Free Web NovelChapter 111: Chapter 111: The 1st Trial
While the princes conversed, the Emperor of the Martial Kingdom finished reciting the sacrificial prayer. He then led the entire imperial court, both civil and military officials, in performing three bows and nine kowtows to the ancestral effigies, completing the ceremony.
Afterward, the High Priest led the assembly to a secluded, deep-set waterfall on the rear of Wudu Mountain.
Through the curtain of water, Shen Daoxing could faintly make out an altar.
As the group walked through, he discovered the altar was immense, dozens of yards wide. Its stone floor, covered in green moss, was etched with an ancient, indecipherable script of immeasurable profundity.
"Will the princes and princesses please ascend the altar!"
The deep voice of the High Priest, his hair as white as snow, rang out.
The princes and princesses slowly walked onto the altar. Shen Daoxing followed, ascending with the Ninth Princess.
Below the altar stood the Emperor of the Martial Kingdom, his civil and military officials, the heads of the great academies, and various nobles of the Royal Family.
The selection of the Crown Prince would determine the future of the Martial Kingdom, so it naturally drew attention from all quarters. Every major power was in attendance.
As for the candidates for Crown Prince, the Second Prince had the most support. Most believed that only he, a proven warrior, could gain the recognition of the Dragon Vein and inherit the throne of the Martial Kingdom.
There was also much discussion about the Ninth Princess, not because anyone favored her—on the contrary, she was the least likely candidate—but because the recently ascendant Shen Daoxing had unexpectedly chosen to support her.
The crowd was murmuring amongst themselves.
"Announcing the arrival of the Fifth Princess!"
A piercing voice rang out.
Shen Daoxing looked toward the sound. Beyond the curtain of water, a towering, powerfully built man walked in, fully twice the height of an ordinary person.
Perched on his shoulder was a small woman with sharp features and an aloof expression.
After entering, the woman leaped down from the giant man’s shoulder. She clasped her hands and bowed to the Emperor of the Martial Kingdom. "Forgive me, Father Emperor. Your daughter has arrived late."
Then, she leaped back onto the man’s shoulders and ordered him to walk up to the altar.
Once on the altar, the Fifth Princess scanned her surroundings. Her gaze finally landed on the Ninth Princess, and her eyes turned icy. "You ugly thing, you dare participate in this trial?"
The Ninth Princess lowered her head and bit her lip. She seemed terrified of her older sister, shrinking back and instinctively moving closer to Shen Daoxing.
Seeing this, the Fifth Princess’s lips curled in an even more contemptuous sneer. "The bastard of a palace maid dares to stand among us? Get the hell off this altar!"
The Ninth Princess kept biting her lip, still looking afraid, but she resolutely raised her head. "Fifth Sister, no matter how lowly my mother’s station was, I am still Father Emperor’s daughter."
"How dare you! You dare talk back to me?"
A vicious glint appeared in the Fifth Princess’s eyes. "Kunlun Slave," she ordered coldly, "slap her!"
Instantly, the massive man beneath her swung his hand, aiming a vicious slap at the Ninth Princess.
But at the critical moment, Shen Daoxing took a great stride forward, positioning himself in front of the Ninth Princess. He reached out and effortlessly caught the wrist of the man who towered over him, a man twice his own height.
The Fifth Princess was slightly surprised, but her expression remained hostile. "Who are you? You dare meddle in my affairs?"
Shen Daoxing ignored her question. "Fifth Princess," he said coldly, "are you really going to strike your own sister in front of this entire assembly?"
The Fifth Princess glanced around, and her face darkened. She didn’t try to strike again. Instead, she just snorted, turned to leave, but continued her verbal assault, refusing to back down.
"Hmph. A palace maid’s bastard dares to dream of obtaining the power of the Dragon Vein? Keep dreaming! With your pathetic abilities, you probably won’t even make it past the first trial. You should have just stayed obediently in the palace, waiting to be married off to the Barbarians! At least then you’d be of some use."
As she spoke, the Fifth Princess suddenly burst out laughing. "No, on second thought, with that ugly face of yours, I doubt even the Barbarians would want you! HAHAHAHA!"
The Ninth Princess bit her lip so hard that a trickle of blood ran down. Humiliated, she hid behind Shen Daoxing, tightly gripping the hem of his robe.
Shen Daoxing glanced down at her. ’What a pitiful sight,’ he thought.
Seeing that everyone had finally assembled, the High Priest to the side began to chant, a string of profound and incomprehensible syllables spilling from his lips.
Shen Daoxing felt a sacred aura wash over him. Suddenly, the ground at his feet erupted in a brilliant flare. A dazzling white light blinded him completely. When it slowly faded, he discovered he was no longer in the same place.
The landscape around them was a desolate wasteland of gray-brown earth, like a battlefield. Broken weapons and shattered armor were strewn carelessly across the ground.
As the group materialized, a phantom wind began to blow. In the distance, dim lights flickered to life, one after another, like will-o’-the-wisps.
The dim lights flickered, seeming to move. As they drew closer, Shen Daoxing could finally see that they were ethereal soldiers, clad in battle armor with solemn expressions.
Their chilling gazes and suffocating killing intent made it clear at a glance that they were not to be trifled with.
"These are the spirits of the soldiers who died on the battlefield defending our Martial Kingdom,"
the Second Prince explained to the group. "They retain most of the strength they had in life, so do not underestimate them. Our first trial is to break through their lines and reach the Mountain of Trial."
As he spoke, the Second Prince pointed into the distance.
Everyone’s gaze followed his finger. Only then did they see, far in the distance, a great mountain range snaking across the land beneath the horizon, like a colossal dragon lying asleep on the earth.
The Fifth Princess stepped forward:
"Hehehe, Second Brother, everyone says you’re the one who will earn the Dragon Vein’s recognition, the one most qualified to be the next emperor of the Martial Kingdom. But your little sister doesn’t believe it. Who says a woman can’t be the one to rule? Today, I’m going to challenge you for it."
With that, she patted the giant man beneath her. "Kunlun Slave, let’s go!"
The Kunlun Slave strode forward and threw a light punch. An imposing, ethereal soldier that had moved to block their path shattered instantly.
And just like that, the Kunlun Slave carried the Fifth Princess and swaggered toward the Mountain of Trial.
Next, the Eldest Prince also stepped forward:
"Second Brother, you may be skilled in both scholarly and martial pursuits, stronger than me in every way, and favored by the ministers of the court, but I will not give up. I will still compete with you!"
With that, the Eldest Prince and the Seventh Prince, along with the prodigies from the Royal Academy at their side, charged out. A flurry of flashing blades erupted as they began to carve a path toward the Mountain of Trial.
The other princes followed suit, charging out one after another, unwilling to be left behind. Clearly, the prospect of becoming the future emperor of the Martial Kingdom had tempted many of them.
"Second Prince, rest assured. With me here, no one will be able to snatch the position of Crown Prince from you."
Xia Junze stepped out nonchalantly. He glanced at the others scrambling ahead and simply gave a disdainful smile. With a soft SHING, he drew the Celestial Flame Sword at his waist by a mere inch. In that instant, a streak of white light flashed past.
POP! POP! POP!
All the ethereal soldiers in front of him burst and vanished.
The Second Prince and Xia Junze leaped lightly into the air, effortlessly overtaking the others.
Soon, everyone else was gone, leaving only the Ninth Princess and Shen Daoxing behind.
