Against the Gods

Yun Che truly hadn’t thought of his imperial title yet.

A god emperor was an existence that stood at the pinnacle of this universe. All those who ascended the throne either did it for power or to pursue the peak of the profound way. They had risen above all other living creatures and lorded over all creation.

But Yun Che only wanted revenge. To him, his imperial title was of absolutely no importance.

“Since you brought this up, you must already have something in mind,” Yun Che pointedly replied.

“I actually have two titles in mind,” Chi Wuyao replied languidly. “The first one has to do with the fact that you’ve inherited the devil blood and devil art of the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor. You are her sole successor. So it is entirely reasonable for you to inherit the name ‘Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor’ as well.”

“This imperial title would carry unsurpassed authority in the Northern Divine Region.”

Yun Che’s brow furrowed slightly as he asked, “What about the second?”

“Heretic Emperor.” Chi Wuyao continued in a captivating voice, “Your fate turned the moment you inherited the Heretic God’s legacy. For you, who has the Heretic God’s powers running through your veins, it would not be inappropriate to take his title either.”

“In addition, the word ‘Heretic’ is neither good nor evil. It includes lack of restraint and disdain which very much agrees with the turn your fate and frame of mind have taken.

Chi Wuyao finished speaking. However, she did not ask Yun Che for his opinion. Her beautiful eyes turned to look at Qianye Ying’er. “So, what do you think?”

Qianye Ying’er replied with a cold, stern expression, “He is neither the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor, nor is he the Heretic God. He is… unique and unmatched. He is Yun Che, someone who has no need for any other person’s prestige or titles.”

“Oh?” Chi Wuyao gave a small smirk as her gaze lowered slightly. “It looks like you… already have a title in mind.”

“Devil Master of the North—Emperor Yun!” Qianye Ying’er announced with a fierce glare. “Clouds have covered the blue dome of heaven since time immemorial and they’ve overlooked all of creation since the very beginning. His clouds will descend and engulf the entire world, they will overturn the earth and seas and his wrath will be like the thunder of the nine heavens themselves.”

“Furthermore, that is his surname. Since he is crowned emperor, the word ‘Yun’ shall be ingrained in the hearts of all of creation!”

Qianye Ying’er had just finished her sentence but her lips moved lightly. Her brow furrowed slightly as she directed her words toward Chi Wuyao using sound transmission, “This is also the eternal glory that he can bestow upon his family and clan members!”

The reason she had said those words was because she wanted the word “Yun” to rise above everything else, so that he would be able to wipe away some of the deep guilt that he felt toward his family. This way, he would be able to bestow eternal glory upon his family and his clan… He would immortalize them in this manner.

Compared to Qianye Ying’er’s hostility toward her, something which had clearly increased drastically from before, Chi Wuyao did not show the slightest intention to “engage” her. She gave Qianye Ying’er a small smile instead as she inclined her head and praised her words. “Very good. Devil Master Emperor Yun. It is decided then.”

Qianye Ying’er, “...”

Yun Che raised his head, “I haven’t even given my answer yet...”

“The second matter is regarding that lass from the Eastern Divine Region’s Glazed Light Realm,” Chi Wuyao said.

Yun Che was startled for a moment. He violently turned around, “Shui Meiyin? What’s happened to her?”

Chi Wuyao had never interacted with Shui Meiyin in her true form before, but as “Mu Xuanyin”, she had met her more than once. Back then, she had single-handedly facilitated Yun Che and Shui Meiyin’s marriage… Although her efforts had all gone to waste in the end.

“Approximately two years ago,” Chi Wuyao replied languidly, “news that the Glazed Light Realm provided refuge to you was made known and they were punished by the Moon God Emperor.”

The three words, “Moon God Emperor” simultaneously pricked the nerves of Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er.

Yun Che’s core shook violently as he growled in a low voice, “What... do you mean by punished?”

Chi Wuyao’s devilish voice was gentle and unhurried as she replied, “It was rumored that Glazed Light Realm King Shui Qianheng assumed responsibility for the whole matter. The Moon God Emperor wanted to execute him on the spot, but luckily for him, the Eternal Heaven God Emperor managed to intervene in the nick of time… He pleaded their case and asked the Moon God Emperor for mercy, so Shui Qianheng was crippled instead. But at the same time, Shui Meiyin was also sentenced to be imprisoned in the Moon God Realm for a thousand years.”

“...” Yun Che neither spoke nor moved, but a dark malice appeared on his face.

In Yun Che’s heart, there was only one other pure land in the Eastern Divine Region besides the Snow Song Realm. There was only one other girl who still chose to hug him as her tears stained his back, even after his darkness had been exposed to the world and it had become his enemy.

On that day, a day so cold that it seemed like he had been plunged into a hell of ice, it was… his only source of warmth.

“After Shui Qianheng was crippled, he stepped down from his position as realm king and Shui Yingyue has been the Glazed Light Realm King ever since. As for Shui Meiyin, there has not been any news of her ever since she was imprisoned in the Moon God Realm. The Glazed Light Realm tried to visit her many times, but they were always chased away when they did.”

Crack!

Yun Che gripped his fists so tightly that his bones nearly shifted out of position as he ground his teeth in anger.

Back then, he had left the Glazed Light Realm the instant he awoke. Moreover, he had tried his best to cut off all relations with them and erase any evidence involving them. But in the end, they had still been implicated to such a great extent.

“No matter how the world sees you, you’ll always be the best… best person to ever exist in my heart. So please… stay alive… you and all your loved ones must all stay alive… okay?…”

Back then, when they had last met, the gentle reminders she sobbed out and her tear-filled gaze were the precious light that kept him from completely falling into darkness during the months that followed, the bleakest months of his life.

Moon God Emperor...

Xia Qingyue!!

Yun Che’s eyes hardened as threads of wild killing intent interwove chaotically within their depths.

The beautiful and heartrending destruction of the Blue Pole Star had been the cruelest nightmare of his entire life.

His hatred and murderous intent towards Xia Qingyue was definitely above that of Zhou Xuzi.

“The Moon God Emperor is living up to her title as god emperor. She really is merciless and decisive enough to be one,” Qianye Ying’er said in a low voice before shooting a troubled glance at Chi Wuyao.

What Xia Qingyue had done was completely normal. Firstly, she would be able to completely disassociate herself from any association she had with him, expunging all doubts cast on her due to once being a devil’s wife. Secondly, she was able to remove any possibility of future disasters that might arise from Shui Meiyin’s deep love for Yun Che.

As the merciless and decisive Moon God Emperor, she would definitely use this perfect reason to gain complete control over Shui Meiyin, who possessed the Divine Stainless Soul and could potentially cause many disasters.

“There is no need to wait till the coronation ceremony is over.” Yun Che spoke slowly and growled in a low voice, “Let’s start rallying the troops… Dispatch Hua Jin to the Eastern Divine Region now!”

“That seems slightly hasty,” Chu Wuyao shifted her gaze toward him and replied. “However, since this is the command of the Devil Master, how can I refuse… She already departed an hour ago.”

She understood Yun Che all too well. She had already anticipated what his reaction would be when she told him about Shui Meiyin.

But, she had no intention of keeping Yun Che in the dark. No man liked secrets to be kept from him, even if the reasons for it were good.

Yun Che did not say a single word. He let out a long sigh. His figure flashed and he started descending from the Soul Sky. He needed to find a place to cool off.

“Oh?” Chu Wuyao’s beautiful eyes glanced at Qianye Ying’er. “Why didn’t you follow him? Aren’t you afraid… that other women may take advantage of the situation?”

Qianye Ying’er stared back at her. It was as if she was trying to see into the depths of her soul through the windows of her eyes. “Given how isolated the Northern Divine Region and Eastern Divine Region are from each other, you must have taken great pains to obtain such detailed information.”

“Because the Eternal Calamity of Darkness has made our bodies perfectly compatible with the darkness, the possibility of exposing our aura of darkness outside the Northern Region has dipped dramatically, so…” Chi Wuyao continued, her eyes smouldering with a hazy seductiveness, “It isn’t that difficult to get information anymore. Conversely, it is still extremely difficult for the other three divine regions to try and gather any news on us.”

“Why would you specifically come here to tell him about that girl from the Glazed Light Realm!?” Qianye Ying’er asked, “He shouldn’t have been bored enough to mention anything about her to you.”

“Girl?” A small smile played across Chi Wuyao’s lips, “I am able to call her that, but I’m afraid that you can’t. After she went through those three thousand years in the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm… she could be considered your big sister in terms of both age and seniority.

“...Answer my question.” Qianye Ying’er once again posed the same question, “Who are you exactly?”

“I will tell you after the grand coronation ceremony. Although…” Chi Wuyan spoke softly, “It’d better for you if you didn’t know.”

Qianye Ying’er no longer pursued the question. But she did not leave to look for Yun Che either. She changed the topic instead as she asked Chi Wuyao another question, “Do you know who Xia Qingyue is?”

“I do.” Chi Wuyao answered. “Perhaps I even understand her better than you do.”

“Oh? Qianye Ying’er did not bother to question her words. She asked yet another question instead. “Then, based on your understanding of her, what kind of person is she?”

Chi Wuyao’s small smile disappeared and her eyes were clouded by a layer of dark mist. “I carry the soul of a Devil Emperor and used to brag that my skill of seeing through others was unmatched. But Xia Qingyue greatly damaged my confidence in that aspect. Back then, my judgement of Xia Qingyue was that she was someone who would never harm Yun Che.”

“In the end, she was the person who was most cruel and merciless to him.” Qianye Ying’er gave a cold laugh.

“That’s why they say that the most difficult thing in this universe is to be able to see the heart of a woman clearly.” Chi Wuyao stared into Qianye Ying’er’s golden orbs, her lips pouting slightly. “After all… women are far too fickle.”

Qianye Ying’er’s golden brows knit together. “Are you talking about me?”

Chi Wuyao smiled faintly. “Back when you stripped Chanyi of her clothes in the Central Ruins Realm, you really must have wanted to see Yun Che’s animal lust explode so that he would violently ravish Chanyi, am I correct?”

Qianye Ying’er: “...”

“Back in the Imperial Heaven Realm, when you were dueling against Yao Die, she asked you what kind of profound art you were cultivating. You told her that she should ‘ask her future master’ instead, and you even emphasized that she would be ‘asking it in bed’.”

Qianye Ying’er: “...”

“Back then, you couldn’t wait for Yun Che to trample all over the women who were of high status and met your standards… Because you were once in those exact circumstances, so you would gain a twisted sense of pleasure and justice from seeing your suffering inflicted on someone else.”

“...” Qianye Ying’er’s gaze froze slightly but she did not speak a word.

“The current you has jumped from one extreme end to another.” Chi Wuyao’s words had a lingering overtone, “I didn’t intend for this outcome when I wanted you to look at yourself clearly.” Qianye Ying’er’s soul was twisted… Be it in the past or the present.

“Even when I become his empress, the only one allowed to sleep with him is you?” Chi Wuyao laughed as her lips pursed up. “Even prostitutes would be hard-pressed to say such vulgar words, but they actually came out of the mouth of the Brahma Monarch Goddess. You even said them in such a hurried and flustered manner. The unsightly way you scrambled to stake your claim was worse than that of a newborn chick.. Are you… that afraid of me?”

“Me...afraid of you!?” Qianye Ying’er’s jade face was expressionless but chaos surged and roiled within her heart.

Almost every word coming from this frightening woman in front of her shook her to the core... and this included the deepest parts of her that even she herself was blind to.

She was afraid… She found that she was truly afraid when Chi Wuyao’s words drifted into her ears.

Back then, when she lost the family she treasured the most, she fell into an abyss.

Now, fear gripped the deepest parts of her soul and every strand of her faith… It was something she dared not even think about, because if she lost something once more...

It was exactly as Chi Wuyao had stated, the Brahma Monarch Goddess, who once considered all creation to be either her tools or fodder, had now been reduced to an anxious little chick who had lost herself.

And the only one who could “save” her was herself.

Chi Wuyao strolled forward unhurriedly and came to a stop beside Qianye Ying’er, their shoulders gently brushing against each other. She slowly exhaled before speaking in a gentle voice, “You really don’t have to be afraid of me. As long as you don’t turn into another Xia Qingyue, I will never be your enemy or take him away from you. On the contrary, just as what I told you from the start… What I feel toward you is mostly gratitude.”

“Moreover,” she said as her voice turned soft and seductive, “I eagerly await the day that I am able to serve the same man in bed together with the Brahma Monarch Goddess… I believe that he would be delighted.”

“...”

Qianye Ying’er’s body went numb, and Chi Wuyao had vanished by the time she had managed to snap out of her stupor.

But her terrifying devilish voice continued to linger in her soul, refusing to fade.

——————

It seemed as if all of creation had gathered in a thronging mass inside the Soul Stealing Sacred Region. Furthermore, every single aura that was present in this place was so powerful that it caused one’s heart to skip a beat.

Devilish clouds gathered densely over the skies of the Soul Stealing Realm, causing the skies to look much lower than normal. The sky looked grim and dark and seemed as if it could collapse at any time.

Countless realm kings and lords had gathered in the Soul Stealing Realm. The upper star realms had already seated themselves within the Sacred Region while a seemingly endless crowd thronged around its outer parts.

Dark clouds were roiling in the air and a dark fog started to form as countless dark formations were being channeled in every corner of the Soul Stealing Sacred Region.These dark profound formations used the legacy artifact left by the True Devils to the Burning Moon Realm as their core. With the united efforts of the three king realms, the coronation ceremony could be projected to every corner of the Northern Divine Realm.

All of the Soul Stealing Realm’s floating islands were gathered around the Soul Stealing Sacred Region. What was even more shocking was the three gigantic shadows which hung in the sky, a sight that even struck fear into the hearts of the higher realm kings who gazed upon them.

The main profound warships of all three king realms, Soul Stealing, Yama, and Burning Moon, were here!

All three warships were gathered in the skies above the Soul Stealing Realm. It was as if three devil gods had reappeared in this era and were presently looking down upon all the living beings in the Northern Region.

There had never been such an enormous spectacle in the history of the Northern Divine Region.

Even though there were a vast number of profound practitioners in the Northern Region, a shocking silence filled both the inner and outer parts of the Sacred Region. People were hardly even whispering to each other as they gazed at the skies. At times, they even found it hard to breathe… because all of them knew that they were going to be witnessing a historic moment for the Northern Divine Region.

This day would be eternalized in the history of the Northern Divine Realm.

Yun Che, the Devil Master who was crowned by the three king realms, the one who reigned supreme in the Northern Divine Region.

Was this a scheme that the three king realms had hatched together, or… Was it true that this young man, who was rumored to be from the Eastern Divine Region, who had not even been alive for forty years, had managed to completely subjugate the three king realms in such a short period of time!?

Time flowed by slowly. After a long period of silence, finally...

Rumble!

A dull rumble rang out in the air above as the profound warships of the three great king realms started to slowly descend. A formless and terrifying oppressive might started weighing down on them and it felt as if the entire sky was slowly pressing against their shoulders.

A voice filled with a soul-shaking imperial might reverberated in the air as it resounded through every corner of the Northern Divine Region. “The time has come to respectfully welcome the Devil Master!”

To everyone’s utter astonishment, the one who had shouted that sentence was Yan Tianxiao.

The former number one god emperor of the Northern Region was actually personally hosting this grand coronation ceremony.

The shock that raced through the hearts of all the profound practitioners in the Northern Region could not be described in words.

Yan Tianxiao had just finished speaking when the three main warships ceased their descent. A ray of devilish light passed through the space between the warships as it formed a road of pure darkness in the air.

At the end of this road of darkness, a man wearing black robes was standing on top of that devilish light. His eyes looked like two dark abysses as he appeared before all the profound practitioners of the Northern Region.