Against the Gods

The Eighth Brahma King had had a bad feeling immediately after the Southern Sea God Emperor appeared at this precise time with two of his Sea Kings.

This was the capital of the Brahma Monarch God Realm, the most inviolable place in the entire Eastern Divine Region.

However, the Southern Sea God Emperor… was a madman who couldn’t care less about the image or the principles a god emperor should have. He would do anything to achieve his goals!

Although the Eighth Brahma King was mentally prepared for anything the moment he appeared before the Southern Sea God Emperor, the fact that the latter had actually attacked him still shocked him deeply.

He made a pushing motion and summoned a huge Brahma imprint immediately. It blocked Nan Wansheng’s attack and fired a column of light into the sky. At the same time, it rang like a thousand bells and awoke the entire Brahma Monarch Capital.

Rumble!

The stalemate only lasted half a breath before the Eighth Brahma King was knocked away.

The Brahma Monarch Guards rushed in quickly to check out the commotion. Above the tower, all of the sealing profound formations became active and glowed almost as bright as the sun itself.

The Eighth Brahma King’s expression darkened, but he still restrained himself. “This one is aware that he has no right to spar with the Southern Sea God Emperor himself. If you are this eager, please wait until my god emperor returns. I’m sure that he will be able to sate your hunger.”

“Hahahaha!” But Nan Wansheng wasn’t even looking at him. Staring greedily at the protected tower and laughing like a madman, he said, “There is only one reason someone would install this many seals into a shabby tower! It is here!”

“Attack! Don’t hold back, and kill anyone who tries to stop you!”

Nan Wangsheng was arrogant, but never blind. He knew full well that he only had a limited amount of time to get what he wanted before the main bulk of Brahma Monarch Realm’s forces showed up and stopped him. He was inside their capital after all.

The Southern Hell Sea King and the Western Hell Sea King acted at once. The Eighth Brahma King was no match for either of them, but he couldn’t back down no matter what. He pushed out again and attacked them with a giant Brahma imprint.

Clang!

The Brahma imprint only lasted a breath before it was torn apart by the Sea Kings’ terrifying power. At the same time, Nan Wansheng’s shining palm punched through the debris and struck him right in the chest.

The Eighth Brahma King was sent skidding several kilometers across the floor. The surrounding Brahma Guards were knocked away by the god emperor’s power before they could even do anything.

The Eighth Brahma King’s face turned deathly pale for a moment. He was struck by a sense of anger and dismay.

Strength was the determining factor for almost everything in the God Realm. Status, honor, glory, and even the way people treated you.

Back when the Brahma Monarch God Realm still had the three Brahma Gods and the Brahma Monarch Goddess, they were only a tad stronger than the Southern Sea God Realm.

After they lost four level ten Divine Masters in one go—three Brahma Gods to the Devil Emperor, and the Brahma Monarch Goddess to themselves—the Southern Sea God Emperor’s attitude changed completely after he visited them again.

Today, he even attacked them in their own capital!

His arrogance and disdain for them were bared for all to see!

No one could get close while the two Sea Kings were covering Nan Wansheng’s back. The man himself had strode up to the tower like he owned the place.

Every one of the sealing formations covering the tower was incredibly powerful. Even a god emperor wouldn’t be able to break it in a short time.

But the Southern Sea God Emperor hadn’t come without preparations. An oddly-shaped pick covered in dark, devilish energy suddenly appeared in his hand.

In the distance, the rest of the Brahma Kings rushing over to their brethren’s aid turned pale in unison when they saw the black light in the Southern Sea God Emperor’s hands. “The Spirit Removing Devil Pick!”

A long time ago, the worst battle of the war between the gods and devils had taken place in the Southern Divine Region.

Therefore, many divine inheritances, divine artifacts, devil artifacts and devil poison could be found in that region.

However, the Southern Divine Region ultimately wasn’t a dark environment. All devil artifacts or devil poison must be sealed completely to prevent their dark energy from leaking.

That was why devil artifacts used outside an environment with dark profound energy basically grew weaker with every usage.

Of course, whether or not their owners would secretly slip into the Northern Divine Region to restore the strength of their artifacts was another thing.

Right now, the Spirit Removing Devil Pick Nan Wansheng was holding was one of the strongest existing devil artifacts in the entire Southern Divine Region. It had the incredibly powerful ability to remove spiritual power, meaning that it could break apart almost any profound formation and barrier that wasn’t dark-based with ease.

However, a devil artifact this powerful couldn’t be controlled easily without a sufficient amount of dark profound energy. Nan Wansheng was a god emperor, but even he wasn’t immune to the debilitating effects of the Spirit Removing Devil Pick. His hand was shaking slightly, and at least half his arm was engulfed in intense pain. His gaze only grew more violent as a result, however.

He swung the Spirit Removing devil Pick at the profound formations. Instead of retaliating with a devastating amount of power, the seals let out a shrill noise as tens of thousands of black cracks spread across their surface at once.

It only took a couple of breaths’ time for the profound formations to lose their light and crumble completely.

Nan Wansheng’s expression changed all of a sudden. The next moment, he looked up and punched out with his left arm.

The terrifying ring of an explosion at least five thousand kilometers wide broke out above the Brahma Monarch Capital. A rumble later, a crooked old man wearing a gray robe slowly descended from the sky and dropped in front of Nan Wansheng, blocking the Southern Sea God Emperor’s pressure with his own profound energy.

It was Gu Zhu.

“Oh?” A cold gleam passed through Nan Wansheng’s long, narrow pupils. “It’s you?”

Gu Zhu was a loyal servant of Qianye Ying’er. In some ways, he could be considered half her master in the way of the profound. Nan Wansheng knew all this except one thing: to this day, he still didn’t know what his real name was.

Even stranger than that was the fact that Gu Zhu… had appeared from inside the tower.

“Southern Sea God Emperor,” Gu Zhu said with a voice as powerful as the sea waves. “Please leave.”

Behind them, four of the seven Brahma Kings had already shown up. The Divine Master elders and Brahma Monarch Divine Envoys had shown up and surrounded the Southern Sea God Emperor and his Sea Kings as well.

Not only did Nan Wansheng show no signs of fear, he smiled easily at Gu Zhu and said, “Give me what I seek, and I will leave immediately.”

Gu Zhu didn’t ask what he wanted or put on a pretense. From the moment Nan Wansheng showed up, he knew that it was pointless to deny or cover up the secret. He let out a quiet sigh and said, “The Southern Sea God Emperor cannot have been here without good reason. The Eastern Divine Region is under assault by devils right now, and the timing of your arrival couldn’t be worse.”

“You are a wise man, Southern Sea God Emperor. You cannot be so blind as to miss the possibility that this is a part of the devil people’s scheme, can you? Please don’t allow yourself to be used and bring harm to both our realms before the true disaster strikes.”

“Well said, well said!” The Southern Sea God Emperor laughed before extending a hand toward Gu Zhu. “What else are you waiting for then? If you know exactly what the situation is, then you should surrender what I want to me immediately! This way, both of us can walk away with what we want!”

“Ai!” Gu Zhu sighed deeply before stretching a wizened hand from his gray robes. “What else can this old one say if the Southern Sea God Emperor himself doesn’t mind being used? Please teach me your power.”

“Heh.” Nan Wansheng sneered. “I’m afraid that you are not qualified!”

“Then what about me!?”

A low but furious growl suddenly resounded across the air.

A gigantic profound formation suddenly lit up above the tower. Spatial lights filled the air for a time.

The Brahma Monarch profound ship that had left the realm not long ago suddenly reappeared in the Brahma Monarch God Realm again. Then, Qianye Fantian and his seven Brahma Kings dropped down from the sky and locked their auras around Nan Wansheng and the two Sea Kings.

Bang!

The entire capital shook a little when Qianye Fantian hit the ground in front of the Southern Sea God Emperor.

The Southern Sea God Emperor stared at the profound ship in the sky for a moment before he finally lowered his gaze to Qianye Fantian. He said softly with a half-smile as his eyes narrowed into slits, “To think that a measly little tower like this would have a dimensional formation that is directly connected to your main warship. I am growing more and more interested in the contents of this tower.”

“Southern Sea!” Qianye Fantian asked darkly, “You would allow someone to use you like a tool!?”

Nan Wansheng retorted easily. “Would you, if you were in my position?”

“...” Qianye Fantian frowned slightly. Eternal life was something that could drive any race at any level to complete insanity. Even the calmest person could lose their mind before the temptation.

It was why the person who revealed the secret of this tower to Nan Wansheng wasn’t afraid that their motives would be recognized at all.

Anger burned inside Qianye Fantian’s heart, but he was in no position to vent as he wished. He quickly weighed the pros and cons before saying, “In that case, allow me to make a deal with you.”

“Oh?” Nan Wansheng raised an interested eyebrow while putting away the Spirit Removing Devil Pick. “Tell me.”

“Help me suppress the devil people attacking the Eastern Divine Region,” Qianye Fantian said. “Once they are annihilated, I will… study its secrets with you!”

Although the devil people’s invasion from several days ago had rung a warning bell in Qianye Fantian’s mind, he hadn’t paid it too much attention, much less cared enough to suppress them.

After all, the Brahma Monarch God Realm was recuperating and doing everything in their power to cultivate a new Brahma God. There was no way they were going to reduce their own strength and wipe Eternal Heaven Realm’s ass for them.

Yet today, just less than two hours ago, the situation had suddenly escalated beyond his wildest imagination. Star realms were collapsing everywhere in the Eastern Divine Region, and even the Eternal Heaven God Realm was more or less destroyed in a frighteningly short amount of time… how could he not be worried by this?

“Hahahaha!” Nan Wansheng laughed right in Qianye Fantian’s face before ridiculing him. “A deal? Study its secrets together? Heh! Do you still remember your promise to me a couple of years ago, Qianye Fantian!?”

“You told me that you would deliver Qianye Ying’er, untouched, to me. I trusted you, exiled all my women, prepared a grand feast and even invited all the kings to witness the day the Lady Goddess herself became my personal object… but you let her go and lied to me! You old dog!”

Nan Wansheng’s face visibly distorted as he reiterated what happened back then. His frustration at missing the Brahma Monarch Goddess and his fury at being lied to by Qianye Fantian poured out at once. “You turned me into a laughingstock in the Southern Divine Region! And you’re expecting me to believe your lies again!?”

Qianye Fantian declared coldly. “This is the last time I will repeat myself: she escaped of her own volition! I had nothing to do with it! Don’t pretend you don’t know that just because you’re angry!”

“I’m the one who gets to decide what I believe!” Nan Wansheng replied just as coldly. “You broke your word and humiliated me in front of my people. I will never forget just based on these two facts alone!”

“Your Majesty!” The First Brahma King took a step forward and implored angrily, “You don’t need to tolerate him! Even without the Brahma Gods, the Brahma Monarch God Realm need not fear anyone!”

Qianye Fantian extended his hand and silenced his own Brahma King. Choking down his own anger, he said in a low tone, “Hear this, Southern Sea. Our old grudges aside, you should’ve witnessed the tragedy of the Eternal Heaven God Realm.”

“This devilish invasion is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. It’s almost as if someone has ‘modified’ them into a whole new race. If the Eastern Divine Region falls, the next one to topple may very well be your divine region.”

Not only did Qianye Fantian’s words succeed in changing Nan Wansheng’s mind, the latter let out a low chuckle and said, “Exactly. The Brahma Monarch God Realm may be the devil people’s next target after the Eternal Heaven God Realm falls. I can help you…” He curled his lips dangerously. “Or I can rob you blind while you’re under attack. Your choice.”

His intentions were about as clear as they could get.

“You!” Qianye Fantian’s eyes turned as cool as a frigid hell.

“Heaven or hell.” Nan Wansheng continued to chuckle. “Surely you won’t arrive at the wrong decision, Brahma Monarch God Emperor?”

“As for our safety, your concern is hardly necessary,” he taunted. “If the Eastern Divine Region cannot even handle the Northern Divine Region, they may as well be wiped from the God Realm, don’t you think? Even if the Eastern Divine Region truly falls to the devil people, their numbers will be drastically reduced. If they are foolish enough to attack us, then we will annihilate them where they stand. What say you?”

Qianye Fantian clenched his hands tightly.

Nan Wansheng no longer had any hope of taking the Primordial Seal of Life and Death by force now that the Brahma Heaven God Emperor and the Brahma Kings had returned, but the advantage was still all his. He smiled arrogantly, “Well, we were friends for many years, so I won’t force you to make a decision right away.”

He slowly stretched his fingers and said in a threatening voice, “Seven days. I’ll give you seven days to come to a decision. Let me know when you’ve decided that you would rather stay in heaven… or drop into hell!”

“Oh right, one more thing. I’m a kind-hearted person, so I’ll give you seven days to think. But whether the devil people will wait that long before attacking you… is a different story. So you better make up your mind as soon as possible… hahahahahaha!”

Laughing like a madman, Nan Wansheng turned around and cleared out a wide path in front of himself with a gust of wind. Then, he strode out of the capital on foot instead of taking to the air. It was as if there was no one in the entire capital besides himself.

The Southern Hell Sea King and the Western Hell Sea King also wore arrogant expressions as they followed behind their god emperor.

Qianye Fantian never ordered his people to stop them even though they had walked out of his sight. However, blood was dripping profusely from both his hands.

Qianye Fantian didn’t say anything even when the Southern Sea God Emperor was gone completely.

The First Brahma King walked forward and asked, “Your Majesty, what should we do about the Eternal Heaven Realm?”

“Seal our realm!” Qianye Fantian growled.

At this point, the Eternal Heaven Realm was the last thing in his mind.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” The Brahma Kings obeyed his order, and it wasn’t long before the entire Brahma Monarch God Realm was surrounded by a huge, formless barrier.

“Withdraw.”

Everyone knew that Qianye Fantian was brimming with anger, and no one dared to get close to him. They all scattered the moment he gave the order.

Gu Zhu was the only one who remained by his side.

Qianye Fantian slowly raised his palms. They were completely covered in blood, and his fingers were still clenched tightly into fists. He uttered in a voice so dark that it was terrifying, “Southern Sea… you’ve threatened the wrong man this time!”

His eyes gleamed with infinite cruelty when he said this.

He was the strongest god emperor of the Eastern Divine Region! His realm might not be as strong as the Southern Sea God Emperor’s right now, but he wouldn’t take this humiliation lying down.

“Gu Zhu,” he suddenly asked. “You wiped out all of Ying’er’s memories regarding the Primordial Seal of Life and Death before Yun Che implanted a slave imprint in her, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” Gu Zhu replied, “but not all of it. The Moon God Emperor was already aware of its existence, and she is an intelligent woman. Wiping it all would only give the Moon God Emperor reason to make trouble for us.”

“Therefore, I wiped out all of her memories regarding the Primordial Seal of Life and Death except its existence and its location.”

“That means that Ying’er is most likely the one who told him about this place,” Qianye Fantian muttered.

Normally, it was impossible for the devil people to go all the way to the Southern Divine Region and leak information there.

Yet it was a fact that countless devil people had appeared in the southern area of the Eastern Divine Region without anyone noticing. This meant that the impossible had become the possible, no matter how improbable it sounded.

In fact, it could be the only possibility.

Gu Zhu didn’t say anything. Right now, his thoughts were all over the place.

“Everything about the ‘Ancestor’ has been wiped away, correct?” Qianye Fantian stared Gu Zhu directly in the eye.

“Yes.” Gu Zhu replied calmly and without fear. “You don’t need to worry about this, Master.”

“Good.” Qianye Fantian’s eyes turned gruesome again when he stared in the direction Nan Wansheng had vanished.