Against the Gods

Despite facing Pan Buzhuo’s unpredictable fake-out and sudden instantaneous movement, despite being extremely exposed right now, Sha Xing did not panic in the slightest. He abruptly spun around and drew the nimble arc of a crescent in the air despite Heavenly Wolf Holds A Star being as heavy as it was. The howling shadow of a Heavenly Wolf raced out of the crescent scar and charged straight toward the skyful of demonic crows. It was none other than the Heavenly Wolf’s First Sword Style, the Heavenly Wolf Slash!

High up in the sky, Pan Buzhuo’s figure blurred once more. His true body was plummeting diagonally like a dim star that was stripped from a lightless abyss. Cold Crow tore a bizarre, pitch black orbit through the air and stabbed straight toward the back of Sha Xing’s heart.

Kaboom! Thang—

The howling Heavenly Wolf pounced into the sea of crows at the same time the greatsword clashed against the demonic spear. Heavy, oppressive energy, noises of destruction, and ear-piercing explosions rippled across the gray sky like sudden thunderclaps. It vibrated everyone’s eardrums and shook their souls.

The demonic crows were hunting the Heavenly Wolf, and the Heavenly Wolf was ripping them to pieces. Pan Buzhuo’s demonic spear moved so fast that it spawned a flurry of afterimages in an instant, driving Sha Xing back again and again. However, he failed to truly pierce through the giant strength of the Heavenly Wolf.

The demonic crows’ shrill cries grew bleaker as pitch black scars ripped open throughout the Heavenly Wolf’s azure blue body. Every time the Heavenly Wolf swung its claws, a demonic crow would explode into black powder.

Even through the barrier, the spectators could sense the suffocating power and bone-piercing cold of the battle. One might say that no one expected Pan Buzhuo to gain the upper hand in this battle.

“Now I understand why Pray Eternal Divine Regent discarded your original Divine Son, Pan Buwang, and even took measures to prevent him from causing any trouble to the newly appointed Divine Son. To this end, you even exiled him from the Owl Butterfly Kingdom of God ruthlessly.” The Sky Moon Divine Regent Wu Shenyue spoke in a leisurely voice. His soft, fluffy voice made it hard to tell whether the compliment was wholehearted or veiled in scorn. “Pan Buzhuo’s divine essence did not just exceed Pan Buwang’s; his natural talent for darkness is much greater as well.”

Pan Yusheng did not look at the Divine Regent. It was as if he hadn’t heard him. Wushen Xing smiled but did not seem worried in the slightest. In fact, he wasn’t. Although Pan Buzhuo was holding the upper hand right now, everyone knew Pan Buzhuo would ultimately be defeated.

Although dark profound energy boasted immense power, the element of darkness was sparser in the Abyss. This made it harder to cultivate than all other profound energies. Worse, dark profound energy was difficult to master and liable to backfire against its own master. Not even the Divine Regent could possess perfect affinity with dark profound energy.

Because of this, it was nigh impossible for a profound practitioner of the Owl Butterfly Kingdom of God to defeat a peer from another Kingdom of God, assuming that their cultivation level was the same. This did not change even at the level of a Divine Child or even Divine Regent. This was why the Owl Butterfly Kingdom of God’s strength sat at rock bottom throughout the entire history of the Six Kingdoms of God.

This was also why Sha Xing’s challenge against Pan Buzhuo was nothing to be proud of. If he won, it was simply the expected outcome. If he lost, then he would lose significant face.

Kaboom! The Heavenly Wolf faded, and the demonic crows were all destroyed. Azure blue and darkness mixed violently while exploding at the same time. As light lost and regained its intensity, the two Divine Sons finally separated from each other and landed on their feet at the same time, looking at each other from afar.

Sha Xing was wielding his greatsword in the same posture as before. Neither his body nor even his sword’s tip moved even a little. The only thing that had changed about him was his eyes, bloodthirsty and cruel like those of a wolf.

On the other hand, Pan Buzhuo’s spear arm was shaking a little. It took him a few breaths before he finally managed to make it stop. Dark light surged around him like the ripples caused by a chaotic windstorm. Although it was cold, eerie, and demonically suffocating, it was also a sign that his dark profound energy wasn’t entirely under his control.

“Heh!”

Pan Buzhuo let out a cold chuckle. “I’m curious, Star Divine Son. What on earth did that useless piece of trash, Pan Buwang, offer you to make him ‘sell’ yourself like this? Or did he know a weakness that he threatened you with?”

His sneers did not move Sha Xing in the slightest. “He is my friend. Be it in the past, present, or future, this will never change.”

“To slight my friend is to slight me!”

Sha Xing raised his sword and pointed it straight at Pan Buzhuo’s black eyes. “Are you satisfied with this answer?”

“Hehe! How laughable!”

Pan Buzhuo let out a low, scornful chuckle. “Before Pan Buwang was exiled, he was a useless piece of trash that even a dog could step on. But you, you are a Divine Son... Tsk, it certainly is an eye-opening experience to see you acting and speaking so far below someone of your status.”

“Heh!”

The corners of Sha Xing’s lips curled up like he was smiling, but his eyes were bursting with violent bloodthirst. “It would seem your Father hasn’t taught you the price... of angering a Heavenly Wolf!”

“Is that so?”

Pan Buzhuo was fearless. “I heard that your back was broken in the Endless Fog not long ago, and you nearly lost your destiny as a Divine Son as a result. What if your moment of egoism causes a relapse?”

“Even a wolf whose back was broken could easily crush a crow with rotten feathers like you!”

ROOOOAAAAAAARRRRRRR—

A wolfish howl boasting unparalleled tyranny and divine might that looked askance upon all things exploded from Sha Xing, and his profound light formed the shadow of a Heavenly Wolf once more. However, this one was several times bigger than before, with blood red eyes and spine-chilling fangs. The torrent of energy circulating around its body was so powerful that it felt almost tangible.

“Hmph!” Pan Buzhuo slowly rotated his arm as he built up a web of dark, demonic runes throughout his body. It instantly transformed into thousands upon thousands of pitch-black crows that engulfed him.

This time, it was Sha Xing who made the first move. Seven Star God’s Broken Shadow, seven instantaneous movements in an instant allowed him to come within thirty meters of the Owl Butterfly Divine Son. The Heavenly Wolf Holds A Star slashed ripples into space before crashing down on top of Pan Buwang. Behind him, the gigantic shadow of an azure wolf also followed the same trajectory and bit down on the man with its giant maw.

Rumble!

A storm blew in Eden’s Crown, and both smoke and clouds were blown away completely.

Amidst the thunderous noises and roars, a black figure and a blue figure passed by each other again and again amidst the storm. Space shuddered every time they clashed, and the cries of the Heavenly Wolf and the demonic crows sounded like the symphony of disaster, brutalizing everyone’s ears continuously.

Everyone kept watching the battle without a sound. This lasted until Meng Kongchan’s voice appeared in Yun Che’s ears once more, “Pan Buzhuo’s offense is spent, and his defense is close to collapsing as well. The victor will be decided in ten breaths.”

Roar!! Meng Kongchan had just finished when an angry, wolfish howl far greater than the one before erupted without warning. It was so powerful that the clouds were shattered, and distorted ripples appeared in space. At the same time, a massive hole burst out of the shower of dark profound light, and Pan Buzhuo plummeted from it. He just barely caught himself in mid-air, but multiple streams of bright red blood could be seen spilling down his mouth.

Pan Buzhuo gritted his teeth, and darkness exploded out of his body once more. However, what accompanied the eruption of power was a terrible backlash that felt like his profound veins were being stabbed by thousands and thousands of needles. He lost focus for just an instant, and the next thing he knew, the silhouettes of a massive blade and the shadow of a Heavenly Wolf were rapidly swelling inside his eyes. His dark aura instantly receded like a tidal wave, and even his heart and soul had flinched for an instant.

Pan Buzhuo leaned backward as veins bulged on his forehead and his arms. His demonic spear lashed out at the incoming strike and summoned a thousand spear afterimages in an instant. Once again, demonic light and blue shadow clashed chaotically, but this time, only the explosive noises of destruction could be heard. Both the devouring noises of darkness and the flurry of spears were disintegrated layer by layer. Even the light of Cold Crow was dimming rapidly.

Bang—!

When the last ray of demonic light was crushed into dark ash and his protective profound energy was completely destroyed, Pan Buzhuo was sent flying with a muffled groan. A large portion of his pitch black outfit was ripped to pieces, revealing bone-deep wounds. However, even before his feet could touch the ground, Sha Xing was already pursuing him with Star God’s Broken Shadow and swinging the Heavenly Wolf Holds A Star without mercy. The destructive strike was aimed straight at Pan Buzhuo’s head.

Pan Buzhuo gritted his teeth, blood and terrible pain reigniting the dark powers that were already receding from his body. A hoarse scream escaped his mouth as a dark shadow exploded from his demonic spear. When it extended its wings, it transformed into a three-hundred-meter-wide demonic crow with feathers as black as ink, and beak and talons that emanated a dark glow. For an instant, black crow feathers engulfed both Sha Xing and the Heavenly Wolf’s shadow completely and blotted out the light.

The next moment, bright light pierced through the darkness. A curving beam of dazzling azure pierced through heaven and earth and split the three-hundred-meter-wide demonic crow at the center like divine judgment. The attack was such that the demonic crow let out a horrifying scream, and its feathers fell from the sky like black snow.

At the same time, the shadow of a wolf appeared above the demonic crow. It was over three kilometers tall and sported a pair of angry eyes that looked as deep as the abyss. Its massive claw ripped through crumbling powder of darkness and crashed down on Pan Buwang.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM—

There was a huge boom as Cold Crow slipped free from its wielder’s grip. Its demonic light flickering like a dying candle, the spear flew out of the barrier and plunged into the clouds, kicking up a muffled rumble.

However, it looked like there wasn’t much force left behind the attack. The remaining energy was just enough to make Pan Buzhuo stagger.

Pan Buzhuo had just found his footing—he literally didn’t even have half an instant to breathe—when Sha Xing’s eyes suddenly overflowed with malice.

“Those who humiliate others shall be humiliated by everyone in return!”

Boom! The quiet words entered Pan Buzhuo’s soul before Heavenly Wolf Holds A Star smashed heavily against his head. The Divine Son felt like a million wasps were buzzing inside his skull as he spun like a top in mid-air. Then, his face smashed into the floor and dug a trench over thirty kilometers long before he finally skidded to a stop.

“Owl Butterfly Pan Buzhuo has gone out of bounds. Star and Moon Sha Xing wins,” the Chief Priest announced the result of the fight expressionlessly and stiffly.

The Abyssal Monarch did not say anything. No one was surprised that Pan Buzhuo would lose, but few people thought that he would lose—or more accurately, the Star Divine Son would defeat him—in such an ugly manner. The sword strike had literally smashed the Owl Butterfly Divine Son’s face into the ground and made it dig a shallow trench spanning over thirty kilometers across Eden’s Crown!

By the time Pan Buzhuo climbed back to his feet, the right side of his face was bloodied and mutilated. The injury was minor, but the humiliation was intolerable even to the commonfolk, much less a Divine Son!

Pan Buzhuo slowly turned his head toward Sha Xing. Even knowing that the Abyssal Monarch and the Chief Priest were watching, he was unable to conceal the teeth-gnashing anger and hatred boiling inside his pupils immediately.

“Impressive!!”

Dian Rahu paid Sha Xing a compliment without hesitation or reservation, “To unleash the forcefulness and brutality of the Heavenly Wolf Hell God’s Tome to this extent at this age and cultivation! I feel that the boy has surpassed you when you were his age, Heavenly Star Divine Regent!”

Wushen Xing replied smilingly, “You flatter him, Boundless Divine Regent. His mastery of the Heavenly Wolf divine power aside, this boy is still too young and immature. Otherwise, he would not have lost his composure.”

“Sha Xing.”

Wushen Xing’s voice grew heavy and solemn. “The battle between Divine Children is meant to show off the splendor of the Divine Children to the Abyssal Monarch. Sparring is the main focus of this event, not hurting others! How could you allow yourself to lose control to the point where the Owl Butterfly Divine Son was injured?! Apologize now!”

“At once, master!!”

Sha Xing replied immediately and bowed in the direction of the Owl Butterfly Kingdom of God. “I did not mean to hurt you so. It is all because my mastery and skill are still lacking in many ways. I am ashamed and horrified by my actions. I humbly beg for your understanding and forgiveness.”

“If my mistake proves too much for forgiveness, this one promises to pay you a visit at the Owl Butterfly Kingdom of God and offer you a formal apology later.”

Pan Yusheng said indifferently, “Your reactions are exaggerated, Heavenly Star Divine Regent, Star Divine Son. One should not hold back during the battle between Divine Children. Injury will inevitably occur. There is no need for you to be concerned about this. If anything, you are making it seem like Owl Butterfly is petty and narrow-minded.”

Sha Xing immediately responded, “This junior would not dare! That is not my intention whatsoever.”

Everyone could tell that Sha Xing’s final strike was to give Pan Buzhuo an ugly defeat; to humiliate him before everyone. They could also tell that Sha Xing’s apology was really a veiled insult. They also knew that Owl Butterfly knew that it was an insult.

Despite this, no one in the Owl Butterfly Kingdom of God’s entourage tried to speak up. It was because the loser automatically forfeited the right to speak of dignity. To defend themselves now was akin to throwing away whatever shreds of dignity they had left.

Meanwhile, Pan Buzhuo had already climbed back to his feet. Despite being covered in wounds and cracks, despite the right side of his face being drenched in blood, his back was perfectly straight, and his face was devoid of the anger, frustration, or ugliness one was expected to display in such a situation. “Pan Buzhuo has received your guidance, Star Divine Son. I will remember today’s lesson and make sure to perform better the next time we fight.”

“This one will surely have learned to master his strength as well. This one also promises to... dress up your defeat the next time we fight.”

Sha Xing stared straight into Pan Buzhuo’s eyes as he said this. His tone was warm, courteous, and matter-of-fact. He was such a man. From the moment he decided that someone was his friend, they would remain his friend no matter what became of them. Just the same, from the moment he chose to offend someone, he made sure to offend them thoroughly and burn all bridges with them. He was the Star Divine Son after all. Who besides the Pure Land could make him reconsider his decision?

“...”

Pan Buzhuo’s eyebrows furrowed, and a crack appeared on the facade of calm and pride he was barely maintaining.

“I, Sha Xing, still have a long way to go, but...”

Sha Xing’s appearance remained calm and courteous, but his words were unquestionable and firm. “I am not so immature that I will lose to an Owl Butterfly Divine Son on the same cultivation level as me.”

“Sha Xing!”

Wushen Xing rebuked him, “You have spoken enough nonsense! Withdraw now!”

Pan Yusheng’s face darkened slightly, but he said nothing. This was a conflict between juniors. As a Divine Regent, Wushen Xing could rebuke Sha Xing, but he could not.

Pan Buzhuo did not say anything, though his hands were trembling a little.

A terrible grudge had never existed between the Kingdoms of God. As such, the winner always offered the loser at least some face... not counting Shenwu Yanye’s Eternal Night Kingdom of God, of course. Pan Buzhuo had never received such naked disdain and humiliation since he became the Owl Butterfly Divine Son, much less on the Pure Land, and much less before the Abyssal Monarch and the Six Kingdoms of God!

Perhaps the worst humiliation of it all was the fact that Sha Xing wasn’t afraid to make an enemy out of him in the slightest. He could only imagine how much his pride and face had been trampled in the eyes of everyone. As if that wasn’t enough, the one behind all this was the defeated dog, Pan Buwang!

He slowly sucked in a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He was just about to mouth a retort when a cold, dark voice echoed in the air, “You dare humiliate my Owl Butterfly Divine Son so, Star Divine Son? Aren’t you worried that your arrogance could backfire on you?”

The voice caught Pan Buzhuo off guard. Sha Xing was especially stunned and speechless. For an instant, confusion flashed in his eyes as if he could not believe what he had just heard.

Sha Xing slowly turned around to face the speaker. So slow was his movement that one could see how stiff he was. When his gaze finally landed on the speaker, he saw a familiar figure wearing a black outfit slowly stepping out from behind the Star and Moon Kingdom of God’s entourage.

The speaker... was none other than Pan Buwang!

This sudden happening caught everyone by surprise. The eyebrows of both the Heavenly Star Divine Regent and the Pray Eternal Divine Regent sank... though the emotions brewing inside their hearts were completely different from one another.

“What... What did you just say, Brother Buwang?” Sha Xing stared at Pan Buwang. He had faced down even the Pray Eternal Divine Regent with pride, but now his eyes were rippling uncontrollably. He would rather believe that his hearing had gone crazy for a moment than believe that the one who rebuked him was none other than the friend he was willing to take revenge for, even at the cost of offending a Divine Son, Pan Buwang.