Against the Gods

After Yun Che discovered that he could absorb the origin energy inside a profound beast core, the God Realm of Absolute Beginning became a cultivation paradise to him. It was because high level profound beasts were extremely common in this place, not so much everywhere else.

To be honest, Yun Che was actually a bit reluctant to leave.

So far, Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er had only hunted Divine Sovereign profound beasts. They had never dared to enter the territory of a Divine Master profound beast.

In the God Realm, most profound practitioners would never meet a Divine Master profound beast in their whole lives. Even a huge realm like the Flame God Realm only had two Divine Master profound beasts, the ancient horned dragons. 

They could kill one, or even two low level Divine Master profound beasts if an encounter happened. However, a battle at this level would certainly attract a lot of attention. If a whole horde of Divine Master profound beasts were to show up because of the noise, their only choice was to flee with the risk of the unknown hovering over their heads. There was simply no need to take a risk like this.

That was why the profound cores Caizhi gave him… especially the thirty Divine Master level profound cores were an unimaginable wealth to Yun Che.

Setting aside the Divine Sovereign level profound cores for the moment, the fact that there were thirty Divine Master profound cores meant that thirty Divine Master profound beasts were killed to obtain them. That fact alone was enough to strike fear in anyone.

If he could absorb and refine these profound cores using the law of nothingness, his cultivation was sure to improve tremendously in just a short time.

Speaking of the law of nothingness… Yun Che never felt like he truly grasped or understood it in any sense, and yet he couldn’t deny the various impossible powers it exhibited through him.

It was an existence that he was clearly using, but never truly made contact with.

Nothingness… Was the law itself “nothing”?

After putting the Divine Fruit of Absolute Beginning into the Sky Poison Pearl, Yun Che commanded, “How confident are you in refining the Untamed World Pellet, He Ling?”

“One hundred percent,” He Ling answered without hesitation. “It is impossible to fail with my nature spirit energy and the power of the Sky Poison Pearl. Not just that, not a speck of the Untamed Divine Marrow or the Divine Fruit of Absolute Beginning will be wasted.”

“Mn.” Yun Che wasn’t exaggerating at all when he spoke to Qianye Ying’er earlier. The Untamed World Pellet he created would be far superior to the one the Eternal Heaven Great Ancestor had created. The medicinal energy it contained would be several times, or even ten times stronger.

This result was possible because of the Sky Poison Pearl and He Ling!

“Make two,” Yun Che said.

“Two?” He Ling asked weakly after a brief moment of astonishment. “Are we… really giving her half of the pellet?”

“Yes.”

“...Alright,” He Ling replied briefly in a small voice. It was clear she wasn’t willing to split the Untamed World Pellet in half for Qianye Ying’er. After all, this Untamed World Pellet might very well be the last of its kind considering how rare its ingredients were.

“Wait!” Yun Che said suddenly. “Don’t use up the Untamed Divine Marrow completely. Leave some behind… a hair’s worth will be good enough.”

“Mn, got it,” He Ling replied.

“When are we leaving?” Qianye Ying’er’s voice entered Yun Che’s ears at this moment.

“We leave now,” Yun Che replied directly. The experts of the Eternal Heaven God Realm should be arriving very soon, and they weren’t strong enough to venture deep into the God Realm of Absolute Beginning. It would be incredibly dangerous to stay behind and face their enemy’s wrath, not to mention the reinforcements that were sure to come later.

“Really?” Qianye Ying’er raised her eyebrows. “You’re not going to collect that little Heavenly Wolf of yours?”

“I will find her,” Yun Che said before changing his appearance and aura. Then, he flew straight toward the exit.

Originally, they planned to stay in the God Realm of Absolute Beginning for a very long time, but now they had to leave after just a year. Though this was the case, it was better than the time he was forced to run without any clue at all. This time, he knew what he would do after he returned to the Northern Divine Region.

The moment he left the God Realm of Absolute Beginning, the infinite space of the universe entered his sight. Suddenly, Yun Che turned back and looked at the God Realm of Absolute Beginning with a frown.

“What’s wrong?” Qianye Ying’er asked.

“Are the Primal Chaos and the God Realm of Absolute Beginning really two completely separate worlds? Do they really exist independently?” Yun Che asked Qianye Ying’er a strange question out of nowhere.

Qianye Ying’er shot him a glance before answering. “The God Realm of Absolute Beginning dates all the way back to the Era of the Ancestral God, so it’s even older than the Era of Gods. This world has been an independent existence since ancient times, and it has no connection to the outside world besides that miraculous entrance. Why do you ask?”

Yun Che raised his hands and felt the surrounding flow of aura for a moment. Then, he looked away and said, “It’s nothing. Let’s go!”

Yun Che’s frown didn’t fade for a long time even after they were far away from the God Realm of Absolute Beginning.

That strange feeling he sensed earlier seemed to have originated from the law of nothingness. What could this mean?

“Are you worried about something?” Qianye Ying’er asked out of nowhere. After spending the last couple of years with Yun Che, she was capable of detecting any irregularity in his breathing and even his heartbeat instantly.

“I will share half of the Untamed World Pellet with you,” Yun Che said. “Can you finally relax now?”

It was the same thing he told Qinye Ying’er earlier, but it made a world of difference because the Divine Fruit of Absolute Beginning was now in his hands. Qianye Ying’er’s gaze froze for an instant before a faint smile spread across her face. “It was a perfectly logical choice, wasn’t it? Why do you make it sound like you’re doing me a favor?”

“Hmph,” Yun Che snorted coldly. “Stiff-lipped woman.”

“Oh?” Qianye Ying’er licked her lips before saying softly, “Do you really not know if my lips are stiff or soft?”

“...” The arc of Yun Che’s flight dipped suddenly before he corrected himself.

    ————

Eastern Divine Region, the Eternal Heaven God Realm.

Not long after Honorable Zhu Liu had passed away, Zhou Xuzi also sensed Honorable Tai Yin’s death and was shocked for a very long time. Two days later, when his restlessness reached a point where he decided to travel to the God Realm of Absolute Beginning himself, Honorable Tai Yu had finally returned.

Honorable Tai Yu didn’t linger after returning to the Eternal Heaven God Realm. He ran straight for the inner palace where the Eternal Heaven God Emperor was waiting.

The face of the leader of the Eternal Heaven Guardians, the man second only to the Eternal Heaven God Emperor both in terms of strength and status, was completely missing its usual grace and tranquility. In fact, his expression was shockingly grim.

Following beside him was a barrier he constructed with his own power. The barrier prevented light, sound, and aura from entering, and no one, not even the guardians were able to perceive what it was hiding as Honorable Tai Yu made his way through the Eternal Heaven God Realm.

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor rushed out to meet him. He had known Tai Yu for tens of thousands of years, and he had never seen such an expression on him until now. The barrier behind Tai Yu was especially concerning since it was constructed with his full power. The guardian was clearly terrified that someone would see its hidden contents.

“What happened?” The Eternal Heaven God Emperor asked seriously. “Why have you returned before you reached your destination?”

“Master,” Honorable Tai Yu said while letting out a sigh, “please activate the palace’s barrier. This cannot be leaked to anyone.”

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor’s frown deepened before he waved his hands. Their surroundings glowed white all of a sudden, and soon the entire palace was isolated from the outside world. “Now, speak!”

“Tai Yin, Zhu Liu, and Qu Hui have all… passed away,” Honorable Tai Yu started.

“I already know…” Zhou Xuzi’s expression changed slightly. “What? Qu Hui is… gone too?”

He could sense a guardian’s death because he was the Eternal Heaven God Emperor, but not Qu Hui’s.

Qu Hui had traveled to the God Realm of Absolute Beginning as Zhou Qingchen’s supervisor and guide under his orders. He was supposed to act as the witness to Zhou Qingchen’s every move.

He could attribute Tai Yin and Zhu Liu’s deaths to the all powerful Dragons of Absolute Beginning. 

But if Qu Hui was dead, then Zhou Qingchen...

A terrible chill instantly filled up his whole body. It was to the point where his voice was trembling slightly when he asked, “Qingchen… what about Qingchen?”

“I encountered Qu Hui’s profound ark while I was traveling to the God Realm of Absolute Beginning. The young master was inside it."

Tai Yu didn’t look happy at all when he said this. On the contrary, his nostrils trembled a number of times throughout the short sentence.

There were very few things that could truly affect a god emperor, even if it was about their descendants. But Zhou Qingchen was different. The boy was the successor of his bloodline, power, status, and will. He was also the only descendant he ever had with the love of his life. If there was one thing he couldn’t lose no matter what, it would be him.

Tai Yu’s reaction caused the Eternal Heaven God Emperor to freeze like a statue. Icy terror crawled throughout his entire body. “Qingchen… could it be…”

But Tai Yu shook his head with an indescribably complicated expression. “The young master is only lightly wounded. But… but…”

For some reason he couldn’t say the words he meant to speak, so he waved his hand and dispelled the barrier behind him instead.

Zhou Qingchen entered the Eternal Heaven God Emperor’s view. His white clothes were in tatters, and there were wounds all over his body. However, the boy hadn’t suffered any internal injuries, and his life force was perfectly unharmed.

External injuries were nothing to a Divine Sovereign, but for some reason Zhou Qingchen was unconscious even now. Moreover, his facial features were twitching slightly as if he was holding back some sort of deep pain.

Zhou Xuzi strode forward and confirmed that his son was safe immediately. It was undoubtedly one piece of good news amidst the disasters. He let out a secret sigh of relief before saying, “Qu Hui must have died to protect Qingchen and bought him enough time to escape… the fault of this terrible tragedy is mine. It is I who have underestimated the dragons who guard the divine fruit and the dangers of the God Realm of Absolute Beginning too much.”

“Still, it is good that Qingchen is safe.”

“No… no.” Tai Yu repeated the word heavily while shaking his head. “My lord, didn’t you notice? Qingchen’s body, bloodline, profound energy… everything is different from before.”

Zhou Xuzi frowned a little and scanned his son with his spiritual perception. In that moment, his expression changed and his pupils contracted to the size of a pin. It was as if someone had stabbed a pair of poisoned needles into his eyes.

Holding his breath, he took a step forward and fell completely silent. He slowly touched a finger to Zhou Qingchen’s body, but the second he made contact he withdrew his hand as if he was electrocuted...

A waft of dark energy slowly rose from Zhou Qingchen’s body. It was only a wisp, but it was enough to turn the atmosphere dark and stifling.

“Darkness… profound energy…” Zhou Xuzi stumbled half a step backwards before freezing in his tracks. His murmur made it sound like he was stuck in a nightmare. “What’s going on… what’s going on…”

“It’s not just his profound energy,” Tai Yu said before closing his eyes. His voice sounded like it was infused with lead. “His flesh, blood, meridians… absolutely everything has been transformed into a devil’s. In other words, Qingchen is an… incredibly pure devil person right now.”

Tai Yu’s words crushed Zhou Xizi’s last hope mercilessly. A violent tremble coursed through his body as color faded from his vision. He was still murmuring like he was in a nightmare, “What’s going on… what on earth is going on…”

There was nothing more heretical than devil people in the eyes of the Eternal Heaven God Realm and the three divine regions. The people believed them to be the purest representation of evil, which was why all devil people were killed on sight. In fact, it was one of the creeds the Eternal Heaven God Realm had obeyed and executed for the longest time.

But now, his son, the Eternal Heaven God Emperor’s most important son, had transformed… into a devil person!?

“It was Yun Che,” Tai Yu said.

“...What!?” Zhou Xuzi abruptly turned his head and looked at Tai Yu.

“Qingchen encountered Yun Che and the long missing Lady Goddess while he was in the God Realm of Absolute Beginning,” Tai Yu explained slowly. “Their appearance and aura were very different from before. Not even Qu Hui realized who they were until it was too late. After baiting Qingchen into approaching them, they… killed Qu Hui and Tai Yin.”

“Tai… Yin?” The Eternal Heaven God Emperor moved slowly like he was an aging machine.

“Yes, Tai Yin was killed by Yun Che.” Tai Yu’s own reaction was almost identical to his lord’s when he had heard the news from Qingchen. “Tai Yin succeeded in stealing the divine fruit where Zhu Liu was killed, but he suffered grievous injuries during the process. When he returned to Qingchen and Qu Hui, Yun Che ambushed him and took his life.”

“As a result, the divine fruit was taken by Yun Che. Even the Great Void Cauldron is lost to him.”

“I don’t know what kind of evil technique Yun Che cast to transform Qingchen into a devil person, but he is the only one who could’ve done this.”

“...” Zhou Xuzi was completely frozen. This time, his face wasn’t the only thing that was twitching. Every hair on his body was twitching in fear as well.

Yun Che… killed Tai Yin...

Honorable Tai Yin was a level nine Divine Master and the sixth strongest Eternal Heaven Guardian. No one knew better than him how powerful the guardian really was. Even if Tai Yin was grievously injured and near death, an Eternal Heaven Guardian was no one an ordinary person could scoff at… And now, Tai Yu was telling him that Tai Yin was killed by Yun Che?

He clearly remembered that Yun Che was just a level one Divine King when he transformed into a devil person back then. He was as pitiful as a mosquito when the realms chased after him, and he wasn’t able to mount even the tiniest bit of resistance at all.

It hadn’t even been three years since that fateful day.

And now, Tai Yin was dead by his hands!?