Against the Gods

“In this one month, besides the two portions of will you used to keep the Little Demon Empress safe, the rest of your consciousness had sunk into a complete trance as you entered the state of deep cultivation, so it was impossible for you to clearly keep track of the flow of time.” Jasmine’s bland voice carried just that slightest bit of schadenfreude, “So what you felt was just a few hours was in actuality an entire thirty days. If not for those worries within your subconscious mind, it would not be strange for you to maintain that state of immersion for a few years, or even a few decades.”

“~！#￥%... Then why didn’t you wake me up?” Yun Che nearly blew his top.

“Why would I want to wake you up?” Jasmine asked disdainfully, “For such a rare state of cultivation, I would rather you have continue to be in this state perpetually.”

“....” If not for the fact that he simply could not win against Jasmine, Yun Che truly felt like grabbing her and giving her a good spanking. He hurriedly looked towards the Little Demon Empress… Even though it had been more than a month, the energy he used to obstruct the flames had never disappeared. So there was not a single scorch mark on the Little Demon Empress’ body. It was also at this time that the Little Demon Empress suddenly opened her eyes and looked directly at him.

“You have finally come to your senses.” The Little Demon Empress said in a cold and dull voice.

Even though her tone was not kind, but her voice and her face did not show a single sign of weakness. This led Yun Che to let out a huge sigh of relief. He replied in a rather embarrassed tone, “Such a long period of time has passed… why didn’t you wake me up?”

“You had clearly slipped into an enlightened state of cultivation where you entered the state of nothingness; this state is something that is rare for a profound practitioner to encounter even once in his life. Unless I reach the stage where I can no longer go on, I will definitely not disturb you.” The Little Demon Empress gave Yun Che a deep look, “The profound energy you infused into my body actually ensured that my life’s vital energy did not dissipate in the slightest for a whole thirty days… and within this Sea of Death, you could still actually reach a state of enlightenment… you are simply an unimaginable, freakish monster.”

“Little Demon Empress, I thank you for your praises.” Yun Che replied without much strength, “But now you should believe, that as long as we can leave this place, I will definitely have a method to restore your lifeline!”

The two people did not continue to speak but they eyed each other with complex looks on their faces as they each knew what the other was thinking about. They had unknowingly been in the Sea of Death for an entire month, so the news of the Little Demon Empress’ “death” should have spread through the entire Illusory Demon Realm. Demon Imperial City must have been plunged into a sea of chaos, and because it had just so happened to be the Little Demon Empress’ Grand Ceremony, all the heroes of the realm would still be gathered in Demon Imperial City….

Right now, the scenario in Demon Imperial City had definitely undergone a drastic change. Even though Duke Huai Palace would not be able to take the throne in such a short period of time, given the power that he held in his hands, he would definitely be able to dominate the proceedings. Moreover, there would be an implosive increase the number of factions aligned with Duke Huai Palace now.... and those who were steadfastly loyal to the Demon Emperor’s clan, especially the Yun Family and Mu Family who knew the true reason behind the Little Demon Empress’ death, would definitely be completely suppressed by Duke Huai Palace.

Furthermore, there was still the terrifying Duke Ming who was lurking behind the scenes….

“We need to leave this place right away!” The Little Demon Empress exclaimed.

“Yes!” Yun Che instantly replied. Since an entire month had passed, Duke Ming and Duke Huai would definitely not still be in Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley. He fiercely inhaled and then shot upwards… travelling through Golden Crow lava. Merely thinking about this kind of scenery would cause countless profound practitioners to tremble in fear, but when Yun Che travelled through it, it was even easier and simpler than flying through the air. Because even the thinnest of air would cause some obstacles for him, while the extremely concentrated fire element would instead endless assist him.

The Sea of Death stretched for one thousand five hundred kilometers; it was incomparably huge and no one knew how deep it went. Yun Che had been immersed in it for one month but he didn’t even know where in the Sea of Death he was right now. As fast as a bolt of lightning, he kept shooting upwards, but what he saw in front of him was still a vast purgatory of lava.

It was only after tens of breaths later that Yun Che finally felt the fire energy begin to get thinner. In the next instant, as their eyes were assaulted by a dazzling array of light, he and the Little Demon Empress finally broke through the lava and left the Sea of Death after staying inside for thirty days. It was the same Sea of Death that was strong enough to cause countless of strong Sovereigns to die within it.

The molten lava in the Sea of Death would continuously roll about and move, so their current location was naturally not where their previous location was when they had entered the Sea of Death. Yun Che gazed keenly at his surroundings, and even given his vision, he could only see scarlet lava wherever he looked. There was nothing else he could see besides the lava and even the sky was not the deep purple of Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley. It was the scarlet red of fire.

It was impossible to orientate oneself within the boundless Sea of Death. Yun Che stood in one spot and surveyed his surroundings for a long time before finally seeing an extremely faint purple color in the extreme south-east direction, at a place where the Sea of Death nearly touched the horizon.

The skies above the Sea of Death were a scarlet red but the skies above Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley were purple!

Yun Che locked on to that location and rushed south-east. Using Extreme Mirage Lightning, it was not before long that the faint purple color slowly became more and more obvious as it gradually became thicker.

Upon leaving the Sea of Death, the rate at which he absorbed the energy of heaven and earth decreased by several tens of times and Yun Che could suddenly feel the Little Demon Empress’ vital energy clearly slipping away as her breathing also became disorderly… After all, she was still in the state where her lifeline had been broken and her life had been cut short!

Yun Che gathered all the profound energy in his body and brought his speed to its maximum limit. One hour later, the borders of the Sea of Death was finally reflected in his vision. Bolts of purple lightning rained down from the sky, accompanied by the ear-splitting roar of thunder.

“We have nearly reached Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley!” Yun Che yelled in a low voice as the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley in front of him grew nearer and nearer. Yun Che rolled into a somersault and the surrounding heat waves around his body were roughly dispelled. When his feet had touched the ground, following his descent from the air, Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley was beneath his feet.

“Phew!” Yun Che exhaled a long breath, then looked towards the Little Demon Empress, “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” The Little Demon Empress shoved him with the palm of her hand and struggled free from her grasp, “You personally said before that the greatest secret of my Demon Emperor’s clan was that I could take half a step into the Divine Profound Realm! That secret… just what is it? Demon Imperial City is definitely in great chaos now, so no matter what… I cannot allow Duke Huai Palace to have their way!”

One hour had elapsed from the time they had left the Sea of Death to now. The Little Demon Empress’ aura had already greatly weakened and even speaking caused her to gasp heavily.

Yun Che did not bother about the Little Demon Empress resistance and extended his hand to press it against her shoulder. He activated the Great Way of the Buddha and infused all of the energy of heaven and earth he had gathered into her body, doing his utmost to preserve her life’s vitality, “That is your Demon Emperor’s clan secret, so I am obligated to tell it to you, but before that, we must first leave this place and restore your lifeline… Don’t worry, I am at least seventy percent confident that I will be able to completely restore your lifeline, but not in this place! Because I require a large amount of Purple Veined Heaven Crystal, more than ten kinds of spirit jade and more than thirty kinds of spirit herbs, and it is impossible that Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley will have such things… If you have not even repaired your lifeline, don’t even bother thinking about some half step into the Divine Profound Realm.”

“Since you could forcibly open Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley’s sealing profound formation to enter this place, then you should also be able to figure out a way to get out as well, right?” Yun Che asked in a voice filled with hope.

“....I was only able to enter because of the Demon Emperor’s Seal. If I used the Demon Emperor’s Seal, we could indeed force our way out of this place. But the Demon Emperor’s Seal has already been stolen away by Duke Ming… and he knows all the secrets of Demon Emperor’s Seal like the back of his hand.” The Little Demon Empress replied as she ground her teeth.

“Then… is there are any other way to get out?” Yun Che asked as his brows knit together.

“Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley is an independent world, there isn’t any exits that exist. If we do not rely on the Demon Emperor’s Seal, the only way for us to leave this place is when the sealing profound formation reasserts itself once again, and the energy field generated from that event forcefully expels us, but….” The Little Demon Empress’ face had become pale and her voice was getting weaker and weaker, “But every time the sealing profound formation is opened, the next time it will open again is five years later, and even if one uses the Demon Emperor’s Seal, it can only be forcefully opened once every one hundred years and after that, it would be impossible to forcefully open it again within that period of time.”

Five years….

That would simply take too long...

Given the Little Demon Empress’ condition, it would be hard for her to hold on for even five days… But, if they spent the entire five years immersed in the Sea of Death, given the abundance of the energy of heaven and earth, he could indeed ensure that the Little Demon Empress would not die within these five years. But five years were not one month, and there were too many things that could change in this period of five years! It would give Duke Huai Palace enough time to consolidate their hold over the entire Illusory Demon Realm and it would be sufficient for the Yun Family to fall into complete decline… or even complete destruction….

It was even sufficient time to allow Illusory Demon Realm to gradually accept and begin to become accustomed to the extinction of the line of the Demon Emperor.

And in five years, there were too many things they would be unable to save. Whether it was for the Little Demon Empress or for Yun Che, it was something that they definitely could not accept.

“Is there really any other way?” Yun Che said as he also ground his teeth together.

The Little Demon Empress’ chest heaved and she said rather pensively, “Go to the Golden Crow’s Ancestral Land… and beg the Golden Crow’s Divine Spirit to send us out of here. That is the only option we have left. Since I am still someone who bears the bloodline of the Golden Crow… it might perhaps work.”

“Alright!”

Yun Che carried the Little Demon Empress and flew into the air, speeding off in the direction the Little Demon Empress had indicated.

“Little Demon Empress, I recall that Duke Ming addressed you as “Princess Caiyi’, could it be that in the past, you enjoyed wearing colorful clothing… because the grey and stolid clothes you are wearing now are really ugly.”

The Little Demon Empress expression and eyes remained wooden, “ ‘Caiyi’ is only the name that I had previously. My Demon Emperor’s clan’s surname is ‘Huan’ so my surname is Huan and my name is Caiyi, it is merely a name, and it is a name that I myself have nearly forgotten.”

“I do not believe that it is merely as simple as it being a name.” Yun Che said as he looked forward, “If you did not wear beautiful, multi-colored clothes, then why would they call you ‘Princess Caiyi’? It is because you bear the a terrible burden and harbor vengeance in your heart that you are perpetually clothed in grey, isn’t it?”

Little Demon Empress, “....”

“Sigh.” Yun Che gave a light sigh and his voice contained a trace of melancholy and deep compassion, “After all, you are only a woman, there is no need to treat yourself in such a manner… To change your previously colorful life into an overcast and silent world of loneliness… For you to treat yourself in such a manner, that is far too cruel. I have heard from several people that long ago, you were the publicly acknowledged number one beauty in the entire Illusory Demon Realm. And even if you are covered in grey, your beauty is something that cannot be hidden. I really wish to know just how beautiful you would be if you were to wear a set of luxurious, multi hued clothes… that would truly be the number one beauty in the Illusory Demon Realm, so splendorous that it would dazzle the eyes.”

The Little Demon Empress’ icy-cold palm was pressed against Yun Che’s chest, “You are not allowed to spew nonsense anymore! Even if I am in this state, killing you… would be as easy as flipping my wrist!”

Yun Che did not look the least bit frightened. Instead, he curled his lips and laughed, “I am not afraid of your threats at all… On the contrary, I completely understand your thoughts and actions for the past hundred years, because for a period of time, I was exactly like you; hatred and vengeance were the only things that I had.”

“You?” The Little Demon Empress had been moved by his words and she swivelled her eyes to meet his, discovering that a clear pain flashed across his pupils for an instant.

Yun Che slowly said, “Hatred is a kind of terrifying poison; it had previously covered my eyes, nibbled away at my rationality and completely buried my emotions… I previously believed that what I had done was right, and it was something that I had to do, even if I was consigned to eternal damnation in the end. I believed that my unceasing relentless vengeance would comfort ‘his’ spirit in heaven. But when ‘she’ had perished, the words that she used the last of her life’s energy to say, was for me to forsake ‘vengeance’….”

“It was only in that moment that I understood. Their spirits in heaven did not desire me take revenge on their behalf, they only desired that I lived a good life. The better my life was, the more comforted they would be… If I buried myself in the deep abyss of pain and hatred, it would only cause them even more pain. It would also cause pain to those who were still alive and by my side… At the very end, I had reached an outcome which I could never ever recover from.”

The Little Demon Empress’ hand slowly moved away from Yun Che’s chest and her eyes had turned misty. After that, she slowly said, “We have arrived.”

In front of them was a mountain wall and in front of this wall was a slowly revolving profound formation which burned with golden fire.

This was the end of Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley, the place where the Golden Crow’s Ancestral Lands were!

Chinese 101 with alyschu: Huan Caiyi (幻彩衣) = Little Demon Empress’ name. 彩衣 means colorful clothes/attire.

This Chapter’s Teaser