Against the Gods

The Primordial Profound Ark.

A mild wind blew underneath the green foliage.

He Ling wore cloud robes the color of a lush forest as she quietly leaned against Yun Che’s chest. Her legs, which were as white as jade china, stuck out of her dress and her exquisite calves rested against the grass.

She loved this moment of peaceful stillness that she could not quite capture with words. A sense of peace and warmth that she had never experienced before washed over her and she quietly wished that time would freeze. that this moment would last forever.

Yun Che stared into the distance as he brooded over something. At some point in time, he had rested a hand on He Ling’s jade thigh, his fingers caressing that satiny and supple flesh.

If this had been Qianye Ying’er, she would have slapped him into next week by now. But He Ling did not put up any resistance whatsoever. She merely nibbled on her lips as she let him wantonly explore her body.

Sometimes, she would furtively turn to look at Yun Che. But now, that pair of beautiful watery eyes had undergone a subtle change. She no longer looked at him meekly as her “master”. Instead, she now looked at him affectionately, like a lover would.

Contrary to Yun Che’s expectations, his comprehension of the Law of Nothingness had not seemed to improve even after he had cultivated with He Ling for six days.

On the contrary, it was He Ling’s aura that silently began to undergo a strange and mysterious change. Her emerald eyes had undergone the most marked change, the divine light that shone within them was now much more ethereal and profound than it had been before.

He only had two of the three parts of the World-Defying Heaven Manual.

Did he perhaps require the last part of the World-Defying Heaven Manual to complete the puzzle? Maybe his progress would be blocked until he finally obtained the last part.

However, the last part of the World-Defying Heaven Manual had been in the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor’s possession and now that she had left the Primal Chaos, it had vanished from their universe forever.

This also meant that… this might be the limits of his mastery of the Law of Nothingness.

In the following months, it might come to him as naturally as breathing, but he would never be able to take the next step.

The reason he had placed such a priority on cultivating with He Ling was because his trust in Chi Wuyao had been twisted into apprehension and killing intent that was several times stronger than that trust had been. All because of what had happened in the Burning Moon Realm.

It also made him painfully aware of one fact all over again; the fact that the only person he could truly trust and rely on in this world would always be himself.

He had forcefully connected his energy to the origin energy of four Star Gods using the Law of Nothingness. He had used that to support the opening of the “God Ash” gate and endure the backlash of using the gate, so even though he had been successful in killing Fen Daojun, he had destroyed those four Star God divine origin powers in the process. They were lost to the world forever.

But if he advanced even a single step further in his comprehension of the Law of Nothingness, he might even be able to forcefully absorb divine origin powers… Like the Burning Moon origin powers of Fen Daojun and Fen Daozang for example.

If he could make this a reality, his cultivation would grow by leaps and bounds.

It was now clear to him that the obstacle created by not having one of the pieces of the World-Defying Heaven Manual was a wall he could not overcome due to the missing part of the Law of Nothingness.

However, even though he had not been able to accomplish what he set out to do initially, his plan to seize the Three Yama Ancestors and the Yama Realm had gone off without a hitch. He no longer had any reason to fear Chi Wuyao now.

Furthermore, his state of mind had become a lot better after he had spent the last few days entangled with He Ling.

“Master, what are you thinking about?” He Ling’s voice was very soft and gentle. Her life was connected to Yun Che’s, so she could very clearly sense his change in emotions.

“It’s about time for me to go meet that woman,” Yun Che said unhurriedly.

He Ling raised her head and asked gently, “Is Master truly going… to kill the Devil Queen?”

When she said those words, her delicate head was still resting on his shoulders. She could not bear to lift it up. She had clearly been by his side day and night for the last few years, but for some odd reason, she had become far more reluctant to be separated from him after the last few days. Even the slightest distance between them caused her heart to feel empty.

“She needs to die.” Yun Che’s voice suddenly turned cold before it immediately turned gentle once more. “It’s just a pity that I found out about this too late. If I had found out a little earlier, I would have given her the gift I bestowed upon Fen Daojun. By using that power to kill her.”

He Ling thought about it for a moment before speaking, “What Master needs the most right now is power. The Soul Stealing Realm is so strong but all of the Witches and Soul Spirits are completely loyal to the Devil Queen. If you choose to kill the Devil Queen now, you will be making a mortal enemy of the Soul Stealing Realm even if you do succeed. This is something that will be very bad for your cause, whether it’s in the present or the future.”

“If you continue to be allies, they will be a very strong support for you.” After she said those words, He Ling’s voice grew softer as she weakly said, “Furthermore… when the Devil Queen is around, she makes me feel as if everything will be alright.”

“No.” Yun Che shook his head. “If it was someone else, I would continue to feign ignorance and play along until I’ve flattened the three divine regions with our combined might. Then I would call all of my debts into account.”

“But Chi Wuyao is too clever and frightening.” Yun Che’s chest heaved as he said those words. “I’ve only been allied with her for such a short period of time, yet I’ve already been used and backstabbed. If I continue to ‘cooperate’ with her, I’m afraid that I’ll be jumping into the abyss of my own accord.”

The only person who could cause Yun Che to feel such apprehension in the vast Northern Divine Region was Chi Wuyao and Chi Wuyao alone.

He Ling very clearly felt the killing intent radiating from Yun Che’s body. Her tender lips quivered as she hesitated for a good long while before finally speaking, “Could… Could everything just be a coincidence? Could it be that the Devil Queen had no intention of harming Master in the first place?”

“Everything could be a coincidence except for one thing and that is the appearance of the Soul Sky Warship,” Yun Che replied.

“But…” He Ling said hesitantly, “I just can’t shake this feeling that she wouldn’t harm Master. On the contrary… On the contrary…”

He Ling did not continue. She knew that this was merely a baseless and inexplicable feeling of hers.

“That is her most terrifying trait. She causes people to unconsciously put their trust in her.” Yun Che’s eyes narrowed. “Or perhaps I should say, as expected of a Devil Emperor’s soul.”

Yun Che stood up and stared into the distance. He could sense the change in Qianye Ying’er’s aura and his eyes started to grow cold. “Let me see if she’s truly dared to come, or if it’s just another feint.”

————

Yun Che immediately sensed Chi Wuyao’s aura the moment he returned to the Yama Imperial District.

She had arrived and she was waiting for him in the imperial hall.

He could sense no other aura from the Soul Stealing Realm besides hers… Not a single one of her Witches, Soul Spirits, or Soul Attendants was attending to her. She had come alone!

Yun Che froze in midair, his brows knitting together tightly. Once again, Chi Wuyao had done something that was completely out of his expectations.

He had ordered Yan Tianxiao to seal off the Yama Realm but that had only been a feint to distract Chi Wuyao. He was not so naive as to think that Chi Wuyao would not find out how he had pressed the vast Yama Realm into submission.

Besides, her understanding of the Eternal Calamity of Darkness far exceeded Yan Tianxiao’s.

The fact that he had forced the Yama Realm into submission by summoning the power of the Bone Sea of Eternal Darkness… should not be something unknown to Chi Wuyao. In fact, there was no reason she should not be aware of this. If she dared to enter the Yama Imperial District, Yun Che could easily force her into a dead end with the power of the Bone Sea of Eternal Darkness.

Then, why did she still dare to come to this place?

He could not bring himself to believe that someone as wise and cunning as Chi Wuyao would fail to sense his desire to kill her.

After pondering that question for a long time, Yun Che descended from the skies and landed in front of the imperial hall.

“I welcome my lord and my two venerable ancestors.” Yan Tianxiao swiftly arrived to greet them. Five Yama Devils, one of whom was Yan Wu, trailed behind him. It was clear that they were on full alert now that the Devil Queen had come to pay them a visit.

“Hm?” Yun Che’s eyes swept over them. “You actually left our guest alone?”

Yan Tianxiao replied, “The Devil Queen said that she only wants to see my lord. Since it might have something to do with my lord’s personal business, I did not dare to make any decisions on your behalf.”

“Did you confirm that she came by herself?” Yun Che asked.

“Yes,” Yan Wu replied. “I went to investigate this matter personally and I found that the Devil Queen did indeed come by herself. I did not detect the aura of any of her Witches in a five thousand kilometer radius.”

“Hmph, how interesting,” Yun Che said as he started moving again. He walked past the Yama Emperor and the Yama Devils as he stepped into the imperial hall.

Yun Che immediately recognized Chi Wuyao’s figure in that dim light. She was still shrouded by that thin and wispy black mist. She still radiated that invisible and bewitching devilish might that made people feel like they wanted to kneel before her in submission.

“To think that the Devil Queen would honor us with a visit. Please forgive my tardiness in coming out to greet you.”

Yun Che said those words in a bright voice as he strode towards her. Yan One and Yan Three, who trailed behind him, released their auras, instantly dispelling the invisible energy field that radiated from Chi Wuyao’s body.

Chi Wuyao turned around and those bewitching eyes concealed by black mist met Yun Che’s own… She had not seen him for many days and the gloomy coldness in his eyes still remained. However, there was a penetrating sharpness in his gaze, like a naked blade thirsting for blood.

Because he no longer needed to pretend.

The casual greeting that he just gave had blatantly announced his status as the true ruler of the Yama Realm.

Her lips parted gently as a devilish voice that could melt one’s bones rang in the air. “Why call me the Devil Queen when you can call me by my name?”

Her tone slowly changed, as she started to sound sad and wronged. “It has only been twenty-odd days since we last met, but you’ve suddenly become such a stranger.”

“Heh!” Yun Che gave a cold laugh before his eyebrows sank deeply. “Chi Wuyao, cut it out with that seduction nonsense. Now that it has come to this, are you really so naive as to think that I’ll pretend to be unaware of what you’ve done?”

The name “Chi Wuyao”, those two same words, were now being pronounced in a more cold and bleak manner than Yun Che had ever said them before.

“...” Chi Wuyao gave a regretful sigh as she said, “The matter with Qianying was indeed my fault. I will definitely make up for it.”

If she had not suggested that Qianye Ying’er duel with Fen Daojun, things would not have unfolded the way they had and this had become a deep and heavy knot in her heart.

Yun Che’s eyes narrowed sharply and killing intent began to leak from that cold smile of his. “Previously you claimed total ignorance. But now, you happily admit your fault. You are indeed the famed and renowned Devil Queen of the North, you really do know how to judge the situation.”

“My mistake was… that I should not have gotten Qianying to duel with Fen Daojun,” Chi Wuyao said in a gentle voice. “I really did not know that she was pregnant at the time.”

Yun Che’s cold and sinister smile curved into a mocking grin, “So you’re saying you summoned the Soul Sky Warship in such a timely manner because you were concerned about my safety? He… hehe. Chi Wuyao, take a guess. Do you really think I should believe such a ridiculous joke?”

“...” Chi Wuyao remained silent.

“I have no choice but to admit that both your cunning and viciousness are frightening. In fact, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that you are unrivaled in those aspects. After all, you went from being a mortal woman to the Devil Queen, whose name makes even the god emperors tremble. You are also the only one under heaven to have accomplished this.”

“But it’s a pity that you were still too anxious.” Yun Che’s voice turned low and deep. “Or perhaps that little bit of sacrifice was worth it if it could net you the vast Burning Moon Realm. Perhaps you thought that I’d happily accept the truth after I found out once I considered the complete capitulation of the Burning Moon Realm.”

“However, understanding a person is a very hard thing to do. Just like how I wasn’t able to see through your actions. Though I am an evil spirit who will stop at nothing to achieve my vengeance, there are still… some lines that I will never cross! Some things which will forever be taboo to me!”

Chi Wuyao still did not speak. Instead, she stared unblinkingly at Yun Che from beneath the black mist that wreathed her body.

“I was wondering about something even before I stepped in here.” Yun Che's eyes were also fixed on Chi Wuyao as he monitored her to catch any subtle actions. He did not detect anything. “And that is how exactly you plan to leave this place alive today.”

Chi Wuyao: “...”

“If it was just that joke you made previously, then that’s just too disappointing. It’s simply far too lacking when compared to the frightening and mighty title ‘Devil Queen’.”

Yun Che’s grin grew more and more sinister as his eyes turned gloomy and dark. He slowly raised a hand, his palm pointed straight at Chi Wuyao. “You, the Devil Queen, can’t be unaware of the reason why the Yama Realm had no choice but to capitulate to me. If I summoned the power of the Bone Sea of Eternal Darkness, you can forget about leaving this place alive, even if there were nine more of you.”

“But since you dared to come, and come alone at that, you must have something to rely on. That does spark my curiosity.”

Yun Che’s eyes had already narrowed to two long slits. The auras of the two Yama Ancestors behind him had also locked onto Chi Wuyao. “Come, let me see just how you’re going to get out of this situation today. I sincerely hope that you don’t disappoint me.”

Chi Wuyao’s beautiful eyes opened beneath the black mist. She gently turned around as she spoke in a calm voice, “Fate is something that is incredibly mysterious. It can never be predicted and it is forever unknowable… At times, an impulsive decision can create many huge waves, many wonderful results.”

“What?” Yun Che chuckled coldly before speaking in a mocking voice, “Could this be your opening play when you attempt to seduce someone and steal their soul?”

“Yun Che…” She said in a soft and breathy voice, as if she was murmuring. “Do you still remember… the person… who gave you the Amorous Frost Dew… in the Snow Song Realm’s Thirty-sixth Ice Phoenix Palace… ten years ago…”

“That… Senior... Sister?”