Against the Gods

Partially Edited Chapter - Rubble

Mo Beichen had blanked out for less than a breath.

He rapidly regained the faculties of his mind after the Nirvana Devil Emperor Soul had pulled out.

The panic he had succumbed to after witnessing the golden light of Brahma had disappeared as well.

Now, he was angry. Angrier than he had ever been since coming to this universe.

He grew even angrier when he realized that he could not detect Yun Che!

BOOM—

The entire star region crumbled violently at his outburst. The three Yama Ancestors who were still clinging to his body up until that point were sent flying in a splatter of blood and gore.

Mo Beichen did not even glance at them. He dashed toward Chi Wuyao and Shui Meiyin’s location in an attempt to track them down, but he was unable to detect even the slightest spatial trace.

Somehow, it was even more undetectable than when Jun Xilei had vanished right before his eyes.

His facial features grew more and more distorted as he soundlessly gritted his teeth.

BOOM!

He made a grab with his hand, and the space in front of him was torn to shreds like tattered cloth. However, the action did nothing to vent the fury in his heart.

More than fury, he felt humiliated by his enemy’s success.

He was a Half-God and an Abyssal Knight, and this lowly universe somehow managed to…

He abruptly turned around and looked at the blurry shadows floating away in space.

If Yan One, Yan Two, and Yan Three weren’t dead before, Mo Beichen’s final attack had guaranteed their fate. Their bodies were more or less annihilated by the outburst. However, the three Yama Ancestors were ancient monsters who had lived for eight hundred thousand years until this point. They were ridiculously tenacious if nothing else. Their internal organs were missing, and their bodies had been cut into many tiny pieces. Even so, their devilish eyes were wide open, and rich devilish energy was still circulating around their bodies somehow.

“Heh… hehehe…” Yan One was chuckling because their final mission was a success. He had seen Yun Che being rescued with his own eyes.

“The fuck… you laughing about?” The devilish light surrounding Yan Three’s body was the weakest, but he refused to lower his volume even a little. “I’m the one… who contributed the most just now!”

“We’ve been alive for more than enough time. This is enough.” Yan Two was smiling as well. To them, there was no better way to depart this world than this. “You must be safe… master…”

Mo Beichen’s twitching abruptly stopped. It was because he realized that losing his cool for even a moment was a form of humiliation in this universe.

So, he concentrated all of his fury in his eyes, faced toward the Yama Ancestors, and lashed out with his fingers.

BOOM—

Fifty thousand kilometers of space collapsed into countless space fragments, then from fragments into space dust. The disintegration didn’t stop until all that was left was a fifty thousand kilometer-wide black hole.

The Yama Ancestors, Qianye Wugu and Qianye Bingzhu’s final light, and even Nan Zhaoming and Nan Zhaoguang were all destroyed and returned to the most primitive form of existence: nothing.

When the deed was done, Mo Beichen released his divine perception in full and scanned the star region again and again.

A brief moment later, he withdrew his divine perception and released his energy. He rushed to the east for a short time before making a grabbing motion with his hand again. An old man shot over from the distance before stopping in front of him.

It was none other than Qi Tianli. Mo Beichen had brought the Qilin Emperor with him when he teleported over to the Eastern Divine Region.

Although the old Qilin wasn’t anywhere close to the battlefield when it happened, the distant explosions and spatial storms still frightened him to no end. They also complicated his feelings a lot.

A chill ran through Qi Tianli’s heart when he noticed that Mo Beichen was hiding a seething fury behind his usual mask of indifference.

“Yun Che, has escaped.”

Qi Tianli dipped his head deeply, too afraid to respond to the comment at all.

“Why is that their spatial teleportation leaves no traces behind,” Mo Beichen asked in a cool tone. “You should know the answer.”

“It’s… it’s because they’re using the World Piercer!” Qi Tianli dared not hide anything before the Half-God.

For obvious reasons, the fact that Shui Meiyin possessed the Heavenly Profound Treasure, World Piercer was not publicized. Only a handful of people were made aware of this.

Unfortunately, the Qilin Emperor was one of Emperor Yun’s hands and the most important person in the Western Divine Region. He was made privy to this as a matter of course.

“World… Piercer!?” Mo Beichen’s voice rose an octave higher.

The seven Heavenly Profound Treasures were so famous that even the Abyss recognized and recorded them in their books.

Qi Tianli hurriedly added, “It’s the truth. One of the seven ancient Heavenly Profound Treasures, the World Piercer resurfaced in Primal Chaos a couple of years ago, and its current master is none other than one of Yun Che’s imperial consorts.”

“If they are able to escape despite your divine might, then it can only be because of the World Piercer—hmm!”

A pale hand abruptly seized Qi Tianli’s collar and pulled him upward. Mo Beichen questioned while freezing the old Qilin under his murderous stare, “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”

A pale-faced Qi Tianli stuttered through shaky lips, “Things were happening without warning… and this old one… just didn’t have the time to… forgive me, Venerable One…”

“But with your strength… this old one is certain… that they can not escape forever… Venerable One…”

Bang!

Mo Beichen flung Qi Tianli into the distance. The old Qilin bent his knees and coughed non-stop after he caught himself.

The Half-God narrowed his eyes, but the coldness in his eyes was slowly melting away into rich excitement.

His divine perception could cover far more distance in Primal Chaos than the Abyss, and Yun Che was easily the man with the strongest aura in this world.

Qi Tianli was right. Even if the young man managed to escape his clutches for now, it was only a matter of time before he was captured. It wouldn’t even take long. Moreover, he was now aware of the World Piercer and could prepare accordingly. The next time they met, Yun Che would not be able to escape.

Looking from this perspective, today was overall a good day even though Yun Che was temporarily out of his reach.

The Abyssal Monarch would be very happy to receive not just the inheritances of the Creation God and the Devil Emperor, but also a Heavenly Profound Treasure. It would be yet another great achievement under his belt.

“What else have you neglected to tell me? Speak only the important things.”

Mo Beichen’s low, heavy voice pressed down on Qi Tianli like heavenly law.

This was the day the dark clouds of the Abyss descended on the God Realm that had just settled down from a calamity a few years ago.

............

Drip…

The sound of water droplets.

Rustle…

The sound of the wind scattering the leaves.

And…

A ubiquitous and terrible pain.

Pain…

I’m not… dead?

His consciousness felt so heavy that he didn’t even have the desire to struggle awake.

A million times heavier than his consciousness were the scenes swimming in his head between bouts of wakefulness.

Mo Beichen…

Divine Extinction Realm…

The Abyss…

That level of power should’ve been long gone… Why does it still exist, and why must it invade the world I fought so hard to defang?

It’s all so… ridiculous.

Suddenly, a faint sensation entered his body from somewhere. It was cold and icy, but also strangely comforting for some reason. It soothed the seemingly never-ending spasms of his soul.

“I’m leaving, Yun Che.”

“Live a good life, Yun Che. That is my final wish to you. I have no doubt that it will be a difficult wish to complete, but do it anyway for my sake.”

It was Mu Xuanyin’s voice. It sounded so close yet so far.

There was a solemn finality in her tone that felt… like she was giving her final goodbye.

His silent consciousness began to throb fiercely. He began to struggle to wake up.

It was at this moment he heard another voice in his head.

“Yun Che,” Qianye Ying’er’s voice rang with a tinge of rare, rare sorrow, “I want nothing more than to die by your side, but I want you to live even more than that.”

“I have done countless wrongs and committed countless sins in my life, but I will never regret the debt, the sorrow, the happiness, the pain,the sadness, the glory and the shame; everything that led to our meeting. Never.”

“...” Yun Che tried everything he could to catch the hand of the woman who had said those words.

“Brother-in-law…”

It was Caizhi calling out to him. Her voice sounded soft and fluffy, and he could not detect a single trace of the low and dignified voice she had adopted in recent years. It was almost as if she had returned to that pure girl who invoked his desire to protect from the moment he laid eyes on her.

“I’m going to meet big sis now. I’ve missed her so, so much in these recent years, so you don’t need to be sad for me, okay? All I ask of you… is to remember me from time to time.”

“Big sis and I will watch over you from the other world, so you must do your best to live no matter what, okay? I’m sure you won’t want to disappoint the two of us, right?”

……

Are these dreams, or…

Why does it sound like everyone’s saying goodbye…

What am I…

“Yun Che!”

This time, it was Chi Wuyao who spoke to him. Unlike the others, it felt so heavy it was as if the words were engraving themselves to his soul.

“You were always destined to live an extraordinary and perilous life.”

“Unfortunately, the latest disaster came so quickly and cruelly that even as arrogant as I… must admit that I am powerless.”

“The last thing I can do for you… is to stay away from you.”

“You must live. You must live no matter the cost just like how you hid yourself in the Northern Divine Region and plotted your revenge back then.”

“You can do it for us, right?”

............

His soul twitched, and his consciousness struggled with all its might. He desperately wanted to wake up to reality, but every moment was accompanied by a terrible pain that felt like a million blades were piercing his soul.

The pain kept mounting and mounting, but that only made him struggle even harder.

The pain was growing because he was growing conscious. So if he kept struggling…

“Ah!”

A surprised cry resounded inside his soul sea. He immediately identified it as He Ling’s voice. “Have you woken up, master? Uu… uu!”

She sounded like she was about to break into a sob at the end, but she managed to stifle it between her lips.

A ray of light slammed into his eyes in the next moment.

The instantaneous, stabbing pain informed him that he hadn’t opened his eyes for a very, very long time.

After he got used to the light, the first thing he saw was an azure blue sky.

As his hearing slowly returned to normal, he recognized the sound of flowing water and blowing wind.

Consciousness linking up with his body, he attempted to lift a finger. The movement immediately triggered bone-wrenching pain.

“Ah!”

He heard another girl’s surprised cry, followed by a series of rapid footsteps. A second later, he was greeted by a tear-stained smile.

“Big brother Yun Che…” Her tears were pouring by the time she said his name. “You finally woke up… you finally… Uu… uuuuuu….”

“Mei… Yin…”

His voice came out dry and raspy as he said her name. With great difficulty and pain, he slowly raised his arm until it entered his vision.

His body was powerful beyond the imagination of this universe. It had mended his broken bones and meridians in the period he was unconscious. However, his injuries were simply far too severe, and the rebound of God Ash had left him perilously weak and fragile. Otherwise, he would’ve healed much, much faster than this.

Shui Meiyin hurriedly and gently held Yun Che’s palm between her own.

Yun Che stared blankly at her while attempting to sort out his disjointed memories. The spreading wetness between his palm and the bone-wrenching pain all informed him that he had returned to reality, that he was no longer stuck in a dream.

The fact that Shui Meiyin was next to him also meant that he wasn’t in danger right now, wherever he was. However, he clearly remembered Mo Beichen holding him by the throat before he lost consciousness.

It was a level of power that did not even allow him to wallow in despair, much less struggle…

So how on earth had he escaped that fatal situation?

He recalled the voices ringing in his soul sea, and it was as if the lid on his anxiety was suddenly removed. Too bothered to care even for his pathetic state, he spread his weak spiritual perception as far as he could manage.

He couldn’t sense Chi Wuyao, Qianye Ying’er, Caizhi or Mu Xuanyin…

He couldn’t even sense the three Yama Ancestors who he knew would never leave his side unless expressly ordered by him.

There was no one else here besides him and Shui Meiyin.

“How long… have I slept?”

He was Yun Che after all. In the short minute he was awake, his vision had returned to normal, and his voice sounded a lot clearer than before.

“Sixteen days,” Shui Meiyin answered while doing her best to wipe away the tears from her face and eyes.

She was the only one left who could accompany Yun Che now. She was the only one who could bear the future with him. That was why she couldn’t show weakness no matter what.

Sixteen days…

Yun Che was stunned to say the least.

He could hardly believe that he, of all people, had fallen unconscious for so long.

It just showed how weakened and injured he was that day.

Wait a second…

Sixteen days!?

That Mo Beichen has had sixteen days to do whatever the hell he wanted!?

His heart skipped a beat, and his pupils contracted violently as he struggled to right himself. He asked in an urgent voice, “How… how are Wuyao and the others? How is Wuxin?”

“...” Shui Meiyin bit her lip instinctively, but she let go in an instant and wore a casual smile on her face. “What else? They’re fine. You’re awake now, so of course they’re fine.”

“But let’s not think about other things for the moment, okay? Your injuries are still very severe, and you need every bit of rest you can get to return to full health. I’ll tell them that you’ve woken up right after this. I promise you’ll see them the next time you wake up from your sleep, okay?”

Shui Meiyin’s expression and voice were as natural as it could be. Her pure smile felt as soothing as a cool breeze.

Unfortunately, the one person she couldn’t fool in this world, was Yun Che.

It was because she didn’t even dare to meet his eyes when she said those words.

A few years ago, she had told him the lies of Xia Qingyue.

Today, she was once again forced to lie to him. Who else could do it if not her?

“...” Yun Che watched her eyes for a while before exhaling. He then said, “Lift me up.”

Meiyin’s first instinct was to tell him to stay put, but when she saw the sudden surge of darkness in his eyes, she had no choice but to agree. “Mm.”

After he was lifted to a sitting position, Yun Che leaned against Shui Meiyin’s soft chest and looked ahead.

It was a pocket world he had never seen before. There were a couple of fresh, intertwining streams not far away from him. Fish could be seen leaping out of the waters from time to time. The sky was as blue as the water.

Although his spiritual perception was far from fully recovered, he could tell he was at a lower realm planet with incredibly poor spirit energy, but an abundant amount of nature.

It was ordinary, but it was far away from the God Realm.

“Yan Three.”

He suddenly called out.

There was a cool breeze, but no reply whatsoever.

“Big brother Yun Che,” Shui Meiyin said quietly. She didn’t want to reveal certain things so soon after he awoke, but it was clear that Yun Che had noticed a couple of things already.

“Yan Three and the others, they… they’re already…”

“It was they who sacrificed themselves and rescued you from that terrible person.”

“...” Yun Che stayed quiet for a moment before exhaling soundlessly. “Is that so?”

“The Devil Queen, Xuanyin… where are they?” he asked. “I wish to hear the truth.”

His voice was as calm as his expression, but he knew he was anything but calm. His heart beat painfully in his chest with every word he spoke.

Shui Meiyin shook her head and pressed a soft hand against his chest. “Later. I’ll tell you when you’re stronger, okay?”

It was at this moment the Glazed Light Water Jade hanging in front of her chest blinked a little. Like a woman who had just been handed a lifeline, she rushed, “It’s a sound transmission from big sis! She’s been sending me messages from the Eastern Divine Region for the past couple days, and she never forgets to mention that Wuxin is safe and sound. Let’s hear it together!”

Without waiting for an answer, she willed the Glazed Light Water Jade to activate its profound sound transmission formation. However, contrary to Shui Meiyin’s expectations, Shui Yingyue’s voice was tinged with deep urgency and panic. “Meiyin! Cang Shitian has kidnapped Wuxin! She was taken to the God Realm of Absolute Beginning, and he’s about to give her to Mo Beichen as a gift of loyalty! You’re the only one who can save her now!”