Against the Gods

Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er did not immediately depart from the Imperial Heaven Realm after they flew away from the Imperial Heaven Tower. Instead, they lingered at its borders.

“The entire Yama Realm will definitely be enraged by your forceful killing of Yan Sangeng. I’m afraid that their hunt has already begun.”

Qianye Ying’er said those words in a languid and relaxed voice. Even though she had already finished refining her half of the Untamed World Pellet, her cultivation was still far from what it was in her heyday. However, she did not ever dare to even hope that she would have recovered her power to such an extent when she had been in the depths of despair.

“I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Yun Che said.

“The Yama Realm has been stirred up like a hornet’s nest, and the Burning Moon Realm has definitely heard about what just happened as well. After adding an absolutely terrified Witch on top of this pile of things, it practically guarantees that the Devil Queen will make a move.” Qianye Ying’er looked at Yun Che. “This is indeed the best method to move forward, but it also comes with the most risk.”

“There’s no risk,” Yun Che said. “After all, she’s the person who can locate us the ‘fastest’.”

“Aiya.” Qianye Ying’er let out a soft sigh. “If you had possessed this sort of decisiveness and viciousness in the past, you would never have ended up in such a state.”

Yun Che glared at her coldly as his voice deepened. “Don’t keep trying to provoke the fires of my wrath.”

“Hah, I actually hope to see you enraged from time to time.” A light smile appeared on Qianye Ying’er’s face in spite of Yun Che’s cold glare. “If there comes a day when you don’t even have anger left, then that will be…”

She let her words trail off as she chose not to finish what she was saying. At the same time, she very naturally avoided Yun Che’s gaze as she stared into the distance.

“I am very curious.” Qianye Ying’er continued, “How exactly do you want to use Tian Guhu?”

“If someone has a use, why not use him?” Yun Che said.

“...Very good,” Qianye Ying’er replied. She did not pursue the matter any further.

It seemed like Yun Che had thought about a lot of things in the half a year she had spent refining the Untamed World Pellet.

The Imperial Heaven Realm and most of the Northern Divine Region were currently in an uproar, one that was only growing more and more intense.

The Heavenly Sovereign Assembly, an event that drew the rapt attention of all the profound practitioners in the Northern Divine Region, had been interrupted in an incredibly dramatic fashion. In fact, that incident had been like a bolt out of the blue. Tian Guhu had suffered a miserable defeat at the hands of someone who was in the same realm of power as him. The Yama Ghost King had been killed, and the Fourth Witch had fled in defeat.

Even though the Northern Divine Region was in constant turmoil, it had been far too long since such a momentous and shocking event had occurred.

Many people from the three king realms rushed towards the Imperial Heaven Realm as fast as they could. Even as the star realm ranked first after the king realms, this was the first time the king realms had shown so much “concern” for the Imperial Heaven Realm. Even the lowest-ranked profound practitioner in the Imperial Heaven Realm could sense that something was afoot.

However, the ones who had instigated this entire mess were the calmest people in the metaphorical room. The two of them flew at a leisurely pace, the scenery below them constantly changing. Before they knew it, a rather large bamboo forest had appeared beneath them.

The aura of the spirit bamboo caused Yun Che to unwittingly glance downward and the sight of the bamboo forest caused his eyes to become transfixed for a long while.

Ling’er...

In the past, he would think of Su Ling’er every time he saw a bamboo forest. Because of this, it had been the most painful scar in his heart.

It was only when he had reunited with the person that he had lost that this scar had finally faded.

But to lose something that one had regained was so painful that it pierced one’s heart.

Qianye Ying’er’s phoenix eyes slanted slightly as she said, “To think that such green bamboo could be found growing in the Northern Divine Region. This is very rare indeed.”

She casually snagged a corner of Yun Che’s sleeve with her slender fingers. “Let’s go down and take a look.”

Both of them descended into the heart of the bamboo forest.

The darkness aura was far weaker at the borders of the Imperial Heaven Realm. Even though the spirit bamboo in this place had a duskier coloration, the aura it exuded still retained some of its freshness and purity, a rarity in these parts.

This was the first time Yun Che had seen a bamboo forest in the Northern Divine Region.

Perhaps it was because the aura in this area was “far too pure” compared to the rest of its surroundings, but they could not sense the existence of any darkness profound beasts here. In fact, it seemed like a pure land that had been momentarily forgotten by this world of darkness.

“When my mother died all those years ago, I buried her inside a bamboo forest,” Qianye Ying’er said in a gentle voice. “Even though she was an imperial concubine, she had never enjoyed the palace intrigue. Perhaps, even her status had been forced upon her.”

As the mother of the Brahma Monarch Goddess, one could well imagine that she herself had been a country-toppling beauty when she was still alive.

“By letting her rest in a bamboo grove, I hoped that she would be forever bathed in the pure and clean breeze that ran through the forest, that she would never have to be dirtied by this filthy world again.” Qianye Ying’er eyes grew unfocused for a short moment and her voice also grew more withdrawn. “Every time I returned to the realm, I would go visit her and pay my respects to her. But it has been a while since the last time.”

Yun Che silently surveyed the scenery in front of him.

During his life in the Azure Cloud Continent, it was only when Su Ling’er had died in his arms that he realized that his heart had been swallowed up by vengeance and hatred. However, no matter how much he regretted his actions or hated himself, there was no way for him to turn back time.

This was also the reason that he swore that he would protect his loved ones with all of his strength when he woke up in the Profound Sky Continent. So that he would never repeat his mistakes.

“Vengeance is like a demon, it will blind your eyes, devour your mind and soul, burn away all of the hope and light in your life.”

He had admonished Fen Juechen with such words all those years ago.

However, he had now fallen into the abyss of hatred and vengeance once more. And this time, he had allowed his vengeance and hatred to completely overtake him and swallow him up. In order to achieve it, he would not hesitate to do anything, he would not hesitate to sacrifice everything.

It was a dismal and cruel way to come full circle. A cycle of tragedy in his lives that seemed destined to repeat itself.

He started walking forward slowly. After a few steps, the mistiness in his eyes had dispersed and they grew cold and indifferent once more.

This bamboo forest was very big and as the two people slowly wandered within it, a small and delicate figure appeared before their eyes.

It was a girl that looked to be only thirteen or fourteen years of age and she was leaning against one of the dark green spirit bamboo trees. Her body was sickly thin and covered in filth. Her hair was wild and tangled and they could see faint wounds on her face.

She was hugging her thighs with her arms as her slouched body leaned against a bamboo tree. Her body radiated a frailty that would cause one’s heart to ache. Her half-opened eyes stared dazedly into the distance. Those eyes which should have been full of life and energy were instead dull and dim.

It was only when Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er were ten steps away from her that she noticed their presence. She reacted like a startled bird and she tried to run away in panic. But it seemed like her body was far too weak. Before she could even stand up, her legs violently wobbled and she fell heavily to the ground.

The girl’s entire body was trembling as she curled up into a fetal position. It was only when she saw Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er clearly that the terror in her eyes finally dissipated. However, the exhaustion that one felt after a great fright had caused her entire body to go limp and she was unable to stand up for a long period of time.

This was a scene that had played out in front of them far too many times.

No matter how talented a child was, if their period of training had been too short or if they did not have an elder or a power to protect them, it was all too common for them to die young due to the Northern Divine Region’s environment.

This girl in front of them was all alone, so it was clear that she had lost all of her protection. Furthermore, she was living in the Imperial Heaven Realm, a land which contained countless experts, so if she could not find a suitably powerful backer, it would be far too hard for her to survive in the future.

“These two… Seniors.” As she looked at Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er, her eyes grew watery and she scrounged up the courage to beg. “Could… Could you please spare me a Profound Recovering Pellet… even food would be good. I beg you, please. In the future, I will definitely repay your kindness.”

Yun Che’s face remained expressionless but he started walking toward the girl. He came to a stop in front of her and stretched out his hand. A snow-white pellet that radiated an icy-cold aura lay in the center of his palm.

“?” Qianye Ying’er was puzzled by his actions, but she did not express it outwardly.

This was a Snow-colored Pellet that came from Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace. Given this girl’s age, her cultivation was clearly far from reaching the divine way so this Snow-colored Pellet would be of great help to her.

“It will allow you to quickly recover your profound strength and it will also aid your cultivation greatly. Eat it.”

After Yun Che placed the pellet in the girl’s hand, he simply turned around.

“Ah…” The girl was stunned by his actions at first, but after that she swallowed the Snow-colored Pellet like a starving cat. She had even cared whether it was a poison or a strong medicine that her body would not be able to refine.

When she raised her head once more, hot tears were now flowing down her face. “I thank the two Seniors for their kindness, the both of you are… the both of you are truly good people. I will definitely repay you in the future.”

“I’ll remember the words you just said,” Yun Che said with a dry chuckle.

“Heeheeheehee…”

A woman’s tender and coquettish laugh suddenly rang out in the quiet bamboo forest. They could hear wantonness in this languid laughter and it sounded like it came from both a distant place and right next to them.

The instant that laughter rang in his ears, Yun Che’s entire body suddenly went limp. Even after the laughter had died down, that feeling of numbness, a sensation that was hard to put into words, still had not vanished. Instead, it spread throughout his entire body and he felt like even his bones had gone soft and limp.

“What a kind-hearted child. It’s so moving that tears are about to fall from this slave’s eyes.”

Yun Che had heard a countless number of celestial voices in his lifetime. Feng Xue’er’s light and airy voice, the Little Demon Empress’ cold and imperious voice, Shen Xi’s ethereal voice, Mu Xuanyin’s cold and indifferent voice… Even in the Northern Divine Region, he had heard Nanhuang Chanyi’s exceptionally soft and gentle voice.

But his heart had fallen into an abyss and the sea of his soul only contained hatred. Furthermore, he had Qianye Ying’er beside him, so he had long ago reached the point where he could no longer be moved by beautiful sights or sounds.

However, this voice that had rung in his ears had just given a small laugh, had just said a few words, but it caused every nerve in Yun Che’s body to relax, and caused every strand of hair on his body to gently tremble.

Moreover, this voice… did not contain any profound energy or soul power!

Yun Che’s brows sank slightly. Beside him, Qianye Ying’er’s expression had also undergone a clear change.

Back then, she had heard Qianye Fantian tell her that a very terrifying voice existed in the Northern Divine Region. It could easily penetrate one’s bones and steal one’s soul. At that time, she, who still greatly revered her father, did not doubt Qianye Fantian’s words. And after she had returned to the Northern Divine Region, she had recalled these words many times.

However, the voice that rang in her ears still greatly shocked her, even though she had already been prepared for it.

Seductiveness… It contained an incredibly soft and delicate seductiveness, a seductiveness that was also incomparably terrifying. Even the words “devour your soul and penetrate your bones” could not describe it.

Qianye Ying’er had studied a countless number of those bewitching arts and sounds which were supposed to ensnare a person’s heart and soul. She had seen these techniques performed countless times. But she had always ended up scoffing at these techniques in disdain.

However the voice that rang in her ears far transcended the level of any old “bewitching sound” and there were no traces of a bewitching art being used. A few simple words had completely ignored the defenses erected around Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er’s souls, pulling on every single fiber of their souls.

This was a devilish voice that far exceeded my understanding, a voice that could bewitch the world, a voice that should not even exist in this universe.

Yun Che’s chest swelled up and it only sank back down after a few breaths had passed. He looked at the dazed girl before saying, “You should leave. The further, the better.”

His words snapped the girl out of her daze. She hurriedly got up and fled into the distance. She did not even dare breathe another word.

Right after the girl left, a black figure started to slowly coalesce into existence in front of them.

This black figure had appeared without any warning, yet it did not seem as if she had made a sudden appearance. Instead, it seemed as if she had been there all along.

Her entire body was encased in a layer of flowing black mist that seemed to be alive. She moved in a slow and relaxed manner and it was as if she was strolling out of some unknown abyss of darkness. Her every step caused the light around them to dim, and caused the spirit bamboo to dissolve into swirling black dust.

The black smoke hid her figure and her features, but anyone could tell that the person who had appeared was a woman. Because even though she was cloaked in black mist, it was obvious that she was wearing a loose black robe and every step she took naturally showed off the curves of that voluptuous body. Every entrancing curve and contour that was revealed numbed their hearts and soul.

Yun Che’s gaze had turned rigid and even Qianye Ying’er’s eyes had frozen in place. They remained transfixed for a long period of time.

Just a single blurry glimpse of what she looked like had put them in such a state. If this black mist were dispersed, what sort of devilish figure would appear in front of them?

No matter whether it was Yun Che or Qianye Ying’er, they had never met a person whose voice and figure could give them such an incredibly clear feeling of “dread”.

“I suspected that we would meet very soon,” Qianye Ying’er said as she quietly laced her fingers together. The woman who was shrouded in black mist had not released any profound energy or displayed any sort of might, yet she had caused Qianye Ying’er to feel an unprecedented wariness. “But I had never expected it to be so fast. It looks like your patience is far thinner than I thought.”

Qianye Ying’er slowly stepped forward, her jade lips parting slightly as she slowly pronounced this woman’s name. “The Northern Region’s Devil Queen, Chi Wuyao!”