The judge pondered deeply for a moment before he gazed at Yang Ye and said, “Yang Ye, I have no intention to go against you or side with anyone. But I feel what Kugu said was reasonable. So, can you provide some explanation?”

Yang Ye smiled and said, “Forgive me for being unable to explain or expose what happened just now. If Senior has proof that I’ve relied on an external source of strength, then please display it, and I’ll be willing to accept my punishment!”

The judge was slightly displeased when he heard this. However, he couldn’t do anything about it because he really didn’t have any proof that Yang Ye had utilized an external source of strength. But if Yang Ye hadn’t utilized an external source of strength, then how did Yang Ye kill Li Xianjun while facing a mid-grade Earth Rank technique? This was what he was puzzled by!

Right at this moment, Su Qingshi arrived on the arena. She nodded lightly to Yang Ye, and then she gazed at Kugu and said, “Kugu, if you have proof, then please display it. Otherwise, please descend from the arena and don’t interfere with the battles of the Ascension Rankings!”

Meanwhile, the judge nodded as well and said, “Kugu, if you have proof that Yang Ye utilized an external source of strength, then please display it!”

Kugu’s savage expression became slightly unsightly. Proof? He naturally didn’t have any, and it was merely a guess of his…. So, when the judge asked him for proof, where would he go look for it?

Meanwhile, Yang Ye suddenly smiled and said, “Looks like Senior Kugu is unable to produce any proof. Since it’s like this, then please leave the arena and don’t interfere with our competition, alright?”

Kugu gazed coldly at Yang Ye while the killing intent in his eyes wasn’t concealed at all. If he knew that this disciple of the Sword Sect had comprehended Sword Intent, then he would have made Yang Ye vanish from the world before the Ascension Rankings had even begun officially. In that way, the Ghost Sect wouldn’t have lost an extraordinary genius now. Unfortunately, there was no medicine for regret in this world!

When she saw Kugu staring at Yang Ye with a gaze that carried killing intent, Su Qingshi’s beautiful brows knit together slightly. With a flip of her palm, Green Darkness had appeared in her hand.

Meanwhile, the judge frowned and said, “Kugu, even your Ghost Sect’s Master wouldn’t be able to save you if you attacked a participant during the Ascension Rankings!”

The judge wasn’t lying. The Ascension Rankings was jointly held by the six great powers and the Grand Qin Empire, and the rules were set by them as well. If Kugu dared to attack a participant during the competition, then he would undoubtedly be insulting the dignity of these powers.

There were existences in the southern territory that dared to insult these powers, but it absolutely didn’t include Kugu!

When he heard this, the killing intent in his eyes was greatly restrained, and then he grunted coldly before his figure flashed and vanished from the arena. As for Li Xianjun’s corpse, Kugu hadn’t spared it a glance since the very beginning. No matter how much of a monstrous genius Li Xianjun was in the past or how much contributions he’d made to the Ghost Sect in the past, he was worthless in the eyes of the Ghost Sect once he died….

A strand of sorrow suddenly arose in Yang Ye’s heart when he witnessed this scene. Because if he, Yang Ye, had died earlier, then the Sword Sect would probably treat him in the same way that Kugu treated Li Xianjun. At the very least, Li Xianjun was a disciple of the Ghost Sect while he wasn’t even a disciple of the Sword Sect. So, there were no grounds to criticize the Sword Sect even if they really treated him in that way!

Yang Ye suddenly smiled when he glanced at Su Qingshi who stood by his side. Since the very beginning, he’d only represented the Sword Sect at the Ascension Rankings because of Su Qingshi. So, the Sword Sect’s attitude towards him wasn’t important anymore, and the way Su Qingshi had stood up for him just now was enough.

At most times, love wasn’t a thing where you had to obtain something from someone, and the emphasis should be placed on the price one was willing to pay for the person one loved. In the opinions of many, this was very stupid, but Yang Ye was such a person.

Su Qingshi glanced at Yang Ye, and then her figure flashed and vanished from the arena.

After Kugu and Su Qingshi left successively, the competition returned to normal. Profounder after profounder stepped foot onto the arena, and then all sorts of explosions resounded on the entire square!

“Have you really cultivated a Heaven Rank technique?” Murong Yao gazed at Yang Ye who stood by her side below the arena as she asked this question.

Yang Ye was stunned, and then he shook his head and smiled before he said, “A Heaven Rank technique? I wish I had one!”

Murong Yao frowned slightly and said, “Then how did you kill Li Xianjun?”

When she finished speaking, she felt that this was slightly inappropriate, and she said, “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked!”

Yang Ye smiled and said, “I’m very sorry as well but I’m really unable to tell you. However, it won’t be long before you find out how I did.”

Yes, after he finished Li Xianjun, he had even more and even stronger enemies waiting for him. During the battles with these formidable enemies, his trump cards would be exposed one by one. At that time, Murong Yao would naturally know how he’d killed Li Xianjun!

Murong Yao nodded lightly when she heard him, and then she looked at the arena.

Yang Ye was only slightly famous in the past, but after the battle between him and Li Xianjun had been concluded, his image in the hearts of everyone had instantly grown imposing. Because he’d killed a ninth rank First Heaven Realm expert who’d comprehended Slaughter Intent while facing an Earth Rank technique. Such strength was something all of them had no choice but to fear, take seriously, and be cautious against!

After all, how many amongst them had cultivated an Earth Rank technique? Moreover, it didn’t make a difference even if they’d cultivated an Earth Rank technique because Yang Ye had killed Li Xianjun while facing such a technique….

At this moment, there was only a single thought in the hearts of countless others — they hoped they wouldn’t encounter Yang Ye when they drew the subsequent lots!

“You’ve fought him in the past. So, do you know how he killed Li Xianjun?” Leng Xinran asked Wenren Yue who stood by her side. Obviously, the mysterious way Yang Ye had killed Li Xianjun just now had aroused a trace of fear in her.

Wenren Yue shook her head, and she said with a solemn expression, “He told me that he would definitely be able to kill me. At that time, I thought he was just bragging, but now it would seem like he really does possess a mysterious and formidable trump card!”

“Things that are too hard are easy to break into two. He had too many enemies, so a person like him is bound to be unable to live for long!” Leng Xinran spoke indifferently.

“Is that so?” Wenren Yue’s brows raised, and then she said, “10,000 years ago, how haughty, arrogant, and domineering was the Sword Sect’s Founding Ancestor? I didn’t hear of anyone being able to make the Sword Sect’s Founding Ancestor unable to live for long at that time!”

“He can’t be compared to the Sword Sect’s Founding Ancestor!” Leng Xinran said, “Even though he has comprehended Sword Intent, but he can’t!”

Wenren Yue neither agreed nor disagreed, and she smiled and said, “Perhaps!”

Leng Xinran glanced at Wenren Yue and said, “You seem to think very highly of him. If I’m not wrong, then your Flower Palace has definitely asked you to kill Yang Ye, right?”

Wenren Yue fell silent.

When she saw Wenren Yue fall silent, Leng Xinran didn’t speak further as well, and she raised her head and looked towards the arenas.

Countless people were descending and ascending the 10 arenas. During this period of time, it was very rare for anyone to be killed by their opponent. After all, so long as there was no irreconcilable enmity between them, they would stop once the other was defeated.

The rules of the battles during the Ascension Rankings was slightly cruel because one’s points couldn’t be negative. Once that happened, the participant would instantly lose the qualification to continue participating in the competition. So, every single profounder had to go all out during every single battle, otherwise, it was very likely that they wouldn’t have another chance to stand on the arena.

During this period of time, the Imperial Academy’s Qin Youran, the Snow Palace’s Leng Xinran, and the Flower Palace’s Wenren Yue had ascended the arena many times. Sure enough, they hadn’t lost at all. Not only had they not lost, they’d defeated their opponents with ease, and it truly disappointed the other profounders who wanted to witness the trump cards possessed by these three monstrous geniuses!

Amongst the countless profounders here, many had merely set their sights on the top 30 while numerous others merely wanted to make an appearance on the arenas. But there were also some that wanted to amaze the world with a brilliant feat! For example, like defeating Qin Youran, Wenren Yue, Leng Xinran, or even Yang Ye….

So long as they defeated any one of these people, then no matter how unknown they were to the world, their name would be known to all the profounders of the younger generation in the entire southern territory. Moreover, there would be countless powers that extended an olive branch to them. Everything they didn’t have in the past, they would obtain at the first possible moment! Of course, the precondition was that they obtained a good ranking or defeated a disciple of the six great powers or the Imperial Academy!

The meaning behind the Ascension Rankings was to ascend into the sky. Of course, the precondition was the same, one had to possess strength and potential, otherwise, not to mention ascending into the sky, even one’s life would be in danger….

Time slowly passed by, and it in the blink of an eye, it was already nighttime. However, the area outside the Imperial Palace was still as bright as day. Because there were countless Moonlight Stones in the surroundings, and the illumination of these Moonlight Stones caused the entire square to be bright as day. It didn’t affect the competition at all!

“The Grand Qin Empire’s Qin Youran against the independent cultivator, Lin Xiuran!” The voice of a judge resounded from Arena No.1.

When they heard this, the crowd hurriedly raised their eyes and looked towards Arena No.1. When compared to the other battles, the crowd looked forward to the battles of the disciples from the six great powers and the Imperial Academy. Even though watching others being defeated in a single move was dull and made it a short battle, it was still exciting!

“Do all of you think that Qin Youran will be able to finish his opponent with a single strike again?”

“I think so. I’ve never seen or heard of someone called Lin Xiuran, so perhaps he’ll directly admit defeat upon ascending the arena!”

“Exactly. I bet that he’ll directly admit defeat one he ascends….”

Bang!

While the crowd was discussing it animatedly, a figure had descended directly onto the arena, and it was none other than Qin Youran.

Right at this moment, a young man that wore a black robe held a black iron sword in his hand as he walked step by step towards the arena.

“Haha!!” Countless profounders in the surroundings laughed when they witnessed this scene.

Amidst the laughter of countless profounders, the black robed young man walked up the arena.

“Will you go down yourself, or should I send you down?” Qin Youran glanced at the black robed young man before he spoke coldly.

Clang!

Right at this moment, a resounding howl suddenly resounded from the iron sword in the black robed young man’s hand, and then the swords in the possession of all the profounders in the surroundings started trembling violently.

Sword Intent!

The expressions of everyone in the surroundings changed when they witnessed this scene!