Against the Gods

The Dragon Lord wasn’t accompanied by Long Chixin or Long Qianxin. He came alone. The moment he saw Yun Che and Hua Caili, his ancient, wrinkly face immediately bloomed into a smile. “Judging from your complexion, it seems that you are already in good health. No one has ever endured twice the punishment of devouring rage without uttering a sound, and I doubt that anyone will surpass this feat in the future. Even now, my shock and amazement haven’t faded one bit. I did not think I would have the fortune of witnessing the rise of a talent like you during my final years, and I no longer have any regrets left in this life.”

Yun Che rose to his feet and said apologetically, “You flatter me, senior Dragon Lord. I cannot possibly deserve such praise. I would return your salute, but I am still feeling quite weak right now. I humbly request your forgiveness.”

“You exaggerate, Divine Son Yuan.”

Despite his untouchable nobility, talent, and willpower, Yun Che remained humble and courteous. The admiration and praise in Long Zhiming’s eyes grew even more as he said, “Divine Son Yuan and the Heaven Breaker Divine Daughter truly are a match made in heaven. Now that you have overcome the last obstacle, I’m sure your love story will become a fairy tale that will be remembered in the Abyss for eternity.”

However, when he recalled the son he invested all of his race’s resources to raise, even going so far as to resort to despicable means, bitterness and lamentation welled inside his heart as well... the difference between his son and the young man before him was bigger than even the difference between a firefly and the moon.

Long Zhiming’s praise was well received by Hua Caili. She could feel Yun Che’s respect for the Dragon Lord as well. So, she said in an equally respectful tone, “Thank you for your compliments, senior Dragon Lord. Big Brother Yun and I will definitely work hard to become... the ‘fairy tale’ you speak of.”

“Hahahaha.” Long Zhiming let out a belly laugh at that.

Yun Che asked directly, “So, why have you visited me today, senior Dragon Lord? Do you have some sort of guidance to impart to me?”

“Oh no, I am hardly qualified.”

Long Zhiming hesitated for a moment as if choosing his words. A few seconds later, he finally lowered his voice and asked, “It’s just... When you were enduring the punishment of devouring rage, this old one seemed to sense a draconic aura from you. It feels similar to the Ancestral Dragons... If you don’t mind, could you tell me if it’s just a misunderstanding caused by my advanced age and failing spiritual perception, or...”

“I see.”

Yun Che did not look perturbed in the slightest. Still wearing a faint smile on his face, he answered, “There is nothing wrong with your senses whatsoever, senior Dragon Lord. Since you found out, this junior sees no reason to hide this from you.”

“When I was still wandering the world, my master once gifted me a few drops of Ancestral Dragon blood and a segment of draconic marrow. That is how I came by a draconic bloodline. However, this boon is directly tied to Master, which is why I refrain from bringing it up unless absolutely necessary, and failed to inform you about it at first notice.”

Looking into Yun Che’s clear, pure, and honest eyes, the revelation both stunned and delighted Long Zhiming. “I see, I see! I had no idea that you share such a profound connection with the Ancestral Dragons!”

Everyone witnessed Yun Che’s performance in the Pure Land. In the future, the sky was the limit for his status and achievements. There was everything to gain and nothing to lose if the dragon race could share a good relationship with him, not to mention the bond of blood that naturally brought them closer.

Yun Che seized the opportunity to say, “Now that I think about it, the reason Long Xi lent me a helping hand back then was probably because she sensed the presence of Ancestral Dragons in me.”

“Makes sense, makes sense.”

Long Zhiming nodded repeatedly. Considering Long Xi’s personality, he couldn’t quite imagine her going out of her way to help a person in need, but it all made sense if Yun Che possessed the blood of the Ancestral Dragons. “This must mean that your master and my seniors were—”

He realized his mistake halfway through his sentence and corrected himself. “Forgive me. This old one should not have speculated about your master. Please pretend that I haven’t said anything.”

After he said that, he produced a square white jade with a shimmering, profound formation engraved on its surface. It also contained a hint of draconic might.

“We dragons maintain a massive isolation barrier at the Ancestral Dragon Mountain Range to keep the abyssal dust at bay. This jade tablet allows you to come and go through the barrier at will. Reveal this tablet to any Ancestral Dragon, and they will aid you to the best of their abilities.”

“Er...”

Yun Che seemed surprised to receive such a meaningful gift from the Dragon Lord. “How can I possibly...”

Long Zhiming pretended he did not hear Yun Che’s hesitation and left the jade tablet in his hand. Then, he took a step backward and said smilingly, “This old one will be waiting at the Ancestral Dragon Mountain Range. I look forward to you... and the Heaven Breaker Divine Daughter’s arrival.”

After Long Zhiming took his leave, Hua Caili immediately put on an admiring look that was half concern and half teasing, “Wow! As expected of my Big Brother Yun. I’ve never even heard of such a jade tablet. ‘One stunning feat in Eden, an eternity of fame across the world’. This idiom has never been truer than now, hehe.”

Yun Che put away the jade tablet while Long Xi’s stiff, cold, and nearly emotionless voice flickered inside his soul sea. He said seemingly casually, “Since I received this gift, I should find a time to pay the dragon race a visit.”

“We’ll go together!” The girl had zero interest in the dragon race, but her eyes were sparkling with the light of anticipation right now. It wasn’t the location that changed her mind, but the company.

It was at this moment that Meng Kongchan slowly stepped inside. His footsteps were obviously heavy, and even his aura was a tad weaker than usual.

Yun Che noticed this instantly and thought he had an inkling what it was about. He asked, “Did something happen, senior?”

This matter involved the unfathomable Abyssal Monarch, so Meng Kongchan had no clue if he should express confidence and convince Yun Che that there was nothing to be worried about, or express solemnity and warn him to be careful and circumspect.

In the end, he chose an attitude that lay somewhere in the middle and said evenly, “The Abyssal Monarch has sensed your awakening. He requests your presence in Eden’s Temple... immediately.”

“Ah!?”

Hua Caili abruptly jumped to her feet with eyes that were overflowing with anxiety.

“Did Uncle Abyssal Monarch... mention why he wishes to meet Big Brother Yun?”

Meng Kongchan shook his head. “The monarch’s will must not be fathomed. Yuan’er, you should—”

He was going to say something to comfort Yun Che, but he quickly realized that the young man’s eyes were completely calm. Forget fear, there wasn’t even a sliver of shock or worry in his eyes at all.

Meng Kongchan immediately felt better... he should’ve expected this. If Yun Che could face even the punishment of devouring rage without fear, then was there anything in this world that could truly intimidate him?

Yun Che immediately climbed out of his jade bed. Although his complexion was pale, and his footing was unstable, his smile was unusually sincere. “An audience with the Abyssal Monarch is an unparalleled honor. Countless people dare not even dream of being summoned. I shall go immediately.”

When Yun Che stepped out of the room, he immediately saw Dugu Zhuyuan standing at the side, waiting. When he saw Yun Che, he saluted him and greeted him, “Divine Son Yuan.”

This scene caused Meng Kongchan to raise his eyebrows slightly, and Hua Caili’s lips to part a little. It was because this was, as far as they knew, the first time the lofty and important Dugu Zhuyuan had ever saluted a Divine Child of a Kingdom of God. It was evident that Yun Che’s feat of bearing twice the punishment of devouring rage without uttering a sound had not just won the hearts of the people of the Kingdoms of God.

Yun Che returned the salute and said, “Senior Dugu, I’ve long admired your reputation.”

Dugu Zhuyuan turned sideways. “The Abyssal Monarch has summoned you for an audience at Eden’s Temple, and he has ordered me to escort you the entire way. This way, please.”

“Thank you.” Yun Che nodded slightly and strode forward. He looked so calm that even Dugu Zhuyuan could not help but give him a strange look.

Dugu Zhuyuan saluted Meng Kongchan lightly and got ready to leave. However, he turned around at the last second and said to Caili, “I have a presumptuous request I’d like to ask of you, Caili. I would be ever so grateful if you could lend me your aid.”

“Huh?”

Hua Caili’s eyes curled into crescents. “You rarely act so courteously, Uncle Dugu. You must be plotting something bad. Let me think... is it related to Aunt?”

Dugu Zhuyuan smiled. “You’re as smart as ever, Caili. I’ve fought against the Sword Fairy twelve times with a score of six losses, three wins, and three draws. However, I just can’t help but feel that I can do better. I recently made some minor breakthroughs, so I really look forward to fighting against her again. I was finally able to meet her during the Pure Land Meet, but alas, she completely ignored my challenge requests.”

I knew it... Hua Caili kept beaming. “So, you want me to persuade Aunt into agreeing to a duel against you, Uncle Zhuyuan?”

Yun Che was slightly intrigued by this... Dugu Zhuyuan was the champion of the abyssal knights. Naturally, he had learned his name a long time ago. However, he had no idea that the man’s skills were only slightly inferior to Hua Qingying’s, not to mention that he had taken three wins from the woman before. He could not help but be astounded by this.

“That’s right.”

Dugu Zhuyuan admitted frankly and asked earnestly, “Please help me, caili. I will agree to any condition.”

It was strongly mentioned in the intelligence regarding Dugu Zhuyuan that, despite his stalwart yet refined appearance, the man was a profoundly obsessed battle maniac through and through. His strength and status all stemmed from the relentless pursuit of the profound way rooted in his soul. No ordinary profound practitioner could imagine his obsession and the amount of hard work he put into improving himself.

Unfortunately, as extraordinary as his talent was, he was ultimately a tad inferior to those who were truly gifted. Although the talent gap seemed insignificant at best, it was really a chasm that even several times the effort could not overcome. It was why he was ultimately unable to surpass Hua Qingying.

Hua Caili pretended to think seriously for a moment before nodding. “Okay. I’ll talk to Aunt and try to persuade her, but it’s ultimately up to her whether she wants to fight you or not. After all, as obsessed as she is with the way of the sword, she has no fondness for combat.”

Despite what she said, joy bloomed in Dugu Zhuyuan’s eyes. He replied sincerely, “Thank you! I will pay you back handsomely if my wish is fulfilled.”

“This way, please, Divine Son Yuan.”

After Yun Che and Dugu Zhuyuan vanished into the distance, the false cheer and casualness Hua Caili put up instantly collapsed to pieces. She looked so worried that she didn’t know what to do.

“Uncle Meng, do you think that Uncle Abyssal Monarch might have noticed some sort of... secret that Big Brother Yun is carrying?”

There were far too many things about Yun Che that were extraordinary. His profound energy could unleash power far exceeding that of his realm; his elemental profound energies could co-exist in harmony with each other, he possessed the Ancestral Dragon’s bloodline, and he even possessed the light profound energy. This was before mentioning his unimaginably mysterious “master” whom no one knew about...

All things considered, it was only natural that even an existence such as the Abyssal Monarch would pay him His attention. In fact, He might even...

“No.”

Meng Kongchan shook his head and locked his gaze in the direction of Eden’s Crown. “The Abyssal Monarch is cold and indifferent toward anything and anyone to an extreme, nor does He possess any secular desire whatsoever. Above all else, He never looks into anyone’s secret. What the world may consider an unprecedented miracle that will never happen again is something that will not earn even a sidewise look from Him.”

“Mm... that’s good to hear. I think Father mentioned something similar.”

Hua Caili let out a small sigh of relief, not realizing that it was precisely because the Abyssal Monarch was such a character that Meng Kongchan’s worries ran even deeper and heavier than they already were.

......

“Supreme one, we’ve investigated every peripheral area in the Pure Land. We even activated some of our spies. However, none of them were able to detect Pan Buwang’s presence.”

The Pray Eternal Divine Regent listened to the report quietly and expressionlessly. However, darkness was lurking inside his eyes.

After waiting for a long time and receiving no response, the old man reporting the news said tentatively, “If Pan Buwang truly wished to return to the Kingdom of God, even if he chose to go all the way and leave the Pure Land altogether, he would have left a trace of aura so we could track him down. But since he didn’t... in my shallow opinion, I believe that he truly did not intend to return.”

“Impossible!”

Another old man standing next to him countered, “He is just putting on a show and attempting to control us, that’s all. Do you seriously think he went through all that scheming and spent all that effort to come to the Pure Land and put on that show just to obtain a jade bond?”

“In fact, I dare say that he’s already on his way back to our kingdom, unable to wait even a second longer. In my opinion, there is no need to look for him. We should just ignore him. He will return to us eventually.”

“...”

Pan Yusheng still said nothing. No one knew what he was thinking.

Pan Buzhuo had been eavesdropping from the sidelines this whole time. Upon hearing this, he finally lost his cool and strode up to his Father. He did his best to suppress his emotions before asking, “Are you really going to allow Pan Buwang to return, Father?”

Pan Yusheng shot him a careless look. “He should return.”

Pan Buzhuo’s heart skipped violently. No matter how hard he tried to control his reactions, he was unable to stop some anxiety from leaking into his expression. “But—”

“There are no buts.”

Pan Yusheng interrupted him indifferently, “Don’t worry. You will still be the Owl Butterfly Divine Son. He will never replace you.”

“Never”

The moment the word came out of the Pray Eternal Divine Regent’s mouth, Pan Buzhuo relaxed immediately. In this regard, the Pray Eternal Divine Regent’s stance could not be any clearer.

“He should return because the Abyssal Monarch wished it so. More than that...”

He narrowed his eyes slightly while darkness lurked behind them. “His body of darkness and the ‘Original Abyss That Severs The Night’ may greatly benefit the Owl Butterfly Kingdom of God. We cannot allow it to fall into another’s hands.”

He turned around and stared straight into Pan Buzhuo’s eyes with his demonic, darkness-shrouded eyes. “Listen well, Buzhuo. As your father, and as the Pray Eternal Divine Regent, I promise you that no one can unseat you unless a perfect Godbearer were to appear in the Owl Butterfly Kingdom of God within this generation. But otherwise...”

His voice suddenly grew harsh, and his cold, dark gaze seemed to pierce Pan Buzhuo to the very bottom of his soul. “You are forbidden from applying your dirty tricks on Pan Buwang after he returns to the kingdom. If you cannot bear to see him, then stay away from him. Otherwise...”

Pan Buzhuo hurriedly promised in a respectful tone, “Do not worry, Father. I only did what I did back then because I had just become the Divine Son and so was filled with fear. Now that I am all grown up, I know how to weigh the pros and cons. I promise I won’t do anything that will put you in a difficult position or let you down, Father.”

“Hmph. You’d best hope that is the case!”

Clearly, Pan Yusheng also believed that, for all his “pretentious” acting, Pan Buwang still desired to return to the Owl Butterfly Kingdom of God. Sure, he might not be able to become the Divine Son any longer, but he would still be an imperial prince if he returned. The imperial prince of a Kingdom of God would naturally enjoy the support of a Kingdom of God, not to mention that Pan Buwang had garnered the attention of the Abyssal Monarch Himself.

No matter how you looked at it, returning to the Owl Butterfly Kingdom of God was a better choice than toughing it out alone in the outside world.

......

“We have arrived, Divine Son Yuan.”

Eden’s Temple was the highest place of the highest place of the Abyss. Pure white outer walls, simplistic square-shaped palace, and square-shaped doors with not a speck of decoration or engraving on them. Its design was simplistic and pure to an extreme.

Yun Che watched the building for a moment before entering the doors. As soon as he crossed the threshold, the world around him secretly changed.

Wherever he looked, there was only an endless space of pale white walls and light gray floor. There was absolutely nothing else besides that.

Thud, thud, thud...

His footsteps sounded so clear that it was as if someone was walking right beside his ears. As he continued forward, Yun Che gradually became aware of his breathing, his heartbeat, and every wisp of air flowing in the temple.

Thud, thud, thud...

The world before him looked the same as before. Nothing had changed, and the end was nowhere in sight. Before he knew it, the existence of space itself was becoming blurry. In fact, he was slowly losing touch with the passage of time. Every spot, every gust of air in this temple seemed to be whispering one word soundlessly: loneliness.

This soundless yet growing sense of loneliness weakened his footsteps, painted his heart and soul in sorrow, and darkened the world.

He felt as if a lonely someone was walking a lonely path, sword pointed toward the heavens in sorrowful askance and accusation...

He felt like someone was playing a qin under the moon when suddenly, the string snapped, and a sob escaped his throat as he recalled the face of a particular butterfly...

He felt as if his heart had died, and his soul had broken to pieces, leaving behind only a cradle of Eden...

He felt as if someone was writing something with a brush, tears dripping silently with every stroke of ink...

He felt as if someone was lying in the snow and listening to the wind, waiting ever so bitterly for the ice to melt, and spring to return...

He felt as if someone was burning an incense stick and looking up to the moon, praying that a particular butterfly would return to his dreams...

The road ahead was endless. There was only hopelessness.

......

An indefinite amount of time and space later, a person’s back suddenly appeared in front of Yun Che.

The man was definitely missing until a moment ago. He had definitely appeared out of nowhere. And yet, Yun Che felt as if he had always been there. He had been waiting there alone for hundreds, thousands, ten thousands... millions of years...

Yun Che stopped in his tracks and stared at the back in front of him. He was wearing a pale, dustless long shirt, and he blended almost seamlessly with his surroundings. Almost, because he was wearing a black bracelet on his wrist that was decisively different from anything and everything that existed in this world.

He was the Abyssal Monarch.

Yun Che had rehearsed his private meeting with the Abyssal Monarch countless times inside his head.

Every time he learned something new about the Abyssal Monarch—especially when a memory fragment from the Heretic God was revealed—the contents of the rehearsal would change dramatically.

This meeting was likely the turning point that would directly decide the fate of his homeworld. That was why he tirelessly deliberated, weighed, and inferred every possible word, scene, and accident that might occur during this meeting.

Finally, this moment had arrived.

He did not salute or greet the Abyssal Monarch. He simply watched in silence, almost as if he wasn’t facing an unparalleledly supreme existence who was respected by all, but an ancient, worn statue that had survived for countless years.

Finally, the Abyssal Monarch’s voice echoed in this lonely world.

“You are an audacious one, Yun Che.”

His voice was not imposing. His voice carried no emotion. Even so, His voice naturally caused someone to flinch and submit from the bottom of their soul as if it was a heavenly edict. His voice was absolute and impossible to defy. It was an absolute, godly suppression originating from the differences between their very plane and existence.

“I see everything you have done in the Pure Land.”

The Abyssal Monarch slowly turned around, pale white eyes glowing with divine power, staring straight into Yun Che’s. The indifferent words of a god spilled through His lips, “Your filthy and vile methods defile the Pure Land.”

The Abyssal Monarch was indifferent yet gentle. It was rare for a Divine Regent or a Kingdom of God to hear a single word of rebuke from him in their entire existence. In fact, nowhere was it mentioned in the records of the Six Kingdoms of God that the Abyssal Monarch had ever gotten angry over anything.

But now, not only was He rebuking Yun Che, He was rebuking him harshly. If a Divine Regent were standing in Yun Che’s shoes right now, they would have turned as pale as a sheet.