Against the Gods

The light breeze that circulated within the Forbidden Land of Samsara stopped, not a single bird or insect could be seen flying in the sky and even the colorful butterflies which rested amongst the flowers had stopped flapping their wings.

Yun Che did not sense any aura drawing near, but he clearly felt a kind of oppressive might which covered the skies and engulfed everything within it… If one did not personally experience it, perhaps no one would be able to believe that the oppressive might emitted by a single person could actually be this strong, it was so strong that it truly felt as if the heavens and earth were capsizing and turning over.

Yun Che’s heart seemed to grow sluggish as he thought: Could it be...

At this moment, the figure of a person descended down from the heavens and landed on the earth of the Forbidden Land of Samsara.

His figure was tall and broad, he was dressed in a gray robe and there was no facial hair on his fair face. His appearance was exceptionally mild and gentle, but even the simple act of him standing in that place caused a vast heavenly might to engulf the entire world, it was a might that caused people to unconsciously desire to kneel to the ground and bend their heads as their very souls shook and trembled.

There was only one person under the heavens that possessed this sort of oppressive might.

The Dragon Monarch!

He was the elder of the dragon god race, the great realm king of the Dragon God Realm, the emperor of the Western Divine Region, the supreme ruler of the entire God Realm, and also the one who was publicly acknowledged as number one in the Primal Chaos Dimension.

There were seventeen king realms in the God Realm and the other sixteen realm kings of these king realms were adorned with the name of “God Emperor”, but only he was crowned with the title of “Monarch”. Furthermore, this “Monarch” was not to signify that he was the lord of all dragons or the ruler of the Dragon God Realm, it was to signify that he was the “monarch amongst emperors”.

The strength of all the god emperors stood at the very zenith of the divine way, so it was hard to make an absolutely definitive judgement on who was weaker and who was stronger. It was only the Dragon Monarch who stood apart from the rest, his status as the “number one person in the Primal Chaos Dimension” was unshakable and no one dared to doubt it.

It had only been a few short months since Yun Che had seen him at the Profound God Convention, but Yun Che had once again personally come face to face with the number one person in the Primal Chaos Dimension, someone that he might not even hope to have an audience with even if he used up all of his life.

“Ling’er greets the Dragon Monarch,” Ling’er, who had stood at Yun Che’s side, made a deep bow. Upon the arrival of the Dragon Monarch, her expression had grown rather nervous, but it was not colored by any shock or surprise.

Yun Che also hurriedly bowed to the Dragon Monarch as he said, “This junior Yun Che greets the Dragon Monarch.”

No wonder there was someone who could directly enter this place, it was because this “someone” was actually the Dragon Monarch himself! The entire Dragon God Realm was the property of the Dragon Monarch, even this “Forbidden Land of Samsara” had also been granted by the Dragon Monarch, so it was natural that he could come and go as he pleased.

A pair of dragon eyes measured Yun Che as they swept over him before the Dragon Monarch gave a small smile, “Yun Che, it looks like there is some sort of destiny between you and I. It’s only been a few short months, yet we meet again in the Western Divine Region.”

Yun Che replied, “The favor Senior Dragon Monarch has shown me by giving me those pointers that day is something that this junior dares not forget. To be able to meet Senior yet again, even though this junior is terrified, I also feel extremely fortunate. It’s just that… Senior Dragon Monarch seems to have been informed long ago that this junior was in this place?”

The Dragon Monarch replied in a calm and tranquil manner, “Two months ago, I heard that someone brought forth the Dragon God Mark and desired to enter this place. Once I heard that, I knew that, without a doubt, it was you. It’s just that I was just about to set off for the Eastern Divine Region once again. If not, I would perhaps have come here much sooner myself.”

After he finished speaking, he looked in Shen Xi’s direction, his calm gaze immediately colored by a gentleness that was not there on any other occasion.

Journeying to the Eastern Divine Region yet again?

Yun Che’s heart throbbed and he involuntarily asked, “If this junior may be so bold as to guess, Senior Dragon Monarch went there… to personally inspect that crimson crack?”

“Oh?” The Dragon Monarch looked to the side as he said, “You’re indeed a very clever one.”

Shen Xi slowly strode forward before she spoke, “You should have found out something new from this journey. Share it with me.”

“Alright.”

The Dragon Monarch gave a small smile and his legs started to move. Within the span of a few breaths, he and Shen Xi had already left Yun Che and He Ling’s field of vision.

Yun Che stood up and looked in the direction that Shen Xi and the Dragon Monarch went, his heart filled with shock and astonishment. To think that Shen Xi actually did not need to bow when she came face to face with the Dragon Monarch. Furthermore, the Dragon Monarch himself did not assert any sort of authority or dominance when facing Shen Xi.

Shen Xi and the Dragon Monarch who stood at the very pinnacle of the Primal Chaos Dimension… To think they actually spoke as equals?

Just what kind of person was she!?

In the northern part of the Forbidden Land of Samsara, the two peak existences within the Dragon God Realm stood together, a clear stream gurgling beside them. Every single word they were exchanging at present was undoubtedly extremely heavy and serious.

“So what is the situation?” Shen Xi opened her mouth, her words concise and to the point.

The Dragon Monarch’s expression was calm but his chest briefly rose and fell, “It is far more terrifying than I had initially imagined. That crimson crack is far more enormous than what the Eternal Heaven and Brahma Monarch had initially described. It is clear that it has been swiftly expanding all this while. Furthermore, it’s aura even caused me to feel fear and terror.”

Shen Xi, “...Oh?”

The Dragon Monarch’s eyes grew slightly more focused, “I had originally believed that I had long ago forgotten what fear was, but when I stood in front of that crack in the Wall of Primal Chaos, my body actually started to shiver uncontrollably.”

Shen Xi said, “Given the power that the Eternal Heaven Pearl possesses in this era, forcefully nurturing one thousand powerhouses is already the very limits of its ability. Such an act is definitely not something the Eternal Heaven Realm can decide. It could only have originated from the Eternal Heaven Pearl itself. So if even the Eternal Heaven Pearl feels such fear and apprehension, then it is absolutely normal for you to feel fear.”

“It seems like the Eastern Divine Region will suffer great calamity if that crimson crack truly ruptures one day.” The Dragon Monarch’s eyes gradually grew more hooded as he said, “I hope that the ensuing calamity will not affect the Western Divine Region when the time comes.”

“Since you are speaking of it in such a manner, this means that even you are unable to determine how that crack came about?” Shen Xi asked.

The Dragon Monarch gave a faint nod of his head, “That crack should have appeared because of some sort of power outside of the Primal Chaos, it is also very likely something that transcends the knowledge of every single one of us.”

Shen Xi pondered those words in silence for a long time before replying in a soft voice, “It looks like I need to personally go there and inspect it myself. Perhaps, I will be able to discover something.”

The Dragon Monarch shook his head, “That crack is located in the most eastern part of the Primal Chaos, given the maximum amount of time that you can be away from this place, you won’t even be able to make the trip there, much less make a round trip.”

“If it was like before, that would indeed be true.” Shen Xi looked up as she spoke slowly, “However, it is good that I have already found a method to get rid of my ‘fetters’. Before too long, I will be able to leave this place.”

“...” The Dragon Monarch’s eyes shook as his body violently turned around it, “What… did you say!?”

“I hope that I will make it in time.” It was almost as if Shen Xi had not seen the Dragon Monarch’s violent reaction as she gazed into the distance. The white glow surrounding her body was something that even the Dragon Monarch was unable to pierce.

“You… have you truly found a method to leave this place?” The Dragon Monarch’s expression rippled and his breathing had grown disordered. He knew that since she had said such a thing, it definitely was not just empty words. “You said ‘before too long’, just how long would this be exactly?”

As he asked that question, nervousness and apprehension could actually be clearly seen in those shaking eyes...

He was the Dragon Monarch, the supreme ruler of the Primal Chaos whom all the myriad realms looked up to in reverence and respect. Even if an entire star realm crumbled before him, his expression would not change in the slightest. Yet at this time, he was reacting in away that everyone in the world thought he should never ever need to.

“If everything goes well, it will be within the next ten years,” Shen Xi said softly.

“...” The Dragon Monarch’s body violently swayed.

He had originally thought that this “before too long” would perhaps be ten thousand years, or even a few thousand years, and that even if it was sooner, it would be longer than a thousand years… But the words, and the amount of time, that rang in his ears were actually “ten years”.

An amount time that had caught him unprepared and left him at a complete loss, an amount of time that he was entirely unable to accept.

“How could it be this fast?” His breathing had grown disordered and the moment he said those words, he realized that they were inappropriate. He shook his head and sighed before speaking, “You have been trapped in this place for so many years, so finally being able to be free from this place is naturally an extremely good thing. It’s just that… after you leave this place, have you thought of where you are going to go next? And where will we be able to meet again after this?”

Compared to the strange emotional state of the Dragon Monarch, Shen Xi had remained as calm as a secluded spring from start to finish. It was as if the prospect of finally being freed from her binding, which had lasted hundreds of thousands of years, did not create many ripples in her heart, “If we are fated to do so in the future, we will naturally meet again. If we are not fated to do so, then perhaps we will never meet each other again.”

“Where are you going to go?” Before Shen Xi’s voice had even fell, the Dragon Monarch had already starting asking his questions, “You have always stayed in this place all of these years, and even if you have left occasionally, you have never left the Dragon God Realm, so where can you go? Have you really never thought of staying in the Dragon God Domain? All of your kinsmen are there and there will be nothing to bind you there, you will have complete freedom and you will be able to do whatever you want. And if you want anything, I can…”

“You have forgotten yourself,” Shen Xi softly said as she turned around.

Those four words which were as light and airy as the wind hit the Dragon Monarch with great force. His face froze completely, and following that, he slowly closed his eyes. He remained in a deep silence for a long period of time before the rise and fall of his chest went back to normal. After that, he gave a self-deprecating laugh before saying, “During these years, has the number of times that I’ve forgotten myself in front of you been very small?”

“You must remember, you are the Dragon Monarch,” Shen Xi said. “Currently, the entire Primal Chaos Realm is under your rule. Anyone else can lose heart, but only you are not allowed to. Perhaps, it is only after I leave this place that your dragon heart will truly be free of any and all gaps.”

The Dragon Monarch’s eyes remained closed. He did his best to remain calm, but his face, which normally radiated a natural heavenly might even when he was not angry, was now twisted up in pain.

“After I leave this place, you can announce to the public that my lifespan has reached its end. And you should have long ago found a true ‘Dragon Queen’ as well.”

The Dragon Monarch slowly shook his head as he sighed, “It is hard for one who has seen the blue ocean to settle for water. Do you truly think that I will ever in this life… be able to accept anyone else?”

Shen Xi gave another melancholy sigh as she said, “It’s already been more than three hundred thousand years, the height that you have reached is something that no one under heaven can equal. If you a point a single finger to the sky, it will be able to cover the sky and block the sun, so why is it that this one thing…”

“No!” The Dragon Monarch shook his head with extreme respect veneration, “From the very start, I have already understood this very well. I have never had any expectations of you, not the slightest bit. Even though I had taken step after step to finally become the Dragon Emperor, and become the monarch of all the realms after, I never thought I was worthy of your favor. In this universe, there isn’t a single person... Who is worthy of staining even the smallest part of you.”

Shen Xi, “...”

“During these years, being able to look at you every now and then has already been the greatest satisfaction in my life, and in this universe, only I am able to be so close to you. But now that it has come to this…” As he said every word, his expression grew more and more pained, “Have the heavens finally decided to withdraw this favor that they have bestowed upon me?”

Shen Xi gave a melancholy sigh once more, “There is no need for you to do this.”

“I… I do not desire to impede your freedom, I just want to…” The Dragon Monarch’s hands clenched together and he actually spoke rather incoherently due to the great chaos raging about in his dragon heart, “At least… let me repay the great debt of gratitude that I owe you for what you did for me all those years ago… At least… I…”

Shen Xi, “If you had not given me the title of ‘Dragon Queen’ all those years ago and made this place a forbidden ground, I would not have been able to live here in such peace and comfort for so many years. Thus, the favor that I did for you in the past has already been paid back in full.”

“It isn’t paid back, it hasn’t been paid back yet! The debt of gratitude one owes for having his life saved, how can that ever be repaid…” As the words left his mouth, his expression froze once again, as if he himself had never thought that he would forget himself to this extent.

Shen Xi remained silent for a long time and the Dragon Monarch had never understood what she was thinking before either.

In fact, even he did not know of Shen Xi’s true past and origins. Because he had vowed to Shen Xi that as long as she was unwilling, he would not ask her anything… and for all these many years, it has always been so.

He was so formidable and superior to the rest of the world, but in front of Shen Xi, he was just as petty and low in front of her as he was exalted by other people… But he had always been more than willing for it to be this way.

The world had grown quiet and this time, the Dragon Monarch had used that long period of time to barely recover some of his composure.

“You have been trapped in this place for so many years. To finally gain a new lease on life, I should be extremely happy for you instead.” The corners of the Dragon Monarch’s mouth curled up as if he wanted to smile but could not find the strength in him to actually do it, “Ten years… ten years… At the very least, there are still ten more years…”

Those last words were said in a very soft voice, as if he was whispering those words in his heart. But a mournful desolateness passed through his eyes… It was the kind of sorrow one experienced when the most precious thing in one’s life was about to leave them and go somewhere far away.

“Since you have already prepared to leave the Dragon God Realm, then can you tell me where you intend to go after leaving this place?” He asked even though he did not expect to obtain an answer from her.

Shen Xi softly replied, “I have already found my next abode, there is no need for you to worry.”