Chapter 354: Stirring Up Trouble?
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
His speed and his acting tough needed to go hand in hand!
Vrroomm!
Whilst all the other divine chariots started to slowly gain speed on the road, Xu Que's AE86 was immediately taking the lead and speeding off into a distance!
That scene instantly left everyone in a daze!
"How… how is this possible?"
"His divine chariot is too amazing! It can actually achieve such a shocking speed right after powering up!"
"It doesn't seem right. The speed of a divine chariot is dependent on Soul Strength. A burst in Soul Strength will increase the speed of the chariot. But even the one with the most powerful Soul Strength, the Ghost of the Divine Chariot, Qi Yun Fei, is unable to attain this level of speed!"
"Aside from Qi Yun Fei, even a cultivator who is at the peak of the Infant Transformation Stage wouldn't be able to achieve this!"
"Has Xu Que's Soul Strength reached a devilish state?"
Many people were flabbergasted.
Xu Que had gained everyone's attention before when he had flaunted his AE86. Now that the race started, he was in the spotlight again!
As divine chariots were originally invented to strengthen a cultivator's Soul Strength and refine their mental fortitudes, a cultivator needed to 'power up' a divine chariot with Soul Strength before they could take it to the road!
The stronger the Soul Strength of the cultivator, the greater their burst of power would be at the beginning. That burst was vital for allowing the divine chariot to attain speed!
However, since Xu Que was driving a car instead of a real divine chariot, he did not need to use his Soul Strength at all. Besides, his AE86 was the modified, improved version that came with a racing engine. His AE86 could totally win hands down against all the other divine chariots!
And since the appearance of his car was similar to that of the divine chariot, nobody would question whether he was really driving a divine chariot or not!
After witnessing his initial burst of speed, many people automatically looked at Xu Que's car with bewilderment and awe!
"This guy's divine chariot must be so much stronger than the rest!"
"I agree. With his cultivation level, there is no way that his Soul Strength would be greater than that of a cultivator at the peak of the Infant Transformation Stage. There must be something wrong with this boy's divine chariot!"
"If that's the case, is this considered cheating?"
"I don't think so? There isn't any rule that states that contestants must use the same divine chariot. Don't forget that Gao Qiao Jie from Spirit Treasures Pavilion has a stronger divine chariot himself!"
"Yeah, having a mightier divine chariot is a show of strength in itself as well. This is not considered cheating!"
As the crowd was busy sharing their views, the old eunuch who was presiding over the Divine Chariot Contest did not say a word. He was also the judge of this round as well!
From his point of view, Xu Que's divine chariot was definitely more powerful than the others, but that did not constitute cheating, as a powerful divine chariot also required a high amount of Soul Strength to control as well!
Swoosh!
But suddenly, a flash of light descended from the sky and hit Xu Que's car!
A stifled bang was heard. Immediately, that light formed a barrier shaped like a hemisphere and enveloped Xu Que's car.
"Damn! Is this a fucking obstacle course?" Xu Que immediately started to swear and promptly stepped on the brakes.
Despite his efforts, everyone had happened in a split-second, and coupled with the barrier, Xu Que's AE86 instantly skidded a short distance and crashed into the barrier!
Booomm!
The front of the car was instantly dented. Plumes of white smoke rose from the AE86. Inside the car, the airbag activated and sprang out to cushion Xu Que after the crash!
Obviously, the crash was very serious!
After all, the car's quality could not compare to the quality of real divine chariots. The car would not be able to handle crashes as well as them!
Swoosh!
Swoosh!
Swoosh!
At this time, one by one, the divine chariots surpassed Xu Que!
His 'accident' had resulted in other contestants like the Chariot King Zhang, Qi Yun Fei and the rest of the contestants catching up to him, one by one.
Chariot King Zhang looked at Xu Que disdainfully and sniggered when he drove past!
Qi Yun Fei and the others shot Xu Que a cold glance as if they were scrutinising him. In no time, they drove past him well in a flash!
Xu Que was enraged. He got out of the car and started to curse. "F*ck! Who is the coward? Stirring up trouble by plotting against me? Come out right now!"
His voice reverberated in the quiet, echoing surroundings of the Imperial Tombs!
Everyone looked at Xu Que strangely as if they had seen a ghost. Subsequently… their gazes fell on the Second Prince standing at the top of the mountain!
"Second Brother, what are you doing?"
Just then, the Third Prince stepped out and confronted the Second Prince.
It was now evident that the culprit had been the Second Prince!
When Xu Que flung out the word 'coward', the Second Prince looked offended.
Xu Que was the representative of the Third Prince's team for this round. Earlier on when he had been the first to zoom into the distance and take the lead, the Third Prince, and his team members were astonished. They had thought that a miracle was about to happen!
But before they had time to be happy about it, the Second Prince had actually played dirty and thrown out a barrier that had destroyed Xu Que's AE86. Naturally, the Third Prince would be angry!
The Second Prince was not in the least bit panicked and answered with a steely face. "I have reason to suspect that Xu Que was not driving a genuine divine chariot! That is why I stopped him! It was for an investigation. I did not expect his divine chariot to be so weak that just a slight bump would be enough to damage it. You can't put the blame on me!"
"Everything has its strong points and weak points," said the Third Prince in anger, gritting his teeth. "The divine chariot of Young Hero Xu is certainly stronger in terms of speed, but it is of a poorer quality. What's the fuss about that? Even father and grandmother did not question him, so what gives you the right to do that?"
The Second Prince shook his head. "I just wanted to ensure that the contest is fair. I did not expect Xu Que's divine chariot to be so weak that it would be destroyed by such a gentle collision!"
Xu Que was irritated by his reply and sneered, "ensure that the contest is fair right? No problem!"
Upon saying that, Xu Que suddenly leaped into the air.
With a wave of his hand, Xu Que retrieved a heavy buster sword from his system inventory and mercilessly launched an attack at Chariot King Zhang, who was currently in the leading position!
Chariot King Zhang was representing the Second Prince's team for the first round of contest. The Second Prince was panic-stricken. "Stop!" he roared.
"F*ck off!" cursed Xu Que.
The tremendous power of his Soul Strength suddenly erupted. The buster sword accelerated rapidly and turned into a dark shadow!
Bang!
A deafening crash was heard; the buster sword hit the front of Chariot King Zhang's divine chariot. The divine chariot instantly suffered a huge dent. It skidded and crashed right into the mountain along the path!
"Well, I have reason to suspect that guy is not driving a divine chariot!" jeered Xu Que who was floating in mid-air!
The Second Prince was fuming in anger. He pointed at Xu Que and bawled, "presumptuous! Men, get this treacherous person!"
Get me?
Xu Que sneered and thought in his mind, ha do you think I'm afraid of you?
"Enough!"
Just then, a majestic voice rumbled like a clap of thunder!
The Metal Emperor, who had kept silent all this while, finally spoke!
"Do all of you still have respect for myself and the Empress Dowager? I've clearly stated that nobody is allowed to intervene in the contest. Are you going to break your promise to me?" The Emperor stared at the Second Prince.
The crowd fell into silence.
The Emperor was annoyed. Nobody dared to speak or whisper. Even the Second Prince paled.
As for Xu Que, he shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. "Your Majesty, I didn't want to do this! This fellow clearly doesn't hold you in high regard! If I were you, I would deliver a killing blow to him!"
Gasp!
The crowd gasped when they heard what Xu Que had said!
Is this fellow crazy?
How dare he say such words at a time like this?
You're telling the Emperor to kill the Second Prince? What's the matter with you?
However, the Metal Emperor was not bothered by his words. He looked at Xu Que coldly. "The Second Prince was in the wrong first," he said solemnly. "You can request for a rematch again. However, as you also disregard the rules by attacking another chariot, both you and the Second Prince need to receive 100 strokes of the stick!"
One hundred strokes of the stick?
Rematch?
The Third Prince and the Seventh Princess heaved a sigh of relief when they heard that.
A hundred strokes of the stick would have indeed been unbearable to a commoner. But for the cultivators, it would be no different from tickling!
The Emperor had dealt a symbolic reward and punishment in order to restore fairness to the contest!
In this way, the Third Prince and the Second Prince would regain their chances to compete for the position of the Crown Prince!
However, Xu Que waved his hand dismissively, seeming unsatisfied. "Don't do that! Why should there be a rematch? I don't agree, in fact, I strongly disagree. I request to continue this contest!"