, win the approval of the Dragon Vein, and become the emperor of the Martial Kingdom.
...
"Hah!"
With a sharp cry, the Ninth Princess struck down an illusory soldier blocking her path. Before they knew it, they had traversed more than half the path, and the Mountain of Trial loomed ever closer.
"We’re through!"
The Ninth Princess wiped the sweat from her forehead, her face beaming with delight.
But just as the two stepped onto the Mountain of Trial, Shen Daoxing saw a powerfully built man blocking their path. Perched on the man’s shoulder was a petite young woman: the Fifth Princess.
"Fifth Sister? What are you doing here?"
The Ninth Princess stared, momentarily stunned.
"Waiting for you, of course!"
The Fifth Princess turned her head, her gaze turning icy.
"Waiting for me? What for?"
The Ninth Princess still looked utterly confused.
The Fifth Princess didn’t answer her question, instead stating coldly, "A palace maid’s bastard whelp is unworthy of our Royal Family’s power, and our Royal Family has no need for your filthy bloodline! Kunlun Slave, make your move!"
At her command, the Kunlun Slave shot up from the ground. He raised his fist high and brought it crashing down like a mountain falling from the sky.
"What!"
The Ninth Princess was aghast. She never imagined her own sister would attack her, and she froze in panic.
Shen Daoxing grabbed the Ninth Princess’s arm, his footwork a slight blur!
Demon Ape Meteor Step!
He pulled the Ninth Princess backward, their bodies tilting at a bizarre angle to evade the blow in an unbelievable maneuver.
"BOOM!"
The Kunlun Slave’s massive fist slammed into the ground, tearing a long, deep fissure in the earth.
Clearly, that blow had been meant to kill.
Shen Daoxing shot the Fifth Princess a cold look.
He knew of the cruelty and darkness of palace intrigue, a world filled with endless scheming where friendship and kinship were the most fragile things of all.
But he never expected the Fifth Princess to be so vicious, waiting for them at this chokepoint just to murder her own younger sister.
The Fifth Princess’s name was Gu Qian, and she was the daughter of Consort Hua.
It was said that the Ninth Princess’s mother had originally been a palace maid in service to Consort Hua.
Consort Hua had once been the Martial Kingdom Emperor’s most beloved consort, and he had visited her chambers daily.
But for some unknown reason, after the Martial Kingdom Emperor bedded the Ninth Princess’s mother in a drunken stupor, Consort Hua fell from grace. Her status plummeted, and although her Ningqing Palace was not the "Cold Palace," it became even more desolate than one from that day forward.
"Kunlun Slave, show no mercy! Kill them! Kill that bastard whelp!"
The Fifth Princess gave them no chance to breathe. Seeing the first strike miss, she once again issued a cold command.
The Kunlun Slave let out a great roar, his presence swelling. He looked like a demon propping up the heavens as red power boiled around him. With the force to topple mountains and overturn seas, he charged toward Shen Daoxing and the princess once more.
Hearing the word "kill," Shen Daoxing’s face turned to ice. With a flick of his hand, he summoned the Great Ming Demon Sparrow.
Then, his figure blurred, and with a SWOOSH, he transformed into a streak of black light, flying past the Kunlun Slave like a meteor.
...
「Outside the Trial Secret Realm, the altar was now empty of people. In its center, shimmering ripples displayed a view of the Trial Mountain Peak.」
The image was a riot of color and radiant light. A massive, five-clawed dragon carved from stone coiled on the peak, its head raised as it gazed down below, as if in anticipation.
The crowd around the altar watched the brilliant Trial Mountain Peak, as if waiting for the first Prince to reach the summit and face the Dragon Vein’s challenge.
"National Preceptor, in your view, who among these youngsters is Gu Cheng’s greatest rival?"
The Martial Kingdom Emperor, who had until now worn a placid expression, suddenly spoke to Ouyang Rong, the National Preceptor at his side.
Ouyang Rong was stunned for a moment, then smiled. "Your Majesty, the Second Prince is already the most outstanding of all the princes and princesses. Plus, he has the aid of our Martial Kingdom’s foremost genius, Xia Junze. Who could possibly be his rival?"
The Martial Kingdom Emperor, however, shook his head and said slowly, "What do you think of Yawei?"
"Yawei?"
Ouyang Rong chuckled. "Your Majesty, although Shen Daoxing at the Ninth Princess’s side is quite outstanding and comparable to Xia Junze, I am her teacher. I know her better than anyone. Her personality is simply too timid and too kind, and she has no desire to compete. She could never be a rival to the Second Prince."
After a moment of thought, Ouyang Rong added, "If Your Majesty must find a rival for the Second Prince, I think the Fifth Princess is the most likely. Not only is she powerful in her own right, but she also has the Kunlun Slave’s support. It is said that the Kunlun Slave has already reached the Fifth Layer of the Grotto Heaven realm. His body is incredibly formidable, as hard as Hundred-Refined Fine Iron. Only the World Divine Soldier in Xia Junze’s hands, the Celestial Flame Sword, could possibly break through his defenses."
「And at that very moment, inside the Trial Secret Realm, as the Martial Kingdom Emperor and the National Preceptor were speaking.」
The Fifth Princess stood frozen on the Kunlun Slave’s shoulder, her eyes wide with disbelief.
At her side, the Kunlun Slave had been split in two from head to foot.
"SPLASH!"
A massive amount of blood sprayed from the Kunlun Slave’s center as the two halves of his body collapsed with a crash.
The Fifth Princess fell to the ground, her face a mask of shock as she stared at what was in front of her.
Behind them, with his back to the scene, Shen Daoxing slowly put away his Great Ming Demon Sparrow. He had no intention of killing the Fifth Princess.
’After all, the Fifth Princess is Gu Yawei’s own sister. She’s a high-ranking princess, and the Martial Kingdom Emperor just recently sided with our Sword Institute.’
’Besides, who knows if people outside can see what’s happening in this Trial Land? Killing a princess in front of everyone would spell huge trouble.’
But Shen Daoxing couldn’t stomach the thought of simply letting the Fifth Princess go.
"Apologize to the Ninth Princess!"
Shen Daoxing’s cold voice echoed in the Fifth Princess’s ears.
The Fifth Princess froze, then snapped out of her daze. "Hmph," she said coldly, "Make this princess apologize to the bastard of a palace maid? Impossible!"
"SLAP!"
A crisp sound echoed as Shen Daoxing struck the Fifth Princess hard across the face. His voice became even colder. "Apologize to the Ninth Princess!"
"You dare to hit me?"
The Fifth Princess looked up in disbelief. "Don’t you know who I am? I am the noble Fifth Princess of the Martial Kingd—"
However, before the Fifth Princess could finish her sentence, Shen Daoxing’s next slap came down even harder, leaving a stark red handprint on her face.
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