# Chapter 1565: Miserable Nanhuang
"Hmph." Facing Wei Canglang, Beihan Mingzhi did not show respect for his opponent. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and let out a light snort through his nose... and he made no attempt to hide it, making sure everyone could hear it clearly.
Wei Canglang's brows furrowed deeply, but he said nothing. He released his profound energy, black light swirling around him, transforming into thousands of pitch-black blades.
Those who could enter the Zhongxu Battle Array were all renowned figures in Youxu. Wei Canglang was no exception. The technique he cultivated was an extremely overbearing demon blade art. A inch-long demon blade could devour an entire mountain range into dark smoke and dust.
Facing his aura, Beihan Mingzhi did not move at all, not even assuming a battle stance. Only a layer of not-too-intense dark storm swirled slowly around him.
He squinted at Wei Canglang, then suddenly sneered coldly, his voice low enough that only the other could hear: "Wei Canglang, you've seen it too. The Nanhuang imperial family doesn't know their place and are seeking their own death. The day my Beihan crown prince Ao Tian ascends is the day Nanhuang is finished. As a regional overlord, you actually play dog for these fools... Are all Nanhuang's divine kings a pack of stupid dogs?!"
"You!" Wei Canglang was furious. In a middle-rank star realm, a tenth-rank divine king was an exalted existence. How could he endure such verbal humiliation?
And he knew exactly why the other was saying this. Anger and resentment surged within him simultaneously: "Seek... death!!"
"You?" Beihan Mingzhi curled his lip. "Come, come. Let me see just how much you're worth."
As he spoke, he even slowly crossed his arms over his chest, each word growing more piercing: "Even if we're at the same level, attacking first against a stupid dog divine king from Nanhuang would dirty my own face."
"Grr!" Wei Canglang nearly ground his teeth to pieces. In his rage, he let out a low roar, his expression and posture both changing drastically. The dark demon blades that had just formed also froze in midair, then released a distinctly abnormal aura.
"Extreme Demon Sword?!" Gasps rose from all around. The Nanhuang crowd's faces changed in unison.
The Extreme Demon Sword—Wei Canglang's strongest demon blade! Beihan Mingzhi's words had been kept to a minimum, and no one had heard what was said between them. They were all shocked that Wei Canglang would suddenly become enraged from the start and immediately reveal his trump card.
And in that instant, Beihan Mingzhi, who had been wearing a disdainful, calm expression and had just declared he would never deign to attack first, suddenly flashed his eyes. His body shifted like a ghost, appearing before Wei Canglang. The dark air waves around him surged instantly.
Forming the Extreme Demon Sword required several breaths of concentrated focus. Wei Canglang instinctively believed Beihan Mingzhi would not attack first, and being in a state of rage, he had no defense. The suddenly exploding dark storm struck him directly in the chest.
"You..." Wei Canglang's eyes bulged. His vision caught a fleeting glimpse of Beihan Mingzhi's utterly mocking gaze, and then his body flew sideways with a loud crash.
Both were tenth-rank divine kings. Even with a gap in strength, it was not easy to decide victory in a short time. But unfortunately, Wei Canglang, in his rage and while condensing the Extreme Demon Sword, was in his weakest defensive state. He desperately tried to redirect his profound energy, but still could not stop his horizontal flight. He crossed the battlefield directly and slammed heavily outside it.
Falling unconscious, conceding defeat, or being blasted out of the battlefield—all counted as defeat!
"Wei Canglang has left the battlefield. Beihan Mingzhi wins!"
The thunderous announcement echoed across the battlefield. The entire audience was stunned. Most people hadn't even had time to react to what had happened.
Defeated? Wei Canglang had been defeated just like that?!
"This..." The Nanhuang crowd was horrified, eyes wide. Nanhuang Mofeng's face turned as black as if he had swallowed shit.
As one of Nanhuang's four strongest battle array members, Wei Canglang had been chosen to face Beihan's provocation in a battle for dignity! They had been absolutely certain that even if Wei Canglang could not defeat Beihan Mingzhi, it would only be a narrow defeat.
But one exchange... just one exchange, and Wei Canglang was blasted out of the battlefield.
He lost with extreme ease, and with extreme shame and ugliness.
"Hahaha, hahahaha!" After a brief silence, unrestrained laughter erupted from the Dongxu and Xixu factions. These laughs were like shameful thorns stabbing directly into Nanhuang's heart and soul.
Even the Nanhuang profound practitioners who had come to watch felt their faces burning red.
Boom!
With an explosion, Wei Canglang leaped up from the ground. There was only a very faint trace of blood foam at the corner of his mouth—clearly not seriously injured. But in his extreme anger and shame, his face was twisted beyond recognition: "Beihan Mingzhi, you..."
"Enough." The Nanhuang Divine Lord suddenly spoke, cutting off his next words. No one could accept such a defeat. But defeat was defeat. If one couldn't take a loss, it would only add further contempt to the shame: "Your opponent did not violate the battlefield rules at all. If you are unwilling to accept it, think carefully about how you lost."
"...!" Wei Canglang gritted his teeth. He glared fiercely at Beihan Mingzhi, meeting the other's utterly mocking gaze, as if it were telling him: "You really are a stupid dog."
Using almost the greatest will of his life, he forcibly suppressed the urge to rush at Beihan Mingzhi regardless of consequences. He lowered his head and returned to the Nanhuang battle array, his posture utterly defeated.
The Beihan City was the unshakable hegemon of the Zhongxu battles. The pride of the Beihan bloodline made them disdain such tactics. But clearly, today's situation was different... Beihan City not only wanted Nanhuang to lose, but to lose in the most miserable, most disgraceful way possible.
"It's not your fault." Nanhuang Mofeng said. He shifted his gaze and stared coldly at Nanhuang Chanyi. With his strength and status, he had always been an elder figure before her, but he couldn't be too presumptuous in front of the "Crown Princess." But now, his eyes and voice held no trace of respect—only cold authority: "Chanyi, you'd better be prepared for what happens to Nanhuang's sinners."
Nanhuang Chanyi remained silent.
The Nanhuang Divine Lord glanced at Nanhuang Mofeng but did not speak, as if tacitly agreeing.
"Heh, are Nanhuang's peak divine kings all this fragile?" Beihan Mingzhi flicked his wrist, his face full of contempt. "How disappointing."
Not only did he make Nanhuang lose disgracefully, he even publicly mocked them. The Nanhuang crowd ground their teeth but could do nothing. They began to consciously turn their gazes to the always-quiet Nanhuang Chanyi... the reverence and admiration from before had completely turned into blame and anger.
"Who's next!"
As soon as Beihan Mingzhi finished speaking, a person from the Xixu sect leaped up and landed on the battlefield: "Xixu Han Shao, here to learn!"
The entry of the Xixu profound practitioner also determined the rotation order of this Zhongxu battle.
"Han may not consider himself a match for Brother Mingzhi, but at least I'm not a useless waste like some." Han Shao said with a chuckle, slapping a loud, unambiguous slap across Nanhuang God Nation's face.
"On the battlefield, no unnecessary chatter." The Beihan Divine Lord said, his tone flat but without any reprimand. The faint smile on his face even seemed to carry approval.
"Haha, please!" Beihan Mingzhi let out a big laugh.
Beihan Mingzhi and Han Shao clashed, the power of two divine kings erupting violently. The Zhongxu battle seemed to truly begin from this moment; the previous match had been nothing but a joke.
The two fought for a long time. In the end, Beihan Mingzhi won—unsurprisingly.
Third match: Dongxu attacks. The combatant was Zhong Yanfeng, one of Dongxu sect's external reinforcements, a tenth-rank divine king who dominated the western border realm.
Beihan Mingzhi had expended considerable energy in his fight with Han Shao. In this match, Beihan Mingzhi still had some advantage, but victory would be difficult, and he would have little strength left.
And the next match would feature Nanhuang God Nation.
If Nanhuang sent another tenth-rank divine king in the next match, they would surely be able to defeat Beihan Mingzhi, thereby regaining some face.
Zhong Yanfeng from Dongxu did not attack. He glanced toward Beihan City, then suddenly smiled and said, "Although Zhong rarely leaves Dongxu, I have long heard of Brother Mingzhi's reputation. In this fight, Zhong knows he is no match and willingly concedes."
Whoosh—
The winner of the Zhongxu battle would remain on the battlefield to accept challenges. Even if they were certain to lose, they could still deplete the victor's profound energy. Thus, there was almost never a concession in Zhongxu battles.
Dongxu's sudden concession shocked the entire audience. But after the shock, they suddenly understood something. Sighs and pitying gazes turned toward Nanhuang God Nation.
"Hahaha," Beihan Mingzhi laughed heartily. "Brother Zhong's broad-mindedness is admirable. Beihan accepts this favor."
"Zhong Yanfeng concedes. Beihan Mingzhi wins!"
Not only Beihan City, but Dongxu and Xixu profound practitioners also took turns stomping on Nanhuang publicly... Nanhuang Chanyi's few words had caused Nanhuang God Nation's situation to plummet, becoming so miserable it was almost pathetic.
From the imperial family to the spectating profound practitioners, all of Nanhuang had faces ashen, teeth grinding as if about to shatter. But... what could they do?
The second Nanhuang God Nation profound practitioner took the field. This time, it was also a tenth-rank divine king.
The result: defeated once again by Beihan Mingzhi, who still had plenty of energy left—and severely wounded in the process.
With four-way rotation, the losing side would be fixed in the third position after their loss, sending out the next combatant until all ten were defeated.
This battle of peak divine kings from all realms was as shocking and intense as before. Each divine king displayed their brilliance, drawing countless exclamations from the profound practitioners, their blood boiling.
But... amidst the intensity, there was an abnormality that everyone could smell and see.
Beihan's battle array still had the strongest overall strength, the longest battlefield stay, and the fewest losses. Dongxu and Xixu had similar win-loss records.
And Nanhuang God Nation...
Before Nanhuang's match, no matter whether it was Beihan, Xixu, or Dongxu, they all ensured, through various means, that the victor faced Nanhuang with great energy remaining.
First match... Second match... Third match... Seventh match... Eighth match...
All lost!
In previous Zhongxu battles, although Nanhuang God Nation had the weakest overall strength, among the ten combatants, there would always be some victories. But this time, not a single win. And every combatant lost either in the most disgraceful or the most miserable manner.
Beihan City, Dongxu Sect, Xixu Sect, Jiuyao Heavenly Palace... any one of them was enough to overpower Nanhuang God Nation. And Nanhuang Chanyi's public rejection of Beihan Chu had actually led them to openly unite in trampling and ravaging...
Clearly, in a tacit understanding, they wanted Nanhuang God Nation to finish this Zhongxu battle... with zero wins!
To leave a mark of extreme shame on Nanhuang God Nation, on Youxu's Five Realms, and in the history of the Zhongxu battles!
That Beihan City would angrily target them surprised no one. But did Dongxu Sect and Xixu Sect have an irresolvable grudge with Nanhuang God Nation?
No, of course not.
In this world where the strong reign supreme and strength decides everything, why not step on a doomed weakling to curry favor with a destined overlord of the nine heavens!
In the past, although Beihan City was the strongest, it was not to this extent. But with the halo of the "Northern Domain Heavenly Lord List" on Beihan Chu... if they could draw close to him and earn his favor, they would stoop to any despicable means.
The Zhongxu battle continued, but on Nanhuang's side, no one had any heart left to watch. Within the vast Nanhuang barrier, there had been no sound for a long time.
The few combatants who had not yet fought were all ashen-faced, their will to fight completely gone... they even wished they could flee the battlefield.
"Hmph, what utter boredom." Qianye Ying'er closed her eyes and muttered softly. For someone who had once stood at the pinnacle of divine lords, watching a bunch of divine kings bicker and use such low-level tactics was indeed testing her patience.
Yun Che remained silent throughout. His attention was barely on the Zhongxu battle. Instead, it was mostly fixed on Nanhuang Chanyi beside him.
Because the instigator who had "buried" Nanhuang God Nation in this situation was far too calm—abnormally so.
"Had enough of looking?" She suddenly spoke, her beautiful eyes slowly turning.
Since the Zhongxu battle began, this was the first time she had spoken.
"..." Yun Che's lips twitched slightly. He said flatly, "Before asking that question next time, take off all your clothes first!"