Against the Gods

UNedited chapter - Rubble

The moment Shenwu Yi stepped out of the barrier, Yun Che’s figure flickered, and he followed closely behind.

His expression was serene, tinged with a sense of contentment that seemed impossible to suppress.

“Wu Yi!”

Shenwu Mingque appeared almost instantly, her gaze and profound energy sweeping over Shenwu Yi multiple times to ensure she was unharmed. Only then did she relax slightly.

Shenwu Yi offered her a faint smile. “There’s no need to worry, Aunt. Divine Son Yuan may seem arrogant on the surface, but he possesses the heart of a gentleman. He’s actually quite impressive[1]. We’ve successfully completed our mission, so let’s go.”

“Thanks for the compliment, but I won’t be seeing you off.” Yun Che wore a beaming smile, looking as though he’d gotten exactly what he wanted... there was even a hint of reluctance in his expression that sparked quite a bit of speculation.

Shenwu Mingque stepped in front of Shenwu Yi and made no further delay: “Let’s go!”

The two floated into the air. Just as they were about to speed away, Shenwu Yi suddenly paused and stopped in her tracks.

Shenwu Mingque turned halfway to look at her, confusion in her eyes, but she did not force the young woman to leave.

Shenwu Yi turned her gaze slightly and spoke in a calm, measured tone, “Divine Son Yuan, between you and me, this is ultimately nothing more than a dispute among juniors. Even if your tactics are brilliant, and everything goes as you wish, what good will it do? To the Divine Regents, it is nothing more than a fleeting, childish game.”

On the surface, these words were a veiled criticism of Yun Che’s pursuit of momentary dignity—a childish act driven by impulsiveness, lacking the wisdom to hide one’s true strength. After all, in the six Kingdoms of God, the Divine Regents ultimately reigned supreme. No matter how intense, the disputes among the younger generation were nothing more than child’s play.

But... they were no longer in a secluded cultivation space where no one could eavesdrop. The fact that she suddenly stopped and chose to speak these words in front of everyone undoubtedly held a profound meaning.

Yun Che narrowed his eyes slightly, instantly grasping her intent.

What she was really saying was: Even if you truly succeeded in stirring up turmoil across the Kingdoms of God, so what? If the Abyssal Monarch were to intervene, with his supreme prestige accumulated over three million years of dominance, even the greatest upheaval would be easily quelled.

Yun Che crossed his arms, the serene smile on his face fading slightly as he said in a leisurely tone, “What sort of beings are the Divine Regents? Why would they deign to meddle in the affairs of the younger generation? I, Yun Che, did not grow up in a Kingdom of God. In fact, I am, at heart, a commoner. I am narrow-minded, hold grudges, and cannot tolerate even the slightest injustice. I would advise the Eternal Night Divine Daughter—whether by choice or by force—that it would be best not to provoke me.”

His implication was clear: I have my own ways of ensuring the Abyssal Monarch has no desire to intervene, and no time for anything else.

She turned her head and gazed deeply at Yun Che.

He claimed he could turn the three kingdoms—Boundless, Heaven Breaker, and Dreamweaver—against one another; he claimed he had implanted a belief in the mind of Dreamless Divine Regent, and suggestions that could be triggered at any moment; he claimed he could incite the Owl Butterfly Kingdom of God to bring calamity upon Eternal Night....

And now, he claimed that he could keep the supreme Abyssal Monarch in check....

The emperor of the Eternal Pure Land... the husband who is bound to me by a marriage contract....

Facing his eyes, so clear that they admitted not a speck of dust; and that joy and shame—so profound they seemed bottomless, impossible to conceal....

And... that sincerity and caution, as if he longed to tear out his very soul and lay it before her....

She could see it all, and feel it with such soul-stirring clarity.

What kind of past and secrets did he carry with him....

And what kind of entanglements and grievances had unfolded between him and me....

Was my choice—one that completely defied reason—driven by my rejection of this world, or... was it because.... of him....

Unprecedented, indescribably complex emotions surged silently within her. She said nothing more, her figure gliding gracefully away in silence.

No one could have imagined—much less known—that what appeared to be a forced transaction and a feud between two God Bearers were, in fact, tugging at the very threads of fate of the entire Abyss.

Yun Che watched as Shenwu Yi followed Shenwu Mingque away, then turned directly and returned to his cultivation space.

As for how Shenwu Yi would explain to Shenwu Mingque—and the Lightless Divine Regent—what had transpired during their private moment, he had not the slightest concern.

Standing alone in the cultivation space, Yun Che remained deep in thought for a long time. He extended his right hand and gazed at his palm.

The terrifying sensation of being torn apart by spatial turbulence after falling into the Abyss of Nothingness remained vivid. Even when he finally landed in the Abyss Realm, despite his formidable physique, not a single part of his body remained unscathed; his internal organs were riddled with countless fractures, held together only by the last remnants of his profound energy.

How had she, gravely wounded and on the brink of death with her profound energy completely depleted, managed to safely pass through the Abyss passage? And where exactly had those missing twenty years gone...

He could not find even a single possibility that might offer him the slightest comfort.

Can it really only be interpreted as “heavens’ blessing’....

Sensing his restless turmoil, Li Sha spoke softly to comfort him: “Perhaps, as she fell into the Abyss, she happened to brush against a dimensional passage that was torn open by a spatial turbulence, which transported her directly to this world. Or perhaps the laws of time in this world have completely broken down, and the distortions caused by the Time Tidal Wave to the flow of time are fluctuating violently, leading to temporal chaos.

“Or perhaps this world... the land that was abandoned by the Ancestral God Herself... still harbors many secrets that are unknown to us. It is difficult enough to understand a single person; much less the full scope of a vast world.

“But... as Shenwu Yi said, the road ahead is extremely arduous, so there’s no need to dwell too much on the unresolved matters of the past.”

“Mm, I know,” Yun Che replied calmly. He let his arms hang down and withdrew his thoughts. He seemed to have let it go, no longer dwelling on the matter.

Yet, a thread of unease that could not be dispelled still lingered in his soul.

Its name... the unknown.

......

Pitch black darkness shrouded the Eternal Night Kingdom of God.

Clang... scrape... clang... scrape....

Heavy shackles scraped against the cold gravel, each clang louder than the last, and every sound dragging a sense of helpless despair behind it. Step by step, the weight grew heavier; step by step, hope faded.

A procession of thirty, thirty pairs of shackles embedded deep into flesh and bone. Every step was accompanied by excruciating, bone-piercing pain. Yet none dared to fly through the air nor lift their heavily bowed heads.

As the most despised criminal slaves of the Eternal Night Kingdom of God—the “livestock” spoken of by the Lightless Divine Regent—they possessed no right to fly within the realm’s borders.

Clang... scrape... clang... scrape....

Their footsteps were steady and silent, their eyes devoid of light, and their expressions unchanging. It was like a procession of mechanized[2] living corpses. The bloodstained shackles bound not only their bodies, but also their shattered souls and trampled faith and dignity.

The leader of the procession had half-gray hair and a face caked in grime. Thick layers of blood clung to his body, emitting a nauseating stench. Messy, unkempt hair concealed his coarse features and eyes that had once looked down upon all living beings with arrogance.

Even low-ranking profound practitioners living at the borders of the Land of the Living would recoil in disgust at the sight of him, refusing to spare him even a glance of contempt or pity.

Yet not one would ever have dreamed that this filthy, stinking man, shackled in chains, possessed profound cultivation as high as the ninth level of the Divine Limit Realm.

He was once the teacher of a Divine Son of a Kingdom of God; a transcendent being whose status and profound power was second only to the Divine Regent.

He bore a name that, when mentioned by the powerful figures of the Kingdoms of God today, elicited nothing but sighs of regret...

Shen Wuyefeng.

When Shenwu Yanye successfully seized the divine origin and became the Lightless Divine Regent, he too fell from being the mentor of the Divine Son and the right-hand man of the Divine Regent to become the most despised criminal slave of the Eternal Night Kingdom of God.

Simply because he was a man bearing the surname “Shenwu.”

And his duty as a criminal slave was to lead the men of the Shenwu clan—who had likewise been reduced to slaves—time and again into the Endless Fog, retrieving abyssal crystal at the cost of their blood, wounds, and lives... If the harvest was sufficient, there was no reward; if it fell short, the punishment was severe.

Branded by the Eternal Night Death Wishing Mark, they dared only to die, not to flee.

Yet what truly held Shenwu Yefeng captive was not the Eternal Night Death Wishing Mark, but his wife...

Shenwu Youluan.

Even as his dignity was shattered and he endured every humiliation, he dared not die, dared not flee, dared not resist... year after year, night after night. Only her safety remained his unwavering comfort and support.

A brilliant beam of light approached from afar, slowing as it entered the realm, then glided slowly overhead.

Without raising his head, Shen Wuyefeng knelt with his head bowed, his voice hoarse: “Criminal slave Yefeng humbly welcomes Her Divine Highness[3] and the esteemed Night Patrol Officer.”

The rest of the “criminal slaves” also bowed their heads and knelt, their shackles clanging in a piercing, heart-rending chorus.

In truth, they could have broken free with ease even if these shackles were ten times stronger. Yet the existence of these tools were not meant to restrain them—purely humiliate them.

Neither Shenwu Yi nor Shenwu Youluan paused in their stride, or cast a single glance their way. Criminal slaves were unworthy of any response, let alone the privilege of approaching any women of Eternal Night. They were fit only to be the most despicable of servants and tools... Such had always been the way of Shenwu Yanye’s era.

Shenwu Yefeng remained motionless, kneeling with his head bowed, until the two women’s auras had faded into the distance. Only then did he rise—the first to do so—and continued onward with unsteady steps.

Yet the shackles seemed to grow heavier and more grating.

His direct of travel seemed to shift slightly, until a certain moment, where his footsteps and his breath touched the space directly beneath Shenwu Yi’s path of flight.

His footsteps did not stop, and the aura of death remained... Yet beneath his filthy, tangled hair, a fleeting gleam that should not have occurred flickered for just an instant.

In the Eternal Night Divine Hall, the “Coiling Dragon Seven Profound Crystal” floated in midair, emitting an incredibly strange aura and an abyssal glow... Even Shenwu Yanye, hidden behind her pitch-black curtain, had never sensed such an odd abyssal crystal aura before.

A sharp beam of profound light suddenly shot out, instantly sweeping the “Coiling Dragon Seven Profound Crystal” behind the black curtain. Immediately after that, the surrounding air currents began to surge, causing the entire space to tremble slightly.

Shenwu Mingque’s fingers tightened slightly, her heart pounding like a drum. Despite having served Shenwu Yanye for so many years and endured her countless fits of rage and madness, she had never once witnessed the supreme one losing control of her emotions to this extent... yet this was not due to anger, but rather an intense surge of excitement and ecstasy.

Shred—shred!

The pitch-black curtain was torn to shreds by the raging currents, revealing a pair of hands so overcome with emotion that every finger was twisted beyond recognition. No one could fathom what this moment meant to the Lightless Divine Regent—perhaps not even herself.

This terrifying emotional turmoil raged on for a long time, but when it finally subsided, Shenwu Mingque bowed her head deeply: “Congratulations on having your wish granted, supreme one. This is a blessing from the heavens for you and the Eternal Night Kingdom of God.”

The world fell suddenly silent. In the sudden, breathless stillness, the black curtain was violently torn aside, and a torrent of raging air swept directly toward Shenwu Mingque, accompanied by a ghoulish, furious roar:

“You wretch!” With a dull thud, Shenwu Mingque was sent flying and crashed to her knees, blood spilling from her seven orifices.

“Who gave you the audacity to act on your own!!”

The savage voice nearly tore the eardrums apart. Shenwu Mingque dared not resist, dared not defend herself; her face deathly pale, she bowed once more: “Mingque... knows her mistake...”

“Mother!” Shenwu Yi cried out in panic, trying to intervene. “Please calm your anger. This is not Aunt Mingque’s fault; it was Wu Yi who insisted on....”

“Shut your mouth!”

Shenwu Yi’s words were cut off mid-sentence. Shenwu Yanye, who had been so overcome with emotion moments ago, had now transformed once more into a raging fiend. “Shenwu Yi, your audacity truly knows no bounds. On a matter of such gravity, you dared to conceal it from me and leave the domain without permission! To seek out that wretch Yun Che, who deserves to be torn to pieces!

“Do you think that just because you retrieved this Coiling Dragon Seven Profound Crystal, I would overlook this matter and even be grateful to you!?”

“No...” Shenwu Yi shook her head in terror. “Mother’s lifelong wish naturally outweighs my own life. Regarding today’s incident, regardless of the reasons or circumstances, I admit that I am at fault from the start. I beg Mother to impose her punishment; I... would neither have regrets nor harbor any resentment.”

“Punishment?? The disgrace has been committed, the humiliation is complete—what use is punishment now!”

Shenwu Yanye’s voice grew even shriller. “You had trampled upon Dian Jiuzhi at Eden’s Crown, received the personal favor of the Abyssal Monarch, and ruthlessly crushed the faces of those vile men—at long last, you had restored a shred of dignity to this regent!”

“But now, barely two months later, you actually threw yourself at a hypocritical, filthy beast, begging for...” Her already terrifying voice trembled with increasing intensity. “You are this regent’s daughter and chosen God Bearer! How dare you commit such a disgraceful and filthy act!”

Shenwu Yi’s face turned pale. Her lips parted, and there was a faint tremor in her voice as the beginnings of an explanation escaped her throat. But in the end, she bowed her head deeply, overcome with guilt. “Wu Yi... knows she has erred... Please, Mother, calm your anger. Your soul wounds have not yet healed... You must not let this distress harm yourself further...”

“Mingque!” Shenwu Yanye’s voice suddenly switched to a different target. “Speak! How exactly had you obtained the Coiling Dragon Seven Profound Crystal! If you dare utter a single false word, I will tear you apart right now!”

Shenwu Mingque shuddered violently. She then recounted everything truthfully following the instructions Shenwu Yi had given her on their way back. “Supreme one... Wu Yi and Yun Che had been alone for fifteen minutes. No one was allowed to intrude or pry. Fifteen minutes later, Yun Che handed the abyssal crystal to Wu Yi.”

BOOM—

Space roared, and absolute fury tore at the heart.

By now, the voice behind the black veil had twisted into the screech of an abyssal ghost. “Wu Yi... Do you still remember... what this regent hates most?!”

“Wu Yi... dares not forget,” Shenwu Yi murmured softly. “Mother hates men in this world most of all; she hates betrayal and defiance most of all....”

Bang!

The Lightless Divine Regent struck down a palm. Cracks instantly spread across the Eternal Night Divine Palace, and debris flew everywhere. “You remember... if you remember, then how dare you come into close contact with that filthy beast! You... you....”

“Mother, Wu Yi has not! Nor would I ever do such a thing!”

Shenwu Yi raised her head, her eyes a mix of one part sorrow and two parts resolve. “Wu Yi has not forgotten Mother’s teachings for even a moment. No matter what, Wu Yi would never allow Yun Che... or any man in this world to touch me in the slightest.”

She held out her arms and met Shenwu Yanye’s fury head on. “If Mother does not believe me, then you may search every inch of my being. It has not even been twenty-four hours since I last saw Yun Che. If there had truly been any contact, it would be impossible to hide it from your perception.”

Shenwu Yanye possessed no sight, but this had indirectly sharpened her other senses to an extraordinary degree. In particular, she harbored an extreme, bone-deep aversion and loathing for the aura of all men. Even the slightest trace would have triggered her spiritual senses, stirring the depths of her hatred and leaving it with nowhere to hide.

In truth, the moment Wu Yi entered the hall, Shenwu Yanye’s perception had already swept over her entire body. If she truly carried Yun Che’s... or any man’s scent upon her, her fury would have been far beyond this.

“A man’s flesh and blood are vile and filthy, and their hearts are the most disgusting and evil things in the world! If you offered yourself willingly, how could such a beast not harbor evil intentions... and how could he possibly hand over the Coiling Dragon Seven Profound Crystal to you so easily!”

Though Shenwu Yanye could not see, Shenwu Yi still raised her gaze to meet hers, her eyes filled with nothing but flawless sincerity: “Mother, I had gone to Dreamweaver with a heart filled with remorse. If I could fulfill your lifelong wish, I would not hesitate to kneel and forfeit my dignity. However, I had never once entertained the thought of defying your teachings.”

“When I was alone with Yun Che, he stood facing me from a distance, but he had never made any demands of me—not even an apology. He had merely uttered some slanderous and offensive words about Mother before handing me the Coiling Dragon Seven Profound Crystal.”

“Wu Yi knows this is hard for Mother to believe, but I swear that every word is true. If even a single word is false, may abyssal dust devour this daughter, bone by bone, flesh by flesh...”

“Words that slander and offend this regent?” A shriek suddenly pierced the air with piercing intensity... Had it been any other Divine Regent, they would have dismissed the trifling words of a junior with disdain. But she was Shenwu Yanye, crazy and mad as a ghost: “What did he say!?”

Shenwu Yi paused slightly, then replied swiftly, “It is just some absurd and filthy words, unworthy of Mother’s ears...”

“Speak!! Say it word for word!!”

“No lies, no omissions!!”

“...Yes!” Shenwu Yi closed her eyes in resignation and “recounted” in a whisper:

“He said... that though Mother is a Divine Regent, in truth she is nothing more than a... foolish and mindless madwoman. He doesn’t need to do anything at all; he merely... merely needs to keep me with him for fifteen minutes. Even if I returned with the Coiling Dragon Seven Profound Crystal, Mother would not count it as a merit. Instead, she would... fly into a rage... hurl insults... inflict punishment... and become irreversibly distrustful of me. Just like... just like how Shenwu Qing had lost Mother’s trust after becoming close to Pan Buwang.

“Such retribution is effortless, achieved without shedding a drop of blood.”

Her voice grew unconsciously softer, and her head gradually drooped as she spoke. It was as if she could no longer bear to face Shenwu Yanye’s rage, which could erupt at any moment.

If someone was looking through the black curtain right now, they would see that every feature and every muscle fiber on the terrifying visage of the Lightless Divine Regent was trembling violently.

“Yun Che’s words” had, in fact, perfectly described her earlier frenzied rage. It was like a resounding slap that had crossed the borders of two Kingdoms of God to strike her, the Divine Lightless Divine Regent, squarely across the face.

A tremor of fear in her voice, Shenwu Yi continued, “These falsehoods are truly unworthy of defiling the Mother’s ears. Wu Yi knows full well that Mother’s wrath stemmed from her inability to bear seeing Wu Yi humiliated and disgraced—it was certainly not as Yun Che had claimed. Shenwu Qing had committed a grave error first and deserved punishment; how could I and she possibly—”

“Get out...”

Shenwu Yanye uttered the words first in a hoarse whisper, then with a roar that tore through her throat:

“GET OUT!!”

RUMBLE————

Space fell into disarray, and a terrifying boom shook the entire Eternal Night Kingdom of God. Shenwu Yi and Shenwu Mingque were blasted far, far away before they landed a hundred li away from the Eternal Night Divine Palace.

Shenwu Yi was shielding Shenwu Mingque. Despite the unceremonious expulsion, the Night Patrol Officer actually let out a long sigh of relief.

Every encounter with Shenwu Yanye was undoubtedly like stepping into a terrifying nightmare.

It was at this moment Shenwu Youluan’s figure approached at breakneck speed. Even before she drew near, her concerned voice rang out, “What happened? Are you all right, Wu Yi?”

Shen Wuyi smiled faintly and shook her head. “I’m fine. It was my fault for handling matters poorly and provoking Mother’s wrath.”

Seeing that Shenwu Yi was unharmed, Shenwu Youluan let out a small sigh of relief. She then cast a discreet glance at Shenwu Mingque and asked softly, “Mingque, Wuyi, have you truly found the Coiling Dragon Seven Profound Crystal?”

“Yes!” Shenwu Mingque nodded. “And we have already delivered them to the supreme one.”

A strange glint flashed in Shenwu Youluan’s eyes as she asked urgently, “In that case, have all the abyssal crystals required for the ‘Metamorphic Rebirth’ technique mentioned by the supreme one been gathered? Doesn’t... that mean that....”

Shenwu Yi shook her head slowly. “All matters concerning Mother shall be decided by Herself. We need not speculate; we simply need to wait quietly for her instructions.”

Amidst the swirling smoke and unresolved fury within the Eternal Night Divine Palace, a withered hand slowly opened an ancient tome that was shrouded in abyssal dust.

The Night Wither Pearl, the Glazed Radiance Heart Tempering Jade, the Sea Soul Stone, the Obsidian Evil Removing Crystal, the Abyssal Heart Vine, and the Coiling Dragon Seven Profound Crystal....

As recorded in the Secret Tome, All six abyssal crystals required to manifest the Formation of Metamorphic Rebirth had been found.

All that remained was to dispel the last bit of abyssal dust to reveal the true form of the Formation of Metamorphic Rebirth....

At last....

At long last....

1. Ah... she has no idea how she sounds does she? ☜

2. Preemptive response: I’m just the translator. ☜

3. I checked back in the glossary, and there were actually old cases where Your Highness is used. Since she’s a Divine Daughter, I tried going with Her Divine Highness. Hopefully it doesn’t feel too jarring; we’ve never had a lower class’ perspective until now. ☜