Against the Gods

“All those who are gathered here are the youths on whom all the hopes of the Eastern Divine Region rests upon.” As he stood in front of the young people who were gathered in this place, the Eternal Heaven God Emperor’s expectant gaze swept over each and every one of those youthful faces, “During this period of time, all of you should have heard of the existence of that crimson crack, and you also should have understood that this is not only an honor and opportunity for all of you, it is something that carries the weight of both hope and responsibility.”

“Of course,” he said with a bland laugh, “it is also very possible that this crack in the Wall of Primal Chaos is nothing more than a crimson illusion. So, you also don’t need to give yourselves too much pressure, and there is even less need for your hearts and minds to become disordered by this. Dutifully improve yourselves within the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm. Do not squander this sort of opportunity.”

“Please do not worry, Eternal Heaven God Emperor,” Lu Lengchuan spoke up. “As the sons and daughters of the Eastern Divine Region, if a calamity truly does break out in the future, even if we did not have this opportunity, that was bestowed upon us by the Eternal Heaven Realm, we would also devote all our strength in stopping this calamity, even if it costs us our lives.”

If someone else had said the words that Lu Lengchuan had just said, it might very well be a very passionate form of flattery, but every word that came out of his mouth was as resolute and solid as iron.

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor glanced at Lu Lengchuan, he gave a small nod and a faint smile as a look of admiration appeared on his face. After that, he said, “After you have entered the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm, you will have a small independent world to yourselves and unless you yourselves allow it, no one else will be able to enter the small worlds of the others. Whether you want to focus on your cultivation independently or whether you want to join your forces and cultivate together, it is up to your own wishes.”

“Furthermore, once the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm closes, it will only open up three years later. As such, during the ‘three thousand years’ that you are inside the realm, there will be no way for you to get out. So if any incidents happen, there will also be no one who can help you. So if there is anyone who feels repulsed or terrified of these upcoming ‘three thousand years’, you can bow out, there is no one who will force you to undertake this task.”

No one replied to him… Because there would not be anyone who would reject such an unprecedented and enormous opportunity.

“Good.” After that the Eternal Heaven God Emperor gave a brief nod of his head. With a small wave of his arm, the world around them immediately lit up with a dense white glow, “The Eternal Heaven Divine Realm has been opened. Once you enter, it will mean three thousand years.”

“In three years time, I hope that the young and tender youths who have gathered here today will be able to become yet another power for the Eastern Divine Region that can reach the heavens.” Every single word that the Eternal Heaven God Emperor said carried a deep hope, “Go on in then.”

“Wait a minute!” Just as the Eternal Heaven God Emperor’s voice had fallen, four anxious voices rang out in the air simultaneously.

Lu Lengchuan, Huo Poyun, and Shui Meiyin.

Astonishingly enough, the other person was actually Luo Changsheng!

Huo Poyun took a step forward as he spoke in an anxious voice, “Brother Yun Che, he…”

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor raised a hand before giving a slow shake of his head, “Actually, all of you should have entered the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm this morning. But now, it is already evening. Sigh, such is the will of heaven.”

Yun Che, the divine child that had radiated such heaven-shaking brilliance on that Conferred God Stage. There was no doubt that the Eternal Heaven God Emperor was more disappointed and disconsolate than anyone else at the fact that Yun Che was not able to enter the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm.

These were the young people who had all demonstrated their extraordinary skills and talents during the Profound God Convention, and all of them were so young that they were below sixty years of age. So for Yun Che not to enter the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm meant that there would be a whole three thousand year gap between them and him once they had emerged!

Furthermore, the level of the aura in the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm was not only exceptionally high, but it also allowed any profound practitioner who cultivated there to be truly free of all distractions. So the three thousand years within this realm was comparable to six thousand years in the outside world… and even if one were to say it was the equivalent of ten thousand years, it would not be deemed as unwarranted or excessive talk.

This also meant that after three years, the Yun Che who had originally reigned above them all would become as tiny as a speck in front of them. Even the weakest among them would far exceed Yun Che in strength and level once these three years had passed.

They would become the cornerstones of the Eastern Divine Region while Yun Che, who had not entered the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm would remain a “god child” from the younger generation… and nothing more than that.

“The time has come, put aside all thoughts which may distract you. From today onwards, all of the profound practitioners in the Eastern Divine Region will eagerly anticipate the moment all of you emerge from the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm. I hope that three years from now, every single one of you will be able to radiate a light that will illuminate the entire Eastern Divine Region.”

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor gave a push of his hand as a pure wind, that could not be resisted, immediately swept all of the young profound practitioners into the white light behind them.

The world behind them immediately glowed with a strong white light. Several breaths later, after the white light had dissipated, the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm had slowly sealed itself, and the young profound practitioners who had been sent into that place would only be able to emerge after three years had passed. Moreover, after spending three thousand years in the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm, each and every one of them would undergo incredibly enormous changes.

This was especially true for those young profound practitioners who had high hopes placed on them, the ones who possessed extraordinary talent. It was very likely that they would go from being excellent and famous people from the younger generation to personages who would be able to reach the highest level in the Eastern Divine Region, or perhaps even the highest level in the entire Realm of the Gods.

Yet Yun Che, the one who had the greatest expectations placed upon him, just had to be the person who had missed out.

The Eternal Heaven Divine Emperor himself actually had the unique right to freely enter and exit the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm. But since Yun Che was not among those who had entered, his interest had waned and he no longer entertained this idea.

All of the heaven chosen children had entered the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm, yet the Eternal Heaven God Emperor had not left the place yet. He looked at the empty world in front of him before he suddenly gave a heavy sigh of lament, “Oh Ancestor, if he arrives here afterwards, is there truly no way for us to reopen the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm for him? This child’s performance and the strange state of his body were something that you personally witnessed yourself. Even though it is hard to completely believe the words regarding him ‘becoming a True God’, given his ceiling, he might just be able to truly break through all the known limits and ceilings at this point. As such, if the crimson calamity truly erupts in the future, he would have become our greatest and most brilliant hope at that time.”

For the king realms, they always desired to become ever stronger, but at the same time, they definitely did not want anyone to become stronger than them. Yun Che’s “nine stage lightning tribulation”, “child of the heavens” and “True God Prophecy”... every single one of them had fiercely plucked at the nerves of all the great king realms, causing them to shake from shock and covet his powers… to the point where they envied or even feared him.

All of them wanted to know the secrets behind Yun Che’s aptitude and natural endowments. If they could, none of them would spare anything to steal him for themselves… if they were not able to, when Yun Che truly started to display strength which surpassed all understanding, they would definitely start plotting to wipe him from the face of this earth.

As the peak existences within this Primal Chaos Dimension, the king realms would definitely not allow anything stronger than them to emerge.

The only exception to this rule was the Eternal Heaven God Realm—this was a king realm that had followed the righteous path since the advent of its existence, a king realm that was revered by all the profound practitioners in the Eastern Divine Region. As the realm king of the Eternal Heaven Realm, the Eternal Heaven God Emperor truly admired the freak that was Yun Che, and he also truly wished to see him become strong and become the glorious light of the Eastern Divine Region, so that he could also become the strongest power that could oppose that calamity in the future.

So he had never envied or coveted Yun Che, and he had definitely not thought of killing him.

On the contrary, once Yun Che’s light had gotten a bit too bright, he started having the intention to protect him.

The reverence the Eastern Divine Region held towards the Eternal Heaven Realm had never been an empty or hollow one. Even Jasmine had emphasized one thing to Yun Che. She had stressed to him that he should not leave the Eternal Heaven Realm at all before entering the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm, because the Eternal Heaven God Emperor definitely would not harm him.

But no one had thought that such an incident would have taken place within the Moon God Realm.

But on the other hand, since Qianye Ying’er had already known about Yun Che’s greatest secret and had decided to ensure that he would not enter Eternal Heaven Divine Realm, even if that incident in the Moon God Realm had not happened, even if he had not taken a single step outside of the Eternal Heaven Realm, he would have still been struck by Qianye Ying’er’s poisonous hands, and it was highly possible that even the Eternal Heaven God Realm would not have been able to sense it… This was simply how dreadful and fearsome Qianye Ying’er was.

As the Eternal Heaven Good Emperor’s voice faded away, an ancient voice suddenly rang out in the empty world in front of him:

“To be able to open it once for that period of three thousand years is already the utmost limit of the Eternal Heaven Pearl’s power. Given the aura of primal chaos which grows more turbid with each passing day, I do not know how many years it will take for it to recover to the point where it could open up once more.”

That ancient voice was hollow and indistinct, as if it had come from an incredibly distant world, yet it also contained a world-weariness that was heavy to the point where it was inconceivable.

“Ai…” The Eternal Heaven God Emperor let out another long sigh of lament, “Could it be that this is truly the will of the heavens?”

“I had originally thought that he would return to the Eternal Heaven Realm within the next few days, yet there still hasn’t been any correspondence from him yet, so it’s likely that he is no longer within the Eastern Divine Region. I’m worried that someone has already taken the opportunity to make a move against him in secret… The people who can actually mount a pursuit of the Vanishing Moon Celestial Palace can be counted on one hand. However, each and every one of those people just so happen to be the ones who would most likely covet him the most. Sigh.”

“That is his own destiny, there is no need for you to brood over it any longer.” The ancient voice rang out once again, “During the past few years, you have poured all your strength into preparing to face this crimson calamity. There are very few who believe, and there is only you who has no choice but to believe.”

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor could hear a dense heaviness that was far heavier than it was before in that distant voice. He furrowed his brows as he said, “Could it be that it has grown heavier yet again?”

“This feeling of unease grows closer every day. However, this feeling does not come from myself but the Eternal Heaven Pearl.”

“Sigh.” The Eternal Heaven God Emperor let out a heavy sigh as his deep worry ate away at his heart, “Just what exactly lies behind that crimson crack… To cause to even the Eternal Heaven Pearl to feel fear, just what sort of calamity is it…”

“...” The empty space remained silent for a long period of time.

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor gave a deep bow and prepared to leave. But it was at this moment, the voice which sounded as if it was coming from the ancient past once again rang out in the air, “Now that it reached this point, it is also time for me to tell you about ‘that matter’.”

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor raised his head and asked, “That matter?”

“The first year that we discovered that crack in the Wall of Primal Chaos, the Eternal Heaven Pearl told me that it had sensed a very unique aura, and even though that aura was very weak and blurry, it had given it an extremely remote sense of familiarity.”

“Familiarity? It caused the Eternal Heaven Pearl to feel a sense of familiarity?” The Eternal Heaven God Emperor’s eyebrows furrowed once again.

“Initially, the Eternal Heaven Pearl was unable to confirm it but as the crack in the Wall of Primal Chaos continued to grow, that sense of familiarity grew more and more intense and clear… it was intense enough that even though the Eternal Heaven Pearl did not want to believe it, it had no choice but to.”

“What exactly did it sense?” The Eternal Heaven God Emperor asked. Every single word that had been spoken by the voice that rang in his ears contained a boundless heaviness.

The ancient voice did not directly answer. Instead it slowly said, “In the Ancient Era of the Gods, there were seven great Heavenly Profound Treasures—the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword, the Evil Infant's Wheel of Myriad Tribulations, the Primordial Seal of Life and Death, the Eternal Heaven Pearl, the Sky Poison Pearl, the World Piercer, and the Mirror of Samsara. Four of these belonged to the god race, the other two belonged to the devil race and the final one fell into the lower realms.”

“The four Heavenly Profound Treasures owned by the god race represented the four great Creation Gods: The Heaven Punishing Divine Emperor Mo E had wielded the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword, the Creation Goddess of life Li Suo held the Primordial Seal of Life and Death, the Creation God of Order Xi Ke controlled the Eternal Heaven Pearl, and the other Heavenly Profound Treasure, the 【World Piercer】belonged to the Creation God of the Elements… the god who had eventually become knowned as the Evil God.”

“The【World Piercer】possessed the highest level of dimensional power and it could pass through any space. Within our ancient records, the divine profound arks which could step through space that was owned by the god race, they were artifacts that the Creation God of the Elements had imbued with the power of the World Piercer.”

“After his battle with the Heaven Punishing Divine Emperor Mo E, the Creation God of the Elements abandoned his title and name as a Creation God and he called himself the Evil God from then onwards. After that incident happened, there were no longer any legends or records concerning the World Piercer appearing in the world anymore.”

“During the ‘Evil Infant Calamity’ which had ended the Era of the Gods, the only god who could have escaped was the Evil God who possessed the World Piercer, yet he was also afflicted by the ‘Myriad Tribulations’ poison and eventually died from it in the end. But now that I think about it, perhaps the World Piercer had long since left his possession.”

The words the ancient voice said caused a shock that grew heavier and heavier to appear on the Eternal Heaven God Emperor’s face, “Ancestor, what you’re implying… Could it be that…”

“That’s… correct…” The originally deep and heavy voice turned even heavier, “Accompanying the appearance of the crack in the Wall of Primal Chaos was the aura of the World Piercer.”

“...” The Eternal Heaven God Emperor’s body shuddered violently at those words. After that, he froze for a long while before he gave heavy gasp and asked, “Why would the World Piercer be outside of the Primal Chaos Dimension? And just why would it… cause the Eternal Heaven Pearl to feel dread?”

“It’s very clear that even though the dimensional power of the World Piercer is able to pierce through all space within the Primal Chaos Dimension, it is not able to pierce through the Wall of Primal Chaos. But… it is extremely likely that it is able to open a dimension outside the Primal Chaos Dimension.”

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor was completely dazed upon hearing that and he did not understand the meaning of those words for a period of time.

“If that is true, then the race that should have perished outside of the Primal Chaos Dimension all those years ago… It is very possible that they have relied on the dimension opened up by the World Piercer to survive up to this point.”

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor’s brows furrowed yet again as he remained at a loss… But in the next instant, it was as if he had suddenly been struck by a bolt of lightning. His entire body convulsed as his complexion instantly turned as pale as a ghost. Following that, his arms, legs, beard, and even his entire body started to tremble uncontrollably, “Could it… Could it… Could it be that… that… No… It’s not possible! It’s not possible that such an absurd thing could possibly happen!”

Perhaps no one would believe that the distinguished Eternal Heaven God Emperor himself would actually be so shocked that all the color had drained from his face in a single instant.

“This is millions of times more terrifying than any previous guesses we have made, yet it is also… the most likely one.”

“...” The Eternal Heaven God Emperor’s complexion was already so white that it was frightening and he did not speak for a very long period of time.

“The Eternal Heaven Pearl has told me that it no longer communicates with the World Piercer. Moreover, the time the World Pierce’s aura completely disappeared from this world also completely coincides with the time that race was expelled. The question is, just how exactly did the World Piercer that belonged to the Evil God end up in the hands of that race…”

“When that crimson crack completely ruptures, it will not only be a calamity that will erupt from that, it is also possible that it will expose ancient truths and resentments. It’s just that in a weak world where gods no longer exist, there is no way we can endure these truths and resentments.”

“Right now, the only thing we can do is put in our greatest effort before praying that everything is merely a delusion that will not happen…”

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor remained rooted in place. Within that empty world, the only thing he could hear was the incredibly intense sound of his heart thumping.