Against the Gods

The Sword Sovereign master and disciple’s outlines appeared behind a pale mist as they approached the Abyss of Nothingness.

They had been here for several years already. It was to temper Jun Xilei’s heart of sword, and because this was the final resting place Jun Wuming had chosen for himself.

“Long time no see, Senior Sword Sovereign.”

Although Yun Che had become the Great Emperor of the God Realm, he still held deep respect toward Jun Wuming.

Jun Wuming opened his long shut eyes and gave Yun Che a smile. “To think that that astounding youngster from back then would become an unprecedented emperor of the Primal Chaos in but the blink of an eye. This old one truly has no regrets left in this world.”

Jun Wuming’s eyes were perfectly cloudless. They possessed a kind of clarity that seemed capable of seeing through the many changes of the world… Yun Che knew that it was his last rally before death.

Beside Jun Wuming, Jun Xilei seemed completely caught off guard by Yun Che’s sudden arrival. Her gaze was darting unnaturally, and she refused to say a single word.

Snow Song disciple… God Conferred Child… God Child Messiah… devil person… Devil Master… Emperor Yun… for some reason, his identity and fate were different every time she saw him.

Meanwhile, Yun Wuxin was sneaking glances at Jun Xilei after she saluted Jun Wuming.

What a beautiful older sister… I mean auntie. She looked like a beauty who had walked out of a traditional painting, and her bearing was just sublime.

However, the way she’s looking at father...

Could it be… is she yet another…?

“I would not have what I have today if you didn’t save me back then, Senior Sword Sovereign.”

Ever since he learned of some of the truths of that day from Huo Poyun’s memories, Yun Che’s attitude toward Jun Wuming and Jun Xilei had changed completely.

There were countless people who wanted to lick his boots after he became Emperor Yun, but only a handful who had helped him when he was an abhorred devil. If the former was as light as a feather, then the latter was a kindness as great as the heavens themselves.

“...” Jun Xilei’s lips trembled a little… How did he learn about that?

Yun Che raised his palm and summoned the light profound energy. “Your lifespan is approaching its end, but with my light profound energy and some supplementary spirit medicine and profound pellets, I am certain that I could delay death’s grip on you for at least another century, senior Sword Sovereign.”

Jun Wuming had lived for fifty thousand years. He was dying not because of an injury or an unnatural depletion of lifeforce, but because he was approaching the end of his natural life. That was why even Yun Che could only do so much for him.

Surprise appeared on Jun Wuming’s features, but it quickly dissolved into an elegant smile that in no way suggested that he had any lingering attachments left to life. “I am very grateful for Emperor Yun’s offer, but I saved you only to return the favor from back then. You do not need to return the gesture.”

He was referring to Yun Che’s “saving” of Jun Xilei during the Profound God Convention.

Yun Che replied seriously, “My favor done to you is but a speck of dust compared to your favor to me, senior. In fact, I am more obligated than ever before to repay the favors I am due precisely because I am now Emperor Yun. So please, think of something, senior. It will cast a shadow on the rest of my life if I cannot repay this favor.”

Jun Wuming smiled gently for Yun Che, for the God Realm, and… for his own disciple.

“I am one of the handful of people in the entire world who managed to live fifty thousand years as a mortal. It would be incredibly ungrateful and greedy of me to ask for more. Moreover, I was able to watch Lei’er grow to full maturity, and I was even able to witness a miracle, nay, multiple miracles that shattered the conventions of the universe itself. What else could this old one possibly ask for? Truly, you don’t need to exert yourself or waste your precious spirit herbs and profound pellets on me.”

“If you must repay me,” his gaze grew warmer, and his smile gentler, “please take care of Lei’er after this old one have passed away from this world.”

There was a brief pause, and a surprised Jun Xilei blurted, “I don’t need him to—” 

“I will.” Yun Che nodded without hesitation and put Jun Wuming’s final, greatest wish to rest.

His reply had been so serious, decisive and firm that Jun Xilei was actually lost for words for a moment.

In fact, Jun Xilei had noticed long ago that her heart of sword would grow unsteady whenever she faced Yun Che.

Jun Wuming had brought her to the Abyss of Nothingness because it was where he had cultivated his heart of sword to perfection. A couple of years had passed since, and her heart of sword had become far stronger than before… So why was it still tethering on the brink of collapse at the mere sight of Yun Che?

“Good.” A bit of cloudiness entered his aged eyes as Jun Wuming nodded. “Now this old one has shed even my last worry in this world.”

“The world will weep at senior’s passing, but I have full confidence that the name of the Sword Sovereign and the light of the Nameless Sword will brighten it again in no time.”

Yun Che shot Jun Xilei’s one last look before turning to leave with Yun Wuxin.

Jun Xilei leaned forward as if she wanted to say something, but in the end no words had escaped her lips.

Suddenly, Yun Che paused in his footsteps as if he just recalled something.

He stretched out his palm and pushed an object sparkling a faint, crimson light to Jun Xilei.

“This stone is called the World Jade. [1] It contains the divine power of the World Piercer,” Yun Che explained. “If a grave danger were to befall Fairy Jun in the future, simply activate it with your profound energy, and it will teleport you to Emperor Yun City in two breaths. And yes, it works even if you are in the God Realm of Absolute Beginning.” 

The crimson stardust floated in front of Jun Xilei. She hesitated for a few breaths but ultimately held it in her palm.

“Thank you for the gift,” Jun Xilei said in her usual cold, steely voice, “I shan’t be impolite seeing as this is repayment for my master’s favor.”

Yun Wuxin: (Ohhhhhh… I knew it!)

Jun Xilei flipped her palm over and deposited the World Jade in her portable space.

Suddenly, Yun Che vanished from his original spot and reappeared right in front of Jun Xilei, hand stretching out like a claw.

“W-what are you doing!?” Jun Xilei instinctively curled backward at the unexpected action, but her sword auras never attacked Yun Che. It was as if they had suddenly lost their own instincts.

Then, she saw Yun Che holding the red jadestone she just gave her… somehow, he had extracted it from her own portable space.

Jun Xilei bit her lips, steadied her aura and forced herself to calm down. Then, she asked in a frigid voice, “What? Regretting it already?”

She just finished saying this when a light breeze gently slipped around her waist. Then, she realized that Yun Che had attached the World Jade to the top of her sash.

“If the situation is critical, the short time taken to retrieve the World Jade from your portable space can prove to be fatal. That is why it’s better to keep emergency items like this on your person,” Yun Che explained slowly while wearing a half-smirk on his face.

“... it’s none of your business!”

While saying this, she suddenly realized that Yun Che’s face was just inches away from hers. The eyes that looked deeper than ever before were staring straight at her face.

She felt a surge of heat rising to her cheeks as she took a panicked step away from him. She channeled her profound energy, but for some reason the annoying warmness on her face just wouldn’t fade.

“Hahahahahahaha!” Even Jun Wuming was guffawing with incomprehensible delight.

Yun Che shot the duo one last smile before he finally took his leave, leaving behind a little Sword Sovereign whose heart of sword had crumbled completely.

………...

“I’ve finally figured you out, father.”

Yun Che was navigating the edges of the Abyss of Nothingness with his daughter to give her a taste of its unique auras and laws when Yun Wuxin made the sudden comment.

“Hmm, which part of me have you figured out exactly?” Yun Che asked.

“Your way with women, of course!” Yun Wuxin declared with extra emphasis.

“Cough… cough cough.” Yun Che nearly choked on his own spit.

“You know when to be gentle, when to be passive, when to take the initiative, when to keep her hanging… you are waaaaaaaaay too good at this, father.”

Yun Wuxin lifted her nose and humphed. “I thought the reason you kept rejecting Auntie Wuyao’s suggestion to expand your harem is because you’re already satisfied with mom, master, and everyone else in your existing harem, but it wasn’t the case at all!”

“You were clearly teasing that little... auntie earlier.”

Yun Che let out a small sigh. He was feeling seriously conflicted right now. “Truly, I’m both happy and sad that you are growing wiser and wiser.”

“Eh?” Yun Wuxin let out a cry of surprise before muttering to herself, “He didn’t even defend himself this time.”

“What is there to defend?” Yun Che declared without any shame whatsoever, “Just because I am already surrounded by gems doesn’t mean I wouldn’t want to acquire more gems.”

“There are several ways to describe men like me. Passionate, if you want it to sound good; possessive, if you want to be honest; or true to one’s nature, if you wish to defend them.”

Yun Wuxin stuck out her tongue in secret. “Maybe you should change your title to ‘Heretic Emperor Yun’ instead. It takes a true heretic to be able to explain fickleness in so many ways.”

She was going to ask if Yun Che wished for her to encounter a man like him in the future, but in the end she didn’t because she had a strong feeling that he wouldn’t be able to answer.

Yun Che laughed heartily at her comment, “Hahahaha—” 

AWOOO———— 

The low yet terrifying sound had come out of nowhere. It felt like it had come from both the bottom of his heart and the impossibly distant space at the same time.

Yun Che’s laughter stopped dead. He immediately spread out his spiritual perception in every direction.

Yun Che’s abrupt change in expression and aura scared Yun Wuxin greatly. She hurriedly moved closer to her father and asked nervously, “Father? I-is everything okay?”

“Something’s very wrong with that sound,” Yun Che replied seriously.

“Sound? What sound?” Yun Wuxin looked around in confusion.

“...?” Yun Che frowned at her reply. “You didn’t hear that?”

“Ah? I didn’t hear anything at all.” Yun Wuxin shook her head.

Yun Che didn’t say anything after that. Instead, he focused on spreading his spiritual perception.

However, his powerful soul still failed to detect anything.

The sound was one thing, but what really worried him was the inexplicable yet powerful sense of uneasiness that suddenly occupied his heart.

Now that he thought about it, the true reason he had made the almost impulsive decision to give Jun Xilei a precious World Jade was because of this uneasiness. It had appeared the moment he approached the Abyss of Nothingness, it just wasn’t as strong as it was now.

A long time later, Yun Che still couldn’t find anything. He even tried to probe the Abyss of Nothingness with his spiritual perception, but of course all he felt was an impenetrable veil of nothingness.

When Yun Che finally withdrew spiritual perception and took a glance at Yun Wuxin, he realized that she was brimming with worry and terror. It was clear that his reaction had frightened her deeply. He hurriedly put on a smile and reassured her, “It was nothing. I supposed I was just being overly sensitive after all. Extraordinary things often happen in the God Realm of Absolute Beginning, and it’s possible that what I heard was just an echo from ancient times.”

“Phew… that really scared me.” Yun Wuxin let out a sigh of relief. Discounting the time before her father became the Great Emperor of the God Realm, she had never seen him make such a scary face until now.

“Alright, time to go.”

He grabbed Yun Wuxin’s hand and led her toward the exit of the God Realm of Absolute Beginning at high speed. “There are many more strange places we haven’t visited yet, but I think it’s about time we leave for the Eastern Divine Region anyway. If we dilly dally any longer, I bet someone will be joining us for the rest of our journey.”

Yun Wuxin’s eyes twinkled a bit. “So, we’re going to visit the Brahma Monarch God Realm first, right?”

“Arr.”

“Heehee…” Yun Che let out a giggle. “You’re quite harsh on Auntie Qianying sometimes, but you also spoil her a lot, father.”

“Me? Spoil her?” Yun Che raised his voice unconsciously. “No way! I’m just taking the necessary measures to keep her from heaping some unnecessary troubles on me!”

“Yes yes, whatever you say, father,” Yun Wuxin chimed while hiding a snicker.

1. (T/N: don’t know who among your wives to give a gift? Just give it to a new wife!)