Against the Gods

When Yun Che finally released the barrier and stepped out of the room, he immediately saw Chi Wuyao walking up to him.

Chi Wuyao’s footsteps slowed a little when she saw Yun Che. She almost blinked when she sensed the drastic change in his aura.

She pursed her lips lightly and let out a chuckle. “You recovered from that and improved this much? As expected of the successor of the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor, you always defy logic no matter where you go.”

Beside Chi Wuyao, Witch Chanyi bowed her head and said, “Congratulations on your breakthrough, Young Master Yun.”

Yun Che smiled back and said, “My little breakthrough is nothing compared to your gain, Devil Queen. The entire Burning Moon Realm is now yours.”

Chi Wuyao slowly walked up to him and said, “And you were the key to that success, not me.”

“A success that is now wholly in your grasp.”

“You and I share the same goal, and you are free to use any power I possess be it the Witches or the Moon Eaters. Does it matter if the person standing at the front is you or me?”

“It sounds like it doesn’t matter if you put it that way,” Yun Che replied expressionlessly.

“One of the main reasons the proud Moon Eaters surrendered this easily is because you are the successor of a Devil Emperor. You’re a Divine Sovereign and you’re not crowned yet, but they’re already addressing you as ‘God Emperor Yun’. This has never happened in the history of the Northern Divine Region.”

“By now, even you should understand what the inheritance you carry truly means to the profound practitioners of the Northern Divine Region.”

Chi Wuyao continued. “It is no exaggeration to say that the domain of the gods and the power to annihilate a god emperor in one blow absolutely destroyed the belief the Moon Eaters put their faith in all this time, and now the entire region is shaking in terror just listening to the rumors. But after that moment of terror has passed… a hope like never before will be ignited in their hearts, one that will awaken all the dark souls that have been slumbering for countless years.”

Yun Che: “...”

“This is why controlling Burning Moon Realm is hardly the biggest reward we got from this expedition. It’s the shock that the successor of a Devil Emperor actually exists and the hope we ignited in the people’s hearts. In fact, this queen has been busy fanning this flame for the past few days, not taking control of the Burning Moon Realm.”

“Does that effort of yours… include my upcoming coronation as the god emperor of the Soul Stealing Realm?” Yun Che asked.

“...” When Chi Wuyao stepped up to talk to Yun Che, Chanyi had stayed exactly where she was. As the conversation continued, she was starting to realize that her master’s relationship with Yun Che… had changed in a way she wasn’t expecting.

“Correct,” Chi Wuyao said. “You are the Devil Emperor’s successor, but before you killed the Burning Moon God Emperor in one strike and suppressed his realm in a single day, you had no merits to speak of. Now, the people themselves will spread your fame and nail your influence into their hearts like never before. Your coronation is guaranteed to surpass all coronations that have ever been in the Northern Divine Region.”

Yun Che smiled and shot her a sideways look. “As expected of the Devil Queen, your ability to turn an ‘unexpected’ occurrence into a brilliant success is truly a sight to behold.”

“There is no reason not to ride the wave of momentum while it’s on our side,” Chi Wuyao said.

“Is that so?” Yun Che narrowed his eyes slightly. “I could almost believe that you weren’t the one who made it happen in the first place.”

Chi Wuyao: “...”

Frowning, Witch Chanyi finally couldn’t hold herself back any longer. She took a step forward and said, “Young Master Yun, I think you’re misunderstanding some-”

But Chi Wuyao raised her arm and stopped Chanyi from continuing further. Her smile unchanging, she said, “This queen could be a million times more cunning than she is, but she could never have imagined that there existed a power that could kill the Burning Moon God Emperor instantly. Speaking of which…”

She changed the topic without warning. “Is Yun Qianying refining the second Untamed World Pellet?”

“!?” Yun Che’s eyebrows twitched at the unexpected question.

“It looks like this queen is right.” Yun Che’s expression told her the answer. “She’s missing and her aura is nowhere to be found. She must’ve entered an independent space that cannot be detected by the outside world.”

Yun Che’s eyes turned chilly. “How… did you know that there was a second Untamed World Pellet?”

“Oh, it’s simple,” Chi Wuyao said in a relaxed manner. “Yun Qianying’s cultivation level suddenly skyrocketed after the two of you returned from the God Realm of Absolute Beginning. Considering that the two of you had stolen the Untamed Divine Marrow, the greatest possibility behind her abnormal jump in strength had to be the Untamed World Pellet.”

“At the time your relationship with her was uncertain at best, so there’s no way you would spend something that precious on her unless you had another one to spare. As for why you have two or more Untamed World Pellets in your possession, I can only imagine that it’s due to the Sky Poison Pearl’s unparalleled refinement abilities. You gave one to Yun Qianying and kept the rest for yourself… you probably planned to consume them after you became a Divine Master, right?”

Yun Che: “...”

“You’re worried because you recently lost your trump card. You want to increase your power in the shortest amount of time possible because you don’t want to have the weaker hand in your dealings with me.”

“In that case, is there anything in this world that can increase a person’s power faster than the Untamed World Pellet? Besides…” Yun Che couldn’t actually tell, but he felt like Chi Wuyao had blinked at him from behind her black fog. “It no longer feels like a waste spending the last Untamed World Pellet you have on her... right?”

“...” Yun Che’s frown grew deeper and deeper.

“As I thought, a woman who’s too good at figuring out a man’s thoughts earns nothing but revulsion.” Chi Wuyao smiled faintly. “Say, you’re not heading to the Yama Realm right now, are you?”

“[email protected]#￥%...” Yun Che’s face was completely blank.

“Fen Daojun just died, and the Yama Emperor is probably still quaking from the rumors. There is no better time than now. So…”

She stood next to Yun Che and paid no heed to the ominous atmosphere surrounding him. “Are you going there alone, or do you want me to accompany you?”

Yun Che narrowed his eyes before saying, “You are busy with controlling the Burning Moon Realm and ‘fanning the flames’, aren’t you? I wouldn’t dare to trouble you with something this trivial.”

Chi Wuyao shook her head as if she didn’t understand the barb in his words. “Nothing relating to the Yama Devils is ‘trivial’, and I’m sure you know better than anyone just how risky your venture will be.”

“But your Yun Qianying isn’t around, and there’s no way you’re going to listen to me, so I’m just going to save my breath.”

Chi Wuyao raised a finger and created a soul fragment at her fingertip. She then sent it flying toward Yun Che and said, “This contains the location of the Yama Realm and information regarding the Yama Emperor, the Yama Devils, and the Bone Sea of Eternal Darkness. While you are gone, this queen will continue to take charge of the Burning Moon Realm, spread your influence, and prepare your coronation.”

“Do not die and waste all my effort, alright?”

Yun Che didn’t say anything in reply. A long and hard stare at Chi Wuyao later, he leaped into the air and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Chanyi watched Yun Che vanishing before her eyes in astonishment. He was definitely flying toward the Yama Realm. She walked up to her master worriedly and asked, “Master, is he really going to the Yama Realm?”

“He has his own plans,” Chi Wuyao said.

“But… but this is the Yama Realm!” Chanyi looked both puzzled and worried. “Didn’t you say he cannot recreate the power he used to kill Fen Daojun again? It’s too dangerous for him to enter the Yama Realm alone!”

“He has his own plans,” Chi Wuyao repeated herself. “Let’s hope he’ll succeed at whatever he’s planning.”

“Even if he fails, he should… he must have a way to escape safely,” Chi Wuyao said calmly. “His running and hiding skills are sufficient to deal with any danger.”

“But… what can he possibly do on his own?” Chanyi asked again.

Everyone knew that the Yama Realm was the strongest king realm of the three king realms of the Northern Divine Region.

Not only were they protected by the Yama Emperor, there were three Yama Ancestors residing at the Bone Sea of Eternal Darkness.

They alone were all the Yama Realm needed to turn their home into the most impenetrable fortress of darkness in the Northern Divine Region.

“Chanyi,” Chi Wuyao said while staring at the spot Yun Che vanished. “What happened at the Burning Moon Realm was an accident. But you don’t need to worry about him too much. His cultivation may be lacking at the moment, but don’t forget that he possesses the Eternal Calamity of Darkness. In the Northern Divine Region, he is the one and only monarch of darkness.”

“I’m sure… that the Yama Devils will be the first to understand what that really means in its entirety.”

“...” Chanyi’s mouth moved like she still wanted to say something.

“That being said, your worry isn’t unwarranted.” Chi Wuyao closed her eyes slowly. “Message Hua Jin and tell her to sneak into the Yama Imperial District. If anything goes amiss, tell her to send word immediately.”

“Yes, master.” Chanyi accepted the order and tried to turn away, but...

“Wait.”

Chi Wuyao stopped her all of a sudden. Behind the black fog, the Devil Queen’s chest rose and fell visibly and she sighed. “I changed my mind… this queen will be absent for a while. Tell Jie Xin and Jie Ling to be on their guard while this queen is gone.”

“...Yes, master.” Chanyi accepted the order quietly. She wore a complicated and confused expression on her face.

All three king realms were situated near the center of the Northern Divine Region, so it wouldn’t take Yun Che more than a couple of hours to make it from one king realm to the other.

Just like the Soul Stealing Realm, the Yama Realm’s domain was smaller than what you would normally expect for a king realm. It was located at the center of the Northern Divine Region.

The core strength of the Yama Realm consisted of the ten Yama Devils who served the Yama Emperor directly and the thirty-six Yama Ghosts. However, there were only thirty-five Yama Ghosts now because the strongest of them all, the Yama Ghost King Yan Sangeng was killed by Yun Che in one strike.

If Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er hadn’t joined the Soul Stealing Realm, the Yama Realm would be hunting them all over the place already.

Yun Che didn’t use a profound ark. He had decided to make the flight himself. One of the reasons he put on a worried look and urged Qianye Ying’er to refine the second Untamed World Pellet was so that he could travel to the Yama Realm alone.

Otherwise… she would probably follow him in secret even if he made her promise to stay put.

The closer he got to the Yama Realm, the darker his surroundings became.

Eight hours later, he finally entered the Yama Realm’s star region.

The darkness aura in this place was clearly thicker than the Soul Stealing Realm’s. This alone ensured that all dark profound practitioners who cultivated here had a natural advantage over the profound practitioners of the other two king realms.

He concealed his aura and slowed down. Flying above the Yama Realm without a sound, he flew through one dark territory after another until finally… he sensed a slight change in the air in front of him.

Yun Che dropped to the ground and slowly walked toward his destination.

His surroundings were unbelievably silent and oppressive. He couldn’t see or hear anyone. If he was a different person, a sense of dread would be growing swiftly inside him every time he took a step forward.

Yun Che narrowed his eyes slightly. He could sense that the world in front of him was enveloped in an invisible fog. Wherever he looked or checked with his spiritual perception, a grayish smoke was rising from the soil.

The city in front of him was none other than the capital of the Yama Devils, the infamous Yama Imperial District of the Northern Divine Region.

Directly beneath the Yama Capital was the Bone Sea of Eternal Darkness.

Step… step… step...

Yun Che’s footsteps weren’t heavy, but they were unusually clear due to the dead silence around him. As he continued forward, a cold and unfeeling voice reached him. “Death to all intruders in the capital!”

Shred!

A pitch black spear shrouded by death energy tore through the air and flew straight toward Yun Che.