Against the Gods

“Remove… it!”

Just as the Ice Phoenix girl’s words fell, Yun Che repeated the two words he had just said. This time those words sounded even colder and stiffer than before, and they contained a heart palpitating ruthlessness.

The Ice Phoenix girl, “...”

He slowly raised his head, the look in his eyes was rather chaotic but it was also exceptionally cold and sober. “Mental interference is essentially using one’s own will to force someone else to do something that they don’t even want to do!”

“It is cruel and absurd when even one’s most basic instincts are being quietly manipulated by someone else! This is especially true… for someone like her, someone who has so much pride and dignity… This is simply far too cruel to her… Remove it. No matter what, remove it for me!”

His voice had gradually started to shake and every word contained a fiercely suppressed rage. He knew that he had no right to rage against the Ice Phoenix divine being who was about to eternally disappear from this world. 

He was even more clear about what would happen after the mental interference on Mu Xuanyin was lifted. However, he did not hesitate at all… How could he allow Mu Xuanyin to live under the control of someone else’s will for the rest of her life? 

Yun Che’s words faintly stirred the heart of the Ice Phoenix girl. She once again lapsed into an even longer silence than previously. She finally let out a long and sad sigh as she said, “You’re absolutely right. Using my own soul to interfere with someone else’s will out of my own selfishness. It is indeed an action that is far too cruel… and it’s also something that is much too unfair to her.”

“Remove it. No matter what happens after this, I will accept it all,” Yun Che said as his voice grew more relaxed.

The figure of the girl in front of him, a figure that was growing more and more illusory with each passing moment, faintly flashed with a very soft blue light. After that, her voice rang in the air, “I’ve already removed it. From now on, her will completely belongs to her alone. With the protection of my soul, no one will be able to interfere with her will from now on.”

“...I understand.” Yun Che closed his eyes and softly gasped for breath.

“Go,” the Ice Phoenix girl said, “I want to spend my last moments quietly bidding farewell to this world by myself. Yun Che, whatever happens to the world in the future, there will still be boundless hope and possibilities as long as you still exist. I wish you and the progeny of the Heretic God peace for the rest of eternity.”

“I will.” Yun Che nodded his head and said sincerely, “I will also forever remember you. Just like the Heretic God, you are also an incomparably noble and great divine being.”

The Ice Phoenix girl gave a faint smile and it was also the last smile a divine being graced the world with. She turned around and a beam of light immediately brushed against Yun Che and carried him through the water. In the blink of an eye, he had already reached the shores of the Heavenly Lake.

The world at the bottom of the Heavenly Lake became tranquil once more. The Ice Phoenix girl quietly floated in place, her body already having become as thin and wispy as the last dregs of mist.

“Even though I am a surviving divine being, it is also truly quite unforgivable for me to have interfered with her will for such a long time. Lord Li Suo, you would definitely have rebuked me for this as well, right?”

As she mumbled those words softly to herself, her fading body transformed into specks of blurry starlight. Her last words then came out in a soft whisper. “The last gift that I had originally wanted to bestow upon Yun Che, let’s give it to her instead… This is the only thing I can do to compensate her and pay for my sins.”

It was at this moment that the fading icy blue figure completely dispersed into the air. Those floating stars converged to form a blue light that was purer than crystal before it shot off toward an unknown location.

    …………

Yun Che stood in stunned silence by the shores of the Heavenly Lake for a very long time, but his mind and heart were still filled chaos.

To Yun Che, the Snow Song Realm was definitely not merely his starting point in the God Realm and a springboard for him. It was his home in the God Realm and its place and importance in his heart were practically on par with the Blue Pole Star.

The biggest reason for his deepening feelings towards the Snow Song Realm was Mu Xuanyin herself.

The first true interaction between him and Mu Xunayin had been the day that she had announced that she would be taking him as her disciple in the Heavenly Netherfrost Lake.

As it turned out, what had occurred from that day onward… what had persisted until just a few moments ago, had all been a “dream” woven by someone else.

This entire affair had not only been far too cruel to Mu Xuanyin, but also just as cruel to Yun Che. 

What was even more cruel was that all of this happened on the day that Yun Che had finally truly realized that Mu Xuanyin’s place in his heart had long ago become as important as anyone else’s.

“Huuuu…” He let out a long breath but his body still felt like it was stuck in a dense and turbid smog he could not escape from.

Would it truly mean that the two of them would be going their separate ways from now on... 

The Ice Phoenix divine being was absolutely right. As he recalled all the things that had happened over the years, given her personality and will, she would definitely feel deeply enraged and ashamed, and she would be itching to kill him herself.

He had stayed at the bottom of the Heavenly Lake for a few days, and by now it should already be near the date that Jie Yuan had decided to leave.

As he shook his head and forcefully suppressed his chaotic emotions and thoughts, Yun Che took a few steps forward and arrived in front of an ice sculpture.

Within this ice sculpture lay Xing Juekong, the disappeared Star God Emperor that no one could find.

It was just that he no longer possessed the majesty and pride of a Star God Emperor. Moving, speaking, and even dying were but extravagant hopes for him right now.

“Xing Juekong,” Yun Che coldly said, “let me tell you a piece of good news. Right now, all of the great king realms have been left with no choice but to accept Jasmine’s existence. I will leave the God Realm together with her and we will probably never return.”

“There’s also Caizhi. She is currently training herself in the God Realm of Absolute Beginning and she has not taken a single step out of it for the past three years. You should know very well who the culprit was that forced her into this state.”

“After Jasmine, it won’t be too long before I also bring Caizhi out of the God Realm of Absolute Beginning and out of the entire God Realm itself. You can forget about seeing them ever again… Of course, you’re not even worthy of seeing them again in the first place.”

“As for the Star God Wheel that you have handed over to me, I will hand it over to Caizhi when the time is right. But I think… it will never ever return to the Star God Realm!”

Yun Che could sense sorrow and despair chaotically gushing out even through the thick layer of ice.

With a cold and cruel smile, Yun Che turned around and departed from the Heavenly Netherfrost Lake.

Upon returning to the region around the Sacred Hall, he stood in front of the Ice Phoenix Sacred Hall… This was the place that was most familiar to him in the Snow Song Realm but this was the first time he had ever felt so apprehensive when approaching it and he did not step inside even after a long time had passed.

No matter how much he wanted to run away from this moment, he had to face it sooner or later. Even though he already knew that it was very likely to be the worst outcome, or an outcome that was even worse than anything he had imagined, he still could not bring himself to leave just like that.

He knelt in front of the Sacred Hall and shouted, “Disciple Yun Che seeks an audience with Master.”

The Sacred Hall was completely quiet and no reply echoed out from it.

But Yun Che knew that Mu Xuanyin was inside.

He did not leave, he did not even rise to his feet. He simply knelt there and allowed to flying snow to pile up over him.

Fifteen minutes… Half an hour...

An hour...

Four hours...

Six hours...

Someone finally started to slowly walk out of the Sacred Hall… but it was Mu Feixue, and not Mu Xuanyin, who had emerged.

“Master said that she does not wish to see you,” Mu Feixue said. Her expression was ice cold but a complicated look could be seen in her eyes.

Yun Che’s lips gently twitched before he spoke in a dejected voice, “Then the matter of sending Senior Devil Emperor off…”

“Master said that she isn’t free to go.” Mu Feixue replied that question directly.

“...I understand.” Speaking those two short words seemed to have exhausted all of the energy in Yun Che’s body. Yun Che gave a deep bow underneath that layer of thick snow and said, “This disciple Yun Che sincerely receives and obeys Master’s orders!”

He stood up… To think that the snowy winds blowing around the Sacred Hall could actually be so chilly and desolate. 

“Junior Sister Feixue,” Yun Che said in a very soft voice, “from now on, I’ll have to trouble you to accompany and take care of Master more often. You need to obediently listen to what she says… and never mention anything regarding me again, lest you rouse her anger.”

Mu Feixue’s icy brows knitted together as a strange expression appeared on her face. She parted her lips and asked in a very soft voice, “You… Did you anger Master in any way?”

Yun Che laughed and shook his head, but in the next instant, he had already taken to the skies, his figure quickly disappearing into the distant horizon.

“Slave Ying, follow me to the Eternal Heaven Realm!”

With a low shout, the Vanishing Moon Celestial Palace reappeared and carried Yun Che toward the distant Eternal Heaven God Realm… Because that was where the grand dimensional formation that would take them to the border of the Primal Chaos was located.

He was incredibly quiet throughout the entire journey and he did not even speak a word to Qianye Ying’er. He Ling had wanted to say something to comfort him many times, but she simply did not know how to broach the subject.

After seven years… he and she had finally taken that step.

But what he obtained after that was a truth like this.

Yun Che’s feelings were not something that anyone else could empathize with.

Time flowed by in a sluggish and dull manner, and it was only when the vast and boundless Eternal Heaven God Realm appeared in his vision that Yun Che let out a muted sigh. He strove to shake off all the chaos plaguing his heart and mind as he left the Vanishing Moon Celestial Palace, then descended toward the Eternal Heaven God Realm together with Qianye Ying’er. 

Just as Yun Che had appeared, a figure wearing a flowing white robe swiftly flew toward them and stopped a distance in front of Yun Che. That person greeted him respectfully, “Qingchen respectfully greets God Child Yun. Royal Father has been waiting for your arrival with much eagerness. Please.”

“Oh, it’s His Highness the Crown Prince.” Yun Che returned the greeting. “For His Highness to welcome me personally, this Yun Che is extremely flattered.”

Zhou Qingchen. Even though Yun Che had never spoken to him or truly interacted with him in the past, his name had long ago resounded in his ears like thunder.

He was the youngest son of the Eternal Heaven God Emperor but he had become the Eternal Heaven Crown Prince and this was something that everyone in the universe was well aware of!

Among all of the children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren of the Eternal Heaven God Emperor, he was undoubtedly the one who possessed the most innate talent and natural aptitude! 

The ones who were directly below the god emperor of the Eternal Heaven Realm were the Guardians. The Eternal Heaven Crown Prince was, in actuality, a position that was even more exalted than the Guardians. Because he was the future Eternal Heaven God Emperor.

The god emperor of the Star God Realm was always one of the Star Gods, the god emperor of the Moon God Realm was one of the Moon Gods, and this was also the case in most of the king realms. But the Eternal Heaven God Emperor never came from one of the Guardians and their inheritance was different from that of the Guardians. They had no need to obtain the acknowledgement of their divine power, it was a special sort of bloodline inheritance.

In fact, the current Eternal Heaven God Emperor, Zhou Xuzi, was the direct descendent of the Eternal Heaven Ancestor.

When it was the right time, the Eternal Heaven God Emperor would pass on his god emperor powers to his inheritor… and that inheritor was Zhou Qingchen.

If one wanted to become the Eternal Heaven God Emperor, one’s nature was just as important as one’s power and charisma. A heart of compassion was especially important. So Zhou Qingchen, who had been nurtured as the next Eternal Heaven God Emperor, was as refined and pure as his name made him out to be.

The Eternal Heaven Crown Prince was exceedingly famous but he very rarely appeared in public. Yet the Eternal Heaven God Emperor had actually dispatched him to personally receive Yun Che, and it was clear that he had already been waiting for Yun Che for a very long time as well. This showed just how much regard the Eternal Heaven God Emperor had for Yun Che. At the same time, this meeting would also facilitate a friendship between Zhou Qingchen and Yun Che.

Because Yun Che was indeed worthy of such a special honor.

“Oh, what is God Child Yun saying. To be able to welcome you personally is Qingchen’s fortune,” Zhou Qingchen replied in a flustered manner.

When he spoke, he snuck a peek at the trailing Qianye Ying’er from the corner of his eye. But after that his gaze immediately shifted away and a trace of sadness flashed in the depths of his eyes before it disappeared immediately.

When he had first arrived in the Eternal Heaven God Realm all those years ago, before he had even truly stepped into it, the invisible might that hung in the air, even at the borders of the realm, had made it hard for Yun Che to breathe. But today, as he shot through the skies above the Eternal Heaven God Realm, everyone who saw him could not help but stare. There were even some who bowed in the distance, showing their immense respect for him.

Even though the news of everything that had happened had not yet spread to the entire God Realm, how could the people who resided in the Eternal Heaven God Realm not know that it was Yun Che who had saved them from an incredibly bleak and despair-filled calamity? Furthermore, this matter would very soon be spread to the entire universe, and at that time, his personal fame and reputation would definitely not be lower than any single king realm. By then, his name would be remembered for all the ages.

“Truth be told.” Even though he was the Eternal Heaven Crown Prince, Zhou Qingchen had none of the haughtiness and pride that usually accompanied such a position. He was humble and polite, and he was even a little deferential. Furthermore, this respectfulness and deference was definitely not faked, it came from the bottom of his heart. “Four years ago, when I saw God Child Yun participate in the Profound God Convention, I was already deeply stunned and amazed by your dashing figure. It was to my regret that I could not make friends with you due to the limits imposed upon me by my station.”

The Eternal Heaven Crown Prince’s status truly was far too exalted and noble. In many ways, that position was also a symbol of the Eternal Heaven God Realm’s dignity and prestige, so how could he possibly lower the dignity of his station and proactively try to befriend Yun Che at that time? 

“But today, my wish has finally been fulfilled. It’s just that God Child Yun’s current accomplishments are something that Qingchen will never be able to match during my lifetime,” Zhou Qingchen said as he gave an emotional sigh.

Yun Che faintly smiled as he said, “It is His Highness the Crown Prince who is a heaven-destined god child. Yun Che absolutely does not dare to receive such praise and recognition from you."

Zhou Qingchen shook his head and laughed. “You moved the Devil Emperor into departing, you stopped the devil gods from arriving, and you even established an armistice between the God Realm and the Evil Infant on the condition that the two parties do not offend one another. You got rid of all of the calamities and maladies that threatened and plagued the God Realm. These sort of world-saving accomplishments are something that cannot be matched by anyone else and will echo through the ages. They are certainly worthy of all praise and recognition.”

“...” Yun Che was rendered completely speechless by that reply. This manner of speaking and way of praising others was practically the same as the Eternal Heaven God Emperor.