Against the Gods

“Hmm? The Lightless Divine Regent... wants to kill me?” Yun Che exclaimed in two-fifths shock and three-fifths confusion.

That said, it took him only a breath of quick thinking to figure out the general reason himself. Rather than showing fear, he said with a slight smile on his face, “Thank you for the warning, big brother. I will pay attention.”

Yun Che was just a Divine Master, yet he remained calm and collected after learning that a Divine Regent was pursuing him. Mo Su focused his pupils slightly and asked, “You’re not afraid?”

“So what if I’m afraid? So what if I’m not afraid?”

While carrying himself with a level of composure that did not match his actual cultivation, Yun Che declared confidently and fearlessly, “Shenwu Yanye is ultimately just a tragic woman who lost her heart because of love. In my eyes, she is not much different from the soulless abyssal ghosts who roam the Endless Fog.”

“The Endless Fog is chock full of abyssal ghosts, and yet I have gone in and out of the place repeatedly. Why would I fear a single woman who’s lost her mind to insanity?”

Mo Su shook his head smilingly. “I’ve been the Abyssal Monarch for many years, and I’ve witnessed the rise and fall of many Divine Regents. Not a single one would have evaluated a Divine Regent the way you did.”

“That’s because I did not yet exist in those ages.” In one line, Yun Che expressed his carefreeness and uninhibited confidence.

The Abyssal Monarch’s smile widened and grew a little more genuine. “I guess I don’t need to interfere after all.”

Instead of answering directly, Yun Che countered in a serious tone, “If I may ask, Big Brother Mo Su, is the Big Brother Ni Xuan you know a man who would choose the safer path and duck under another’s canopy when a dangerous threat announces its presence?”

Mo Su did not even think. He answered immediately, “He would not.”

“You should know my answer then.”

Once again, Mo Su looked at Yun Che and let out the same exclamation of wonderment. “You really are too similar to Big Brother Ni Xuan.”

Dugu Zhuyuan bowed his head deeply in an attempt to hide the shock boiling behind his eyes. He had never heard so many words from the Abyssal Monarch before, much less seen such a smile on the man’s face.

“Everyone knows that the Lightless Divine Regent loathes men to the bone, but she still treats you with respect, at least on the surface. This shows that she is insane, but not utterly demented. Therefore, the Lightless Divine Regent could never lower herself to the level of attacking me in person.”

“Besides that, considering who I am, she must first overcome the Dreamweaver Kingdom of God before she can attack me. She must find a suitable place and time to minimize the amount of traces she leaves behind as—”

Suddenly, Yun Che’s pupils contracted for an instant. He recalled a place... the Forbidden Zone of Slumbering Gods!

Expression unchanged, he continued, “By the time the Eternal Night Kingdom of God finally finds a suitable place and time, the Lightless Divine Regent’s killing intent might have already subsided by then. It is just the product of unexpected provocation after all.”

Mo Su nodded slightly. “That is correct. Although you are very young, your ability to discern people far surpasses that of your peers. However, every breath that exists in this world contains an infinite amount of variables, just as people’s thoughts are spinning hundreds and thousands of times for every passing moment. No matter how high you stand, you can never truly understand the full picture or completely figure out a person’s heart. Aren’t you afraid that an accident would catch you by surprise, that the worst-case scenario might happen no matter how unlikely it is?”

Yun Che smiled and said without fear or worry. “How suffocating and restrictive it would be to live in constant vigilance and fear; to tread every step with caution and timidness? If misfortune were to strike me down tomorrow for whatever reason, then so be it. It is simply the fate I was meant to bear. All you need to do is light an incense stick for me and mourn me a little. Do not let sorrow weigh heavily in your heart, nor seek vengeance on my behalf. Just let me depart unburdened and free.”

The Abyssal Monarch stared at Yun Che for a long time. He knew that Yun Che was trying to console him. His Big Brother Ni Xuan had said similar things back when they roamed the mortal world together. Even their expressions were oh-so similar.

Back in the day, he had envied Ni Xuan’s carefreeness and independence without end. Today, that had not changed one bit.

However... he could not. He did not deserve to.

“I understand.” He looked at “Ni Xuan” and nodded smilingly. “I was going to ask Dugu Zhuyuan to be your bodyguard, but now that I think about it, his presence would only be a shackle to you. I should’ve known better.”

Dugu Zhuyuan: “...?”

Yun Che did not mince words with him. He replied instantly, “Shackles my ass, you might as well slap a goddamn lock around my neck! Absolutely not!”

Dugu Zhuyuan: “...?”

“Oh!! Speaking of which...”

As if he suddenly recalled something exceedingly important, Yun Che suddenly said urgently and even demandingly, “Remove your divine perception from me this instant! Every wisp of it!”

In fact, he had fallen under the Abyssal Monarch’s attention from the moment he set foot in the Pure Land. It was because of his Heretic God Profound Veins, or more accurately, Ni Xuan’s aura. Even excluding the punishment by devouring rage, the reason Mo Su stepped in and prevented Hua Caili from unleashing the sword strike that would have severely injured herself was that he had found out about their relationship beforehand.

“Okay.”

Mo Su promised him. “Don’t worry. You called me big brother, so of course I won’t spy on you any longer.”

“Oh? And here I thought you didn’t know that your action constitutes spying!”

Yun Che did not conceal his grievances in the slightest. He took a step closer to the Abyssal Monarch and said seriously, “Big brother, you are the Abyssal Monarch, right? You won’t go back on your word, right? Then you’d better not spy on me in secret anywhere, anytime! If Caili and I were... and I found out that you were spying on me... she is my woman. You’re not allowed to watch even if you’re my big brother, get it?!”

“...” Even Dugu Zhuyuan could see the awkwardness gathering between the Abyssal Monarch’s brow.

“I am not that type of person.” The Abyssal Monarch, who had not known “debate” for countless years, sounded awkward even as he retorted calmly.

Knowing that his actions lacked justification and were unbefitting of a big brother, the Abyssal Monarch shook his head smilingly and said, “Escort Yun Che back, Zhuyuan.”

Before they parted ways, Mo Su gave him one last piece of advice. “Remember this, Yun Che. You must not enter Endless Fog anymore. That is the one place I have no control over.”

“Of course. Now that I know that the ‘Fog Monarch’ is real, I would be crazy to take so much as half a step into that place.”

Yun Che left with Dugu Zhuyuan, and Mo Su saw him off with his eyes. He stood there for a long time until Yun Che’s figure finally disappeared from Eden’s Crown. Then, he lifted his head slightly and let out a quiet sigh that quickly vanished into the wind.

“Big Brother Ni Xuan... even if we are separated by worlds, even if times and places have changed beyond recognition, you still miss me and send another you into my world.”

“Despite all the sorrow and pain I’ve endured, I am so fortunate to have met you and Xiaodie in this life.”

......

After leaving Eden’s Crown, Yun Che continued to wear a relaxed and contented expression on his face. From time to time, he would look around and admire the beautiful scenery of the Pure Land.

Internally, though, the heavy pressure that sat inside his heart had thinned, but the emptiness it left behind was replaced by a thick gloominess instead.

Dugu Zhuyuan was quietly leading the way in front of Yun Che. Although he was astonished to put it mildly, he continued to maintain the perfect image of an abyssal knight and did not ask any unnecessary questions.

Li Suo asked, “Why is your heart so heavy even after you have overcome the meeting with the Abyssal Monarch? Is it because his divine perception continues to pursue you?”

“No.” Yun Che said calmly, “He gave his word that he wouldn’t spy on me any longer.”

He paused for a moment before saying seriously, “Do you remember what the Qilin God said in the Qilin God Realm before he disappeared, Li Suo? He said: ‘All you need to remember is that the Abyss is destined for destruction, and that his obsession is the most terrifying thing that no one can defy.’”

“Now that I have met the Abyssal Monarch in person, I finally realized that his terribleness far exceeded my imagination... no, it exceeded even the limits of my former imagination.”

“Terribleness?”

Li Suo whispered the word, puzzled. “But he only harbors kindness and trust toward you. I can’t sense any malice from him either.”

Yun Che did not deny her statement. In fact, he agreed with her. “Of course, you cannot sense his malice. It’s because he’s not an evil person.”

“However, there is a type of person in this world who is far... far scarier than an evil person.”

Li Suo could not understand this. “Please explain.”

Yun Che said leisurely, “You think he’s showing me extraordinary trust, but in reality, he did not ‘trust’ or ‘distrust’ me in the first place. Recall our conversation in detail. From the start until the end, he never asked for proof for any of my words. The few times he tested me were purely to find Ni Xuan’s shadow from me as well.”

Li Suo fell silent for a moment.

“In other words, all he cared about was Ni Xuan’s aura and the fact that I’m Ni Xuan’s successor. He did not care if what I said was true or false at all.”

“The reason he’s like this... he already told me. It’s because he can only bear to carry one thing in his life now. This is precisely why he’s so terrible.”

Yun Che slowed down, and every word he spoke chilled the heart. “If an evil person wants to commit evil, they still must weigh the pros and cons before taking action. However, his obsession is so pure and absolute that it completely surpasses common good and evil, right or wrong. For even the tiniest sliver of possibility, he could pay any price and extinguish any obstacle without hesitation... Nothing can stop him, and retreat is not an option. Nothing can distract him, and no emotion can sway him.”

“...”

Li Suo seemed to understand this time, but it was immediately followed by confusion and incomprehension. “I still can’t understand why he needs to be obsessed with one person to the point he did. You are also the emperor of a world. He could have chosen to emulate your example and have a harem of consorts to keep him company, nine Witches to be his personal attendants—”

“Ahem hem hem hem!”

Yun Che forcefully interrupted her and said with a straight face, “Our situations are dramatically different. You can’t possibly compare them!”

“How are you different?”

Li Suo pressed, “Is it because Xiaodie sacrificed herself to save his life?”

“That’s hardly all of it.”

Yun Che said, “Xiaodie did what she did back then out of absolute love and panic. She made Mo Su’s safety her priority and pushed absolutely everything else to the back. But no matter what happens, there is no question that she cost the devil race two of their devil artifacts. She is unquestionably the unforgivable sinner of the devil race.”

“Any devil of the devil race possesses the right to hate her and rebuke her. Her clan and relatives will be shamed as well because of her actions. If the news were to spread, even foreign races would not hesitate to scorn her and ridicule her.”

“This shows that Pan Xiaodie is an excessively temperamental woman. Her love for Mo Su completely transcended ‘reason’ or ‘righteousness’.”

“At the same time, Mo Su’s father—the Heaven Punishing Divine Emperor, Mo E—went so far as to use the Ancestral Sword to execute his own son for ‘reason’ and ‘righteousness’.”

“The clashes between the two extremes... is what created today’s Mo Su, a creature with such deep obsession that it resembles a bottomless abyss.”

Li Suo fell into deep thought while replenishing her understanding of human nature. She then let out a sigh and said, “To think that absolute obsession is so scary that it surpasses even absolute evil. So... what state is Pan Xiaodie in right now?”

“I couldn’t ask. I didn’t dare to ask.”

Yun Che sighed. “If I have to guess, she’s holding on to a sliver of life force that she failed to snuff out right before she would die. As for where she is right now... it can only be the ‘Cradle’ Caili spoke of.”

Li Suo asked another question, “But... I still have a question. Is his obsession truly as pure and scary as you claim? There is proof that he is not completely heedless of everything, isn’t there? The Pure Land and the Six Kingdoms of God would not exist otherwise.”

Yun Che narrowed his eyes a little. “And now you’ve entered the main point.”

Li Suo: “...?”

“At present, Mo Su seems convinced that the only way to awaken Pan Xiaodie lies within the ‘Eternal Pure Land’. As for what this method entails, it matters not. After all... he must never be allowed to set foot in the God Realm.”

“The Original Nether Void Breaching Mirror’s spatial power is necessary to travel to the ‘Eternal Pure Land’, and to activate the Original Nether Void Breaching Mirror, he must assemble the power of the six Kingdoms of God—including the abyssal crystals the Kingdoms of God have accumulated across the years, and the divine power of the seven True Gods. This is why he still maintains the six Kingdoms of God to this day.”

“Considering that Mo Su is almost at the level of a Creation God, and my time is limited to say the least, it is a pipedream to think that I can surpass him in terms of power. Therefore, my path forward remains unchanged...”

Dark light more dangerous and determined than before surged behind his pupils. “I will steal the divine origins of all Kingdoms of God!”

He had determined his first target a long time ago. In fact, that day of the heist was gradually approaching.

“And... What about the Lord of the Abyss?”

Li Suo reminded him. “If Mo Su would not lie, then it means that this entity truly exists. Will they turn out to be a huge variable?”

Yun Che said calmly, “If you have the energy to spare, then of course you should identify all possible variables and prepare accordingly. But if you don’t... then you should set them aside and focus on the present.”

“Since the Lord of the Abyss claimed that they will sleep for five million years, then let us assume that they will continue slumbering until all this is over.”

“...”

Li Suo felt like saying something. When she first entered the Abyss, she told Yun Che that this world gave her a strange sense of unease. At first, she thought it was just natural worry, since Yun Che was pitifully weak at the time, and she was connected to him in life and soul.

Yun Che grew stronger, and everyone he met was stronger than the last. However, the sense of unease did not change. It was the same even after she entered the Pure Land and faced off against the strongest existence of this world, the Abyssal Monarch.

After she learned of the Lord of the Abyss, one of her broken fragments of knowledge had whispered to her that her unease... could have originated in an existence even greater than her own.

In the end, though, she did not share the thought with Yun Che. As he said, he was facing the entire Abyss alone right now. He truly did not have the energy to spare another variable, especially one like the Lord of the Abyss. Informing him about it now would only add more pressure to his already-overburdened shoulders.

She could only pray that her thought was a mistake, that the Lord of the Abyss truly wouldn’t awaken until the very end.

If only... there was someone in this world who could walk with him and shoulder the fate of his homeland with him[1].

1. It’s funny how many Chinese readers say this future helper is Qianye Ying’er. ☜