Chapter 1570: Instantly Useless

Beihan Divine Sovereign was indeed stunned there, forgetting to announce the victory or defeat for a long time. It was only when Nanhua Changyi's voice reached his ears that he truly regained his composure, his expression momentarily becoming unpleasant.

"Oh?" Beihan Chu's eyes moved, looking at Nanhua Changyi with intense curiosity. He had never known that Nanhua Changyi possessed such a side.

In his memory, she was clearly as cold as water, as delicate as wind, sometimes not appearing before people even once for several years in a row.

Behind him, Grand Elder Bubai's gaze was fixed on Yun Che.

The profound energy Yun Che had just released with that heavy blow on Qihan Shan was clearly that of a Divine King at the fifth level!

One's own aura could be concealed or suppressed through special profound artifacts. However, the unleashed power could never be faked.

It was undeniably profound energy of a fifth-level Divine King, proving that Yun Che's cultivation was indeed at the fifth level of the Divine King Realm... Yet, the power unleashed with that fifth-level Divine King's strength was many times more powerful and overbearing than what they – than what these powerful Divine Sovereigns – recognized.

"Qihan Shan of the Western Ruins has fallen... Nanhua Yun Che wins."

The announcement finally sounded, but its tone was distinctly different from any previous one.

"W-what happened?"

"Sect Master Qi... How did he lose? Isn't this Yun kid only a fifth-level Divine King?"

"It must be fake... Did Sect Master Qi underestimate him? But even if he did, it wouldn't be to this extent..."

As Beihan Divine Sovereign made the announcement, the heart-pounding silence was finally broken. Whispers began, growing louder and eventually becoming uncontrollable.

Amidst the clamor, Beihan Divine Sovereign looked at Nanhua Changyi and coldly said, "Aren't Nanhua's nine consecutive losses ugly enough? This single victory was merely Qihan Shan's carelessness and underestimation, exposing a weakness, which allowed you to win. To become so smug over this is truly unseemly."

At this point in the Central Ruins Battle, Beihan City still had five combatants, Western Ruins Sect and Eastern Ruins Sect each had three, while Nanhua... only Yun Che remained on the battlefield.

Although a strange variable had suddenly appeared in the battle, with such a vast disparity, this variable could not possibly have a substantial impact on the outcome. Nanhua's last-place finish was still destined, with no other possibilities... it merely salvaged a tiny bit of face.

Nanhua Changyi did not respond.

"Next match, Eastern Ruins will fight!"

Eastern Ruins Divine Sovereign swept his gaze and said, "Xue Ci, you're up."

Dong Xue Ci paused, then his brows furrowed. "Good! I can't wait to teach him a lesson myself."

"Don't underestimate him," Dong Jiukui said gravely.

"Don't worry, I'm not an idiot like Qihan Shan." Dong Xue Ci tossed out a remark, then flew up and landed on the battlefield.

When Yun Che faced Qihan Shan, everyone had treated it as a joke. That match ended too quickly, too suddenly, and they hadn't even clearly seen how Qihan Shan lost. This time, all spectators widened their eyes, fearing to miss any detail.

They wanted to confirm whether everything that had just happened was a fleeting illusion.

Looking at Yun Che, Dong Xue Ci slowly shook his wrist. "Yun Che, we meet again. How does it feel to be Nanhua's dog? Oh, speaking of which, you seem to have a bit of ability, no wonder Nanhua was so eager to take you in. It's just a pity that in our Eastern Ruins, you're merely an abandoned chess piece we wouldn't bother to keep."

Yun Che showed no reaction.

"Come on, unleash all the tricks you used to ambush Qihan Shan earlier," Dong Xue Ci said with a smirk. "Let me properly witness the great power of a fifth-level Divine King!"

His words and expression were full of contempt, as if he were facing an insignificant ant. But in reality, his inner self was far from as relaxed as he appeared... He wasn't blind; the sight of Yun Che severely injuring Qihan Shan with a single blow had caused a tremendous psychological impact on everyone.

Yet, deep down, he certainly didn't believe he couldn't defeat Yun Che... After all, he was just a fifth-level Divine King!

Such an absurd thing could only happen once. As long as he was serious enough, how could he possibly lose!

His words were intended to provoke Yun Che, but Yun Che, in his sight, was like a petrified stone statue, completely unresponsive to his taunts. A pair of deep, dark eyes inexplicably caused an uncalled-for sense of dread in him.

In the Nanhua battle formation, Nanhua Changyi glanced at Qianye Ying'er, who had been resting with her eyes closed and hadn't once looked at the battlefield. She suddenly spoke, "You don't seem to be worried about your master at all."

"..." Qianye Ying'er remained silent, disdaining to respond.

She was willing to endure any humiliation from Yun Che, but besides him, there were only a handful of people in this world she would deign to look at directly.

With a clang on the battlefield, a long, dark blade materialized in Dong Xue Ci's hand, while countless dark blade lights also appeared from nothing, cutting dark ripples through the space around him.

"Hmm? Big Brother actually brought out the Ghost Ruins Blade right away? Is he trying to kill Yun Che with a single blow?" Dong Xue Yan looked puzzled. The Ghost Ruins Blade was one of the Eastern Ruins Sect's demonic blades, and even with Dong Xue Ci's strength, wielding it required a considerable expenditure of energy.

"Hmph, do you still think Yun Che is just an ordinary fifth-level Divine King?" Eastern Ruins Divine Sovereign said, his voice quite low.

Dong Xue Yan was startled, then retorted, "Does Father King think Big Brother will lose to him?"

"He'd better not!" Eastern Ruins Divine Sovereign's voice grew even deeper. "Otherwise..."

Boom!

The demonic blade swung, instantly stirring up terrifying dark energy waves on the battlefield. The light dimmed in an instant, and a storm, carrying dark demonic energy that seemed to devour blood and bone, surged directly towards Yun Che's space.

"Dual Laws!"

Around the battlefield, many gasps of astonishment could be heard.

This was the simultaneous release of darkness and tempest, dual laws of power, yet they were combined and controlled with effortless perfection, causing all the Divine Sovereigns to cast sidelong glances.

"As expected of one chosen by the Eastern Ruins Divine Sovereign as young master, his talent is indeed astonishing."

"Within his power, there's a faint hint of Divine Sovereign intent!" Grand Elder Bubai suddenly spoke. He glanced at Dong Xue Ci, and a flicker of approval finally crossed his usually lifeless eyes. "In a thousand years, he might have the potential to become a Divine Sovereign."

"This generation of the Eastern Ruins Realm is also producing many talents," Beihan Chu smiled. "But comparatively, this Yun Che person is far more interesting."

Dong Xue Ci stepped forward, each step heavier than the last. The power of darkness and tempest completely sealed off Yun Che's space. Yun Che remained motionless, as if he had been fully suppressed.

The power Dong Xue Ci unleashed was surprising, yet against only a fifth-level Divine King, the scene felt somewhat exaggerated.

Dong Xue Ci also ceased his display of power and contemptuous words. He stopped advancing, leaped up, and simultaneously unleashed tempest and darkness. The demonic blade in his hand suddenly slashed down amidst the dark storm, tearing a horrifying black gash through the air.

It was clearly a direct strike to take Yun Che's life!

Darkness, tempest, demonic blade... any one of them was terrifyingly formidable, let alone their simultaneous eruption.

Maliciously killing someone in the Central Ruins Battle could lead to sanctions. However, if he could personally kill Yun Che, he would accept being expelled from the battlefield... No one had ever made him so utterly displeased!

*Pff-boom!*

The unreserved strike heavily cleaved onto Yun Che, who remained motionless, seemingly unable to break free from the suppression. Yet, it passed straight through him and slammed into the ground.

"Wha—" Dong Xue Ci had put his full strength into that blade strike. Caught off guard, he stumbled violently forward.

The fully unleashed darkness and tempest spread out a vast domain of destruction. Amidst the pervasive darkness, no one could clearly see what was happening within.

Dong Xue Ci's blade swung into empty air, and he lunged to the ground. Beside him, a figure moved like a phantom, extending an arm and effortlessly taking the demonic blade from his hand.

As the demonic blade was taken, it let out a struggling whimper. A black light flashed in Yun Che's hand, and the blade's struggle instantly turned into a shiver of submission... As for Dong Xue Ci, he had completely lost his soul connection with the demonic blade.

At that instant, Dong Xue Ci was so terrified his soul nearly left his body. He suddenly turned, staring at Yun Che, who was now close by... Around Yun Che, the tempest raged and darkness gnawed, yet his entire body was completely unharmed. Not even a corner of his clothing showed any sign of disturbance, as if Dong Xue Ci's power was merely a useless illusion to him.

"Idiot," Yun Che muttered lowly, then punched the completely terrified Dong Xue Ci in the chest.

The sound of his sternum cracking was deafeningly clear. His internal organs shattered in an instant, and a terrifying blast of energy erupted from his back... He felt his body being pierced through; his peak Divine King body had actually been pierced by a single punch... a mere punch from a fifth-level Divine King!?

However, his body remained firmly rooted in place, not flying backward, until Yun Che backhanded the demonic blade he was holding.

*Splat!*

The blade's flat side viciously slapped Dong Xue Ci's face. A spray of blood mist exploded across his face, and Dong Xue Ci let out a ghastly shriek, flying sideways and crashing towards the Eastern Ruins battle formation.

For a few moments under the shroud of darkness, no one could see what had happened. They had clearly seen Yun Che suppressed by the dual laws unleashed by Dong Xue Ci, utterly unable to resist even when the demonic blade was close to his body.

Yet in just an instant, it wasn't Yun Che who was flung out, bleeding, from the dark light, but Dong Xue Ci!

Also flying out with him was the demonic blade, which had just been in his hand and concentrated his ultimate power!

"Xue Ci!"

"Young Master!!"

The entire Eastern Ruins battle formation was greatly alarmed. Everyone rushed forward. Eastern Ruins Divine Sovereign instantly warped through space, catching Dong Xue Ci in mid-air. Upon realizing the extent of his injuries, his face immediately turned incredibly grim.

"Fa...ther King..."

Dong Xue Ci barely clung to consciousness, his half-open eyes utterly vacant... He had merely taken one punch from Yun Che... And Yun Che was just a fifth-level Divine King...

A nightmare... This must be a nightmare!

"Silence!" Eastern Ruins Divine Sovereign growled in a low voice, pressing his palm to Dong Xue Ci's chest. His Divine Sovereign aura surged down, desperately trying to suppress the injuries, but his body was trembling, and his anger and killing intent surged chaotically throughout him, threatening to completely spiral out of control at any moment.

Dong Xue Ci's injuries wouldn't kill him.

But they had crippled him for the most part!!

Even if he poured all of the sect's, and the entire Eastern Ruins Realm's, top resources into him, his cultivation would never again be able to enter the Divine Dao.

And a profound practitioner who could not enter the Divine Dao was no different from a cripple in the Middle Star Realm, or even the entire Northern Divine Region.

Dong Jiukui quickly arrived. Noticing the Eastern Ruins Divine Sovereign's unusual behavior, he swiftly swept his spiritual sense, and his face instantly changed.

"Big Brother... how is he?" Dong Xue Yan rushed over at top speed, asking in a panic.

Dong Jiukui was stunned for a long time before weakly saying, "Cri...ppled..."

Boom—

Like a muffled thunderclap, the words boomed in the minds of the Eastern Ruins people, stunning them all. Dong Xue Ci, lying there paralyzed, trembled all over, his wide eyes instantly bloodshot.

Crippled...

These two words didn't come from someone else, but from Dong Jiukui himself! It meant he was truly crippled, completely crippled, with no chance of recovery!

As a cripple, he could no longer be the Crown Prince of the Eastern Ruins. His status and the heights of his life had suddenly, permanently plummeted into the darkest abyss. No one would look up to him, envy him, or revere him anymore. Instead, he would become a piece of trash whom even the most ordinary and humble profound practitioners could mock, despise, and pity!

"Ah..." Dong Xue Yan's face turned pale, and she was utterly distraught. "No... impossible... it can't be true..."

Suddenly, her gaze sharpened, and she let out a tearful shriek, "Yun Che... it was Yun Che! How dare he make Big Brother... Father King, kill him, you must kill him!"

*Slap!*

Eastern Ruins Divine Sovereign suddenly turned around and slapped Dong Xue Yan across the face, sending her flying far away. The incredibly loud slap echoed almost throughout the entire battlefield.

Eastern Ruins Divine Sovereign's face was livid. He panted, "If it weren't for your arrogance, ignorant foolishness, and arbitrary decision to expel him, he would have been part of our Eastern Ruins battle formation. How else would he have gone to Nanhua!"

"This is all... your own damn fault!!"

"Ugh... Ah... Ah..." Dong Xue Ci let out an inhuman groan of despair, his body trembling wildly like a dying larva.

Dong Xue Yan clutched her face, half pale and half blood-red, lying motionless on the ground... By now, she no longer even had the chance to regret.