Against the Gods

Chapter 928 – World-Defying Heaven Manual? (2)

“Little Che? What’s wrong with you? You seem to be really strange today.” When she saw that Yun Che had descended into a daze yet again, Xiao Lingxi could not help but become worried. She walked towards Yun Che’s side before speaking softly, “Is there something on your mind? Do you want to tell me about it?”

As Xiao Lingxi walked back to her previous position, the dull and dim light grew intense and bright once more and it regained its previous bright silver color.

This change happened in an instant but Yun Che had seen it happen all too clearly.

All of the changes that occurred to the black jade’s light happened due to Xiao Lingxi… When she drew near, the light grew stronger, when she backed away, the light grew weaker.

Even if Yun Che still could barely believe the conclusion that he had drawn, he had seen it with his own two eyes… It was clearly reacting to Xiao Lingxi.

Just what was going on?

He picked up the black jade which was emitting a silver light and brought it in front of Xiao Lingxi. After that he spoke in the calmest voice that he could muster at the moment, “Lingxi, have you seen this stone anywhere before?”

“Ah? No, I’ve never seen this stone before.” Xiao Lingxi shook her head with a stunned expression on her face, “Why do you ask?”

“…” Yun Che was the person who understood Xiao Lingxi best in the entire world. They had grown up together and they had spent nearly all their time together as well, so they knew all of each other’s secrets.

Even though she was once his Little Aunt, she was actually younger than him by an entire year. Her innate talent in the profound way was ordinary and she did not have too much interest in cultivating in the first place. But she had always been very diligent at it. This was all to protect the Yun Che whose profound veins were still crippled at that time and whose daily existence was filled with mocking laughter and cold gazes. But as Yun Che grew in strength, the speed of her cultivation had started to become slower and slower and right now, her profound strength had not even broken past the True Profound Realm.

If Yun Che compared Xiao Lingxi to the other girls by his side, Cang Yue, Xue’er, the Little Demon Empress, Ling’er, and Xia Qingyue, she would not be able to compare to any of them whether it was in looks, innate talent, profound strength, or status.

She was exceedingly normal. But perhaps it was because she was normal that she remained the warm and pure place that Yun Che yearned for in the depths of his heart.

But why… did she suddenly provoke such a bizarre reaction from this piece of black jade that came from the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign?

This was something that should not have happened… something that was simply absurd.

After a brief period of silence, Yun Che took Xiao Lingxi’s hand, “Lingxi, hold this stone. After that, try your best to sense if you feel any unique sensations.”

“Ah… Okay.” From the moment she saw Yun Che until now, Xiao Lingxi had felt that his expression and gaze had been strange throughout. She stretched out her hand, carefully taking the mysterious black jade from Yun Che’s hands.

The instant Xiao Lingxi took the mysterious black jade, the bright silver light that was radiating from it suddenly exploded. This completely unforeseen change caused Xiao Lingxi to let out an alarmed shout, as she unwittingly threw the object in her hand aside. She lost her balance at the same time and toppled backwards in the next instant.

“Lingxi!”

Yun Che, who had also been stunned by the sudden explosion of the light that was radiating from the black jade, hurriedly rushed forward and firmly caught Xiao Lingxi, who had nearly fallen to the ground and hugged her to his chest. “Are you alright? Did you get hurt anywhere?”

“I’m… I’m fine.” Xiao Lingxi shook her head before giving an embarrassed laugh, “I did not think that it would suddenly start to shine and it gave me a big shock… Wuuu, this is so embarrassing.”

“Is your hand fine?” Yun Che swiftly grabbed the hand which Xiao Lingxi had used to pick up the mysterious black jade. He was deeply afraid that she had been hurt by the light which suddenly exploded. But fortunately, her hand remained as white and tender as it had always been and there was not even a trace of it getting injured.

“Of course my hand is fine. I was only truly startled by what just happened.” Xiao Lingxi disengaged herself from Yun Che’s embrace and stood up. After that, she suddenly stared at Yun Che’s back as she gasped in stunned amazement, “Ah? That… That is…”

Yun Che turned around quick as lightning but after that, he also joined Xiao Lingxi in stunned silence.

The mysterious black jade that Xiao Lingxi had thrown away in shock had landed on the floor not too far from them. It was just that the silver light that had been radiating from it had now disappeared and it had regained its usual glossy black appearance. But above it, in the space between the floor and ceiling, there now hung a large cluster of silver motes of light which was rapidly diffusing, separating and twisting… In the end, it finally formed into several hundred motes of light that were roughly the same size. The shapes of these motes were different and they were all laid out neatly in the empty air.

“…” Yun Che’s gaze stiffened. These motes of light did not emit any sort of aura at all and if he were to close his eyes, he would not even be able to sense their existence at all.

These silver motes of light appeared to be coalescing into a bunch of characters but at the same time, they seemed to be one character as well. However when Yun Che looked at them from left to right, he could not understand these words at all… he did not recognize a single one of them.

The language used in the Profound Sky Continent, Illusory Demon Realm and the Azure Cloud Continent was known as “World Tongue.” “World Tongue” was something that had been created by the gods during the Primordial Era and it was used throughout the entire Primal Chaos Dimension. This happened because every time a Creation God created a planet or a star realm, they would leave behind these words. Because of this, no matter whether it was the three continents of this planet or the Realm of the Gods where Jasmine resided, as well as all the other planets and star realms, all of them would use the exact same language and writing.

Perhaps some created their own languages and words for one reason or the other but every single one of them would still be proficient in “World Tongue” that was used throughout the boundless universe.

However, while it was clear that the things that had appeared in front of him were words, it was clear that it was not “World Tongue” he was looking it and even the way the characters were written were completely different from “World Tongue.”

Could it be that what he was looking at actually was not a language… but a set of special symbols?

As Yun Che’s mind was deeply mired in suspicion and speculation, he suddenly heard Xiao Lingxi’s soft and dreamy voice whisper several words:

“World… Defying… Heaven… Manual…”

Yun Che turned his head in stunned amazement only to discover that Xiao Lingxi was blankly staring at the motes of silver light that were floating in the air. Her gaze was completely empty and it was if her soul had taken leave of her body.

“Lingxi, what did you just say?” Yun Che asked in a bewildered voice.

Xiao Lingxi extended her hands and slowly pointed towards the motes of silver light hanging in the air. There was a deep emptiness in her eyes but they trembled slightly as she spoke, “These words… I… I…”

“…Could it be that you understand what these words are saying?” Yun Che’s eyes widened as he spoke in an incredulous voice.

Xiao Lingxi nodded her head before suddenly shaking it vigorously. Her eyes were completely vacant but there was also a deep bewilderment and shock in them, “I don’t know… I have clearly never seen these words before but I… I can actually… I can actually read them. I know every single word… But I clearly don’t recognize… I’ve clearly… never seen such words before.”

“Little Che, just what… just what exactly is going on? Am I dreaming right now?” Xiao Lingxi’s hands tightened their grip on Yun Che’s arm. It was clear that she had come into contact with something she was completely unfamiliar with but she unexpectedly found that it was familiar to her. This surprise did not elicit any joy in her. Instead, the only thing she felt was a fear that came from the depths of her soul, a fear that she could not describe in words.

“Do… you really recognize these words?” Xiao Lingxi’s claim had fiercely shaken Yun Che’s heart.

“Mn!” Xiao Lingxi nodded her head with even more vigor than before. She stretched out her hand and pointed towards the characters which were the most isolated from the rest, “The first four characters are spelling the words… World Defying Heaven Manual. Furthermore, all of the words below… I can completely… I can completely understand them.”

“…” Yun Che remained silent for a long time, his heart blanketed by confusion and disorder. As he looked at Xiao Lingxi, it was clear to him that today was the first time Xiao Lingxi had seen these words. Furthermore, he had grown up together with Xiao Lingxi and he had never been aware of her learning any other language… Moreover, in the Profound Sky Continent, it seemed like only ‘World/Realm’ had been used since antiquity and there had never been records of other words or languages.

Yet Xiao Lingxi could understand these words despite seeing them for the first time… Just what was going on here?

Then there was the reaction of the black jade towards Xiao Lingxi’s presence… All of these bizarre happenings were things that could not be explained by any normal logic.

“Lingxi, there’s no need to be anxious.” Even though his thoughts were all tangled up, how could he allow Xiao Lingxi to continue to flounder about in this sudden fright and confusion. He hurriedly comforted her, “This sort of thing is actually quite common. There are some exceedingly rare treasures which possess a strong intelligence and they choose their own owners. If someone who is not acknowledged by them gets their hands on these treasures, they will still not be able to use them. Furthermore, these treasures will take the initiative to grant power to the one so acknowledged. This black-colored stone is also a rare and valuable treasure I obtained during my adventures. I used every method I could think of but I was unable to get a single response out of it. But when you came in just now, it suddenly started to glow… It seems like it likes your aura so it took the initiative to release its own power and build a soul connection which linked it to you. So that is the reason why you are suddenly able to recognise these strange words that come from it. Furthermore, you are the only one that can recognize them.”

“Ah? Is that really… the case?” The panic and alarm in Xiao Lingxi’s eyes immediately disappeared. It was clear that she believed what Yun Che was saying. After all, at the level Yun Che was at, the amount of things he had experienced would be far greater than her. In addition to this, he was also her Little Che, so she would naturally believe him.

Of course, it was not true… Yun Che helplessly groaned in his heart but he did not speak what was on his mind. Instead, he said, “Of course it’s true. There are some rare treasures which are even more ridiculous than this. When they appear, no one else will be able to see them but their masters.”

Xiao Lingxi patted her chest lightly before slowly breathing a sigh of relief, “Ah, so it was like this. I was nearly frightened to death just now and I even believed that I had suddenly… had suddenly been cursed. But, my profound strength is so weak, so why would this black stone like my aura?”

“Uh… this has nothing to do with the strength of one’s profound energy. There are some rare and mysterious treasures which require great strength to conquer them. But there are also some which prefer pure and clean auras. Lingxi, it’s obvious that you belong to the latter category, so this is actually really normal,” Yun Che said as he spun up an explanation.

“Mn.” Xiao Lingxi nodded her head and her beautiful eyes twinkled. Her gaze was clearly worshipful as she looked towards Yun Che, “Little Che, you really know soo much. Hee, I don’t even know if there is anything in this world that you don’t know. The Little Che in the past caused us so much worry but who would have thought that you would become so powerful after you grew up… It truly feels like I’m dreaming right now.”

“Cough…” Yun Che’s thick skin turned slightly red but his gaze once again swivelled towards those strange characters which were floating in the air. “Lingxi, can you translate these words for me? I really want to know what they are saying.”

These words definitely contained the mysteries of this mysterious profound jade… and perhaps it might even explain the connection this jade had with Xiao Lingxi and why she was able to recognize these strange words.

“Okay.” Xiao Lingxi raised her head as her gaze swept across those characters. After that, she began to read these words formed by the silver light:

“Before the great explosion of the Primal Chaos, there was no order in heaven and earth, no difference in light and darkness. The origin power of the world was bound by the heavenly law; barren in the first era, boundless after an hundred eras and endlessly flourishing after myriads forth. The stars formed the universe, the fallen heaven formed the realms. All that was extraordinary were in the opposition, all prosperity were mere illusion…”

Yun Che absorbed every word that Xiao Lingxi chanted. This seemed to be an extremely cryptic scripture that was exceedingly difficult to understand. As Yun Che silently listened, he could barely understand the first few teachings. But after that, the meaning of the words suddenly changed and it became something that seemed completely ordinary. But the moment the words Xiao Lingxi recited fell on his ears, every word fiercely impacted his heart and soul, causing his body and soul to faintly tremble… this was a strange feeling that no words could describe, or perhaps it be described as dreadful as well.

Gradually, his consciousness seemed to be inexorably pulled in by something as his entire being was focused on the words Xiao Lingxi was saying. His sight, hearing, and sense of smell… All of his five senses had been sealed away and the world inside his soul became a pure white. The only thing that rang out in that world was the sound of Xiao Lingxi’s voice.

Xiao Lingxi’s voice was extremely familiar to him but when she recited these words, it seemed like every single one of them came from the ancient primordial universe and he could faintly feel a vast, distant and boundless concept spread out before him. His soul could nearly feel its existence but he was unable to even touch it, much less try to understand or comprehend it.

He hazily began to realize that this was not just some normal scripture, it was actually a profound formula but he had never seen such a profound formula before. Back in the past, even the “Great Way of the Buddha,” which contained the enlightened power of the heaven and earth, only took him a short while to comprehend. But these words which seemed to be like a profound formula caused him to very faintly sense the existence of some kind of mysterious concept and he could also sense that every word carried the aura of antiquity. But he could not touch this concept and he was not even able to understand any one of those words.

The entire “scripture” was very short and it only contained around six hundred words and as Yun Che remained in his dazed stupor, Xiao Lingxi had finished reciting it. As her gaze fell on the very last word, she mumbled, “The last word seems to be something that was not fully written. This set of strange words should not be complete and there seems to be other portions as well.”

“…” Yun Che came back to his senses, his eyes regaining their focus but his mind was still a vast sea of whiteness.