Against the Gods

The Imperial Heaven Tower was located at the peak of the tallest mountain in the Imperial Heaven Realm. It was said to be the place that was closest to the heavens.

It was a place where countless profound practitioners of the Northern Divine Region would make a pilgrimage to.

Today, the Imperial Heaven Tower would once again welcome the most festive and grand day that came once every hundred years.

Countless Northern Divine Region profound practitioners arrived from all directions, coming from different star realms entirely. A black cloud of hundreds of thousands of people could be seen slowly filling up the place.

Even though the number of people was comparatively small, most of the elites from the upper and middle star realms had come. Anyone in the crowd would either be the master of a realm, the sovereign of an area, or someone with a remarkable background.

Because they were all gathered at the Imperial Heaven Tower today for the Northern Divine Region’s Heavenly Sovereign Assembly!

The title of Heavenly Sovereign was a special title for the Divine Sovereigns in the Northern Divine Region. This title belonged only to Divine Sovereigns who were not from the king realms and had not reached their six hundredth birthday. They were the youngest and most brilliant profound practitioners of the Northern Divine Region, the ones who possessed limitless futures and possibilities.

The Profound God Convention was a stage that belonged to the young profound practitioners of a divine region and it had given birth to countless rising stars.

However, with so many bright and talented practitioners around, there were bound to be many who would gradually turn dim or even become completely devoid of light.

However, the Heavenly Sovereigns were truly the blazing suns of the Northern Divine Region.

The fact that they had become Divine Sovereigns before reaching the age of six hundred meant that their innate talents and futures could no longer be doubted. The future Divine Masters of the Northern Divine Region would mostly come from this group of people.

In every era of the Northern Divine Region, there would be about one hundred Heavenly Sovereigns ranked in the Northern Region Heavenly Sovereign Ranking. The names that appeared on this list would eventually go on to become the next rulers of the Northern Divine Region in the following era.

As a result, the Northern Region Heavenly Sovereign Ranking had always been the most valued and esteemed of all the profound rankings in the Northern Divine Region.

Moreover, the gathering of Heavenly Sovereigns that was being organized at the Imperial Heaven Tower was an event that belonged solely to these Heavenly Sovereigns of the Northern Region.

This generation of Northern Region Heavenly Sovereigns would soon display their talents in this place. When they made a name for themselves, it was also possible that their fates and futures would change there and then.

The Imperial Heaven Realm King Tian Muyi had taken his seat long ago. As the ruler of the star realm ranked first after the king realms in the Northern Divine Region, his exalted status and overwhelming aura far outstripped all the other upper realm kings.

For him to be able to occupy such a position meant that his cultivation as a level eight Divine Master was akin to a dragon who could encompass the universe in the Northern Divine Region and overlook this dark divine region.

Two men, both with different postures and attitudes, occupied the seats on his left and right.

The middle-aged man on his right was dressed all in red, his face was cold and stiff but his eyes were fierce. Anyone who looked at him would have no doubt that he was a person with an extremely violent temper.

The person on his left was an old man dressed in black, a beaming smile on his face. Wrinkles covered his face and his complexion was extremely dull. But what caught everyone’s attention was his eyes… Even though they resembled dull brown orbs, his pupils were needle-like, long and narrow, just like a snake's.

Even though his smile radiated a warm gentleness, when it was coupled with his eyes, it made everyone feel a chilling sensation, as if a needle had been pierced directly into one’s bone marrow.

These two people did not belong to the Imperial Heaven Realm. They were actually the realm kings of two other great star realms.

The great realm king of the Desolate Calamity Realm—Huo Tianxing.

The great realm king of the Divine Python Realm—Great Viper Sage.

The Imperial Heaven Realm, Desolate Calamity Realm and the Divine Python Realm were the three strongest great star realms in the Northern Divine Region below the king realms. The Imperial Heaven Realm stood at the head of these three realms.

This meant that they were the only star realms in the Northern Divine Region whose words the king realms acknowledged as having a considerable amount of weight.

Their positions in the Northern Divine Region were equivalent to the Eastern Divine Region’s Holy Eaves Realm, Glazed Light Realm, and Shrouding Sky Realm.

The presence of all three great realm kings showed just how important this Heavenly Sovereign Assembly was.

Even the realm kings of the other upper star realms were inferior to them, much less the rulers of the middle star realms.

At this point in time, there were a total of a hundred and one people on the Northern Region Heavenly Sovereign Ranking. All of their mighty names resounded throughout this region. Anyone, whether they were a realm king or a mere mortal being, would definitely remember these names.

At this moment, ninety-nine of the Heavenly Sovereigns had already arrived at the venue and they were the center of everyone’s attention. The gazes of the three great realm kings of the Imperial Heaven Realm, Desolate Calamity Realm, and Divine Python Realm constantly swept over these ninety-nine people.

Although the Heavenly Sovereigns who had not reached the age of six hundred years old and the Divine Sovereigns who had cultivated for more than ten thousand years were all Divine Sovereigns, these two groups of people were as different as night and day. Everyone, including the three great realm kings, had to regard each and every one of them with great importance.

“I heard that Beihan Chu, who was new to the Heavenly Sovereign Ranking, was attacked by someone and died in the Five Nether Ruins.” The Great Viper Sage’s long and narrow eyes narrowed even further as he laughed, “From the looks of it, this news is undoubtedly true.”

“A mere Nine Lights Heavenly Palace was extremely lucky to produce a genius who was good enough to be one of the Heavenly Sovereigns yet they did not have the ability to protect him. What a joke,” Huo Tianxing said as he gave a cold snort of extreme disdain.

However, Tian Muyi replied in a deep voice, “This matter is not as simple as it seems. The Nine Lights Heavenly Palace should have been utterly enraged by their loss of a Heavenly Sovereign who could have changed the fate of their entire sect in the future. Their normal reaction would have been to get to the bottom of things, no matter what.”

“However, they chose to hide this matter and not disclose it. Furthermore, it doesn’t look like they have tried to pursue this matter any further. On the contrary, they have kept their lips sealed. They have shown no intention of attending today’s Heavenly Sovereign Assembly. Given all of these signs, it is very likely that Beihan Chu died because of…”

Tian Muyi did not continue his sentence. Instead, he stretched out a hand and pointed his finger toward the sky.

“Was it a king realm?” Huo Tianxing refused to avoid the subject and he spoke that name aloud. After that, he wore a mocking and sarcastic expression on his face. “Since they dared to anger a king realm, even calling them stupid is a compliment.

“He was a blossoming young man whose light burned brightly but went out far too soon. Though it’s a pity, what is gone is gone.” A smile still remained on the Great Viper Sage’s face. It was unknown if that was a habit of his or if it was merely because of the way his features were put together. “Could it be that your son still wants to participate in this Heavenly Sovereign Assembly?”

When he mentioned this, Tian Muyi gave a small, bland smile and said, “Could it be that the Great Sage has some advice to give my son?”

“Haha, I wouldn’t dare to give any advice to your son.” Great Viper Sage continued, “It’s just that with your son present, he will outshine all the other Heavenly Sovereigns.”

“Even though the stars are bright, how can they be brighter than the blazing sun? In this old one’s view, your son should have had a ranking board of his own two hundred years ago, to show that he alone stands above all the other Heavenly Sovereigns.

“Hmph.” Huo Tianxing snorted lightly but had no words to refute that statement.

These words seemed to be flattery, but anyone who heard them would not think that the Great Viper Sage was exaggerating.

After Tian Guhu rose into the ranks in the Heavenly Sovereign Ranking, he ascended above all other Heavenly Sovereigns in the short span of a hundred years. Furthermore, following the passage of time, his peers had not just failed to catch up to him. The gulf between them was instead growing wider with each passing day...

Second place of the current Northern Region Heavenly Sovereign Ranking belonged to the daughter of Huo Tianxing. Huo Lanji was a level five Divine Sovereign, while Tian Guhu, the person ranked first, was a level seven Divine Sovereign… However, rumor had it that if he used all his strength, he would even be able to fight a level ten Divine Sovereign on equal footing!

It was only a difference of one rank, yet their strengths were worlds apart.

They were all Divine Sovereigns, yet he was like the brilliant sky while the rest were but dim and obscure stars.

“Hahahaha.” Tian Muyi laughed heartily and said, “The Great Sage is too gracious. Your grandson is also a Divine Sovereign, but he is still young. Otherwise his achievements would surely not be any less than those of Guhu.”

“Hehehe.” The Great Viper Sage gave a strange chuckle and said, “If only that brat was as hardworking as your son. Then even if my old bones were turned to ash right now, I would still be at peace.”

“Elder Viper’s words are half right.” Huo Tianxing spoke suddenly, “That son of yours should indeed not be compared against the other Heavenly Sovereigns. He is too dazzling and blocks out everyone else’s light. And that is not a good thing.”

“The two of you are right indeed.” Tian Muyi gave a hearty laugh. His face was calm and it was clear that he had already expected such comments and planned for them. “This Tian has already pondered this matter for quite some time. Thus, Guhu will indeed not be fully participating in this upcoming Heavenly Sovereign Assembly.

“However, he is still young enough, so he will remain in the Northern Region Heavenly Sovereign Ranking. To simply remove his name from the rankings would not be appropriate. Thus, Guhu will only observe during the main event of this gathering, the ‘Battle of the Heavenly Sovereigns. If the winner wants to, he can challenge Guhu after that. If he does not wish to, Guhu will not take any action during the main event. This makes it so he won’t block out anyone else's light. What do the two of you think of this arrangement?”

Huo Tianxing and Great Viper Sage pondered his words for a moment. Following that, the Great Viper Sage gave a hearty laugh and said, “You are indeed deserving of your position as the Imperial Heaven Realm King, you have truly thought this through. This way, your son’s position will not be weakened and the other youngsters will also have a proper stage to compete on. This is truly the best solution.”

“This is very good.” Huo Tianxing also nodded his head. After that, he turned his gaze towards the daughter he was most proud of and used a sound transmission to inform her of this matter in order to relieve her of the pressure that was weighing down on her.

“Where are the whereabouts of the three important guests from the king realms?” the Great Viper Sage asked.

Before Tian Muyi could reply, Huo Tianxing gave a heavy snort and said, “The guests from the king realms are all of exalted status. They won’t deign to show themselves until the very last minute. Humph.”

Tian Muyi replied, “I have already sent people ahead to welcome them. I believe that they will arrive very soon.”

“Speaking of which, why has your son not arrived yet?” The Great Viper Sage gave a forced smile and continued, “It looks like the majority of the young people gathered here have come for your son alone.”

Tian Muyi replied, “Guhu has been training outside for some time now and he only set out on his journey back home yesterday. He already used a sound transmission to notify me that he saved two guests from the Heavenly Net Realm who were attacked by profound beasts. As those two guests possessed extraordinary status and were also injured, he decided to escort them here, thus delaying his arrival.”

"But given Guhu's personality, he would not be this late in arriving."

At the mention of his son, who was celebrated and feted throughout the Northern Divine Region, Tian Muyi’s cold and imperious face would always unconsciously become much more gentle.

Immediately after Tian Muyi had spoken, an announcement that had been deliberately dragged out rang out from outside the Imperial Heaven Tower. "Sir Lonely Swan has arrived!"

The Imperial Heaven Tower instantly fell into a hush as all eyes simultaneously turned in the same direction. This was especially so for those young profound practitioners who had followed their seniors here. This was the first time they had entered the Imperial Heaven Tower. All of their eyes glowed with a strange light and they were so excited that all of the blood in their bodies had started to boil.

Everyone's gazes were on Tian Guhu as he arrived through the main gates and floated down before the main seat. He bowed before Tian Muyi and greeted him, "Your son Guhu greets Royal Father and greets all the other seniors present."

Even though he was his father and the number one realm king, Tian Muyi still stood up to greet his son as he gave a hearty laugh and said, “You may rise.”

His gaze shifted as he looked at the people who had journeyed together with Tian Guhu, the siblings of the Luo Clan. They however, were too nervous to speak. Tian Muyi asked, “Could they be?”

“Yes.” Tian Guhu simply replied with a single word, without any further explanation.

At this moment, the agitated voice of the Heavenly Net Realm King rang out, “Ying’er, Yun’er, was it truly… was it truly Sir Lonely Swan who saved you?”

“Yes! Sir Lonely Swan was the one who saved us and personally escorted us here,” Luo Yun nodded her head vigorously. Every moment she had spent traveling together with him over the last few hours had felt like a surreal dream.

Luo Ying said with incomparable seriousness, “We were at the foot of Nine Heavens Mountain and unexpectedly met with five Giant Fanged Beasts. As our lives were hanging by a thread, we were fortunate enough to have Sir Lonely Swan descend from the sky and save us from our peril. Were it not for Sir Lonely Swan, Little Yun and this son would have long been…”

“Royal Father, we were wrong.” Luo Yun hung her head in shame and said in an embarrassed voice, “We should have listened to Royal Father and journeyed together with you. In the future...we will not be so stubborn anymore.”

The Heavenly Net Realm King was not concerned with Luo Yun’s apology, neither did he feel any lingering fear. Rather, he felt a crazy surge of excitement and joy. He swivelled around and bowed deeply towards Tian Guhu and Tian Muyi saying, “This Luo cannot thank Sir Lonely Swan enough for the debt of saving the lives of my worthless son and young daughter. My worthless son and young daughter will forever remember this debt of gratitude and will spend their lives repaying this debt!”

Mistake? What mistake had they made! Without even mentioning the fact that they were not seriously injured, even if they nearly died, it would still be the greatest fortune of their lives for their fates to become entwined with Tian Guhu because of this incident.

Because it was very possible that Tian Guhu would become the number one person in the Northern Region in the future!

Tian Guhu turned around and bowed back, saying, “Senior is too gracious. Guhu was just lending a helping hand and should not receive such heavy words and promises. Brother Ying and Little Sister Yun are the precious guests of the Imperial Heaven Realm yet they met with such a calamity. The Imperial Heaven Realm cannot hide from the blame. Guhu is already extremely grateful that Senior is not putting the blame on us. I definitely cannot accept such heavy gratitude from Senior.”

The Heavenly Net Realm King was about to speak again but Tian Muyi’s voice had already rung out, “Haha, Heavenly Net Realm King, you must not take this matter to heart. Guhu has always treasured life and hated evil since he was young and he cannot stand to see the strong bully the weak. He definitely would not just leave a person to sink or swim. He doesn’t do it so he can be rewarded. Rather, he does it so that he can have a clear conscience. To Guhu, your beloved son and daughter’s safety is already his comfort and reward.”

Heavenly Net Realm King was stumped for words and simply bowed deeply once more.

There was not a single person present at the scene that was not moved.

The Northern Divine Region was a realm where the laws of survival were extremely cruel. For one’s survival, for one’s own interest, every day, every moment, was filled with an endless amount of spilled blood, death, and wickedness.

Kindness was far too luxurious a commodity in the Northern Divine Region.

As the existence who stood at the top of the pyramid, Tian Guhu not only possessed peerless innate talent and resounding fame, his future was also boundless and inestimable. Yet he had always possessed an innocent and untainted heart.

He was too outstanding, too precious for this Northern Divine Region, a region that had been swathed in darkness since ancient times.

At this moment, Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er had finally arrived outside the Imperial Heaven Tower after following Tian Guhu from afar.

Yun Che stopped in his tracks. When he stared at the door of the Heavenly Tower, which pierced through the clouds, his eyebrows sank heavily.

“Now this is going a little overboard,” Qianye Ying’er said languidly as she sensed the auras that were radiating from the Imperial Heaven Tower. “There aren’t even two hundred upper star realms in the entire Northern Divine Region. So from the looks of it, it seems like half of the Divine Masters of the Northern Divine Region have gathered in this place.”

"But it's a good place to seek out death." A faint smile appeared on Qianye Ying'er’s face as she glanced at Yun Che.