“You didn’t?” Beihan Chu let out a dry chuckle. “Yun Che, I am here today on behalf of my master and the Nine Lights Heavenly Palace to supervise and observe this Central Ruins Battle. The fight just now is also under the jurisdiction of the Central Ruins Battle.”

“As the arbiter and witness of this battle, how can I tolerate any violation of the rules!?” Beihan Chu’s tone did not change, but the look in his eyes grew a little grimmer. “It would be best if you chose not to lie, especially not in front of me.”

“Oh really?” Yun Che said with a smile that was not a smile. “Then can you tell me, what sort of devil artifact did I use exactly?”

“Hehe.” As he knew Yun Che would say such a thing, Beihan Chu chuckled and said, “The devil artifact you used should be a ‘container’ type, and it is able to instantaneously release a large amount of darkness energy stored within it. At the same time as the darkness started to spread, our sight and spiritual perception were obstructed, so we naturally could not see anything.”

“To release a darkness energy that can eat away at and suppress top Divine Kings to such an extent. Given your cultivation, the only sort of devil artifact that you can control that can produce such an effect can only be a ‘container’ type, right?”

Beihan Chu’s slow and unhurried explanation swayed the minds and thoughts of all the profound practitioners present. Understanding and admiration began to build up in their hearts.

No one from the Southern Phoenix’s side spoke up, their gazes conflicted... It was very clear that even they were utterly convinced that Yun Che had borrowed the power of an extremely powerful devil artifact. The darkness that sealed everything away had been released by the devil artifact... If not, if it was just Yun Che alone, how could he defeat a total of ten peak Divine Kings!

Furthermore, he had seriously injured all of them in the span of a few short breaths!

Otherwise, even if they gave him huge benefit of the doubt and acknowledged that he did indeed have the strength to defeat ten great Divine Kings, why would he need to suddenly release a darkness profound energy that obstructed all sight and spiritual perception the moment the battle began? It was very clear that he was hiding something.

“This means that all of this is merely your conjecture and guesswork.” Yun Che still maintained that cold and indifferent attitude that infuriated everyone who witnessed it. “Does everyone in your Nine Lights Heavenly Palace operate on pure conjecture and assumption?”

“You bastard!” The moment Yun Che said those words, the Northern Chill Divine Sovereign immediately grew agitated and furious. “How dare you speak so disrespectfully about the Nine Lights Heavenly Palace, are you tired of living!?”

“There’s no need to be angry Royal Father.” Beihan Chu raised a hand and he did not seem the least bit angry. In fact, the slight smile on his face had actually deepened by a few degrees. “It is indeed true that none of us personally witnessed Yun Che using a devil artifact, so it is reasonable for him to say such a thing. If it were anyone else in his shoes, they would also cling on tenaciously to this outcome which was incredibly difficult to obtain.”

“However,” Beihan Chu said, a strange light glinting in his eyes, “since I am the supervisor and witness of this battle, then I naturally must ensure that we obtain the most fair outcome.”

He stood up from his seat of honor and slowly started walking down, the faintly discernible oppressive might of a Divine Sovereign radiated from his body and engulfed the entire battlefield, even his voice now sounded more frightfully intimidating and menacing, “Since you so resolutely insist that you did not use a forbidden devil artifact that exceeded the level of this fight, you’re saying that you used your own strength to defeat and seriously injure ten top tier Divine Kings in the span of three short breaths.”

“Even though no one in this world would believe such a patently ridiculous story, I will give you a chance to prove yourself... You must prove yourself!”

Beihan Chu’s feet landed inside the Central Ruins Battlefield. He stood in front of Yun Che, both hands behind his back, as he spoke in a calm voice, “As the referee of this match, I will personally duel you. If you can prove that you truly do have this sort of strength in your match with me, then no one will be able to say anything, and the previous battle will also naturally be counted as your win. Furthermore, for the next five hundred years, the Central Ruins Realm will completely belong to the Southern Phoenix Divine Country.”

BUZZZ————

It was as if countless bees had invaded the battlegrounds as the whole place erupted in a cacophony of noise.

The Central Ruins Battle was a battle among middle star realms. And who exactly was Beihan Chu!? He was extremely young but he had already become one of the Nine Lights Heavenly Palace’s young palace masters. He had even entered the Northern Region Heavenly Sovereign Ranking and even in an upper star realm, he would still be considered a transcendent existence that would draw great attention to himself!

Beihan Chu, who possessed such status, would actually personally do battle with Yun Che just for the sake of “proof”!?

The Western Ruins Divine Sovereign swiftly said, “This must not happen! This definitely must not happen! Proving such a small thing could not be any simpler. The Young Palace Master has such an esteemed status, so how can he be allowed to lower himself to such an extent.”

“That’s right! This is just a small Southern Phoenix profound practitioner who is trying to put one over on us, so how can we let the Young Palace Master personally take action! If the Young Palace Master thinks that some unfairness has occurred, then this king can take his place and the Young Palace Master can simply referee it,” the East Ruins Divine Sovereign followed anxiously.

But the Northern Chill Divine Sovereign did not make any move to stop Beihan Chu. Nobody understood a man better than his father, so he was well aware that there was definitely a reason behind Beihan Chu’s sudden actions.

“Sigh.” Nanhuang Chanyi let out a silent sigh. She briefly glanced backwards and said to Qianye Ying’er, “Your young master is truly very bad.”

She knew that this was one way Yun Che was taking revenge on her... Provoking Beihan Chu meant that one would offend the Nine Lights Heavenly Palace. Furthermore, Yun Che was representing the interests of the Southern Phoenix at this moment, so the Southern Phoenix would have to shoulder any consequences of his actions. If they could not bear them, then it might even end up in the destruction of their country.

This was a form of revenge, but it was also... a test for her.

“You were the one who acted presumptuously first.” Qianye Ying’er had finally spoken to Nanhuang Chanyi but when she spoke, she did not even glance in her direction. “Not everyone in this world can be played by you!”

“...” She was not anxious or furious, and underneath that colorful veil, her pearly lips curved into a pouty smile. “Interesting.”

He was even more interesting than the rumors had described.

“There’s no need.” Beihan Chu looked straight at Yun Che as he mildly and politely turned away the flattery and bootlicking of the two great Divine Sovereigns. “Today, since I am the arbiter, it is only appropriate that I do it myself.”

“If you cannot prove it,” Beihan Chu continued, “then I will have no choice but to pursue the matter of you deliberately and maliciously lying to an arbiter and slandering my Nine Lights Heavenly Palace! The consequences won’t only end with a simple defeat... I will need to take you into custody and bring you back to the Nine Lights Heavenly Palace and hand you over to my master so that he can decide!”

“One more thing. As this matter concerns the final result of the Central Ruins Battle, you have no right to reject it!”

The atmosphere had started to turn heavy. Following that, the looks that everyone directed toward Yun Che were immediately filled with an increasingly deep pity.

This was the consequence of overplaying one’s hand and being so stubborn and dishonest in front of the Nine Lights Heavenly Palace.

Of course, there were also a few people that had instantly figured out... that Beihan Chu’s actions were very likely because he had taken an interest in the mysterious devil artifact that Yun Che had used.

As the saying goes, an innocent man gets into trouble because of his wealth, and for a weakling to harbor great wealth was an even greater sin than that!

Beihan Chu had personally entered the battleground and with the heavenly might of the Nine Lights Heavenly Palace backing him up, Yun Che had to go along with it, no matter what his feelings were on this matter.

As for the outsiders, they did not even dare breathe too loudly, much less attempt to give advice or stop this from happening.

“...Fine,” Yun Che spoke after a brief period of silence. “Then, what if I prove that I do not possess any devil artifacts?”

“Oh?” Beihan Chu’s lips curled up.

“The results of the previous battle have already been decided and your sudden demand for this so-called proof appeared out of thin air. If I cannot prove it, then not only will I be judged as having been defeated, I will even fall into the hands of the Nine Lights Heavenly Palace. But if I am able to prove myself innocent... then could it be that I have to suffer this indignity for nothing!?”

“Hahahaha.” Beihan Chu tipped his head back as he let out a hearty laugh. “Well said. These are the words an intelligent person should say. If you had not said such a thing, I might actually have been disappointed instead.”

Beihan Chu’s finger drew a line in the air. White light abruptly flashed and a sword that was nearly eight feet long appeared in his hand. The sword was long and balanced, its body was ash-colored, but strangely enough, a layer of faint black energy surrounded it.

“The Hidden Heaven Sword!”

The Northern Chill Divine Sovereign involuntarily let out a startled cry the moment the sword appeared.

Those three short words, which spelled out the name of the sword in question, were so shocking that they caused everyone’s heart to skip a beat. Furthermore, a fervent light burned in the eyes of all the swordsmen present.

"This sword is called the Hidden Heaven Sword and it is the namesake of our Hidden Sword Palace. Master was only willing to bestow this upon me three months ago.”

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

With a turn of his palm, he withdrew the Hidden Heaven Sword and the dazzling gleam of the sword immediately disappeared. Beihan Chu spoke in a leisurely manner, “This is the treasured sword of our Nine Lights Heavenly Palace, it is worth one hundred Southern Phoenixes! If you can prove yourself innocent, I will not only apologize to you, I will even gift you this Hidden Heaven Sword to make up for the indignity that you have suffered.”

“In this case, do you still have anything to say?”

The audience forgot to breathe for a while as they stared wide-eyed at the scene unfolding in front of them.

The Hidden Heaven Sword, this was the Hidden Heaven Sword he was talking about! Even in the Nine Lights Heavenly Palace, it was considered one of the sect’s treasures! No one was too shocked by the fact that it had been gifted to Beihan Chu so early. After all, Beihan Chu was the first person from the Nine Lights Heavenly Palace to have entered the Northern Region Heavenly Sovereign Ranking in its entire history.

And now that the Hidden Heaven Sword had been offered up as a bargaining chip, what else could Yun Che say? What path of retreat had been left open to him?

This had undoubtedly sealed away all of Yun Che’s escape routes... At the same time, this action also clearly showed that Beihan Chu was convinced that there was no way that Yun Che could truly “exonerate” himself.

“...” Nanhuang Chanyi’s eyes rippled. She, the person who possessed the authority to speak on the Southern Phoenix’s behalf, had not uttered a single word from the moment Beihan Chu had walked down from his seat of honor to stand in front of Yun Che.

Beihan Chu was a genuine genius, and he was an exceptional one at that. He had been born in a middle star realm, yet he had been able to enter the Northern Region Heavenly Sovereign Ranking. This was undoubtedly the greatest proof of his genius. At any level, such a person as Beihan Chu deserved all the accolades and praise he received and he did indeed have the right to be wildly arrogant in front of the profound practitioners who were his peers.

However... While everyone was directing gazes of pity towards Yun Che, Nanhuang Chanyi was directing a gaze of pity towards Beihan Chu... The current him was completely unaware of what sort of monster he was facing at this moment.

“Fine! You better not regret it.” Yun Che nodded his head. There was no anxiety or nervousness on his face. In fact, it was completely expressionless.

He had been like this from the moment he had stepped into the battleground. He made the audience feel as if he was completely unflappable.

“I have never experienced the word regret in my entire life, so you should keep this kind of pointless advice for yourself.”

Beihan Chu found Yun Che’s false bravado and feigned calm extremely funny. He narrowed his eyes and started to slowly walk forward. It was only when he was slightly less than thirty meters away from Yun Che that he finally came to a halt.

“Don’t worry, I won’t stoop so low as to bully a mid stage Divine King.” Beihan Chu wore a faint smile on his face and his voice was calm. His hands were still casually folded behind his back and there were no traces of profound energy circulating in his body. “I will allow you three attacks... Ah, no. Let’s give you seven attacks. Before you make seven attacks, I won’t retaliate, I won’t dodge, I won’t even reflect your blows back on you. I will also give you all the space you need to perform these attacks. If it’s like this, is that to you satisfaction?”

“I am satisfied, I am very satisfied!” Yun Che nodded his head as he raised an arm and casually stretched it.

“Then, you may begin.” Beihan Chu’s hands were still behind his back and even his posture was casual. “Allow me, and everyone in the audience as well, to experience the power that you used to defeat ten peak Divine Kings!”

Yun Che did not say another word. His feet and his body blurred, and he was already rushing towards Beihan Chu, a cluster of thin black energy gathered in his upraised right hand.

His speed was not too fast and the ball of black energy in his hand seemed exceptionally thin. As he rushed towards Beihan Chu, Yun Che sent his fist flying towards his chest.

Even when Yun Che drew near to him, Beihan Chu did not move a muscle... How laughable! As a Divine Sovereign, how was it possible that he would hold a Divine King’s power in any regard?

In Yun Che’s previous two battles, he had unleashed a power that approached the power of a half-step Divine Sovereign, even if it was for just an instant. Even though a half-step Divine Sovereign was the closest realm of power next to the Divine Sovereign Realm itself, there was still a world of difference between a half-step Divine Sovereign and a true Divine Sovereign! Even if the power of a half-step Divine Sovereign exploded from Yun Che’s body yet again, he would not even bat an eye.

And the soft and gentle blow that was heading for him only made him want to laugh.

Bang!

Yun Che’s right hand, which was wrapped in black light, smacked against Beihan Chu’s chest, the impact of the blow producing a dull thud.

The Northern Chill Divine Sovereign, the East Ruins Divine Sovereign, the Western Ruins Divine Sovereign, Superior Unwhite... In this moment, a contemptuous and cold smile flashed across all of their faces at the same time. In front of a true Divine Sovereign, this sort of power could not even be called a joke.

If Beihan Chu had not coveted the mysterious devil artifact Yun Che possessed, he definitely would not even have condescended to personally exchange blows with Yun Che.

However... the wry smile that Beihan Chu wore on his face, the smile of someone who could decide the ultimate outcome of the situation, froze in that instant.

The instant Yun Che’s palm touched his chest, Beihan Chu felt as if a thousand, no, ten thousand volcanoes had violently erupted in his mind and body at the same time.

BOOOM————

“UWAAAAH!”

A loud, miserable, throat-tearing wail rang in the air. Beihan Chu, who had been as proud and arrogant as a mountain just a second ago, was sent flying like a kicked ball as he spun in the air... He shot through the air, flying for several kilometers before he crashed heavily into the ground.

No one knew if it was deliberate or not, but when Beihan Chu’s body collided with the ground under that dreadful force, he hit face first. His face plowed along the ground for more than three kilometers before his body finally ground to a halt, leaving a large amount of shattered teeth and foamy blood in his wake.