Against the Gods

Partially Edited Chapter - Rubble

BOOM—

Shui Meiyin turned deathly pale in an instant. A million thunder bolts resounded inside Yun Che’s head.

Shui Meiyin hurriedly put away the profound sound transmission formation, but it was too late. If she wasn’t panicking before, now she was experiencing a full-blown panic attack.

To say that it was extraordinarily bad luck would be an understatement. Of all the times Shui Yingyue could’ve sent her bad news, it just had to be when Yun Che was awake and right next to her. Worse, it was the one bad news that Yun Che could never accept.

“You’re the only one who can save her”... her sister was right. Assuming that Yun Wuxin hadn’t fallen into Mo Beichen’s hands, and that her current location could be identified before then, then yes, she could most likely rescue the girl with the World Piercer.

There was a huge problem though. The World Piercer was dangerously low on spatial divine power already.

Every time the World Piercer carries out a teleportation, Yun Che would be in greater danger.

She hadn’t forgotten Chi Wuyao’s final instruction before she left: the World Piercer’s final spatial divine power must be saved only for life-threatening emergencies or Yun Che himself.

Yun Che was their only hope. As long as he was alive, there was always the chance they could turn this around. To that end, anything could be abandoned. Anything.

Unfortunately, Shui Meiyin had no choice but to break this rule now. It was because Yun Che had heard the sound transmission.

If she did not rescue Yun Wuxi now, there was no way he could recuperate in peace. In fact, there was an extremely high chance he would…

“Don’t worry, big brother Yun Che.” Shui Meiyin didn’t brood for long since there was only one course of action she could take. She forced herself to calm down and said in the calmest voice she could muster, “I’ll confirm her location and bring her back right away.”

The World Piercer appeared in her palm, but something caught her wrist gently but firmly before she could do anything. To her surprise, it was Yun Che.

“The World Piercer doesn’t have much power left, does it?”

Yun Che sounded so calm it was scary.

Shui Meiyin stared at him in disbelief for a moment before nodding.

Yun Che did not let go. He… was actually stopping her from teleporting away and rescuing Yun Wuxin. He actually didn’t push her to rescue Yun Wuxin as quickly as possible, no matter the cost.

Replaying the voices he had heard while he was unconscious in his head again and again, Yun Che continued in a calm voice, “The Devil Queen, Xuanyin, Qianying, Caizhi… they just left not long ago, didn’t they? I heard their voices while I was unconscious.”

“... yes.” Shui Meiyin nodded again, but she could not stop a tear from sliding down her cheeks anymore. “They… they’ve gone to the God Realm of Absolute Beginning.”

She had told herself repeatedly that she must conceal the truth from Yun Che without fail this time, but she had failed practically from the moment he awoke.

“Where is Mo Beichen?” Yun Che closed his eyes. His breathing had accelerated uncontrollably at first, but now it was slowing little by little.

Shui Yingyue had mentioned that Cang Shitian was taking Yun Wuxin to the God Realm of Absolute Beginning to give her to Mo Beichen, but why was the man in the God Realm of Beginning to begin with?

“Mn.”

It was pointless to try and hide anything anymore, so Shui Meiyin simply revealed the whole truth. “Mo Beichen’s perception is too powerful. He’s found us seven times in the past sixteen days, and we’ve had to use the World Piercer to escape each time.”

The girls must have been incredibly stressed out while he was unconscious. With a hunter like Mo Beichen, they literally couldn’t relax for even an instant.

The range of Mo Beichen’s perception was just too great. Every time they were detected, they had to teleport an incredible distance just to avoid being detected again. Naturally, the teleportation used up much of the World Piercer’s already low reserves.

“After the last escape, sister Devil Queen said that the reason Mo Beichen was able to detect us again and again is because our auras are too strong. She said that we’re actually increasing the risk of you being caught by staying by your side.”

“Moreover, teleporting six people at once uses up far more energy than just two.”

“That is why… they…” Shui Meiyin barely stifled a sob before she continued, “They unanimously decided to leave your side to keep you safe. Also, something special will be happening today, so they’ve decided to seek out Mo Beichen of their own accord.”

Yun Che closed his eyes and fell silent. Strangely, he did not ask anything else for a very long time.

Both his gaze and expression were so still that they were comparable to the running waters and soothing breeze around them.

It was such an unusual reaction from Yun Che that Shui Meiyin actually didn’t know what to do for a moment.

He Ling was the only one who knew that his heart and soul were in danger of shattering into a million pieces at any moment.

“He Ling,” Yun Che’s soul voice rang with surprising coolness and clarity considering the dangerous amount of cracks inside his soul space, “How much power has the Sky Poison Pearl regenerated for the past few years? Is there a chance… if even a miniscule chance… it might be able to poison Mo Beichen to death?”

He had run through every possibility in his head, and he came to the conclusion that the Sky Poison Pearl… was the only weapon in his possession that might be capable of killing the terrifying Abyssal Knight.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths…

A long time passed, but still He Ling didn’t give him a response.

Finally, Yun Che let out a self-derisive chuckle and murmured, “Never mind. I should’ve known that it was just a fantasy.”

“No.” However, He Ling’s reply came right after he said that. “The Sky Poison Pearl… has regenerated enough power to kill Mo Beichen!”

Yun Che’s soul sea immediately groaned alarmingly. “He Ling, are you… certain?”

“I am.” He Ling’s soul image appeared, and he saw an unprecedented amount of determination in her emerald green eyes and gentle voice. “Mo Beichen is powerful, but neither his power nor his body was superior to the Sky Poison Pearl. Not even close.”

“There is a critical prerequisite we must fulfill before we can kill him, however. The poison energy must be detonated inside his body where the life vein is.”

He Ling continued with eyes as clear as water, and a voice that seemed to resonate inside his heart. “If you can stab him with your sword—preferably through the torso—then it will be enough!”

He Ling was asking him to stab Mo Beichen with the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor Sword; to skewer the body of a Half-God.

To say it was difficult to achieve would be an understatement. It was impossible enough to drive even the most optimistic person in Primal Chaos to utter despair. But to Yun Che, it was a ray of hope in what should’ve been the longest, darkest night.

His soul sea shook harder than ever before, but this time it was out of excitement, not despair.

“I need you to give me an honest answer, He Ling. If I can skewer Mo Beichen with the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor Sword, how confident are you in killing him with the Sky Poison?”

He Ling looked up and declared without hesitation, “One hundred percent!”

The rumblings in his soul sea came to a complete stop.

He Ling had never lied to him, and she never would.

Although he was the master of the Sky Poison Pearl, his knowledge of its power was far weaker than He Ling’s, the Sky Poison Poison Spirit.

He Ling’s answer was short, but it was enough to strengthen that ray of hope into a miraculous star.

All I need to do… is to stab Mo Beichen through the chest!

Bathump!

Bathump!

Bathump—

Yun Che could hear his own heartbeat clearly.

He was still seriously injured, and his mind felt like it was coated in a layer of confusion. However, this good news rapidly cooled his head until all of the disturbances in his soul sea had disappeared completely.

A long time later, he said, “I need thirty days, He Ling. Assuming we use up everything the Eternal Heaven Pearl has regenerated up until this point, what is the minimum amount of real time you can give me?”

She replied seriously after giving it some thought, “One hour.”

What she meant was she could compress one month in the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm to to just one hour in the real world. That was nearly a thousand times the time difference!

Assuming that they went forth with the plan, this would unquestionably be the farthest He Ling had ever pushed the Eternal Heaven Pearl since she had taken control of the Heavenly Profound Treasure. The time he and Shui Meiyin had entered the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm before the final battle against the Western Divine Region was nothing compared to this.

“Very well! Please do that right away. There… is no need to hold back any longer.”

He opened his eyes and grabbed Shui Meiyin’s wrist again. He then said,

“Come with me to the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm, Meiyin!”

He Ling didn’t keep him waiting for too long. Dozens of breaths later, an Eternal Heaven Divine Realm containing all of the Eternal Heaven Pearl’s energy had been constructed.

Yun Che did not delay for even an instant. He entered the realm with Meiyin the second it was ready.

The world of eternal white wasn’t unfamiliar to him. After all, he and Meiyin had stayed here for three years not too long ago.

Yun Che was still leaning against Shui Meiyin since he was too injured to sit up on his own.

A layer of pure white energy was circulating across the surface of his body. He was using whatever energy he could muster to circulate the Divine Miracle of Life.

The first thing he needed to do during these thirty days was to heal himself and regain his power.

There was another equally important matter he had to complete during this time.

Since he was awake, his injuries were healing at a much faster rate. The Divine Miracle of Life also quickly soothed the terrible pain that was wracking his whole body.

“Meiyin,” Yun Che closed his eyes once more before asking, “You mentioned that something ‘special’ is going to happen at the God Realm of Absolute Beginning today. What is it?”

The girl answered, “Mo Beichen hasn’t spent all of his energy looking for us for the past sixteen days. In fact, most of it was spent applying pressure on the entire God Realm.”

“Sixteen days ago, after we managed to escape from his clutches, Mo Beichen was so angry that he destroyed six hundred star realms across all four divine regions in a single day. That day, every divine region was alerted to his presence as a matter of course.”

“Not long after that, Cang Shitian surrendered to Mo Beichen and used his enforcers to spread the truth of Mo Beichen’s identity and the news of the Abyss’ eventual takeover to every corner of the God Realm.”

“...” Yun Che’s eyebrows twitched dramatically. He could already imagine the kind of panic that was enveloping the God Realm right now.

Cang Shitian…

He was a useful man. Too useful, in fact. It was why Chi Wuyao had bestowed him an extraordinary status and way too much power.

The Enforcers were scattered across every corner of the God Realm. When he was in power, the Chief Enforcer had played a pivotal role in spreading their influence across the entire God Realm in just a short time. However, that plan had backfired since a greater power had emerged. There was nothing stopping his most “faithful” dog from throwing in his lot with Mo Beichen and turning his power against them. Yun Che had no doubt that Mo Beichen valued the Chief Enforcer much more than Qi Tianli.

“However, that was the only time Mo Beichen had acted with tyranny and brutality.” Unaware of his thoughts, Shui Meiyin continued her explanation, “Many of sister devil queen’s predictions were spot on. Mo Beichen might seem nigh invincible to us, but he is most likely just a pawn of the Abyss. He was desperate to take over the God Realm as quickly and thoroughly as possible, but it is clear that he didn’t dare to decide its fate as he pleased. He didn’t even dare to break the current power structure of the God Realm too much.”

“According to sister Devil Queen, Mo Beichen wants to present the Abyssal Monarch with a fully subjugated God Realm when he returns to Primal Chaos. It was his primary objective to complete as a pioneer.”

“From this, we can deduce that the Abyssal Monarch either isn’t a tyrannical ruler, or has given the pioneers strict instructions before sending them into our world. Although Mo Beichen wanted to conquer the God Realm as soon as possible, he never did anything excessive after destroying six hundred star realms and cowering everyone with fear.”

“Unfortunately… he is just too scary. Even if he hadn’t done what he did, I doubt any star realm would’ve been tempted to rebel against him at all. Add to the fact that Qi Tianli and Cang Shitian had already submitted to him, and the fact that most star realms aren’t really that loyal to big brother Yun Che, and…”

It was hardly the most encouraging thing to hear, but Yun Che knew better than Shui Meiyin what the truth was.

Out of the four divine regions, the Northern Divine Region was the only one that was truly loyal to Emperor Yun. Everyone submitted to his rule mostly because of fear and the fact that he was irresistible.

To make things worse, it had only been a few years since he began his rule. The cement was still wet.

It was only logical—no, natural—that they would submit to a stronger ruler, especially since this new ruler was leagues stronger than he was.

“‘Emperor Yun was easily cornered, and he could only hide all over the place like a rat’... that is what nearly everyone in the God Realm is saying right now. That’s why there’s barely any activity or even a voice of resistance.”

“By the way, Cang Shitian is the reason Mo Beichen is in the God Realm of Absolute Beginning right now. Ten days ago, he gave him the same suggestion sister Devil Queen had given you back then.”

Yun Che’s frown lasted for a second before he exclaimed in realization, “You’re saying… he’s making the upper star realms publicly declare their loyalty to Mo Beichen, and by extension the Abyss!?”

Those who showed up would live, and those who didn’t would die!

Any ember of resistance that could have arisen would be utterly annihilated with this act!

“Mn.” Shui Meiyin nodded. “I heard that it was also Cang Shitian who chose the location. Apparently, it was because the God Realm of Absolute Beginning is the closest location to the Abyss, so having the realm kings swear their fealty there makes ritualistic sense if nothing else.”

“... I understand.” Yun Che exhaled a little. His aura turned completely stable, and his emotions became concealed behind an impenetrable veneer of calmness. He stopped talking after that.

Shui Meiyin wanted to say something, but kept quiet after picking up the changes in Yun Che’s aura.

He didn’t ask her if the star realms that might concern him or her were doing okay. He didn’t ask what Chi Wuyao and the others were planning by heading to the God Realm of Absolute Beginning. He… didn’t ask.

Time passed by, little by little. Yun Che didn’t move a muscle during this time, and Shui Meiyin accompanied him just as quietly.

Seven days later, Yun Che finally opened his eyes and raised his head. The weakness in his eyes had been completely replaced by a deep, infinite void.

His injuries had healed completely. He had regained over eighty percent of his profound energy as well.

Yun Che raised a hand and summoned the Southern Sea Divine Pearl on his palm. Eighteen different Southern Sea divine lights swam slowly within it.

“Big brother Yun Che?” Shui Meiyin asked softly.

“Previously, controlling four divine origins was my absolute limit.” Yun Che looked down as the reflection of the Southern Sea divine origins swam in his pupils. “My mastery has remained the same during our previous stay in the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm, and after Long Bai was dead, I never tried to control the divine origins anymore.”

It was because there didn’t exist anyone who could force him to sacrifice the divine origins and break through his limits after that.

“However, sixteen days ago, when I sacrificed the four Southern Sea divine origins to kill the outsiders… I suddenly realized that four, may not be my absolute limit anymore.”

Although Yun Che’s cultivation hadn’t improved in the slightest during his short reign, something had changed during this time; something that was completely undetectable to his senses.

It was the World-Defying Heaven Manual Xia Qingyue had given to Shui Meiyin, the piece that had allowed him to cultivate the complete Ancestral Divine Art!