“Junior Master...” Beihan Chu thought that he was hearing things. “What did you... just say?”

“Give it to him!” Lu Bubai’s voice grew even heavier and the look he shot towards Beihan Chu was cold and severe.

It was not only Beihan Chu, everyone present could barely believe what they had just heard.

Even though Beihan Chu had proactively offered the Hidden Heaven Sword up as compensation for the indignity Yun Che would suffer, that had only happened because Beihan Chu and Lu Bubai were dead certain that Yun Che definitely had not beaten the ten great Divine Kings using his own strength. They had used this “bargaining chip” to cut off all his paths of retreat.

Otherwise, if there was even a hint of risk or a possibility of defeat, Beihan Chu would not have risked the Hidden Heaven Sword.

But right now, Beihan Chu had been utterly defeated and he was left in an incredibly sorry state... Would they really give away the Hidden Heaven Sword, which had only been offered up as a bluff, to Yun Che?

The Hidden Heaven Sword was no ordinary profound sword... The name of the Hidden Sword Palace had come from the Hidden Heaven Sword, so one could well imagine its status and importance in the Nine Lights Heavenly Palace.

It was a sect treasure, a symbol of their prestige!

Handing over the Hidden Heaven Sword did not only mean that they had lost a sword, it also meant that they had thrown away the dignity and face of the entire Nine Lights Heavenly Palace.

“We... we can’t!” Beihan Chu shook his head, his entire body shivering. “How can we allow the Hidden Heaven Sword to fall into the hands of an outsider!?”

As a proud Divine Sovereign whose name had been entered into the Northern Region Heavenly Sovereign Ranking, a young palace master of the Nine Lights Heavenly Palace, Beihan Chu no longer cared about reneging his promise in front of everyone else in order to protect the Hidden Heaven Sword.

But having said that, his dignity had already been completely ground beneath Yun Che’s feet, so what was wrong with stooping even lower... If he lost the Hidden Heaven Sword just because of this, no matter how well-regarded he was in the Nine Lights Heavenly Palace, he would still definitely receive a heavy punishment.

Lu Bubai’s face suddenly darkened as a bit of fury could be seen on his face. “The Hidden Heaven Sword is indeed the treasured sword of our Nine Lights Heavenly Palace. But a loss is a loss, we can lose the Hidden Heaven Sword, but our Nine Lights Heavenly Palace must never lose its dignity.”

“...” Beihan Chu grew even more stunned.

Because the Hidden Heaven Sword was simply far too important... Its importance far exceeded that of their so-called dignity.

At this moment, Lu Bubai’s anxious voice suddenly rang in his ears, he had sent Beihan Chu a sound transmission. “Don’t say anything else, hurry up and hand the Hidden Heaven Sword over to him! This man called Yun Che, his power is probably no lower than mine!”

The words that followed caused Beihan Chu’s expression to dramatically change.

“Furthermore... it’s very likely that he is someone from a king realm!”

Even though Beihan Chu had just become a Divine Sovereign, he was still a genuine Divine Sovereign, yet he had been rendered completely helpless in front of Yun Che. Furthermore, when he, Lu Bubai, struck Yun Che with a blow, he was left completely unscathed. All of these things told Lu Bubai that Yun Che’s strength was very likely not beneath his own!

A level five Divine King had comparable strength to a mid-stage Divine Sovereign, if such an absurd and ridiculous thing truly did exist, it could only have originated from a king realm!

Yun Che knew full well that they were from the Nine Lights Heavenly Palace. He even knew that Beihan Chu was the person that the Nine Lights Heavenly Palace had spent the most effort grooming, but he had still made such a vicious and cruel attack on him. He was not the least bit apprehensive or fearful when facing them, so it was clear that he did not even have any regard for the Nine Lights Heavenly Palace... All of these things proved that Yun Che was most likely a junior from one of the king realms!

The two words “king realm” immediately destroyed the last bit of Beihan Chu’s conviction. Even the hatred and killing intent in his heart seemed to have been trampled underfoot as they died down in an instant. The look in his eyes grew less belligerent and his face grew stiff. “Fine, I, Beihan Chu... will walk the walk!”

With a twist and a push of his hand, the Hidden Heaven Sword appeared and was pushed toward Yun Che.

Yun Che extended a hand to grab it and he did not even spare it a single glance, he simply put it away. His actions were so casual that it seemed like he had merely picked up a rock that was lying on the side of the road.

As they watched the Hidden Heaven Sword vanish in Yun Che’s hand, no matter whether it was Beihan Chu or Lu Bubai, both their faces twitched violently.

“Don’t worry, I will explain what happened to the Chief Palace Master and your master.” Lu Bubai sent another sound transmission to Beihan Chu. “The Hidden Heaven Sword has the most primal and pure soul connection to our Nine Lights Heavenly Palace... If he isn’t someone from a king realm, he won’t be able to escape.”

But if Yun Che truly did come from a king realm, then no matter what, they could not afford to offend him any further.

However, if they were to find out that he was not from a king realm in the future, then they had no need to be worried any longer. Through the soul connection the sect shared with the Hidden Heaven Sword, they would be able to easily pinpoint the whereabouts of the Hidden Heaven Sword. Given the Nine Lights Heavenly Palace’s power, taking it back from Yun Che would be a piece of cake!

Lu Bubai nodded towards Yun Che as he said, “The Young Palace Master’s innate talent is extraordinary, but he is still young. Suffering this crushing defeat will only greatly benefit his future. On this point, Bubai has to thank the honorable one... Beihan, do any of you have anything to say about this result?”

With Lu Bubai’s status, his attitude had already given the others hints and decided everything. So how could the Northern Chill Divine Sovereign dare to have any objections? His face immediately grew solemn as he fiercely suppressed all of the negative emotions he felt toward Yun Che. “The ten profound practitioners from our sect lost to one person, the Southern Phoenix’s Yun Che. Everyone here witnessed it and the result cannot be doubted. So we, the three sects, willingly accept our defeat.”

“So from tomorrow onward, the Central Ruins Realm... will belong solely to the Southern Phoenix Divine Country for the next five hundred years.”

Every word he said caused the Northern Chill Divine Sovereign’s heart to bleed, especially that last bit. He had already tried his best to control himself, but there was still an obvious tremor in his words when he said that.

“East Ruins, Western Ruins, what about the two of you?” Lu Bubai asked again.

“I naturally have no objections.” The Western Ruins Sovereign was smiling, but his smile was extremely stiff and ugly.

“...Congratulations, Southern Phoenix.” The East Ruins Divine Sovereign closed his eyes and did not open them for a very long time, his face was frightfully pale.

Dong Xueyan, who stood by his side, was staring at Yun Che dumbly... The slap mark on her face had not disappeared yet, but she no longer felt any pain. For the first time in her life, she truly experienced just how painful regret could be.

Her most respected older brother, Dong Xueci, had been crippled by a single blow from Yun Che. Beihan Chu had been surrounded by such a brilliant halo of light, but Yun Che had easily trampled over him. What sort of existence was the Nine Lights Heavenly Palace? They had so easily and proactively given in to him, and had even handed over the Hidden Heaven Sword, an existence that was akin to a sacred item for them, in such an obedient and submissive manner...

As she recalled how she and Dong Xueci had pranced about in front of Yun Che, looking exactly like two clueless and laughable clowns... No, in his eyes, they definitely were not even on the level of clowns.

The battlefield had descended into a sea of silence. Lu Bubai’s extreme willingness to compromise and his obvious friendliness had not only deeply stunned the three great realm kings, but it had also undoubtedly shaken everyone who was present... They were unable to imagine just what sort of person, what sort of existence could make someone like Lu Bubai behave like this.

Yun Che, this person of unknown origin, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere... Just who exactly was he!?

Nanhuang Chanyi had not allowed him to take the final battle because she had been crazy, she also had not been bluffing when she suggested that he take on ten people from the three other sects at the same time. Rather, it was now extremely clear that she was luring the three sects into a trap.

Now that everyone thought about it, could it be that even her public rejection of Beihan Chu had been because of Yun Che?

Was there an even stronger power than the Nine Lights Heavenly Palace... backing Yun Che?

“Chanyi, who... exactly is he? Who exactly is she?” Nanhuang Jian asked consecutively, the excitement in his voice barely suppressed. Up to now, his mind was still a little dizzy.

“Yun Che,” Nanhuang Chanyi simply replied.

“...” Nanhuan Mofeng also turned around at this time. His old head drooped slightly before he spoke with much difficulty, “This old one... truly had eyes but could not see. I even presumptuously... offended someone who was my superior... time and again... I am willing to accept any punishment your Highness wants to give me.”

“Let’s discuss this again when we return. Prepare to take over the entire Central Ruins Realm,” Nanhuang Chanyi said.

“Yes.” This time, Nanhuang Mofeng deeply bowed his head and his reply was full of respect and deference.

“Chanyi.” The Southern Phoenix Divine Sovereign sent a sound transmission in a low voice. “Were all of these already preparations you made for the Central Ruins Battle?”

“No,” Nanhuang Chanyi replied, “I just met an extraordinary person by sheer coincidence, and I simply made convenient use of him.”

The Southern Phoenix Divine Sovereign. “...”

“If we take full control of the Central Ruins Realm for the next five hundred years and no other incidents happen, it will be enough for our Southern Ruins to just about grow as strong as the other three realms.” Nanhuang Chanyi tilted her head up slightly to look at Yun Che. “However...”

“We did not obtain this result for free. I am looking forward to seeing what sort of reward he will want.”

The core of the Central Ruins Battle this time had not been four Ruins Realms, it had been Yun Che alone.

The scenes of him cruelly dominating Beihan Chu and the scenes of Lu Bubai lowering his head in submission were simply far too shocking. At this moment, how could anyone still look at him with even a trace of the ridicule or pity that their gazes had contained before? The only things that were left were deep shock and fear.

“Let’s go.” Yun Che turned around and said to Qianye Ying’er, “We’ve worked really hard today. It’s time for us to get paid.”

“Now isn’t the time to antagonize anyone, the Nine Lights Heavenly Palace isn’t a group that you can afford to offend!” Qianye Ying’er softly said in a cold voice. “This time, you didn’t provoke a huge conflict, so you can count your lucky stars. But if you dare to act in such a presumptuous manner again...”

She could not think of anything to threaten him with right now. After all, in their current conditions, she was the one who was relying completely on Yun Che.

Lu Bubai did not stop him or speak any further. From start to finish, he had not asked a single question about his background.

He pressed a hand against Beihan Chu’s body, stopping him from making any strange moves. As he stared at Yun Che’s back, his eyes also hovered over Qianye Ying’er for a brief moment... Like Yun Che, she was also radiating the aura of a fifth level Divine King, and that head of long, dull golden hair was very rarely seen in the Northern Divine Region.

“Junior Master, could it be that we are really going to...” As he saw Yun Che walk into the distance, Beihan Chu simply could not accept what had just happened.

“Quiet,” Lu Bubai rebuked him in a low voice. He greatly admired Beihan Chu and he was even willing to accompany him to the Five Nether Ruins and stay in the background to personally protect him. He very rarely spoke to him so harshly, but this time, he was in an extremely bad mood and just controlling his emotions took nearly all of his strength.

𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

“...” Beihan Chu’s lips trembled.

Drip... drip...

Drops of blood continued to flow down his face. He did not dare to imagine just how ugly his face looked right now, but he knew that his shameful performance had been clearly witnessed by the ten million profound practitioners present. In fact, at this very moment, there were even some lowly profound practitioners who were looking at him with gazes filled with pity.

That’s right, pity...

He had proudly stood up in such a majestic and awe-inspiring manner, yet he had been casually beaten like a dog, and he had even given the other person the Hidden Heaven Sword. He even had to watch him leave in complete safety, and his side did not even dare to pursue the matter...

Before too long, his disgraceful performance today would spread and he would become the laughingstock of the Five Nether Ruins, the Nine Lights Heavenly Palace, and the Northern Region Heavenly Sovereign Ranking.

Shame was an extremely frightening thing. It was many times more painful than the pain one experienced during cultivation... As his mind replayed the events that had just happened in a jumbled manner, he finally understood what it meant to be so ashamed that one wanted to die.

Beihan Chu’s body shuddered and color drained out of the pupils of his eyes. Due to his extreme anger and shame, his entire body violently swayed as his heart’s blood flowed in reverse, causing him to wildly vomit out a large mouth of blood.

“Chu’er!” The Northern Chill Divine Sovereign was greatly shocked and he hurriedly went to support him. Upon seeing Beihan Chu’s dull and dim eyes, his heart wrenched in his chest... Beihan Chu had grown up lavished with praise and admiration and even when he had gone to Nine Lights Heavenly Palace, he still radiated such a brilliant halo of light. His life had gone exceedingly well, so he had never had to endure the humiliation and shock he had received today.

“...” Lu Bubai let out a heavy sigh.

But it was at this moment, in the distant skies above, that the darkness barrier around the profound ark that had been hovering over the battlefield suddenly collapsed.

This barrier was linked to Beihan Chu’s aura, and there was no way that the person inside this darkness barrier could escape it originally. However, because Beihan Chu’s heart and soul had received such a heavy impact, the barrier had also dispersed afterwards.

The strange sound caused everyone’s eyes to abruptly look towards the sky... The figure of a frail and delicate girl flew out from within the dispersing black mist as it swiftly fled towards the north.

“Hmph.” Lu Bubai gave a cold and disdainful snort as he soared into the sky and shot towards the fleeing girl like a fierce eagle.

The girl looked very young and she was dressed in loose white robes. Her cultivation was only in the late stages of the Divine Soul Realm, so when faced with an existence like Lu Bubai, even if she had managed to escape from her cage, there was no way that she could escape.

As she felt danger swiftly closing in on her, the girl turned her head around. But there was no fear on her face. Instead, there was a cold ruthlessness that did not match her age on her face. Her hand swiftly weaved through the air and a bolt of lightning flashed into life out of thin air as it struck Lu Bubai directly.

Crack!!

Lu Bubai simply ignored it. Even though the lightning struck the top of his head, the power of a mere Divine Soul practitioner could not even harm a hair on his head.

“!?” Yun Che’s feet suddenly ground to a halt as his eyebrows fiercely sank.