Free Web NovelChapter 118: Chapter 118: Shattered Sword
A black light flared to life!
Xia Junze’s vision went dark; the world had turned to black.
In an instant, the Nanli Divine Fire was devoured by the Demon Fire, leaving nothing behind.
Greatly alarmed, Xia Junze quickly fell back, raising his sword to defend. Shen Daoxing’s strike fell upon him.
CLANG!
The Celestial Flame Sword struck the Great Ming Demon Sparrow. It trembled violently and let out a mournful cry, as if it were afraid.
Like a phantom, Shen Daoxing was already at close quarters. The pitch-black Great Ming Demon Sparrow swung down, radiating a bone-chilling aura.
Xia Junze scrambled to raise his Celestial Flame Sword to block the blow.
However, the Celestial Flame Sword began to tremble violently, refusing to obey Xia Junze’s command. No matter what he did, it would not rise to block the Great Ming Demon Sparrow.
It shook more and more violently, threatening to leap from his grasp and flee at any moment.
’What are you afraid of?’
Xia Junze was stunned. He glanced down at the Celestial Flame Sword in his hand, then up at Shen Daoxing, completely baffled.
’This is the Divine Sword ranked twenty-first among the World Divine Soldiers! How can it be afraid?’
The crowd of spectators erupted in an uproar.
"The Celestial Flame Sword... it seems to be afraid of that massive black sword!"
"How is that possible? The Celestial Flame Sword is one of the World Divine Soldiers!"
"Then what’s the story with that massive black sword?"
Someone posed the question.
"I don’t know. It’s not on the list of Divine Soldiers!"
"Then why is the Celestial Flame Sword so terrified? Could it be a Demon Soldier?"
"No, it’s not on the list of Demon Soldiers either!"
"Then what in the world is this sword?"
Everyone was utterly perplexed.
While the spectators reeled in shock, Xia Junze had no time to spare. Shen Daoxing was already moving in for the kill.
"Move, damn you!"
With a roar, Xia Junze’s body began to emit searing hot steam, as if he had just stepped out of a furnace. The red energy inside him surged violently.
Xia Junze tightened his grip. The Celestial Flame Sword let out one last mournful cry before finally submitting to his control.
"Xia Junze is burning his own life force in exchange for a boost in power!"
"To think Shen Daoxing actually forced Xia Junze to resort to this!"
"Xia Junze is trying to take him down with him!"
Someone in the crowd cried out, having recognized what Xia Junze was doing.
"Shen Daoxing, die!"
His eyes bloodshot, Xia Junze roared and swung the Celestial Flame Sword high, bringing it down with ferocious might.
A monstrous, wave-like tide of red energy surged forth, crashing down upon Shen Daoxing with the force of a landslide and darkening the very sky.
Shen Daoxing, however, remained calm, showing no intention of dodging. He simply lifted the Great Ming Demon Sparrow and swung. The massive blade transformed into a thin, thread-like arc of black light that streaked across the sky.
Beneath the colossal crimson tide, the black thread was almost invisibly small, yet it effortlessly sliced through the raging energy and pierced into its heart.
CRACK!
A crisp sound echoed as the black thread struck the Celestial Flame Sword, which snapped in two.
Xia Junze’s eyes flew open in shock. He stared intently at the black thread, and then he moved no more.
A thin red line appeared on his neck. An instant later, his head slowly tumbled from his shoulders.
Shen Daoxing now stood behind him, having appeared there at some unknown point. Without a single glance back, he simply reached out and caught the Great Ming Demon Sparrow as it returned to his hand.
Then, Shen Daoxing slowly lowered his weapon and began to walk toward the Trial Mountain Peak, never once looking back.
As a gentle breeze blew past, Xia Junze’s headless corpse crashed to the ground.
He even destroyed the Celestial Flame Sword, one of the World Divine Soldiers!
Just... just how strong is Shen Daoxing? He’s terrifying!
The spectators outside could only stare at each other in stunned silence.
Even Chen Guanggu, standing to the side, was too stunned to speak. He couldn’t believe this was the outcome; Xia Junze hadn’t even managed to scratch Shen Daoxing, despite burning his own life force.
He stole a careful glance at Ren Changfeng, whose face was as black as thunder.
"Excellent! Just excellent! So this is the top genius of your Celestial City Academy? Turns out he was nothing special after all!"
Lin Haitao couldn’t stop himself from laughing out loud, feeling an immense sense of satisfaction.
In past deathmatches, it was always disciples from their Sword Institute who had died tragically at the hands of students from Celestial City Academy. Today, the Sword Institute was finally vindicated. How could he not be ecstatic?
After all, Xia Junze alone had killed many disciples of the Sword Institute; even Ling Shuanghua’s most favored disciple had died by his hand.
Lin Haitao turned to look at Ling Shuanghua and saw her staring intently at Shen Daoxing’s departing figure. A single tear unknowingly traced a path down her perpetually cold, stern face.
"Good kid. He’s got a bit of my old flair! Not bad, not bad at all!"
Bai Yi glanced at the scene on the altar, offering a casual compliment. He showed little surprise, as if he had known the outcome all along.
...
「Meanwhile, atop Trial Mountain.」
’I have to get stronger! Shen is waiting for me to help him!’
The Ninth Princess repeated the words in her heart, her gaze utterly determined. She climbed the stone steps one by one, heading for the summit. Despite the immense pressure weighing down on her, despite the blood already trickling from the corner of her mouth, she showed no sign of retreat.
Nearby, the Eldest Prince, the Seventh Prince, and the others stared wide-eyed, watching the Ninth Princess pass them in disbelief.
They never imagined that their ninth sister—always looked down upon as the weakest and most fragile of them all—would suddenly demonstrate such incredible willpower. She was now ahead of them, only five or six steps behind the Second Prince, who was leading the group.
The stone steps looked unremarkable, but they exerted an incredible gravitational force that intensified with every step. Yet, the Ninth Princess showed no sign of stopping.
The Second Prince, leading the pack, glanced back at his sister in surprise. The summit was just ahead, however, and he had no intention of letting her pass him.
The Spiritual Power within the Second Prince surged. His energy flared, and he resolutely took another step forward.
One step, two steps, three steps...
Suddenly, the pressure vanished. He had successfully reached the summit.
An immense and majestic stone statue of a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon stood before him.
In front of the dragon statue, a shimmering golden curtain of light radiated a dazzling glow.
That was the Dragon Wei Domain. Entering it meant gaining the recognition of the Dragon Vein.
The Second Prince did not hesitate. He stepped forward.
"I, the Second Prince of the Great Wu Dynasty, have come to pay my respects to our great ancestor! I implore you to grant this descendant your power, that I may bring glory to our Martial Kingdom!"
The Second Prince cupped his fists in a respectful salute, then lifted his foot and slowly stepped into the Dragon Wei Domain.
To his surprise, he met no resistance and stepped inside with ease.
ROAR!
A clear dragon’s roar echoed, shaking the heavens and the earth.
In that instant, the stone dragon erupted in a blaze of golden light. A blinding radiance shot into the sky, dyeing the entire firmament gold.
