Chapter 118

Seeing the Second Prince’s dismissive expression, the demonic cultivator didn’t try to persuade him further. His face remained as calm as an ancient well, devoid of any emotion, and he brought up another matter.

“If we want to develop long-term in the territory, we will inevitably have to hide our identities. This kind of disguise is effortless.”

“As long as you can win the grand competition and secure the throne, helping us gradually take root in the southern region, I will assist you in reaching the Nascent Soul Realm, or even the Divine Transformation Realm in the future!”

When the demonic cultivator spoke these words, it was as if he was talking about a trivial matter, something that could be accomplished with ease.

But the Second Prince knew that this seemingly elusive figure before him indeed possessed the capability!

Because this evil cultivator was no ordinary man.

He hailed from a world different from the Eastern Pole.

The Southern Wasteland…

…

As time passed.

The sunlight grew warmer and brighter. Outside the imperial city, on a vast plain, a temporary grand martial arena had been constructed, spanning a thousand zhang in radius. This arena was specially built for the grand competition.

The martial arena was filled with high-ranking officials and renowned figures who had traveled from all corners of the country.

In addition to the court officials, there were also many wandering martial artists, and even envoys from other nations. Even the three major sects had sent disciples to observe the competition.

This grand competition would determine the future ruler of the Xia Kingdom, and thus, the future of Xia itself.

As the leader among the thirty-six kingdoms, the three major sects, though they outwardly appeared indifferent, still had to show the necessary respect.

“The champion of this grand competition will become the crown prince of Xia. It is said that the current ruler of Xia has already broken through to the Spirit Seed Realm. Once the crown prince is chosen, he will soon abdicate in favor of the new ruler.”

“In other words, the champion of this grand competition will soon become the ruler of Xia!”

Among the crowd, a well-informed foreign merchant was explaining the latest developments in Xia to the visiting foreign martial artists.

“According to reliable sources, there are three top contenders for the crown prince position.”

“The First Prince of Xia, rumored to have been born with a crippled body and poor talent, was exiled to the borderlands for many years. However, he made a powerful return just a few days ago, withstanding a full-force strike from a peak Spring Realm expert without a scratch. He wields a mysterious Profound-grade treasure, and his strength is unfathomable!”

“The Second Prince of Xia, renowned for his exceptional talent and profound cultivation, is said to possess more than one Profound-grade treasure. He enjoys widespread support both in the court and among the people.”

“The last contender is Princess Ziwei. You may not have heard of her, as she was just an ordinary girl in the Body Tempering Realm a few months ago. But somehow, she obtained a great opportunity and, in less than half a year, broke through to the Spring Realm!”

“She once single-handedly defeated two genius youths who had just begun to grasp the rudiments of sword and spear intent!”

“Just last night, Princess Ziwei made a breakthrough in the heat of battle, reaching the peak of the Spring Realm. With a casual swing of her sword, she obliterated a mountain range spanning ten thousand zhang. With such strength, even ordinary Divine Sea Realm experts might not be her match!”

Among the crowd, an elderly man in simple clothing spoke with great excitement.

After hearing his account, the foreign martial artists in attendance were all shocked and awestruck.

A fifteen-year-old at the peak of the Spring Realm!

With strength surpassing ordinary Divine Sea Realm experts!

Among the crowd, a hooded figure in a black robe trembled slightly.

“In just one day, Princess Ziwei has become so powerful?!”

At that moment.

Someone suddenly spoke up:

“Hey, aren’t you Old Wang, the storyteller from the east side of the city? What are you doing here? When are you going to pay back the ten spirit stones you owe me?!”

As he spoke, a martial artist grabbed Old Wang by the collar, glaring fiercely.

Old Wang, caught in the grip, quickly pleaded for mercy.

“Brother Liu, please give me a few more days. I’m here trying to earn some money by storytelling!”

“Hmph! Spreading rumors again, are we? It’s true that Princess Ziwei made a breakthrough yesterday, but she only reached the seventh level of the Spring Realm. You, pay up today, or I’ll skin you alive!”

Ten spirit stones were an enormous sum for him, a figure he could hardly earn even after years of hard work.

The crowd wasn’t interested in Old Wang’s debts, but they breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the true extent of Princess Ziwei’s cultivation.

At fifteen years old, she had reached the seventh level of the Spring Realm.

Though still formidable, it was a far cry from the peak of the Spring Realm.

“I heard that the current sect master of the Spirit Sword Sect had already entered the Divine Sea Realm by the age of fifteen. Compared to that, Princess Ziwei, even at the seventh level of the Spring Realm, still falls short.”

Hearing this, the crowd nodded in agreement.

“There’s always a higher mountain. Even the geniuses of small nations can hardly compare to the true prodigies of the great sects.”

As the crowd continued to discuss, a clear, resonant gong sounded, its thunderous echo reverberating through every corner of the martial arena.

Following the gong, a sharp voice announced, “The Emperor has arrived!”

All eyes turned to the sky, where nine golden-maned horses, all spirit beasts, pulled a massive carriage, speeding towards them from the distance. These horses, swift as lightning, capable of traversing a thousand miles in an instant, were truly divine steeds, a testament to the extraordinary power of the person within the carriage.

Beneath the ornate canopy sat a middle-aged man dressed in a dragon robe, wearing a crown, his face exuding authority—the Emperor of Xia.

“All hail His Majesty!”

At that moment, countless subjects of Xia bowed in reverence. Foreign visitors, except for the disciples of the three great sects, also bent their bodies in respect.

The Emperor’s gaze swept across the martial arena as he spoke in a commanding voice, “Rise, my subjects. Today is the grand competition of the Xia royal family. The ultimate victor shall be the crown prince of Xia!”

Without further ado, the Emperor took his seat on a high platform, awaiting the commencement of the competition.

Not long after, Xiao Minghuang and the Second Prince arrived almost simultaneously.

In just a few days, the Second Prince’s situation had undergone a dramatic change compared to the day of the banquet at Prince Wu’an’s residence.

On the day of the banquet, the Second Prince had arrived with a grand entourage of nobles, officials, and dignitaries, his presence no less impressive than Xiao Minghuang’s.

But today, on what should have been the most important day, the Second Prince stood alone, without a single attendant or guard.

In stark contrast, Xiao Minghuang, dressed in a bright yellow gown, sat elegantly beneath a canopy drawn by eight horses. Three thousand armored soldiers cleared her path, and the Seventh Elder, a Divine Sea Realm expert, held the reins of her carriage.

Beside her stood three stunningly beautiful women, each with their own unique charm, surrounding Princess Ziwei and adding an air of divinity, as if a celestial goddess had descended to the mortal realm.

At that moment, whether it was the common folk of Xia, foreign envoys, or sect disciples, all eyes were drawn to Princess Ziwei, captivated by her noble and graceful presence.

She was the center of the world, the focus of everyone’s attention.

“Princess Ziwei is so beautiful!”

“Princess, you’re so stunning! I want to be your loyal servant!”

“Stop being ridiculous!”

“The three ladies accompanying the Princess are also quite beautiful… but the Princess is still more enchanting!”

“Madam, please wipe your drool; it’s almost reaching my knees!”

At this moment, even the disciples of the sects had to admit that there were very few people in the world who possessed both strength and beauty, and Princess Ziwei was one of those rare individuals.

While Princess Ziwei had captured the attention of almost everyone present, the Second Prince appeared utterly desolate.

His entrance only drew the notice of a few, who then quickly turned their heads away, no longer paying him any mind.

Almost everyone believed that the ultimate winner of this grand competition would undoubtedly be Princess Ziwei.

As for the First Prince and the Second Prince, they were merely there as foils.

“Oh my, isn’t that the Second Prince? It’s only been a few days, but how did you end up so down on your luck?”

From the crowd, someone sneered with a mocking tone.

The person who spoke out in ridicule was originally a subordinate of the Second Prince. Now that the Second Prince had fallen from grace, he immediately took the opportunity to kick him while he was down.

Hearing this, the Second Prince slightly turned his head, and a red glint flashed in his pupils, as if reflecting a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, imprinting itself into the man’s mind.

In an instant.

The man’s mind instantly went blank as a surge of bloodlust energy invaded his body, wreaking havoc without restraint.

In the blink of an eye, his dantian was like a punctured balloon, and his spiritual power dissipated completely.

All of this happened in an instant. Even those around him didn’t notice, and he himself had no idea what had occurred before his cultivation was entirely lost.

When he finally realized that his cultivation had vanished, he vomited blood on the spot and fell into a coma.

Yet, no one noticed any of this.

The Second Prince curled his lips into a cruel smile. Today, he would use the blood of a genius to declare who the true master of this land was!

His gaze shifted, landing on Xiao Minghuang, who was approaching from another direction. His lips twitched, revealing a cold, sinister sneer.

“Princess Ziwei… Hmph!”

Feeling the icy stare, Xiao Minghuang’s eyes remained as calm as still water. She naturally noticed that the Second Prince was watching her.

A golden light flickered in her pupils as she fearlessly met his gaze.

Their eyes clashed in mid-air, and the atmosphere seemed to freeze, as if a world-shaking battle was about to erupt at any moment.

The Second Prince smirked coldly, withdrew his gaze, and continued walking forward.

Xiao Minghuang’s expression returned to calmness as her carriage stopped at the entrance of the martial arena.

She stepped down from the carriage.

Ye Ruoshui, Lin Wanqiu, and Xu Xiu’er stood up.

Xiao Minghuang’s eyes swept over the three of them, and from their gazes, she could tell what they wanted to say.

Lin Wanqiu was brimming with confidence in her strength, believing that she would undoubtedly win.

Ye Ruoshui, on the other hand, wasn’t as concerned about victory or defeat; she only wished for her safety.

As expected.

“Your Highness, the Second Prince’s talent, resources, and strength are no match for yours. You will surely win this battle!”

Lin Wanqiu’s eyes sparkled with excitement. After half a year of development, the power gap between their faction and the Second Prince’s group had almost completely reversed, with the roles of offense and defense entirely swapped.

Xiao Minghuang nodded with a smile and said,

“Wanqiu is right. This battle, I will surely win!”

Ye Ruoshui stepped forward, stood on her tiptoes, and wrapped her arms around Xiao Minghuang’s slender waist. She leaned close to her ear and whispered softly,

“Your Highness, you must protect yourself!”

Xiao Minghuang gently hugged Ye Ruoshui back and whispered into her ear,

“Ruoshui, don’t worry. Your sister will be fine.”

Xiao Minghuang lightly kissed the corner of Ye Ruoshui’s lips before letting go.

Her final gaze fell on Xu Xiu’er.

From this girl, she could sense the strongest emotion, completely different from what she felt from Ye Ruoshui and Lin Wanqiu.

Envy!

For Xu Xiu’er, who was born with a crippled constitution, Princess Ziwei was like the brightest star in the night sky.

And she herself was nothing more than an infinitely tiny speck of dust in the vast, cold, and dark universe.

The gap between them could not be measured in words or numbers.

Xiao Minghuang didn’t know how to comfort her, only thinking that if she ever obtained any spiritual medicine that could enhance talent, she would do her best to help Xu Xiu’er improve her constitution.

She sighed inwardly, turned around, and strode toward the martial arena.

“Your Highness, do your best!”

Ye Ruoshui waved her fist and shouted loudly behind her.

On the martial arena.

The Second Prince had been waiting for a long time.

When he saw Xiao Minghuang, hatred burned fiercely in his heart.

“Hmph! Back in Beiyang City, I should have sent more assassins. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been reduced to relying on evil cultivators!”

The Second Prince roared inwardly, his face cold with a mocking smile.

Xiao Minghuang arrived at the training ground and stood firm.

On the high platform, the Emperor of Xia swept his gaze over the two of them.

When his eyes fell on Xiao Minghuang, his face was filled with satisfaction.

With such a gem in Great Xia, the empire was destined to flourish!

But when he looked at the Second Prince, his brows slightly furrowed.

“In just a few days, he’s already broken through to the seventh level of the Spring Realm?”

It was worth noting that last night, Princess Ziwei had consecutively broken through several minor realms, and it had been witnessed by almost the entire capital, with no room for deception.

Yet the Second Prince had quietly and suddenly reached the seventh level of the Spring Realm?

Could it be…

As he pondered, the Emperor of Xia scanned the training ground but did not see the familiar figure he was expecting.

“Wang Jin, have you seen the Martial Peace King?”

Hearing this, Wang Jin also glanced around and respectfully replied, “Your Majesty, this old servant hasn’t seen the Martial Peace King either. Perhaps he’s delayed by urgent matters and will arrive later.”

The Emperor of Xia’s expression darkened as he said, “The Martial Peace King has already given his only granddaughter to Little Nine. Does he still intend to split his eggs between two baskets? Is that useless Second Prince really worth it?”

At these words, Wang Jin became even more respectful, holding his breath.

After a moment, the Emperor of Xia sighed lightly and said, “Forget it. Since the Martial Peace King has made his choice, I won’t say more… Today’s competition will still be presided over by you. I’m tired and need to rest for a while.”

Wang Jin bowed respectfully and replied, “This old servant obeys the decree!”

The Emperor of Xia’s face carried a hint of disappointment. He and the Martial Peace King had been close friends in their youth, traveling together and trusting each other with their lives in dangerous times.

He didn’t want to see the Martial Peace King hang himself on the crooked tree that was the Second Prince, but if the Martial Peace King had truly made that choice…

Then he could only choose to respect it.

The strong are destined to be lonely. Almost all of his contemporaries had died, leaving only him, the Martial Peace King, and Wang Jin. He didn’t want to see his friend go astray.

But as the Emperor of Great Xia, he couldn’t let emotions cloud his judgment. If the Martial Peace King was truly determined to protect the Second Prince at all costs, he would have to act with a heavy heart, clearing obstacles for his successor.

But just at that moment.

A sharp whistling sound echoed through the sky.

A burly figure came rushing in.

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Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu

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