The power of the forbidden spell deeply shocked Ye Han. If it weren't for the Half-Life Domain providing him with spatial energy in the end, he might have died under the forbidden spell.
So, Ye Han made no more unnecessary moves, mobilizing the last bit of energy in his body, and charged towards Gregory and his men. The stunned men had just come to their senses when Ye Han had already reached them. Even the most powerful mages can't resist the melee attacks of a swordsman of the same level.
The three mages, still in shock, and the fire mage who had fainted from forcibly releasing the forbidden spell, were killed by Ye Han in a few flashes. They didn't even have time to defend themselves.
Gregory's body was shaking violently. The scent of death completely enveloped his heart and soul. He had never been so close to death before.
"You... you..." The panicked Gregory was now speechless. He just stared at Ye Han in terror.
"Ha ha ha" His pale face, coupled with the wild laughter, completely shattered the last bit of courage in Gregory's heart. He sat down on the ground.
"You wanted to kill me, didn't you? You wanted to capture me, didn't you?" Ye Han took a step forward, and Gregory kept retreating, leaving a deep imprint on the scorched yellow soil.
"Don't kill me, I beg you not to kill me" Gregory pleaded. His voice was trembling, and his soul was trembling. The aura of bloodshed emanating from Ye Han was severely assaulting Gregory's soul.
"I won't kill you, but you have to answer a few questions for me" Ye Han's lips curled slightly. He looked at the limp Gregory on the ground and said.
"Okay, you ask, as long as I know, I'll answer truthfully" Hearing Ye Han say he won't kill him, Gregory hurriedly spoke. Given a chance to live, Gregory wanted to please the man who had given him mercy.
"You, a son of the Empire's Prime Minister, why did you come to the Transverse Mountain Range?" Ye Han found it strange when Gregory first revealed his identity.
"I... I..." Gregory was stuttering and couldn't say it. If he revealed the truth, wouldn't that be seeking death?
"Speak" Ye Han's face turned cold, and he ordered in a low voice.
Listening to Ye Han's icy voice, Gregory's body trembled even more violently. "It... it's for you" After saying this, a few drops of cold sweat slid down Gregory's still handsome face, landing on the scorched yellow ground, and quickly evaporated.
"For me? Be more specific."
"A few months ago, you reappeared, and what you did attracted the attention of the entire Frost Empire, and even some other empires noticed. But because of the rules, the older generation can't take action, so every major family or force sent elites to Miatt City, hoping to seize your cultivation method." Gregory said quickly, and Ye Han's eyebrows furrowed. "The troubles are increasing."
"Which families or forces are in Miatt City now?" Ye Han looked at Gregory, his eyes flickering constantly. Obviously, Gregory's answer made Ye Han feel uneasy.
"Openly, there are the Flame Family, the Duritala Family, the Frey Family, the elites trained by the Swordsman Guild, Latiz, the Mage Guild's Dolores, the Holy Son of the Light Church, the Dark Mage Cecilia of the Dark Church, the Sword Sect's successor Olt, and people from other families or forces, many, many"
Seeing that Ye Han didn't speak, Gregory thought his answer had displeased Ye Han and quickly added, "Not only did they come, but many of the older generation also appeared in Miatt City. Their strength is not simple, and there are quite a few hidden in the dark. I don't know who they are, but I heard that the successor of the Law Sect also came, but he hasn't shown his face."
"Didn't you say that the older generation can't take action?" Ye Han's face changed several times when he heard that the strong ones from the older generation had appeared.
In the previous battles, Ye Han deeply realized his previous foolishness. The development of fighting qi and magic in this world has been going on for countless years, how could it be as weak as he had thought?Several eighth-rank swordsmen and mages almost killed him. If several Saint-rank individuals joined forces and attacked with all their might, there would be absolutely no chance of survival. Even the combined forces of several ninth-rank individuals would be hard to resist.
Those who were sent to Miatt City were certainly not weak, the weakest of them being of the eighth rank, and certainly more than one person came.
"Yes, before the end of the big competition two years later, the older generation cannot make a move on the new generation, otherwise it would be a violation of the continent's regulations. The Sword Sect and the Law Sect will root out the person and all the forces behind them from the continent."
"Then why would they still come?" Ye Han asked, not understanding. He needed to understand all the unfavorable factors to avoid being passive.
"They came to protect the family elites," Gregory said more and more fluently, as if he were chatting with a regular cultivator.
"Protecting the family elites, huh, what a lousy excuse," Ye Han said disdainfully.
"By the way, you've mentioned continental regulations a few times, what exactly are they?" Ye Han finally remembered this question that had been puzzling him for a long time.
"The regulations on the continent refer to the fact that five years before and three years after the Continental Youth Ranking Competition, which is held every thirty years by the Sword Sect and the Law Sect, the older generation cannot make a move on the younger generation. All problems must be solved by the younger generation."
"Is there a clear range for the older generation?"
"Yes," Gregory answered without thinking.
"What is it?" This was the problem that Ye Han was worried about.
"It refers to those who reached the Saint-rank before the last competition. Starting from the next competition, they are considered members of the older generation. As long as they have not reached the Saint-rank, no matter how many competitions they have participated in, they are considered newcomers."
After hearing this, Ye Han fell into thought. This range was really hard to understand. The first silence in their conversation occurred. Gregory finally remembered his situation, and his heart rate, which had just calmed down, began to race again.
After a while, Ye Han finally understood the definition of this range. Those who entered the Saint-rank in the last thirty years and those who were under the Saint-rank during the competition held thirty years ago are considered the younger generation. In the next thirty years, those who entered the Saint-rank earlier are considered the older generation, and those who have not entered the Saint-rank are still considered the younger generation.
"What are they all doing in Miatt City?" Knowing oneself and knowing the enemy is the only way to win every battle. Ye Han's first priority was to understand what those who wanted to deal with him were doing. Only then could he make the best preparations and avoid blundering in the dark.
"Because no one has found you in the past few months, but the competition is approaching, everyone wants to win a good reputation before the competition, so they set up challenge stages in the Shura arena in Miatt City to secure a good position for the competition."
"Position? The competition has positions?"
"Yes, there are countless participants in each competition, but the only ones who can attract the attention of the Sword Sect and the Law Sect are those with a high reputation on the continent before the competition."
"Why should we show them? What kind of forces are the Sword Sect and the Law Sect?"
"This," Gregory didn't know how to answer.
"I don't know what kind of forces the Sword Sect and the Law Sect are, but all the people and forces on the continent regard these two sects as the leaders, with swordsmen following the Sword Sect and mages following the Law Sect. Only those strong individuals who have lived for a long time know their true situation," Gregory paused before continuing. "The Youth Ranking Competition is jointly organized by the Sword Sect and the Law Sect. Its purpose is to absorb the most potentially gifted individuals from the younger generation of the continent. To continue their development, so each top ten in each competition will be divided equally by the Sword Sect and the Law Sect, and then select those with excellent talent within the top hundred as disciples for cultivation."
"Then wouldn't all the Saint-rank individuals be seen?"
"No, each stage of the Ranking Competition has its own opponents, there will not be any cross-rank battles. In the end, the rankings are calculated based on points. The first ten days are a free-for-all, with only two hundred people winning each stage. The others are all eliminated and killed. The last ten days…"