Against the Gods

“Haah!” A sigh could be heard as a tall middle aged wood spirit slowly came over, wearing a dismal and solemn look on his face.

“Uncle Qing Mu!” Fei Yan and Qin Zhu both exclaimed at the same time.

Qing Mu took a step forward, helping He Lin up and said “Young patriarch, you should stop inconveniencing our benefactor. What he said was entirely right. You are only a child at the moment and the most appropriate thing for you to do right now is to depend on us to grow up. Once you’ve grown up, you should then try your hardest to become someone on whom we can then depend, as well as repay our benefactor for saving your life. If you stubbornly choose to follow our benefactor, not only will the entire clan worry, it will also bring great burden and calamity upon our benefactor.”

He Lin stared blankly for a while and eventually stood up with resignation. He wiped his tears and apologized to Yun Che, “Big Brother Yun Che, I’m sorry, I was.. too impulsive and too selfish. You saved my life and I-I...”

Yun Chu shook his head and let out a heavy sigh. “He Lin, what is your sister’s name?”

“Ah?” He Lin was caught in a trance.

“In the future, I should be able to travel to many places in the God Realm. If it’s fated to be, there might be a possibility of me meeting your sister. If that’s the case, I’ll be able to pass along your whereabouts or perhaps even be able to bring her here and let you siblings reunite.”

“Ah!” He Lin’s eyes shone brightly and he started to tremble with excitement, “Big Brother Yun Che, my older sister… her name is He Ling... He Ling!”

Exhilaration also showed on Qing Mu’s face.

“Then… What does she look like? Is there anything different about her features with regard to other wood spirits?” Yun Che asked, while engraving the name “He Ling” deeply in his memory. By no means did he casually ask, just for the sake of comforting He Lin but because of his pleadings and tears, Yun Che felt like he couldn’t let him down.

“Big sister is a very good-looking wood spirit and is the most beautiful sister in the world. She is prettier than any flower, prettier even than the stars and the moon in the night sky!” He Lin exclaimed with any hesitation.

“...” Yun Chu nodded and gave He Lin a hopeful look.

“Thank you benefactor, I truly don’t know how to say thank you enough.” Qing Mu was sincerely touched and expressed his gratitude from the bottom of his heart.

While talking, he carefully raised both his hands. In his palms lay a pearl the size of a dragon eye fruit, which projected a bright, jade-green glow.

It was a Wood Spirit Orb!!

“This is…” Yun Che’s mind went in a turmoil.

“This is the Wood Spirit Orb that my deceased wife left. Although many years have passed, the spirit energy within is still intact.”

By placing the Wood Spirit Orb delicately into Yun Che’s hands, Qing Mu’s eyes became momentarily expressionless and blank, as if his soul had been cut off from his body. Then, a gentle smile promptly appeared on his face. “I hope you can make good use of it.”

Yun Chu stored away the complete Wood Spirit Orb, as he solemnly offered his thanks, “My sincerest gratitude.”

Yun Che stood there and after a brief hesitation, he asked, “Senior Qing Mu, junior has a question. I don’t know if it’s appropriate to bring it up.”

Qing Mu smiled, “Benefactor, please speak.”

Yun Che looked at the miniature world around him and stated “One simply cannot stay unsympathetic if they were to see your wood spirit clan’s current situation. From junior’s understanding, in the God Realm of today… at least in the Eastern Divine Region, poaching wood spirits is a clear violation of the code of ethics and is strictly forbidden. It is a joint ban placed by the Eternal Heaven God Realm and the other three king realms. If a king realm happens to know of anyone violating it, they will be severely punished. That being the case, in all these years, why have you not tried to seek a king realm’s protection? Instead, you’ve chosen separate yourself even further from a king realm and inhabit a lower star realm, making it harder for them to reach and to lend assistance.”

When Yun Che finished speaking these words, he noticed that Qing Mu’s eyes had filled with violent turmoil. Then, he let out a heavy sigh.

“We have tried,” Qing Mu replied. “However, humanity’s greed and evil are not related to strength or status—they are nevertheless just as scary.”

Qing Mu’s words caused Yun Chu to abruptly lift his head. He said in surprise, “You mean… Don’t tell me…”

“Do you know how our patriarch died?” Qing Mu closed his eyes, his hands trembling slightly.

“...” Yun Che did not rashly assume.

“During that year, the king realms did indeed impose a ban. However, the difficulties our wood spirit clan had suffered has never stopped. Thus, many years ago, my clan had started to seek out the protection of a king realm. Even if we had to become their slaves, at least our future generations would be able obtain peace and no longer live on the run.

“Later, after countless untold hardships, the patriarch and his wife finally managed to get close to one of the king realms and had high hopes. However, little did they know, a disaster would soon suddenly descend upon them... During the calamity, the patriarch, his wife and thousands of our clansmen fell. Their desperate fight to the death allowed the young patriarch and the princess to escape… However, the heavens did not turn a blind eye on us, as among the chaos, we were able to find the young patriarch and desperately fought to protect the clansmen who had helped the young patriarch escape. Only three of them remained... One of them was my deceased wife.”

“Then again, the princess and the clansmen who were protecting her got separated during the escape. Their whereabouts are uncertain. Their life and death…”

Yun Che asked, “That group of people… Who were they?”

“...” Qing Mu took a deep breath, “I… received the Patriarch’s soul sound transmission when he died—there were only four words.

“Brahma... Monarch... God... Realm.”

“W-what!?” Yun Chu was so startled that it seemed as though every hair on his body stood on end.

Head of the Eastern Divine Region’s four king realms, it was rumored that the entire realm was so obsessed with the profound way that there are no weak experts there at all. The Brahma Monarch God Realm that never interfered in the arguments of other realms!?!?

Qing Mu smiled bitterly, “As a human, I know it is hard for you to believe. As for this fact, out of whole tribe, only three people know the truth. The young patriarch doesn’t know and knows even less of the princess’ whereabouts. I can only pray that she never tries to seek a king realm’s protection again or any other star realms for shelter.”

“Then you… Why are you telling me this?” Emotions surged up within Yun Che. He knew why the other wood spirits must not know the truth; because it would only bring them endless grief and despair.

Qing Mu gave him a deep look, “Although I am not a human, I understand. The fact that you were actually able to rescue the young patriarch from Darkya City at such a young age must mean that your cultivation, among peers of your generation, is at the very top. If you were able to reach this height, it must be because you cultivated with great obsession. For cultivators, the highest existence one can hope to reach is the king realms. With your current achievements, who knows, you may be qualified to touch the king realms in the future.

Yun Che. “...”

Qing Mu continued, “I don’t expect you to believe my words but I hope you will at least consider them or maybe even develop a sense of wariness. I don’t want to see humans as kind-hearted as you, having to look up to and trust a crowd of filthy and vile souls.”

“...” Yun Che stayed silent for a long while. Even though he had never thought he would one day touch the supreme existence of the Eastern Divine Region, Qing Mu’s words... He believed them but it was indeed difficult to accept them.

However, as he thought about how the Four Great Sacred Grounds were revered by the world, generation after generation, the concerns in his heart eased off and subsided a great deal.

“The kind of realm they live in, is there still a need for Wood Spirit Orbs?” Yun Che grew pensive and started talking to himself in a low voice.

“No, what they wanted was the patriarch’s Royal Wood Spirit Orb.” Qing Mu continued “Before he breathed his last breath, with his last ounce of strength, the patriarch completely shattered his Wood Spirit Orb, not allowing the wicked ones to succeed.”

Qing Mu turned his head and glanced at He Lin, who was standing not too far from him, “Fortunately, they do not know of the existence of the young patriarch and the princess, otherwise…”

His words made Yun Che feel a sinking feeling in his chest.

He Lin carried the royal lineage. After his identity had been exposed at the Black Feather Merchant Guild, everyone present at the scene knew of it.

However, everyone also knew that the news of the appearance of a royal wood spirit would completely shake the world, not to mention the colossal troubles and catastrophes such information would bring. Therefore, the Black Feather Merchant Guild would only take action in absolute secrecy. Leaking the information would invite trouble and those present at the scene were smart enough not to do that.

Wait a minute… What Ji Ruyan said about that upper star realm…

Whew! I can only hope that the information won’t spread any further, especially to the Brahma Monarch God Realm.

It had been almost half an hour since he arrived in this tiny desolate world of wood spirits. Now that he had obtained the Wood Spirit Orb, it was time for him to leave.

As he walked back to the entrance, the greenish black vines automatically unwove themselves, revealing a narrow passage.

Behind Yun Che, a group of wood spirits gathered together, bidding him farewell. He Lin was among the group—his eyes had become red.

“Young man, a Wood Spirit Orb will never be enough to repay your kindness. If you don’t mind, how about you take this with you, perhaps it might save your life in times of crisis.”

Granny Qing Ye placed three small delicate jade bottles into his hands.

“This is?”

“This is something unique to our clan, the 【Wood Spirit Miracle Dew】, which is collected from the Spring of Origin that flowed from the land of our ancestors. It contains the magical powers of nature, that when consumed, will heal your wounds and restore your strength in the blink of an eye. These are the last three drops that we possess, we sincerely hope that they can be of great assistance to you in the future.”

Although Yun Che did not know how powerful the restorative effects would be, if it came from the Spring of Origin, how could it be ordinary? He did not decline and accepted the gift with great gratitude. He nodded deeply to the crowd of wood spirits and as he turned around to leave...

“Big Brother Yun Che!”

The voice of a young girl came from afar and although anxious, it was still ethereal, like wind brushing past tranquil water.

Yun Che halted his steps and in front his and the surrounding wood spirits’ surprised gazes, Qing He came before Yun Che in her beautiful, colorful clothes. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes glimmered and her slightly swelling chest heaved as she struggled to control her breathing.

“Qing He, I have to go.” Yun Che smiled.

“Big Brother Yun Che … “ Qing He slowly lifted her hands and within her beautiful, delicate palms, lay a bracelet, strung from seeds of different flowers, completed by a small emerald-colored gem. “This is.. this is a charm I made with my own hands, i-it can definitely protect Big Brother Yun Che.. “

“...” Moved from the bottom of his heart, Yun Che took a step forward and received the bracelet with both his hands. The scent of the fresh flowers and plants flowed into his nose—indeed, the seeds had just been picked not too long ago and so, the bracelet was crafted very recently. The little crystal green gem had a girl’s fragrance… This aroma could only be emitted because it was fortunate enough to stick closely to the skin of a young girl.

“Thank you, Qing He, I will treasure it dearly,” Yun Che said sincerely, as he looked into her eyes.

“...” His words made the wood spirit girl lower her head. She softly bit her lips and then found the courage to raise her head and murmured in a gentle voice, “Big Brother Yun Che, in the future, will…. will you come visit us often?”

“I will.” Yun Che nodded deeply… Her gaze, her whisper and her pure heart… Even if one’s core was made out of stone, never would they have the heart to cruelly reject her or let her down.

As he walked out of the wood spirits’ hidden sanctuary, the secret passage disappeared under the weaving of the greenish black wines. It was as if it vanished into thin air.

Indeed, other than being hidden by the vines, the entrance seemed to be protected by a special nature illusory formation, which produced an illusion that interfered with one’s vision and spirit sense.

It was only by pouring all of his strength into his spirit sense that Yun Che was able to discern that there was something amiss about this place. If he had just nonchalantly walked by, it would be almost impossible.

If one’s cultivation was high enough though, they wouldn’t need to concentrate to detect it. This was probably why the wood spirit race mostly chose to take refuge in lower star realms.

“After all, this is not a place they plan to stay in for a long time,” Yun Che said to himself. “I hope no one will ever find this place.”