Against the Gods

When the invasion finally began, the entire northside of the Eastern Divine Region became drenched in chaos and blood.

Xia Qingyue returned to the Moon Prison once more, but it would be the last time she met Shui Meiyin.

“Sister Qingyue.” Shui Meiyin walked up to her with trembling eyes. She must’ve felt something already.

Xia Qingyue summoned both the World Piercer and the slab engraved with the World-Defying Heaven Manual into existence. Then, she pushed them gently into Shui Meiyin’s hands.

“Starting now, you are the new and only master of the World Piercer. Please pass him this incomplete piece of the World-Defying Heaven Manual as well.”

Shui Meiyin obediently received them before asking, “Is Big Brother Yun Che coming?”

Xia Qingyue replied, “The war happening in the north seems huge, but it’s lasted just a tad too long. It’s clearly a distraction for their core strength to penetrate the south without being detected.”

“His powers have transformed dark profound practitioners so that they’re no longer leaking dark profound energy at every moment, but the profound practitioners of the Eastern Divine Region still know nothing about it. This gap in intel is all the Northern Divine Region needs to deal a grievous blow to the Eastern Divine Region.”

“The moment is very near. That is why you should leave now.”

“Understood.” However, Shui Meiyin didn’t teleport away immediately. She watched Xia Qingyue with her lips parting and closing as if she wanted to say something, but didn’t know how to start.

Xia Qingyue shook her head smilingly. “Don’t try to change my mind. If anything, you should be happy… that I will finally be free from my bindings.”

“But… but…” Shui Meiyin’s hands shook uncontrollably.

“Give him the four Illusory Glazed Imagery Jades when the time is right, preferably after they occupy the Eternal Heaven Realm. The Eternal Heaven Projection is the perfect tool to publicize the truths inside them. They will destroy the Eastern Divine Region’s fighting spirit and morale, and shake up the Western Divine Region and Southern Divine Region as well.”

“After you leave, I will spread the news that you’ve escaped in full force. Then, everything will be perfect.”

Tears slowly slid down Shui Meiyin’s cheeks, but the girl could only nod her head slowly and firmly. “It will… be done.”

“As for everyone in the Moon God Realm… please continue watching over them after I’m gone,” Xia Qingyue continued smilingly. “I have already sent away all of the core powers of the Moon God Realm. Yue Wuji will eventually guide them to that space where no one can detect them.”

“I will surrender the Moon God Realm perfectly to him. There won’t be any death or destruction since no one will attempt to resist. Adding that to my death, nothing overtly terrible should happen to the Moon God Realm.”

“When decades… centuries have passed by, and he stands at the pinnacle with all of his hatred spent, please persuade him to return the Moon God Realm to Yue Wuji. Show him that you’re the one who saved the Blue Pole Star and everything, and he will naturally accept any request you make of him. Well, you don’t have to do this exactly as I tell you. I’m sure that someone as intelligent as you will come up with a better way than me to explain things; a better method that will lead to a better outcome.”

Shui Meiyin stared into Xia Qingyue’s eyes and responded with the utmost gravity, “Don’t worry, sister Qingyue. I’ll definitely… definitely fulfill our promise.”

She failed, however.

It was because Yun Che had given neither her nor the Moon God Realm even the tiniest chance to salvage things.

After Shui Meiyin left, and her “escape” was discovered, Xia Qingyue had chased away Jin Yue for “letting Shui Meiyin go on purpose” in a fit of fake anger, dispatched Lian Yue to search the nearby star realms, and sent Yao Yue to the Glazed Light Realm…

The Moon Gods and Moon God Divine Envoys were kicked out one after another as well. To an outsider, it was as if she had completely lost her mind.

When everything was done, she returned to her bedroom quietly.

Things went exactly as she had predicted. The dark profound practitioners who had slipped to the southside of the Eatern Divine Region without being noticed soon bared their fangs and ambushed countless unsuspecting star realms.

As for the Eternal Heaven God Realm, right after Zhou Xuzi had teleported the resistance force he just mustered to the northside of the Eastern Divine Region, the great dimensional formation was destroyed, and a terrible figure cast his terrifying shadow onto its soil.

That marked the true beginning of the devilish calamity. The entire Eastern Divine Region became caught up in great chaos.

Meanwhile, Yue Wuji was making his way to Xia Qingyue’s bedroom.

It was utter chaos outside, but for some reason the Moon God Emperor was doing nothing at all. Too anxious to even salute his god emperor, Yue Wuji blurted the moment he barged through the door, “God Emperor, countless Eastern Divine Region star realms including the Eternal Heaven Realm itself are being ravaged by the devils right now! We need to summon all of the Moon Gods and Moon God Divine Envoys back to us and head to their rescue right now!”

“Even if we’re not saving the Eternal Heaven Realm, we still need everyone to defend our realm! The devil people have clearly plotted this for a long time, and their prowess exceeds every expectation. They may very well invade us at any moment!”

He was already confused by Xia Qingyue’s unusually big fuss at Shui Meiyin’s escape earlier, but her inaction toward this inferno at her doorsteps confused him even more. He was absolutely brimming with anxiety right now.

“Wuji.” In sharp contrast to the Golden Moon God’s panic, Xia Qingyue’s voice remained as cool and lonely as a cold moon. “I have something to give you.”

“...?” Yue Wuji was about to ask what it was when moonlight of infinite purity pricked his pupils and shocked him to silence.

It was because Xia Qingyue was holding the artifact of inheritance and the heart of the Moon God Realm, the Imperial Moon Glazed Pearl.

“Yue Wuji,” Xia Qingyue said slowly, “starting now, you are the new god emperor of the Moon God Realm.”

“...” Yue Wuji’s knees buckled visibly. He had been one weakness away from dropping to his knees.

Still in utter shock, he took a step backward and blurted, “God Emperor, what… what are you saying?”

“This is not a joke.” Xia Qingyue pushed the Imperial Moon Glazed Pearl to Yue Wuji while gathering a soul imprint at her fingertip. Then, she shot it into his forehead.

The soul imprint contained the location and information of a distant lower realm space.

“After you have received the Imperial Moon Glazed Pearl, you will immediately send a sound transmission to the Moon Gods and Divine Envoys and guide them to this space. You will travel in the fastest and stealthiest method possible, no one is to take a single step out of the space after everyone has entered it. Don’t worry. When the time is right, someone will meet up with you and take you back to the outside world.”

At this point, Xia Qingyue’s meaning became absolutely clear. Unable to accept his God Emperor’s decision, Yue Wuji shook his head and asked for clarification, “Forgive me for saying this, but are you telling us to abandon our realm?”

“That is exactly correct.”

He got confirmation instead of the explanation he wanted.

“There is no stopping the Northern Divine Region since the moment they successfully ambushed the Eastern Divine Region. We will lose, and the Moon God Realm will be trampled if we fight them head on. Therefore, this is the only way to preserve the Moon God Realm.”

“You are gravely mistaken, God Emperor!” Yue Wuji replied strongly, “The Moon God Realm has occupied a corner of the Eastern Divine Region for hundreds of thousands of years. We have nothing to fear from the devil people! Even if their momentum is truly unstoppable, we are still honor bound as Moon Gods and members of a king realm to become the vanguard that will challenge their might first!”

“If we abandon our star realm without even putting up a fight, the Moon Gods are sure to become the laughingstocks of the entire Primal Chaos when the devil people are wiped out!”

Xia Qingyue was completely unsurprised by Yue Wuji’s outburst. She let out a soft sigh before replying, “Everything you said is correct, but… I no longer have the time to give you a proper explanation. All I ask of you is to remember one thing.”

The purple light in her pupils shone through Yue Wuji’s pupils and into his soul. “I owe the late Moon God Emperor a great favor that may not be repaid with ten thousand deaths. I have even sworn a vicious oath to protect the Moon God Realm right in front of his grave. I will never betray the Moon God Realm. I know this escape seems utterly shameful, but trust me when I say that every other option is absolutely worse for the Moon God Realm.”

“...” Yue Wuji wanted to speak more, but forget questioning the validity of her statement, he couldn’t even form words at the look in Xia Qingyue’s eyes.

There was one thing he was absolutely certain of though. Xia Qingyue would never betray the Moon God Realm.

“This dark calamity is far crueler than you can possibly imagine. Even now, it has already become impossible to predict the fates of the king realms of the Eastern Divine Region. I am sure you will understand my meaning in the very near future. But for now…”

She watched him with both a god emperor’s authority and a deep pleading, “You haven’t accepted the Imperial Moon Glazed Pearl yet, so I am still your God Emperor. As my subject, you are not to disobey my orders... Moreover, once you’ve accepted the Imperial Moon Glazed Pearl, the future and especially the safety of the Moon God’s lineage will be in your hands. As the Moon God Emperor, you must protect the Moon God’s lineage at all costs. Understand?”

A long, long silence later, Yue Wuji finally dropped to his knees and clasped his hands in front of him.

“Wuji… shall obey his God Emperor’s commands!”

When his trembling voice finished, he very slowly held the Imperial Moon Glazed Pearl in his hands. 

Xia Qingyue turned away and whispered in a nigh imperceptible voice, “I leave everything to you… uncle.”

“... !?” Yue Wuji abruptly looked up and locked his gaze onto her back.

Her whisper had been so soft that he wasn’t sure if he had imagined what she said.

“Now go. There will be time for hesitation and delays later.”

Yue Wuji left as commanded.

Starting now, Xia Qingyue was no longer the Moon God Emperor. She was just Xia Qingyue.

She left her bedroom, floated above the Divine Moon City, and watched the live projection of the massacred Eternal Heaven Realm in silence. She watched its blue skies being dyed red, its soil choking under heaps and heaps of bodies, the Eternal Heaven Great Ancestor being forced to show herself to defend her realm only to be killed in a humiliating manner and more… She bore witness to the end of an eastern region king realm.

The Divine Moon City was unusually silent tonight. The crescent moon in the sky was also so clear and bright that it painted the city in a beautiful silver sheen.

For a time, it felt like the peaceful moment would never end until suddenly, coldness flooded her gaze.

It was because she sensed Qianye Ying’er’s aura radiating from a nearby star realm.

They’re here already…

His hatred for me is so intense he can’t wait even a moment longer…

Moonlight enveloped her body, and the purple robes that made her the Moon God Emperor fell away. An instant later, they were replaced by a red dress.

In that moment, the moon itself felt like a pale imitation of her beauty. 

“I cannot choose my beginning, but at least… I can choose how my story ends!”

She opened her palm, and the Purple Pylon Divine Sword shone a deep purple.

She raised her arm, but she stared not at her sword, but the red sleeves wrapped around her slender arm.

For a moment, her red sleeves reflected in her purple eyes.. After the dreams, she had come to realize that red was the very first color of her life.

An item slowly slid down her sleeves, but she immediately caught it with her aura and moved it to her hand.

It was a marriage contract… the very same one she had “destroyed” before his eyes.

The wedding contract fell open on her hand.

Blue Wind Floating Cloud… Xiao Che Qingyue…

It was the same handwriting, the same pair of names.

“Why are you real… when everything else is fake…”

Her fingers clenched tighter and tighter as she whispered. 

Suddenly, she folded the marriage contract and placed it back within her sash.

Her eyes turned chilly, and a great power surged from her body. She then flew toward the star realm where Qianye Ying’er’s aura was emanating until her figure had shrunk completely into nothing.

She saw Yun Che and got ready to burn her life force to kill Qianye Ying’er.

However…

RUMBLE— 

In that moment, Yun Che sealed off all of his senses.

Once upon a time, the scene of the Moon God Realm crumbling into cosmic dust had made him laugh to the point of insanity.

Today, he dared not even watch or listen to it.

“Is fate… really that… inexorable…”

The memory of her soulless whisper and colorless face rang in his soul sea.

After everything he had seen from Xia Qingyue’s Recollection of Nothingness, Yun Che dared not even imagine how she felt when the Moon God Realm she swore to protect crumbled to nothing right before her eyes…

The Recollection of Nothingness finally ended.

Everything that happened afterward was a memory they both shared. To reexperience them was a kind of torture beyond anything Yun Che could describe.

In the real world, his body was twitching, his teeth were chattering, and his face was covered in tears. No matter how many times he clenched his teeth, the tears wouldn’t stop flowing.

“Do you regret learning everything?”

His consciousness had returned to the real world before he knew it, but the transient voice still rang clearly in his mind.