Chapter 890: Strange Calamity (1/2, begging for monthly votes)

As the black shadow gradually took form, Tian Ruichi's eyes instantly went wide, every hair on his body standing on end.

This?!

This aura!

That was not the aura of a human martial artist—it was something far more complex, closer to the uncanny than to any warrior!

"Shadow Pierce. Kill him."

"…Yes."

As the Fourth Prince's words fell, the two black shadows melted into the ground like a puddle of water, becoming two dark shapes gliding along the floor as they surged toward Tian Ruichi.

"Why…!!"

Tian Ruichi drew his sword in fury; the moment his sword intent erupted, it was swallowed up by a massive black shadow that suddenly burst from the ground, and as the shadow sank back into the earth, a pool of blood slowly seeped out across the surface.

"The Ox Seat's new toy—not bad at all."

The Fourth Prince watched from afar, gave a cold, detached appraisal, then said, "Go back and tell your master—count me in on his plan."

Glub glub glub.

A cluster of bubbles rose from the shadow on the ground in reply, then the shadow slid away, easily clearing the courtyard wall and leaving Qi Huang Fu.

The Fourth Prince watched the shadow depart, lost in thought.

At that moment, a woman stepped out from the side and laid a jade-like hand on the Fourth Prince's shoulder.

"The man is gone—why hasn't Your Highness the Fourth Prince returned to his chambers to rest?"

"…Lady Nian, Sisi is the only one in my heart. Please conduct yourself with dignity."

"Hehehe! Your Highness the Fourth Prince is unexpectedly pure."

Ming covered her mouth as she laughed, then said, "Rest assured, Your Highness—my husband hangs on my every word. If you mean to rise, the Nian Family will give you their full support."

The Fourth Prince gave a slight nod.

Whether it was You Sisi's change of heart and broken engagement, or Fang Yue's sudden appearance, both had thrown his plans into disarray.

Some matters needed to be pushed forward as soon as possible.

"By the way, I heard from my men that when you returned from Juan Niao Lou, you brought someone back with you…"

"Shh!"

Ming raised a finger and pressed it against the Fourth Prince's lips.

"Your Highness, some things need not be picked apart so carefully. You are a man with grand ambitions—leaving that little fellow to me to handle, isn't that for the best?"

"…" The Fourth Prince was silent for a moment, then smiled. "I must have misremembered. Lady Nian returned from Juan Niao Lou alone."

"Yes, and the poor thing was so frightened at Juan Niao Lou she still hasn't recovered. If there's nothing else, I'll be heading back to Nian Fu."

"I'll have the servants prepare a carriage to see you off."

Ming gave a sweet smile and said no more.

Once the steward came to report that the carriage was ready, Ming bowed and took her leave.

After Ming had gone, the Fourth Prince's expression gradually drew in, becoming cold and composed.

"That woman cannot be allowed to live."

"Does Your Highness mean…"

"Once the Nian Family has shown their hand, find a chance to eliminate her and pin it on the Fourth Elder Prince."

The steward wanted to ask why, but as a servant, there were questions one simply could not ask—especially not about the great matter of the Nine Dragons' Contest for the Heir. The wisest course was to hold one's tongue and obey.

"…Understood."

The Fourth Prince nodded in satisfaction at the steward's response.

Considering the steward had followed him for so many years, he paused briefly, then said lightly, "You need not worry too much. The Fourth Elder Prince won't be alive much longer. A dead man can take the blame for many things."

What?!

Even the usually iron-willed steward instantly went wide-eyed.

The Fourth Prince… was going to die?

This…

He suppressed the urge to press further, merely bowing his head even lower.

"This servant is hard of hearing. I heard nothing at all."

"Mm, that's for the best. By the way—didn't I send you to look into the You Family's situation? Any news?"

At the mention of this, the steward hurriedly replied, "From what I've gathered, Miss Sisi is still at the You Family and shows no sign of going out. As for You Lao, like the patriarchs of the other four great families, he has not yet returned to his residence. Also, the reason I rushed back this time is that there is an urgent report coming in from a remote area that I must relay to Your Highness."

"What news?"

"Heiqing Shanmai has been struck by a 【Strange Calamity】!"

A Strange Calamity?!

Hiss—

For the first time, the usually composed Fourth Prince lost his composure, sucked in a sharp breath, and stood frozen in place.

……

"A Strange Calamity? At a time like this?"

The First Prince's face grew grave.

As the old saying goes, there are natural disasters and man-made calamities.

The so-called Strange Calamity corresponds to the natural disaster.

And for the level of uncanny devastation to be called a 【Strange Calamity】, it meant the problem was no longer confined to one or two cities—it had struck an entire region with what could only be called devastating destruction, creating a dire situation from which almost no one could survive.

Such a terrifying disaster had appeared only a handful of times even in Qing Guo's history, and each time it had taken the intervention of the Nation-Protecting Stone Lions to resolve.

"My lord, the news only just reached us from below, and after that no one responded to our attempts at contact. I have already dispatched the men near Heiqing Shanmai to investigate; we should have results soon. A 【Strange Calamity】 in such a remote border region shouldn't be too severe—perhaps the clan elders of the four great families alone can suppress it."

"Let's scout for information first. I have a bad premonition."

The First Prince spoke, his consciousness sinking into the Fate Disk.

The moment his awareness connected with the Fate Body, he felt… darkness!

As if everything around him had been shrouded in a thick fog, all dim and lightless.

And the countless Fate Threads that had originally coiled around his body now all became half-real, half-illusory.

"An ill omen…"

Raising his head to look into the distance, he sensed a dense black mist squatting on the horizon, growing ever larger, slowly drifting toward him.

As his gaze fixed on that black mist, a pair of blood-red eyes eerily surfaced within it!

The instant their gazes met.

Hum!!

A violent stabbing pain shot through the First Prince's mind in an instant, his consciousness forced back into his body, kicked out of the Fate Disk.

At the same time, in the real world, he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood with a gag.

"Your Highness?!"

Ignoring the alarmed cries of his subordinates beside him, the First Prince wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with a trembling hand, his face full of shock and terror.

"What was that thing… just one glance and it forced me out of the Fate Disk… Could it be that the tribulation in my fate is this very thing?"

Suppressing the panic in his heart, he said in a low voice.

"Prepare the carriage. I'm going into the palace to see His Majesty."

"Yes!"

……

Extreme Ice Sect.

"Tail's awake?"

"Mm."

"I'll go in and take a look."

Fang Yue sheathed the Heavenly Sword.

This bout of focused sword practice made him feel his swordsmanship had improved by a huge margin, and the Sky Ice Sword Art had broken through two whole realms!

From the First Layer, he had leapt straight to the Third Layer realm.

With his super-high Comprehension and the Heavenly Sword's overwhelming sword intent assisting him, Fang Yue felt he had become the kind of peerless Sword Dao genius others spoke of—his Sword Dao strength advancing a thousand miles in a single day. Anything related to sword arts, he had top-tier aptitude for it, and he was getting so puffed up he was about to take off.

If he weren't a bit worried about Tail's condition, which had distracted him somewhat, he might have been able to charge all the way to the Fourth Layer of the Sky Ice Sword Art by now.

(End of chapter)