Chapter 1573: Pretenses Dropped

“Cri… crippled!?”

Many shocked cries came from the East Ruins battle formation.

In the Central Ruins Battle, participants were forbidden from attacking each other over the degree of injury that was inflicted to their representatives, unless the intentions behind the attack were impure.

But Dong Xueci was no normal East Ruins profound practitioner. He was the East Ruins Crown Prince and East Ruins Divine Sovereign’s most cherished son!

The East Ruins Divine Sovereign was clearly doing his best to suppress his anger. Obviously, he didn’t want to lose his son and his pride as a realm king on the same day.

But Yun Che had undoubtedly made an eternal enemy out of the East Ruins Sect today. Even if now wasn’t the time to take revenge, the East Ruins Sect was sure to chase him to the end of the world once the Central Ruins Battle was over!

That still wasn’t the most shocking thing of this battle. however. It was Yun Che’s ability to take out Dong Xueci in an instant… No one saw how he did it due to the darkness, but barely a couple of breaths had passed between the duo clashing and Dong Xueci being crippled!

Maybe the previous battle could be explained as Qi Hanshan being too careless and giving Yun Che the opportunity to hit him directly in his weak point, but in this battle Dong Xueci was clearly going all out, unleashing two laws and a devil blade all at once. He was certainly strong enough to take down most level ten Divine Kings, and yet his conclusion was even worse than Qi Hanshan’s.

How could a level five Divine King be this powerful!?

“He… How is he…” Nanhuang Jian murmured while staring. When he was replaced by Yun Che at the beginning, he felt so frustrated and angry that he wanted the latter to be humiliated even though they were all on the same side.

But now, dumbfounded was the only way to describe his feelings.

As for Nanhuang Mofeng, he couldn’t even find a word to say.

Yun Che was an unfamiliar face and an unfamiliar name. No one knew where he came from.

However, he had severely injured a level ten Divine King and crippled the other as a lowly level five Divine King. Even better, both battles had ended in just an instant.

Not even the top geniuses of the upper star realms and the king realms should possess such power, right!?

On the honored guest seats, Beihan Chu and Superior Unwhite’s expressions had also changed completely.

“Half-step Divine Sovereign!?” Superior Unwhite exclaimed in a low tone. While it was true that the power that crippled Dong Xueci amidst the darkness definitely belonged to that of a level five Divine King, its intensity was comparable to that of a Half-step Divine Sovereign!

Half-step Divine Sovereigns were stronger than peak Divine Kings because they were one foot away from becoming true Divine Sovereigns! They might not be true Divine Sovereigns yet, but they were practically invincible agains anyone who was below Divine Sovereign Realm.

It was possible for a peak Divine King with fragile defenses to crumble if the full power of a half-step Divine Sovereign were to strike them at their weak point.

“He unleashed the power of a half-step Divine Sovereign at level five Divine King Realm?” Beihan Chu muttered to himself, “Junior Master, this disciple is still inexperienced. Is it really possible to amplify one’s power to such an extent?”

Superior Unwhite thought to himself for a moment before answering, “There are some special devil arts that can amplify one’s profound energy by force for a short amount of time. Our sect keeps some of them in storage. However, your master has no plans to teach you such arts because they normally come with great costs such as the loss of one’s lifespan or talent.”

“So, you’re saying that this Yun Che is using a devil art like that to obtain victory for the Southern Phoenix, Junior Master?”

“...That’s the only plausible explanation,” Superior Unwhite answered, but truth be told he had never heard of a devil art that could amplify one’s power this much. Moreover, berserk type devil arts like these were normally chaotic because the profound practitioner was unable to endure the extreme amount of profound energy circulating in their body, but Yun Che’s aura was as calm as a pool of dead water.

Still, it was the only answer he could think of. If he hadn’t witnessed this with his own eyes, if someone told him that a level five Divine King had unleashed the power of a half-step Divine Sovereign, he would’ve disregarded their words as complete nonsense.

“If that’s true, then it’s no wonder he only attacks when there’s an opening, and with enough strength to end things in one hit,” Beihan Chu said as if he understood everything.

“Have you forgotten something again, Northern Chill Realm King?” Nanhuang Chanyi reminded the Northern Divine Sovereign “kindly”.

In the past, the Southern Phoenix Divine Sovereign was the one who had all the say in the Central Ruins Battle, but not today. Not only was the “great offender” Nanhuang Chanyi in complete control, she was attacking the realm kings openly and without a shred of respect.

Moreover, the Southern Phoenix Divine Sovereign let her do what she wanted.

Yun Che had crippled the East Ruins Crown Prince, and the East Ruins Sect was in complete chaos. Even the people at the furthest corner of the battlefield could sense the barely suppressed killing intent coming from them. However, not only did the Southern Phoenix not apologize for the transgression, they didn’t even try to express their condolences.

The Northern Chill Divine Sovereign breathed deeply as he stared long and hard at Yun Che. Finally, he said, “East Ruins Dong Xueci loses, Yun Che wins.”

“The next fight…” The Northern Chill Divine Sovereign’s eyes became focused. The West Ruins’ representative was wounded, and the East Ruins’ crippled. It was now Northern Chill City’s turn to send in a challenger.

Dead silence filled the Northern Chill battle formation. They had fifteen representatives left, and five ultimate experts among them. Everyone of them was a level ten Divine King.

Earlier, these level ten Divine Kings were the ones who laughed at Yun Che the hardest. They had showered him with gazes full of pity, scorn, and superiority because they were sure that he was a clown of the Southern Phoenix. They all believed that fighting him would only bring shame to themselves.

But now, every single one of these Divine Kings were bowing their heads deeply. No one dared to look the Northern Chill Divine Sovereign in the eye.

This was the first time in the history of the Central Ruins Battle something like this had happened to Northern Chill City’s battle formation.

The Northern Chill Divine Sovereign’s expression darkened as the blood in his body rose to his head. He was about to unleash his fury at them when Nanhuang Chanyi’s voice suddenly entered his ears, “It’s fine. There’s no point continuing this year’s Central Ruins Battle anyway.”

Her words shocked everyone present. Everyone in the Southern Phoenix battle formation turned to look at her in confusion.

The Northern Chill Divine Sovereign turned toward her and asked, “Does that mean you’re going to forfeit this battle?”

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The people suddenly realized something after they had gotten over their shock.

Everyone thought that this Central Ruins Battle was going to end with the Southern Phoenix Divine Country being humiliated with a historical ten-loss streak, but then Yun Che came out of nowhere and defeated two level ten Divine kings in a row. One of them was even the East Ruins Crown Prince himself. Grievously injuring an opponent and crippling the other, Yun Che’s achievement was stunning—no, terrifying to all who witnessed it.

But no matter how amazing Yun Che was, the three realm king sects still had many reserves to draw from, and he was the only representative the Southern Phoenix had. They were destined to take last place no matter what.

Moreover, Yun Che had most likely used up his “trump card” after defeating two opponents in a row.

If they forfeited the match now, they would avoid suffering the humiliation of a ten-loss losing streak, defend their honor to the highest possible degree, and leave a lasting mark in everyone’s heart.

But Nanhuang Chanyi retorted coldly, “Forfeit? You’re wrong, Northern Chill Realm King. It is simply because this Central Ruins Battle isn’t worth the Southern Phoenix’s time anymore!”

Surprised, the Northern Chill Divine Sovereign let out a sneer and asked, “Worth? What exactly do you mean?”

“Do you really not know?”

Nanhuang Chanyi slowly walked forward, and all eyes were pulled toward her figure as if some invisible force was guiding their gazes. When she spoke, there was something cold and imposing lurking beneath her gentle voice, “The Central Ruins Battle was created to decide the resource rights of the Central Ruins Realm. Besides that, it’s also a battle of honor and strength between the four Nether Ruins realms, and an opportunity for Divine Kings to achieve enlightenment!”

“The Southern Phoenix is historically the weaker force, and we’ve always placed last in the Central Ruins Battle. However, we have never forfeited a match or missed the Central Ruins Battle because it was worth everything we had, even if our efforts always came up short.”

“But today’s battle…” Nanhuang Chanyi’s voice suddenly turned colder and mightier. “The three of you repeatedly surrendered, fixed matches, and communicated orders so that the Southern Phoenix would lose all ten fights. You even hurt our profound practitioners as much as you could every fight!”

“Do you still remember that this is the Central Ruins Battle!? Do you seriously believe that today’s farce is worthy of being called the Central Ruins Battle? To curry favor with the Nine Lights Heavenly Palace and humiliate the Southern Phoenix, the three of you even set aside your pride and honor as realm king sects and put on some of the most shameful acts the Southern Phoenix has never seen. So know that the Southern Phoenix will not lower themselves to fight against the likes of you anymore!”

The Central Ruins Battlefield suddenly became so quiet one could hear a pin drop.

Everyone could see that Northern Chill City, East Ruins Sect, and West Ruins Sect were working together to humiliate the Southern Phoenix Divine Country, but no one dared to expose the fact because Beihan Chu and the Nine Lights Heavenly Palace were the ones behind the shaming.

Even if the Southern Phoenix Divine Country did lose all ten battles and leave a permanent mark of shame in the history of the Central Ruins Battle, there was nothing they could do except swallow and accept it. Not even the Southern Phoenix Divine Sovereign could do anything else because their sect simply didn’t have the power to drop all pretenses and tear into the other three sects, much less anger the Nine Lights Heavenly Palace further.

However, Nanhuang Chanyi had done the unthinkable again!

Not only was she criticizing the three realm king sects, she was even tearing into the Nine Lights Heavenly Palace. When she said the words “curry favor with the Nine Lights Heavenly Palace”, Nanhuang Jian nearly dropped to his knees in shock behind her.

“Chanyi, what nonsense are you spouting!” Nanhuang Mofeng growled in a lowered voice.

Everyone was stunned by her bold action, and Beihan Chu narrowed his eyes briefly before relaxing into a curious smile. He suddenly felt like he didn’t understand Nanhuang Chanyi at all… not realizing that everyone in the Southern Phoenix Royal Family was also staring at her stupidly like today was the first day they had met her.

The Southern Phoenix Divine Sovereign scrunched his eyebrows together and rose to his feet… but in the end, he said nothing at all. A short time later, he slowly dropped back down into his seat.

“Heh.” The Northern Chill Divine Sovereign chuckled and said, “Do you know what you’re saying, Southern Phoenix Crown Princess? Nanhuang, I see that you’re staying silent about this. Don’t tell me you agree with her? Or maybe… you’re the one who told her to do this?”

The Southern Phoenix Divine Sovereign replied, “Chanyi is the person I chose to lead the Southern Phoenix battle formation, so her actions and decisions represent the will of the Southern Phoenix. I don’t mind you viewing her actions as an extension as my will.”

“My lord, you…” Nanhuang Mofeng abruptly turned around and stared at the Southern Phoenix Divine Sovereign in disbelief.

When Nanhuang Chanyi had turned down Beihan Chu’s marriage proposal, she had offended both Beihan Chu and Northern Chill City at the same time. It was why they were being targeted by the three realm king sects in the first place. Although Yun Che’s unbelievable performance had won them back some face, it wasn’t enough to save them from their current predicament.

If what Nanhuang Chanyi did earlier was the same as digging them a grave, then what she was doing now was pushing them into the hole. But not only did the Southern Phoenix Divine Sovereign not try to stop her, he was actually supporting her!

Had a devil possess both father and daughter!?

The Northern Chill Divine Sovereign nodded slowly and said, “Good, very good.” 

“Heh, what a joke,” the West Ruins Divine Sovereign said with a sneer. “The Southern Phoenix isn’t even worth our attention, much less all three realm king sects together.”

The East Ruins Divine Sovereign dropped the unconscious Dong Xueci on the floor and said darkly, “It’s obvious she’s just trying to forfeit because she knows the Southern Phoenix is going to place last anyway. Who knows, maybe something ugly about this Yun Che will be revealed if the battle is prolonged.”

“That’s why she assumed the moral high ground and threw dirt at us and the Central Ruins Battle. I wonder who’s the real shameless one here!”

“You claim I’m forfeiting because I know we’re going to place last?” Nanhuang Chanyi let out a cold hmph. “What a joke.”

“A joke?” The Northern Chill Divine Sovereign let out a low chuckle. “I’m sure everyone knows who the real joke here is. Do you think that everyone here is stupid?”

He was just about to criticize the Southern Phoenix for offending the Nine Lights Heavenly Palace when Nanhuang Chanyi interrupted him, “In that case, why don’t we make a bet, Northern Chill City, East Ruins Sect, West Ruins Sect?”

A bet?

Nanhuang Chanyi continued before the three Divine Sovereigns could say anything, “Northern Chill City still has five representatives, East Ruins Sect two, and West Ruins Sect three in this joke of a battle.”

“You will send them all to fight against our Yun Che!”

The sharp glint piercing through the jeweled tassels and the bold words stunned everyone to silence. She said, “Do you dare take this bet!?”

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