201: Chapter 201 The elegant and captivating beauty of the competition organizer! A standoff…

Of course, quite a few people turned pale, feeling that Zhou Liangan's methods were too cruel.

It was just a qualifying match; winning or losing was enough. Why resort to such a lethal strike, burning someone until not even ashes remained?

The referee stood by the arena, stunned for a long time before coming to his senses.

He flew onto the stage and scanned it with his Divine Sense for a long while, but could not even find a single fragment of a Divine Soul. Zhao Feng was truly dead beyond any doubt.

He swallowed hard, picked up the amplification jade talisman, and stammered, "Th-this match, Zhou Liangan wins!"

As his voice fell, the cheering rose to an even higher level.

In the VIP area.

"Pfft—"

Consultant Wu, in his black robes, suddenly spat out a large mouthful of black blood. His body swayed violently, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

His originally ruddy complexion instantly turned as pale as paper, and his eyes were filled with terror, as if he had seen a ghost.

"What is going on?!" The smile on Gongmen Xiuzhu's Face instantly froze. He stood up from his chair abruptly and shouted sternly, "Useless trash! Didn't you say it was foolproof?! How did it turn out like this?!"

Consultant Wu clutched his chest, gasping for air, his voice trembling: "Strange... this brat is too strange... My Spirit Locking Curse... not only was it broken, but it also backfired along the line of Karma... My Divine Soul has suffered heavy damage..."

He looked up at Gongmen Xiuzhu, his Face full of bitterness: "Young Master, this brat definitely has a high-level protective mark on him, at least at the Half-Emperor level! Otherwise, it wouldn't be possible to have such a strong backlash. We... cannot touch him."

"A Half-Emperor mark..." Gongmen Xiuzhu gritted his teeth, his eyes so sinister that water could practically drip from them.

He stared fixedly at the black figure on the arena, his fists clenched so tightly they rattled.

He had originally wanted to make Zhou Liangan embarrass himself in public, but instead, he ended up losing more than he gained—not only did he fail to harm the other party in the slightest, but he also lost his own man and let Zhou Liangan steal the spotlight.

This slap to the Face was too painful.

"Good, very good." Gongmen Xiuzhu snorted coldly and smashed his fist hard against the railing in front of him, leaving a deep dent in the hard alloy railing. "I underestimated him. But this is just the beginning; let's wait and see. I don't believe he can rely on that mark to protect him forever."

Beside him, Cang Meier sat in her original seat, silent for a long time.

Her gaze remained fixed on Zhou Liangan, not shifting for a single second from the beginning of the match to the end.

In that instant just now, while others hadn't noticed, she, because she was wearing the jade pendant bestowed by Old Ancestor Cang Xuan, had faintly caught a trace of an extremely weak Reincarnation Qi.

That aura was ancient, vast, and full of oppression, more profound and terrifying than any Half-Emperor pressure she had ever seen.

That was definitely not an ordinary Half-Emperor mark.

Cang Meier's heart sank suddenly.

Her previous premonition had indeed come true.

Zhou Liangan was hiding too much.

Was such a person someone they could really scheme against?

Cang Meier looked at the young man with the upright posture on the arena, her eyes complex.

There was wariness, surprise, and a trace of curiosity that even she herself hadn't noticed.

This person was even more extraordinary than the Old Ancestor had anticipated.

At this moment, Zhou Liangan on the arena suddenly raised his head, his gaze looking directly toward the direction of the VIP area.

His line of sight landed precisely on the positions of Gongmen Xiuzhu and Consultant Wu, and the corners of his mouth hooked into a faint cold smile.

The chill in those eyes was clearly transmitted over a distance of several dozen meters.

Gongmen Xiuzhu's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously tensed his body.

Did he discover it?! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

Zhou Liangan only glanced at them once before withdrawing his gaze.

He turned and walked off the arena, his back straight and his pace steady, as if he had just crushed an ant.

Only he himself knew that with that backlash just now, he had not only broken the curse but had also firmly locked onto the other party's aura along the line of Karma.

Gongmen Xiuzhu, a Return to Void Realm curse master.

In the contestant resting area, the remaining seed contestants' expressions all changed.

Yan Lie, who had previously clamored to challenge Zhou Liangan, was now frowning, his fists clenched tightly, unable to say a word.

He had originally thought he could easily crush Zhou Liangan, but regarding the power of that Nirvana fire just now, he asked himself, if it were him up there, he might not necessarily be able to withstand it.

Beside him, Wen Qingxuan waved the folding fan in his hand, the nonchalance on his Face gone, his eyes deep.

"It seems we all misjudged him." He said softly, "This person is unfathomable, far from as simple as he appears on the surface. Let's all be careful in the upcoming matches."

The surrounding prodigies nodded one after another, all putting away their previous disdain.

They finally realized that this seed contestant ranked first did not get here by relying on his background.

He truly possessed this strength.

As soon as the referee finished announcing the results, the cheering from the stands erupted like a thunderclap, overturning the heavens. Countless people screamed Zhou Liangan's name at the top of their lungs, the sound rising wave upon wave.

Everyone felt that this upset instant kill was already the biggest surprise of the day.

According to custom, the winning contestant should walk off the arena and return to the resting area to rest and prepare for the next round.

Even the staff member responsible for guidance had already walked to the arena entrance, waiting to welcome Zhou Liangan.

But no one expected that Zhou Liangan didn't walk down from the stage at all.

He stood at the edge of the arena, his gaze crossing the surging crowd, fixed directly on the direction of the VIP area.

The next second, he tapped his toes, his figure soaring into the air. Instead of landing towards the contestant passage, he stepped through the air toward the VIP area.

His black martial outfit snapped in the wind. His posture was upright, and every step seemed to land on invisible stairs. His speed was not fast, but it carried an unquestionable sense of oppression.

The cheering of the entire arena came to an abrupt halt.

The arena with hundreds of millions of people instantly fell mostly silent. Everyone stared with wide eyes, looking at that figure in mid-air, their brains unable to process what was happening.

"Where is he going? Isn't that the VIP area?"

"Damn, what's the situation? He just won the match and is already looking for trouble?"

"That direction... seems to be Gongmen Xiuzhu's position?"

The discussions rose slowly like a tide, getting louder and louder.

The simultaneously broadcasting interstellar live stream exploded.

[??? What kind of move is this? He just won and is already rushing to the VIP area?]

[Did I see that right? Why is he looking for Gongmen Xiuzhu? That's the second seed contestant!]

[Holy crap, tea! I said the reversal just now wasn't right; there really is inside information!]

The comments flooded the screen densely, the incoming viewers instantly doubled, and the live streaming server even lagged for a moment.

Zhou Liangan ignored the commotion below the stage.

He walked through the air all the way, finally stopping in mid-air in front of the VIP area, looking down at Gongmen Xiuzhu in his seat.

Consultant Wu stood beside Gongmen Xiuzhu, his Face still pale from the backlash. Seeing Zhou Liangan look over, he subconsciously averted his eyes.

Gongmen Xiuzhu's heart skipped a beat, instinctively feeling that something was wrong.

But he quickly suppressed his panic, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and pretended to look up with a bewildered expression.

Zhou Liangan's voice was as cold as ice, clearly spreading throughout the entire arena and also reaching every corner of the Human Race territory via the live stream: "Gongmen Xiuzhu, I have no grudges against you. Why did this old dog you raised try to sabotage me on the arena?"

A single sentence, earth-shattering.

The entire arena was first dead silent, followed by an uproar ten times more intense than before.

"Damn! Sabotage?! There really was a problem just now!"

"I was wondering why Zhou Liangan's attack suddenly weakened! So he was sabotaged by someone?"

"Gongmen Xiuzhu did it? That shouldn't be right; he is a Young Master of a Half-Emperor Family, would he use such low-class tactics?"

"Who knows! After all, Zhou Liangan outshone him, he's probably just unconvinced."

The audience seats were in an uproar; those supporting Zhou Liangan were filled with righteous indignation, while the supporters of the Gongmen Clan desperately refuted them, the two sides arguing incessantly.

Gongmen Xiuzhu's Face sank bit by bit.

He didn't expect Zhou Liangan to be so tough.

If it were someone else, even if they noticed they had been sabotaged, they would mostly likely endure it.

After all, without solid evidence, offending a Half-Emperor Family was not a wise choice.

But Zhou Liangan was different; he had just won the match and immediately rushed over to question him, leaving no Face at all, directly putting the matter in front of the entire Human Race.

This was tearing off the mask completely.

Gongmen Xiuzhu cursed Consultant Wu internally for his incompetence, but on the surface, he was not panicked at all.

He slowly stood up, meeting Zhou Liangan's gaze, with a refined smile on his Face, looking elegant and charming, not at all like someone who would engage in sabotage.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, you can eat indiscriminately, but you cannot speak indiscriminately." Gongmen Xiuzhu's voice spread through Spiritual Qi, clearly delivered to everyone's ears, "The entire Human Race is watching the live stream. You are slandering me for harming you with nothing but empty words; what kind of logic is this? I have no past grudges or recent enmity with you; why would I sabotage you? Don't get carried away just because you won a match and start accusing others randomly."

He spread his hands, looking frank and open.

Consultant Wu beside him also forced himself to stand straight, shouting with a gloomy Face: "Brat, don't slander me! What kind of status do I have? Would I go and sabotage a junior in the Enlightenment Realm like you? It's simply a joke!"

Just at this moment, a cold and dignified female voice suddenly came from high above.

"Presumptuous!"

Before the voice fell, a purple figure appeared in mid-air in the arena out of thin air.

The woman was wearing a form-fitting purple robe, her long hair loosely tied behind her head, with a few strands of loose hair hanging by her cheeks.

She had a tall and curvaceous figure with a slender waist, and the robe outlined her exquisite curves. As she moved, she carried a natural mature and charming air; the corners of her eyes were slightly upturned, giving her a naturally seductive look when she looked at people, but the coldness in her eyes made people afraid to look directly at her.

It was the Chief Referee Ruan Yufeng of the Transit Star Region division for this Human Council Tournament.

With a cultivation of the third stage of the Return to Void Realm, she was already top-tier combat power in the Transit Star Region.

She had originally been watching the match in the top-level monitoring room, and when Zhou Liangan rushed to find Gongmen Xiuzhu, she felt something was wrong and immediately rushed over.

Ruan Yufeng stood in mid-air, her gaze first scanning Gongmen Xiuzhu. Seeing the other party nod slightly, she knew what was going on.

She then turned her head to look at Zhou Liangan, her brows locked, her tone carrying obvious displeasure.

"Zhou Liangan, this is the arena of the Human Council Tournament, and there are rules. You just won the match, yet instead of following the procedure to exit, you are provoking trouble in public and disrupting the order of the tournament. Do you still have any respect for the tournament rules in your eyes?"

[part:gemini-3.5-flash]

The pressure of her third-stage Return to Void Realm slowly released, pressing down toward Zhou Liangan as she spoke in a cold, hard tone, "Considering your outstanding talent, I won't hold this first offense against you. Step down immediately and return to the competitor's waiting area. The tournament will proceed as normal. If you dare to cause any more trouble, do not blame me for showing no mercy and directly disqualifying you."

As soon as Chief Referee Ruan Yufeng appeared, the clamor in the arena instantly quieted down significantly.

After all, as a tournament supervisor and a Return to Void Realm powerhouse, her words carried immense weight.

Many spectators subconsciously shut their mouths, waiting to see how Zhou Liangan would respond.

The livestream chat, however, was not nearly as quiet.

[Ruan Yufeng? I heard she's from the Ruan Family, which is a vassal of the Gongmen Clan. Can this even be fair?]

[There's such a connection? Then isn't Zhou Liangan's protest all for nothing?]

[Hard to say. Zhou Liangan has the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation backing him. It just depends on whether he dares to blow things out of proportion.]

Zhou Liangan stood where he was. Chief Referee Ruan Yufeng's pressure fell upon him like a stone sinking into the ocean, failing to stir even the slightest ripple.

He didn't even furrow his brow, merely staring coldly at Chief Referee Ruan Yufeng.

"Causing trouble?" He let out a soft laugh, his tone dripping with mockery. "I was secretly harmed by a curse on the arena stage and almost died at my opponent's hands. Now, demanding an explanation from the culprit is considered 'causing trouble'? Referee Ruan, is this how your tournament's rules are set?"

"Nonsense!" Consultant Wu immediately refuted sharply. "Who used a curse to harm you? Do you have evidence? Without evidence, this is slander!"

Gongmen Xiuzhu also sighed, putting on an expression of regret. "Fellow Daoist Zhou, I know you are young and impetuous, but you cannot be so unreasonably troublesome. In front of the entire Human Race, throwing around wild accusations without producing any evidence is a bit too much. How about this: apologize publicly right now, and I will act as if today's incident never happened. We can settle things on the field, what do you say?"

He spoke with such grace and propriety, as if he truly possessed a magnanimous heart and wouldn't bicker with a junior.

Quite a few spectators who didn't know the truth were actually fooled by him, feeling that Zhou Liangan was being a bit too unforgiving despite being in the right.

Chief Referee Ruan Yufeng also seized the opportunity to say coldly, "Did you hear that? Do not make wild, baseless accusations without evidence. Step down immediately, or you will be severely punished."

The two of them played along with each other, clearly intent on sweeping the matter under the rug and instead framing Zhou Liangan for disrupting order.

Looking at their hypocritical Faces, the smile on Zhou Liangan's Face grew even colder.

"Evidence?" He raised his chin slightly, his gaze sweeping over Gongmen Xiuzhu and Consultant Wu. "Do you really think I would dare to stand here if I didn't have evidence?"

The moment his words fell, he raised his fingertip, and the Reincarnation Qi inside his body suddenly surged.

Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, that ancient and simple Reincarnation Imprint slowly lit up, emitting a pale purple glow.

An ancient, boundless aura, as if having traversed countless eras, slowly diffused from his body.

Right after, a wisp of pitch-black aura, carrying a cold and sinister evil, drifted out from his fingertip and hovered in midair.

As soon as that black mist appeared, the surrounding temperature seemed to drop by several degrees. The black mist twisted and wriggled, within which a hideous ghostly Face was faintly visible, radiating a malicious and sinister curse power.

Anyone with an observant eye could recognize at a glance that this was the malicious Spirit Locking Curse.

"This curse mark is exactly what this Consultant Wu struck me with on the arena stage just now," Zhou Liangan's voice was calm, yet it possessed immense penetrating power. "The Spirit Locking Curse can secretly obstruct the circulation of Spiritual Qi and weaken a Cultivator's combat strength. If I didn't have some self-defense capabilities, I would have already died at the hands of Zhao Feng just now."

He paused, his gaze falling upon Consultant Wu. "The path of curses is linked to the Divine Soul, and everyone's curse power has its own unique imprint. Whether you did it or not, you know it well in your heart. There are so many Seniors and experts present; surely some of them can discern the truth."

The entire crowd fell into an uproar once again.

"It really is a curse! That's too insidious!"

"Isn't the Spirit Locking Curse a forbidden art? Using this in a tournament is way too low!"

"As expected, it was done by the Gongmen Family! Gongmen Xiuzhu is truly shameless!"

The spectator stands instantly leaned toward Zhou Liangan's side, erupting in a wave of curses.

Gongmen Xiuzhu's Face instantly turned pale. He never expected that Zhou Liangan could actually extract the curse mark and even display it in public!

Anyone struck by the Spirit Locking Curse would either be corroded by the curse power or have the curse power dissipate upon forcibly breaking it. How could it possibly be preserved completely intact?

Consultant Wu was even paler, his eyes filled with sheer terror.

He could feel that the black mist indeed contained his Divine Soul imprint; there was no faking it.

Chief Referee Ruan Yufeng also furrowed her brow, inwardly cursing Gongmen Xiuzhu for being unreliable and actually leaving behind evidence.

Just as she was about to speak to smooth things over, a sudden change occurred.

The Reincarnation Imprint on Zhou Liangan's fingertip suddenly flared with brilliant light, and that ancient, boundless aura instantly surged, sweeping across the entire arena like a tsunami.

In midair, the pale purple glow slowly condensed, gradually outlining a figure.

It was a woman.

She wore an imperial robe, her posture peerless, her Face cold and stunningly beautiful, and her gaze indifferent, as if looking at ants.

She simply stood there quietly, yet the entire world seemed to bow down at her feet.

A terrifying pressure that transcended all living beings pressed down, blanketing the sky and covering the earth.

The Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation.

It was merely a phantom projection, yet that terrifying aura above the Half-Emperor level could not be faked.

Everyone in the arena felt their chests tighten. Cultivators with low cultivation bases were directly left breathless, instinctively wanting to kneel.

Cultivators below the Return to Void Realm did not even have the courage to lift their heads and look directly at her.

In the VIP seats, several Return to Void Realm Elders abruptly stood up, their Faces filled with shock.

"A phantom projection of the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation?! How is that possible?!"

"This imprint can actually trigger the manifestation of the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation? What on earth is Zhou Liangan's relationship with her?!"

Gongmen Xiuzhu's legs went weak, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.

He never imagined that Zhou Liangan could directly summon the phantom projection of the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation!

This was no longer something a normal successor could achieve. Just how close of a relationship must they have to leave behind such a powerful imprint?

Consultant Wu collapsed into his chair with a thud, his Face as pale as ash.

Chief Referee Ruan Yufeng's expression also changed, her entire body tensing up, and she even softened her breathing.

She was only at the third stage of the Return to Void Realm; in front of the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation, she was not even an ant.

The livestream chat completely exploded.

[Holy crap! Is that really the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation?! I actually got to see what the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation looks like!]

[My god, is Zhou Liangan actually the successor of the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation? This backing is way too powerful!]

[The Gongmen Family has really kicked a steel plate this time! Daring to secretly harm the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation's person—do they have a death wish?]

The number of viewers in the livestream chat surged frantically. Cultivators from various Star Domains received the news and flooded into the stream, causing the servers to lag several times.

Right under everyone's watchful eyes, the phantom projection of the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation slowly spoke.

Her voice was very faint, as if coming from a great distance, yet it fell clearly into everyone's ears, spreading throughout the entire territory of the Human Race.

"Zhou Liangan is this Emperor's successor."

With a single sentence, she directly confirmed Zhou Liangan's identity.

Her indifferent gaze swept across the entire venue as she continued, "If the Human Race's tournament grounds have already become so dark that even this Emperor's successor can be cursed to death in broad daylight, then I find it hard to imagine whether those ordinary prodigies without backgrounds or backings can ever obtain fairness in these competitions."

"The Human Council Tournament was originally a grand event to select talents and stabilize the Human Race's Foundation. If it degenerates into a tool for factional struggles, covert harm, and schemes, then this tournament might as well not be held."

As her voice fell, the entire venue fell into a dead silence.

No one dared to speak.

The weight of the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation's words was simply too heavy.

This was no longer a minor matter of a single tournament; this was questioning the fairness of the entire Human Council Tournament, and even questioning the management of the Human Race's upper echelons.

Gongmen Xiuzhu's Face was as pale as ash, and he couldn't utter a single word.

He knew that this matter had blown up to a point where he absolutely could not handle it.

Even if the Old Ancestor of his Family came, they would still have to think twice when facing the accountability of the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation.

Chief Referee Ruan Yufeng, in particular, was crying out in bitterness in her heart.

She was originally a direct descendant of the Ruan Family, which relied on the Gongmen Clan for survival. Her ability to secure the position of Chief Administrator of the Transit Star Region this time was also the result of the Gongmen Clan's manipulation.

Before she came, the Gongmen Old Ancestor had subtly mentioned that she should take good care of Gongmen Xiuzhu and find opportunities to cause some trouble for Zhou Liangan.

But she never expected that Zhou Liangan would be so unyielding, directly drawing out the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation.

Now that the matter was known to the entire Human Race and the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation had personally spoken, if she didn't handle this well, not only would she lose her position as administrator, but even the Ruan Family would suffer along with her.

Chief Referee Ruan Yufeng's mind spun rapidly as she quickly weighed the pros and cons.

Now that the evidence was irrefutable, Consultant Wu definitely could not be protected.

However, Gongmen Xiuzhu absolutely could not be implicated. Otherwise, the Gongmen Clan would lose all Face, and she wouldn't have a good outcome either.

The urgent priority now was to cut the Gordian knot, shift all responsibility onto Consultant Wu alone, and pacify the situation as quickly as possible.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the panic in her heart, and turned to glare sharply at Consultant Wu, her Face filled with fury.

"Wu Tao! How dare you!" Chief Referee Ruan Yufeng's voice was infused with spiritual power, vibrating so hard it made people's eardrums ache. "The tournament rules explicitly prohibit outside interference and forbid harming competitors with curses! As a Return to Void Realm Cultivator, you actually knowingly broke the law to secretly harm a participating Prodigy! This is absolutely lawless!"

Consultant Wu lowered his head, gritting his teeth in silence.

He knew very well in his heart that he was now an abandoned pawn.

Now that the matter was exposed, someone had to take the blame.

Seeing that he did not object, Chief Referee Ruan Yufeng felt a sigh of relief in her heart. She then solemnly announced, "According to the tournament rules, secretly harming a competitor should result in having your cultivation crippled and being banished from the Human Race. However, considering that your cultivation has reached the Return to Void Realm and that cultivating to this level is not easy, making you a core combat force of the Human Race, this seat shall show leniency. You are hereby sentenced to immediately head to the frontlines of the Extraterritorial Battlefield to guard the Human Race's border for a thousand years. Within these thousand years, you are not allowed to return to the interior, and you must redeem yourself through service. Do you accept this?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire venue fell silent for a moment before instantly erupting into chaos.

"What? Just a punishment of guarding the border for a thousand years? That's way too light!"

"Did I hear that right? Secretly harming a seeded competitor with ironclad evidence, and it's just settled like this?"

"Cultivating to the Return to Void Realm is not easy? So a Prodigy's life is not a life? If Zhou Liangan didn't have some capabilities, he would be ashes by now!"

PS: The image shows Chief Referee Ruan Yufeng.