Against the Gods

“Very good!”

Meng Cangji waved, and a jade stele about ten meters long fell from the sky right in front of Yun Che. For a time, it became the only thing reflected in everyone’s eyes.

To Meng Cangji and everyone else in Meng Jianxi’s clique, the easiest and most direct way to prove the “gap” between Meng Jianxi and Meng Jianyuan was to compare their divine essence. The fact that Yun Che walked right into their trap was just a happy coincidence.

Yun Che took a moment to examine the jade stele in front of him. It was square-shaped and dark in color. The most conspicuous thing about it was the ten irregularly ordered star-shaped imprints on its surface.

In fact, the star-shaped imprints were arranged so that they matched the ten major divine essences in a person’s profound veins perfectly.

“Just put your hand on the stele, and we will know how much divine essence you possess.” Meng Cangji said, “It has been a hundred years. This old one more than anyone else hopes that you can recreate Jianxi’s miracle. You never know, right?”

If the words came from anyone else’s mouth, then there might be some degree of sincerity to it. But Meng Cangji? The maternal grandfather of the current Dreamweaver Divine Son, Meng Jianxi? The only thing anyone could interpret from his tone was sarcasm.

“This is good.” Meng Kongchan nodded slightly. “The large majority of people in this venue haven’t seen how brilliant the starlight of the stele is after they were lit by the divine essence. Jianxi, you first.”

“Yes, Father.”

As soon as divine essence came into the question, it was as if the humiliated Meng Jianxi had gotten a second chance. As he walked toward the starry jade stele, his countenance slowly regained the pride of a Divine Son.

That’s right… no matter what happens, I am still the Godbearer with ninety percent divine essence! So long as I have this, no one can dispute my qualification as Dreamweaver Divine Son! Nothing else matters!

Father’s lopsided love, the Sword Fairy’s protection, talent in the profound way… to a Divine Son of a Kingdom of God, none of this combined could still make up for the gap in one’s divine essence!

Meng Jianxi stood tall and proud when he arrived in front of the starry jade stele. His countenance had regained its unswerving determination, and divine light seemed to be circulating around it. He reached out with his fingers stretched wide and pressed his hand against the jade stele.

Buzz!

The dim-looking jade stele immediately burst into dazzling radiance. The first star was lit up, followed by the second, third, fourth, fifth… the light slowed down only when it filled up the seventh star, and it slowed down even more when it reached the eighth star. It never stopped, however. It kept going until the light touched the ninth star.

No one was talking. Everyone was holding their breath and watching the stele closely. Divine essence was just so, so important to a Kingdom of God that it was practically sacred. After all, it represented a person’s qualification to become a True God!

The ninth star grew brighter and brighter. Despite increasing difficulty, the light crept up stubbornly for one breath, two breaths, three breaths… ten breaths.

Shiing!

Finally, the ninth star lit up in full amidst everyone’s fervent gaze.

The starlight stopped moving then, and the bright radiance of the nine stars became imprinted in everyone’s pupils. This above everything else proved that Meng Jianxi was a profound practitioner who possessed a transcendent body who could bear ninety percent divine essence.

“Hahahaha.” Meng Xuanji chuckled. “To think that once upon a time, the Dreamweaver Kingdom of God was unable to produce even a single Godbearer for ten thousand years straight. Heavens only know how much the other Kingdoms of God were laughing at us in secret. Jianyuan was the one who broke this shameful record, but he unfortunately met a terrible disaster just ten years later. Luckily for us, there is still Jianxi… now that I am witnessing these nine stars a second time, I cannot help but feel grateful all over again.”

The crowd was echoing in agreement and sighing in admiration as well.

Meng Jianxi dropped his hand from starry jade stele and said indifferently, “My divine essence is bestowed to me by Father just like my own life. It is born for the sake of the Dreamweaver Kingdom of God. This ninety percent divine essence belongs not only to myself, but also the Dreamweaver Kingdom of God.”

“Hahaha! Well said,” Meng Cangji lavished him with praise while laughing loudly. None of the frustration, anger and hatred he displayed earlier were present.

It was at this moment Meng Kongchan spoke up, “Yuan’er. It’s your turn now.”

His words silenced all the praise and echoes of agreement instantly. Yun Che obeyed and stepped past Meng Jianxi without a word. A moment later, he was standing before the starry jade stele.

Meng Jianxi cast him a sideways glance. There were no worries in his eyes whatsoever.

If Meng Jianyuan really thought he could awaken more latent divine essence, then all he could say was that the man was a joke. If it was so easy for someone to awaken latent divine essence, then the six Kingdoms of God would not have to search high and low for a suitable Godbearer every time the new generation arrived.

……

Yun Che had zero divine essence.

The truth regarding divine essence was simple. It was additional profound entrances.

Ever since he retrieved the last Heretic God Seed from the Qilin God Realm and completed his Heretic God Profound Veins, the world of his profound veins had undergone an absolute transformation. It had gone from a limited profound energy space to an infinite universe.

Not only that, he no longer had any profound entrance to speak of. They had all been replaced by infinite stars.

In other words, Yun Che’s profound veins had completely transcended common sense. Forget the others, his own understanding no longer applied to his new profound veins.

So, would the stars of this jade stele respond to his profound veins?

Actually, scratch that. The real question was… were these stars qualified to respond to his profound veins?

He carried none of the solemness Meng Jianxi bore when he placed his hand on the starry jade stele. In fact, he just slapped it almost like it was some random rock in the mountains.

……

For a moment, absolutely nothing happened. Not a single star had lit up on the starry jade stele.

After the wait stretched into uncomfortable silence, the crowd began exchanging glances with one another.

Everyone knew that Meng Jianyuan possessed eighty percent innate divine essence. Not only that, even the most untalented profound practitioner in the Abyss could light up at least a star or two.

“What’s going on? Did the starry jade stele break?”

“That can’t be. It just displayed Divine Son Jianxi’s divine essence perfectly and accurately earlier.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a profound practitioner who failed to light even… hmm? Wait a second. Is it just me, or is the stele…?”

As if on cue, the frowning, puzzled Meng Kongchan suddenly stared at the stele and subconsciously took a step toward it.

It was because he noticed that the starry jade stele seemed to be… shaking?

What’s going on?

At first, the starry jade stele’s shaking was almost imperceptible. However, it eventually got to the point where it was impossible to ignore.

The doubt on everyone’s face swiftly grew to astonishment, but before they could question or find out where this unnatural tremor was coming from, a starlight sharper and more dazzling than anything they had ever seen before suddenly pierced their eyeballs.

BUZZ—

All ten stars on the starry jade stele lit up at the same time. There was no gradual progress, no slowing climb toward the top. It just all… lit up at the exact same time!

That wasn’t all. The starlight emitted by the stars were practically blinding. Every single star was shining brighter than any star Meng Jianxi had lit up earlier!

“Ahhh!?”

Uncontrollable outbursts of surprise and disbelief were breaking out from every corner of the venue right now.

“What… this… ah… what…” It was such a shocking revelation that the speaker couldn’t string two coherent words together.

“… !!” The starlight was so bright that even the Divine Regent himself, Meng Kongchan, was unable to look at it directly for a few instants.

Despite the brightness, his pupils kept dilating as he stared almost dreamily at the stars.

He had touched and seen countless starry jade steles in action in his life, but he never knew it was possible for them to shine so brightly. It was to the point where it nearly blinded the sky itself.

“Perfect… divine essence…”

His eyes turned blurry as the three words tumbled out of his lips.

Hua Qingying was also facing toward the excessively dazzling starry jade stele and staring blankly at it just like Meng Kongchan.

She was one of the few people who had witnessed Hua Caili’s miracle with her own eyes, but…

She was certain that her starry jade stele had not shone nearly as bright as this one.

Yun Che…

The man whom Caili had surrendered both body and soul to, the man she went so far as to reject her father’s arrangements, who on earth was…

Was it really the mutual attraction of two miracle children?

“…” Meanwhile, Meng Jianxi was staring blankly at the stele with unfocused eyes.

He was the second closest person to the starry jade stele besides Yun Che, so the starlight that nearly encompassed the sky itself had engulfed him completely.

It had almost engulfed the starlight in his own eyes as well.

Yun Che finally removed his hand from the starry jade stele.

The starlight instantly disappeared into nothing. It felt as if the entire world had darkened somewhat.

He looked up and examined the thin cracks slowly spreading across the starry jade stele.

If he had removed his hand just a few seconds later, the starry jade stele would have shattered into bits.

The vanished starlight seemed to have stolen everyone’s voice as well. Countless eyes were slowly, stiffly, shifting in Yun Che’s direction.

Once again, their gazes landed on the young man.

However, it was nothing like what they were before.

Dian Jiuzhi also withdraw his gaze and exclaimed loudly, “All ten stars are lit up, a perfect divine essence! What a miracle! Congratulations to the Dreamless Divine Regent and the Dreamweaver Kingdom of God!”

Dian Jiuzhi snapped everyone out of their daze. The next moment, shocked cries and murmurings filled everyone’s ears.

“All ten stars lit up… a perfect divine essence… I’m not dreaming, am I?”

“I don’t think there has ever been a perfect divine essence in the history of the Dreamweaver Kingdom of God, meaning… that history is being made here, and it is one that may never be replicated again!”

“No wonder. No wonder the Divine Regent valued Meng Jianyuan—oh, forgive me, I mean Divine Son Yuan—so highly. No wonder!”

“A perfect divine essence… doesn’t this mean that the next generation of the Abyss belongs to us, the Dreamweaver Kingdom of God?”

“I can’t believe I’m fortunate enough to witness the birth of such a miracle… I can literally die without regrets now…”

……

The exclamations of passion were like a broken dam, flooding everything and throwing what should have been a solemn ceremony into utter chaos. Meng Kongchan wasn’t angry in the slightest, however, much less cry for silence and order. One hand clasped behind his back, he wore a small smile of pure satisfaction and ecstasy. A blind man could tell that he was on the verge of floating on his feet.

Perfect divine essence, huh?

There was one person who felt nothing from this revelation, however. His name… was Yun Che.

Ultimately, divine essence was just the right to bear a True God’s power.

His profound veins came from a Creation God, an existence that stood above the True Gods.

To the masses, a Godbearer with perfect divine essence was a living miracle.

But to him? Such a person was just “tall” enough to be looked down upon… by him.

His profound veins could not be understood by anyone. His limits could not be reached by anyone.

Even in the Abyss… if it wasn’t for that god forsaken fifty-year time limit, he could have turned this world upside down without any scheming or plotting whatsoever. He could have just hidden himself in the Endless Fog and cultivated his power until he surpassed anyone and everyone. Given enough time, he could have overturned the Abyss singlehandedly.

“Congratulations, supreme one!”

A loud roar erupted. It came from the second Dream Lord, Meng Chaoyang. The man had been keeping quiet this whole time, but now, he was shouting as if he wanted the entire kingdom to hear his voice, “Not only have you found your lost son, you even brought back a true miracle of all times back to the Dreamweaver Kingdom of God!”

“Chaoyang was wondering futilely why you were in such a hurry to hold this conferral ceremony, but now, I completely understand. It’s because you were preparing to present us with the most pleasant surprise of our lives!”

“Chaoyang is beyond delighted by this revelation, and beyond ashamed by his previous doubts!”

The fifth Dream Lord, Meng Chaofeng, also followed in a hurry, “Divine Son Yuan wasn’t corrupted by mortal dust despite having wandered the mundane world for over a hundred of years. No, he has returned with the miracle of the ages! The heavens bless us! Chaofeng is beyond honored to be a member of Dreamweaver!”

Meng Jianxi’s neck slowly, so very slowly, turned in Meng Chaoyang and Meng Chaofeng’s direction.

Meng Chaoyang and Meng Chaofeng didn’t just belong in the same clan. They were brothers and sisters who shared the same parents. The fact that they both managed to become a Dream Lord showed just how powerful their family was.

Even after Meng Jianxi had solidified his position as Divine Son, no matter how many times he tried to hint or outright persuade the two Dream Lords to join his side, they were unwilling to because they believed it was too early to pick a side.

Now, these two fence sitters were standing on their feet, showering Meng Jianyuan with praise, and outright calling him “Divine Son Yuan”.

That wasn’t all. The Valley Master of Sinking Dream Valley, Meng Naihe, said with an obvious tremor, “Five thousand years ago, the Divine Daughter of the Heaven Breaker Kingdom of God, Hua Caili lit ten stars and shook the entire Abyss. This old one… this old one never imagined that such a miracle would one day descend upon our Dreamweaver Kingdom of God… This old one may be nearing the end of his lifespan, but now, I can truly pass on without regrets.”

“Hahahaha!” Meng Kongchan let out a long laugh. After that, while wearing a “I knew you would all act like this” expression, he said calmly, “Don’t speak nonsense, Valley Master Naihe. You are old, but still very fit. I am sure your final end is still many centuries away.”

He then lifted his head slightly and swept his gaze across the entire venue. “So, is there anyone else who would like to object to Meng Jianyuan’s conferral?”

It was the exact same question he had asked earlier, but the reactions between now and before were like night and day.

Objection???

This was a perfect divine essence they were talking about! The “miracle” they thought could never happen until it actually did! Who could possibly object to this? Who would dare to object to this? Who was even qualified to object to this?

Comparison really is the death of joy. Beside a Godbearer possessing perfect divine essence, Meng Jianxi, the current Dreamweaver Divine Son… was nothing.

Meng Cangji was completely frozen. It was as if he had turned into a statue from the moment the ten stars lit up. He hadn’t responded to Meng Kongchan’s question either. He looked like he had lost his soul completely.

Meng Xuanji, Meng Kongdu, Meng Jinghai and more were looking panicked as well. Their limbs were ice cold, and their expressions completely numb. At the same time, they felt as if their seats had turned into a million sharp needles. It was all they could do not to squirm in their seats. It was a huge contrast compared to the seemingly infinite praise and exclamations of passion coming from all around them.

Suddenly, Meng Jianxi bowed his head and let out a self-derisive chuckle.

Now that he thought back about himself… his behavior, his confidence, his arrogance, his words, his ploys, his disdain for Meng Jianyuan from the bottom of his heart…

It all looked so laughable.

He was the Dreamweaver Divine Son whose light outshone all others, but today… anything and everything he did… were just foils for Meng Jianyuan.

Stepping stones for him to climb to heights he could never hope to reach.

“I object.”

Considering the circumstances, there did not exist a single statement more incongruous than these two words.

No one was pointing fingers or yelling at the insane person who dared to say such a thing at this time, however.

After all, the speaker was none other than Yun Che himself.

Once again, the crowd was confounded by Yun Che. In fact, now that they thought about it, the young man had surprised them with his behavior and words again and again, and it looked like he had no plans on stopping until the very end.