The World Annihilation Spiritual Fire's arrogance was instantly dampened by Ye Ling's taunt. It whispered to Ye Ling, "Hey! Kid, there are outsiders here. Give me some face, I have dignity too!"
Ye Ling chuckled and replied, "No problem, I'll give you plenty of face later."
"That's more like it." Hearing Ye Ling's words, the World Annihilation Spiritual Fire nodded in satisfaction. It then assured Die, "Don't worry, with my brother and me here, no matter how many enemies come, we can handle them all. Just follow us, and I guarantee you'll get a good ranking!"
Die said, "Then I'll stick with Brother Huo from now on!"
The World Annihilation Spiritual Fire declared, "Leave it to me!"
Ye Ling smiled, shaking his head at the World Annihilation Spiritual Fire's carefree demeanor. He ignored it and turned his gaze back to the center of the platform, focusing on the red-robed referee.
Ye Ling wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but ever since he entered the platform, he felt the red-robed referee's gaze on him was different from how he looked at others.
"Benefactor, are you still thinking about the competition format?"
Die walked over to Ye Ling after her chat with the World Annihilation Spiritual Fire. Seeing Ye Ling lost in thought, she asked.
Ye Ling snapped back to reality and asked Die, "By the way, I saw a man in red standing in the center of the platform earlier. Is he the referee?"
Die nodded, "Yes... he's the referee presiding over this competition. Before you arrived, he read out the rules to us."
Ye Ling inquired, "What's this referee's background? Is he also a powerful being from some universe?"
Die shook her head and replied, "No, I've inquired before... there's no such figure in any of the major ordered worlds. I think he's a creature similar to a primordial immortal spirit, directly conceived from the void. He possesses immense power from birth and is responsible for overseeing the competition."
Ye Ling stated, "I understand... When does the competition start?"
Die responded, "According to the referee, the competition will begin once all the representatives from the major ordered worlds have arrived... You are the second to last to arrive, so it should start after the very last one arrives."
Ye Ling exclaimed, "We're the second to last? Which world is the last one?"
Die replied, "I'm not sure about that. I don't know much about the information regarding the major ordered worlds in the void; I only heard what the referee announced."
"The last World Sovereign has arrived!"
At this moment, the referee's voice boomed from the center of the platform, and a dazzling pillar of light shone down from the sky.
Seeing the pillar of light, Die immediately said to Ye Ling, "The last contestant has arrived. Let's go take a look. The competition will likely start soon."
"Alright."
Ye Ling nodded and, along with Die and the World Annihilation Spiritual Fire, headed towards the center of the platform to welcome the last contestant.
It wasn't just Ye Ling; the sovereigns from all the major worlds were curious about who this last arrival was. A large number of powerful individuals rushed to the center of the platform, making the originally spacious area feel somewhat crowded.
Ye Ling, Die, and the World Annihilation Spiritual Fire found a good spot and looked at the person emerging from the pillar of light.
When Ye Ling saw the person emerge from the pillar of light, he was stunned: "She's qualified too?"
The person emerging from the pillar of light was none other than the Star Chaos Sovereign, Chu Yun!
Chu Yun still looked bewildered, gazing at the surrounding powerhouses, not yet understanding how she had ended up in this place.
Before Ye Ling could approach Chu Yun to greet her, the Barren Chaos Sovereign stepped forward and used the same taunting tactic to provoke Chu Yun, attempting to lure her into making a move.
Seeing this, the World Annihilation Spiritual Fire cursed, "That scoundrel deserves a beating. I'll be the first to eliminate him once the competition starts!"
As it spoke, the World Annihilation Spiritual Fire prepared to step forward and warn Chu Yun. However, before it could act, the red-robed referee in the center of the platform spoke, "Since all contestants have arrived, the competition is about to begin. I will transmit the specific details to your minds. I wish you all a good performance."
As the referee finished speaking, a map of the Hidden Ruins and the specific competition rules appeared in everyone's minds.
Ye Ling quickly scanned the competition rules and discovered that the competition involved random teleportation to a certain location within the Hidden Ruins. He immediately marked spots for the World Annihilation Spiritual Fire and Die and quickly instructed them, "If we get separated later, hide immediately. Don't fight anyone, and don't try to snatch any treasures. I will find you as soon as possible, understand?"
The World Annihilation Spiritual Fire and Die exchanged glances and then nodded at Ye Ling, "Understood!"
It wasn't just Ye Ling; the sovereigns from various realms on the platform, after seeing the competition rules, also left their contact information for their companions, preparing to rendezvous as soon as they entered the arena.
After all, in this battle royale format, fighting and snatching treasures at the beginning was meaningless. Only those who survived until the end would be the victors!
The Barren Chaos Sovereign, after receiving the rule information from the referee, no longer bothered provoking Chu Yun. He immediately returned to find his companions, attempting to devise a strategy during this final preparation time.
Chu Yun, seeing the Barren Chaos Sovereign leave so abruptly, was still somewhat confused and didn't understand the situation.
As the Star Chaos Sovereign, she had participated in ranking matches in the Hidden Ruins before, even winning the championship. Therefore, she understood the Hidden Ruins intimately.
However, the competition format the referee had given her was completely different from the ranking matches she had participated in before!
Moreover, the Star Chaos had already been destroyed. How could she, no longer the Star Chaos Sovereign, be qualified to enter the Hidden Ruins for ranking matches?
This ranking match seemed to be shrouded in strangeness everywhere!
"Chu Yun!"
While Chu Yun was still organizing her thoughts, Ye Ling, having made arrangements for the World Annihilation Spiritual Fire and Die, flew over to Chu Yun.
"Ye Ling!"
Upon seeing Ye Ling, Chu Yun's eyes lit up with joy, "That's great! You're here too!"
Ye Ling quickly made a mark for Chu Yun, saying, "The competition is about to start. We'll discuss the specifics after we enter the Hidden Ruins. Once you're teleported in, don't do anything else. Find me immediately, understand?"
Seeing Ye Ling gave Chu Yun a sense of reassurance. She quickly nodded, "Yes! I'll find you immediately!"
Buzz—!
As soon as Chu Yun finished speaking, a strange sound echoed across the platform. Then, countless pillars of light descended from the sky, precisely enveloping every powerhouse on the platform.
The next moment, with a flash of white light, all the powerhouses on the platform, including the red-robed referee, vanished!