Against the Gods

In a boudoir, Yun Che meditated with his eyes closed. He was going through everything that had happened on the Pure Land in detail. Li Suo’s voice rang in his soul sea, “It’s rare to find your spirit in such a relaxed state. Is it because you gained more than expected during this journey?”

“No, that’s not it.”

Yun Che answered unhurriedly, “I need to recover my soul energy as soon as possible and confirm that that weird feeling of being spied on isn’t my imagination.”

Li Suo answered, “Meng Kongchan has already answered your doubts. If you can sense it, there is no reason he wouldn’t be able to.”

Yun Che replied slowly, “I only trust myself.”

Li Suo thought for a long time before asking softly, “You seem extremely concerned about this feeling—one that is highly likely to be your imagination—but... it doesn’t seem to me that you’re worried about it. Why’s that?”

“That’s a good question.”

Yun Che’s eyebrows twitched as if he were puzzled by his own reaction. “It’s just, for whatever reason, I feel like this entity doesn’t harbor any ill will toward me. On the contrary...”

He tried to find a word to describe that weird feeling, but ultimately could not. In the end, he said, “I would prefer that that feeling is the imaginary product of my soul damage as well, but if it’s not...”

“My opponent can spy on me without triggering Meng Kongchan’s perception, but I am able to detect them for some reason. I had teleported to and fro the Forbidden Zone of Slumbering Gods using the Void Breaching Great Formation, and yet their perception was able to trace me back all the way to the Pure Land... If such an entity truly exists, and they have set their sights on me, then beyond terrifying doesn’t even begin to describe it.”

“Still, it couldn’t be the legendary Lord of the Abyss, could it?”

Yun Che said in a joking tone, “Did they awaken prematurely and find out that I am pretending to be him? Is that why... but no. This isn’t right either. Mo Su once said that he could not appear in lands with thin concentrations of abyssal dust, much less the Pure Land.”

Li Suo mulled over Yun Che’s words carefully before saying, “When you have eliminated all other possibilities, the only one remaining must be the truth. You endured the punishment of devouring rage for two hundred breaths and earned over three thousand soul wounds as a result. Right now, half of them remain unhealed. You should stop thinking and focus on recovering in the next month or so.”

Yun Che gave her suggestion some thought before agreeing, “Fine, fine. No matter how I think about it, it just doesn’t make sense that there’s something out there that I can sense, but not Meng Kongchan, and their perception had seamlessly followed me all the way from the Forbidden Zone of Slumbering Gods to the Pure Land... I mean, unless it’s me spying on myself—”

Yun Che suddenly fell silent, and his soul strings pulled taut.

“?!”

Li Suo’s voice immediately grew urgent. “What’s happening?”

“......”

Yun Che opened his eyes a little, and his soul strings slowly relaxed. Then, he cracked a natural smile and said easily, “It’s nothing. I overreacted a little because my soul injury acted up. I knew I shouldn’t be overthinking things[1].”

Li Suo was connected to Yun Che by soul, so she could tell that he wasn’t telling the truth. However, since he did not wish to speak about it, she did not press him for answers. She took the initiative to change the subject, “So, what is the deepest impression you’ve gotten from your Pure Land journey?”

Yun Che responded with one word only, “Division.”

“Di... vision??”

Li Suo whispered the word before asking, “What do you mean?”

Yun Che slowed down his speech. “To the Abyss, the Eternal Pure Land is a legendary place as distant and untouchable as the celestial realm. Now, it is closer than ever before, and the Kingdoms of God can hardly control their excitement. But the Four High Priests...”

“The Chief Priest is stoic and reticent, so I can’t say what he is thinking. The other High Priests, though... High Priest Liu Xiao is fully absorbed in the culinary arts and chooses to abandon all other pursuits of his own accord. High Priest Wan Dao claimed to be a man who indulged in every way, so it seems he was a person who pursued extreme extravagance. High Priest Ling Xian sees all thoughts as illusions, and her resolve to die outweighs her will to live.”

“From my perspective at least, I cannot sense the slightest bit of desire or excitement toward the Eternal Pure Land.”

“So... what about the Abyssal Monarch?”

Yun Che squinted a little, and his voice grew a tad heavy. “I had adjusted my expectations accordingly after hearing what the Qilin God had to say back then, but the weight of his ‘obsession’ is... I still found myself stifled for several breaths when he spoke of the existence and destruction of the Abyss like it was nothing...”

“Besides that, he completely brushed aside the ‘Divine Miracle of Life’ I had prepared. Therefore, I must prepare some other methods to ensure that he would not interfere when I activate my hidden traps.”

Li Suo said, “But... the Abyssal Monarch never involves himself in the matters of the Kingdoms of God. There is a very high chance that your method would turn out to be unnecessary.”

Yun Che’s voice was fully determined. “A very high chance is not good enough, and surrendering the initiative to your opponent is never a good solution. He must not interfere with the matters of the Kingdoms of God, no matter what, and the only way to ensure this... is Pan Xiaodie!”

Rumble—

It was at this moment that a vast presence rapidly approached their profound ship. The spatial rumbles were coming ever closer. Yun Che rose to his feet, but before he could take even a step forward, a young woman’s ethereal voice hit him first. “Big Brother Yun!”

The profound ships Heaven Breaker and Dreamweaver were approaching one another slowly. Even before they connected, Hua Caili was already flying toward the Dreamweaver profound ship and moving toward Yun Che’s presence at high speed. Following behind her was an exasperated-looking Hua Fuchen.

Yun Che flew up to meet them while greeting Hua Fuchen. “Senior.” By the time the word left his mouth, Hua Caili was already grabbing his arm and looking at him with three parts embarrassment and seven parts anticipation, chirping, “I’ll come with you to the Dreamweaver Kingdom of God, Big Brother Yun. I want to see the place where you were born and where you live.”

Hua Fuchen was just about to greet Meng Kongchan when he heard this. Wheeling around with a stern look, he barked, “What nonsense are you talking about? Absolutely not!”

Hua Caili was fearless. She giggled while clinging to Yun Che, “I already made up my mind, Father. Your objection is useless.”

“Foolish girl!”

Hua Fuchen reached out to pull her back to his side, but he stopped himself and withdrew his hand halfway. However, his tone did not relax in the slightest. “Although nothing stands between you and Yun Che anymore, that does not mean you can act recklessly or willfully!”

Meng Kongchan waved him off smilingly. “Calm down, Brother Fuchen. Caili is still young and inexperienced. Simply explain things to her, and she will understand.”

“But why?”

Hua Caili looked extremely reluctant and puzzled. “I understand why you haven’t let me see Big Brother Yun for the past three years, but everyone knows about our relationship now. Even Uncle Abyssal Monarch has canceled my engagement. All I want to do is visit Big Brother Yun’s place. Why can’t I do something so simple??”

Hua Caili wasn’t hiding her volume at all, so everyone in both ships could hear her loud and clear.

Hua Fuchen’s brow throbbed. Realizing that the only way to make Hua Caili understand was to be direct, he said, “You are a girl and the Divine Daughter of the Heaven Breaker Kingdom of God! It is a scandal for you to make haste to a man’s place! A scandal!”

“Huh?”

Hua Caili blinked and glanced back and forth between Yun Che and her father one time. It was clear she did not understand the misgivings regarding the issue. “Why not? Aunt told me that Mother once crossed half the Abyss just to travel to the Heaven Breaker Kingdom of God and meet up with you.”

“......”

Hua Fuchen’s gaze stilled, and he was unable to say a word for a long, long time.

“Caili,” Yun Che said softly, “I yearn to be by your side day and night as well, but right now really isn’t a good time for you to return to the Dreamweaver Kingdom of God with me.”

“What?”

Hua Caili’s jade-like face was immediately filled with disappointment. ‘Why though?”

Yun Che explained gently, “For one, although nothing stands in our way anymore, our fates... are ultimately tied to our Kingdoms of God to a great degree. Currently, we have neither officially engaged nor exchanged marriage certificates or betrothal gifts. As the esteemed Heaven Breaker Divine Daughter, your extended presence in Dreamweaver will inevitably invite criticism toward the Heaven Breaker Kingdom of God.”

Although she looked downcast, Hua Caili obediently listened to Yun Che’s every word. It was like she was a completely different person from the disobedient girl who argued against her father until he was speechless. The Heart Painter Divine Regent could not help but sigh at this.

“Two, although the Abyssal Monarch had annulled your engagement with Dian Jiuzhi, the Boundless Divine Regent had also been utterly enraged. To our two seniors, this represents a profound wound of the heart that we can scarcely comprehend. Therefore, we should avoid any actions that may provoke the Boundless Kingdom of God for now and allow them the time they need to resolve this matter.”

Hua Fuchen and Meng Kongchan exchanged glances with each other. They both looked grateful and comforted.

“And three...”

Yun Che lowered his voice a little, “When High Priest Ling Xian summoned me earlier, she had bestowed me with nine drops of Vermillion Bird origin blood.”

Hua Caili’s vermilion lips parted a bit when she heard this. Even Hua Fuchen looked surprised. “Is that true?”

“Mm.”

Meng Kongchan nodded slightly and said with feigned indifference, “It’s not because she wants to thank him for the Primal Flame Crystal. It’s because High Priest Ling Xian realizes that there will never be a better inheritor of the Vermillion Bird than Yuan’er after meeting him. So, she forced Yuan’er to accept this gift... yep, that’s how it goes.”

“......”

Hua Fuchen pointedly looked away from Meng Kongchan and refused to respond.

“Grandma Ling Xian actually...”

After her initial surprise had passed, surprise and excitement several times greater than her original surprise erupted. “I understand! You need time to refine the Vermillion Bird origin blood. I definitely shouldn’t disturb you during this time.”

“Your presence will never constitute a disturbance to me.” Yun Che hurriedly corrected her. “That said, I do need to refine the first origin blood drop right away, and I will not have the time to keep you company during this time. That said, I promise I will visit you at the Heaven Breaker Kingdom of God in three months at most.”

“Okay.”

She grabbed Yun Che’s fingers tightly and wore a small smile. “You promised! Three months at most. You’re not allowed to break your word. Otherwise, I will ask Aunt to bring me to the Dreamweaver Kingdom of God and kidnap you ourselves.”

The profound ships parted ways after that and went their respective ways. Yun Che’s figure rapidly shrank in Hua Caili’s vision, but she kept staring at him even after he became a blurry star on the horizon. She was still standing at the edge of the ship and looking at the horizon when the blurry star had vanished completely from view. Like a frost-covered jade statue, she remained motionless for a very, very long time.

A gust carrying some of the Pure Land’s aura brushed past her face and caused a few strands of hair to become stuck to her cheek. Strangely, they felt cold and wet. As it turned out, translucent tears had rolled down her long eyelashes and stained her cheeks before she knew it. They glittered faintly and hazily with lingering yearning and sorrow.

Hua Fuchen was going to approach Hua Caili, but the sight of his daughter crying silently caused him to stop in his tracks. Heart stirring with complicated emotions, he wasn’t sure whether he should pity her or reproach her for a time. She was the formidable Heaven Breaker Divine Daughter and a miraculous prodigy who mastered the fourth Heaven Breaker Fourth Sword style in less than half a sexagenary year... yet here she was, shedding tears over a mere three months of separation.

Yaoguang Sword Sovereign walked up to him with a smile. “The passions of youth are always so bright and intense. It evokes admiration and even more envy. Then again, Yun Che of Dreamweaver is worth it.”

His words dispelled the jealousy in Hua Fuchen’s heart and caused him to crack a heartfelt smile. “Yes, she is so very young, isn’t she? She was born over ten thousand years ago, so I often forget that she is really just twenty.”

“Oh well.”

He turned away so as not to disturb Hua Caili. “She’s debasing herself, but whatever. As you say, that boy is worth it, hahahaha... sigh.”

......

Back in the Dreamweaver Kingdom of God, Meng Kongchan gave himself no time to rest. As soon as he returned, he swiftly assembled the Dream Lords and began the preparations for the Eternal Pure Land. It was clear that everyone in the Kingdom of God, regardless of their status, would be busy with work for a very long time to come. The atmosphere had changed dramatically as well.

“Brother Yuan, Father had given instructions saying that you should focus on recuperating and refining the Vermillion Bird divine blood bestowed by High Priest Ling Xian for the time being. You need not concern yourself with external matters. Should any major event occur, I shall personally inform you at the earliest opportunity.”

Yun Che did not respond to that. Instead, he said, “Before I do that, I need to visit the Xuanji Hall first.”

Meng Jianxi was surprised, but he did not ask unnecessary questions. He simply nodded and said, “Got it. I’ll come with you.”

Before he left the Pure Land, Shenwu Yi had pointed at her ear with one finger... the greatest possibility Yun Che could think of was that she wanted him to look deep into the Eternal Night Kingdom of God. As for the “seven orifices,” she whispered, it was probably hidden somewhere in that intel.

1. The Chinese community is speculating that he used the Mirror of Samsara in the future, and this entity is his original self or something. Wild. ☜