Against the Gods

“New Moon City...” While softly muttering the name of the city where he was born and grew up in, the name that he should have been the most familiar with, Sikong Du’s voice was instead filled with a sense of grief and desolation. “There’s no longer a New Moon City anywhere... New Moon City was destroyed a long time ago... The entire Blue Wind Nation will be destroyed soon as well!!”

“...” Yun Che’s breathing suddenly became labored, and he forced himself to calm down. He kneeled while clutching Sikong Du’s shoulder and asked, “What exactly happened? While I was gone for three years... What exactly happened in Blue Wind Nation?”

“It was the Divine Phoenix Empire!!” The youth standing to the right of Sikong Du ground his teeth in anger as he exclaimed, “Three years ago, the Divine Phoenix Empire suddenly brought their armies to our borders and succeeded in breaching Southern Sky City in a single night, conquering the entire Southern Sky Region in less than two weeks... They didn’t declare war, there was no warning, nor was there even an explanation! Any envoys we sent would be executed immediately... Subsequently, the Divine Phoenix Army increased their numbers endlessly, all the way into the millions... They invaded our Blue Wind Nation like a pack of rabid dogs... New Moon City fell to their assault already over one year ago...”

“Wh… at?” Yun Che tightly clenched his fists, and he shook his head with great force, trying to calm himself down. He then asked in a heavy voice, “Why would the Divine Phoenix Empire suddenly invade? Three years ago... That’s basically right when I left! The Divine Phoenix Imperial Family should know perfectly well that the incident at the Primordial Profound Ark had to do with me rescuing Princess Snow from their Divine Phoenix Sect! Princess Snow is not only a princess to the Divine Phoenix Empire, she’s also an existence that stands above all else, and I am the prince consort of Blue Wind Nation... Just based on this alone, even if they’re not grateful to my Blue Wind Imperial Family, did not thank me or return the favor, what’s their basis for invading!!”

Sikong Du laughed wretchedly. “Everyone soon learned after your incident that you ‘perished’ in the Primordial Profound Ark in order to save Princess Snow of the Divine Phoenix Empire. Anyone with even the slightest conscience should remember the kindness you’ve done them... But the Divine Phoenix Empire... They don’t even have a shred of basic human decency! Grateful? What a joke! Not only have they invaded Blue Wind Nation’s territory, they’ve also destroyed our lands and castles and massacred our inhabitants... They’re just a pack of rabid dogs, a band of demons!!”

Just listening to the misery and revenge-fueled anger in Sikong Du’s voice would deeply engrave it into one’s heart, and the sixteen youths around him all showed flames of anger in their eyes while they grinded their teeth. Yun Che remained calm and said in a cold voice, “Wars on the Profound Sky Continent... have always been waged without harming the regular citizens! This is basic humanity! If nothing else, the Divine Phoenix Empire is the largest country on the Profound Sky Continent, and they’ve inherited the power of the phoenix... Why would they do such a thing!”

“I don’t know... I don’t know!” Sikong Du sounded like he was howling, and he shakily pointed in front of him. “Yun Che... take a look, see for yourself! This place, it used to contain a hundred kilometers of New Moon’s forestry and the New Moon Profound Palace, and we used to assess people’s proficiency levels here. But now... Nothing exists here! In order to break through our defensive lines quicker, they used phoenix flames to burn down the entire one hundred kilometers of the New Moon’s forest... leaving nothing behind!”

Yun Che: “...”

“Also... Our New Moon City,” Sikong Du pointed west, as his eyes welled up with tears, “they broke down the city gates and got into the city... In order to capture New Moon City quickly, they even went so far as burning the city... burning... and it was their Divine Phoenix Empire phoenix flames! Forty percent of New Moon City was burned to nothing but ashes... Forty percent! There were at least one million New Moon City residents that died to their phoenix flames! There were even more countless citizens that died to their swords... Anyone that resisted was killed, anyone that wouldn’t surrender was killed, anyone with profound energy was killed... In just three years, several tens of millions of people from our Blue Wind Nation have been killed by those Divine Phoenix dogs... Several tens of millions!!”

The devastation in Sikong Du’s voice kept increasing in magnitude, and each word contained enough hatred to pierce one’s soul. With his misery and howling, tears had started trailing down the cheeks of the sixteen youths around him long ago. One youth to his left slowly said, “We, were all disciples of the New Moon Profound Palace... But now, New Moon City has been destroyed, and the New Moon Profound Palace is gone as well. Instructor Sikong’s father... To buy time for us to escape, Instructor Sikong Han personally... personally... Right now, we haven’t even been able to find his remains.”

“None of us have families, or even relatives anymore... Our only goal in life, is to follow Instructor Sikong, and kill all Divine Phoenix dogs!” The youth that spoke up only seemed seventeen or eighteen years old, but there was an adamant will and... hatred in his eyes that didn’t seem befitting of his age.

“The Divine Phoenix Army is too strong, and our cultivation is too weak. There’s no way for us to fight them head-on. We can only hang around New Moon City and ambush Divine Phoenix soldiers that happen to be alone... Killing even one is fine, we want to kill as many of them as possible... There was quite a distance between us, and we vaguely saw a golden flame emblem on you, so we thought you were from the Divine Phoenix Army and attacked you.”

Yun Che slowly released Sikong Du and felt his vision going blurry. He took a look at the people around Sikong Du... The oldest among them was probably no more than twenty, and the youngest was around sixteen or so. Their clothes were tattered beyond repair, filled with bloodstains, and there were even more injuries than bloodstains on their bodies. One person was even injured to the extent where a third of his body was covered in blood-soaked bandages.

During his time in the Illusory Demon Realm, even though he wanted to return home as soon as possible, in his subconscious, he wasn’t really that worried about the safety of the people he cared about. That’s because the royalty would protect them in the Blue Wind Nation, and even if an incident really occurred, he also happened to be a disciple of the Frozen Cloud Asgard, so the Frozen Cloud Asgard would definitely defend them. Xia Qingyue wouldn’t ignore the relationship they had with each other.

The Divine Phoenix Sect that resented him should have only felt gratitude after he used his life to save Princess Snow, without wanting vengeance. As for Ye Xinghan, who he had angered so much... Ye Xinghan wanted him dead more than anything. Ye Xinghan didn’t have any reason to vent his anger out on other people after Yun Che was supposed to have died.

But he never dreamed that when he returned to the Blue Wind Nation, filled with joy after thinking about it for so long, what he witnessed was like an armageddon.

A burned city... Destruction... Massacre... Several tens of millions of Blue Wind citizens losing their lives...

Every word, every number, was as if they had been soaked in the bloody pools of hell, wriggling about with a vivid red.

Just why... did the Divine Phoenix Empire do this... This shouldn’t... This shouldn’t have happened!

His heart, was pounding fiercely. Even when he was forced into dire straits in Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley by Duke Ming, his emotions weren’t this chaotic. He took several deep breaths and said in as calm a voice as possible, “Senior Brother Sikong... What’s the current situation like in Blue Wind Nation? Is Blue Wind Imperial City alright?”

Sikong Du coughed violently, then said in a pained voice, “The invasion from those crazy Divine Phoenix dogs was so fearsome that they used such a large military force and would stoop to any tactics in order to conquer our Blue Wind Nation in the shortest amount of time possible... If it wasn’t for our empress, being so wise of judgement, placing seven ingenious lines of defense to allow us to defend against their numerical advantage with a force several times smaller, Blue Wind Nation might already have...”

“Empress? What do you mean by empress!!” Yun Che was suddenly shaken to his core, and his pupils dilated for an instant. He grabbed Sikong Du’s collar and growled, “Where’s my royal father, the emperor... Why is it empress?”

“The late emperor...” Sikong Du laughed bitterly. “The late emperor was assassinated, just two months after those Divine Phoenix dogs invaded.”

“~！#￥%…” Yun Che’s hands listlessly let go of Sikong Du, and his eyes went blank as his body shook and he fell over backwards.

“Big Brother!”

“Big Brother Yun!”

Xiao Yun and Number Seven Under Heaven hurriedly rushed to his support, and the moment they touched him, they clearly felt how icy cold Yun Che’s entire body was. They knew very little about the Profound Sky Continent, and of course they didn’t have any feelings towards it, but just Sikong Du’s description alone was enough to shock them deeply. And, to them, Yun Che was always the most reliable, to the extent of seeming capable of achieving the impossible. Even if the sky was crumbling, his expression wouldn’t change... It was obvious that these things have affected him immensely.

“I’m... fine.” Yun Che gently shook himself free from Xiao Yun and Number Seven Under Heaven, tilted his head backwards, and took deep breaths. However, his tightly clenched fists kept shaking uncontrollably, without stopping.

“Empress Cang Yue is really amazing!” The youth to the right of Sikong Du couldn’t help but speak up with a deep amount of yearning and respect in his eyes, “When the late emperor was assassinated, none of the garbage princes wanted to be the ruler of a dying kingdom. They were also all afraid of being assassinated, so none of them dared to inherit the throne. It’s our Empress Cang Yue that took it upon herself to assume these heavy responsibilities. At first, we thought that Blue Wind Nation would perish even quicker if a princess became our ruler. But, Empress Cang Yue is even more amazing than the previous emperor. Even though she remains in the imperial palace, she’s knows Blue Wind Nation like the palm of her hand, always able to use of the shape of the land to her advantage and complete the most perfect lines of defense... And she’s not as indecisive as most women. She’ll decisively give things up and concentrate on defense... Especially the battle at the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range, Empress Cang Yue had prepared a large amount of beast attracting incense long ago, and she managed to cause a countless number of profound beasts to attack those Divine Phoenix dogs... They were stuck behind that line of defense for several months!”

“...Yue’er.” Yun Che gently murmured under his breath as his vision fogged up. Before he met Cang Yue, she had already been to many profound palaces and big cities. She had personally been to most of Blue Wind Nation’s regions before she met him at New Moon City. So it was only natural that she would understand the lay of the land and how to use it to her advantage so well. As for the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range... That was where they faced their first tribulation together; it was also where they confessed to each other. There were countless profound beasts there, and they also encountered an incredibly vicious bandit group... and that bandit group was only able to enter the central portion of the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range due to the aid of an unique beast attracting incense. She must have gotten her inspiration from there and thought of it again...

It’s just that... My Yue’er, you’re actually using your frail and delicate body to shoulder the burden of defending against the Divine Phoenix Empire’s violent invasion... You’ve carried the weight of the entire Blue Wind Nation by yourself for three whole years...

These three years, just how much bitterness did you endure, how much fatigue did you incur, how much did your heart get broken, how many tears did you cry...

Yun Che felt like his heart was being pierced by a sword. Then, he forcefully closed his eyes and asked in a low voice, “My royal father... How was he assassinated... What about Heavenly Sword Villa? With the Divine Phoenix Empire invading us like this, according to their oaths to the ancestors, even if Heavenly Sword Villa doesn’t use all of its resources in assisting us, at the very least they should have protected my royal father’s life. After all, they have Mighty Heavenly Sword Region backing them up. If they were at his side, assassins from Divine Phoenix Empire shouldn’t have been able to rob my royal father of his life!”

“Heavenly Sword Villa?” Sikong Du scoffed in disgust with a faint smile. “That used to be a place I looked up to so much, but... This time, with the Divine Phoenix invasion, while they were trampling our soil and committing unspeakable crimes against both heaven and humanity, when the country is about to be destroyed, not only did Heavenly Sword Villa not take up the mantle of leadership in the Blue Wind Nation to resist against them, they’ve shut themselves in their villa and are ignoring everything that’s going on!!”

“It’s rumored that the imperial household has requested reinforcements from Heavenly Sword Villa a total of nine times, but Heavenly Sword Villa ignored them every time, even up to today! Hmph... It’s true, Heavenly Sword Villa does indeed have power and fame. Those rabid Divine Phoenix dogs haven’t gone anywhere near the Heavenly Sword Mountain Range. But have they forgotten that they’re also members of Blue Wind Nation, and that the earth beneath their feet belongs to Blue Wind Nation, and even the blood in their bodies is that of Blue Wind Nation’s! The most powerful existence in Blue Wind Nation, a presence that everyone could only look up to... They actually turned out to be a bunch of cowards afraid of death, weaklings that break their oaths! They’re nothing compared to us!”

Yun Che gnashed his teeth so much that he almost broke them all.

“The royalty also requested aid from the other five countries, but not even one of them responded... We learned later that, before those Divine Phoenix dogs invaded our Blue Wind Nation, they signed long term peace treaties with each of the other five countries.” A youth with a serious injury on his right arm ground his teeth as he spat that out.

“Right now, Blue Wind Imperial City is almost about to fall as well. I just hope... that Empress Cang Yue will be able to escape safely.”

“What did you say!?” In a flash, Yun Che instantly rushed in front of that person. “Blue Wind Imperial City... is about to fall?”

Yun Che’s current expression was so frightening, and combined with his loss of self control, it scared the youth in front of him so much that he hurriedly backed up without daring to take a breath. Then, he said with a panicked expression, “We got the news this morning... Just yesterday... Yesterday, around this time, seven hundred thousand troops from the Divine Phoenix Army have approached the imperial city, and the Divine Phoenix Army in other regions as well, are all gathering in the imperial city’s direction at full speed... It’s already been one full day, so it’s likely that the imperial city has already... already...”

It was as if something exploded within Yun Che’s brain. He clenched his teeth as hard as he possibly could, he had to calm down, cool down... calm down... He absolutely had to calm down!!

Yun Che reached for the Sky Poison Pearl, brought out a dozen or so light green medicine pills, and placed them on Sikong Du’s hand. “Senior Brother Sikong, this medicine, have everybody take one. It can quickly heal your injuries, as well as increase your profound energy by at least a great realm.”

The green medicine was tiny, but from its scent alone, Sikong Du and everyone else suddenly felt their bodies becoming lighter, as if their souls were instantly cleansed. Even the bottlenecks in cultivation that they hadn’t been able to breakthrough seemed to show evidence of loosening... If only the scent had such an effect, they instantly believed, with shock and awe, that the wondrous properties of this medicine has definitely surpassed any medicine that they’ve ever seen before. So much so that it well surpassed their knowledge of what medicine could do.

Sikong Du took the medicine in a bit of a daze and was about to say something when he discovered that Yun Che had already vanished before him... Not only that, but there was only a frenzied gust of wind, departing at great speed.

“Big Brother!”

“Let’s go!” Number One Under Heaven simultaneously grabbed Xiao Yun and Number Seven Under Heaven, and his profound energy surged throughout his entire body as he chased after Yun Che.

In just a moment, Yun Che had ran a distance of five kilometers. When he slowed down, summoned the Primordial Profound Ark, and took Number One Under Heaven and the others into the ark with him, he then calculated the approximate distance and direction to Blue Wind Imperial City. After some violent spacial distortions, the Primordial Profound Ark tore open a dimensional wall and vanished into the vacuums of space.

This Chapter's Teaser