Against the Gods

“The Frozen End Divine Art made a sudden appearance a thousand years ago due to the Frozen Cloud Ancestor, Mu Bingyun. Before that there were no previous records of it. Didn’t you find something fishy about that? This profound art is not as simple as you believe it to be… and if you want to cultivate it, you will need the blood or soul of a certain divine beast. If not, even if your comprehension is top-notch and you are able to understand it, you will never be able to release even the teeniest bit of its power.”

“Just like how someone that does not have the Phoenix bloodline will never be able to truly cultivate the ‘World Ode of the Phoenix’!”

“What?” This time Yun Che was not just taken aback, he was truly shocked, “So what you’re saying is that the Frozen End Divine Art is actually a primordial divine art that was left behind by a certain divine beast?”

“Wait, wait, that’s not right!” Yun Che suddenly recalled something as he blurted out a response, “If that’s the case, then how come I can cultivate it? And how the heck did Qingyue cultivate it as well?”

“Hmph, that is because Xia Qingyue has the Nine Profound Exquisite Body, so she can break through the boundaries of most natural laws! As for you, you have the Evil God Profound Veins, so you can ignore both the natural order and the laws of nature. Moreover, you also have the Water Spirit Evil Body… All those years ago, you managed to forcibly skip four levels of the World Ode of the Phoenix and comprehend the fifth and sixth level of it, so forcibly cultivating the Frozen End Divine Art was the much easier feat by far.” Jasmine explained in a bland voice. However, she had not mentioned any of this before Yun Che had returned to the Profound Sky Continent, she only felt that the Frozen End Divine Art seemed somewhat familiar.

“However, whether it was you or Xia Qingyue, even though the Frozen End Divine Art that the both of you use far outstrips that of any normal ice-based profound art, it is merely a pale shadow of the true Frozen End Divine Art… but if you think about it, the true ‘Frozen End Divine Art’ is a primordial divine art that is on the same level as the World Ode of the Phoenix!”

“On the same level as the… World Ode of the Phoenix?” Yun Che exclaimed in shock. He had rarely used the Frozen End Divine Art after he had learned it because even though it could produce several peculiar effects in certain situations, in terms of raw strength it was far weaker than the World Ode of the Phoenix or the Golden Crow’s Record of the Burning World. If their strength was supposed to be on the same level… then did it also mean that the primordial divine beast who passed it down was an existence that was on the same level as the Phoenix?”

“During the Primordial Era of the Gods, the Vermillion Bird, the Phoenix and the Golden Crow were the three supreme fire attribute beasts. The element of water also had three supreme rulers as well, and that was the Blue Dragon, the Ice Phoenix and the Ice Qilin! Ice was the form of water that possessed the most might, so the Ice Phoenix’s and Ice Qilin’s power was governed by ice. Only the Blue Dragon’s power was governed by water, so the power of its ice was inferior to that of the Ice Phoenix and the Ice Qilin.”

“Furthermore, this ‘Frozen End Divine Art’ is actually the primordial divine art that was passed down by the Ice Phoenix!”

“Ice… Phoenix?” This was the first time that Yun Che had ever heard that name, he replied in a low voice, “Phoenix… Ice Phoenix… Could it be a primordial divine beast that was related to the Phoenix but possessed a contrasting element instead? Since this was something that was passed down by the Frozen Cloud Ancestor, Mu Bingyun, then it means that she could cultivate it, which in turn means… that she received the inheritance of the Ice Phoenix Divine Beast?”

“So this means that besides the legacies of the Dragon God and the Phoenix, there is also a place in the Profound Sky Continent that contains the legacy of the Ice Phoenix?” Yun Che asked. If that was truly the case, then if he was able to find out where the legacy of the Ice Phoenix Divine Beast was concealed and obtain either the blood or the soul of the Ice Phoenix, his own Frozen End Divine Art would definitely receive a huge boost in power. Frozen Cloud Asgard would also then be able to ascend to even greater heights.

“Heh…” Jasmine naturally knew exactly what Yun Che was thinking of and she replied in a disinterested voice, “And how do you know that she obtained the legacy of the Ice Phoenix on the Profound Sky Continent?”

“I can definitively confirm one thing for you, this world definitely does not contain the legacy of the Ice Phoenix. If my conjectures are accurate, Mu Bingyun lost all of her memories all those years ago, and after that, as she slowly recovered, she established the Frozen Cloud Asgard and left behind the Frozen End Divine Art. Yet, no one could cultivate it. After that, when she recovered her memories, she also remembered that the Frozen End Divine Art could not be learned by ordinary folk, so she created the far-inferior ‘Frozen Cloud Art’ which could be cultivated by normal people.

Yun Che, “....”

“But do keep in mind that everything that I’m saying is merely conjecture. The real truth is something that probably nobody knows, and there is no need for you to dig any deeper as well. All you need to know… is that asking them to learn the Frozen End Divine Art is merely a waste of time.”

After Jasmine had said her piece, she did not bother herself with him any further.

Yun Che stood there, staring blankly into space for a good long while. Jasmine’s words had clearly indicated that the Frozen Cloud Ancestor, Mu Bingyun, was not a person who belonged to the Profound Sky Continent.

No, Jasmine had said “in this world”, so she was not only referring to the Profound Sky Continent.

Could it be that the person who had created the Frozen Cloud Asgard was actually someone from another world!?

It was also clear that Jasmine knew something about it, but she did not intend to clarify it for him in the slightest.

“Asgard Master, we will continue to try for a while longer. But if we haven’t accomplished anything within a year, then the only option we have left is to give up.” Jun Lianqie said.

“If it’s the Frozen End Divine Art…” Yun Che looked for the right words before he opened his mouth to speak, “There are a few things about it that are quite unique, and there are a few hurdles that cannot be overcome by hard work or comprehension. It's through no fault of your own that all of you are unable to cultivate it. Thus, let’s set aside the matter of cultivating the Frozen End Divine Art for now. Cultivate the Frozen Cloud Art to its highest level, its power should not be any weaker than the Frozen End Divine Art.”

“Yes, we will do as Asgard Master commands.” Currently, the entire Frozen Cloud Asgard had long ago began to regard Yun Che as a deity, and so his word had become law.

“Tomorrow morning, I will travel to Supreme Ocean Palace with Xue’er, so that we can attend the Devil Sword Conference. It will be roughly six or seven days before we can return. During this period of time, I will have to trouble Senior and Junior Masters to guide and supervise all the other disciples in building up their foundations. It would be best if they did not hastily attempt to cultivate the Frozen Cloud Art for the next two to three months.” Yun Che reminded them, “Other than that, if any accidents happen during this period of time, let me know immediately and I will rush back as soon as I can.”

“You’re leaving tomorrow?” The six of them huddled closer and Murong Qianxue glanced at Feng Xue’er before speaking, “I heard that the Devil Sword Conference will be a gathering of all the heroes of the realm, and the peak experts of the Four Great Sacred Grounds will all be present as well… when Asgard Master reaches that place, he must definitely be cautious.”

“Xue’er, we will have to trouble you to protect our Asgard Master.” There was a layer of worry that was hidden just beneath Murong Qianxue’s calm exterior… After all, it was a gathering that was on the level of a Sacred Ground. Even though Yun Che was strong, once he reached that place, there would be far too many people that were stronger than him.

Especially Sun Moon Divine Hall, who had a grudge against him…

After all, they were painfully aware that Yun Che’s “master” did not exist. The moment this flimsy pretence was laid bare, the consequences would be unimaginable.

“Mn, I will protect Big Brother Yun. Furthermore, we are not going to the Devil Sword Conference to do battle, so there shouldn’t be too much danger involved.” Feng Xue’er said with sweet laugh.

“...Asgard Master.” Chu Yueli hesitated for a while before stepping forward, “Qingyue has not sent us a sound transmission after all this time. Since the Devil Sword Conference is going to be a gathering of all the heroes of the realm, perhaps we might be able to find out some news from there?”

“Mn, I understand.’ Yun Che said as he nodded his head, but in his heart, he was aware that it was extremely likely that Xia Qingyue was not on the Profound Sky Continent anymore. Or else, she would have long ago attempted to make contact with Frozen Cloud Asgard.

And as for where exactly she ended up in… his desire to find out was stronger than anyone else’s.

————————————

At the same time. Illusory Demon Realm, Southeastern Region.

The normally quiet and peaceful mountain range had presently been transformed into a sea of fire. Startling explosions ripped through the air; they were so loud that they could be clearly heard within a fifty kilometer radius. The nearby mountains shook violently and seemed to be on the verge of collapse as boulders tumbled through the air.

“Duke Ming, you reprehensible traitor, stop resisting and accept your fate!!”

Mu Feiyan, Mu Yubai, Su Xiangnan and Lin Guiyan exerted all of their strength, profound light exploding from their bodies and their faces flushed red from the effort, as they tried their best to surround one man… Besides the four of them, there were still another eight people prowling in the background, waiting and preparing for the moment their prey attempted to escape the encirclement. Each and every one of these eight people was on the same level as a grand elder of a Guardian Family.

Any one of these twelve people could be counted amongst the most powerful practitioners within the Illusory Demon Realm. Such a startling array of strength had been assembled, all for the sake of one person…

Because that person was Duke Ming!!

“Hahahaha, you vermin think that you are worthy enough to force this duke to submit!?”

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!!

When it came to desperate battles at the level of the Sovereign Profound Realm, every single profound energy explosion would contain earth-shattering might. As the battle raged on, the land in a hundred kilometer radius of the fight had been completely devastated, countless profound beasts were buried before they could even react to their demise.

Duke Ming had used the blood escape to flee from Demon Imperial City at that time, but that also caused him to lose a lot of his blood essence, greatly injuring his vitality. After that, he was constantly fleeing for his life, and he could barely find a moment to catch his breath. Given the power that Duke Ming had previously, even if Mu Feiyan and the others combined their strength, all four of them would still have tasted bitter defeat at his hands. But right now, they could actually suppress Duke Ming and prevent him from fleeing.

“Duke Ming, you old villain! This old man was truly befuddled and confused all those years ago! To think that I believed you instead of the Demon King, holding your words as truth and his words as false… Today, this old man needs to bury you personally!!” Mu Feiyan roared in fury as he and Mu Yubai forged an enormous ice-cold domain; Duke Ming was being assaulted by unending shards of ice every single second, and many bloody wounds had been gouged in his body.

“You want to bury this duke!? Hahahahaha… I will bury you first!!”

Duke Ming’s expression turned sinister as a wild laugh tore from his throat. His entire body suddenly glowed with a bloody light, and two enormous skulls made of red-black flames suddenly coalesced in the air above them before fiercely descending down from above.

“Patriarch Mu, be careful!!”

These were flame devils conjured by Duke Ming, so they possessed an incomparably terrifying might. Su Xiangnan’s heart was jolted by shock and he swiftly changed his angle of attack, a hundred thousand sword shadows instantly congealing into one sword as it thrust towards the flame devils, wild gales howling in its wake.

“Divine Wind Sword!!”

But as the two flame devils descended, they changed their trajectory midair. They no longer targeted Mu Feiyan, but rushed towards Lin Guiyan instead.

Boom!!

It would be extremely hard for Lin Guiyan to even fend off one flame devil, much less two of them. Lin Guiyan’s face blanched as he tried to endure the full might of the assault, but after a single breath, he let out a miserable cry as he was engulfed by crimson black flames. In the next instant, the attack had sent him flying, blood spraying in the air as he went.

Riip!!

Su Xiangnan’s Divine Wind Sword had opened a hole in Duke Ming’s shoulder, a bloody, gaping wound that one could see through. But the four man encirclement had been blasted wide open. Duke Ming had to eat this attack, but he let out a wild laugh instead as he took his opportunity to swiftly flee.

“Dammit… hurry up and restrain him!!” Mu Yubai roared.

The moment Mu Yubai yelled, the eight grand elders that had been lurking in the shadows simultaneously rushed towards Duke Ming. But Duke Ming had long been prepared for this moment, even before he had broken out of his encirclement. Before the two closest grand elders neared him, two clusters of crimson black flames suddenly exploded from his palms, their terrifying might instantly shattering the nearby space into fragments.

A wounded tiger was still a tiger after all. Duke Ming had been the strongest person in the entire Illusory Demon Realm at one point, so even though he had lost a lot of blood essence, causing his profound strength to fall dramatically, a grand elder from a Guardian Family would still find it exceedingly hard to restrain him.

Amidst the huge explosions, both of the Mu Family’s grand elders were tossed aside like ragdolls. By the time they had managed to regain control of their bodies, Duke Ming’s wild laughter already echoed from several hundred meters away.

“Shit… chase him! Quickly! It was really hard for us to pin down his location in the first place, so this time, we can’t let him escape no matter what!!” Mu Feiyan yelled shrilly. The Little Demon Empress had given them a time limit three months ago, and if they were not able to capture Duke Ming within three months, they would all have to sever a finger in apology.

Boom!

A dull and heavy explosion suddenly rang out in the distance as a golden light illuminated heaven and earth. Duke Ming’s wild laughter was abruptly cut off, and what replaced it was a miserable scream of pain.

Bang!!

Duke Ming was fiercely smashed from the air to the ground, a cluster of golden flames slowly burning on his chest. He rolled on the ground in pain as all of the crimson black flames on his body desperately surged forth. It took several seconds before they could finally suppress and extinguish those golden flames. He raised his head to the sky, and his eyes showed a fear that he had rarely displayed in his lifetime.

A figure clad in rainbow colors slowly descended from the air above. Her figure was petite and delicate, her exquisite features were so beautiful that they would cause the sun and the moon to lose their luster, but those delicate, slanted brows held an incomparable dignity and majesty that caused all to tremble before her.

Her appearance seemed to cause the entire world to stop in place, and even the sound of the roaring flames had completely disappeared.

This Chapter's Teaser