Against the Gods

Four years ago, Yun Che was full of excitement and expectations when he arrived at the Eternal Heaven God Realm. Today, only an indescribable weight sat inside his heart.

Last time, he had come with Mu Bingyun. This time, he had come with Mu Xuanyin.

There was another big difference compared to his experience from four years ago. The first time he came, he had been nervous and respectful to the point where he had softened his footsteps and quieted his breathing just like all the other Ice Phoenix disciples around him.

But today, the only thing he could feel with Mu Xuanyin by his side was an indescribable sense of peace and security.

“Let’s go.”

Mu Xuanyin led Yun Che slowly toward the Eternal Heaven Gate.

There were still three days before the opening of the Eternal Heaven General Assembly. Many supreme rulers and Divine Masters must have already arrived.

Technically, this was a meeting between supreme experts only. Yun Che was an exception… but of course he wasn’t the only exception.

Every Divine Master was a supreme existence who overlooked countless living beings, or the king of an upper star realm. In the Eastern Divine Region, the Eternal Heaven God Realm was likely the only star realm who was powerful and reputable enough to draw Divine Masters from every corner of the Eastern Divine Region.

Anyone inside the Eternal Heaven God Realm would feel like they were treading on a supreme palace of heaven, and even the air was filled with some sort of all encompassing holiness. As they approached the Eternal Heaven Gate, the figures of the disciples guarding it could be seen.

It was at this moment Yun Che glanced to the side and caught a glimpse of two figures at his right. They were moving much swifter than him and Mu Xuanyin.

To Yun Che’s surprise, he discovered that one of the two was a familiar face.

It was a youthful-looking man whose incredibly handsome looks hadn’t changed one bit despite the passage of time. He was clad in a golden outfit so sumptuous that it was dazzling, but did nothing to conceal the somewhat evil air he carried with him. His eyes were calm but arrogant even though he was standing in the Eternal Heaven God Realm.

Since the moment he saw him and his blindingly bright golden outfit, the name and identity of the person immediately flashed through Yun Che’s mind.

Wu Guike of the Divine Martial Realm!

He hadn’t met this noble young master too many times in the past, but the two of them were in some ways deeply tied with one another. After all, Wu Guike was the great “benefactor” who had helped him to survive the first two preliminary rounds of the Profound God Convention!

To return the favor, Yun Che had swept him off the God Conferred Stage in just seven quick strikes.

If he wasn’t mistaken, the dignified-looking middle-aged man with eyes like eagles right next to Wu Guike was probably his father, the realm king of the Divine Martial Realm, Wu Sanzun!

Wait a second!

Wu Guike is participating in the Eternal Heaven General Assembly?

Does that mean… that he had become a Divine Master after three millennia of cultivation in the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm!?

Yun Che had to hide his speechlessness… He didn’t know if it was because the Eternal Heaven Pearl was too amazing, or because the ancestors of the Divine Martial Realm had gotten lucky with the heavens, but he never would have thought that this generation’s Divine Martial Realm would be graced by two Divine Masters at the same time!

When Yun Che saw Wu Guike, Wu Guike had also spotted him immediately. The latter’s gaze stilled as his expression darkened suddenly, but an instant later Wu Guike relaxed and returned to his proud self.

“Isn’t it the champion of the Conferred God Battle, the one who attracted nine stage lightning tribulation, Yun Che? To think that you’re still alive.” Wu Guike’s tone was calm, but the half-narrowed eyes and half-smile on his face was overflowing with undisguised unruliness and arrogance.

He was clearly acting like he was looking down on a lowly lifeform.

Wu Sanzun glanced to the side and saw Yun Che as well. A small frown immediately appeared on his face.

“Oh?” Yun Che acted like he had just discovered Wu Guike before smiling at him. “Is it Young Master Wu from the Divine Martial Realm? It has been a few years since we last saw each other. How have you been?”

“He’s a Divine King already!?” Wu Sanzun muttered to himself as his heart shook at the discovery.

The corner of Wu Guike’s eyebrows twitched, but it quickly smoothed into a smile as he praised from the standpoint of a superior, “Not bad, not bad. You’re a Divine King already? Your title as the champion of the Conferred God Battle is truly well deserved, but… what a shame. What a shame.”

He shook his head while sighing mockingly, “Do you know what realm I’m at now?”

Yun Che replied, “Considering that you’re participating in the Eternal Heaven General Assembly, that means that you’ve become a Divine Master already—am I right, oh great Young Master Wu?”

“Hahahaha!” Wu Guike laughed loudly before replying in an arrogant tone, “At least you still have your wits with you. Do you know how powerful I am right now?”

He raised an arm and gathered a small, golden cyclone on his palm. The cyclone was exceptionally bright and heavy, just like a hot sun. It distorted the space and pushed away the air so much that a massive area of vacuum soon appeared around the young master.

“This is a kind of power that the likes of you can never imagine as you are now,” Wu Guike said. “Champion of the Conferred God Battle? It is an impressive feat, I admit! But unfortunately for you, you are nothing more than trash that I can easily squish to death with just half a finger, do you understand?”

Would a supreme Divine Master pay heed to a Divine King?

Of course not.

However, the trauma Yun Che had left in Wu Guike was simply too great. Although three thousand years had passed for Wu Guike, the mark of shame that was engraved into his very soul still erupted after he encountered Yun Che again.

Yun Che rolled his eyes at him… This idiot was surprisingly talented, but this was about as far as his character could go.

Wu Guike immediately felt very displeased when he found none of the fear, envy, and obedience he was looking for after his display of power. In fact, the word “whatever” was clearly printed on Yun Che’s face. However, they were also in the Eternal Heaven God Realm. Even if he was a Divine Master right now, he would never actually dare to cause trouble.

It was at this moment Wu Guike noticed Mu Xuanyin. Although only her side was available to him, his gaze still became transfixed for three long breaths.

“Hehe, hahahaha!” Wu Guike suddenly laughed loudly. “I finally understand why you turned down two god emperors and stupidly clung to a tiny middle star realm back then. It’s because your master is as beautiful as a goddess!”

I’d heard that Snow Song Realm King Mu Xuanyin is the prettiest woman in the north side of the Eastern Divine Region since a long time ago, and I see now her reputation is well deserved. If I could stay close to such a beautiful master day and night, I wouldn’t want to leave her side either, hahahahaha!”

“...” Yun Che exhaled slightly as a bit of pity climbed into his eyes.

Sigh, isn’t living nice? Why must you have such a terrible mouth… I’m sure you have no idea Luo Guxie’s arm was just ripped out of its socket by my master some time ago.

But to Yun Che’s surprise, Mu Xuanyin didn’t react to Wu Guike’s taunt at all. She didn’t even grant him a sideways glance.

“Guike, we are in the Eternal Heaven God Realm. Do not cause trouble.” Wu Sanzun’s gaze swept across Yun Che and Mu Xuanyin before stopping on Mu Xuanyin for quite a long time. Finally, he turned around and said, “Let’s go.”

Wu Guike laughed faintly before he finally removed his disdainful gaze away from Yun Che. Then, thinking that even shooting Yun Che another glance was beneath him, he walked with Wu Sanzun and moved straight toward the Eternal Heaven Gate.

“The Eternal Heaven Divine Realm is amazing alright. To think that even an idiot like this can become a Divine Master.” Yun Che sighed as he stared at Wu Guike’s impossibly arrogant back… He had to admit that he was slightly envious of him.

“The Eternal Heaven Divine Realm’s aura far surpasses the God Realm, so it’s only natural that one’s cultivation speed, as well as small and big breakthroughs are nothing like the God Realm,” said Mu Xuanyin coolly. “Even among those who didn’t become Divine Masters, more than half have become Divine Sovereigns.”

She shot Yun Che a glance before asking suddenly, “Have you ever regretted not being able to enter the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm?”

“No.” But Yun Che shook his head without hesitation, “Not at all! On the contrary, I’m incredibly thankful I managed to miss the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm.”

“...” Mu Xuanyin knew the reason behind Yun Che’s words well.

In this world, a Divine Master was at the pinnacle of the world. Naturally, Wu Guike’s status in the Divine Martial Realm and his worldview would become completely different from before.

This was without mentioning that both Wu Sanzun and Wu Guike, father and son shared the same roots… Any upper star realm that owned two Divine Masters at the same time definitely deserved to be arrogant even among the king realms.

After all, even the current top upper star realm of the God Realm, the Glazed Light Realm, only had three Divine Masters.

The father and son pair, Wu Sanzun and Wu Guike, followed by the master and disciple pair, Mu Xuanyin and Yun Che, quickly arrived at the Eternal Heaven Gate.

The disciple responsible for guarding the gate and receiving the guests took a cool step forwards and bowed slightly toward the two Wus, “Welcome, honored guests from the Divine Martial Realm…”

But before he could finish, he abruptly caught a glimpse of Mu Xuanyin and Yun Che behind the duo and froze in mid-sentence. Then, ignoring the two great Divine Masters from the Divine Martial Realm, he cut right through the space between them and stopped in front Mu Xuanyin and Yun Che immediately. Bowing and saluting respectfully, he asked,

“Are you Realm King Xuanyin and Young Master Yun Che from Snow Song Realm, honored guests?”

Wu Sanzun and Wu Guike turned around to look at them in confusion.

Mu Xuanyin nodded slightly and replied, “We are.”

The Eternal Heaven disciple’s back immediately bent lower. “This one is the disciple responsible for receiving the guests, Kong Lingzi. I’ve been waiting for you two. Please head to the main hall immediately to receive my lord’s welcome.”

“This way.” He then opened the way to allow Mu Xuanyin and Yun Che to walk in, his back still bent at ninety degrees.

Mu Xuanyin nodded slightly before leading the way. The duo passed by the shellshocked Wu Sanzun and Wu Guike and entered the Eternal Heaven Gate.

Kong Lingzi quickly followed behind them, clearly intending to lead the two honored guests into the main hall in person. It was only after he passed through the Eternal Heaven Gate did he recall the Wu father and son pair. He turned around and said, “Please come in as well, honored guests from the Divine Martial Realm.”

After that, he caught up to Mu Xuanyin and Yun Che and ignored Wu Sanzun and Wu Guike completely.

Despite the invitation, Wu Sanzun and Wu Guike remained dumbfounded in place for a very long time. It was almost as if they had seen a ghost in broad daylight.

After entering the Eternal Heaven God Realm, Mu Xuanyin and Yun Che were led by the guest receiving disciple Kong Lingzi to the main hall. It was there they met the Eternal Heaven God Emperor.

“Snow Song Realm King, Yun Che, you’ve come.” The Eternal Heaven God Emperor got up from his seat and greeted them with a smile when he saw them.

A salute later, Yun Che asked, “Have you summoned this junior purposely to purify the devilish aura in you, senior?”

“Hehe, that was my original plan.” The Eternal Heaven God Emperor smiled before continuing, “However, the general assembly will be beginning in just a mere three days. I doubt I will have the time to enjoy your treatment, and the devilish energy hasn’t shown any signs of resurfacing thus far. This can wait until after the Eternal Heaven General Assembly.”

He let out a small sigh after saying that.

As of late, the Eternal Heaven God Emperor had been burdened by a terrible amount of pessimism and despair. The weight sitting in his heart was something that no one could possibly understand.

“However,” the Eternal Heaven God Emperor continued, “the Divine Masters of the Brahma Monarch God Realm already arrived yesterday. I have told Qianye Fantian about your profound light energy and your ability to purify the devilish energy. He will ask for your help and owe you a big favor once he has caught wind of your arrival. This will be very beneficial to your future, if you understand what I mean.”

Yun Che nodded strongly and replied, “This junior understands. Thank you very much for your kindness, Senior.”

“Mn.” The Eternal Heaven God Emperor nodded before shouting, “Su Liu!”

A woman answered his summons and bowed respectfully, “Royal father.”

The way she addressed the Eternal Heaven God Emperor caused Yun Che to shoot her a sideways glance… As it turned out, she was one of the Eternal Heaven God Emperor’s children.

“Please help settle our honored guests, the Snow Song Realm King and Yun Che,” instructed the Eternal Heaven God Emperor. Then, he turned back towards the duo and said, “Please, act as you wish while you’re in the Eternal Heaven God Realm. Simply instruct the servants if you have any need for something.”

“Yes, father.” The daughter of Eternal Heaven named Sul Liu looked surprised, but she acknowledged his command without any question.

Yun Che sighed on the inside as they left the main hall. He knew very well that his ability to purify the devilish energy was only one of the reasons the Eternal Heaven God Emperor was giving them such preferential treatment. The real reason behind his change of attitude was Mu Xuanyin’s shocking display of power some time ago.

It was a representation of the most basic reality and law in life.

Not long after they had exited the main hall, two familiar figures could be seen walking in their direction.

The old man at the front had a clean face, a snow white beard, and a gentle countenance. Dressed in a blue outfit, his eyes looked as amiable as an old well that had been around for tens of millennia. With his hands behind his back and his beard and clothes dancing slightly in the wind, he looked like an ancient immortal who visited the secular world on occasion.

The woman beside him had beautiful eyebrows and a pair of starlike eyes. Clad in white and carrying an ancient sword by her side, she looked like someone who had walked right out of an immortal painting. When the woman saw Yun Che, she came to a sudden stop and frowned slightly. “Yun Che!”

A sword intent then abruptly swelled like a soundless tidal wave and completely filled the giant space around them.