Ye Ling looked at the red-haired elder, whose aura was not weak, and asked, "You know me?"
The red-haired elder said indifferently, "Before each ranking tournament begins, we referees receive information on all participants. As the master of the Primordial Chaos ranked first in potential, it's normal for me to know you."
Ye Ling chuckled, "Since that's the case, do you know why I'm looking for you?"
The red-haired elder replied, "It's no longer important. You have kidnapped referees and manipulated the competition, which is a serious violation of the rules of the Void. My mission is to eliminate you and restore the ranking tournament to its proper course."
As soon as the red-haired elder spoke, Chu Yun, who had finished contacting Die, immediately entered a state of readiness, staring warily at the red-haired elder.
Ye Ling stepped in front of Chu Yun, signaling her to relax. He then looked at the red-haired elder with a smile and said, "You seem very confident in your strength."
The red-haired elder stated, "Since the first ranking tournament, I have served as a referee in the Hidden Ruins. I have seen many masters, and I have encountered many people like you."
"You think your strength is enough to control everything, so you disregard the rules and act recklessly... I am all too familiar with people like you, and I have killed too many."
Boom!!!
As the red-haired elder finished speaking, he suddenly unleashed a terrifying aura. The entire Hidden Ruins began to shake violently, and a tempestuous power swept towards Ye Ling and Chu Yun!
The aura unleashed by the red-haired elder directly shattered the spiritual energy ropes binding the red-robed referees behind Ye Ling. These referees, regaining their freedom, immediately melted into shadows and merged with the Hidden Ruins platform, reappearing behind the red-haired elder.
"Chief Referee, those two are too arrogant. They have already killed many of my companions. I implore you to make them pay the price!" the red-robed referees behind the red-haired elder said excitedly, their eyes filled with hatred as they looked at Ye Ling and Chu Yun.
Besides the two referees Ye Ling had killed, Chu Yun had shown no mercy when hunting referees, and several had already met their end at her hands.
Nearly half of the referees responsible for organizing the ranking tournament in the Hidden Ruins had been killed by Ye Ling and Chu Yun!
"I am aware. You may withdraw," the red-haired elder said calmly. With a flick of his sleeve, the red-robed referees behind him fell silent. After a slight bow to the red-haired elder, they retreated.
"Ye Ling, I acknowledge you as the master of Primordial Chaos and your extraordinary status. I can give you an opportunity... Surrender now with your accomplice, and let the ranking tournament proceed normally. I can spare you from utter annihilation and grant you a chance at reincarnation."
Upon hearing the red-haired elder's arrogant words, Ye Ling shook his head and laughed mockingly, "It seems our Chief Referee hasn't quite grasped the current situation."
"If it were someone else with strength comparable to yours, Chief Referee, dealing with them might be a bit more troublesome. But for someone like you, who works for the Void and whose power is entirely a gift from the Void, dealing with you is far too easy."
As Ye Ling spoke, he opened his left palm, and the Book of the Void materialized in his hand, surging with infinite energy.
"The Book of the Void!!!"
The red-haired elder's pupils contracted sharply upon seeing the Book of the Void appear in Ye Ling's palm, his heart churning with immense shock!
He could no longer maintain his facade of an aloof master, staring at Ye Ling with disbelief, "Impossible! The Book of the Void was lost long ago. How could it possibly be in your possession? And it has recognized you as its master?"
"It seems the Chief Referee knows a thing or two... Unfortunately, you don't know much. You don't even know that the Book of the Void has always been within the Hidden Ruins."
Ye Ling smiled faintly at the red-haired elder. The Book of the Void hovering in his palm began to flip open automatically.
The Spirit of the Void quickly materialized, holding a pen and rapidly writing in the Book of the Void.
The Book of the Void possessed the power to alter the Void. Although the Book of the Void's power was nearly depleted, and Ye Ling only had less than twelve hours remaining, for the Book of the Void, stripping a ranking tournament referee of their position was a simple matter.
As the Spirit of the Void struck the red-haired elder's name from the registry in the Book of the Void, the red-haired elder's power began to rapidly decline, and his face started to age.
"Impossible... My power... My power is draining away!"
Seeing his power dissipating, the red-haired elder's face contorted. He glared at Ye Ling and roared, "You scoundrel, give me back my power!"
Bang!!!
The red-haired elder's feet crushed the Hidden Ruins platform, and he shot towards Ye Ling like a cannonball.
The Shield of Immortality quickly materialized in front of Ye Ling. The red-haired elder crashed headfirst into the Shield of Immortality, becoming disoriented and unable to shake it in the slightest.
The red-robed referees, who had just escaped death, looked at their Chief Referee's pathetic state with expressions of pure terror, their minds blank.
How, how could this be?
In the Hidden Ruins, they were supposed to be the kings, yet now their Chief Referee was being dominated by a contestant?
The Shield of Immortality slowly dissipated. Ye Ling, holding the Book of the Void with one hand, walked up to the red-haired elder and asked with a smile, "I believe you know where the person behind you is, don't you?"
The bloodied red-haired elder looked at Ye Ling with difficulty, his voice filled with dread, "Wh-what are you talking about?"
"We're at this point, and you're still playing dumb?" Ye Ling sighed slightly. The Spirit of the Void hovering beside him quickly flipped through the Book of the Void, and then an illustration of Long Yao appeared on the book, displayed before the red-haired elder.
Upon seeing Long Yao depicted in the Book of the Void, the red-haired elder's pupils constricted sharply, "You, you already know?"
"The Book of the Void can deduce everything. Isn't it normal for me to know about your affairs?" Ye Ling gestured for the Spirit of the Void to close the book and looked at the red-haired elder with a smile, "Old man, arbitrarily manipulating the ranking tournament is a grave offense. As the representative of the Void, I am giving you an opportunity to atone for your sins. Don't let my good intentions go to waste."
"You, you..."
The red-haired elder looked at Ye Ling with a terrified expression, his body trembling violently.
He had lived for an immeasurable age, yet he had never felt such fear before.
The Ye Ling before him seemed to know everything about him, leaving him nowhere to hide!
After an intense internal struggle, the red-haired elder finally gave up resisting and said to Ye Ling, "I, I'll tell you everything... It was all Long Yao's instruction! She wants to collude with people from other worlds to weaken the Void's vital forces, thereby achieving control over the Void!"