Against the Gods

The most stunning thing of them all wasn’t even that they had all chosen to protect the Devil Master to their deaths. It was that not a single one of them had hesitated when they made the choice.

It meant that the choice wasn’t a product of intimidation or persuasion. It was something they truly believed from the bottom of their hearts.

Considering that it had been stated time and time again that staying behind was practically a death sentence, it was an unbelievable outcome!

It was at this moment Yan Tianxiao spoke up, “All Yama Devils, Yama Ghosts, Yama Guards and Yama Soldiers, heed my call. Those who wish to stay behind and fight for the Devil Master, you will prepare for battle right now. But know that there is almost no chance you will witness the dawn of another day, and that all our struggles may just amount to a bit more time for our Devil Master.”

“All those who wish to leave, you will engrave this generation of Yama Devils and Northern Divine Region into the souls of our future generations! You will also be responsible for ensuring the continuation and reinvigoration of the Yama Devil bloodline!”

He fell silent, and again, not a single profound practitioner of the Yama Devil Realm chose to leave.

“...” Yan Tianxiao turned around to look at his people. His heart boiled something fierce when he saw the panic on their faces turning into unyielding determination.

“Hehe, it looks like everyone is of the same mind.” Fen Daoqi chuckled as he turned around to look at the Moon Eaters one by one. “When the Burning Moon God Emperor perished at the hands of the Devil Master, the Burning Moon Realm couldn’t deny that they felt humiliation, reluctance, and even hatred toward the Devil Master.”

“But today, darkness has broken out of its prison, and the light of the devil shines bright in the sky. These few months of freedom were short, but every moment was a moment our ancestors dared not even dream of. Those old grudges seem so insignificant compared to what we have today.”

“If only for the respect and admiration in my heart, I, Fen Daoqi, am fully willing to give my life for the Devil Master!”

Fen Daoqi had spoken in a calm and peaceful tone, and yet his determination seeped into everyone’s hearts like water anyway. There were no regrets.

“A million lifetimes will not be able to repay the fact that the Devil Master has brought us all here today! It is our turn to fight for the Devil Master!” a Moon Eater roared at the top of his lungs.

Unlike the Imperial Heaven Realm, the Yama Devil Realm and the Burning Moon Realm were king realms. And yet not a single person had chosen to retreat.

This scene shocked the profound practitioners of the Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm so badly that one of the Sea Gods said in a hushed voice, “This has to be a setup… right?”

“Of course it is. There’s just no way!” another Sea God echoed the sentiment.

As members of a king realm themselves, they knew better than anyone there was nothing a king realm feared more than to lose their lineage. It was because they could ill afford to lose their cultivation and their status in most circumstances, much less on a hopeless undertaking like this. In that sense, it would be apt to describe the Divine Masters of a king realm as the biggest cowards in the entire world.

“...” Cang Shitian still didn’t say anything. His twitching eyebrows were the only visible reaction on his face.

“That’s right! It’s time we fight for the Devil Master!” A roar overwhelmed the Sea God’s hidden jeers in an instant.

“Not only did the Devil Master give us new life, he pulled the Northern Divine Region from the brink of extinction! That is a kindness even a hundred generations will be hard pressed to repay! If we are to abandon him now and escape ourselves, how will we ever be able to face ourselves? What would be the difference between us and those dogshit animals who backstabbed the Devil Master when he saved the world!?”

“I haven’t planned to return alive from the moment I stepped out of the Northern Divine Region, much less partake in the conquering of the Eastern Divine Region and Southern Divine Region with my own arms and legs! I have no more regrets in this life! I will gladly die a million times for the Devil Master!”

Huo Tianxing, the Desolate Calamity Realm King spoke coolly, but his eyes looked like burning coal. “Dying and ending my lineage here may bring shame to my ancestors, but I’m sure they’d be even more ashamed if I were to abandon the Devil Master now for a moment of living.”

He patted his proudest son on his shoulder, “Huang’er, from this moment onward, we will fight not for Desolate Calamity Realm, nor the Northern Divine Region. We fight only for the Devil Master… are you afraid?”

“I am.” The Desolate Calamity Prince nodded once before shaking his head slowly. When he looked up again, his eyes burned with never-before-seen determination. “But if it’s for the Devil Master, then not even ten times the fear is enough to make me take a single step backward!”

He turned around, raised his arms, and shouted like thunder, “Men of the Desolate Calamity Realm, we have already created miracles and witnessed history being made under the Devil Master’s leadership. Do we have any more regrets? No? Then today, we die for the Devil Master!”

Blood poured into the Desolate Calamity Realm profound practitioners’ heads, and both their faces and their eyes turned as red as fire. Together, they shouted, “We die for the Devil Master!”

The chant was supposed to come from the profound practitioners of the Desolate Calamity Realm only, but somehow, it woke something from the devil people’s hearts and caused them to shout,

“We die for the Devil Master!”

“We die for the Devil Master!”

Like a spark that started an inferno, the chant spread to every corner of the central hall, the palace, and even the god realm itself. Soon, even the sky itself was shaking from the war cry:

“WE DIE FOR THE DEVIL MASTER!!”

“WE DIE FOR THE DEVIL MASTER!!!”

Every northern region devil person was roaring at the top of their lungs. Every shout only affirmed their determination and raised their fire even further.

Their fists were clenched, their auras were rising. Before they knew it, the fear, panic and despair that had sapped their strength like ice earlier were gone like they had never existed. All that was left in their eyes and on their faces... was the blazing will to fight.

The war cry might have happened inside the Deep Sea God Realm, but the profound practitioners outside the god realm were shaken by it as well.

It was just like that day they stepped out of the Northern Divine Region together; the day their wills became united as one.

This time though, not only did the devil people come together faster than before, their unity exceeded even that time.

The choice should’ve been as clear as day. One was a retreat that only a complete idiot would consider to be humiliating, and the other a death trap with no return. And yet every devil person of every king realm, upper star realm, and middle star realm who weren’t even qualified to participate in this battle at all… choose not to retreat.

Even Qianye Ying’er couldn’t believe her own eyes for a very long time.

In her original estimate, they should be thanking their lucky stars if they managed to persuade even half of the devil people to stay… After all, it really was the point of no return.

Again and again she scanned Chi Wuyao. Again and again she confirmed that the Devil Queen hadn’t been using her devilish powers at all. In fact, she had purposely kept her charm to a minimum.

“What… what the…” The Sea Gods and Divine Envoys stared at the devil people in disbelief. Words couldn’t begin to describe the shock in their hearts.

Each and every one of these people—especially those that belonged to upper star realms or higher—bore the heavy responsibility of continuing their lineage and guiding the future generations. And yet they had chosen to die instead of abandoning their Devil Master… this couldn’t even be described as loyalty anymore. To the devil people, the Devil Master had become a faith that could never be sullied or abandoned.

Suddenly, a different kind of emotion started overcoming their shock and disbelief. The screams of the devil people suddenly felt unbearably accusatory for some reason. It was then they realized… that that emotion was shame.

Thanks to a certain scene being broadcasted to the entire world through the Eternal Heaven Projection, there was no one who didn’t know that the god emperors had chosen to repay Yun Che’s act of saving the world with the greatest betrayal. It was an eternal stain that not even time could wash away.

On the other hand, the “sinful”, “filthy”, and “intolerable” devil people showed in the simplest and most stunning manner what it truly meant to repay a favor with death.

Their eyes unwittingly met one another. They immediately looked down and felt that shame growing even more.

For the first time, the rulemakers and the kings of the God Realm were forced to reevaluate their idea of the term “devil people”.

“Phew…”

It was at this moment Cang Shitian finally broke his silence and murmured to himself, “What beautiful unity, what enviable loyalty. There is nothing in the world more luxurious than this.”

“What do we do, my lord?” the closest Sea God to him asked in a low voice.

“It will be too late if we wait any longer,” another Sea God said.

“...” Cang Shitian shot Chi Wuyao a look. Sensing his unconcealed gaze, the Devil Queen simply faced toward him, nodded, and looked back at the devil people as if it was just a normal exchange of gestures. There was no icy warning or subtle threats that he could sense at all.

“Heh, what an impressive woman. No wonder she is crowned the Devil Queen of the Northern Divine Region,” Cang Shitian muttered something no one understood with a complex expression on his face.

Meanwhile, the six Star Gods arrived beside Caizhi.

Their leader, Aster the Heavenly Jade Star God said to her, “Princess, if you leave, we leave. If you stay, we stay.”

Caizhi shot them a look before looking at the central hall where Yun Che was. Her aura bubbled restlessly as if she couldn’t wait to head into battle.

That was all the response they needed.

On the other hand, the Brahma Kings and Brahma Monarch Divine Envoys were considerably more perplexed than they were. They sent Gu Zhu a sound transmission asking, “What should we do, Mentor Gu?”

“We stay,” Gu Zhu replied indifferently. “The young miss will be angry if you withdraw.”

Both the Brahma Kings and the Divine Envoys had to stifle a sigh.

Sigh, our poor, pitiful Brahma Monarch Realm. When will our tribulations end?

Finally, Chi Wuyao said in a soft voice that somehow still made itself heard, “Please calm yourselves and think carefully! The core of the Northern Divine Region is here! What future will we have if you are all dead?”

“Enough, Your Majesty!” Yan Tianxiao waved her off. “Our hands are ours, our legs are ours, and the same goes for our lives and power. We have made our decision, and not even you can change our minds now.”

“Your Majesty, let us waste no more time on this and move on to the war preparations, shall we?” Fen Daoqi said seriously. “The Western Divine Region is powerful beyond imagination, but the Devil Master himself is the Devil Emperor incarnate and a man of miracles! With our bodies and your intelligence, we may just be able to stall out the enemy long enough for the Devil Master to return.”

“Once the Devil Master exits the Eternal Heaven Pearl, we will pave the way with our bodies and deliver the Devil Master to safety… as long the Devil Master survives, the flames of hope of the Northern Divine Region will never die!”

Fen Daoqi’s words struck a chord in the masses’ hearts and caused them to roar again.

“That’s right!” Tian Guhu shouted loudly, “Please believe in us, Your Majesty! We will not die uselessly until the last drop of our blood falls! We will defend the Devil Master until he returns!”

Chi Wuyao stared at the crowd for a very long time until finally, she let out a heavy sigh. “Very well then. We will defend the Devil Master with every drop of our power.”

The devil people abruptly fell silent, and they clenched their fists until the veins looked like they would burst. Every living being naturally feared death, but if that fear was surpassed by faith, it would transform into the greatest fuel that filled every vein in one’s body with fire.

Chi Wuyao raised her hand and declared her first order with unquestionable authority, “All realms, return to your positions, ready your weapons and profound artifacts, and gather your strength to peak form.”

“God Emperor Shitian, activate the Deep Sea Barrier now and evacuate as many profound practitioners outside the Deep Sea God Realm as you are able.”

“This is an all-out defense battle, so no one is to exit the barrier without orders, much less launch an assault on their own!”

“All Divine Masters are to return to this place and assemble in forty five minutes! Everyone who isn’t a Divine Master should stand by your profound artifacts and formations and be ready to operate them at a moment’s notice!”

…………

A long chain of orders later, the northern region’s profound practitioners finally dispersed completely to carry out their orders. A drastic change came over the Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm.

After that, Chi Wuyao passed through the barrier and entered the central hall.

She ordered the three Yama Ancestors, “Yan One, Yan Two, Yan Three, follow me. For now, there is no need to guard this place.”

Qianye Ying’er walked in just in time to hear this. She immediately frowned and voiced her disagreement, “Wait! You can mobilize anyone you want, but not them!”

The three Yama Ancestors’ necks shrank in unison when they heard Qianye Ying’er’s words.

“I know what you’re worried about,” Chi Wuyao said, “but they are the greatest power we possess right now. I’m going to need them… to face down the Dragon Monarch.”

Qianye Ying’er frowned slightly. “You’re going to—”

She cut herself off midway and still shook her head. “That’s still unacceptable. There must be at least one person guarding him.”

“Alright,” Chi Wuyao relented, “Yan Three, you may stay. Again, no matter what happens in the future, you mustn't allow anyone or anything to touch this place, understand?”

“Yes,” replied Yan Three.

Qianye Ying’er spoke again, “No, leave Yan One here.”

“...let’s both take a step back, shall we?” Chi Wuyao shot her a helpless look. “Yan Two, you stay behind to protect the Devil Master. Yan One, Yan Three, the two of you will follow me.”

“Yes, yes,” Yan Two accepted his orders and returned to his seat.

This time, Qianye Ying’er finally kept quiet.

Yan One and Three were the only ones who looked sad.

“Chi Wuyao, you are amazing,” said Qianye Ying’er with a complicated expression. “I must admit that I hadn’t expected this outcome at all.”

However, Chi Wuyao shook her head and said, “No. I already told you that I am not as capable as you think. I didn’t compel them to want to die for the Devil Master, their will is entirely their own. All I did was to bring it out into the open.”

“Besides,” Chi Wuyao smiled as her eyes turned distant, “it is what he deserves.”

“Don’t you think that the price is too high though? This may be the death of the core of the Northern Divine Region and their future,” said Qianye Ying’er while staring straight into Chi Wuyao’s eyes. “This is the most unacceptable outcome for the northern region Devil Queen, am I right?”

Chi Wuyao shot her a smile but didn’t say anything.

When they walked out of the central hall, Cang Shitian immediately walked up to them. He seemed to have been waiting for some time.

“The Deep Sea Barrier has been activated,” said Cang Shitian. For the first time, he didn’t bow or address the Devil Queen as “Your Majesty”.

“Thank you,” Chi Wuyao said indifferently, “I heard that the power of the Deep Sea lies in its myriad forms. I also heard that it is especially suited for defense. Considering that this is the final barrier of your Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm, it must be able to astound even the likes of the Western Divine Region.”

“There are many things I dare not claim to be true, but the efficacy of this Deep Sea Barrier is not among them. You won’t be disappointed, Devil Queen.” Cang Shitian smiled a little before asking suddenly, “If you don’t mind, I have a question for you.”

“Oh?” Chi Wuyao glanced at him.

“Considering the current situation, the chances that your forces will survive is almost zero. However, you are about to entrust the first and most important defense line to my Deep Sea Barrier; to me.”

It was impossible to decipher Cang Shitian’s expression. “Aren’t you afraid that I’ll stab you in the back? If I open up a way when the Western Divine Region shows up, the Deep Sea Realm may still suffer severe repercussions, but the merit should be enough to lessen the punishment somewhat. At the very least, we wouldn’t be wiped out to the last. On the other hand, if I were to stick with you and fight the Western Divine Region until the end, they would definitely destroy me and my entire realm.”

“You should know that I, Cang Shitian, am a smart man… and this choice is about as simple as it gets.”