Against the Gods

Azure Cloud Continent, Cloud’s End Abyss.

Yun Che sat on the black ground in front of the sea of Netherworld Udumbara Flowers that shone with a lustrous purple light. In front of him was You’er, whose stare was fixed on his face as she listened attentively to his voice.

Today, he had brought presents for You’er. They were strangely shaped ice crystals he had taken from Frozen Cloud Asgard. This crystal had been formed from concentrated profound ice and it would never melt. Furthermore, in this gloomy and cold black abyss, it would be even less likely to melt.

The shape of each ice crystal was different and all of them were even more translucent and glittery than normal crystals. This was especially so under the Netherworld Udumbara Flowers’ purple light, and they shimmered with an incomparably beautiful brilliance.

Yun Che could see that You’er really liked these ice crystals.

“You’er,” Yun Che softly said as he looked at her, “I’ve already decided that I will return to that place called the God Realm tomorrow, so I don’t know when I’ll be able to come and visit you again.”

His words caused You’er’s colorful eyes to twitch as she anxiously stretched out a hand.

A faint smile appeared on Yun Che’s face as he said, “However, you don’t need to worry, I will come back as soon as I can, and I might even be able to come back after just a few short days. Once I return, I’ll immediately come and visit you, okay?”

You’er, “...”

She could not bear to part with him and she was also worried about him.

“You’re worried about me, right?” Yun Che’s gaze grew gentle as he said, “Don’t worry, it’s precisely because I died once in the God Realm that I now greatly value the life that I have now. Furthermore, my trip to the God Realm this time… it might present an extremely good opportunity for me.”

When he spoke those words, a strange light flashed through his eyes.

Every time he came to see You’er, he would talk a lot and tell her many things about himself. This included stuff that he could not say in front of the Little Demon Empress and the others.

“Because this time, I might just… become the savior of the world,” Yun Che said with a hearty laugh. “If this truly comes to pass, I probably won’t need to worry about any danger in the future. Because whoever dares to offend me would definitely make an enemy of the entire world.”

He was not just saying these things for fun.

“Of course, this is the best thing that I can hope for. What exactly is that crack in the Wall of Primal Chaos? What lies behind it? Why can only my power resolve this crisis? I’m actually completely clueless as to what the answers to those questions are. Additionally, it’s also possible that my current power is far from having reached the level needed to resolve this crisis… Whew, all of these things are unknowns. However, the situation in this Blue Pole Star is worsening with each passing day, so I also have no choice but to make this decision.”

He raised his head and said, “Ever since the year I obtained the Evil God’s legacy, my life has undergone drastic changes. I went from a cripple whom everyone despised to having everything that I have right now over the short span of a decade and a half. Since I have obtained so many things because of this, whether it is my duty or my responsibility, it’s about time I went to fulfill it. However…”

The expression of Yun Che’s face changed as he spoke in an extremely solemn voice, “But if I discover at that time that I would need to offer up my life in order to complete it all, I will immediately get the hell out of there!”

“Right now, I have a father, a mother, wives, a child… Errr, and I have You’er as well, so nothing is more important than my own life!”

Yun Che spoke with an iron resoluteness.

You’er stared at him and it seemed that the worry in her in her colorful eyes had lessened by a degree.

“Speaking of the Evil God, I am the inheritor of his power and You’er, you gave me the Darkness Seed all those years ago. That seed was one of the cores of the Evil God’s power, and it should also be his greatest secret. Even though I don’t know why it would be with you in this place, both of us can be said to be people who share a profound fate with him and it was also this fate that connected us.”

He stretched out a finger to gently touch the place where You’er’s face was and said, “So if I can fulfill whatever this ‘duty’ is supposed to be, then You’er will be one of the key contributors to this achievement. And at that time, I will come over and tell You’er everything, okay?”

“...” You’er nodded her head, the colorful ripples in her eyes expressing her great happiness.

“Mn,” Yun Che stood up and said, “it’s about time for me to go back. I still haven’t thought of how I’m going to relay this message to Caiyi, Wuxin, and the rest of them. I’ll definitely cause them a great deal of worry again. You’er, you need to be good and patiently wait for me to come visit you again. I promise that I will definitely bring you a wonderful present the next time I'm back.”

After he said that, he prepared to leave. However You’er’s figure blurred and floated in front of him. Sorrow and a reluctance to see him go were reflected in those strange and bewitching four-colored eyes, eyes that looked like they were about to break out into tears.

Yun Che’s heart immediately went soft as he stopped his movement and said, “Fine, I won’t go just yet. Then, how about I… tell You’er another fairytale, okay?”

“Mnnn… This time, let me tell you about the story of the Soot Black Dwarf and the Seven Little Princesses!”

…………

When he left Cloud’s End Abyss, it was already nearing dawn. However, Yun Che did not immediately return to the Illusory Demon Realm. Instead, he stood in the air above the Azure Cloud Continent as his entire body relaxed and he swiftly released profound energy from every part of his body, forming a vast vortex within this weak and frail world.

This was the first time he had ever released his Divine King powers to their limit in the Blue Pole Star.

A layer of exceptionally dense pale white light covered his body, and from a distance, it looked as if a pale white moon had appeared in the sky. After he spread his arms open, the strongest light profound energy he could release at this moment scattered down and enveloped the entire Azure Cloud Continent.

After that, he went to the Profound Sky Continent and the Illusory Demon Realm and once again the strongest light profound energy that he could generate scattered down upon the land.

He was unable to predict when he would be able to return from the God Realm once he left on this trip. Thus, before he left, he needed to do his very best to ensure the safety of the Blue Pole Star.

Previously, every time he had done a purification, he would only use power that did not even amount to twenty percent of his real power.

However, this time, he no longer cared about any possible risks and unleashed all of his power. Furthermore, he believed that even given the current situation in the Blue Pole Star, once he used his full power, the light profound energy that he left behind would be enough to ensure that there would not be a large-scale beast or human riot for at least a month.

After he did this, it was finally time for him to leave.

When he announced his decision, what he received was a long silence from everyone present.

Even though this decision by Yun Che had been very sudden, the Little Demon Empress, Feng Xue’er, and the others actually had a premonition that this would happen long ago.

“Che’er, is everything you’re saying true?” Yun Qinghong asked, even though he had never doubted Yun Che’s words in the past.

Yun Che nodded his head with an incomparable solemnity as he said, “I know that these words sound incredibly outrageous, but I guarantee that every word that I just said is true.”

“The strange things that are happening right now are definitely not limited to merely the Blue Pole Star. The scope of this effect is far bigger than you can imagine. Honestly speaking, if not for my existence, the Blue Pole Star would have long ago turned into a purgatory, but even I am starting to feel more and more powerless as well.”

Yun Che chuckled, a relaxed expression on his face as he said, “A divine being told me that the power inside my body could solve the problem that lay at the root of everything that’s been going on. The current situation has already become like this, so no matter whether I’m willing or not, I need to go. But there’s no need to be too pessimistic about it. The God Realm has a million year foundation and countless powerhouses residing in it. They might just have already found the solution to deal with this and maybe they don’t even need my power at all.”

Though he said these things, he was well aware that the possibility of that happening was extremely slim indeed. Perhaps, it would even be better to say that the possibility was non-existent. Otherwise, the Ice Phoenix girl would not have been able to tell him with such absolute certainty that he was the “only hope”.

At the same time, she had said he was “hope”... What this word represented was undoubtedly a possibility rather than a certainty and at the same time, this would be accompanied by risks that he would be unable to predict or anticipate.

“Daddy!!” Yun Wuxin hurtled into him as she tightly hugged him and said, “No… I don’t want… I don’t want you to go. You said before that it was a very dangerous place, you also said yourself that you would never go anywhere else ever again… You can’t go back on your word.”

Yun Che had indeed said those things, but the Yun Che at that time had thought that he would remain a cripple forever.

“...” Yun Che crouched down as he reached out to gently wipe away the teardrop that hovered at the corner of her eye and said, “Xin’er, do you want your daddy to become a hero that saves the world?”

Under Yun Che’s gaze, Yun Wuxin shook her head, and she shook her head in an incomparably resolute manner at that. She replied, “I don’t want a hero who is going to save the world, I only want Daddy.”

Yun Che’s heart was deeply touched by those words and he cupped her face with his hands. He smiled at her before he said, “Xin’er, you simply have far too little confidence in your daddy. Could it be that your mother, your Master, and all of your aunts haven’t told you what your daddy’s greatest ability is?”

“Is it… the ability to deceive girls?” Yun Wuxin said weakly as tears hung from her eyes.

“~！@#￥%... It’s my ability to run away, run away!” Three black lines ran down Yun Che’s forehead as he said, “Your daddy runs very fast, he knows how to disguise himself, he knows how to conceal himself, and he also has the Vanishing Moon Celestial Palace. Even in a place like the God Realm, if I want to run away, no one will be able to catch me! The last time something happened in the God Realm, it was because I willingly entered a trap for an important reason… I promise that a similar thing will absolutely not happen again.”

“This time, not only will I return very quickly, I also guarantee that I won’t lose a single hair on my head.” He gently squeezed Yun Wuxin’s face as he spoke in an incomparably sincere manner, “Because I don’t want my Wuxin to lose her father at such a young age, and if your mother gets angry and marries someone else, won’t I simply have suffered a great loss?"

“Hmph, what nonsense,” Chu Yuechan said as she turned her face away from him.

“Since you’ve already decided to go, then stop dilly-dallying,” the Little Demon Empress said with a cold expression on her face.

Before Yun Che had gone to the God Realm for the first time, the Little Demon Empress had vociferously objected. But this time, after they had learned from the mistakes of the past, Yun Che had thought that she would be resolutely opposed to this. So he never imagined that she would not even voice a single word of opposition.

This was because the last time he had gone, it had been because of his own selfish whim. But this time around, it was a duty and a mission, a mission that concerned the safety and security of the vast universe.

“However, you better fix the words you just told Xin’er in your head. If you meet any danger, you need to run away with all your might! You’re not allowed to show off! You’re not allowed to be a busybody! You’re not allowed to stir up trouble! You’re not allowed to sow your wild oats! Once you accomplish your goal, you are to return immediately! You’re not allowed to lose even a single hair on your head!”

“Yes… yes… yes…” Yun Che immediately nodded his head as he said, “I promise, I promise.”

“Big Brother Yun, are you truly going to leave immediately? But where are you going to return to? And how exactly are you even going to get back in the first place?” Feng Xue’er asked in a worried voice.

Yun Che extended a hand and took out a snowy pearl made of ice crystals.

“This is the dimensional stone that Palace Master Bingyun gave to me back then. This was what she used to visit this place in secret to observe Frozen Cloud Asgard. She gave the very last one to me,” Yun Che said. “If I use it, I will be able to directly pierce through space and return to the Snow Song Realm.”

Given his current cultivation, returning to the God Realm by flying through the aether of space was something he could very easily accomplish, but it would take far too long. Even though the Vanishing Moon Celestial Palace was extremely fast, its aura was too huge and it was far too unique. It would be very easily exposed. But given his previous “experience”, if he used the dimensional stone in his hand, it would only take him a little more than fifteen minutes to reach the Snow Song Realm.

“Then you should go,” the Little Demon Empress said before turning around and not looking at him anymore.

“Husband, you must be careful,” Cang Yue said in a gentle and soft voice.

“Little Che, you definitely need to return sooner rather than later,” Xiao Lingxi gently yelled… But she was different from the others because there was not too much worry present on her face.

Su Ling’er, who stood beside her, glanced at her in surprise.

“No matter whether I succeed or not, I will definitely return at the first possible moment… I promise!”

He let go of Yun Wuxin and his voice turned even gentler, “Xin’er, once Daddy gets back, I’ll go fishing with you again… Moreover, when I come back, I’ll definitely bring you the world’s greatest present! Just wait and see!”

The longer it took for him to leave, the more reluctant and melancholy he felt. So once he finished saying those words, he simply activated the dimensional stone in his hand.

A beam of spatial profound light flashed and as it vanished, it took Yun Che with it.

“Daddy!” Yun Wuxin let out a startled cry. She rushed toward the place where Yun Che had just been standing, standing there in a daze for a long period of time.

Chu Yuechan moved forward and patted her back, “Xin’er, there’s no need to worry. Even though your father has never let anyone feel at ease, he has always accomplished the things that he has promised you and it will be the same this time as well.”

On the other side, Su Ling’er recovered from her shock and her heart was filled with boundless reluctance and worry. She glanced at Xiao Lingxi, yet she discovered that Xiao Lingxi’s eyes were completely clear and they actually were not filled with much melancholy or gloom.

Moreover, she had been the one who had been the most worried and unwilling to part from Yun Che the last time around… and after Yun Che had left with Mu Bingyun, she had actually fainted dead away and she was plagued by nightmares after that.

“Big Sister Lingxi,” she tested the waters by asking Xiao Lingxi a question, “you don’t seem to be too worried?”

“Mn,” Xiao Lingxi said as she nodded her head, “I also don’t know why, I was clearly so worried and afraid the last time around. However, this time… I just have a feeling that Little Che will return very quickly, and he’ll return safe and sound.”

Su Ling’er, “...”

————

Within the spatial tunnel, there were times when it was completely pitch-black and there were times when it swirled with bright colors.

Yun Che’s body was still as he swiftly pierced through this strange world.

Naturally, the scene of his first ever trip to the God Realm floated up in his mind.

The method he was using to travel to the God Realm this time was actually exactly the same method he used the first time around. He had used the same kind of dimensional stone and he was also traveling to the Snow Song Realm once again.

The only difference was he did not have Mu Bingyun to protect him this time around and Mu Xiaolan was not around either. He was making this trip all by himself.

The rarest and most precious things in this universe were undoubtedly dimensional tools. However, these sort of dimensional stones that allowed one to travel a very far distance in a set direction were not things that could be casually used. They were different from the dimensional profound formations that had a set location, because using a dimensional stone to travel through space was something that came with a huge amount of risk. This was because during the process of traveling through space, it was possible that one would encounter spatial storms as one slipped through the gaps in space.

If they were even more unlucky, they would even encounter a Universe Devouring Beast.

The further the distance and the longer they traveled, the greater the risk.

Furthermore, if one wanted to be able to truly ignore these risks, one needed to at least possess strength on the level of a Divine Sovereign.

This was the common knowledge that Mu Bingyun had imparted to him when they had traveled through this spatial tunnel all those years ago.

When Mu Bingyun had secretly given this dimensional stone to him, she had heavily emphasized that he was not to use it unless he truly needed to. But right now, he was confident in his own strength, and even if he really did encounter a spatial storm, he would not be the least bit afraid.

He closed his eyes and calmed his heart as he quietly rehearsed the things he had to do in the Snow Song Realm in his mind… Fifteen minutes passed very quickly and after that, he opened his eyes.

At nearly exactly the same time, the world in front of him suddenly changed and became a sea of white, an icy-cold wind greeting him as it blew over his body.

Snow Song Realm!