Against the Gods

Chi Wuyao might be wearing the title of Empress, but she really was bearing the responsibilities of an Emperor. As a result, she had had to return to the God Realm just two months after her stay on Blue Pole Star. She also dragged an unwilling Qianye Ying’er with her.

After all, now was the time the Brahma Monarch Realm needed Qianye Ying’er the most.

Yun Che had stayed behind on Blue Pole Star as a matter of course and spent every day traveling back and forth between the Profound Sky Continent and Illusory Demon Realm. Sometimes, he would travel to the dark space beneath Cloud’s End Cliff on the Azure Cloud Continent and reminisce about the Heretic God’s painful, hopeless choice with You’er.

If the Heretic God hadn’t left behind his inheritances, if the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor hadn’t chosen to sacrifice herself and her devils, the Primal Chaos would’ve been embroiled in the opposite of the current peace.

If only they could be happy as well...

Now that the universe was at peace, Yun Che had been treating Hong’er and You’er better than ever before. You’er was naturally quiet and obedient, so it didn’t take much effort to keep her happy. Hong’er was weird and energetic, but he indulged her wishes no matter how weird, excessive or unreasonable they might be.

Hong’er’s biggest hobby was to eat, and her food choice was bizarre to say the least. Even more bizarre was the fact that she hadn’t grown a gram fatter or a day older since the day he got her.

Another two months passed, and still Yun Che almost never left the Blue Pole Star.

Most God Realm profound practitioners disdained staying in the lower realms for long, but Yun Che lived every day to the fullest, as if he was trying to make up for all the time he had lost during those painful years.

From time to time, Chi Wuyao would send him a sound transmission and request his wisdom in various important matters, but Yun Che always replied that she should just use her best judgment.

Of course Chi Wuyao had predicted this would happen, but just because his response was predictable didn’t mean that it was right to skip the process. For one, it was the respect Emperor Yun deserved, and two, she didn’t want him to forget that he was still the Great Emperor of the God Realm.

………...

Divine Phoenix Empire, Phoenix Perching Valley.

The name “Phoenix Perching Valley” was known throughout the Profound Sky Continent because it was the cultivation ground and meditation space of the Phoenix Goddess herself. In the eyes of the profound practitioners—especially those who hailed from the Divine Phoenix Empire—it was a holy land that could be worshipped from afar, but never approached. 

Today, a young woman had descended upon the supposedly unapproachable holy land.

Yun Wuxin was now a fully grown woman. Her countenance was peerless, her skin was like the first snow, and her form looked like it was sculpted from white jade. Her every expression was as picturesque as art itself.

She wore a plain but elegant white dress with long sleeves. A simple belt outlined the thinness of her waist and the fullness of her chest.

The eternal crimson clouds hanging in the sky and the warm breeze brushing against the green grass of the Phoenix Perching Valley gave the young woman the appearance of an otherworldly immortal. It was impossible to tell if it was the picturesque scenery of the land that accentuated her peerless beauty, or the other way around.

Yun Wuxin came here once every month to consult her master, Feng Xue’er regarding the cultivation of the World Ode of the Phoenix. However, she noticed that something was amiss the moment she arrived. Fire was normally a violent and agitable element, but today it was so silent it was almost as if it was afraid of something.

“Is father here?”

Yun Wuxin whispered to herself and tried to pinpoint her father’s aura to no avail. It was probably because it was hidden behind a barrier.

She didn’t have to walk far when her father and her master’s auras suddenly appeared within her spiritual perception. As she guessed, a barrier had concealed her auras.

What she didn’t guess was that the barrier also concealed a certain noise that froze her in her tracks instantly.

“Wu… Wuxin is here… Mm!”

“We can deal with her later! Why do you have such difficult knots on your clothes? I’m just going to rip them apart!”

“No! That’s Sister Cangyue’s—mm… uhn…”  

………...

This wasn’t the first time she ran into something like this. In fact, she had almost gotten used to it. Almost. Her cheeks turned as rosy as an apple as she escaped in the opposite direction.

“For crying out loud!” Yun Wuxin stomped her foot in annoyance after she had escaped the area. She was annoyed that her father’s debaucherous nature hadn’t changed in the slightest, and that her master, the so-called Phoenix Goddess, just accepted his advances no matter how unreasonable they might be.

Suddenly, the space in front of her blurred unnaturally. The next moment, she found herself staring at two girls.

The girl to her left wore a black shirt and skirt that matched her black hair and pupils perfectly. Her countenance was so otherworldly that it felt like she didn’t belong to this murky mortal coil. When she smiled, her eyes felt like a pair of infinite nights that could drown all the souls in the world for eternity.

The delicate girl to her right looked even younger. Her complexion was as milky as white jade, and she wore rainbow-colored robes that somehow reminded her of the infinite stars in the sky. Unlike the smiling black-dressed girl beside her though, she emanated a proud, lofty aura that didn’t fit her appearance at all. She looked so cute that anyone who set their eyes on her would want to hold her tight, and yet her presence sang the complete opposite.

Yun Wuxin didn’t know how long she was lost in their appearance. However, she immediately got ahold of herself after she came back down to earth.

“Chi…” She was going to address them as “children” when she scanned with her spiritual perception and found only a pair of infinite abysses. She quickly cut herself off before continuing in a calm and collected manner, “This is the forbidden ground of the Divine Phoenix Sect, and you are not one of our members. I must request that you move elsewhere.”

The girl in black dress tilted her head a little, eyebrows curling into a pair of exquisite crescents. “You are Wuxin? No wonder Big Brother Yun Che always praises your looks. I bet that Sister Yuechan is super gorgeous as well.”

The girl in the rainbow dress snorted. “Hmph! If there is one thing he is good at, it will be his eye for women.” 

“...” Yun Wuxin’s lips parted when she suddenly recalled something. “Are you…”

“Meiyin! Caizhi!!”

Yun Che’s excited voice reached all three of them. There was a gust of wind, and the next moment he and a disheveled, red-faced Feng Xue’er were standing next to Wuxin.

“Heehee!” Shui Meiyin said with a smirk on her face, “It looks like we’ve arrived at an inconvenient time.”

“╭(╯^╰)╮” Caizhi turned her face away a little.

Feng Xue’er grew even redder—and consequently, prettier—than before, but she held in her embarrassment and bowed her head politely at Shui Meiyin and Caizhi. Then, she asked Yun Che softly, “Will you introduce us?”

She already knew who they were from Yun Che’s cry, but formal introductions were still necessary since this was their first meeting.

“My Meiyin, my Caizhi,” Yun Che said smilingly and simply. There was nothing to be added because he had already described in excruciating detail each and every one of his lovers, consorts and concubines in the God Realm before.

“My Xue’er, my Wuxin,” he added after motioning at the duo.

Yun Wuxin took a step forward, saluted Caizhi and Meiyin and greeted them hurriedly, “Wuxin greets Auntie Meiyin and Auntie Caizhi. Please forgive Wuxin for her earlier rudeness.”

She had been curious about her father’s consorts and concubines for a while now, and the woman who saved the fates of her father and everyone else on the Blue Pole Star even more so. She had felt a deep sense of gratitude and admiration toward Meiyin ever since she had heard of her deeds, so she could barely control her excitement now that her idol was standing right in front of her.

“Good girl.” Shui Meiyin beamed at Wuxin before looking at Xue’er next. “Big Brother Yun Che said that you’re the prettiest woman on this planet, and it looks like he wasn’t exaggerating at all, sister Xue’er… although, this isn’t actually the first time I’ve seen you.”

“Eh?” Feng Xue’er looked confused. “You have? When?”

“It was…” Shui Meiyin took a second to remember. “Nine years ago when I was still fifteen years old, heehee.”

She then shot Yun Che a meaningful smile and blinked slowly and deliberately. [1]

“Nine years ago?” Feng Xue’er grew even more confused. Yun Che was still in the God Realm at the time, and she was certain that this was the first time she had met Shui Meiyin. Her appearance and presence were, to put it simply, unforgettable.

“AHEMHEMHEM!” Yun Che let out a series of obviously fake coughs before saying, “It’s not important! Wuxin, you’ve always wanted to speak with your auntie Meiyin, right? Well, this is the perfect time for you to join her and… er, meet your other aunties.”

The fact that Shui Meiyin was here meant that the “eye of the formation” in the God Realm had been fully constructed.

Not done yet, he grabbed Caizhi’s hand and said, “Come, Caizhi. I want to show you something.”

………...

Illusory Demon Realm, Demon Imperial City.

“Where are you taking me?”

Yun Che had flown with Caizhi all the way from Profound Sky Continent to Illusory Demon Realm.

“You’ll know very soon,” Yun Che replied with a bright smile on his face.

The Yun Clan where he was born was right in front of them, but he took her to the mountains at the back of the residence instead.

Caizhi was about to ask again when she suddenly sensed something and froze in her tracks. Yun Che stopped beside her as well. A mix of complicated emotions slowly clouded her trembling, starry eyes..

Below them was a sizable herb garden filled with countless plants. It was a peaceful and tranquil environment filled with the scent of flowers and herbs.

There was an old man inside the garden.

It had only been a decade or so since Yun Gu came to the Illusory Demon Realm, but he was growing more and more famous as a peerless and kind-hearted doctor. He was treated with great respect even by the members of the Illusory Demon Imperial Family and the Twelve Guardian Families.

Despite his growing fame, Yun Gu still gathered his herbs in person. Today though, he was accompanied by an extraordinarily handsome and awe-inspiring middle-aged man instead of the usual Su Ling’er.

If there was a God Realm profound practitioner here right now, they would’ve dropped to their knees in shock already.

It was because he was Xing Juekong, the former Star God Emperor himself!

“... you should only harvest seven-tenths of this leaf. To do so, you wrap it in a small amount of profound energy and deposit it within the cold jade in two breaths…”

“... this herb looks like it’s flourishing, but it’s really been corrupted and should be abandoned…”

“This herb is called Xiang Wanderer, and its shape and presence are nearly identical to the herb called the Bleeding Heart Boat Grass. If either herb is mistaken for the other, they can potentially kill a patient in the worst case scenario. This is why we must commit every form, characteristic and aura of an herb to memory. It is the root of all doctoring…”

    ……

Yun Gu was patiently teaching the former Star God Emperor the art of doctoring. Yun Che knew better than anyone that he was the greatest doctor and best master in the entire world.

Xing Juekong’s back was half-bent in a posture of humility and respect. He never failed to nod his head seriously and respectfully at the end of Yun Gu’s every sentence.

“...” Caizhi watched the scene unfold silently and motionlessly.

“I’ve wiped away all of his memories.” Still holding onto Caizhi’s hand, Yun Che said softly, “He no longer has a past, a power, or a name. Not his old name at least.”

“He was named ‘Yun Kong’ after he accepted Master Yun Gu’s surname as his own. Master Yun Gu cannot take him in as a disciple, but he allows him to learn and perform the art of doctoring by his side.”

“It has only been three months since he started, but he’s progressed quickly even though he no longer possesses his past memories. It’s probably because of his supernatural intuition as a former peak Divine Master. Sometimes, he has even revealed insights that greatly helped Master Yun Gu’s own understanding.”

“In the beginning, Master Yun Gu only took him in because I asked him to. Now though, he has grown increasingly willing to teach him. I’m sure it won’t be too long before a new famous doctor is born in the Illusory Demon Realm.”

Yun Che hated Xing Juekong to the bone.

However, he was Jasmine and Caizhi’s natural father.

No matter how much he hated him, he couldn’t take his life.

He didn’t even dare to hand him off to Caizhi because he knew that her hatred probably exceeded even his. It was entirely possible she might execute him at the mere sight of him.

He couldn’t let Caizhi be shackled by the sin of patricide… just like he couldn’t let Qianye Ying’er kill Qianye Fantian back then.

In the end, this was the final solution he had arrived at. He had wiped away all of the former Star God Emperor’s memories and made it so that he would heal sick patients with his sinful hands. He would be atoning for his sins until the day he naturally died.

This… was the best ending Yun Che could think of for Caizhi.

“...” A long time later, Caizhi’s lips finally parted to let out a trembling voice, “Do you think… that he deserves this?”

Yun Che pulled her into his arms and replied, “For me at least, he does. His sin may be immeasurably huge, but…”

He looked down and watched Caizhi’s face lovingly. “Without him, I would never have encountered Jasmine. I would not be able to hold you right now. For this at least, I am eternally grateful.”

She put up a token struggle before leaning against his chest completely. She sobbed as tears crept into her eyes, “Mother… auntie… big brother… big sister… they are all… all…”

“How does this evil man get an ending like this, while they are… why… just why…”

Yun Che closed his eyes and tightened his arms. He let Caizhi cry to her heart’s content.

Despite the growing wetness on his chest, he couldn’t stop himself from letting out a long sigh of relief in his mind.

He knew it wasn’t enough, but he hoped that this episode would be the start of Caizhi’s return to the carefree and happy “Little Jasmine” she used to be. Step by step, little by little.

1. (T/N: probably referring to her battle with Yun Che where Yun Che dream-fucked his way to victory.)