Against the Gods

Chapter 1208: Golden Crow Sacred Sword

Yun Che wasn’t the immature kid he used to be, and he had seen a couple of divine spirits during the past few years already. Thanks to these experiences, he felt more respect than fear when he met the Phoenix Spirit in the fiery hell.

The Phoenix Spirit’s words caused his heart to skip a beat. He exclaimed emotionally, “Does that mean… you’re going to gift me your remaining divine blood and divine soul?”

The reason he returned to the God Burying Inferno Prison was to find something that could improve his strength in a short time. Even if he had found nothing, he could still use the Time Wheel Pearl and cultivate beneath the inferno prison. Luckily for him, there was another divine spirit in the inferno prison, and from the sound of it the divine spirit was planning to give him its divine powers even before he made the request.

“You, who inherit the power of the Evil God, are undoubtedly the person who can execute the phoenix’s divine power to its absolute limit. I’ve known of your existence since a long time ago, but I never thought that you would appear before me, so you can imagine my joy when I detected your presence three years ago. I’m certain you’ll not disappoint the phoenix’s final will and power after inheriting them.”

The Phoenix Spirit’s voice was grave and dignified, but it was also tinged with sincerity and the peace of having its wish granted.

The power of a divine spirit was the greatest gift anyone could hope for. Not only must the person in question possess great fortune, they were normally put through many difficult trials before they were allowed to partake of its power. But in this case, the Phoenix Spirit had guided Yun Che to its place and voiced its desire to give him all of its power completely of its own volition. Yun Che himself hadn’t even asked to use its power just yet… he might very well be the first person ever to receive such preferential treatment in the history of the God Realm.

He was also the only one who had the qualification to receive it.

“If only you had shown up a few years earlier. The Golden Crow Spirit would’ve chosen you, and not Huo Poyun.”

The Phoenix Spirit obviously sounded a little regretful when it said this.

Naturally, Yun Che had no reason to turn down this offer. Feeling a mixture of pleasant surprise and excitement, Yun Che let out a sigh of relief before asking, “Phoenix Spirit, if the Crimson Crack calamity were to happen one day, am I strong enough to resist it with the power I currently possess?”

The Phoenix Spirit fell silent for a long time before it slowly answered Yun Che’s question. “You’ve inherited the Evil God’s power. For now, that makes you the only person who has inherited the power of the Creation Gods, and the most special human being in the whole world. However, you are ultimately just human. Your existence and your power are no greater than a speck of dust before the overwhelming disaster that is sure to happen.”

Yun Che, “...”

“That isn’t a calamity anyone can fight against. If everyone in the entire God Realm can set aside their racial prejudices, bias towards other star realms and individual grudges, if everyone can work together without selfish intentions and pour every ounce of power into resisting the enemy, then we may just have a sliver of a chance at surviving this.”

Yun Che, “...”

“This calamity is a test for the entire God Realm. The reason we’ve all chosen to grant all our remaining power to the humans is to leave as many seeds of hope as possible. It is also the only thing we can do. You are capable of utilizing the full extent of my power, but individual strength is naught but a speck of dust before that terrible disaster.”

For a while, Yun Che couldn’t say anything.

In just a few sentences, the Phoenix Spirit had given Yun Che a rough picture of the upcoming calamity. It was something that could very well end the entire world.

If the calamity the Phoenix Spirit and the Ice Phoenix girl mentioned were the same thing, then why did the Phoenix Spirit claim that his power was as small as a speck of dust, when the Ice Phoenix girl claimed that he was the only one who could resolve it…?

What did she know?

“So… do you know roughly when this calamity is going to happen?” Yun Che asked.

“I don’t know. It isn’t something anyone can predict. It may happen in a few years, a dozen years, a hundred years, a thousand years, or it may happen as soon as tomorrow.”

“I can sense your great desire for power. Granting you the last of my powers is also the best choice I have left. However, I hope you will at least bear the burden that comes with my power and ignite a ray of hope when the calamity comes.”

Yun Che stopped asking questions. He nodded firmly and answered, “I definitely need power right now. Don’t worry. If that calamity is as scary as you claim, then there’s no place I can escape to anyway.”

“Very good.” The phoenix’s pupils glowed strangely. “My existence has become much thinned, or I wouldn’t have to anchor myself to this Ancient God Burying Inferno Prison.”

“I shall grant you the last seven drops of my divine blood, seventy percent of my divine soul, and…”

“The complete version of the World Ode of the Phoenix!”

Yun Che’s heart throbbed strongly.

The Phoenix Spirit was so weakened that it couldn’t even leave the Ancient God Burying Inferno Prison, so he wasn’t surprised at all to hear that it only had seven drops of blood left in its possession. However, the complete version of the World Ode of the Phoenix was definitely of great interest to him!

Right now, he only knew six stages of the World Ode of the Phoenix. It was completely incomparable to the complete version of the Golden Crow’s Record of the Burning World he currently possessed. However, with the complete version of the World Ode of the Phoenix, a greater amount of phoenix spirit divine blood and a stronger phoenix divine soul, his phoenix flames would finally be on par with his Golden Crow flames!

The phoenix’s pupils suddenly glowed several times brighter. Then the sea of flames parted, and a fiery dot burned brightly between its pupils like a star. The pure, powerful and divine presence of a phoenix could be sensed from it.

“This is the final power the phoenix left behind in this world. O’ human who inherited the power of the Evil God, this noble one shall now grant to you both the Phoenix’s power and its will!”

At the end of the phoenix spirit’s sacred cry, the starry dot flew towards Yun Che and entered his forehead without resistance.

Seven drops of primal phoenix divine blood and a portion of the phoenix’s divine soul entered Yun Che’s body. The other phoenix divine soul inside his body immediately let out a long cry, and the three drops of phoenix divine blood he had from a long time ago boiled up automatically, causing him to be covered in phoenix flames for a very long time.

Yun Che could clearly detect the powerful strength and the complete version of the World Ode of the Phoenix that were inscribed inside the phoenix’s divine soul.

However, the light in the Phoenix Spirit’s pupils turned dim, and its divine presence suddenly became nearly ten times weaker than before.

“The divine soul this noble one gifted you contains the complete version of the World Ode of the Phoenix and the last of my powers. Unfortunately, it is so weak that it can only increase your profound energy by half a small realm. It should, however, be of some use to you.”

“Also, you should be able to refine the divine soul and divine blood perfectly without any difficulty.”

The Phoenix Spirit sounded was as dignified as ever, but the weakness in its voice was unmistakable.

Yun Che quelled the resonating reactions inside his body and bowed deeply towards the Phoenix Spirit. “Thank you for your gift, Phoenix Spirit. I will not disappoint you.”

He knew the consequences of this gift too well… It wouldn’t be long before the Phoenix Spirit disappeared entirely from this world.

“You don’t need to thank me,” the Phoenix Spirit said. “It is the decision this noble one made in accordance with the Phoenix’s will. You’ve actually fulfilled my final wish with your arrival. That being said…”

The Phoenix Spirit suddenly let out a long sigh. “I suppose I am destined to betray my final promise to the Golden Crow Spirit.”

Yun Che was confused for a second before he suddenly recalled something. He blurted, “Do you mean… the Golden Crow Sacred Sword?”

“The legend of the Golden Crow Sacred Sword has always existed in Flame God Realm. It isn’t strange that you’d know about it,” the Phoenix Spirit said. “Yes, the Golden Crow Spirit entrusted me with the Golden Crow Sacred Sword just before it perished completely. A long time ago, it was a precious heritage of the Golden Crow, who survived the death of gods and devils, because it happened to be stored at the bottom of this inferno prison. In fact, that is why it has lasted to this very day. However, since there is less and less primordial energy everyday, most of its power is long gone. That being the case, it is still an incredibly powerful sword in this era and it cannot be wielded by any ordinary person.”

“The Golden Crow Spirit had no choice but to keep the weapon here because it is the only way to slow down the loss of its divine power. I was supposed to gift it to its wielder once a qualified person showed up.”

“That human boy named Huo Poyun is the only one in the entire world who is qualified to wield this sword. However, this noble one can no longer wait until he has fully grown into his power. I can only hope that he hasn’t forgotten about the legend of the Golden Crow Sacred Sword, and that he’ll come to the bottom of the inferno prison and seek it out one day.”

The Golden Crow and Phoenix were two creatures who were incompatible with each other, but the Phoenix Spirit had never forgotten the final task the Golden Crow Spirit had entrusted it with just before it vanished entirely. The Phoenix Spirit clearly sounded regretful and sad when it said this.

Yun Che didn’t refine the phoenix divine blood and divine soul immediately. Instead, he raised his eyebrows and looked thoughtful for a moment. “Phoenix Spirit, what are the qualifications necessary to wield the Golden Crow Sacred Sword?”

“A powerful profound strength, and a certain level of attainment in the art of the Golden Crow flames… the second requirement is especially important.”

“...What level of attainment do you mean exactly?” Yun Che’s eyes glinted.

“Nine Suns Heaven’s Fury!”

Yun Che looked a little caught off guard. “Which means one has to be good enough to comprehend Nine Suns Heaven’s Fury?”

“The Vermillion Bird’s ‘Thousand Feather Nether Annihilation Song’, the Phoenix’s ‘World Illuminator Red Lotus’, and the Golden Crow’s ‘Nine Suns Heaven’s Fury’ represented the absolute limit of the three divine flames. It is very, very difficult for a human to cultivate these techniques, and it is absolutely not something that can be done with just a high level of perception.”

“That being said, if there’s a human who has cultivated the Golden Crow’s divine power well enough to execute the Nine Suns Heaven’s Fury, they’ll be acknowledged by the Golden Crow Sacred Sword.”

Yun Che asked seriously when he heard this, “In that case, may I try pulling out the Golden Crow Sacred Sword?”

The Phoenix Spirit fell silent for a moment, and its aura seemed to be trembling a little. However, it didn’t ask Yun Che any questions. “Alright.”

The sea of flames grew turbulent, and the fiery waves parted once more. Three kilometers away, in front of him, Yun Che spotted a scarlet golden light that was incredibly glaring despite its fiery surroundings.

It was a huge golden sword. Half the sword was covered in reddish gold flames, while the other half was plunged into the scarlet rock and hidden from view… Yun Che’s gaze was completely fixed on the sword.

“Try pulling it out then.”

Yun Che passed through layers upon layers of fire before he stopped in front of the huge Golden Crow sword. As he approached, a terrifying sword aura and an equally powerful Golden Crow flame aura brushed past his face.

It felt as if an active volcano that could erupt at any moment was hidden inside this sword. Although only half the sword was in clear view, its aura was still many, many times stronger than the Heaven Smiting Sword’s.

Yun Che took a step forwards and sucked in a deep breath. His fingers slowly tightened around the hilt of the burning sword as he gathered his profound energy. Then, he gave the weapon a yank.

Bang!!

Yun Che’s profound energy exploded, and golden flames burned wildly all around him. Not only did he fail to lift the Golden Crow Sacred Sword, but it didn’t respond; he failed to cause even the slightest bit of tremor. It was as if the sword was completely frozen in place.

Yun Che frowned deeply, but he didn’t give up. He activated “Rumbling Heaven” and entered his peak form straight away. At the same time, he circulated the Golden Crow’s Record of the Burning World to its limit, causing Golden Crow flames to rise several hundred meters into the air.

He gripped the hilt of the sword once more and took another deep breath. Then, he shouted:

BOOM

A terrific explosion tore apart the flames surrounding Yun Che. A giant vacuum had appeared around Yun Che due to the sudden explosion of power… However, the Golden Crow Sacred Sword remained as still as ever.

Hoo...

Yun Che knew that it was pointless to continue if the Golden Crow Sacred Sword didn’t respond even after he projected his full strength. He removed his hands from the hilt of the sword and sighed slightly, “As I thought, it didn’t work.”

He was certain that his mastery of the Golden Crow flames wasn’t the problem here, so the only reason he couldn’t lift the sword was because his current profound strength was too low. If he didn’t grow stronger, he would never be acknowledged by the Golden Crow Sacred Sword, not even if he possessed the power of the Evil God.

“Eh? Eeeeeeeeeeeh? What’s that smell? It smells so good… so good!!”

Just as Yun Che gave up on trying, the anxious voice of a girl suddenly rang beside his ears. At the same time, there was a red flash across his left arm, and Hong’er suddenly winked into existence. Her vermillion eyes were darting everywhere urgently.

“Hong… Hong’er?” Hong’er often disregarded his will and appeared on her own accord, so her appearance was nothing special. However… they were at the bottom of the Ancient God Burying Inferno Prison right now!

But Hong’er looked completely untouched by the fiery prison around her. She ignored Yun Che’s words because she was completely absorbed in the act of sniffing with her dainty nose. “It’s so, so good! I’ve never smelled something so good. Where is it where is it… eh?”

Hong’er’s gaze became fixed on the Golden Crow Sacred Sword.

Yun Che’s eyes grew wide in response...

Wait… wait a second? Is she… is she going to...

This can’t be… right?

“Wah!” Hong’er let out a cheer of absolute happiness and pounced towards the Golden Crow Sacred Sword like lightning.