Against the Gods

Demon Imperial City, Mu Family Residence.

“Even though the truth is far more terrifying than what we had previously known, based on our present circumstances, there is no need to be too pessimistic.” Mu Yubai said as he furrowed his brows, “For the past one hundred years, the main reason why Duke Huai Palace was able to gather so much power and allegiance is due to the Little Demon Empress. Firstly, it is because she is a woman. Secondly, it is because she did not have the Demon Emperor’s Seal. Because of that, there was no way to awaken her bloodline, so she did not possess the awe-inspiring power of a Demon Emperor that was able to oppress everyone. Furthermore, she had no qualified successors, so once Duke Huai Palace displayed sufficient power and presented them with the appropriate threats and temptations, the convictions of those Duke Palaces and Guardian Families would naturally be shaken...

“But now the world has witnessed the Little Demon Empress receiving the Demon Emperor’s Seal, so it won’t be too long before she awakens her bloodline to become unrivaled under heaven. At the moment, those powers who have aligned with Duke Huai Palace are already beginning to feel frightened and restless. Furthermore, during today’s events, Yun Che won over the hearts of all heroes of the realm, causing them to side with the Yun Family, while also hinting towards Duke Huai’s ambition… As a result, Duke Huai Palace will definitely not dare to act recklessly for at least the next twenty years! Unless they want to live with the wrath of the entire realm directed against them!”

“That is indeed the case.” Mu Yuqing and Mu Yukong nodded their heads in agreement.

Yun Qinghong took one look at Yun Che’s expression and he said, “Che’er, it seems like you do not think that things will pan out this way.”

Yun Che raised his head slightly, then said in a bland voice, “However, if the Little Demon Empress were to suddenly die… Then the threat posed by the Demon Emperor’s Seal and any other worries that Duke Huai Palace had would instantly disappear!”

Yun Che’s words caused everyone to sit up straight. Yun Qinghong replied, “So you are worried… that Duke Huai Palace is going to try to assassinate the Little Demon Empress?”

“That's absolutely impossible!” Mu Feiyan said with a large flourish of his hand, “Even if Duke Huai Palace possessed a strength that was ten times stronger, and even if you were to give Duke Huai himself ten times more guts, he will still definitely not dare to make a move against the Little Demon Empress! The Little Demon Empress is extremely strong herself and the number of experts she has at her side are like clouds in the sky. Even if it is Duke Huai Palace, assassinating the Little Demon Empress is a task that is harder than climbing to the heavens. On the contrary, the Little Demon Empress has long looked forward to the day that Duke Huai Palace attempted to assassinate her. Because once she is able to grab hold of some proof, she would be able to openly make public of Duke Huai Palace’s ambition and convict them of the crime of regicide, causing them to be ostracized by the whole realm… what Duke Huai wants is to become the Demon Emperor and rule all under heaven. He does not have the capability or the guts to do something that would arouse universal condemnation.”

“I understand the point you are making.” Yun Che’s brows still remained knit together, “What I am worried about is that if the Little Demon Empress is by herself… they might seize the opportunity and do the deed without leaving behind a single trace. That would be a complete disaster.”

“That will naturally not be possible.” Mu Feiyan waved his hand again, “Given the wisdom of the Little Demon Empress, she will definitely not present such an opportunity to Duke Huai Palace. The Little Demon Empress normally does not go beyond a one hundred and fifty kilometer radius of Demon Imperial City. Even if she does meet danger when she is alone and outside the city proper, the resulting profound energy vibrations will be sufficient to alert the entire Demon Imperial City.”

Yun Che was naturally extremely clear on this particular point… When he had seen the Little Demon Empress for the first time that night, just a simple wave of her hand caused an area that was five kilometers wide to be engulfed in a sea of fire. Given the strength of a Sovereign, an all-out fight between them would cause profound energy vibrations that would extend beyond five hundred kilometers.

But Mu Feiyan’s words still failed to reassure Yun Che regarding this matter. He pinched his eyebrows and he spoke as his mind continued to churn, “The first day I came to Demon Imperial City, I heard Xiao Yun tell me that lightning and fire within Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley was very thick and there were even many lightning spirits and fire spirits living within… Is it a world where the natural laws are different from the outside world?”

“That is right.” Yun Qinghong nodded his head, “The existence of Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley is something that goes beyond all historical records. The public explanation has always been: In ancient times, the Divine Beast Golden Crow descended on upon the Illusory Demon Realm, and the present Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley, is its initial resting place. After it left, it also left behind a spark of its divine soul and its bloodline legacy. Using its incomparable divine strength, it created a semi-autonomous world where its resting place used to be, a world where the laws of fire are completely bent… As for why that place has lightning spirits as well, it has always been a mystery and the legends generally speak of there being a powerful mysterious treasure which contains the essence of lightning.”

“So that is how it is… since it is a semi-autonomous world which possesses different laws from the outside world, those fire and lightning spirits cannot escape from the world at their convenience. Any profound energy vibrations and explosions will also not affect the outside world and no one will be able to send any sound transmissions to the outside world from the inside as well… Are all of my assertions correct?”

“You are indeed correct.” Yun Qinghong nodded his head as he understood what Yun Che was thinking, “Che’er, are you worried… that the reason the Little Demon Empress suddenly called off the ceremony and left the premises is so that she could go to Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley by herself?”

“Yes!” Yun Che nodded heavily, “The Little Demon Empress has endured one hundred years of danger and pressure; her greatest desire is to awaken her own bloodline and attain unparalleled profound strength. Today was the Little Demon Empress’ Hundred Year Reign Ceremony, all the heroes of the realm were gathered and the entire scenario had shifted in her favor due to my actions. Yet when she received the Demon Emperor’s Seal, she immediately and abruptly announced that the ceremony was over… and she immediately left after that without any explanation. The reason that she gave, that she wanted to use the Demon Emperor’s Seal to present a sacrifice to the late Demon Emperor, is a reason that I am unable to accept. I have thought of many, many reasons but the only reason that I think is plausible is this one. In order to prevent any new problems from arising after she had received the Demon Emperor’s Seal, she chose to waste no time and proceed to Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley in order to awaken her bloodline!”

“Also, even though she had left in a hurried and decisive manner, she still mentioned that there was ‘still half a month to the opening of Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley’. These words were completely unnecessary, and rather it seemed like… she was deliberately reminding everyone that Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley was only opening in half a month’s time, in order to conceal the fact that she was now able to open Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley by herself.”

Yun Qinghong’s brows arched and now he finally understood why, after the ceremony had abruptly stopped, Yun Che would suddenly ask him whether Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley could be independently opened, and whether there were other ways to open it. He looked at Mu Feiyan and said, “Father-in-law, have you ever heard of a secret method that the Demon Emperor’s clan has which can forcibly open Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley?”

Mu Feiyan furrowed his brows in thought but he slowly shook his head, “I have never heard of such a thing. Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley has always opened and closed autonomously, and the barrier sealing Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley is something that no one would be able to break. During the ten thousand year reign of the line of the Demon Emperors, there hasn’t been a single Demon Emperor or anyone else for that matter who has been able to enter Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley while it is still closed. So this particular worry of yours should be a superfluous one.”

“There are no absolute things in this world!” Yun Che declared solemnly, “The reason why it has not happened in the past is because the line of the Demon Emperor had never been plunged into crisis like it has been today. So there was never any need for them to forcibly enter Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley. Furthermore, because of the respect they had towards the land of the Golden Crow, they would not barge in without a good reason… But that does not mean the Demon Emperor’s clan would not have any means of forcibly entering within. If there was really such a method… even if us Guardian Families do not know about it, it does not mean that none of the Duke Palaces are as clueless as us either. Because they are also part of the Illusory Demon Royal Family, so they will naturally know some secrets that pertain to the Royal Family itself.”

“And even if all the other Duke Palaces do not know of it… It does not mean that Duke Huai Palace would not know. When Duke Huai Palace first started their schemes, the first thing they would do is to use any and all methods to completely uncover all of the secrets and hidden cards possessed by the Demon Emperor Clan. In this period of time, they have been able to cause the deaths of the late Demon Emperor and the Little Demon Emperor. They have also divided the strength of the Guardian Families while causing the line of the Demon Emperor to be left with only the Little Demon Empress. Yet through all of this, they are still able to hoodwink the entire Illusory Demon Realm. I have to admit that even though the methods of Duke Huai Palace are extremely evil, they are also excellent at what they do. I definitely believe that they have the ability to ferret out the secrets of the Demon Emperor Clan that no one else would know.”

The strength of Duke Huai Palace was something that no one could deny. Especially after they had peeled back the truth today, everyone was alarmed to find out that Duke Huai Palace was far more terrifying than what they had anticipated. Yun Qinghong said with sunken brows, “So what you are worried about is that the Little Demon Empress may just know a method to forcibly enter Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley, so she abruptly stopped the ceremony to immediately head over there. In order to not alert anyone to her plans, especially Duke Huai Palace, she went by herself… However, Duke Huai Palace may very well know this secret as well, and after guessing where the Little Demon Empress was headed to, they would follow in behind her in order to assassinate the Little Demon Empress?!”

“Yes.” Yun Che slowly nodded his head, “Even though it is only a guess, if by any chance… if by any chance that guess is correct, then the Little Demon Empress is in extreme danger!! Once the Little Demon Empress dies, the Demon Emperor’s bloodline will vanish forever. And once that happens, the strongest Duke Huai Palace can openly and uprightly assume the mantle of Demon Emperor!”

“Hahaha.” Even though Yun Che’s words were exceptionally solemn, Mu Feiyan laughed out loud instead, “You are truly worthy of being called my grandson, your intellect is simply brilliant, and you are even more meticulous and prudent than that Duke Huai. However, this worry of yours is still rather unfounded, no?”

Mu Feiyan continued in a carefree voice, “Che’er, even if your guesses are completely correct and the Little Demon Empress did indeed know a method to forcibly enter Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley and went by herself, even if it turns out like what you have just said, that Duke Huai Palace also knows about this method, guessed her location, and sent experts to follow her into Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley… The Little Demon Empress had left immediately, so no matter how fast Duke Huai Palace can react, they would only be able to enter after her. Given the power of the Little Demon Empress, she has definitely entered the Golden Crow’s Ancestral Land before they would be able to catch up. The Golden Crow’s Ancestral Land is restricted to only those of the Demon Emperor’s bloodline who also carry with them the Demon Emperor’s Seal. Once the Little Demon Empress has entered that place, even if the people from Duke Huai Palace all grew three heads and six arms, they would still be helpless to do anything to her. If they tried to forcibly enter… it is even more likely that it would arouse the ire of the Golden Crow Soul; they would all be reduced to ashes.”

“Once the Little Demon Empress emerges from the Golden Crow’s Ancestral Land, she will have awakened her bloodline and she will also possess the 《Golden Crow’s Record of the Burning World》. So even if the entire Duke Huai Palace was mobilized, they wouldn’t even be able to do a thing against her.”

“Therefore, there is no need to worry too much about this. The Little Demon Empress may not have stopped the ceremony because she wanted to pay her respects to the late Demon Emperor, but she definitely has a special reason for it and she also has her reasons for not telling us as well. If she really went to Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley to awaken her bloodline as soon as possible, in order to get rid of all the restlessness and uncertainty, then that is also an extremely good thing.”

Compared to the guesses of Yun Che, the words of Mu Feiyan were orderly and reasonable; there was not a single flaw to be found in his logic. If the Little Demon Empress had really wanted to go to Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley to awaken her bloodline as soon as she possibly could, then she definitely did so at the greatest speed possible, without pausing to take even a single breath….

Yun Che also silently considered Duke Huai’s reaction after the ceremony had ended… He had left in complete fury and his murderous intent towards Yun Che overflowed, but his footsteps were not hurried in the least when he had left. While his eyes were filled with murderous intent and hatred, they also did not have a trace of anxiousness within them. If Duke Huai was going to act as he had guessed, then he should have left with the greatest speed, since preparing his forces would definitely take some time.

Could it be that all of his guesses and worries were really just a product of an overactive imagination?

Since they were at the Mu Family household, they naturally could not avoid being fiercely detained by Mu Feiyan for a family dinner.

Once the time had come to leave the Mu Family residence, the curtain of night had already been draped across the sky. The streets of Demon Imperial City had begun to quiet down and it seemed to be even quieter than before.

Yun Che’s feet came to a sudden halt not even five hundred meters since they left the gates of the Mu Family residence, and he sincerely said, “Father, Mother, Xiao Yun, go back without me first… I want to make a trip to Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley myself.”

“Ah? Why?” Xiao Yun said with a face filled with shock.

Yun Qinghong pinched his brows, “Are you still worried that your guesses will come to fruition?”

“Che’er, didn’t your grandfather already tell you that even if your guesses are all correct, the Little Demon Empress still wouldn’t be in any danger?” Mu Yurou said gently.

“Grandfather’s words are indeed absolutely correct. However, I just have this horrible premonition.” Yun Che said as he furrowed his brows.

“Pre… Premonition?” Xiao Yun asked.

“I have never suspected my instincts.” Yun Che solemnly declared, “Because it has saved my life countless times!”

“Uh….” Xiao Yun said with a clueless face.

This Chapter’s Teaser