Chapter 903: Probing the Five Dragons (3/2, begging for monthly tickets)

Only now did Fang Yue realize a problem.

That was… what level were the current Nine Great Princes actually at?

Because in daily life he had only come into contact with the seventh prince, who never contended with the world, and the great prince, who treated people like a spring breeze, and on top of that, the princes basically sent subordinates to handle matters and rarely took action personally.

Fang Yue had always overlooked this question.

Until now, seeing the Fifth Princess kill the Fourth Prince, and remaining unmoved before the overwhelming aura of his Cloud-tier martial artist, Fang Yue finally realized that the current Nine Great Princes' strength was far from as simple as their outward appearance suggested!

They simply had powerful subordinates to handle things for them, and on ordinary days there was no need for them to act personally.

But that did not mean their strength was weak.

On the contrary, as princes of Qing Guo, chosen by the current Emperor as one of the successors, each prince possessed limitless potential, and as a member of the imperial clan, their resources should have been maxed out.

This meant that, so long as they wished to cultivate diligently, the speed at which their strength rose would be a thousand miles in a single day — something ordinary families could never catch up to, with no possibility of catching up at all.

Although there were age differences between the princes, leading to differences in cultivation years and thus gaps in strength — perhaps the higher-ranked princes were relatively stronger — overall, they should all be around the same level.

In other words… the Nine Great Princes' strength might be at the Cloud-tier, or even Rain-tier!

And as for the Fifth Princess before him, exactly what level she was at, Fang Yue could not know.

The Fifth Princess seemed to possess the ability to shield perception, a power that prevented others from gauging the depth of her strength.

But judging from the fact that she could kill the Fourth Prince, even among the Nine Great Princes, her strength should be at the front rank.

Rain-tier… or Cloud-tier?

Right here… let me confirm!

Fang Yue's goal was to take You Sisi away, and on this path, whether it was the current Emperor or these princes, any of them could become an obstacle.

Rather than constantly guessing their strength, better to act here and test them!

His right hand slowly closed around the hilt of the sword at his waist.

Almost the instant Fang Yue made this motion, the expressions of Tail and Jing Yan both changed at once.

They knew exactly what that sword at Fang Yue's waist was.

It was the sect-protecting sword of the Heavenly Sword Sect — the Heavenly Sword!

In all of Qing Guo, there was only this one! Unique in the world, peerless under heaven!

At least within the bounds of Qing Guo, this sword could be called the number one sword under heaven!

And Fang Yue drawing his sword meant… he was about to act!

To make a move against the Fifth Princess with this peerless sword!

If people outside learned of this, damn it, that would be a crime punishable by beheading!

But Fang Yue still drew his sword!

Almost the instant he gripped the hilt, the Fifth Princess's expression changed.

Because Fang Yue's aura had changed!

It became incomparably ferocious, sharp and unstoppable, like a fully revealed sword gleam. Just standing near Fang Yue, that sword intent, which had nearly taken substance, already felt as though it would slice her body clean in two at the waist!

Most importantly… she sensed a threat!

When Fang Yue released the aura of a Cloud-tier martial artist, she had not felt her life in danger, because as long as Fang Yue had not truly struck, in the eyes of outsiders he was merely a Cloud-tier martial artist.

But in the instant Fang Yue drew his sword, everything changed.

The man was still the same man, but the unstoppable sword intent was already enough to threaten the Fifth Princess!

Her face changed, and she said with a grave expression: "That sword of yours… no mistake, that is the Heavenly Sword! Why would the Extreme Ice Sect hand the Heavenly Sword over to you for safekeeping?! And I have never heard of anyone other than the Sect Master of the Heavenly Sword Sect being able to wield the Heavenly Sword!"

The Fifth Princess had to admit she had underestimated Fang Yue.

That Heavenly Sword alone was enough to make her change her attitude.

But it was already too late.

Because Fang Yue was about to strike!

He wanted to probe the Fifth Princess's bottom, and use that as a reference to gauge and judge the strength of the other princes!

So this sword strike had to be delivered!

The sword was very fast.

Only a single sword gleam flashed, and then came a crisp clang!

Tail and Jing Yan sensed a white light flash before their eyes, and immediately after saw the Fifth Princess slam hard into the wall, her right hand tightly clutching a thin, horizontal wound at her belly, while her left hand held a slender broken sword.

Wiping the fresh blood from the corner of her mouth, the Fifth Princess actually smiled.

"So strong! Ye Hongyi, you are so strong! Stronger than I imagined, far, far stronger than expected!"

Casually tossing aside the broken sword in her hand, she spread her arms and laughed: "Join me. With you joining me, I will surely emerge victorious over my other brothers and become the ultimate winner!"

Fang Yue frowned slightly, looking in confusion at the Heavenly Sword in his hand.

In that instant, Fang Yue had struck once, and to receive that strike, the Fifth Princess had thrust with her thin sword five times in succession, all aimed at a single point on the Heavenly Sword's blade, attempting to cushion the force — or perhaps to damage the Heavenly Sword?

But the Heavenly Sword was completely unharmed, while her sword had broken, and she had been cut across the belly by the Heavenly Sword's sharp sword gleam, and had herself frantically retreated to avoid the danger of being sliced clean in two by the Heavenly Sword.

She had not struck with full force; she was still holding back.

However… she was not my match.

If even dealing with me in the Heavenly Sword form was this strenuous for her, then adding the Heart Method, sword techniques, and other augmentations… no, if the Fifth Princess went all out, she might really have a chance to take a few moves from me augmented by the Empty Ice Sword Art.

But if the power of the Eerie Spirit Root were added on top, she would not have even the slightest chance of winning.

So the Fifth Princess's strength was at mid-Cloud-tier? Or high-Cloud-tier?

Fang Yue was also somewhat unclear about his own assessment of his strength.

In any case, the Fifth Princess had definitely not reached Rain-tier — this was beyond doubt.

And the fact that she dared to target the Third Prince showed that the Third Prince's strength was also only at mid-to-high Cloud-tier.

Then what about the Great Prince and the Second Prince? Given Qing Guo's strength, it was impossible that among the Nine Great Princes not a single one had reached Rain-tier.

But Fang Yue reconsidered—if there were any princes with Rain-rank strength, wouldn't this game of Nine Dragons Contending for the Heir have ended long ago?

After all, if they weren't on the same level of strength, it would be self-evident whom His Majesty would choose as heir.

"Cloud-rank high-tier. Just one year ago, I had just broken through to Cloud-rank high-tier, and only then did I truly have the capital to compete with my brothers. But none of them were on guard against me, as if they didn't consider me a competitor at all. Do you know how wonderful that feeling of being looked down upon is?"

The thin line of a wound on the Fifth Huang Nu's belly once again seeped fresh blood, but she herself seemed to have fallen into some kind of excited fantasy, speaking with heightened emotion.

"I have no interest in your Nine Dragons Contending for the Heir affairs. I only want to know intelligence on the Phoenix Organization."

"That's not up to you. From the moment you arrived in Jingcheng, you were already swept into the vortex. This is a struggle concerning the lives of everyone in Jingcheng. Our Nine Dragons' war over the final spot has already swept everyone in Jingcheng into it—no one can escape!"

"I don't care about any of that. You just need to tell me whether you'll give me the intelligence or not. Answer this question carefully—this question will decide your life or death."

(End of this chapter)