Chapter 1563: Four Great Divine Lords

Nanhuang Chanyi's words stirred Yun Che slightly. "You don't seem to have witnessed my strength," he said, "so why do you think I'm weak?"

Nanhuang Chanyi's profound energy aura was at the Mid-Spirit Realm, and the dark aura emanating from her carried a faint, almost imperceptible sense of familiarity. For her age, such cultivation was extremely remarkable, yet at that level, she couldn't possibly perceive his aura.

"If you were strong enough, how would the East Ruin Crown Prince have bullied you?" Nanhuang Chanyi asked.

Her answer was logical and reasonable, but the strange feeling that had suddenly arisen in Yun Che's heart did not dissipate.

"Is that so?" Yun Che didn't release his profound energy to prove his strength. Instead, he said indifferently, "Having one more potential external helper is never a bad thing, is it?"

"I've heard that among the Four Desolate Worlds, your Southern Phoenix Divine Kingdom has always been weak," Yun Che continued. "In the Central Desolate War, you've always been trampled upon. Of the vast Central Desolate Realm, the other three worlds claim nine-tenths, while your Southern Phoenix Divine Kingdom has always received only one-tenth."

Nanhuang Chanyi remained silent.

"Dong Xueshi's earlier mockery was truly jarring," Yun Che said with a faint smile. "But it seems that in this Central Desolate War, you are still destined to be trampled upon. After all, with the weakest foundation and the weakest resources, how could you ever hope to turn things around?"

"So what?" Nanhuang Chanyi responded calmly.

"Since it's already the worst possible outcome, why not take a gamble?" Yun Che said.

Her gaze beneath the beaded curtain rested on his eyes. After a brief silence, she lightly nodded her head. "Good."

Yun Che's eyes narrowed slightly. "You agreed remarkably quickly."

"Someone who dares to offend the East Ruin Crown Prince without batting an eye, and who has the audacity to stand within three feet of me, is either ignorantly fearless or has something to rely on," Nanhuang Chanyi said. "Your eyes tell me you belong to the latter."

Yun Che was speechless.

"Before that, however, please tell me your name and origin, young master." As she spoke, her gaze did not leave Yun Che.

Yun Che's unique, enigmatic aura easily piqued women's curiosity and desire for exploration. Nanhuang Chanyi's bright eyes seemed to want to see right through him; she sensed the strong curiosity that had suddenly arisen within her, but she did not deliberately suppress it.

"Yun Che. As for my origin... I cannot disclose it."

"Only a name, unwilling to reveal even the most basic origin, and seemingly unprepared to display your strength to prove your qualifications," Nanhuang Chanyi said, her voice still soft as a gentle breeze, betraying no emotion. "Yet you ask me to invite you as an external helper. Don't you find that utterly ridiculous?"

"That depends on whether you dare to gamble," Yun Che said.

After a brief silence, Nanhuang Chanyi let out a soft chuckle. Her head was fully concealed by the colorful beaded curtain, so no one was fortunate enough to witness her momentary smile. "You're right about one thing," she said. "Since it's already destined to be the worst possible outcome, what is there to be afraid of gambling on?"

Her snowy hand extended flatly, fingers whiter and more lustrous than jade lightly closing, and before Yun Che, an dark-golden profound jade solidified.

Yun Che reached out and took it. The small profound jade was engraved with the words "Yun Che."

"This is a temporary Southern Phoenix Token. Hold it, and you can enter my Southern Phoenix Divine Kingdom's Central Desolate battle array. What kind of surprise you will bring then... I look forward to it."

Yun Che flipped his palm, putting away the Southern Phoenix Token. "Aren't you going to ask about my purpose and the remuneration I desire first?" he asked.

"You will tell me after the Central Desolate War," Nanhuang Chanyi said calmly. "Your performance will determine what you receive."

With those words, Nanhuang Chanyi turned and drifted away.

In every Central Desolate War, the four great Realm King sects would seek external assistance. However, external helpers not only needed to be powerful enough to pass extremely strict assessments, but also had to have clear origins. After all, the Central Desolate War not only concerned prestige and honor, but also the Central Desolate resources for the next fifty years!

Yun Che's successful attempt to find Nanhuang Chanyi and enter the Southern Phoenix Divine Kingdom's battle array was astonishingly bland and simple.

Nanhuang Chanyi knew virtually nothing about Yun Che beyond his name, yet she agreed just like that and personally gave him the Southern Phoenix Token.

Was it truly just a gamble based on a "predestined worst outcome"?

"This woman is quite unusual," Qianye Ying'er suddenly murmured, staring for a while in the direction Nanhuang Chanyi had departed. While seemingly a casual remark, those who could elicit such a comment from her were truly few and far between.

"Indeed, very interesting," Yun Che's eyes flickered. "I hope... she can also bring me some surprises."

The first time he met Nanhuang Chanyi, he vaguely felt there was something unusual about her, though he couldn't pinpoint what it was.

"It's a pity, though, that this newly appointed Southern Phoenix Crown Princess will soon become subject to that Beihan Chu," Qianye Ying'er chuckled faintly. "Even a crown princess of a nation, once reduced to weakness, can only face such an end. How ironic." It was unclear whether she was laughing at Nanhuang Chanyi or at herself.

Time flowed on, and more and more profound practitioners poured into the Northern Central Desolate Region from all directions. While battles among Divine Sovereigns were rare, the Central Desolate War, held every fifty years, was the largest profound cultivation event in the Five Desolate Worlds. Especially for those desperately pursuing the Divine King realm, they absolutely did not want to miss any Central Desolate War. This was a true battle of peak Divine Kings, and if they could gain even a sliver of enlightenment from it, they would benefit endlessly.

The sky above the Central Desolate battlefield was calm, showing no signs of an approaching storm. Below, however, it was already a sea of people. Nearly ten million profound practitioners radiated outwards in a tiered formation, millions of eyes fixed on the Central Desolate battlefield at the center.

During the Central Desolate War, the Central Desolate Realm was completely open, allowing any profound practitioner to enter, a measure taken to facilitate this grand spectacle.

This Central Desolate War, however, had some subtle differences from previous ones. A piece of news had already quietly spread during this period: the supervisor for this Central Desolate War would be Venerable Hidden Sword of the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace.

The Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace existed in a High-Rank Star Realm; though not a Realm King sect, its prestige was formidable.

Due to the cruel laws of survival in the Northern Divine Region, numerous tributary relationships existed. The Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace was the higher power collectively worshipped by the Four Desolate Worlds. In every Central Desolate War, a Venerable from the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace would also be invited to serve as a supervisor and witness.

Over the years, some geniuses from the Four Desolate Worlds were occasionally chosen by the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace and brought back for cultivation. Beihan Chu was one such individual, but what was different was that after he was taken to the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace, he was directly accepted as a personal disciple by Venerable Hidden Sword, one of the palace masters. In recent years, there were even rumors that he had become the chief disciple.

This was absolutely unprecedented in the Four Desolate Worlds.

Venerable Hidden Sword had even publicly boasted that Beihan Chu's talent was supreme, and in the future, he would surely inherit his position as Palace Master.

Such praise undoubtedly caused immense commotion in the Four Desolate Worlds, almost being hailed as a miracle and a legend. Beihan City, already the strongest, saw its status in the Five Desolate Worlds soar even further, reaching its zenith.

The supervisor and witness for this Central Desolate War would no longer be the usual Venerable Hidden Mirror, but Venerable Hidden Sword. Rumors of Beihan Chu intending to propose marriage to the Southern Phoenix Divine Kingdom again also spread rapidly. Coupled with the Southern Phoenix Divine Kingdom's extremely hasty dethronement of their Crown Prince and appointment of a Crown Princess, what would happen in today's Central Desolate War was almost a certainty.

What remained unknown was whether it would happen before or after the battles.

As the time drew near, without making people wait too long, the vast crowd was suddenly parted by four irresistible, invisible forces. The noisy space also became incredibly quiet and oppressive at that moment.

This was because the might of Divine Sovereigns suddenly descended from above!

Amidst the awe-inspiring power that made people tremble and almost kneel in reverence, the four great Realm King sects—Beihan City, East Ruin Sect, West Ruin Sect, and Southern Phoenix Divine Kingdom—arrived simultaneously, descending to the north, east, west, and south sides of the battlefield, respectively.

As they landed, four different colored barriers simultaneously unfurled, spreading out four distinct domains.

The moment the barriers formed, four figures slowly descended from high above, meeting the gazes of reverence and fervor from the onlookers, like gods descending upon the world.

"Greetings, Sect Master!""Greetings, Our King!""Greetings, Sovereign!""Greetings, Sect Master!"

These four individuals all exuded an imposing aura and pressure that seemed to defy the heavens and earth. Their renown was known to all in the Five Desolate Worlds, for they were the peak existences of the four worlds, the supreme Four Realm Kings!

The Beihan Divine Sovereign of Beihan City! The East Ruin Divine Sovereign of East Ruin Sect! The West Ruin Divine Sovereign of West Ruin Sect! The Southern Phoenix Divine Sovereign of Southern Phoenix Divine Kingdom!

Amidst the immense roar of voices, they slowly sat down at the center of their respective domains. Such a spectacle, and the reverence of the world, they had long grown accustomed to.

As the Four Realm Kings took their seats, the Central Desolate battlefield quickly quieted down. The gazes of the four briefly met in the air, then subtly swept towards each other's battle formations.

In the Central Desolate War, each world would send ten participants, all of whom must be Divine Kings under three thousand years old.

In every Middle-Rank Star Realm, Divine Sovereigns were few and far between. Apart from a very small number of Divine Sovereigns who overlooked an entire realm, Ten-Level Divine Kings were already the highest existence, and their numbers were quite scarce.

Furthermore, limiting their lifespan to under three thousand years would drastically reduce this number.

Relying on the Central Desolate Realm's vast resources, the overall strength of the Four Desolate Worlds far surpassed that of ordinary Middle-Rank Star Realms in the Northern Divine Region. Beihan City, East Ruin Sect, and West Ruin Sect could each gather ten Ten-Level Divine Kings for every Central Desolate War, and also had reserves who could be used to adjust their battle lineup at any time.

Especially Beihan City, their reserves always exceeded ten individuals in every war.

Only the Southern Phoenix Divine Kingdom was an exception. Even with external helpers they desperately sought, they had never been able to gather a lineup of ten Ten-Level Divine Kings.

This time, it was no different.

On Beihan City's side, behind the Beihan Divine Sovereign, stood twenty profound practitioners with proud gazes. As participants from Beihan City, they were undoubtedly the kings. Before the battle even began, their lineup of twenty Ten-Level Divine Kings had already overwhelmingly surpassed the other three worlds.

For them, the Central Desolate War was not a competition but a display of power. Four-tenths of the Central Desolate Realm's territory always belonged to them.

East Ruin Sect and West Ruin Sect each had thirteen participants, all Ten-Level Divine Kings. As for the Southern Phoenix Divine Kingdom, at a glance, there were twelve participants, but only four were Ten-Level Divine Kings; the other eight were all Nine-Level Divine Kings.

Although there wasn't the embarrassment of two Eight-Level Divine Kings like in the last war, such a lineup, in comparison, was still destined to be trampled upon and scorned.

However, this time, for the Southern Phoenix Divine Kingdom, the outcome of the Central Desolate War seemed not so important.

Outside the Desolate battlefield, Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er arrived at this moment.

"The Central Desolate War uses the simplest round-robin system," Qianye Ying'er said. "In the first round, Beihan City, the champion of the previous war, will fight first, accepting challenges from the other three worlds until they are defeated!"

"The defeated will leave the battlefield, while the victors will continue to accept challenges from profound practitioners of other worlds. Each world can send a maximum of ten participants, and the results are determined by the order in which all participants are defeated."

After speaking, she added indifferently, "The Southern Phoenix Divine Kingdom, which you have now joined, is always the first to be completely defeated in every war!"

"A two-party round-robin might be acceptable, but a four-party one sounds unfair and is easily targeted," Yun Che murmured.

"Hmph, since it's a battlefield, where would fairness come from?" Qianye Ying'er scoffed. "Beihan City has always been the first to fight, often targeted by the combined forces of the other three worlds, but they have always remained in the top position, unshakable."

"Absolute strength is enough to disregard any unfair rules!"

"We're here," Yun Che said, leading Qianye Ying'er to the Central Desolate battlefield. Standing before the Southern Phoenix Divine Kingdom's barrier, Yun Che took out the Southern Phoenix Token given by Nanhuang Chanyi. With a soft chime, the barrier parted, and the two slowly walked in, instantly drawing countless gazes of surprise and confusion.

"Who are you two!" A sharp cry rang out, and a heavy pressure bore down on Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er. "Why do you possess a Southern Phoenix Token!"

The speaker was an old man with white hair. His two short sentences made all the Southern Phoenix people hold their breath in alarm, for he was another Divine Sovereign from the Divine Kingdom on this trip, besides the Southern Phoenix Divine Sovereign, a transcendent existence revered as the "Protector Elder" in the Southern Phoenix Divine Kingdom.

His name was Nanhuang Mofeng.

Those who could use the Southern Phoenix Token in such a manner were either from the Southern Phoenix royal family or participating profound practitioners. However, Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er were clearly neither.

"Uncle Feng," a soft voice sounded just as Nanhuang Mofeng finished speaking. "These two are the people I invited to assist in the Central Desolate War. I personally gave them the Southern Phoenix Token."

The gentle voice, as if by magic, dispelled the trepidation that had suddenly arisen in everyone's hearts due to the Divine Sovereign's might. The speaker was none other than the Southern Phoenix Crown Princess, Nanhuang Chanyi. However, her words did not appease Nanhuang Mofeng; instead, his brows furrowed deeply. "Nonsense! How can mere two Fifth-Level Divine Kings be fit to enter the Central Desolate War formation? This is simply absurd!!"

In the last Central Desolate War, they were forced to send two Eighth-Level Divine Kings, which became a huge joke of that Central Desolate War. This time, they spared no expense to extensively invite external helpers, barely managing to assemble a lineup with a minimum of Nine-Level Divine Kings.

As for the two individuals before him, with the strength of Fifth-Level Divine Kings, they would be sufficient to dominate any of the Four Desolate Worlds. But if they were to enter the Central Desolate War formation...

Even if his Southern Phoenix Divine Kingdom had always been at the bottom, they could not afford to be humiliated by such a choice!

"You are mistaken," Yun Che said coldly. "Only I will participate."