Against the Gods

Xiao Yun woke up the night they returned to Floating Cloud City. Furthermore, his mental state seemed to be relatively fine, so Xiao Lie and Number Seven Under Heaven’s worries were relieved.

Yun Che recounted the travails behind Xiao Yun’s kidnapping and all of the events that had transpired in Supreme Ocean Palace. He included most of the details including Jasmine, his status in the Illusory Demon Realm, the fact that Number One Under Heaven’s identity had long been exposed to Supreme Ocean Palace and also how that wily old fox, Feng Hengkong, conveniently seized the opportunity to announce his engagement to Feng Xue’er in front of everybody and invite them to the engagement ceremony.

But he did not bring up the fact that he already knew who killed Xiao Ying all those years ago.

The curtain of night deepened and Xiao Lingxi dragged Yun Che out of the courtyard by herself. She meekly lowered her head and spoke in a rather apprehensive voice, “Little Che, there is one thing that I’ve been hiding from you all this while. Actually… actually, Fen Juechen has been staying here… for the past two months.”

“Huh?” Yun Che said in astonishment.

“Two months ago, a few people discovered him when they were out of the city. At that time, his wounds were extremely heavy and he seemed to be barely clinging to life, so… so I got Big Brother Under Heaven to bring him into the Xiao household and I also instructed them not to tell you,” Xiao Lingxi grew anxious as she continued speaking, “Little Che, I didn’t mean to hide it from you but it’s just that both of you… Whenever you and Fen Juechen meet, there will always be a big clash. You are my Little Che but he is the person who saved my life. I don’t want a single thing to happen to either of you, so… so…”

“Ah, so that’s how it was.” Yun Che said as he faintly nodded his head before blurting out, “No wonder I kept detecting faint traces of Fen Juechen’s aura every time I visited over the last two months.”

“For the past two months, he… he has always been here, recuperating from his wounds. Every time he knew you would be back, he would go hide himself and he would only return once you had left. After he had recovered from his injuries, just like you, he said that he would be going to Supreme Ocean Palace to participate in that ‘Devil Sword Conference’. It’s just that he left much earlier than you did.” Xiao Lingxi said as she looked at Yun Che in anxiety and fear. However, she discovered that Yun Che did not look the least bit angry, “Little Che, I’ve been hiding this from you all this while, but you’re not going to blame me?”

“Why would I blame you?” Yun Che asked, “You are my Little Aunt… and who knows better than me what kind of person my Xiao Lingxi is? If you had met a heavily injured Fen Juechen and didn’t do what you did, I would actually feel that it was weird. From our youth till now, you’ve hidden very few things from me but every time you did it, it was definitely for my sake. This time is no exception.”

“Hee…” The anxiety in Xiao Lingxi’s heart completely melted away and a smile bloomed on her face, “When he was recovering from his injuries here, I was the one who took care of him. We even became sworn siblings and I recognized him as my big brother. He even promised not to try to kill you anymore… Actually, Big Brother Fen really isn’t a bad person, he is simply… too lonely.”

“...” Yun Che stood there in stunned amazement for a while, before he slowly nodded his head, “No wonder Fen Juechen did not express any murderous intent towards me when I met him in Supreme Ocean Palace.”

“He is indeed a very lonely person. That is also the reason for why his hatred has always been so incredibly bone-piercing and pure. Especially when it comes to me. You could even say that he hates me to the very core of his being. To be able to resolve a grudge of this magnitude… Lingxi, I dare say that you are the only person in this world that could accomplish such a thing. For him to meet such a person who truly cares for him like you is not only a huge boon and a source of warmth, it is also his salvation.”

Yun Che’s voice gradually lowered as he remembered his past self. His past self was indeed quite similar to Fen Juechen but the only difference was that… Fen Juechen’s hatred-filled heart had quietly melted away. Xiao Lingxi had saved him and he had also saved himself.

However, in Yun Che’s case...

“Wait a second…” Yun Che said with a start as he suddenly recalled something. His eyes widened into saucers as he exclaimed, “You and he… the both of you became sworn siblings!?”

“That’s right.” Yun Che’s reaction had given Xiao Lingxi a fright as she anxiously replied, “Little Che, you… don’t approve?”

“That’s not the important part.” Yun Che said with a scrunched up expression, “No, this can’t continue! From now on, I will be determined not to call you Little Aunt anymore and I will only call you Lingxi from now on. If not… if not won’t I be his junior then!? That is intolerable.”

“Pfffttt…” Xiao Lingxi pursed her lips as she giggled, “That’s fine right. Look, I am also Xiao Yun’s and Number Seven Under Heaven’s Little Aunt right? But I still call Number One Under Heaven Big Brother Under Heaven…”

“...” Yun Che smacked his forehead. He was at a complete loss for words.

“Actually, actually I prefer for you to call me Lingxi.” Xiao Lingxi said as she dipped her dainty head. Under the curtain of night, Yun Che could still see her snowy cheeks stained with that incredibly adorable and pretty red blush, “But in front of Father, you still need to call me Little Aunt. Or else… or else…”

Xiao Lingxi did not know how to continue after that.

“Actually, there is something I hid from you as well.” Yun Che suddenly blurted out.

“Ah?”

Yun Che spoke in a somber tone, “I actually already know the identity of the person who killed Uncle Xiao Ying.”

“Ah!?” Xiao Lingxi exclaimed as her head jerked up and she asked in an urgent voice, “Who was it!?”

“The power that supports that person is an extremely huge and given my present strength, I am still unable to face them. If I tell Grandfather right now, it will definitely cause him no end of worries, making him anxious and restless. So I didn’t tell him. However, once I have sufficient power, I will definitely capture him alive and bring him here, leaving him for Grandfather to deal with… This grudge is something that has been plaguing him for years. It is the greatest frustration in his heart. He will only be able to resolve it if he personally deals with it.”

Xiao Lingxi gave a gentle nod of her head, “Yes, it would be better to not tell Father about this right now.”

“Other than that, there is also one other reason.” Yun Che said as he gave a faint smile. After that, he put on a mysterious expression as he spoke in an extremely soft voice, “Grandfather watched the both of us grow up, so if I suddenly mentioned that I wanted to marry you, it’s very possible that he’d beat me to death. But if we wait for him to vent his frustrations and resolve all of his regrets, he may not be so angry anymore…”

“Ah…” Xiao Lingxi’s breath was caught in her throat but after that she spoke in a testy fashion, “You have Xia Qingyue, you have your empress wife, you have one Little Demon Empress in the Illusory Demon Realm, and soon… soon, you and Princess Snow are going to… Any single one of them is at least a few thousand times better than me. H-how would you even find the time to care about me. Hmph!”

After she gave a very loud sniff to express her dissatisfaction, Xiao Lingxi turned around and ran off so Yun Che would not see the look in her beautiful eyes.

Yun Che faintly smiled as he looked at Xiao Lingxi’s back until it vanished from his sight. He raised his head and looked towards the starry night sky above Floating Cloud City as he muttered to himself in a soft voice, “Time has really flown by. It’s already been seven years now…”

At this moment, he was very calm. Because as long as he was being protected by Jasmine’s great power, he did not need to worry about anything, be afraid of anything or scheme about anything. There was nothing that was able to threaten him or the people around him anymore. Even the Four Sacred Grounds would have to bow their heads trembling in fear in front of him.

Now that he thought back on the last seven years, he realized that most of the debts he accumulated were emotional ones.

Little Fairy, I will definitely find you this time around...

Ling’er, I will come to the Azure Cloud Continent to find you soon and bring you along with me so that I can pay you back in this life for all the things that I owed you in our previous lives.

Caiyi… I know that you are definitely pining for me in the Illusory Demon Realm. Once Xue’er and I finish our engagement ceremony, I will bring Xue’er, Yue’er and Lingxi with me and return to you.

And Qingyue… just where did you disappear to...

…………

After that, he would grow stronger under Jasmine’s guidance till the point where he could personally kill Xuanyuan Wentian and contend against the Four Great Sacred Grounds… Even though it would be pure fantasy for anyone else to grow strong enough to contend with the ten thousand year old powers that were the Four Great Sacred Grounds within the span of a short twenty four years, Yun Che was convinced that with his physique, bloodlines, profound veins and profound arts, which all far exceeded that of a normal human being, along with Jasmine’s personal guidance, those twenty four years would be more than enough.

In fact, he might even be able to reach that goal in ten years!

Once that happened, he would become a truly unrivalled existence in the Profound Sky Continent and once he had resolved all his grudges and fulfilled all his desires, there would be no one with the ability to threaten him anymore. Whether it was the Profound Sky Continent, the Illusory Demon Realm, or the Azure Cloud Continent he was about to visit, he would be free to do whatever he wanted and he would not need to fear anything or anyone. Furthermore, all of the people that were important to him would be safe under his protection until the end of their days...

The reason why he had so desperately pursued strength in the beginning was to achieve this end after all...

However, only seven short years had passed and this goal which seemed like it would take a lifetime of hard work to accomplish was now something that was nearly within his grasp—one could even say that it had practically been achieved.

“Jasmine, with you around, I can’t possibly face any more dangers in this life any longer, so there shouldn’t be any great upheavals anymore,” Yun Che muttered in an inexplicably melancholic voice.

“What? Did you love how it was in the past? Where you might only be left with half your life at any given second?” The air rang with Jasmine’s sour and grumpy voice.

“Of course not, it’s just that… it simply doesn’t feel real to me right now. What am I supposed to do from now on? Continue to be the Asgard Master of Frozen Cloud Asgard, or return to the Illusory Demon Realm to be some Demon Lord, or…” Yun Che was at a loss before he suddenly changed the subject, “Jasmine, are you really not prepared to let Grandfather and the rest meet you? They are especially curious to know how you look like.”

“Hmph!” Jasmine gave a cold sniff before ignoring him completely.

Yun Che, “...”

——————————

Yun Che stayed in Floating Cloud City for three days and he then stayed in Blue Wind Imperial City for another three days. After that he returned to the Snow Region of Extreme Ice so he could speed up his recovery. Furthermore, Xia Yuanba and Feng Xue’er had departed to return to Absolute Monarch Sanctuary and the Divine Phoenix Sect respectively.

Yun Che only discovered that the entire sect knew about what exactly had happened at the Devil Sword Conference after he had returned to Frozen Cloud Asgard… Furthermore, they were not the only ones who knew. In fact, the entire Profound Sky Continent now knew about what had happened at the Devil Sword Conference. Even the engagement ceremony that was being held for him and Princess Snow was something that had been announced to the entire Profound Sky Continent... Furthermore, this announcement carried such weight and prestige that it was completely unprecedented in the Profound Sky Continent. This led the nobility of the Seven Nations and the other powers to mobilize all their manpower to feverishly prepare for the event, regardless of whether they received an invitation or not. The only thing they feared was that they might be even the slightest bit negligent.

This event created such a huge impact in the Profound Sky Continent that it was practically equivalent to the Illusory Demon Realm after his impending marriage to the Little Demon Empress had been announced—and this was merely an engagement ceremony at that.

However, Yun Che was not the least bit surprised when he heard the news. Because in a world where power was king and the Four Great Sacred Grounds were held up as insurmountable existences, anyone would be able to understand what it meant if an existence that could completely suppress the Four Great Sacred Grounds appeared.

It would be this world’s unconditional king!!

An existence that could not be slighted or offended at any cost! An existence that one had to curry favor with and fawn over at all times!

In addition to this, the great powers and the nobility of the other six nations and all of the big sects in the Divine Phoenix Nation itself were historically under the thumb of the Divine Phoenix Sect as well. So this time, they would not allow themselves to show any sign of neglect.

Furthermore, the Divine Phoenix Sect, which was secretly in great peril as well, would definitely not pass up this opportunity. They would spare no effort or cost to make this engagement ceremony as grand as possible so they could build momentum for this event and make it even more well-known. They wanted every single person who lived in the Profound Sky Continent to know about it—With Yun Che’s master around, they had a huge support who had frightened the Four Great Sacred Grounds into complete silence. They no longer needed to be constantly worried about whether the death of the Phoenix God would be leaked to the world.

Yun Che first examined the profound strength of the Frozen Cloud disciples one by one in order to confirm that there were no negative side-effects left behind by the Overlord Pellets. After he was finished with that, he began to concentrate fully on his recovery.

In Frozen Cloud Asgard’s environment, his injuries, profound strength and his Phoenix and Golden Crow blood were recovering at a fast rate. However, Jasmine could tell with a single glance that he had not yet been able to enter a state of true focus.

“What nonsense are you thinking about now? Could it be that you’re afraid that someone will suddenly descend from the heavens and attack you?”

Jasmine said as she suddenly appeared, catching Yun Che unawares.

Yun Che opened his eyes and hesitated for a moment before finally speaking, “Jasmine, your current power vastly exceeds the power that your soul body had, correct? So it should also be possible for you to easily find where Little Fairy is currently, right?”

“...” Jasmine calmly averted her staring eyes away from Yun Che as she spoke in an apathetic voice, “I said before that my current power is not even one-tenth of my full power. Chu Yuechan’s profound energy aura is too weak and there are far too many living creatures on the Profound Sky Continent. Given my current state, I will not be able to differentiate her aura from all the others so I can find her… at least, I will need to wait until I recover about half of my power.”

“...Oh,” Yun Che did not continue any further, he merely gave a simple grunt of assent.

Jasmine did not let Yun Che see the look in her eyes, so she also did not see the change that occurred in his eyes.

Yun Che had always remembered that Jasmine had initially said that as long as the devilish poison was purged from her body, she could easily divine Chu Yuechan’s location… Furthermore, she was very clearly referring to the power of her soul body at that time.

But after the devilish poison had been cleansed, Jasmine, who was able to use the power of her soul body at will, said that she had overestimated her power once she gave it a shot and that she did not have the ability to find her. She also said that she would be able to do so once her body was reconstituted.

But now that she had reconstituted her body, she once again said that she needed at least half of her power to do so...

He did not call her on this, he did not dare. Instead, he used the greatest determination he could muster to force himself to believe that Jasmine really did not have the power to do so at the moment… If he did not call her on it, he could still strive to hold on to that beautiful hope. Once he did call her on it, it was possible… that the dream would be completely shattered.

As the person who understood Yun Che the best, how could Jasmine not sense what Yun Che was thinking? For the past few years, Yun Che’s greatest desire was to find Chu Yuechan. But a full seven days had passed since Jasmine had reconstituted her body and during these past seven days, Yun Che had not once taken the initiative to ask her to use her current power to find Chu Yuechan… so it was clear that he had sensed it as well.

Jasmine’s heart felt strangely heavy and this heavy feeling made her feel like it was hard to even breathe. She took a small breather before speaking in a relaxed voice, “Even though I still am not able to locate a person amongst billions of living creatures, I will still be able to easily lock on to the location of the Azure Cloud Continent.”

“So it might just be possible for me to directly find the place that you went to previously under the power of the remnants of the Evil God’s soul… If I remember correctly, it was a place called the Country of Supwake in the Azure Cloud Continent. To be specific, it is a place in the Country of Supwake called the Grandwake Mountain.”

“...” Yun Che gave a faint nod of his head. Jasmine had recalled it perfectly. The place that he had visited the last time when he and Xia Qingyue had entered that “dreamscape” was indeed under the Grandwake Mountain in the Country of Supwake… Su Ling’er was the daughter of the sect master of the Grandwake Sect, Su Hengshan.

Jasmine did not finish her sentence. Instead she closed her eyes and her incomparably strong sense instantly spread out as it enveloped this huge world with a strength that Yun Che would not be able to comprehend… fifty thousand kilometers… several hundred thousand kilometers… five hundred thousand kilometers… several million kilometers.

Right now, she would find out the location of the Azure Cloud Continent and also provide some “comfort” to Yun Che.

Jasmine’s consciousness swept across the huge ocean before finally coming into contact with another continent that was located on this planet and was not the Illusory Demon Realm or the Profound Sky Continent.

When it came to their proportions, the Illusory Demon Realm was bigger than the Profound Sky Continent, whereas this continent was smaller than the Profound Sky Continent. As for the elemental laws, laws of nature and laws of order… she especially remembered them as they had aroused her suspicions the last time around and they were exactly the same as the laws she had sensed all those years ago.

Azure Cloud Continent!!

Its distance from the Profound Sky Continent far exceeded Jasmine’s expectations. It was also no wonder that nearly no records of the Azure Cloud Continent could be found on the Profound Sky Continent.

Jasmine did not withdraw her sense once she had found the Azure Cloud Continent’s location. Instead she focused her sense on this continent because she had said that she wanted to find the location of the Grandwake Mountain in the Country of Supwake. Yun Che had always desired to go to the Azure Cloud Continent and Su Ling’er, who as if in a fantasy seemed to still be alive in this world, this was the only reason for his desire.

Time silently flowed by. Yun Che could not feel any profound energy flowing from Jasmine’s body and he did not dare to disturb her while she was in an extremely focused state.

Fifteen minutes passed by and Yun Che’s eyes were fixed on Jasmine… At this moment, he suddenly saw Jasmine’s body shudder as her eyes flew open. Within those enlarged pupils, he saw to his astonishment a deep shock...

And fear!!

“What happened?” Yun Che asked in an urgent and shocked voice. He was not mistaken, he had clearly seen the shock and fear in Jasmine’s eyes… But what in this world could cause Jasmine to feel fear!?

“...” Jasmine remained silent for a long time, her small bosom heaving violently. She finally sucked in a long breath after a long period of time had passed before speaking in an incredibly somber voice, “Yun Che, you told me before that you had ended your life in the Azure Cloud Continent by jumping off a place called ‘Cloud’s End Cliff’, correct!?”

“Yes.” Yun Che replied as he nodded his head in a stupefied manner, “Why are you asking though?”

“Where is this ‘Cloud’s End Cliff’ located in the Azure Cloud Continent!?” Jasmine’s voice was still somber and grave as she spoke, “Is it located somewhere to north-east of the continent?”

chinachu Notice:

I know I stated that I was going to China with mommychu to visit grannychu and was hoping to return sometime June or so, but mommychu struck again, pushing our flight to June 1st. My trip to China is also now extended from June to the middle of July. Due to this trip, the planned double daily month releases for MEN will now be even more delayed. They WILL still come out after my trip though! Any regular chapters for every one of our series will still be coming out when I'm there (MEN 7, ATG 7, SR *TBD by Patreon*). I will try my best to get them out according to schedule, but if any chapters are missed due to chinachu problems, all of them will be made up when I get home.

I know some people do not read the chapter posts in their haste to read the chapter so I'll be leaving this message at the bottom of each chapter as a reminder!