Free Web NovelChapter 116: Chapter 116: Clash
"If you didn’t kill him, who did?"
The Third Prince wept bitterly while holding the Sixth Prince’s body. "Is this Sixth Brother I’m holding a fake?"
Then, the Third Prince turned to the Second Prince not far away. "Second Brother, you must seek justice for us! Are we just going to let the sudden deaths of Fifth Brother and Sixth Brother go? Where is the dignity of our Royal Family?"
The Second Prince frowned and turned to Xia Junze. "Xia! I told you to keep an eye on Shen Daoxing. What did you find?"
Xia Junze paused, then gave a slight smile. "I did indeed see Shen Daoxing fighting the Sixth Prince just now. But the fog grew too thick, and I couldn’t see what happened after."
"Shen Daoxing!"
The Second Prince’s face instantly darkened. He glared coldly at Shen Daoxing. "I said that if you didn’t kill anyone, I would not wrongfully accuse you. But if you really did do all this, I will not spare you!"
Xia Junze chimed in at the perfect moment, "Second Prince, shall I act now and eliminate Shen Daoxing for you?"
The Ninth Princess was startled. She rushed forward and spread her arms to shield Shen Daoxing. "Second Brother, don’t! Shen couldn’t have killed Sixth Brother!"
"Ninth Sister, how long are you going to protect him? The Fifth Prince and Sixth Prince are already dead! Do you want more of us to die?"
The Second Prince’s face grew even darker.
"But Shen didn’t kill them. I know him."
The Ninth Princess’s expression was resolute. She stood her ground, refusing to budge an inch.
Nearby, the Eldest Prince stepped forward, wanting to say something in Shen Daoxing’s defense, but the Seventh Prince pulled him back after just one step.
The Seventh Prince silently shook his head at him. The Eldest Prince ultimately sighed and did not step forward again.
"ROAR!"
Just then, a deep, prolonged dragon’s roar echoed from the Trial Mountain Peak, and the sky began to darken.
Xia Junze looked up at the sky. "Second Prince, there isn’t much time left for the trial. Leave this to me. I’ll take care of Shen Daoxing. You can focus on passing the final trial to obtain the power of the Dragon Vein."
The Dragon Vein Trial was not permanently open; each session had a time limit, so they didn’t have much time left.
The Second Prince nodded and turned to head for the Trial Mountain Peak.
Shen Daoxing patted the Ninth Princess’s shoulder.
"Ninth Princess, don’t worry about me. There’s not much time left. You’re just one final trial away from awakening your Royal Bloodline. You should go!"
"But..."
The Ninth Princess turned her head, her eyes filled with hesitation.
Shen Daoxing smiled slightly. "Don’t worry! I’ll be fine. Didn’t you say you wanted to change the entire Royal Family? I’m waiting to see you do it!"
With that, Shen Daoxing leaped into the air.
"Where do you think you’re going!"
Xia Junze’s feet blurred as he gave chase. At the same time, he clenched his fist violently. The air seemed to groan as if it were being crushed, and then he threw a punch with the force of a ferocious tiger.
Spiritual Qi surged within Shen Daoxing’s body as he spun around and met the attack with a palm strike.
The immense forces collided in mid-air, sending out ripple-like waves of energy.
The Ninth Princess, Gu Yawei, bit her lip. She desperately wanted to help Shen Daoxing, but her own power was far too weak. She couldn’t interfere at all.
"ROAR!"
Another clear dragon’s roar rang out, as if calling for something.
The Ninth Princess looked over. On the peak, the giant dragon that lay across the summit glowed with a brilliant golden light, looking as if it might come to life at any moment.
’I need power.’
At the Trial Mountain Peak was the final stage of the Dragon Vein Trial. Though it was only a few dozen stone steps, ascending them was the most difficult part of the entire trial.
The Third Prince, who was at the very front, had already reached the foot of the steps. But the moment he set foot on the first one, he coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed.
Even the Second Prince, upon reaching the stone steps, seemed as if he were carrying the thousand-jin-heavy Da Shi on his back, making every step a struggle. The pressure grew heavier the higher he went.
But as long as they reached the peak, they could awaken their Royal Bloodline. If they could then step into the Dragon Wei Domain beyond, they could awaken the Dragon Vein and obtain its power.
The Ninth Princess’s expression flickered as a thought suddenly occurred to her.
She turned to look at Shen Daoxing’s figure and murmured, "Shen! Wait for me! I will definitely get the power to save you!"
With that, the Ninth Princess turned and ran toward the Trial Mountain Peak.
...
Meanwhile, outside, the fog in the valley began to dissipate.
The crowd waiting for the results saw the events within the Mountain of Trial projected from the center of the altar.
When the Fifth Prince’s cold corpse appeared before the crowd, the Martial Kingdom Emperor’s face turned grim.
Many people from the various institutes were present. The dean and vice deans of Celestial City Academy were there, as well as Bai Yi, Lin Haitao, and Ling Shuanghua from the Sword Institute.
"Excellent, just excellent. Your Sword Institute dares to assassinate a Prince. This crime is unforgivable."
A vice dean of Celestial City Academy said coldly.
"Heheheh, the Sixth Prince was not killed by Shen Daoxing!"
Bai Yi took a sip of wine and said lightly, "My disciple isn’t that stupid!"
In truth, there was another sentence Bai Yi left unsaid.
’Even if Shen Daoxing were to kill the Sixth Prince, he would never let anyone find out.’
But with the Martial Kingdom Emperor right beside him, he couldn’t bring himself to say it aloud.
Chen Guanggu glanced up at the Martial Kingdom Emperor, hoping for some kind of reaction, but the Emperor merely stood there with a dark expression, not saying a word.
Chen Guanggu could only turn his gaze back to the altar, and he couldn’t help but laugh.
"Heh, that Shen Daoxing is really courting death. He might have had a few more days to live, but now he’ll just die here in the Trial Land. It’s letting him off too easy."
"They’re fighting! They’re fighting!"
Below the altar, the crowd chattered excitedly as they watched the illusory scene in the center.
Shen Daoxing’s recent fame had already spread throughout the royal city. Everyone was eager to see this newly emerged genius clash with Xia Junze to find out who was stronger.
"This Shen Daoxing really is a genius. To be able to fight Xia Junze on even terms with his cultivation at the Third Layer of the Grotto Heaven realm."
Someone exclaimed in admiration.
"What do you know? It’s obvious Xia Junze isn’t using his full strength. He’s just toying with Shen Daoxing. He hasn’t even drawn his Celestial Flame Sword."
Someone else retorted.
"That’s right, that’s right! Shen Daoxing looks like he’s about to run out of energy. He won’t last much longer."
Off to the side, Chen Guanggu couldn’t help but smile upon hearing their conversation.
Ling Shuanghua stared at the scene on the altar, almost unable to watch. He both hoped Shen Daoxing would kill Xia Junze to avenge his family and disciples, and feared that Shen Daoxing would suffer a brutal death at Xia Junze’s hands, just like his previous students.
...
「Within the Mountain of Trial.」
Shen Daoxing and Xia Junze weaved and dodged through the valley, trading blows fist for fist!
Invisible waves of energy radiated outwards, kicking up clouds of dust and sending stones flying.
Xia Junze moved and punched with nonchalant ease, while Shen Daoxing, on the other hand, seemed to be at a slight disadvantage.
"Is this the full extent of your power? I thought you were supposed to be strong. What a disappointment!" Xia Junze shot Shen Daoxing a contemptuous glance and yawned, feeling completely unsatisfied.
"In that case, just die!"
Suddenly, Xia Junze’s aura surged. A fiery red power gathered around his fist.
