Against the Gods

Yun Che descended from Absolute Phoenix Cliff, left the Phoenix Mountain Range, pondered for a bit, and then directly returned to Divine Phoenix City, heading straight toward Phoenix City.

Phoenix City was located in the south-western area of Divine Phoenix City. While belonging to Divine Phoenix City, it also existed independently, and was a special city within a city. Just like the Divine Phoenix Imperial Palace, Phoenix City was also the core base of Divine Phoenix Sect. The difference being, one was the core of authority, and the other was the core of force. While the two, both possessed incomparably strong deterrence force.

Within Phoenix City, there was a place called Phoenix Realm, which was the place where the Seven Nation Ranking Tournament had always been conducted at.

Nearing Phoenix City, a sense of pressure that made one palpate, and a distinctly scorching air surged against one’s face. Above the gigantic city gate was a huge, majestic, awe-inspiring phoenix. Yun Che stopped in his steps, but didn’t walk inside. As a tournament participant, he ought to have dwelling places that were already arranged, but there would certainly be a great deal of uncertain factors if he moved in here, since his identity was special. Him coming this time, was only to scout out the location. After confirming the location of Phoenix City, he turned around and left, then quickly disguised himself and checked in at a remote and quiet inn.

From the start of the Seven Nation Ranking Tournament, three last days were left.

Three days, were enough for him to finish absorbing the Sky Profound Universal Pellet.

After entering the inn and properly surveying the surroundings before closing the room’s door, Yun Che took out the Phoenix Halianthus, Devil’s Flaming Blood Crystal and the other materials, then quickly refined them with the Sky Poison Pearl. Very soon, an entirely scarlet colored pellet that seemed as if it had just been soaked in fresh blood emerged within Yun Che’s palm. As the pellet took form, a surge of berserking aura also instantly discharged, violently pushing away the surrounding air.

Lifting up this newly refined Sky Profound Universal Pellet, Yun Che didn’t even think, and threw it in his mouth without hesitation.

The Sky Profound Universal Pellet melted the moment it entered his mouth, and instantly turned into a lava-like heatwave, flooding into the profound veins and meridians of his entire body. Instantly, a pain as if he was being stabbed by needles came from his entire body. Yun Che closed his eyes, his expression entirely tranquil, as if he felt nothing. This kind of pellet that could forcefully raise one’s profound strength in a short period of time would certainly have an extremely fierce medicinal property, and the risk would often be much greater than the reward. But Yun Che, after all, had the Phoenix Blood and Dragon’s Marrow, with the Great Way of the Buddha as protection; he could even consume and drink an Emperor Profound Dragon’s flesh and blood with the body of an Spirit Profound Realm back then. With a body of the Earth Profound Realm currently, consuming the Sky Profound Universal Pellet would be even less of a concern.

Even so, under the ferocious medicinal property of the Sky Profound Universal Pellet, it was still very unpleasant for Yun Che. As the medicinal power slowly dissolved outwards, the heat steam that flooded into his profound veins also became more and more ruthless and fierce. Even though his expression was calm on his face, his forehead was already quietly covered with fine, dense sweat.

………………………………

The time it took to absorb the Sky Profound Universal Pellet was around what Yun Che had expected. When he completely finished absorbing,and opened his eyes, it was already the early morning of the third day.

Yun Che stood up and extended his hands. In these three days, his clothes were soaked through once and once again by sweat, and was emitting a pungent smell of sweat. He opened up his palm, and a small profound energy whirlpool appeared in the center of his palm. And as he closed up his palm, the profound energy whirlpool immediately dispersed, letting out a resounding sound of popping air.

“The extent of the increase in power is about the same as I expected. From Sky Profound Realm, there is finally only one step away.” Yun Che clenched his fist, and muttered to himself: “Jasmine, how long did it take for me to absorb it.?”

“Three days.”

“Oh… What? Three days?!”

Yun Che quivered, and fiercely jumped up. He quickly took a look outside the window, judged the time a little, then scampered off toward the door: “Jasmine! Why didn’t you call me! Today is the date of the Ranking Tournament you know, there’s still quite a long distance from here to Phoenix City!”

“I don’t have the obligation to warn you.”

As he rushed to the doorstep, Yun Che stopped in his steps. He smelled his sleeves a little, and heavily shut the door he pulled open once again: “Oh well, let me take a bath first.”

Jasmine: “...”

——————————————————————

When Yun Che came rushing to the Phoenix City, it was already nearly nine in the morning. From the start of the Ranking Tournament, less than half an hour was left.

The front of the Phoenix City gate was surrounded by densely packed crowds. These people were all ones who weren’t qualified to enter, or didn’t manage to get an admission ticket, and could only unwillingly pace back and forth outside of the city, hoping they could receive the tournament feed at the first moment. Yun Che quickly pushed the crowd aside and rushed to the front of Phoenix City’s main city gate, then was stopped by two Phoenix disciples.

“Show your qualification for entrance.” One of the Phoenix disciples who stopped him said lazily. The same kind of words, he probably have repeated countless times today.

“I am the participant from Blue Wind Nation.” Yun Che said succinctly, and at the same time took out his participant emblem.

The moment the red participant emblem was taken out, the two Phoenix disciple’s gazes instantly concentrated in attention. As they made out the two words “Blue Wind” clearly, they looked at each other for a bit, and revealed the same kind of odd expression in their eyes. One of the Phoenix disciple shouted at the inside: “Senior Brother Zhanyun, Blue Wind Nation’s participant has arrived!”

“Hah? Blue Wind!?”

Very soon, a young person with a robust physique walked out. He saw the participant emblem in Yun Che’s hand at a glance, then gave him a stare and said softly: “We had thought that your Blue Wind Nation didn’t dare to come, you actually came at this time. You are treating this Ranking Tournament way too flippantly… Forget it, let me personally bring you guys in. Where are the people other than you?”

“None.” Yun Che shook his head: “Just me.”

“Hah? Just you alone?”

“That’s right, Blue Wind this time, only has me alone as the tournament participant. There aren’t any others, nor are there any escorts. I’ll trouble you to bring me in, the Ranking Tournament is about to start.” Yun Che said calmly.

Feng Zhanyun sized up Yun Che from head to toe, then probed his profound strength on a whim. The corner of his lips flattened, as he was too lazy to say anything else. He said heedlessly: “Oh well, since you’ve come, then come with me.”

“Senior Brother Zhanyun, should we report this to Great Elder?”

“No need.” Feng Zhanyun waved his hand: “The Ranking Tournament is about to start, there’s no need to distract him with such a trivial matter. After all, he’s only here to show a formality, just make the arrangements as you wish.”

Phoenix City was the core ground of Divine Phoenix Sect, and naturally wouldn’t let outsiders step in as they wish. The means to get through to Phoenix Realm’s core, was a somewhat long and narrow rigid passage. On both sides of the passage came the auras of fire profound formations. Clearly, anyone who dared to try to step into areas outside of the passageway would definitely encounter attacks by the profound formations.

Entering Phoenix Realm, before even nearing the Ranking Tournament’s arena, a wave of bustling and impassioned air had already blasted head on. When entering the arena, Yun Che’s entire person went stupefied for a bit.

Cang Wanhe had told him before, that to the Blue Wind’s profound practitioners, the Seven Nation Ranking Tournament was a disgrace they were most unwilling to talk about. But to the other six nations, it was the most important and grand occasion for the profound practitioning world that came every twenty five years. When a session of the Seven Nation Ranking Tournament approached, from emperors to commoners, none of them wouldn’t follow with all their heart. For this ranking tournament, they would even start preparing five years prior.

And at this moment, Yun Che finally began to understand what the “Seven Nation Ranking Tournament” seldomly mentioned by the Blue Wind Nation meant.

The enormous scale of the arena, far surpassed his expectations, and the overwhelming majority of the arena, was naturally the audience seats. At a glance, the crowds were bustling with activity, endless and boundless. From top to bottom, the entire arena was filled with people, and definitely was no less than several million in number. In the sky high above, numerous people were flying about like locusts.

Comparing the Blue Wind Ranking Tournament’s atmosphere and scale with this… It could be said that the Blue Wind Ranking Tournament wasn’t even qualified to be compared.

The incomparably enormous seating areas were divided into several sections, and every single section were filled with people, with no empty seats at all, but they still could be considered distinctively divided. At the frontmost area of the seating, Yun Che saw the respective insignias of five nations, and the five nation’s participants and escorts sat amongst these seats. Behind them, were all basically the supporters of their own country. Before the Ranking Tournament even began, the faces of each and every one of them were thoroughly flushed, their eyes glowed, and their expressions were filled with excitement and expectation. To them, being able to enter the ranking tournament’s scene to cheer for their own country and testify the tournament's course, was already an honor that they could flaunt for their entire lives.

The main seating area of the arena naturally belonged to Divine Phoenix Sect. However, the Divine Phoenix Sect’s frontmost seats were empty, and Divine Phoenix Sect’s big shots haven’t arrived yet.

Yun Che’s gaze quickly swept around, yet he couldn’t find Blue Wind’s seating area at all.

“Heh, how is it? Are you startled, is it that you’ve never seen such a great spectacle since the day you were born?” Feng Zhanyun asked as he looked at Yun Che with the corner of his eyes.

“Why is there no seating area for Blue Wind Nation?” Yun Che asked with his brows knitted.

“Why should there be?” Feng Zhanyun curled his lips, and asked back: “Your Blue Wind Nation’s profound practitioner coming to this Seven Nation’s Ranking Tournament, isn’t it just for making up the number of ‘Seven Nation’, or perhaps… Heheh, adding a little laughing stock. Speaking of which, you guys ought to have seats, after all, you lot are at least an independent nation. But up until three days ago, we still haven’t received any news from the Blue Wind Nation, and thought that you guys aren’t even bothering to ‘make up’ a number, so we didn’t prepare anything regarding your Blue Wind Nation, including seating.”

Yun Che’s brows tightened up, and didn’t speak.

This wasn’t a problem of whether or not seating was prepared, even if Blue Wind Nation declared to not participate a few months ahead of time, there still should be Blue Wind Nation’s seating area here… Because this was the most basic recognition and respect for a genuinely existing nation.

But in the entire arena right now, the six nations were all present, only Blue Wind Nation’s seating area didn’t exist… This was simply already not putting Blue Wind Nation in their eyes without any intention to hide it! It could even be a deliberate act of contempt and humiliation.

He believed that there must be many spectators from the Blue Wind Nation in the arena. Every single person of the Blue Wind Nation seeing this kind of scene, would definitely become so angry that their lungs would explode.

“And it’s fortunate that we didn’t prepare. Only a kid like you came from Blue Wind. Tsk tsk, if a chunk of seating for Blue Wind was reserved, that’d really be too wasteful. As for you… Hm, there aren’t any other empty seats, you can only stand here I suppose. When you are required to enter the stage, you can just fly over from here, how convenient is that… Oh right, you seemed to only be at the Earth Profound Realm, and can’t use the Profound Floating Technique yet. Then just do as you fit, I guess. I, Feng Zhanyun personally bringing you here, and even arranging a place here for you to stand, is already gaining a lot of face for you, enough for you to go flaunting about it for a decade or so.”

The “here” Feng Zhanyun was talking about, was a corner at the utmost edge of the colossal arena. Not only was the location extremely bad, the center of the arena couldn’t be seen if one’s eyepower wasn’t enough, it couldn’t even be considered a seat! If one really had to find an advantage for this position, it could only be that this location could overlook a great half of the arena.