Chapter 1567: Miserable Nanguang

"Hmph." Facing Wei Canglang, Bei Han Mingzhi showed no respect for his opponent. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and let out a faint snort through his nose. He made no attempt to conceal it, ensuring everyone could hear it clearly.

Wei Canglang's brows furrowed deeply, but he said nothing more. His profound energy erupted, and dark light swirled around him, forming thousands of jet-black blades.

Only those who could shake the Youxu Realm with their might were capable of entering the Central Ruins Battle Formation. Wei Canglang was no exception. He cultivated an incredibly potent demonic blade art; even a small demonic blade could devour a mountain, turning it into dark dust.

Facing his aura, Bei Han Mingzhi remained motionless. He didn't even adopt a fighting stance, only a gentle, unhurried dark storm swirling around him.

He gazed at Wei Canglang with narrowed eyes, then suddenly gave a cold smile. He uttered a low murmur, audible only to Wei Canglang: "Wei Canglang, as you can see, the Southern Phoenix Imperial Family doesn't know its place and is courting death. The day my Northern Han Crown Prince Ao Tian rises will be the day Southern Phoenix falls. As a mighty figure, you actually stoop to being a dog for these idiots... Are all the Divine Kings of Southern Phoenix a bunch of dumb dogs?!"

"You!" Wei Canglang roared, furious. In the Middle Star Realm, a Level 10 Divine King was a revered existence; how often were they subjected to such verbal abuse?

He also knew why the other party was acting this way. Anger and resentment welled up in him simultaneously: "You... are asking for death!!"

"You?" Bei Han Mingzhi smirked. "Come, come, let me see what you're capable of."

As he spoke, he even slowly crossed his arms over his chest. His words grew sharper with each syllable: "Even if it's the same level, if the opponent is a dumb dog Divine King from Southern Phoenix, striking first would only soil my hands."

"Grr!" Wei Canglang nearly ground his teeth to dust. In a fit of rage, he let out a low growl. His expression and posture changed drastically, and the jet-black demonic blades he had just formed froze in mid-air, emitting a distinctly unusual aura.

"Extreme Demonic Sword!?" Gasps of alarm echoed from all directions. The faces of the Southern Phoenix cultivators all changed simultaneously.

The Extreme Demonic Sword, Wei Canglang's strongest demonic blade! Bei Han Mingzhi had kept his words low, so no one heard what they exchanged. Everyone was shocked that Wei Canglang had suddenly flown into a rage and unleashed his trump card right from the start.

And at that very moment, Bei Han Mingzhi, who had just been speaking with disdain and composure, declaring he wouldn't deign to strike first, suddenly his eyes flashed, his body swayed, and he darted like a ghost in front of Wei Canglang. The surrounding dark energy instantly engulfed him.

The formation of the Extreme Demonic Sword required several breaths of focused concentration. Wei Canglang instinctively believed Bei Han Mingzhi wouldn't strike first. Being in a state of extreme rage, he had no defenses whatsoever. He was directly struck in the chest by the suddenly erupting dark storm.

"You..." Wei Canglang's eyes widened. His gaze briefly flickered to Bei Han Mingzhi's mocking eyes. Then, with a loud crash, his body was sent flying horizontally.

Even among Level 10 Divine Kings, despite differences in power, it was not easy to determine a winner in a short time. But coincidentally, Wei Canglang, who was furiously concentrating on forming the Extreme Demonic Sword, was in his most vulnerable defensive state. He frantically tried to redirect his profound energy, but still couldn't stop himself from being sent flying. He flew straight across the arena and slammed hard outside the battleground.

Unconsciousness, surrender, or being knocked out of the battleground all counted as defeat!

"Wei Canglang has left the battleground! Bei Han Mingzhi wins!"

The thunderous announcement echoed through the battleground. The entire audience was momentarily stunned. Most people didn't even have time to register what had happened.

Defeated? Wei Canglang was defeated just like that?!

"This..." The Southern Phoenix cultivators all stared in shocked horror. Southern Phoenix Mofeng's face instantly turned as dark as if he had swallowed excrement.

As one of the four strongest members of the Southern Phoenix battle formation, Wei Canglang's participation was meant to defend their dignity against Northern Han's provocation! They had been absolutely certain that even if Wei Canglang couldn't defeat Bei Han Mingzhi, it would only be a devastating loss, not an immediate one.

But, in a single exchange... with just one move, Wei Canglang was blasted out of the battleground.

The defeat was incredibly easy, and utterly humiliating and disgraceful.

"Hahahaha, hahahahaha!" After a brief silence, unrestrained laughter erupted simultaneously from the Eastern Ruins Sect and Western Ruins Sect. These laughs instantly pierced the hearts and souls of Southern Phoenix like sharp thorns of shame.

Even the Southern Phoenix profound practitioners who had come to watch felt their faces flush with embarrassment.

With a loud bang, Wei Canglang shot up from the ground. There was only a faint trace of blood foam at the corner of his mouth; clearly, he hadn't suffered severe injuries. But under extreme rage and humiliation, his face was twisted beyond recognition: "Bei Han Mingzhi, you..."

"No need to say more," Southern Phoenix Divine Monarch suddenly interjected, cutting him off. No one could be reconciled to such a defeat. But a loss was a loss. Being a sore loser would only invite further disdain on top of the humiliation. "Your opponent didn't violate any battleground rules. If you're unwilling to accept it, then reflect on how you were defeated."

"..." Wei Canglang gritted his teeth. He glared fiercely at Bei Han Mingzhi. He met the other's gaze, which was filled with utter mockery. It was as if it was telling him: "You truly are a dumb dog."

He used almost all the willpower he possessed to forcibly suppress the urge to recklessly fight Bei Han Mingzhi to the death. He lowered his body, his head bowed, and returned to the Southern Phoenix battle formation.

Northern Han City was the unshakeable dominator of the Central Ruins Battle. The pride of the Northern Han lineage usually made them disdain such tactics. However, it was clear that today's situation was different... Northern Han City not only wanted Southern Phoenix to lose, but to lose in the most miserable and disgraceful way possible!

"It's not your fault," Southern Phoenix Mofeng said. His gaze shifted slightly, coldly fixed on Southern Phoenix Chanyi. Given his status and power, he had always treated her with the respect due to an elder, and generally wasn't overly presumptuous even with her "Crown Princess" identity. But at this moment, there was no longer a hint of respect in his eyes or voice, only cold intimidation: "Chanyi, what awaits a sinner of Southern Phoenix... you'd best be prepared."

Southern Phoenix Chanyi remained silent.

Southern Phoenix Divine Monarch glanced at Southern Phoenix Mofeng, but said nothing, seemingly in agreement.

"Heh, are the peak Divine Kings of Southern Phoenix all so weak?" Bei Han Mingzhi flicked his wrist, his face full of disdain. "Truly disappointing."

Not only had he made Southern Phoenix lose incredibly shamefully, but he had also openly mocked them in public. All the Southern Phoenix cultivators gritted their teeth, unable to retort. They consciously began to turn their gazes towards the usually quiet Southern Phoenix Chanyi... Their former respect and admiration had now completely transformed into blame and anger.

"Who's next?!"

No sooner had Bei Han Mingzhi's voice faded, a figure from the Western Ruins Sect leaped directly into the battleground. "Han Shao of the Western Ruins, here to learn!"

The entry of the Western Ruins profound practitioner confirmed the order of rotational battles for this Central Ruins Battle.

"Though I, Han, admit I'm no match for Brother Mingzhi, I won't be as utterly pathetic as some disgraceful trash," Han Shao said with a chuckle. It was an undisguised slap across the face of the Southern Phoenix Divine Kingdom.

"Unnecessary words are forbidden on the battleground," Northern Han Divine Monarch said. His words were flat, yet held no hint of reprimand. The faint, almost imperceptible smile on his face vaguely carried a hint of approval.

"Haha, please!" Bei Han Mingzhi laughed loudly.

Bei Han Mingzhi and Han Shao clashed, the power of two Divine Kings erupting violently. The Central Ruins Battle seemed to truly begin at this moment; the previous match had merely been a joke.

The two battled for a long time, and in the end, Bei Han Mingzhi won, as expected.

For the third match, Eastern Ruins stepped forward. Their combatant was Zhong Yanfeng, one of the Eastern Ruins Sect's external reinforcements, a Level 10 Divine King who dominated the Western Realm.

Bei Han Mingzhi had expended considerable energy in his previous battle with Han Shao. In this match, Bei Han Mingzhi would still have an advantage, but his victory would be hard-won, leaving him with little residual power.

And the next to fight would be the Southern Phoenix Divine Kingdom.

If the Southern Phoenix Divine Kingdom sent another Level 10 Divine King in the next match, they would surely defeat Bei Han Mingzhi and thus recover some face.

Zhong Yanfeng of the Eastern Ruins did not make a move. After a glance towards Northern Han City, he suddenly smiled slightly. "Though I, Zhong, rarely venture out of the Eastern Ruins, I have long heard of Brother Mingzhi's great name. For this match, I know I am no match, and I willingly concede."

*Gasp—*

The winner of a Central Ruins Battle match would remain on the battleground, accepting challenges. Even if defeat was certain, they could still exhaust their opponent's profound energy. Therefore, surrenders were almost unheard of in the Central Ruins Battle.

Eastern Ruins' sudden surrender caused an uproar across the arena. But after the uproar, they suddenly understood something. Sighs and gazes of pity instantly turned towards the Southern Phoenix Divine Kingdom.

"Hahahaha," Bei Han Mingzhi laughed loudly. "Brother Zhong's magnanimity is admirable; Northern Han will remember this favor."

"Zhong Yanfeng concedes! Bei Han Mingzhi wins!"

Not only Northern Han City, but also profound practitioners from Western Ruins and Eastern Ruins successively stepped on Southern Phoenix's pride in public... Southern Phoenix Chanyi's few words had caused the Southern Phoenix Divine Kingdom's situation to plummet, becoming wretched to the point of being tragic.

From the Southern Phoenix Imperial Family to the profound practitioners watching, everyone's face was livid, grinding their teeth to dust. But... what could they do?

The Southern Phoenix Divine Kingdom's second profound practitioner entered the arena; this time, it was also a Level 10 Divine King.

The result, however, was still a defeat at the hands of Bei Han Mingzhi, who had ample energy remaining. The Southern Phoenix practitioner was met with a ruthless strike and suffered severe injuries.

In the four-way rotational battle, the losing side would always have their next combatant enter in the third position after their defeat, until all ten of their participants had lost.

This battle of peak Divine Kings from various realms was as shocking and intense as before. The Divine Kings from all sides displayed their prowess, astonishing countless profound practitioners and stirring their blood.

But amidst the intensity, there was an anomaly that everyone could sense and see.

The Northern Han battle formation's overall strength remained the strongest, staying on the battleground the longest and suffering the fewest losses. Eastern Ruins and Western Ruins had similar victory and defeat rates.

As for the Southern Phoenix Divine Kingdom...

In the match preceding Southern Phoenix's turn, Northern Han, Western Ruins, and Eastern Ruins would, in various ways, ensure their winners entered the fight against Southern Phoenix Divine Kingdom with ample remaining power.

The first battle... the second battle... the third battle... ...the seventh battle... the eighth battle...

All were defeated!

In previous Central Ruins Battles, although the Southern Phoenix Divine Kingdom had the weakest overall strength, at least some of their ten combatants would manage a victory. This time, however, they had not secured a single win. And every combatant either lost incredibly disgracefully or suffered a terribly tragic defeat.

Northern Han City, Eastern Ruins Sect, Western Ruins Sect, Nine Stars Heavenly Palace... any one of them was strong enough to suppress the Southern Phoenix Divine Kingdom. And Southern Phoenix Chanyi's public rejection of Bei Han Chu had actually provoked them to collectively humiliate and trample Southern Phoenix in public...

Clearly, by tacit agreement, they intended to make the Southern Phoenix Divine Kingdom suffer a complete and utter defeat in this Central Ruins Battle!

Leaving an indelible mark of extreme shame on the Southern Phoenix Divine Kingdom, on the Five Realms of Youxu, and in the history of the Central Ruins Battle!

It was no surprise that Northern Han City would be enraged and target Southern Phoenix. But did the Eastern Ruins Sect and Western Ruins Sect also have an unbreakable enmity with the Southern Phoenix Divine Kingdom?

No, of course not.

In a world where the strong are revered and power dictates everything, why wouldn't one step on a destined loser to curry favor with a powerful individual destined to reign supreme?

While Northern Han City had been the strongest in the past, it hadn't prompted them to this extent. But with Bei Han Chu, who possessed the aura of the "Northern Region Heavenly Monarch Ranking"... if they could draw close to him and win his favor, they would stoop to any tactic.

The Central Ruins Battle continued, but the Southern Phoenix side had completely lost the will to watch. Inside the vast Southern Phoenix barrier, there hadn't been a sound for a long time.

The last few profound practitioners who hadn't yet fought all looked ashen, with not an ounce of fighting spirit left... They even wished they could flee the battleground directly.

"Hmph, utterly boring," Qianye Ying'er murmured with closed eyes. For someone who once stood at the pinnacle of Divine Masters to watch a group of Divine Kings contend, resorting to such low-level teamwork, it was indeed a test of her patience.

Yun Che remained silent, his attention barely on the Central Ruins Battle. Instead, it was mostly focused on Southern Phoenix Chanyi beside him.

Because the one who initiated the "burial" of the Southern Phoenix Divine Kingdom into this predicament was far too calm.

"Have you seen enough?" she suddenly asked. Her beautiful eyes slowly turned towards him.

This was the first time she had spoken since the Central Ruins Battle began.

"..." Yun Che's lips twitched slightly, and he said indifferently: "Next time you ask that question, first take off your clothes!"