120: The princess was furious and issued a kill order, launching a city-wide manhunt!

"Hiss..."

Waves of sharp intakes of breath rose and fell across the deathly silent spectator stands.

Everyone's gaze shifted back and forth between the young demon god on the arena and the Grand Princess on the viewing platform, whose Face was deathly pale.

What had they just heard?

After slaughtering nearly a hundred prodigies, this baleful star... actually dared to publicly question the Grand Princess?!

This was provocation!

A blatant provocation against the entire Great Xia Imperial Family's dignity!

Xia Qingyue shuddered all over, snapping back to reality with a jolt.

When her eyes met Li Qing's icy, merciless gaze, an unprecedented sense of humiliation instantly overwhelmed her fear and shot straight to the crown of her head!

Who was she?

She was the exalted Grand Princess of Great Xia!

A golden branch, a jade leaf, a proud daughter of heaven!

Since childhood, who had ever dared to speak to her in such a tone?

Today, she had been questioned and humiliated like this in front of hundreds of thousands of people by a youth from a backwater!

"You... you..."

Xia Qingyue's chest heaved violently. Her beautiful, pale Face flushed crimson with extreme rage, her phoenix eyes seeming about to spit fire.

She wanted to rebuke him angrily, wanted to order Li Qing torn to pieces.

But the words stuck in her throat, utterly refusing to come out.

Because, under the watchful eyes of this massive crowd, she could not lose her composure.

"Arrogant! Utterly insolent brat!"

Finally, it was Elder Chen behind her who suppressed his own shock and shouted sternly.

"Li Qing! You slaughtered your peers, showed contempt for the law, and even dared to defy Her Highness the Princess! Your crime warrants death ten thousand times over!"

This youth's talent was indeed astonishing.

But he was far too arrogant!

However, Li Qing merely gave him a faint glance before withdrawing his gaze, as if he couldn't even be bothered to look at him a moment longer.

This feeling of being completely ignored made Elder Chen feel a lump of qi stuck in his chest, his old Face turning the color of pig liver.

The atmosphere in the Martial Arena solidified.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for this storm to finally erupt.

At that moment, the Golden-Armored General who had remained silent high above finally moved.

His figure flashed, landing between Li Qing and the viewing platform, blocking their line of sight.

His expression was equally grave, his voice carrying a trace of unavoidable hoarseness.

"In the Great Xia Martial Selection, fists and feet have no eyes; life and death are fated."

"All challengers on Arena One have been completely defeated."

"The victor: Li Qing, of Jinling City!"

In a tone that brooked no argument, he drew a final period to this bloody farce.

This was both announcing the result and giving both sides a way to step down.

He could not let the Imperial Family's dignity be utterly trampled here, nor did he dare further provoke that monster, Li Qing.

Hearing the verdict, Li Qing said nothing. He simply turned and began walking towards the arena exit.

He walked slowly, steadily.

Every step he took seemed to land on everyone's heart.

Wherever he passed, the shattered corpses and viscous blood seemed to have a life of their own, automatically parting to the sides to clear a clean path for him.

When he stepped off the arena and onto the competitor's passageway, all the Martial Artists blocking his path recoiled as if seeing a ghost, hastily retreating to both sides to open a wide road.

No one dared to look him in the eye.

No one dared to discuss him.

The entire Martial Arena, hundreds of thousands of people, simply watched him, step by step, depart with composure, until his back completely vanished into the darkness of the passageway.

Only then did the oppressive atmosphere finally ease.

"Haa..."

Countless people let out a long, heavy sigh, only then realizing their backs were already soaked with cold sweat...

Inside Li Qing's room in the Tiantian Garden.

He pushed open the door. The room remained exactly as he had left it, spotlessly clean.

Finally, some peace and quiet.

That Grand Princess was truly a troublesome woman.

For the sake of so-called 'Face', she actually stirred up so much trouble, wasting his time.

Strength. His strength was still insufficient.

If he could evolve his Clone again, possessing the power to crush everything, she probably wouldn't even have the courage to look him in the eye.

Li Qing sat by the table and poured himself a cup of tea.

He needed to improve his strength quickly. The rewards from the Great Xia Martial Selection, he was determined to obtain.

Those resources were all 'fodder' for his Clone's evolution.

He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking to the bottom of the Qiu River.

That Deep Sea Dragon Turtle clad in Xuanming Divine Armor, with dragon horns on its head, suddenly opened its pair of golden vertical pupils in the dark river water.

A terrifying pressure erupted!

...Meanwhile, in the luxurious, Imperial-exclusive Temporary Palace.

"Crash! Shatter!"

A series of crisp sounds of shattering porcelain continuously emanated from Grand Princess Xia Qingyue's bedchamber.

Priceless antique vases, exquisite white jade tea sets—she hurled them viciously to the ground, smashing them into fragments.

"Li Qing! Li Qing!!"

Xia Qingyue's exquisitely beautiful Face was now contorted with ferocity and venom, none of its usual nobility and grace remaining.

"This princess wants you dead! This princess will definitely have you die without a burial place!"

Today's humiliation was a shame she had never suffered in her entire life!

To be publicly slapped in the Face in front of hundreds of thousands of people by a 'country bumpkin' in her eyes—this was worse than killing her!

"Elder Chen!"

She shrieked sharply towards the door.

"Your Highness."

Elder Chen pushed the door open, entered, and bowed, his Face full of bitterness.

"Relay my secret order!"

Xia Qingyue's eyes flashed with a frenzied killing intent.

"Contact 'Shadow Kill'!"

Hearing the two words 'Shadow Kill', Elder Chen's body trembled violently, and a hesitant expression appeared on his Face.

Li Qing was arrogant, but he was also a promising seedling!

"Your Highness, please reconsider! 'Shadow Kill' is the Great Xia Dynasty's most mysterious and terrifying assassin organization. They have even assassinated experts at the Peak of the Meridian Opening Realm!"

"Once you get involved with them, the consequences could be endless!"

"I don't care!"

Xia Qingyue cut him off.

"This princess wants him dead now! Immediately! At once!"

"Tell 'Shadow Kill', no matter what method they use, no matter the cost, within three days, this princess wants to see Li Qing's head!"

"Bounty: one thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones! Plus one 'spirit breaking pill'!"

"Hiss!"

Elder Chen sharply inhaled.

One thousand Spirit Stones!

A spirit breaking pill! That was a fourth-grade treasure pill that could increase the Breakthrough chances of a Peak Meridian Opening Realm expert!

Spirit Stones were one thing, but Medicinal Pills were hard to come by!

Such a sky-high bounty was enough to drive any assassin mad with desire!

"Yes... this old servant obeys."

The Princess had completely lost her reason. Further persuasion was useless. He could only bow to accept the order and slowly retreat.

What a pity. A generation's Prodigy was doomed to fall!

Inside the bedchamber, Xia Qingyue looked at her own Face in the mirror and let out a series of low chuckles.

"Li Qing, aren't you arrogant?"

"This princess wants to see if you can escape the pursuit of 'Shadow Kill'!"