Against the Gods

Dust clouds flew as eyeballs threatened to explode from their sockets. Neither northern region nor western region profound practitioners dared to believe what they just saw.

Bang!

The earth suddenly became ripped in half as Long Bai shot to the sky before falling slowly back to the ground. His face was expressionless, his clothes were perfectly clean, and his appearance seemed as magnificent as ever. The embarrassing look from a moment ago was nowhere to be seen.

It was almost as if he hadn’t been punched so hard that he uncontrollably plowed the ground for fifteen kilometers straight.

“What… what…” The western region Divine Masters’ eyeballs were still bulging even now.

The Dragon Gods and Dragon Sovereigns looked like they wanted to say something, but didn’t dare to.

Although Long Bai looked perfectly unharmed—even untouched by the dust on the battlefield—right now, they all saw how his forehead crumpled inward where Yun Che had punched him.

There was nothing tougher in the world than a dragon’s bones, and the toughest bone in a dragon’s body was without a doubt the skull.

So how did a mere human punch it so hard that it crumpled inward? The skull of the Dragon Monarch no less?

In the end, they chose to tell themselves that what they saw was an illusion caused by the distortion of space… it was the only possibility!

Meanwhile, all the northern region profound practitioners were staring at the scene with their mouths agape.

Their greatest profound practitioners had fought Long Bai just a moment ago, and they all saw how abnormally strong he was. It was why they found it even harder to believe that their Devil Master had sent the Dragon Monarch flying with a single punch.

Their shock was so much greater than their joy that they had even forgotten to cheer for their Devil Master.

“How is this… possible?” Long Wu muttered in obvious disbelief as his gaze became fixed on Yun Che’s person.

All five Venerable Withered Dragons were stunned by the scene. They didn’t recover even after a long time had passed.

“His draconic energy suddenly crumbled earlier. Did he do it on purpose?” Long Yi asked in a soft voice.

The Venerable Withered Dragons couldn’t speak for the others, but they were certainly strong enough to sense that at least thirty percent of Long Bai’s draconic energy had suddenly dissipated when Yun Che’s power erupted.

“...it has to be. But I don’t know why,” replied Long Er.

“Hmph!”

An expressionless Long Bai let out a soft snort as he stared at Yun Che. He said in a cool and intimidating voice, “Looks like you did grow somewhat while you were inside the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm after all. Not bad.”

Long Bai maintained a lofty appearance despite having been sent flying in the first exchange. He spoke as if he was praising a junior, as if he had purposely shown weakness to gauge Yun Che’s strength.

Right as he finished speaking though, a warm sensation suddenly flooded his nose.

Blood jetted from his nostrils despite his effort to suppress it as quickly as he could. In fact, his interference caused them to erupt right in front of his nostrils and dye his white robes red.

It instantly destroyed the unconcerned image he was trying to present.

“By all means, please continue your act!” Yun Che said with a sneer. “It is so much better than that time you kneeled in front of the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor like an obedient pet! I cannot help but feel disgusted by it!”

“Hahi… haha… HAHAHAHAHAHA!” Cang Shitian suddenly burst into a mad laugh while clutching his chest. Every bout tore at his wounds and made him bare his teeth in pain, but still he laughed so hard that he was rocking back and forth.

The western region Dragon Gods shot him angry and murderous glares, but not only did he not restrain himself, he laughed even harder and continued to the point where he was nearly out of breath.

He had never seen Long Bai looking this ugly in his life. It was such a bizarre scene that it was beyond his ability to describe.

Cang Shitian’s mad laughter shook the northern region profound practitioners out of their shock and made someone laugh. One became two, two became four, and soon the entire god realm was ringing with uproarious laughter.

The expressions of the western region profound practitioners—especially the Dragon Gods—turned ugly.

They would’ve attacked already If it wasn’t for the Dragon Monarch’s order.

The Dragon Monarch’s expression remained unmoved despite the ear-piercing laughter. After wiping the blood stain away with his hand, he abruptly launched himself toward Yun Che.

Buzz—

Long Bai’s face was still devoid of emotion, but everyone could sense the anger behind his attack. When he threw a punch at the Devil Master just like the latter did earlier, space itself suddenly squeezed like a vice, and the world trembled before his draconic aura.

It was the greatest power in the current world after all; the draconic energy that suppressed all living beings and controlled the entire Primal Chaos.

The northern region profound practitioners’ breathless laughter ceased abruptly when a kind of suffocation like nothing they had ever felt before pressed against their faces. Their hearts immediately became dyed in deep fear and worry.

Yun Che’s clothes and hair flapped wildly to the storm that was flying his way, but instead of dodging out of the way, he met Long Bai’s punch with a punch of his own. Moreover, he still wasn’t using his darkness profound energy.

“Fool!” All seven Dragon Gods said the same word at the exact same time.

The power of a Dragon God was so strong that it crushed everything. At its peak, even profound arts were just shackles that limited its power.

Given the choice, no one in the entire world would dare to challenge the dragon god race to a contest of strength… much less the Dragon Monarch himself!

One human and one dragon’s power clashed violently amidst countless gazes.

All the space within fifty kilometers of the point of impact warped, distorted, and finally exploded into countless shards, leaving behind countless shuddering black scars.

Yun Che and Long Bai were frozen at the center of the distortion. Their strength looked to be equal, and neither had backed a step away from the other.

“Wh… what!?” every western region profound practitioner exclaimed in shock.

“What… What the hell is going on?” The Jade Dragon God growled. “This is impossible! This is absolutely impossible!”

Yun Che had endured Long Bai’s strength head on with just pure profound energy!?

Not only that, the mist of blood hovering around his chest and back area… reminded everyone that he had accomplished the feat after having injured himself!

Long Bai’s eyebrows were twitching slightly. At this point, even he couldn’t maintain a lofty and indifferent appearance any longer.

Rumble!

The two separated only when a spatial storm descended, and the colliding energies reached the final stage of the explosion. At the same time, a soul-stunning dragon’s roar cut through the air.

The thick, white image of a dragon’s talons appeared behind Long Bai’s arm. Then, Long Bai made a swipe for Yun Che’s solar plexus.

The fact that the pale image appeared meant that Long Bai was going all out this time.

Yun Che’s expression darkened, and he clenched his fingers tighter. Energy flooded his right arm as he punched a second time.

BOOMCRACK!

It sounded like the crack of a million thunder bolts. Hundreds of kilometers away, half of the Divine Masters watching the fight abruptly lost control of their bodies and fell to the ground. The world also shuddered visibly to the impact.

Even so, Yun Che and Long Bai were still frozen in the middle of the gigantic spatial storm.

The Dragon Gods and the Dragon Sovereigns felt like their hearts were tearing apart in shock.

Yun Che… still hadn’t taken a step backward after receiving a furious, full-powered attack from Long Bai!

“Hehehe…” Yun Che finally cracked an icy, malicious smile at Long Bai and said, “This cannot possibly be your full power, right Long Bai?”

“...” For the first time, Long Bai’s features warped a little at the taunt.

“I thought the dragon god race is supposed to be unparalleled in both strength and body in all of the Primal Chaos?” Yun Che continued to taunt him, “You’re a three hundred thousand year old dragon, and you cannot even beat a thirtyish year old human in your best area? You call yourself the Dragon Monarch? Even I have to feel embarrassed on your behalf!”

BANG!!

A loud bang abruptly separated the two. Yun Che was able to catch himself after a backflip, but Long Bai slid at least several kilometers through the air before he was able to stop himself.

ROAR!!!!

This time, there was no pause between exchanges. Before the spectators could collect themselves, an even greater roar shook the world, and the image of a pale dragon appeared behind Long Bai. The draconic pressure he exuded was stunningly powerful in the first place, but now it was outright suffocating.

The half-transparent talons covering his hands became more solid as well.

The entire god realm was engulfed in the pressure of the Dragon Monarch. When Long Bai rushed Yun Che again, it felt like the world itself was falling on him.

“My lord… is truly angry now,” said the Pure Dragon God.

“What is up with Yun Che’s energy?” The White Rainbow Dragon God sounded like he still hadn’t recovered from the shock.

Yun Che looked up at Long Bai with icy eyes. Although the Dragon Monarch had unleashed his full power, the Devil Master still didn’t use anything besides pure profound energy and strength.

BANG!

BANG!!

BOOM—

Power clashed against power. Holes appeared in the sky, and the ground gave way. The clash between the fully unleashed Dragon Monarch and the Devil Master who was only employing pure profound energy and strength ripped even greater chunks from the already ruined Ten Directions Deep Sea God Realm. Even the tiniest breeze from the storm of energy was capable of sundering the world like paper. It was terrifying to say the least.

One… two… ten… a hundred...

Hundreds of rays of profound energy cut through the sky. Hundreds of explosions rocked the star realm and deafened the ears. Both combatants were still fighting, however.

The Dragon Monarch had failed to crush the self-handicapped Devil Master despite going all out!

“Back off… we need to back off some more!”

There were too many northern region profound practitioners who were seriously injured during the earlier battle. They were already pretty far away from the battle, but the shockwaves were still too dangerous.

Chi Wuyao spread her devilish aura and urged everyone to back off another a hundred and fifty kilometers but her dark, shining eyes never left the two profound practitioners doing battle in the sky. It was around this time Qianye Ying’er murmured, “His cultivation obviously hasn’t progressed by much, but… why is his power so much stronger than before?”

She was one of, if not the most knowledgeable people regarding the limits of Yun Che’s profound cultivation and strength.

However, she couldn’t explain how he was like a whole new person despite spending less than three years in the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm and not having broken through to the Divine Master Realm.

Shui Meiyin whispered, “Big brother Yun Che was able to reach the absolute peak of Divine Sovereign Realm just a year after he entered the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm. However, he wasn’t able to progress further after that. He told me that the Heretic God had set up some sort of seal inside his profound veins because his stepping into the Divine Master Realm would absolutely surpass the ability of this world’s laws to withstand it.”

“In other words, big brother Yun Che at level ten Divine Sovereign Realm already stands at the absolute peak of the Primal Chaos. There is no one and nothing in the world who can surpass him.”

Shui Meiyin continued with a smile, “Since he couldn’t progress further in his profound cultivation, he went on to study two types—actually, they’re both the same—of power during the final two years inside the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm. He was able to master them completely.”

“His complete mastery over this power allowed him to ascend his profound strength, physical strength, and soul strength to a whole new level. This is especially true when he goes up against a member of the dragon race. To put it simply, his power against any dragon is absolutely... crushing.”

Shui Meiyin’s final word left Qianye Ying’er, Mu Xuanyin and Chi Wuyao shaking.

The Dragon Monarch was someone who could blow away the combined might of the Yama Ancestors with his physical strength alone.

However, Yun Che was able to trade blows with Long Bai evenly even though the pressure of his profound energy—impressive as it might be—was obviously weaker than Long Bai’s.

Now, they finally knew why.

BOOM!!

Yun Che’s fist met Long Bai’s talons in the collapsing sky.

Long Bai had lost all control of his expression at this point. His features were scrunched up together in a volcanic visage of fury, and his eyes had lost all their calmness.

Meanwhile, Yun Che was still sneering the same sneer he had worn from the very beginning.

“I guess this really is your limit.” Yun Che’s tone was tinged with disappointment. “I really thought you had something more when you put your hands behind your back, puffed up your chest like a cock and stared like you were the almighty god of the Primal Chaos or something. But no, you’re just a clown whose sole purpose is to entertain the masses.”

BANG!

Great strength erupted from Long Bai’s arm again, but Yun Che received it without giving an inch.

Yun Che’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the mysterious white light enveloping Long Bai’s arm and body. “The Dragon Monarch, strongest Dragon God in the history of the Dragon Gods! It was such a bright and shiny title, wasn’t it? In that case, do you remember who was the one who granted it to you in the first place? The one who extended your piss-poor life three hundred thousand years longer than it should’ve been?”

“...” Yun Che’s words thrust right through the weakest and most untouchable part of his heart and soul. His pupils shrank like they were pricked by a needle.

“Even this special light draconic energy that protects you is a gift of hers, not a product of your own efforts.” Yun Che’s eyes grew even colder. “For three hundred thousand years, she blessed you with her powers; tempered your body with the Divine Water of Life and made you far stronger than any one of your peers could possibly hope to achieve. Not only that, the power of the Divine Miracle of Life inside the liquid eventually merged with your draconic energy to form this impenetrable shield of divine power, the one thing that turned your legend of invincibility into reality.”

“You could’ve kept her safe for another one hundred lifetimes, and you still wouldn’t be able to repay everything she did for you!”

“But… you…”

The killing intent that Yun Che had kept under tight rein up until this point abruptly pierced Long Bai’s pupils as his fist stretched into a claw and grabbed Long Bai’s shielded talons. “You think you deserve her power of protection!?”

Bang...

There was a near imperceptible noise, and the white energy surrounding Long Bai’s body vanished without warning… just like that time he was sent flying by Yun Che’s punch.

The root of his unnatural protection aura was his continuous usage of the Divine Water of Life, and accumulating the power of the Divine Miracle of Life in his body for thirty thousand years.

To everyone else, the barrier was practically the barrier of despair. Even top-tier profound practitioners like Chi Wuyao had to use every trick in the book before they were finally able to dispel it, and then only temporarily.

For Yun Che, the man who had fully mastered the Divine Miracle of Life… it was something he could dispel with the flick of a finger.

An odd gleam flashed across Yun Che’s eyes after the white light surrounding Long Bai had dissipated. At the same time, the Dragon Monarch’s draconic aura abruptly withdrew like a tidal wave.

CRACK!!

All five of his fingers and his wrist were snapped just like that. The sound of breaking bones was so crisp that it nearly shattered a couple of eardrums.

At the same time, he fell from the sky and hit the ground like a meteor.

Yun Che vanished temporarily into the clouds during this time. When he reappeared, his profound energy was no longer the colorlessness of pure profound energy. It was black, so black that it frightened the soul.

His expression had also changed from a cool sneer into a murderous snarl. He looked like he was possessed by a cruel devil.