Against the Gods

“Where is she right now?”

His tone was even, and his expression was calm. Not a hint of the impatience and fretfulness churning in his heart was revealed.

Meng Zhiyuan answered, “Divine Son Xi prepared a temporary abode for her. Besides that, Divine Son Xi announced that Long Jiang is probably an old friend of yours before you returned to the Kingdom of God. Therefore, no one is to approach her or look into her until you exit your secluded cultivation.”

Meng Jianxi’s execution was watertight, all right. Feeling a heavy weight lifted from his heart, Yun Che looked sideways and raised his voice, “Laisheng, head to Divine Son Xi’s place and bring Long Jiang over in my name.”

“At once!” Lu Laisheng responded from a distance and departed swiftly.

It wasn’t long before he met “Long Jiang”. She was dressed exactly the same as at their first meeting. A loose gray robe enveloped her entire body, and a veil hat concealed every inch of her face. As Shen Xi’s daughter, she was born with a peerlessly beautiful face capable of dazzling all realms and captivating all beings, and yet she had ruthlessly and cruelly destroyed it by her own hand.

Yun Che’s aura remained as cold and distant as ever. She did not say a word, despite having faced Yun Che for a long time. Yun Che looked back just as intently.

It had only been three years since he and Shen Xi’s daughter had parted ways, yet it felt like a lifetime had slipped away.

Finally, Yun Che cracked a small smile like he was meeting an old friend he hadn’t seen for a long time. He then turned around and walked toward the inner hall, saying, “Come with me.”

“Helu, Zhanyi, you may withdraw for the moment. I do not need any attendant, and make it known that no one is to approach this place.”

Still not saying a word, Yun Xi followed closely behind Yun Che. The door to the inner hall slowly swung shut, cutting off the outside world completely.

Not done yet, Yun Che said, “Shouyuan, you may withdraw as well. Before I open the door with my own hands, no person or perception is allowed to approach this place.”

“As you command.”

Meng Shouyuan’s voice had come from a distant location. The next moment, a thick, heavy barrier enveloped the inner hall.

When the world returned to silence, Yun Che turned around and stared at Yun Xi for several breaths. It was only then that he breathed out, “Xi’er...”

“I need the Primal Flame Crystal!” Yun Xi responded. Every word she spoke was suffused with immeasurable coldness and stiffness, and nearly every emotion was stripped from them.

A moment of surprise later, Yun Che figured out why she had sought him out of her own accord.

Before he could respond, Yun Xi continued, “I heard you gave High Priest Ling Xian of the Pure Land a Primal Flame Crystal as a gift. Since you are the donor, you should be able to take it back from her.”

Yun Che slowly shook his head. “High Priest Ling Xian had already used the Primal Flame Crystal. There is no retrieving it.”

The cold, stiff aura she maintained instantly withered like grass. Even the sharp gaze shooting out from underneath the veil hat had become unfocused and scattered. A moment later, she wordlessly spun on her feet and tried to leave.

“If I can find one Primal Flame Crystal, I can certainly find a second one.”

Yun Che’s voice stopped Yun Xi dead in her tracks.

Yun Che walked up to his daughter and stood in front of her once more, though this time he was only one step away from her.

Earlier, Yun Xi had lost control of her emotions when his words shattered her hope. His heart could not help but ache sharply at the outburst.

“Are you seeking the Primal Flame Crystal for the same reason you’re seeking the Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid? Is it all to awaken your mother?” He asked in the softest possible voice he could muster.

“Yes,” Her response came just as indifferent as before, “but you needn’t feel any burden over this. ‘Waking’ mother up is my own business and has nothing to do with you, so you can keep being your Dreamweaver Divine Son. As for the Primal Flame Crystal... if you really can find a second one, I won’t take it for free. You are free to name whatever condition you like!”

Again, there was only coldness and stiffness in her voice. It was also completely devoid of emotion. No resentment, no hatred, and definitely none of the affection or warmth a father and daughter should share. They were only one step apart, and yet it felt like an impassable chasm of indifference and estrangement existed between the duo.

“Okay.”

Yun Che nodded slowly. “Finding another Primal Flame Crystal is not that difficult for me. At the Pure Land, the Dragon Lord invited me to visit him at the Ancestral Dragon Mountain Range and be his guest. Once I locate the Primal Flame Crystal, I shall personally pay them a visit and deliver it into your hands.”

“I only have one condition.”

“Speak.”

Yun Xi replied without hesitation, with a kind of ruthless determination an ordinary person could not possibly fathom. “I will accept any condition, possible or impossible!”

“It’s possible.”

Yun Che smiled slightly. From the beginning, her icy estrangement failed to pierce his gaze in the slightest. In fact, it was growing gentler by the second. “My condition is this... let me see you properly.”

“......” Yun Xi seemed to freeze, unable to speak for a very long time.

Gaze seemingly warm and gentle enough to melt anything, Yun Che gently lifted his hand and said, “Our meeting and separation were too hasty, and I was severely injured at the time. As a result, I was unable to give you a proper look visually or mentally, so please... let me see my daughter.”

As Yun Che’s hand approached, a faint, unfamiliar warmth brushed against Yun Xi’s face and somehow slipped all the way into her heart. Yun Xi subconsciously leaned back to avoid the palm... but her resistance only lasted an instant before she stopped moving.

The gray veil hat Yun Xi was wearing was rough, thick, and heavy. Slowly, Yun Che removed it from her head and revealed the face that could have caused anyone to turn as pale as a sheet.

Her skin tone bore a striking resemblance to Shen Xi’s, like translucent snow bathed in a faint divine glow. It possessed an unparalleled delicacy and sanctity that was beyond the ability of any earthly word to describe.

And yet, this impossible beauty was utterly marred by a pair of horrifying scars. It was as if the heavens themselves forbade such a flawless creation to exist and delivered cruel divine retribution upon her.

Yun Che watched silently. Her hair, her eyes, her scars... he imprinted each and every one of her characteristics into his heart. At the same time, his palm was unconsciously moving closer and closer to her face... and Yun Xi did not try to dodge out of the way.

Right before his fingertips would touch her cheek, they froze as if hitting an invisible wall. Then, his fingers slowly balled into a fist, and he withdrew his hand and his gaze at the same time.

Suddenly, Yun Che turned away and said in a calm voice, “I give you my word that I will find a new Primal Flame Crystal in three months at most. Now... go.”

He wasn’t just comforting Yun Xi. When he was at the Endless Fog, he could easily sense the abyssal crystals, the abyssal beasts, and the abyssal ghosts that were carrying over a large region. In fact, he sensed the aura of the Primal Flame Crystal again when he tried to set foot in the inner regions of the Endless Fog. He did not obtain it only because danger was approaching, and he was forced to escape immediately.

Yun Xi seemed momentarily stunned. Then, she covered up her face and turned to leave.

Her palm touched the door, but right before she would leave, she suddenly turned around and said, “You’ve changed! Last time, you...”

Her lips moved, but she did not finish her sentence.

The corners of Yun Che’s lips curled into a tiny smirk. “You still care after all.”

“......” Yun Xi furrowed her brows slightly before withdrawing her gaze and turning to leave. However, a warm hand grabbed her arm gently, and his soft, calm voice washed over her.

“You have an older sister. Her name is Yun Wuxin.”

Yun Xi did not look back, but she did not struggle either. She just stood there, frozen.

“Just like you, I failed to protect her and her mother before she came to the world. I even thought that I lost her forever for a time. Then, at the age of ten, she appeared in my life like a miracle that should only exist in a dream.”

“That was supposed to be a dark period of my life, but it sparkled brighter than ever before thanks to her arrival, so much so that I felt infinite gratitude toward the heavens and fate. I even grew tired of all the strife and grudges; disgusted by all the blood I have spilled with my own two hands for a time.”

Yun Xi quietly listened to his story. She didn’t check out his expression, but she unconsciously imagined what her older sister looked like.

“At the time, I swore to her that I would never leave her or allow any harm to befall her for as long as I live, but...”

The voice behind Yun Xi stopped. It wasn’t until some time later that it finally returned.

“I made similar oaths to her three times in total... and every time, I broke my word.”

She heard a faint chuckle, but it was neither warm nor friendly. Instead, it was full of self-derision.

“Every oath I swore had come from the heart. I desperately wanted to protect her and make up to her with all my heart. But every time, my oaths always turned into sharp blades that wounded her deeply.”

“Right before I came to this world, I finally understood completely that the things I possess, and the burdens I bear, meant that I would never, ever... be a qualified father.”

Yun Xi: “......”

Yun Che slowly let go of her palm and arm, his voice turning as soft as a dying wind. “Therefore, I have no right to ask you to call me father, much less demand anything from you. Not now... and certainly not in the future.”

“......?”

Yun Xi’s brow twitched a little, and puzzlement nestled inside her heart. However, she didn’t ask.

Yun Che bowed his head and stared quietly at his palm, his eyes filled with darkness no one could see... After all, his hands were going to be drenched in blood again very soon, and each drop represented a terrible sin that could never be absolved.

“All I ask... is that you keep yourself safe, and treat yourself well. If one day I am able to fulfill my wish, then I will bring you and your mother home.”

“However... should I ultimately perish in the Abyss, then you must take your mother with you and accompany the dragons to the ‘Eternal Pure Land’. After that, forget about me forever and never speak of our blood ties to anyone.”

Soon, he would be visiting the dragons and preparing every possible escape route for her.

The hall fell into a long silence after that. For a time, the only sounds that existed were their heartbeats beating as one.

There was a dull groan, and the door was finally open. Yun Xi stepped out and quickly vanished from Yun Che’s view.

Yun Che would continue to stand in the inner hall for a very long time. Finally, Yun Che was able to calm his feelings and step out with leisurely footsteps.

“Young master!”

Melodious voices hit him from the front as Shangguan Helu, Liu Zhanyi and Meng Zhiyuan approached him at the same time. Their heads were bowed, but their eyes were sneaking looks at him.

“Hmm?”

Yun Che raised an eyebrow and asked with a half-smile, “Is there something on me? Why are you all looking at me like this?”

A naughty smile spread across Meng Zhiyuan’s face, and she made a shocking remark, “When are you going to marry the Heaven Breaker Divine Daughter, young master?”

A helpless look overcame Yun Che as he shook his head with a chuckle. “I thought you would find out eventually.”

Shangguan Helu snuck a glance at him before saying timidly, “Right now, everyone under the heavens should have learned of you and the Heaven Breaker Divine Daughter. I heard that the Heaven Breaker Divine Daughter is the most beautiful woman in the world... as expected, only a woman of this caliber is deserving of you, young master.”

Liu Zhanyi covered her lips and beamed. “No one was happier than Zhiyuan when she heard of this. After all, now that you have a first wife, she can finally find a way to become your concubine.”

Meng Zhiyuan declared unabashedly, “Yeah, that’s exactly what I was thinking. So? I’ve already made up my mind to stay with the young master forever anyway. I heard that the Heaven Breaker Divine Daughter is not just as beautiful as a celestial, but she is also exceptionally kind and gentle. I will do my best to win her affection.”

“You three...”

Yun Che shook his head smilingly while feeling a mild headache coming.

“Someone is unhappy, though.”

Liu Zhanyi said suddenly, “There is no way the Boundless Divine Son had come for a benevolent reason. You should speak with Divine Son Xi and ask him to send the Boundless Divine Son away as soon as possible.”

“Hmm?”

Yun Che’s gaze sharpened. “Are you saying that Dian Jiuzhi is still in the Dreamweaver Kingdom of God?”

“He is,” Meng Zhiyuan confirmed. “The Boundless Divine Son arrived ten days ago. He still hasn’t left to this day.”

Yun Che pondered for a moment before declaring, “Laisheng, pay Divine Son Xi a visit and tell him that I would speak with the Boundless Divine Son.”