Against the Gods

Partially Edited Chapter - Rubble

Both Chi Wuyao’s voice and expression were grave and somber, which immediately caused Qianye Ying’er to arch those beautiful golden brows of hers.

After getting to know Chi Wuyao over the years, she had vaguely realized that Chi Wuyao’s Nirvana Devil Soul had the strange and unique ability of spiritual premonition. As a result, Qianye Ying’er never took her unease lightly.

After she gave the matter some thought, Qianye Ying’er said, “If the worst case scenario we hypothesized about truly comes to pass, the first condition that must be fulfilled is that the Dragon God Realm needs to have a grand dimensional formation of the highest class, one that will allow you to cross into another divine region.”

“However, I have never seen any such dimensional formation being recorded in the annals of any star realm. I have already assimilated most of the memories left to me by all the Brahma Heaven God Emperors and there isn’t any such thing recorded there either. On the contrary, a dimensional formation very similar to what I just described did appear in this generation.”

“That is the grand dimensional formation that the entire universe knows about. The one that the Eternal Heaven God Realm built together with the cooperation of countless star realms in order to deal with the Crimson Calamity. The dimensional formation that connected the Eternal Heaven God Realm to the very borders of the Primal Chaos Dimension.”

Moreover, the foundations of this grand dimensional formation still exist unharmed within the Eternal Heaven God Realm and it could be activated again as long as someone poured enough power into it… Even though the amount of resources you would need to consume for a single round trip was enough to send a king realm into convulsions.

That was also why they had used the words “stake it all on one throw” when the Eternal Heaven God Realm had begun construction on this dimensional formation.

“...” Chi Wuyao remained in quiet contemplation, but she was listening carefully to what Qianye Ying’er said.

Qianye Ying’er continued, “In order to finish building that grand dimensional formation on time, the Eternal Heaven God Realm laid the groundwork more than a decade in advance, and they still had to rely on the help of many king realms and upper star realms in the later stages of the project, just to get it over the finish line. Furthermore, they were only able to get it done within that time because the Eternal Heaven God Realm possessed the strongest spatial profound artifact in the universe, the Great Void Cauldron. If it had been any other king realm undertaking the task, they might not have been able to finish that project even if they were given a hundred years of time.”

“As such, these words have proven that the hypothesized worst case scenario can never come to pass.” Qianye Ying’er came to her conclusion.

“Hmmm… but what if such a grand dimensional formation already existed?” Chi Wuyao mused to herself in a soft voice.

“A dimensional formation that would allow someone to cross from the Dragon God Realm to the Southern Divine Region would not only be gigantic, but the time taken to construct it would also be extremely long. As such, the vibrations of energy that emanated from it during construction would surely stretch out across vast distances of space, and there is no way that this event wouldn’t have been recorded in any annals or historical records whatsoever.”

“...” Chi Wuyao fell into another long silence before she finally gave a faint nod of her head and said, “Your reasoning is faultless.”

Still, the unease in her heart hadn’t died down one iota.

“However, this matter is far too grave to ignore, and we need to proceed with the greatest caution and prudence. After all, Yun Che is gone for the next few days, and we have to guard against even the wildest possibilities.” Chi Wuyao’s eyes grew cold as she barked out an order. “Hua Jin! Summon Cang Shitian!”

Before too long, the figure of Cang Shitian could be seen rushing towards them.

“Shitian greets the Devil Queen. Does the Devil Queen have any instructions for me?”

Cang Shitian showed Chi Wuyao the same amount of reverence he normally showed to Yun Che.

“God Emperor Shitian, where are the Ten Direction Deep Sea Realm’s strongest barriers and defensive profound formations located?” Chi Wuyao asked directly.

Any proper star realm would have its own grand defensive barrier. The strongest of them all, the king realms, did not disregard the importance of this barrier in the slightest. Rather, they regarded this matter with extreme importance and every generation would try to strengthen the barrier by at least a little bit. Because they, who were used to proudly looking down on the rest of the universe, were also most afraid of the idea of being destroyed.

The most important reason for the Eternal Heaven God Realm and Southern Sea God Realm’s swift destruction had been the fact that the enemy had already infiltrated them, so even activating their barrier accomplished nothing.

Cang Shitian understood the implicit meaning in her words and replied, “The ultimate barrier of my Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm doesn’t cover the entire realm. Instead, it focuses on protecting the Deep Sea Divine Region. The moment it's activated, only those who possess the Deep Sea divine blood can enter and exit the barrier freely. Those who do not can exit the barrier, but they won’t be able to enter it again.”

“How long will it take you to get it ready for activation?” Chi Wuyao asked.

Cang Shitian didn’t waste any time asking pointless questions. Instead, he immediately replied, “We replenish the power supply of our barriers once every three years and we always maintain a supply of at least seventy percent. Even if we are confronted with a grave threat, the fastest we can activate that ultimate barrier is thirty breaths of time.”

“Very good,” Chi Wuyao replied. “Then I want you to immediately charge this barrier of yours to its maximum capacity and keep it in a state where it can be activated at any given time.”

“I need you to accomplish this as quickly as possible, so do not stint on the resources that need to be used!”

Cang Shitian’s brow sank a smidgen, but he immediately cupped his hands and replied, “Yes! The Devil Queen can come over and inspect the barrier herself once twelve hours have passed!”

“You may leave.”

Cang Shitian made a short bow and immediately left to see to his task.

“Hmph, he didn’t say one unnecessary thing nor did he ask any unnecessary questions. What a trustworthy lackey,” Qianye Ying’er, who had been coldly glaring at Cang Shitian all this while, scoffed in contempt.

Chi Wuyao closed her eyes and used her fingers to pinch the space in between her eyes. Threads of black light flowed along her long black hair as she said in a somber voice, “During this period of time, I need to focus all of my attention on the movements of the Dragon God Realm, so I’ll leave the running of this place to you. I’ve already sent a sound transmission to my children, so they will obey your commands in the meantime.”

“Oh really?” Qianye Ying’er’s golden eyes narrowed as a strange light glinted within them. “Aren’t you afraid that I’ll take this opportunity to order those Witches to become the Devil Master’s new playthings in bed?”

“Sigh…” Chi Wuyao gave a long and exhausted sigh. “Being able to train you into such a character is also a talent of his I suppose.”

“Him?” Qianye Ying’er gave a soft snort. “He’s just a beast, one that only knows how to rut violently at that. The only person who has ever been in charge of me is me, no one else can choose what I become.

After she finished speaking, Qianye Ying’er turned around and walked away.

As she exited the hall, Qianye Ying’er looked to the sky. It had once been as blue as the clear waters of the ocean but now it was covered with a dull layer of dreary-looking clouds.

The skies had already turned dark in the distant west. Dark clouds roiled in the air and it seemed as if a great storm was about to fall over the land.

Qianye Ying’er’s brow sank as she suddenly turned around and flew towards the Deep Sea Royal Hall.

As she passed through the barriers and arrived in the heart of the hall, she saw the Eternal Heaven Pearl quietly glowing with a dense white light. The Three Yama Ancestors were sitting around it in a triangle formation and each of them were situated about three meters away from the pearl as they guarded it. They hadn’t moved a single inch since they had begun their duty.

“Listen up,” Qianye Ying’er said to the Three Yama Ancestors. “Your master will leave the Eternal Heaven Pearl in about four days. Before that comes to pass, you must not allow yourselves to be distracted, no matter what happens. Your job is to protect the Eternal Heaven Pearl and that alone. Don’t get involved in any other disturbances that you may sense. This is your only and most important mission, do you understand?”

“Yes, yes. Please do not worry, Lady Qianying,” the Three Yama Ancestors said in unison as their heads dutifully bobbed up and down.

A pair of golden eyes lingered on the Eternal Heaven Pearl for a good long while before Qianye Ying’er finally left.

The Three Yama Ancestors exchanged looks with each other after that.

The same thought filled their heads at the same time:

“That was extremely strange. She deliberately made a trip here to repeat an order that had already been given to us before? Does she think that we three old monsters are getting forgetful with age?”

————

Within the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm, inside of the Sky Poison Pearl’s world.

“Yaaaaaaaaah——”

Hong’er yawned loudly as she lazily stretched. After that, she started complaining in a whiny voice, “I’m so bored! Master is doing that weird ‘thing’ again and Big Sis He Ling is simply standing there and not moving! They haven’t played with us for the longest time already!”

“...” You’er nodded her head stoically in agreement.

“Oh that’s right. Let’s take this chance to try ‘that’ out again while Master is doing that weird thing together with that big sister.” When Hong’er broached this subject, her eyes immediately started glinting with a bright red light and her excitement was plain on her face.

You’er opened and closed her mouth a few times before she finally managed to reply in a voice as weak as an infant’s. “Okay.”

Hong’er skipped forward happily before stopping in front of You’er. After that, she extended both hands towards her. Two pairs of delicate, snow-white hands which only differed by the light radiating from their skin gently grasped each other.

“Close your eyes,” Hong’er said as she shut her ruby eyes. After that, a delighted red blush spread across her face as she crowed, “Let’s begin!”

Both girls slowly leaned towards each other as their vermillion and silver locks started to silently tangle themselves together and they only stopped when their forehead finally touched.

Red light immediately pulsed out of Hong’er’s body as You’er’s gray light started to flow all over her body. The two wondrous contrasting colors actually started to mingle together… and the bodies of the two girls also began to grow diaphanous as they started to merge together in a bizarre manner. After that, they actually merged to form the body of a slender and beautiful girl who looked a fair bit older than either of the girls.

Long quicksilver hair and ruby red eyes… Her shoulders trembled gently as her eyes slowly glanced around. That brief moment of grace and beauty was enough to instantly dim the emerald light that glowed eternally in the Sky Poison Pearl.

However, the girl’s body instantly grew hazy and diaphanous as well, and both Hong’er and You’er’s bodies instantly coalesced from within her. After that, the girl’s figure vanished as if it had never been there in the first place as both Hong’er and You’er fell to the ground with yelps of pain.

“Wah!” Hong’er sat up straight as she chortled excitedly. “This is so fun! And we managed to make it last a really long time this time!”

Even though this transformation had only lasted two breaths, it had lasted far longer than any of their previous attempts, so it really was “a really long time”.

“Furthermore, I could see even more of You’er’s thoughts this time. Just like I thought, You’er is the same as me. We both sorely miss Big Sister He Ling. Hmph! This is all Master’s fault.”

You’er opened her mouth and two faint and indistinct words emerged from those tender lips. “Ni… Jie…”

Her eyes were filled with dazed confusion. She had no idea why those two words had suddenly surfaced from within her soul.

“Eh?” Hong’er tilted her head sideways when she heard those words before she replied, “Just like I thought, You’er is the same as me! That name suddenly popped into your head as well… Eh? Why did I know that this is a name? That’s so strange.”

“Ah, who cares!” Hong’er had never let a matter frustrate her for too long. She waved a tiny hand and a longsword emanating a brilliant purple light appeared in it out of nowhere. After that, she eagerly bit down on the body of the sword, breaking it in two. Both her hands held half of the sword as she chomped down on her meal happily.

Before he entered the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm, Yun Che got Yan Tianxiao to rustle up a pile of divine swords. These swords would serve as Hong’er’s snacks, so she wouldn’t get up to any funny business while he was cultivating.

“You’er, you must remember that this is our little secret! Let’s not tell Master about it yet,” Hong’er said seriously. The sight of her trying to speak seriously while her cheeks bulged with food was hilariously adorable.

“... Okay,” You’er said as she obediently nodded her head. Her eyebrows wiggled adorably as a smile that was too pure and cute for this world appeared on her doll-like face.

————

The arrival of the Dragon Monarch had sent the entire Western Divine Region into a tizzy.

The Dragon God Realm, which had been gritting their teeth in silence all this while, could finally move without any constraints.

“We greet the Dragon Monarch!”

“We greet the Dragon Monarch!!”

As Long Bai walked forward, all the dragons around him bent their heads and knelt in obeisance.

The Master Dragons, Dragon Sovereigns, and the eight Dragon Gods had gathered at the Dragon God Domain long ago.

As he stepped into the Imperial Dragon Hall, the first person Long Bai directed his gaze to was a special guest of the Dragon God Realm.

“Brother Eternal Heaven, you’ve truly suffered,” Long Bai spoke first, his voice tinged with a deep sorrow.

Zhou Xuzi barked out a dry and sorrowful chuckle before he cupped his hands and said, “The Eternal Heaven God Realm was destroyed because of this old man, so I no longer deserve to be addressed with the title of ‘Eternal Heaven’. Now, I only hope that I can be an old sword strapped to the Dragon Monarch’s belt as I accompany you in driving out the devils and killing Yun Che.”

Long Bai replied, “There’s no need for Brother Eternal Heaven to be so gloomy. You are still alive, so the day that the devil race is extinguished will be the day that the light of the Eternal Heaven shines again.”

“This old man thanks the Dragon Monarch for his kind words, it has put my heart at ease.” He smiled at the Dragon Monarch gratefully as he pulled the young man standing beside him forward. “This is my unworthy son Qingfeng. The future of the new, nascent Eternal Heaven Realm will rest on the shoulders of him and his generation.”

However, even if they did end up destroying the devil race, would an Eternal Heaven God Realm without the Eternal Heaven Pearl… truly be able to reach its former heights again?

Zhou Qingfeng immediately fell to his knees and kowtowed towards the Dragon Monarch. “This junior Zhou Qingfeng greets the Dragon Monarch.”

Long Bai glanced at him and said, “Since you are the successor that Brother Eternal Heaven picked personally, you will definitely go on to do great things in the future. There’s no need for such formalities, please rise.”

The eight Dragon Gods had lined up in two rows to greet the Dragon Monarch. The Crimson Destruction Dragon God was the first one to stand up and move to speak to the Dragon Monarch. He suppressed the excitement and wildly raging emotions in his heart before he said in a solemn voice, “My lord Dragon Monarch…”

“There’s no need to say anything.” Long Bai raised a hand to cut off the Crimson Destruction Dragon God before he could even begin. He looked out into the distance as a soul-shaking divine light erupted from his eyes. “You are to immediately send this order to the Qilin Realm, the Emperor Chi Realm, the Blue Dragon Realm, the Hui Dragon Realm, and the Myriad Manifestation Realm. Tell their emperors that they are to personally lead all of their Divine Masters to the Dragon God Realm within the next forty-eight hours! I expect all of them to be present in the Dragon God Domain by then!”

“If anyone dares to even hold anything back, then they can’t blame this dragon for being ruthless!”

All eight Dragon Gods nodded their heads as their hearts wildly shuddered.

As the Dragon Gods, the beings closest to Long Bai, this was the most tyrannical and shocking order they had ever heard the Dragon Monarch give. It was so astonishingly overbearing that they could scarcely believe that it had come out of the Dragon Monarch’s mouth.