Against the Gods (Web Novel)

“Why?” Yun Che asked in a puzzled voice, “What secrets did that place hide? Could it be extremely dangerous?”

Jasmine’s words had undoubtedly made clear that the what was hiding at the bottom of Cloud’s End Cliff was no ordinary mystery.

“It’s not merely as simple as being dangerous.” Jasmine said in a stern voice, “I can’t tell you what is hiding at the bottom of Cloud’s End Cliff. Its dreadfulness is far beyond what you can imagine.”

Yun Che, “...”

Jasmine shot a glance at Yun Che before her voice turned slightly gentler, “Me not telling you the source of Moon Slaughter Devil Nest’s darkness and Cloud’s End Cliff’s secret is not because I don’t want to tell you or that I don’t trust you, it’s that…”

Jasmine raised her head as her eyes grew more focused and serious than they had ever been before, “I had originally thought this world was only a normal and even inferior planet among the billions of planets in the boundless universe. If I did not know that the Evil God’s Seeds were scattered on this planet, I would not even have come here. But as I gradually unearthed the secrets that were hidden on this planet, I came to realize that this planet was not only not as simple as I had perceived it to be but it was also far more complex and mysterious than I had ever imagined. It has gotten to the point where this planet has completely exceeded my imagination and there were a few times where my perception was completely overturned.”

“...” Yun Che immediately froze in place.

“Furthermore, the moment these secrets are leaked out and the denizens of the Realm of the Gods come to know of them, the world that you inhabited will be plunged into an eternal calamity,” Jasmine said as she shut her eyes. “So, it would be for the best if I am the only person who knows about these things.”

After a brief but heavy silence, Jasmine softly added, “If I can’t even tell you these things, then it’s natural that I will never tell anyone else either.”

Even though his heart was still filled with curiosity and suspicion, Jasmine’s words—especially the words that she had just spoken deterred Yun Che from pursuing this matter any further. The discontent and feeling of loss in his heart were completely swept away and he gave a heavy nod of his head, “I understand! I won’t ever go near Cloud’s End Cliff from now on. Even if I do end up at Cloud’s End Cliff due to special circumstances, I will definitely not attempt to investigate what is hidden at the bottom… This is something that I’ve promised you Jasmine, so I definitely won’t ever break this promise.”

“Good.” Jasmine said as she gave a sigh of relief in her heart… Yun Che had never once broken a promise he had made to her. This was especially so when it came to getting the Netherworld Udumbara Flower for her. He had practically thrown his life away and endured soul-rending pain such that a normal person would not be able to bear even after a hundred lifetimes.

“The Azure Cloud Continent is too far away, even I need to expend quite a bit of energy to travel there. Furthermore, your wounds and profound strength have not fully recovered yet and in a few weeks, there is still that… hmph, engagement ceremony of yours. How about we wait for you to finish up all your nonsense before I bring you to the Azure Cloud Continent? This should help you avoid the scenario where you have to walk on eggshells around two women and get overwhelmed trying to juggle both, thus wasting my energy. Hmph.”

Jasmine’s voice had become calm once more and she had even grown rather irate towards the end. After she had finished speaking, she folded both hands behind her back and walked away with an angry and petulant pout on her face.

“...” Yun Che’s mouth dropped open and he had a dumbstruck expression on his face. Jasmine had always assumed a very serious, cold and haughty posture and acted as if she was completely detached from the world. But during this period of time… it seemed like all the times she had shown any anger at all was when she talked about the girls that were by his side.

“It can’t be that… she is actually… jealous… right now?” Yun Che muttered to himself softly as he stared blankly into space.

——————————————

A gloomy and sinister place shrouded in shadow.

“Sha…”

“HAH…”

“UWAAAAAAAHHHH!!”

After the sounds of heavy gasping and panting subsided, a shrill roar split the air. The desolate mountain range shook at the sound of that roar as countless flying profound beasts took to the air in terror. In the middle of this desolate mountain range, a pitch-black mist slowly rose into the sky.

A human figure holding a jet-black sword stood in the middle of that mist.

The black mist curled around Fen Juechen’s body… Moreover, this black mist was several times deeper and denser than it had been before. The most dreadful thing, however, was his aura, it had become so dark and sinister that it seemed to originate from the depths of the netherworld itself.

The devil blood in his body had awakened.

He felt his power crazily rise as his profound strength attribute transformed into an even purer darkness attribute. He had nearly lost control of his emotions many times during the process of awakening but he had suppressed this with his iron will.

Both of his hands tightly gripped the Heavenly Sin Divine Sword that was also surrounded by that same black mist—also known as the Moon Slaughter Devil Sword. His breathing was heavy and ragged as blood freely flowed down his trembling arms… This was because the devil blood in his body,which previously had not awoken, had now been completely refined. Thus, he was having a hard time enduring his crazily growing darkness profound energy.

The blood that dripped from his body was a shocking dark red color. It was not the same color as fresh blood from normal human beings.

“Xuanyuan Wentian…” Due to Fen Juechen’s determination to grow even stronger, even pain that was ten times worse than what he was enduring would be nothing to him right now, “The first person I’m going to kill… will be… you!!”

Because Xuanyuan Wentian was the main culprit behind the destruction of the Eternal Night Royal Family!

The devil blood in his body continued to awaken as the black mist around his body continuously streamed into the sky; it seemed like it would never stop. The coiling black mist above him did not dissipate for a very long time as it gradually formed into the face of a sinister grinning devil...

Fen Juechen had not noticed that two long, narrow, pitch-black eyes had slowly appeared underneath the hilt of the Heavenly Sin Divine Sword before suddenly fading away.

——————————————

Yun Che had devoted all of his energy and attention to his recovery over the past few weeks, so the heavy wounds that he had sustained in his dire fight with the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign had completely healed. His profound strength, which he had overtaxed to an extreme degree, had fully recovered just the day before and the slumbering Phoenix and Golden Crow bloods had nearly completely awakened once again.

This morning, Yun Che had risen early and prepared to leave the Snow Region of Extreme Ice… because today was the day of the engagement ceremony between him and Feng Xue’er. The engagement ceremony that Feng Hengkong had shamelessly arranged on the day of the Devil Sword Conference.

Yun Che did not immediately travel to Divine Phoenix City. He first stopped over at Blue Wind Imperial City as he had intended for Cang Yue to accompany him there. However, once he arrived, Cang Yue gently turned him down.

“Husband, the monarchs of the other five nations will definitely make an appearance but besides my status as the monarch of the Blue Wind Nation, I am also your principal wife. Furthermore, Little Sister Xue’er is revered above all things within the Divine Phoenix Nation. If I were to make an appearance at your engagement ceremony with her, the Divine Phoenix Imperial Family would feel a measure of discomfort. Hence, it is best if I do not personally go.”

“However, I have long ago prepared a present for this occasion and I dispatched people to deliver it to the Divine Phoenix Imperial Family several days ago,” Cang Yue said with a faint smile. There was not a hint of jealousy or reluctance in her manner. On the contrary, she was as gentle and graceful as water, “I will definitely be there on the day that Husband and Little Sister Xue’er get married. If Husband and Little Sister Xue’er would be willing to get married in the imperial city, that would be for the best.”

“Alright then.” Yun Che knew that it was not that Cang Yue did not want to go nor was not going for the sake of the Divine Phoenix Imperial Family. She was not going because she was taking Feng Xue’er’s feelings into consideration. He hugged Cang Yue before softly speaking, “It’ll only be two or three days at most. After that, I will bring Xue’er back and then I will bring all of you to the Illusory Demon Realm with me. My parents will definitely love all of you.”

“Mn, I’ve also been wanting to meet them all this while. I also want to meet… the Little Demon Empress that you constantly talk about,” Cang Yue whispered into his ear with a faint smile.

Yun Che left the palace and took to the skies, arriving at Jasmine’s side. Jasmine did not turn around and she spoke in a stiff and haughty voice, “Have you done what you needed to do? If you have, let’s be off.”

After she finished speaking, her left hand grabbed Yun Che’s arm as she made a rift in space with a gesture of her right hand.

Instantly, the world whirled before Yun Che’s eyes and before he even had time to react, the scenery in front of him had completely changed from the familiar Blue Wind Imperial City to Divine Phoenix City. From his view of the Black Moon Merchant Guild that soared into the clouds, he could tell that he was right in the central region of Divine Phoenix City.

Jasmine’s accuracy and speed was not at all inferior to that of the Primordial Profound Ark.

“When will I be able to do this?” Yun Che asked with a heart filled with envy and admiration.

“You? You still have a long way to go,” Jasmine said in a surly manner, “Just tearing space alone will require a large amount of power. Furthermore, if you want to traverse through space, it will use up an extremely large amount of energy. Finally and most importantly, you will need to have a complete and thorough understanding of the laws of space to do this. The laws of space and the other elemental laws cannot even be mentioned in the same breath. If you want to completely understand them, you will need at least a few thousand or even tens of thousands of years of cultivation to comprehend them.”

Yun Che glanced at Jasmine gloomily and the meaning in his eyes clearly showed… you are obviously even younger than me!

“Run along then. Just from looking at this atmosphere alone, one can tell that those ‘esteemed guests’ will be filling up the streets of this Divine Phoenix City before long,” Jasmine said as she gazed at the city below her.

“You’re not coming with me?”

“I’m not interested!” Jasmine said with a haughty sniff before she continued, “But I will be staying in Divine Phoenix City.”

“Ah,” Yun Che said. Given Jasmine’s temperament, she could not even be bothered to meet the people around him, much less the countless guests who would attend the engagement ceremony. However, there was still time, so he was not in any hurry to get to Phoenix City. Moreover, after thinking for a bit, he asked Jasmine a question, “Jasmine, I have something that I have always been very curious about. Just what is the power that you’re normally using? From the time we met to the Devil Sword Conference, every time you have attacked… Um, your target is instantly cut apart. Furthermore, it is clear that the strength of your attacks are overwhelming, yet I have never sensed the slightest bit of profound energy from you.”

“Could it be that your powers aren’t based on profound strength? But are actually some other kind of power… that is on an even higher level?”

From the moment he had met Jasmine, the way she had killed the members of the Xiao Sect, the flame dragon, the flood dragon and Mu Tianbei… had all been the same. They had been cut apart in an instant, each part had been neatly and evenly split. When she had killed people at the Devil Sword Conference, she had done so using a red line that flashed across her opponents, cutting them into pieces… the aura that radiated from her attacks was so dreadful that it shook one’s soul but he could hardly feel any movement of profound energy when she made those attacks.

However, whether he attacked with heavy sword, profound flame or fist, every single attack would split the earth and the sounds produced would shake the heavens. His attacks would tear at his opponents’ internal organs and cause their blood to churn and in some cases, a single sword strike would rend their bodies and shatter their bones… it was as different as day and night from how Jasmine’s attack sounded and looked when she killed people. It basically seemed as if they were using two completely different powers.

“Of course I am using profound energy!” Jasmine exclaimed as she rolled her eyes at him, after that her gaze grew rather gloomy, “It’s just that my power is not used for battle or to harm people. The only goal of my power is to kill people! So that is why it’s a little special.”

“...Kill people?” Yun Che asked in a stunned voice.

“When your profound strength grows, it essentially means that the density of the profound energy in your profound veins is growing. You can also understand it as your profound energy being compressed,” Jasmine said in a bland voice, “Every time you rise by a level, it means that your profound energy has become slightly more compressed. Once it reaches a certain level of compression, a fundamental change will occur… that is also when you enter a new realm.”

Yun Che briefly nodded his head.

Jasmine raised her hand, it was dainty and exquisite, as flawless, tender and delicate as white snow. Just from looking at this small hand, one would never think that a casual wave could unleash a might that would destroy the heavens and the earth. “However, my profound art will once more compress my profound energy to the extreme every time I fire off an attack. This will reduce the scope of the attack but dramatically increase its power.”

As she finished speaking, Jasmine made a small gesture with her hand and two identical lumps of metal appeared in her hand. After she made another gesture, one of the lumps turned square-shaped while the other one turned into the shape of a needle. After that, she sent them flying at the bell tower in front of them.

Bang!!

Scree!!

The square-shaped metal piece smashed a part of the stone wall of the bell tower before clattering to the ground. But the needle-shaped metal piece completely pierced the stone wall, embedding itself into the stone wall behind it.

“The two pieces of metal were identical in composition and weight. The strength I used to fling them out was the same as well. But the first piece of metal only smashed the stone wall, so it created quite a bit of damage. The second piece of metal, on the other hand, did not create a lot of damage and even the sound of the attack was very soft but it sought to directly take the life of the opponent!” Jasmine withdrew her hand, “Do you understand now?”

“This is my Star God power, it is a power that condemns me to a future where… my hands will be soaked in blood.”

“So that was how it is!” Yun Che said in a expression filled with wonder. “This means that even though you release the same amount of profound energy, your attacks will generate an enormous might and in many cases, it will even greatly reduce the amount of profound energy consumed in the attack? To think that there was such a powerful and miraculous profound art! Jasmine, you said before that you would teach me your ‘Star God Arts’. Were you referring to this profound art you just described?”

Jasmine had indeed said those words before and when she had said them, they did not seem to stir up Yun Che. But now, his expression was filled with expectation and enthusiasm. Jasmine, however, replied with a slow shake of her head, “I did indeed think of doing so over the past few years. But over this period of time, I have changed my mind.”

“Why?” Yun Che asked as his brows twitched, “Could it be that my present level of cultivation is still not sufficient for me to practice such a high-grade profound art?”

“That isn’t the case.” Yun Che had even managed to comprehend high level profound arts such as the “Great Way of the Buddha” and the “Prison God Sirius' Tome” in an extremely short amount of time. So Jasmine definitely did not think that he was unable to comprehend her Star God Arts. She spoke in a soft and gentle voice, “My power is focused on ‘instant destruction’, even my Star God’s Broken Shadow is meant to match that ‘instant destruction’. But your fighting style has always been incomparably fierce and violent. Compared to my method of fighting, you could say that they are at the extreme ends of two opposing styles. Especially since you use the heavy sword as a weapon. So, if I were to forcefully impart my Star God Arts to you, not only will it not bring you any benefits, it is extremely likely to warp your own growth.”

“Don’t forget, the reason why you chased after profound strength at first was to ‘protect’ and not to kill!” Jasmine firmly stated as she looked at him. But the depths of her eyes were colored with a bewilderment that Yun Che could not understand.

“...” The eagerness in Yun Che’s eyes gradually vanished before he gave a light nod of his head, “Mn, I get it.”

“You can leave now. Don’t call on me unless something extremely significant happens.” Jasmine turned around and faced her back towards him. After that she closed her eyes and did not speak any further.

Yun Che was not sure if he was mistaken but he had the nagging feeling that there was something wrong with Jasmine today.

Normally, Jasmine would work hard to portray an icy and cool facade, giving one the impression that she was far above everything. But right now, it could not create any pressure for Yun Che, nor did it deter him in the slightest. Because he understood Jasmine’s nature far too well.

But today’s Jasmine gave him a feeling of “heaviness”... for some odd reason. This feeling was unclear and not even worth mentioning. Moreover, Jasmine’s words and actions were no different from how they were usually… but he just could not shake that odd feeling.

:

I know I stated that I was going to China with mommychu to visit grannychu and was hoping to return sometime June or so, but mommychu struck again, pushing our flight to June 1st. My trip to China is also now extended from June to the middle of July. Due to this trip, the planned double daily month releases for MEN will now be even more delayed. They WILL still come out after my trip though! Any regular chapters for every one of our series will still be coming out when I'm there (MEN 7, ATG 7, SR *TBD by Patreon*). I will try my best to get them out according to schedule, but if any chapters are missed due to chinachu problems, all of them will be made up when I get home.

I know some people do not read the chapter posts in their haste to read the chapter so I'll be leaving this message at the bottom of each chapter as a reminder!