Chapter 119

The figure moved at an incredible speed, arriving at the training ground in an instant.

“Greetings, Your Majesty!”

The Martial Peace King stood firm, slightly bowing, appearing no different from usual.

“At ease.”

The Emperor of Xia nodded without hesitation, getting straight to the point. “For today’s competition, who do you think is most likely to win?”

Hearing this, the Martial Peace King was slightly taken aback by the Emperor’s direct question. After a moment of thought, he replied, “That can only be determined after the competition.”

The Emperor of Xia didn’t press further, only smiling faintly.

Seeing the Martial Peace King arrive, Xu Xiu’er turned her gaze toward him and softly called out.

Her position wasn’t far from the Martial Peace King, and with his Divine Sea Realm cultivation, he could naturally hear clearly, but she received no response.

The Martial Peace King gazed intently in the direction of the training ground, his eyes fixed on the Second Prince, as if deeply focused.

Vaguely, Xu Xiu’er even sensed a trace of unfamiliarity from her grandfather.

She furrowed her brows, thinking to herself, “It’s only been a few days since I last saw him, why does it feel like Grandfather has become distant from me…”

But now that the grand competition was about to begin, it was only natural that the Martial Peace King would focus all his attention on the contest and not notice her.

Xu Xiu’er didn’t dwell on the Martial Peace King’s reaction any longer and instead turned her attention to the martial arena.

At the same time.

On the vast and boundless martial arena.

Xiao Minghuang stood there in a light red dress, her skin as fair as snow, smooth and lustrous, glowing radiantly under the sunlight, as dazzling as a scorching sun.

She stood still, her eyes slightly closed, her entire being as calm as water, yet also like an unfathomable abyss, an endless and boundless ocean.

Not far away.

The Second Prince also stood with his hands at his sides, his gaze fixed on Xiao Minghuang, a sinister smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

“Hmph! Today, this prince will make sure you die without a place to be buried!”

Although the grand competition had rules against killing, in the heat of battle, it was easy to lose control and accidentally kill Xiao Minghuang. Even if the Xia Emperor was displeased, he wouldn’t punish the future crown prince over a dead person.

So today, not only would he kill, but he would do it swiftly and decisively, striking with a lethal move from the very beginning!

Outside the arena.

Countless people whispered among themselves.

“They say Princess Ziwei is exceptionally talented, having defeated two geniuses who had comprehended their own ‘intent.’ But seeing her today, she just seems like a pretty little girl. What’s all the fuss about?”

At this moment, a young man dressed in golden robes spoke up.

“In my opinion, Princess Ziwei is far inferior to our Dragon Tiger Sect’s senior brother, Xue Wushang!”

Hearing this, everyone turned to look at him.

The young man’s face was full of disdain, his posture arrogant, and his brows exuded an unruly aura.

“Is this guy from the Dragon Tiger Sect? Is he out of his mind?”

Someone whispered mockingly.

“Not necessarily. The Xue Wushang he mentioned is the True Disciple of the Dragon Tiger Sect. It’s said that he possesses an Earth-grade Five Elements Spiritual Root, and its quality is even higher than Princess Ziwei’s.”

“Being in a sect and having access to better resources, it’s not surprising that he’s stronger than Princess Ziwei… But this young man’s words are a bit strange. Xue Wushang is indeed strong, but what does that have to do with him?”

The young man seemed to have heard the discussions and immediately puffed out his chest, shouting loudly:

“My cousin Xue Wushang has the bearing of a True Lord! He’s a super genius who will one day challenge the sect master of the Spirit Sword Sect. What’s a mere Princess Ziwei to him??”

Hearing this, everyone gasped in shock.

“This guy has a mental illness. Don’t engage with him, lest you get dragged into trouble!”

Someone else curiously asked:

“Brother! I’ve only heard of Nascent Soul Realms. What’s this True Lord realm? How does it compare to the Realms?”

“You don’t know? Above the Nascent Soul Realm is the Divine Transformation True Lord. It’s said that the current sect master of the Spirit Sword Sect, Sheng Bailan, is the most promising figure in the southern region in ten thousand years to reach the Divine Transformation Realm.”

“So that’s how it is. That means Xue Wushang is also a super genius who can rival the sect master of the Spirit Sword Sect.”

The chaotic and complex whispers from outside the arena were instantly crushed by the heavy atmosphere within, dissipating into nothingness, unable to reach Xiao Minghuang’s ears.

In just a short moment, she had already regulated her spiritual energy to its peak.

Within her dantian, the seventy-nine-foot spiritual spring was nearly overflowing, the surging spiritual energy on the verge of erupting, spreading like a vast sea.

In her pupils, the phantom of a golden longsword flickered, sword intent interweaving and permeating the air. An invisible sword aura surrounded her, almost slicing through the surrounding atmosphere.

In contrast.

The Second Prince’s aura was as deep as the ocean, showing not a trace of fear. The full extent of his Seventh Level of the Spring Realm cultivation was on display, with dazzling white light emanating from his body, nearly enveloping him completely.

The momentum of both had reached its zenith.

And it was almost at this moment.

The surroundings fell silent, all sounds ceasing.

Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed intently on the arena, eagerly awaiting the outcome of this grand competition, anticipating Xiao Minghuang’s performance.

At the same time.

On the high platform.

A sharp voice rang out.

“The match begins!”

As the words fell.

The Second Prince moved first.

He stepped with the Wind-Skimming Step, his speed so fast that his movements were nearly invisible. His body seemed to merge with the surrounding air, vanishing from his original position in an instant. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before Xiao Minghuang.

In his hand, a long blade materialized.

The blade emitted a dark, eerie glow, a sharp and domineering sword aura filling the surroundings. The blade’s edge was densely covered with sharp grooves, exuding a terrifyingly formidable presence.

From the blade, dense spiritual energy emanated, clearly indicating that this was at least a lower-grade Profound Tier artifact!

The blade’s light flickered like a meteor streaking through the night sky, slashing toward Xiao Minghuang with lightning speed. The blade’s radiance was blinding, making it impossible to keep one’s eyes open, only able to sense the sharp power contained within the blade’s edge.

His blade technique was simple, yet filled with an overwhelming, domineering aura.

In Xiao Minghuang’s eyes, a flash of sword light appeared.

The white sword light, like a shooting star, streaked through the void, directly meeting the blade’s radiance. Its speed was at its peak, reaching the blade’s light in an instant, slashing toward it with a single sword strike.

The Second Prince’s pupils contracted.

He could feel that this sword light contained an incomparably majestic power, far stronger than his blade’s radiance by who knows how many times!

Boom!

A deafening explosion rang out as the blade’s radiance shattered. The Second Prince’s expression changed drastically, and he hastily threw the long blade in his hand toward the sword light, but it only managed to block it for a brief moment.

In almost the blink of an eye, the lower-grade Profound Tier long blade was crushed by the dazzling sword light, instantly breaking apart. Yet, the sword radiance continued its unstoppable momentum, unabated, fiercely slashing toward him.

Seeing this, the Second Prince had no time to think, instinctively dodging aside.

Boom!!!

In the next moment after he retreated.

The sword light descended from the sky, striking the spot where he had just stood.

The ground within a thousand-foot radius shattered inch by inch, dust flying everywhere. A massive chasm appeared on the ground, as if the world had come to an end.

The Second Prince stood at the edge of the crater, glancing back, his heart filled with shock.

“How did she become so strong in just a few days?!”

This single strike had directly pulverized the ground within a thousand-foot radius. If it had hit him, even if he didn’t die, he would have been severely injured!

In an instant.

The Second Prince’s expression turned extremely grim.

“I thought I would have an eighty percent chance of winning after breaking through, but I never expected her to be this strong!”

As he pondered this.

Within the dark, massive crater.

A glimmer of golden light suddenly appeared.

The golden light grew brighter and more dazzling.

Until.

Xiao Minghuang’s figure appeared within his line of sight.

She was clad in a light red robe, her clothes fluttering in the wind, her long skirt swaying, her hair dancing in the breeze. Her entire body radiated golden light, surrounded by starlight, with sword energy swirling around her, making her look like a deity!

In her hand, she held a golden longsword. The spiritual energy from all directions seemed to be drawn to her, continuously converging towards her, as if the only thing left in the world was her sword.

Outside the arena.

A cultivator suddenly turned pale.

“Why has my sword unsheathed itself?!”

“Ah! I can feel it too, it’s so strange, why is my sword flying out on its own?!”

“What is going on?!”

“Could it be…”

In an instant.

Someone blurted out two words!

“Sword Intent!”

Countless astonished gazes fixed on the golden sword in Xiao Minghuang’s hand.

On the blade, they sensed an overwhelmingly powerful sword intent, so strong that it made them feel insignificant, as if a mere breath could utterly shatter them.

“This is… Sword Intent!”

Almost everyone’s faces were filled with shock and disbelief.

This kind of sword intent was something they had never seen or heard of before.

Even the white-haired Divine Sea Realm cultivators widened their eyes. This aura far surpassed mere sword intent. Not only could it pull in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, but it could also draw in the magical treasures in the hands of cultivators. This level of mastery was far beyond sword intent, something unimaginable.

At this moment, a disciple of the Spirit Sword Sect spoke, his expression extremely grave.

“This is the embryonic form of Sword Intent!”

“Before this, I had only felt this kind of aura from our Sect Master. I never expected to witness it again today, here in the Thirty-Six Kingdoms.”

He had once placed third in the inner sect competition and had the honor of being personally received by the Sect Master. Although it was just a brief encounter, the supreme sword intent that seemed capable of cutting through all things in the world was something he could never forget!

Hearing this, everyone’s pupils constricted sharply, utterly shocked.

“It really is Sword Intent… Princess Ziwei, could she be a monster?”

“Even the Sect Master of the Spirit Sword Sect only grasped the embryonic form of Sword Intent at the Divine Sea Realm. Yet Princess Ziwei, who is only at the Spring Realm, has already comprehended the embryonic form of Sword Intent. Such talent is no longer just genius… She’s a monster! Absolutely a monster!”

“I’ve heard that whenever a great calamity approaches, a monster is born to face it. Could Princess Ziwei be such a person?”

“If that’s the case, does that mean our Southern Territory is about to face a great disaster?”

Countless people began to discuss fervently.

On the shattered martial arena, the battle continued.

Sword energy crisscrossed, and blade light filled the sky.

The Second Prince was no weakling, with endless tricks up his sleeve and many high-grade magical treasures. Initially, he had been caught off guard and was overwhelmed by Xiao Minghuang’s sudden attack.

But once he regained his composure and summoned multiple defensive Profound Grade treasures, even with Xiao Minghuang’s formidable sword intent, it was difficult for her to easily break through the blockade of multiple Profound Grade treasures.

Moreover, both of them were at the seventh level of the Spring Realm.

Although Xiao Minghuang had a stronger spiritual root, allowing her to regenerate endlessly, the Second Prince also had many elixirs that he could continuously consume, enabling him to hold his ground against her.

Facing the Second Prince, who seemed to be hiding in a turtle shell, Xiao Minghuang slightly furrowed her delicate brows and let out a light snort.

“Hmph, let’s see how long you can hold out!”

The Second Prince roared in anger and charged at Xiao Minghuang once more.

Boom!

Xiao Minghuang’s long sword swung out again.

This time.

The sword qi transformed into a golden ribbon.

The golden ribbon swept across the void, tearing through the air with a series of crackling explosions.

A golden pillar of light shot straight into the sky.

The heavens and earth seemed to tremble, as a vast wave of energy surged forth, shaking the ground for thousands of feet around, as if the sky were collapsing and the earth splitting apart.

As the light dissipated.

Xiao Minghuang looked up and saw eight magical artifacts of varying sizes arranged in a peculiar formation, seemingly some kind of array. This greatly enhanced the Second Prince’s defensive capabilities, making it difficult for even her nascent sword intent to penetrate easily.

Feeling the surging sword intent temporarily retreat, the Second Prince let out a long sigh of relief.

However, he dared not let his guard down.

After all, his opponent was Princess Ziwei, an unfathomable woman, and it wouldn’t be surprising if she brought any unexpected twists.

“This battle… it’s impossible to end quickly…”

The Second Prince frowned deeply. After cultivating demonic arts, his realm and strength had greatly increased, but in his disguised state, he couldn’t unleash his full combat power.

He had originally thought that even with this level of strength, he could defeat Xiao Minghuang, but he hadn’t expected…

“Nascent sword intent… very well!”

The Second Prince gritted his teeth. If he didn’t win this battle, not only would he lose his position as the crown prince, but he might even face mortal danger!

Whether Xiao Minghuang would spare him or not was one thing, but if he failed to ascend to the throne, his value to the demonic cultivators would greatly diminish. Would they continue to support him?

At that moment, a strange, hoarse voice echoed in his mind.

“If you can’t win, you can reveal part of your demonic arts. I will conceal your aura so no one can detect it.”

Hearing this, the Second Prince’s heart leaped with joy.

If he could fully unleash his demonic arts, his strength would increase by at least thirty percent. At that point, even if he didn’t have absolute certainty of victory, he could at least fight Xiao Minghuang on equal footing.

“This battle… I must win at all costs!”

The Second Prince took a deep breath, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes as a bloody aura gradually rose around him.

On the other side of the sky.

Xiao Minghuang gripped her sword tightly, her eyes narrowing slightly. As her realm improved, the wonders of her Heaven-grade Five Elements Spiritual Root gradually revealed themselves. One of the most crucial aspects was the endless cycle of the five elements, allowing her to unleash any divine ability without worrying about spiritual energy depletion.

For an ordinary Spring Realm cultivator, even if they had comprehended nascent sword intent, they couldn’t afford such reckless expenditure.

They might only be able to strike three or four times before their dantian’s spiritual energy was drained.

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Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu

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