Against the Gods

“It looks like we completely underestimated both Yun Che and the Northern Divine Region,” the Azure Dragon God said. His long blue hair was dancing in the air and his eyes were the color of the ocean. His tall figure was shrouded with a grim solemnity and he looked more somber than he ever had. “To think that he could destroy the Southern Sea God Realm in one day. There can be no other word used to describe this event than ‘shocking’.”

“The reappearance of the two past god emperors from the Brahma Monarch Realm was shocking enough, but I simply cannot fathom what methods Yun Che used to convince the Dragons of Absolute Beginning to break their isolation and throw the full force of their might behind the devil race.”

The Pure Dragon God was a frail-looking woman dressed in pure white robes. Her eyes were as calm and serene as tranquil waters, and she didn’t even radiate the slightest bit of power or presence. In fact, her looks were so ordinary and unremarkable that one could pass her by without even noticing her. No one who saw her would ever guess that she was one of the august Nine Dragon Gods.

In comparison, how they arrived unnoticed above the Southern Sea God Realm hardly seemed important.

“Azure, Pure, are you two afraid?” the Cyan Abyss Dragon God asked with an ashen face. His eyes, which were usually so cold and sharp that they looked like azure abysses that could swallow up everything, were now blazing with rage.

“Hmph, our Dragon God Realm has never experienced this word called ‘fear’,” the Sky Dragon God scoffed. “The biggest reason the Southern Sea God Realm fell was because they were hoisted by their own petards. The Titanic Sea God Cannon did most of the work, the devils just cleaned up after that. As for the Dragons of Absolute Beginning… Even though their name is attached to the lofty God Realm of Absolute Beginning, they don’t have the qualifications to be termed a threat to our dragon god race.”

Eight Dragon Gods, thirty-four Dragon Sovereigns, three hundred and eight Master Dragons, and the exalted and invincible Dragon Monarch.

Ever since the era of the gods and devils had come to an end, the dragon god race had reigned supreme over the universe.

“I’m not scared, but I can’t help but worry,” the Azure Dragon God said as he turned to look at both the Cyan Abyss Dragon God and the Sky Dragon God. “I believe that Ash was just the same as the both of you right now before he got himself killed. He completely underestimated Yun Che, and look where that got him.”

All of the Dragon Gods’ eyes turned cold when they heard those words.

They were still having trouble accepting the Ash Dragon God’s death.

The Jade Dragon God spoke up, “Has any one of you figured out what the Ash Dragon God was trying to tell us?”

[Be careful of Yun Che’s dragon soul]... That was the only soul transmission that the Ash Dragon God had sent to them before his death.

A heavy silence descended upon the room once more until the Azure Dragon God finally said, “When the Dragon Monarch went to observe the Profound God Convention in the Eastern Divine Region all those years ago, he had once announced that he wanted to take Yun Che as his foster son. I believe that everyone here has asked the Dragon Monarch about this matter before, but he has never once told us why.”

The Azure Dragon God slowly closed his eyes to conceal his rippling emotions before he continued, “Now that Ash has said such a thing, we can only conclude that the dragon soul that Yun Che possesses is… far more dreadful than any of us previously imagined.”

In truth, he had already thought of one possibility, but he did not dare to say it out loud.

“Before this, we didn’t dare to make any independent moves because the Dragon Monarch has been abroad.” The Azure Dragon God’s eyes snapped open as they glowed with a keen and intimidating light. “However, now that Ash has died, we can’t continue to maintain our silence.”

The atmosphere in the sacred hall changed dramatically after the Azure Dragon God said those words. Energy and power had erupted from all of the Dragon Gods present, and the air around them had grown unbearably heavy.

It was at this moment that Zhou Xuzi, who had remained silent all this while, raised his head to look at them.

“These hands of mine haven’t been stained with blood for the longest time,” the Purple River Dragon God said as she narrowed her alluring eyes and lazily fluttered her own fingers in the air. Her fair fingers were long and slender, and they were each tipped with long nails which glowed with a crystalline purple luster. However, her nails were not this color because of polish. When she transformed back into her true form, her dragon claws were made up of the most beautiful and most dreadful purple crystal known in existence.

“If not for the fact that we have to avenge Ash, I would really rather not touch the filthy blood of those devils,” she whined as she played with her perfect and flawless nails.

“Right now?” The White Rainbow Dragon God was the first to rise to his feet.

At this time, the air in the Dragon God Sacred Hall suddenly rippled and all the expressions of all the Dragon Gods brightened as they looked towards the north.

The sacred hall was filled with the draconic aura of the seven Dragon Gods present, there were only two people in the Dragon God Realm who could influence the aura of this place from a distance. The first was the Dragon Monarch and the second was soon to arrive.

“Big Brother!” All seven Dragon Gods stood up and shouted that greeting in unison, and even the Purple River Dragon God, who had been lounging around indolently up till this point, straightened her back and wore a serious look on her face.

As their greetings echoed out into the sacred hall, the figure of a man clad all in crimson appeared at the entrance. He had arrived in the blink of an eye.

The man was dressed in crimson armor, his arms were covered in crimson scales, his eyebrows were like two flaming swords, and molten lava seemed to toss and turn in those burning eyes. He was not very tall and his height was merely considered average amongst the Dragon Gods. However, anyone who met him in person would feel like he was a gigantic insurmountable mountain that reached the heavens.

The leader of the Dragon God Realm’s Nine Dragon Gods… The Crimson Destruction Dragon God!

Even though the Nine Dragon Gods were ranked by power, they had always called each other by name. The only exception to this rule was the Crimson Destruction Dragon God, no one dared to address him by any other title than ‘Big Brother’.

This was because he stood at the head of the Nine Dragon Gods in everything, and this included power, seniority, and experience…

Long Fei’s name had already resounded throughout the universe twenty thousand years ago and his fame back then had even exceeded the fame he had right now.

At that time, he was the strongest claimant to the throne of the Dragon God Realm. Unfortunately for him, his path to power was severed by the emergence of an upstart who had obtained the help of Shen Xi, Long Bai.

One could very well say that if Long Bai and Shen Xi hadn’t existed, the Dragon Monarch of this age would be Long Fei.

After he lost to Long Bai, Long Fei immediately turned all his energies towards assisting the new Dragon Monarch. He had, surprisingly enough, gone from his fiercest rival to the most loyal of his Dragon Gods. In order to prevent his previous halo of glory from diminishing the Dragon Monarch’s aura or intimidating him, he had spent the last two hundred thousand years actively dimming the light of his own past glories. He very rarely made public appearances and an untold number of years had passed since he had shown his true power.

The God Realm had undergone many changes over the last two hundred thousand years, and the other king realms had changed their god emperors several times as well, but the Crimson Destruction Dragon God still remained. However, even his fame had started to fade from people’s memories and not many still remembered that he was the man who had nearly become the Dragon Monarch.

There was also no one present to witness the look of scorn and contempt that briefly flashed across his face when he heard of Qianye Fantian and Nan Wansheng “fighting” to see who was the strongest god emperor after the Dragon Monarch.

“Big Brother!” The Sky Dragon God was the first to step forward. “Ash is dead.”

“I already know what happened.” The Crimson Destruction Dragon God’s eyes were like bubbling pools of molten lava and his voice was as deep as an abyss. “However, we will put off destroying Yun Che for a little while more.”

All the Dragon Gods were stunned at those words. The Azure Dragon God swiftly came to his senses and asked, “Could it be that you’ve met with the Dragon Monarch?”

“I found him,” the Crimson Destruction Dragon God replied, “but I did not meet with him.”

After the events that had rocked the Eastern Divine Region, the Crimson Destruction Dragon God finally stopped hesitating and immediately left for the God Realm of Absolute Beginning.

The Dragon Monarch’s exalted status within the Dragon God Realm could not be shaken, and any defiance or questioning of his authority would not be brooked. As a result, the Dragon Gods did not dare to take any independent action to involve in the Dragon God Realm in something as big as a war between Divine Regions.

“What did the Dragon Monarch say?” The Sky Dragon God asked.

“The Dragon Monarch sensed my aura when I had delved into the extreme depths of the God Realm of Absolute Beginning, but he did not choose to show himself,” the Crimson Destruction Dragon God solemnly replied. “I gave him a report about Yun Che, the calamity that had descended from the Northern Divine Region, and the fall of the Eastern Divine Regions.”

“The Dragon Monarch sent me a sound transmission in reply. He said that he would naturally return in two months, and that we were not to disturb him again or make any rash moves before then.

We can’t make any rash moves… for the next two months.

Those words instantly extinguished the embers of vengeance that started to blaze in the Dragon Gods’ hearts.

“Does the Dragon Monarch know of Ash’s death and the destruction of the Southern Sea God Realm?” the Pure Dragon God asked.

The Crimson Destruction Dragon God shook his head. “As long as he is within the isolated space that is the God Realm of Absolute Beginning, there should be no way for the Dragon Monarch to sense Ash’s disappearance. In fact, I only found out about Ash’s death and the destruction of the Southern Sea God Realm when I was in the middle of my journey back home.”

“This will not do. The importance of these two matters is a world apart from what you reported to the Dragon Monarch.” The Pure Dragon God’s face remained impassive, but they could hear the solemnity in her usually calm voice. “We need to immediately return to the God Realm of Absolute Beginning and deliver this new report to the Dragon Monarch.”

She was convinced that the Dragon Monarch would immediately spring into action the moment he heard of the Ash Dragon God’s death and the Southern Sea God Realm’s destruction and return home in fulsome rage.

The Crimson Destruction Dragon God furrowed his brow, but he did not reply immediately. Because the Dragon Monarch had said one thing before he told to “not make any rash moves”, and that was “he was not to be disturbed”.

At this moment, the figure of a dragon shimmered into existence outside the sacred hall. The dragon swiftly morphed into a human and entered the formation. After that, he knelt to the ground and announced in an urgent voice, “I greet the lord Dragon Gods! I have urgent news regarding the Southern Divine Region! The situation has changed yet again!”

“Speak!”

“Just a moment ago, the Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm, the Purple Micro Realm, and the Xuanyuan Realm gave an order to their forces to hunt down all the remnants of the Southern Sea God Realm.”

“What!?” The expressions on all of the Dragon Gods’ faces dramatically changed.

BANG!!

“How dare he!” The Crimson Destruction Dragon God roared as his hands curled into fists.

He had merely clenched his fists, but it was akin to two volcanoes erupting. The energy waves that had exploded from his body shook the Dragon Guard who had delivered the news violently, and rivulets of blood started streaming down the corner of his mouth. However, he rigidly maintained his posture. He would not dare to move even an inch from his spot.

“Things have truly started to get serious,” the White Rainbow Dragon God said in a slow and measured voice. “Now that they are being assailed by danger on all sides, the king realms will definitely think of any method to protect themselves. That is certainly understandable. However, to willingly participate in such disgraceful and irreversible behavior can only mean one thing… Yun Che has simply scared them witless.”

“...” No one could deny those words.

“The reports we have received from the Southern Divine Region have been vague and hazy thus far. However, Ash and the god emperors of the Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm, the Xuanyuan Realm, and the Purple Micro Realm had front row seats to this event. The fact that all of them were scared out of their minds by what they saw…” It was at this moment that the White Rainbow Dragon God unconsciously paused and quietly sucked in a breath before continuing, “I’m afraid that the truth is far more serious than any of us can even imagine.”

“Hmph, at the end of the day, they’re just craven fools who are only interested in saving themselves. These human god emperors are nothing better than a bunch of feckless cowards when faced with any real danger.” The Sky Dragon God spat out with an ugly expression on his face.

When the convictions of the god realms of the Eastern Divine Region melted in the face of total annihilation, the Dragon Gods had not expressed much surprise or shock at their total capitulation towards Yun Che. They had merely observed the proceedings with cold-eyed amusement.

However, they had no choice but to be deeply shocked by the actions of the three remaining king realms of the Southern Divine Region.

“Big Brother, we must not hesitate any longer,” the Cyan Abyss Dragon God said.

After a brief moment of introspection, the Crimson Destruction Dragon God slowly nodded his head. He turned around and said, “I will return to the God Realm of Absolute Beginning once more. I can only hope that the Dragon Monarch has not strayed too far from his previous location.”

At this moment, a bizarre black light suddenly flashed in Zhou Xuzi’s ancient eyes.

However, by the time he lifted his head to speak, that black light had completely disappeared. “Everyone, do you mind listening to something that this old man has to say before you enter the God Realm of Absolute Beginning again?”

The Crimson Destruction Dragon God stopped in his tracks when he heard those words. He turned around and replied, “Please speak, Eternal Heaven God Emperor.”

Even though Zhou Xuzi was now a king without a kingdom, he was still a god emperor after all. Furthermore, he was one who had been friends with the Dragon Monarch for many years. As a result, there was no one in the Dragon God Realm who would slight him.

Zhou Xuzi gave a sigh of lament before speaking, “If we are to speak of hatred towards Yun Che, the hatred of all the Dragon Gods put together would not be equal to a thousandth of my own. This old one’s only desire is to rip Yun Che to shreds.”

No one in the world could deny Zhou Xuzi’s words, much less the Dragon Gods who were present. The Eternal Heaven God Realm which had been drowned in blood, the Eternal Heaven Pearl which had been plundered from his realm, the Eternal Heaven royal bloodline which had been cruelly massacred. Even their founding ancestor had been...

Even if the word “misery” were to be amplified ten thousand times, it still would not be enough to describe what the Eternal Heaven God Emperor had been through.

Zhou Xuzi stared straight ahead before he continued in a sincere voice, “However, I believe that disturbing the Dragon Monarch again might not be the most appropriate thing to do.”

“Please explain,” the Crimson Destruction Dragon God replied.

Zhou Xuzi replied in a calm and measured manner, “Even though the Dragon Monarch is not aware of the demise of the Ash Dragon God and the calamity that has struck the Southern Divine Region, would things like Yun Che inciting the calamity from the north or the fall of the Eastern Divine Region truly be things that the Dragon Monarch would simply brush off as unimportant?”

The faces of the eight Dragon Gods went rigid, but the Crimson Destruction Dragon God arched a fiery eyebrow and said, “Could it be… that the Eternal Heaven God Emperor knows something that we do not?”

Zhou Xuzi shook his head. “If the Dragon Monarch has not even elected to reveal this information to his Dragon Gods, how could a stricken refugee like me know anything?”

But Zhou Xuzi did not stop there. “However, after the Dragon Queen, everyone present should be the people who understand the Dragon God the best. So if I may be so bold as to ask, what is the one thing in this world that could cause the Dragon Monarch to cast aside everything else?”

The Azure Dragon God did not waste time by replying, “During the two hundred thousand odd years of the Dragon Monarch’s reign, he has never coveted women or artifacts, and he dislikes conflict more than most people do. He is a man with extremely faint desires.”

“If there is one thing in the world that can throw him into disarray and cause him to ‘cast everything aside’, it would be the Dragon Queen.”

The Azure Dragon God was the only person in the Dragon God Realm who was privy to why the Dragon Monarch had left on his journey. However, the Dragon Monarch’s stern command had caused him to bury this reason all this while. After all, the reaction that the Dragon Monarch had shown at that moment was far too terrifying for him to risk disobeying that command.

The other Dragon Gods all slowly began to nod their heads.

In fact, this was common knowledge for all the high-ranked denizens of the God Realm, let alone the Dragon God Realm.

The Dragon Queen was the Dragon Monarch’s reverse scale, something that could never ever be touched. In fact, the Dragon Queen’s dwelling place, the Forbidden Land of Samsara, was the most inviolable forbidden ground in the Dragon God Realm and the rest of the God Realm.

However, Dragon Queen Shen Xi had secluded herself in the Forbidden Land of Samsara for the past few years. The Dragon Monarch had even personally announced it before setting a new order forbidding anyone from coming within five hundred kilometers of the Forbidden Realm of Samsara. He had even erected a new barrier around the place after that.

One could well imagine just how strong a barrier personally erected by the Dragon Monarch was. Furthermore, with the strong draconic aura wreathing the barrier, the Dragon Monarch would instantly be alerted the moment someone touched it, much less broke through it.

This was the importance with which he viewed the Dragon Queen’s current seclusion.

However, the Dragon Queen was in the Forbidden Land of Samsara, but the Dragon Monarch had gone to the God Realm of Absolute Beginning, so this current matter shouldn’t have any connection to her.