Against the Gods

Chapter 2020 - Welcoming The Emperor In The Endless Fog

“There is no need to be shocked.” A calming voice tinged with a sacred aura soothed Yun Che’s emotions. “I knew I could save her when she was about to disappear. It is an instinct that is engraved into my soul origin and has nothing to do with my memory whatsoever. It’s probably because… I am the Creation God of Life.”

At that moment, Yun Che fully believed that she was the Creation God of Life.

“Where… is He Ling right now?” Yun Che slowly straightened up, “Our lives are connected, so why can’t I sense her at all?”

Li Suo whispered, “Her soul origin and life origin had dissipated. Even if the two of you are tied by life, of course her connection to you and the Sky Poison Pearl was severed as well.”

Her words stunned Yun Che. “Is it really possible… to resurrect someone… who has lost both their life origin and soul origin?”

“If we’re judging based on your and the current world’s understanding, then of course not,” Li Suo said, “but I am the Creation God of Life, and He Ling’s life origin is similar to mine. Therefore, I was able to rescue her final existence and safeguard it within the Primordial Seal of Life and Death. When the time comes, she will return to normal both in life and soul.”

Li Suo seemed to have no idea that she was saying the most impossible thing in the most indifferent voice.

“When the time comes? When is that exactly?” Yun Che asked in a hurry.

That’s right, she is the Creation God of Life! I can’t do anything she just claimed… but she can!

“When my powers have sufficiently recovered. However, the timing entirely depends on you.”

Li Suo gave him an unexpected yet unsurprising answer.

Instead of shooting another question, Yun Che took a moment to calm down and sort out his thoughts. Then, he asked, “So, you’re saying that you need me to recover your powers?”

“That’s not all,” Li Suo replied. “My very existence is dependent on the Ancestral God aura inside of you.”

Maybe it was because the Creation God of Life’s divine heart was absolutely sacred and unblemished, or maybe she was like a newborn since she had awakened with little to no fragments of her former life’s knowledge and experience, but she had revealed her very lifeline to Yun Che without any reservation whatsoever.

Once upon a time, she was a Creation God who looked down upon all creations. Now… she was admitting that she needed him to exist.

“...” Yun Che subconsciously squinted in astonishment. It was all so ridiculous… and yet she was absolutely right.

After all, he was the one person in the entire universe that possessed a body that transcended even the Creation Gods, the Sacred Body of Nothingness!

The “Ancestral God aura” Li Suo mentioned was of course the life aura that the Sacred Body of Nothingness naturally gave off.

Li Suo couldn’t actually sense this “Ancestral God aura”, just like Jie Yuan had never discovered any Ancestral God-like from Yun Che. She was even stunned by his ability to accommodate both life and darkness. It wasn’t until she noticed Xia Qingyue’s life aura and memories that she finally realized the Ancestral God’s existence.

In the beginning, Li Suo thought that He Ling’s life aura was what had awakened her. It wasn’t until she witnessed Yun Che and the Ancestral Will’s conversation that she understood that Yun Che possessed the Ancestral God’s aura.

In essence, Yun Che had received the Ancestral Will’s six hundred cycles of ancestral power. Sure, it was a speck of dust compared to the power of the true Ancestral God, but it was still enough to defy the heavens and break the natural order. That was just how suppression of planes worked.

“I see.” Yun Che nodded slowly. “I understand now. You’re saying that once I’ve reached a certain level—once my life aura is strong enough—my very presence will regenerate your lost life, divine soul and Creation God powers. And when you have recovered to a certain extent, you’ll be able to revive He Ling.”

If Li Suo was anyone else, Yun Che would absolutely suspect that she was using He Ling’s revival as a bargaining chip; that she was forcing him to grow strong in the shortest time possible so she could regain her own freedom and power. However, Li Suo was the Creation God of Life and possessed a Sacred Heart and Sacred Soul. She was unwilling to damage He Ling’s life aura even when she was at her weakest, so how could she possibly come up with such a scheme?

“That is correct.” Li Suo continued in an indifferent, ephemeral voice, “I don’t actually know if your cultivation progress determines the upper limit of my recovery speed, but it is reasonable to assume that the stronger you are, the faster I’ll be able to recover, and the sooner you’ll be able to revive He Ling.”

Yun Che took another moment to suppress the mad joy and excitement in his soul. A moment of hesitation later, he asked, “Can I… see her right now?”

“You can, but I wouldn’t recommend it,” Li Suo replied, “This world is filled with abyssal dust. If I open the Primordial Seal of Life and Death, and abyssal dust were to slip in, it may result in unforeseen consequences. Plus, she needs to sleep right now. You won’t be able to communicate with her even if you see her. Again, forcing her to wake… may result in unforeseen consequences.”

Yun Che immediately clamped down on his desires and replied, “I understand. I should’ve known better.”

She’s still alive…

Thank goodness… thank goodness…

Ten years… a hundred years… a thousand years… ten thousand years… I am willing to wait as long as I need to see you safe and sound…

The Abyss is a dangerous, sinful place, so you should just sleep in peace. I will not make you worry for me or shoulder my sins.

He recalled what Hong’er had told him earlier. Hong’er had said that the “white big sister” would fall into a deep slumber after healing him. Clearly, casting the Miracle of Life in Li Suo’s current state would severely damage her.

His external injuries had already healed. His internal injuries were severe, but if his past experiences were anything to go by, they should fully recover when he subsumed the Heretic God Seed.

It was as if he was reborn every time he regained a Heretic God Seed.

“Li Suo…” Yun Che hesitated for a moment before asking, “Or would you like me to address you as Lord Creation God?”

Li Suo’s reply was as indifferent as a quiet spring, “My previous memories and recognition have shattered into smithereens. I have long since forgotten how a Creation God should carry themselves. Therefore, you are free to address me as you please.”

“I see.” Yun Che thought for a second. “You’re slowly regaining your memories and recognition, but because they’re shattered to smithereens, they are like the memories of another person. The memories that you truly deem as yours are those you accumulated after you awakened a few years ago. Am I right?”

“Yes.” Yun Che had accurately deduced Li Suo’s current feelings.

“I’ve only come by the Primordial Seal of Life and Death for less than five years. You are Li Suo, but not completely. You are like her reincarnation.”

He stared at Li Suo’s shrouded face and heightened his senses to the max. “In that case, can I call you… Little Li Suo?”

“You may.”

“...” Yun Che wasn’t expecting this answer.

No wonder she’s a Creation God! No wonder she’s the woman that not even the two Creation Gods could handle! I clearly gave her an offensive nickname, and yet she treated it just like any other name!

“Er…” Yun Che was so caught off guard he didn’t know what to say, “It was a joke.”

“Huh?”

Yun Che had no choice but to change the subject. “Your existence is still incredibly weak right now. Unless absolutely necessary, I would urge you not to use your powers. You don’t need to worry about my internal injuries.”

The rebound of God Ash was unbelievably scary. He might look fine on the outside, but half of his veins were broken, all of his internal organs were cracked, and profound energy was leaking haphazardly all around him.

Li Suo whispered, “Since you’ve regained your consciousness, you don’t need my strength as a matter of course. Right now, you should seek out a quiet place and subsume the Heretic God Seed you just obtained.”

“I plan to.”

Yun Che gazed into the distance. The sandstorm that encircled the Qilin Abyss Realm was right around the corner, and he couldn’t eliminate the possibility that Ximen Boyun might discover his tracks and give chase even after he left the Qilin Abyss Realm.

He quickly arrived at a decision. “We will head into the Endless Fog.”

In the Qilin Abyss Realm, he already confirmed that the abyssal dust would greatly restrict one’s spiritual perception.

The abyssal dust in the Endless Fog was far more concentrated than the outside world, so of course it would restrict one’s spiritual perception even more. Not only that, his own spiritual perception was slowly but surely growing immune to abyssal dust. This meant that perception wise, he possessed a massive advantage over most other people. Plus, he wanted to know just how much he could interfere with abyssal dust.

Li Suo stopped talking and faded away in a flash of white light. She disappeared like an ephemeral cloud that was blown apart by the wind.

“Ah! Big White Sister, you still haven’t answered my question!” Hong’er also transformed into a red light and returned to the Sky Poison Pearl, chasing after Li Suo.

She had always been a carefree soul who paid little heed to most things, but this time, she subconsciously thought that the name “Wan Hu” was very important to her.

Yun Xi, He Ling, news about Shen Xi, and the reborn Li Suo… in a single day, these words had turned Yun Che’s soul sea upside down.

Yun Che flew at a low altitude toward the grayish world that consumed everything.

Yun Xi, my daughter… you’re right. With my current strength, I won’t be able to protect you even if I force my way to your and Shen Xi’s side… right now, the only thing I would bring you both is disaster.

So wait for me…

Your father… is beloved by the Ancestral God and possesses both the Heretic God and the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor’s inheritance. I even have the aid of a Creation God, not to mention that I possess the determination to do anything to save the Primal Chaos…

So what if this is the Abyss? Just give me some time, and I will grow to the point where nothing can stand in my way.

Whatever you were forced to bear in the past, I will shoulder it all when next we meet…

As the Endless Fog came closer and closer, Yun Che subconsciously glanced in the direction Yun Xi had gone.

Dragons…

If you have protected my daughter and Shen Xi all this time, then I swear on my name that my mercy will include you all. Whatever kindness you have bestowed upon my loved ones will be repaid a hundred fold!

But…

If I discover that you have mistreated my daughter and Shen Xi…

Then I will make sure your race goes extinct together with the Abyss!

As soon as he made contact with the Endless Fog, it was like he was devoured by a massive, grayish maw. He was gone just like that.

……

The Ancestral Dragon Mountain Range, beneath the tallest mountain.

Nearly every draconic might in the mountain range was concentrated at this place. Although there were no barriers, their invisible yet grandiose power naturally kept all beings away.

It was because it was where the Ancestral Dragon Divine Hall was located.

The Ancestral Dragon Divine Hall was normally as silent as death, but suddenly, a series of slow footsteps disturbed the silence.

“You have come, Chixin,” said an ancient voice. It sounded powerful enough to freeze heaven and earth, yet there was also an undercurrent of fatigue.

A middle-aged man knelt in front of the hall. “Chixin greets the Dragon Lord.”

“Rise. Speak,” said the Dragon Lord from inside the temple. Long Chixin rose to his feet, but his upper body remained bowed in respect.

“Long Xi went to a distant place called the ‘Qilin Abyss Realm’ this time. She used a faction called the ‘Qilin Worship Alliance’ to enter the Qilin God Realm. Unfortunately, the Qilin God Realm collapsed on the very first day, though she was able to escape in time. The injuries she took were probably caused by the spatial turbulence that resulted from the collapse.”

“The Qilin Abyss Realm… the Qilin God Realm,” the ancient voice muttered before asking, “What did she say when you visited her earlier?”

Long Chixin responded, “She said she had obtained the earth spirit treasure known as the Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid.”

“...”

The Dragon Lord was silent for a very long time, so long that Long Chixin couldn’t help but ask, “Dragon Lord, why… are you so concerned about this matter?”

A long sigh resounded inside the hall.

“The Qilin Abyss Realm may be a borderland, but it is the place with the richest amount of earth element. Therefore, a so-called earth spirit treasure could only be found there. I had selected the Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid because it has only appeared once in the Qilin Abyss Realm’s history, and I was sure that it would never show up again. To think that…”

“Is it really fate?”

Long Chixin looked up in astonishment, “What are you saying, Dragon Lord? No… Could it be… the Five Spirit Treasures you speak of are…”

“That is correct. The so-called ‘Five Spirit Treasures’… are a lie,” the Dragon Lord finally revealed the truth.

“Wha…” Long Chixin looked stunned.

The Dragon Lord explained, “The abyssal dust isn’t just devouring our lives, it is devouring our talent as well. Every generation’s decline is as obvious as day, and Wangchu… sigh.”

His sigh was all one needed to hear to know how disappointed he was.

“Long Xi’s appearance was a heaven-given miracle and hope. For the past decades, I have wondered more than once what might have happened had we chosen her to be our successor…”

“Unacceptable!” Long Chixin exclaimed in shock before the Dragon Lord could finish. “No matter how talented Long Xi is, she is still an outsider dragon. Not only that, she is a half-dragon who lacks the ability to take a dragon form. How can we be led by a half-dragon?”

“I understand your concerns very well,” the Dragon Lord replied, “which is why I deemed that using her blood essence to nurture Wangchu was the best choice. In fact, Wangchu has been progressing through the cultivation realms like a miracle.”

“However, I don’t need to tell you what kind of person Long Xi is.”

“It’s like her indifference is engraved in her bones. She is unwilling to get close to anyone be it old, young, male or female. When she speaks, she is unwilling to spare anyone even an extra word. Even our trade… places great emphasis on equal trade and a clean account after the deed is done.”

Of course Long Chixin was aware of Long Xi’s temperament. “Get lost” was easily her favorite term toward everyone.

She didn’t wish to have any ties with the dragons. There seemed to be a deep, unrecoverable trauma behind her extreme rejection.

“She’s been using her blood essence to exchange for protection, but she’s still growing way faster than she has any right to. Most people would never reach the Divine Extinction Realm no matter how hard they worked, and yet she is years away from reaching it even in her current state…”

“When she has become strong enough to protect herself, she won’t give Wangchu her blood essence any longer. Since this is an equal trade, I have no reason to leave her behind either. Had I forced her to stay, she would absolutely choose to commit suicide and take as many of us as she could down with her.”

“Once I learned of her one and only obsession, I made up the tale regarding the ‘Five Spirit Treasures’. I told her that the Five Spirit Treasures combined with my draconic powers would be sufficient to awaken the soul in that sword.”

“My condition for sacrificing my draconic powers was that she must continue to stay in the dragon race and pay her ‘tribute’ to Wangchu until she has found the Five Spirit Treasures.”

The Dragon Lord’s voice grew increasingly weak as time passed. This was no doubt the scummiest thing he had ever done in his life, and yet he must for the sake of the dragons’ future.

“In order to convince her that I was telling the truth, I made sure that the Five Spirit Treasures were all real treasures that had appeared once in the records. But of course, I also made sure to choose treasures that had appeared only once or twice in history. It should’ve been nigh impossible for her to obtain even one of the treasures, and yet… she had found four in just a matter of decades.”

No wonder he lamented that fate was against them.

No ancient records in the Abyss contained any record regarding the “Five Spirit Treasures”, but the Dragon Lord was almost a million years old. It made sense that his knowledge and experience would be greater than all the records in the Abyss combined.

Plus, he was the Dragon Lord, a supreme existence that was second only to the Pure Land and the Seven Gods of the Six Kingdoms of God. Why would he fabricate such a despicable lie against a junior?

Forget Long Xi, everyone in the know firmly believed that the Dragon Lord was telling the truth.

Long Chixin’s head sank as if pulled by a great weight. His lips were trembling with shock.

He could not believe… could not believe that the Dragon Lord himself would… But then he recalled Long Wangchu’s original talent and progress, and the future of the Ancestral Dragons. In the end, he could only let out a long, helpless sigh.

“Dragon Lord, you’re telling me this today because…”

“That’s right,” the Dragon Lord said slowly and solemnly, “Long Xi must not find the last spirit treasure… not until Wangchu has at least reached the Divine Extinction Realm.”

At this point, they had no other choice.

Long Chixin nodded deeply. “I understand. I shall carry out my duties.”

He hesitated for a moment before asking, “Dragon Lord, if you will indulge in my curiosity, is it… truly impossible to awaken the soul within the sword that Long Xi is obsessed with?”

A long silence later, the Dragon Lord ultimately chose to answer truthfully, “I have probed that barrier with my consciousness multiple times, and the outcome was always the same.”

“That sword is ancient, but it is a perfectly ordinary… and dead… sword.”

“It doesn’t have a soul. There is no way an ordinary sword can give birth to a soul, no?”

“But…”

“Perhaps she is simply unwilling to accept the truth… or perhaps there really is a soul slumbering in that sword that only she can detect.” “But it is her only obsession. I can even tell you that it is the only reason she still clings to life. If she loses it, then there is nothing in this world that can stop her from leaving it all behind.”

Long Chixin nodded. “I understand. Thank you for telling me, Dragon Lord. I swear that today’s matter won’t be known by a third person.”

“You may leave now… It embarrasses me to say this, but you should know how important this matter is.”

“Yes, Dragon Lord!”

Long Chixin saluted him solemnly before turning to leave. However, he suddenly stopped in his tracks and asked another question, “Dragon Lord, Long Xi is an intelligent and distrustful woman. What are the chances she knew that the Five Spirit Treasures are a lie from the start?”

The Dragon Lord replied, “Why do people grasp at straws when they are drowning? They know that they won’t bear their weight, but they still can’t help but believe, can they?”

“I am the one who used her obsession, but… it must not lead to the worst case scenario.”

“... I understand, Dragon Lord.” Long Chixin saluted him one last time before taking his leave.

The Ancestral Dragon Divine Hall returned to silence once more.

A long time later, a heavy and gloomy sigh resounded,

“I would’ve happily passed on were my descendant, Long Xi.”

He had brought up adopting Long Xi as his daughter multiple times in the past, but each time Long Xi had rejected him every time without even a moment's hesitation.