Against the Gods

“Yes.”

Yun Che promised, then he turned around and was ready to leave. But before he had taken a step, he suddenly stayed in place and then turned around once again to face the Golden Crow Soul.

“I changed my mind,” Yun Che took a small breath and his expression suddenly looked a lot more relaxed, “I have decided, not to investigate this anymore.”

“Oh?” The Golden Crow Soul looked slightly surprised and then it understood, “Hmph, it seems like you’re afraid that this would affect that woman named Xiao Lingxi.”

“Yes,” Yun Che nodded and admitted.” Lingxi she isn’t someone who has cultivated the profound way. She doesn’t have any aspirations or desire for power and position, her world is simple and pure. Even though I am extremely curious of this black jade and the World-Defying Heaven Manual within it, if the price is to involve her… then I should just pretend that they never existed.”

Yun Che flipped his palms and threw the mysterious black jade into Sky Poison Pearl, “From now on, I will not take this black jade out anymore. Who cares what it is, just let it be silent forever.”

“...If this is your choice, so be it. At your current plane, you are an unparalleled existence. There is indeed no reason to forcefully seek for something unless you wish to go to the Realm of the Gods.”

“You… seem to really want me to go to the god realms,” Yun Che lifted his head and said.

“Hahahaha,” the Golden Crow’s Soul laughed loudly, “Of course! You inherited this noble one’s last origin blood and soul origin and you even have Evil God’s inheritance. The overly thin elements and turbid atmosphere in this world will only restrict you from growing. It will also let your talent, as well as the bloodline that this noble one has bestowed you, go to waste. This noble one yearns to see if how strong a ‘freak’ like you will become once you head to the god realms.”

“Unfortunately, even if you really went to the god realms, this noble one would not be able to see it.”

“I really want to go as well, I want to see Jasmine again… or else, it would be my life’s regret.” Yun Che’s hands slowly bunched into fists as he spoke, “After I leave, I need to start training. Within five years, I have to go to the Realm of the Gods no matter what.”

Not because of his curiosity for the Realm of the Gods and not because he sought for stronger power… only because he wanted to see Jasmine.

The time of Jasmine’s departure grew more distant by the day but that feeling hadn’t faded away as time passed; it had instead become stronger than the previous.

“Very good,” the Golden Crow Soul praised. “Within five years. If it were someone else, this noble one would never believe it. But you, maybe there really is a possibility for that to happen. However, this noble one is destined to not be able to see that day.”

Yun Che’s eyes moved, swept his eyes around and said worriedly, “The time left for your existence…”

“You said that you found a way to cure Huan Caiyi’s fatal condition last time. Is that true?” The Golden Crow Soul interrupted him with a sudden question.

Yun Che nodded. “Yes. And I believe that this method will definitely succeed. It’s just that we still need to wait for a few more months. All of the power that Caiyi received from you before will also disappear then.”

“...” The Golden Crow’s Soul was silent for a long time and then it said in a low voice, “If it really works, bring her before this noble one. This noble one has something for her.”

After everything settled, Xiao Lie and Xiao Lingxi stayed in Floating Cloud City. As for the Xiao Yun couple, they traveled between Floating Cloud City and Demon Imperial City all day long, having the time of their lives. Cang Yue took control of the Blue Wind Imperial Family once again and Blue Wind Nation’s prestige flourished by the day as it became invincibly strong. Su Ling’er concentrated on studying medicine under Yun Gu. She had a high comprehension level and her medical skills improved at a tremendous speed. She was obsessed with the art of healing. Her biggest wish was to hope that she could help Yun Che and not only enjoy his protection.

Xia Yuanba stayed in Absolute Monarch Sanctuary and was trying his best to get used to his position as Saint Emperor. His Tyrannical Emperor’s Divine Veins and his relationship with Yun Che let him sit on the throne stably even though his age and profound strength were far from being sufficient.

As for Xia Qingyue, there was still no news of her at all.

Yun Che had been relaxed and unrestrained for a long time and his desire to see Jasmine again grew stronger as the days passed. He finally was able to settle down and begin to focus on his training. He was determined to break the boundary of Sovereign Profound Realm within five years, reach the legendary divine way and be able to travel to the Realm of the Gods where Jasmine resided.

The best place to cultivate was unquestionably the Snow Region of Extreme Ice. It was vast and quiet there and the ancient cold could freeze all distractions.

Before that, Yun Che took Feng Xue’er to a place that he promised he would take her many years ago.

“The continuous mountain range ahead from us is the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range.”

Yun Che and Feng Xue’er traveled with the wind. Within their sight a region with dark mountain range approached quickly. Even though it was named “mountain range,” the hills weren’t too tall and it was only a hundred or so kilometers from its north to south.

“Even though Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range is very small, because of the phoenix’s aura at the center, a great amount of profound beasts gather here. This is also where the name Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range came from,” Yun Che explained to Feng Xue’er.

Back then when Cang Yue and him were being chased by Xiao Zaihe of Xiao Sect’s Branch Sect, they were forced to fall down the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range. At the time, Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range was an extremely dangerous place to them but now, even if all of the profound beasts there attacked them all at once, it was impossible for that to threaten them in the slightest.

“Even though there are a great number of profound beasts in Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range, their levels are usually very low. The highest is Earth Profound Beast… There could also possibly be a few Sky Profound Beasts. But with the level of profound energy in Blue Wind Nation, this is an extremely dangerous place. Adding to the fact that the profound beasts here usually appeared in groups, there are almost no profound practitioners in all of Blue Wind Nation who would dare to venture within.

“Big Brother Yun, the curse that you mentioned before, is it really that scary?” Feng Xue’er asked.

Yun Che nodded his head slightly, “The Phoenix Soul here is different from the Ancestral Phoenix God of your Divine Phoenix Sect, it has a very upright and outspoken character. Many years ago, an ancestor of the Phoenix Clan accidently burned and destroyed a village with phoenix flames. Under the anger of the Phoenix Soul, an extremely cruel curse was buried in their Phoenix Bloodline… and this kind of curse would be passed down to their offspring, making generations of the Phoenix Clan be unable to break through the Elementary Profound Realm. For survival, they could only forever hide in a place like this where no one else could get near… They are finally free of it in this generation, though I don’t know what has happened to them now.”

“Why did one person’s mistake have to be atoned for by generations of the whole clan? Those poor people,” Feng Xue’er said softly. “When I see them, I will pass Royal Father’s sincerity to them. If they are willing to combine with Divine Phoenix Sect, we will definitely welcome them. If they are not willing, we will also provide as much help as possible.”

“Let’s meet them first. I don’t know if they will remember me. After all, it’s been so many years,” Yun Che said nostalgically. This place was the first huge turning point in his life and it was also the place where he received his first drop of divine blood.

"Big Brother Yun was their life savior and you removed thee cursed bloodline that they’ve carried for all those years, how could they have forgotten Big Brother Yun?” Feng Xue’er smiled and said.

Soon enough, they finally arrived above the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range. Referring back to the location in his memory, Yun Che brought Feng Xue’er and kept flying until they’d reached the center of Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range… the place where Cang Yue and him fell down back then.

But when they just begun to get close to the region close to the center, they sensed an unusual aura from afar. Yun Che immediately slowed down and Feng Xue’er exclaimed, “What a strong phoenix aura!”

“...Let’s take a look down there.’

The two of them landed from the sky. From their location to the central region of Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range, which was also where the Phoenix Clan was hidden, was only a short fifteen kilometers. However, right ahead of them existed an enormous, shapeless barrier.

And a strong phoenix aura was being released from this invisible barrier.

This barrier covered the central region of Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range, shrouding an entire thirty kilometers of area inside of it. Yun Che touched the barrier in front of him with his hand. As he expected, his palm was able to pass through it very easily. This barrier didn’t obstruct him in any way.

That instant when his palm touched it, he was absolutely sure that this was a one-way isolation barrier. Only those who possessed the Phoenix bloodline could go through it as they willed. Those without the Phoenix bloodline could only exit and not enter.

“Big Brother Yun, has there always been a barrier here?” Feng Xue’er asked.

“No,” Yun Che shook his head, “Only those with the Phoenix bloodline can enter this barrier. If it existed before, then your big sister Cang Yue and I wouldn’t have been able to go through it. To be able to form such an enormous isolation barrier, this must be the doing of the Phoenix Soul here. Thinking back, after it removed the cursed bloodline, it felt that the punishment that lasted generations was too cruel. It built this barrier so that they don’t have to worry about suffering a disaster like the one back then and they can grow peacefully under the protection of this barrier until they are strong enough to be able to leave here freely.”

Yun Che pulled back his arm, turned around and said, “Xue’er, let’s leave.”

“Mn.” Feng Xue’er did not hesitate as she nodded in agreement, “Even though I feel some regret, they suffered so many years before finally getting the peace and the protection of the Phoenix God. It’s really not suitable for us to disturb them.

Yun Che smiled, “Now that their bloodline is no longer cursed, they must have been training with all their strength. A few years later when they are strong enough, this barrier will disappear. We will come back here when that happens.”

“Okay.”

The existence of this phoenix barrier made the two of them give up on visiting the Phoenix Clan within. They floated high up into the sky and were about to leave… Until right at this moment when a small, tender silhouette of a young girl ran out from within the barrier. Behind her, was a slightly thin boy who followed her in a rush.

This pair of youths looked only about fifteen or sixteen. The girl had bright eyes, white teeth, and was dressed in red. The immature girl’s tender face had already revealed a stunning beauty. Her slender brows curled as she smiled. She was like a red butterfly that had been released from a barrier and issued a sweet, ethereal laughter from time to time.

The boy behind her was similar in age, even their looks were alike. Different from the girl’s jumping joy, his face was filled with panic and he was out of breath from chasing behind, “Xian’er, no! You can’t leave the barrier, it’s too dangerous! Come back now… Father and Mother would scold us.”

“Hehe, it’s alright. It’s not as dangerous outside as described by father and mother. Last time when I snuck out, that weird-looking big monster wasn’t even that strong,” The girl laughed and said without caring.

“No, no! Xian’er! Stop, it really is dangerous!”

Even though the boy chased with all his strength, the girl ran really fast. He wasn’t able to catch up at all and they were soon a few kilometers away from the barrier.

Yun Che and Xue’er, who were about the fly away, stopped. Seeing the youths who suddenly appeared within their sight, he hesitated briefly and then called out softly, “Zu’er, Xian’er!”

“Big Brother Yun still recognizes them?” Feng Xue’er smiled and asked.

“They are the twin children of Clan Leader Feng Baichuan. Back then when I first saw them, they were only eight years old. In the blink of an eye, they have already grown this much,” Yun Che said rather emotionally as his eyes followed their movements. In eight years of time, of the two brave and innocent children back then, one was now slim and graceful while the other was already six feet tall. It was only after seeing their transformation, that Yun Che clearly felt the passage of time for the very first time.

“In a short span of eight years, their profound strength grew from the Elementary Profound Realm into the Earth Profound Realm. They truly have astonishing innate talent. Half of that is because of their Phoenix bloodline while the other half… should be because they had been working hard all this time,” Yun Che stated with joy. Feng Xian’er’s profound strength was at the second level of the Earth Profound Realm and Feng Zu’er was unbelievably at the fourth level of the Earth Profound Realm. Their cultivation levels completely surpassed Ling Yun—number one of Blue Wind’s profound cultivating realm’s young generation back then—when he was at that age.

At this rate, they should be able to break through to the Sky Profound Realm before the age of twenty.