Against the Gods (Web Novel)

Three people appeared side by side in the distant sky above them. Even though they were still a very far distance away, the gathered powerhouses recognised with a jolt that this group was composed of the three core members of the Holy Eaves Realm: Luo Shangchen, Luo Guxie and Luo Changsheng.

Even though the time for the duel was fast approaching, the three people flew at a leisurely pace. Furthermore, they did not seem the least bit nervous. In fact, they seemed so relaxed that it was as if they had come as spectators instead of participants.

But their appearance had immediately caused a strange silence to descend upon the Conferred God Stage. Those expressions on the faces of those powerful Divine Sovereigns and Divine Masters swiftly changed and all of the Divine Kings present had looks of extreme shock on their face.

“What’s up with Luo Changsheng’s aura?” The weird turn the mood had taken and Mu Bingyun’s muttered words caused an extreme unease to be birthed in Yun Che’s heart.

“Divine… King…” From across them, Huo Rulie’s voice rang out in the air. It was only two simple words, but those words were extremely heavy and it completely stunned the gathered Snow Song and Flame God disciples into a stupor, as if they could scarcely believe what they had just heard.

Yun Che, “!!?”

“Divine King… What is that supposed to mean?” Huo Poyun unconsciously reached out a hand to grab Huo Rulie’s arm, “Master, you… you can’t mean that… Luo Changsheng, he… he…”

Everything pointed towards this dreadful conclusion, but Huo Poyun found himself unable to believe or accept this.

“Luo Changsheng’s profound strength is already at the Divine King Realm.” Huo Rulie softly closed his eyes as he pronounced that unbearably cruel reality.

These words exploded like a bolt out of the blue in the ears of all the young disciples present.

Now what exactly did the Divine King Realm entail? If one were to visualize the distance between the Divine Tribulation Realm and the Divine Spirit Realm as an immense gulf, then the distance between the Divine Spirit Realm and the Divine King Realm could be described as an absolutely unsurpassable gap.

It was not only an unsurpassable gap in terms of realms, it was also an unsurpassable gap in terms of power and status! Once someone stepped into this realm, it meant that he had ascended to a completely different level and had stepped into an entirely different world.

Over the course of the million-year history of the entire Realm of the Gods, the number of geniuses numbered more than the stars in the sky. The majority of these geniuses were able to reach the Divine Spirit Realm in a few short decades. But the vast majority of these geniuses also remained stuck at the peak of the Divine Spirit Realm for a long period of time. Some of them remained stuck there for a few hundred years, some for several thousand years, some were even stuck there for more than ten thousand years, and ultimately some of them were never able to breakthrough that bottleneck in their entire life.

If even geniuses were reduced to such, then what more needed to be said about ordinary profound practitioners.

Currently, among the younger generation of the entire Eastern Divine Region, there were four people under sixty years of age who had reached the tenth level of the Divine Spirit Realm. But not a single person would find it strange if none of the four managed to become Divine Kings by the time another sixty years had passed.

The Divine Spirit Realm was the considered the highest of realms for the younger generation. But once someone became a Divine King, they would be considered as having stepped into the realm of the “strong” within the Realm of the Gods. Among the lower star realms, a Divine King could be the ruler of an entire realm and all the living beings in that realm would have to bow their head to this ruler. Among the middle star realms, a Divine King would still be considered an extraordinary existence. And even in the most exalted of the upper star realms, they were still powerful enough to be overlords of a territory.

The two words “Divine King” basically implied that this person had the qualifications to be a king in the God Realms.

And if someone at the level of Divine King were to appear amongst the younger generation, that would be “miracle” that would shock even the heavens themselves.

However, this “miracle had, at this very time and place, appeared before their very eyes, fiercely assaulting the eyes and mental state of all who were present.

“Divine King Realm… this… this…”

“A thirty year old Divine King, how… how can this be possible?” A Lower Realm King muttered as if he were asleep as he stared dumbfoundedly into space. He had bitterly cultivated for six thousand years before finally becoming a Divine King and he was the only Divine King in his star realm, the number one person in his world who was unrivalled and universally obeyed. But the man in his vision, who had just barely reached thirty years of age…

As Luo Changsheng gradually drew near, an aura belonging to the Divine King Realm also followed and it was incomparably obvious… But even so, the countless powerful individuals who had gathered in this place still stared at him with shocked and dazed expressions on their faces, they were filled with so much disbelief that they started to suspect they were in a dream.

In this Conferred God Battle, they had already been deeply shocked time and again. This was especially true in that last battle where both Yun Che and Luo Changsheng had pushed themselves to the greatest extremes. It was a battle that had displayed the talents of this generation’s two greatest God Children of the Eastern Divine Region to the very limit. As a result, the impact from that battle had astounded all who witnessed it and it still rang very strongly within the hearts and minds those present today. However, no one could have imagined that at the very end of this Conferred God Battle, an even greater surprise would be dropped on their heads.

“A thirty year old Divine King… Has our Eastern Divine Region ever had such an individual before?”

“If we exclude the unique ‘legacies’ passed along within the king realms, you would definitely not be able to find a single one. Even if you painstakingly pored over the entire history of the Eastern Divine Region, the result would still be the same.”

“Lou Changsheng…. Ah, this has truly created a miracle that has surpassed the old and astounded the new. This battle is one that no longer needs to be fought.” A Middle Realm King said with a deep sigh.

Luo Changsheng had arrived, but he did not go the where the Holy Eaves Realm was supposed to be seated. Instead, he stepped into the air as he slowly sauntered across the sky before gently floating down and arriving directly at the Conferred God Stage.

Everyone’s gaze zoomed in on his figure and these gazes were filled with astonished admiration, passion, shock and disbelief. A portion of these gazes were also filled with abasement and inferiority, it was as if they were looking upon a divine figure in awe and terror…. Because standing right in front of them was a Divine King that was only thirty years of age!

Luo Changsheng folded his hands behind his back as he stood there with his head lifted high. Under the intense gaze of the entire audience, his aura was as tranquil as water. A wry smile played across his handsome mien and not a single ripple clouded his eyes…. In fact, he had not even spared the man who was to be his opponent today a single glance.

Under his Divine King Aura, that already indistinct luminous halo that was hanging above his head quickly grew incomparably dim. In fact, many of those present were so shaken and shocked by this turn of events that they had nearly forgotten about Yun Che’s existence.

“ Divine King… to think that… a Divine King…” Shui Yingyue’s beautiful pupils contracted violently as her eyes continued to faintly tremble.

Shui Meiyin’s lips drooped open ever so slightly and she did not utter a sound for the longest time.

“Could it be that within this short period of time, the Holy Eaves Realm used some kind of special spirit medicine to allow Luo Changsheng to forcefully breakthrough his bottleneck? The Holy Eaves Realms are really far too sore about losing, aren’t they.” Shui Yinghen exclaimed. Even though it was possible to use external forces to forcibly achieve a breakthrough could allow one’s cultivation rise precipitously, it would also harm that person’s innate talent. So it could precisely be said to be equivalent to killing a chicken to get its eggs.

“No.” Shui Qianhang said as he slowly shook his head, “It is not possible for the Holy Eaves Realm to do such a thing to Luo Changsheng. Furthermore, the Divine King aura emanating from Luo Changsheng does not contain a single speck of instability or shallowness. On the contrary, his aura is so stable that it’s astonishing. Not only was this a natural breakthrough, it was also one that ought to have been done after a long period of preparation and accumulation. It could be said to be a perfect breakthrough that was achieved through immaculate knowledge and preparation.”

“If my guess is right.” Shui Qianhang said his eyes faintly flashed, “Luo Changsheng should have become a Divine King long ago, but his master Luo Guxie forcibly suppressed it and did not allow him to breakthrough.”

“What?” Shui Yingyue blurted out in a startled voice as her head sharply rose up.

“Even though Luo Guxie is possessed of an odd and eccentric temperament, her understanding of the profound way is something that few could attain. Most of the credit for Luo Changsheng’s present achievements should go to Luo Guxie. This final battle has became a battle that no longer needs to be fought.” Shui Qianhang said as his heart was filled with regret, “Even though Yun Che has made a full recovery, but there has been no obvious change in his aura. However, Luo Changsheng has directly stepped into a grand new world. Even though the difference between the peak of the Divine Spirit Realm and the Divine King Realm is only half a step, this half-step is an enormous chasm that countless profound practitioners have failed to cross over. The disparity between these two people is something that all of you will naturally understand once you reach these heights.”

“The two of them were originally equally matched, but now, it’s entirely reasonable to say that there is a world of difference between the two. If Luo Changsheng, who has now become a Divine King, wants to win Yun Che… it would be as easy as flipping the palm of his hand! Even if Yun Che has even more strange and wondrous techniques up his sleeve, he would not even have a single percent chance of victory at this stage in the game.”

These were the words of a Divine Master, they were spoken with an incomparable certainty and left no room for interpretation.

“Hmph, it doesn’t matter!” Shui Meiyin turned up her nose as she sniffed unhappily, “ Even if Big Brother Yun Che isn’t able to win Luo Changsheng right now, it’s only a temporary thing. In the future, he will definitely be more powerful than Luo Changsheng… In fact, he’ll be more powerful by far.”

“Sigh.” Shui Yinghen’s head slumped downwards as he mumbled to himself softly, “If I had known that would be the case, then we shouldn't have wasted that drop of Divine… Oh!”

Shui Yinghen’s entire body shuddered as his hands swiftly covered his mouth. Sweat beaded his entire forehead… but it was fortunate for him that Shui Qianhang was entirely focused on Luo Changsheng and that his heart was in turmoil, so he did not notice the words that slipped out of Shui Yinghen’s mouth.

“A thirty year old Divine King, and one that was achieved naturally and without a ‘legacy’ at that.” The Dragon Monarch gave out a sigh of admiration, “The potential of the human race is truly shocking.”

“Heh heh.” The Eternal Heaven God Emperor let out a chuckle, “To be able to become a Divine King at such a tender age, this is something that has never happened before in my Eastern Divine Region. The Holy Eaves Realm has truly given us an astounding yet pleasant surprise this time.”

“Humph, I’ll really have to offer my congratulations then.” God Emperor Shitian said with a harrumph. Discontent and jealousy could be plainly heard from his voice. This was because the Eastern Divine Region was not the only region to never have a thirty year old Divine King before this day. His Southern Divine Region had never produced such a talent either.

“Heh heh.” However, the Eternal Heaven God Emperor was not the least bit angered by those words. A smile lit up his face as a strange light flickered in his eyes. Even an existence such as he was could not remain completely calm in the face of a thirty year old Divine King.

“It looks like the feeling that I had before wasn’t wrong.” The Dragon Monarch suddenly muttered, “He could have become a Divine King long ago, but a restriction was set on his profound veins. As a result, he was not allowed to break through, Perhaps it was to accumulate and prepare properly for his eventual breakthrough. Perhaps it was also because the person who set the restriction was afraid that his light would shine too brightly, thus attracting unnecessary trouble.”

The meaning behind the Dragon Monarch’s words were obvious enough. The meaning of the words “unnecessary trouble” was something that everyone present was well aware of.

Even though Luo Changsheng was the head of the Four God Children of the Eastern Region and the number one person in his generation, in the end there were still people like Jun Xilei, Shui Yingyue and the others who could be compared to him. But if he became a Divine King from an even earlier age… then he would have most certainly provoked deep jealousy from other people.

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor gave a faint nod of his head.

“Ah, it’s too bad.” The Dragon Monarch let out a light sigh and this very sigh also rang out in the hearts of many who were present… as a great pity for Yun Che welled up in their hearts. They also felt regretful over what should have been a most electrifying and terrific final duel.

The atmosphere in the audience had completely changed. The fevered anticipation that had existed previously had now completely vanished and what was left in its place was a deep sense of shock and regret. This was the final duel of the Conferred God Battle, the battle which would also signal that the Profound God Convention itself was coming to a close, but before this fight had even begun, everyone present could already see the ending.

Whether the battle took place or not was something that no longer mattered.

Honorable Qu Hui arrived in the air above the Conferred God Stage, his gaze sweeping across the entire venue, “Today will be the day the second battle of the Conferred God Grand Finale will be held, it is also the battle that will draw this event to a close! Today’s victor will be placed first in this iteration of the Profound God Convention and be crowned the head of all of the God Children gathered in this place. The loser will take second place and will be recognised as the pride of my Eastern Divine Regions young generation.”

“Furthermore, the one who wins the crown today will be allowed to choose a cultivation art from the participating king realms, this is a prize that has never been given before! If you do not want to miss out on it, then give it your best shot!”

Honorable Qu Hui gaze shifted to the side as he turned towards where the Snow Song Realm was seated, “The time has come. Yun Che, you may enter the Conferred God Stage.”

Honorable Qu Hui’s tone was exceptionally flat. If Yun Che were to simply give up this fight, he would indeed feel disappointed, but at the same time, that decision would not be the least bit shocking to him.

The gaze of the entire audience swivelled to Yun Che at this moment and this was accompanied by a large amount of quiet murmuring and soft sighs.

The moment he had heard the three words ‘Divine King Realm’, Yun Che had not uttered a single word and his tense and scrunched up brows had not relaxed for a single moment either.

Presently, he could not even sense what level Luo Changsheng’s aura was at, because he could not even feel a single speck of might emanating from Luo Changsheng’s body. In fact, to Yun Che, the person standing over there seemed no more than a frail scholar who did not possess a dint of profound energy, someone who seemed so weak that he would struggle to even truss a chicken.

As a result, Yun Che found it hard to breathe, he felt as if an enormous weight was pressing down on his heart.

Luo Changsheng had not looked at him once during this entire period, and it was clear that this was some form of disdain… But Yun Che could begin to faintly feel an extremely oppressive evil aura locking on to him.

Under the countless stares, Yun Che slowly stood up.

“Yun Che!” Mu Bingyun exclaimed urgently.

Yun Che’s boddy gave a slight shudder, but he nonetheless took to the skies before landing inside the Conferred God Stage.

Mu Bingyun had not even attempted to persuade Yun Che to concede the fight, because she was well aware that this was something that would never happen. It was also because of this, that a feeling of intense worry started to well up in her heart.

In this place, only she knew why Yun Che had participated in this Profound God Convention, and only she knew how much Yun Che had paid and how much tribulation he experienced to reach this stage…

But now at the very end, when he was just half a step away from his goal, fate seemed to have capriciously played the most cruel and despairing of jokes on him.

So how could Yun Che be content with this current situation… She was completely incapable of imagining the turmoil that currently stirred in Yun Che’s heart and how he could bear such a cruel and merciless pressure.

“Ah, just what is going on. That brat Luo Changsheng… Ah, it’s truly vexing!” Huo Rulie said with bared teeth.

“Palace Master Bingyun.” Yan Juehai’s brows knit together tightly as he spoke out, “We should take advantage of the fact that the duel has yet to begin and immediately send a sound transmission to Yun Che to advise him to choose an appropriate moment to admit defeat. Luo Changsheng has already become a Divine King, so Yun Che should be well aware of the fact that he doesn’t have a single chance to attain victory. There is no shame in admitting defeat in this situation, but if he persists… I’m afraid that Luo Changsheng will take this opportunity to avenge himself.”

Mu Bingyun, “…”

“This… this shouldn’t be the case, right?” Huo Poyun blurted out, “Even though Luo Changsheng is extremely powerful, he is also famous noble scion whose cultured and genial nature is renowned throughout the land. He is definitely not the sort of person his older brother Luo Changan is, so he shouldn’t do this kind of thing… Moreover, right now he is in the presence of all who are gathered here as well.”

“No, Yun’er, you don’t understand.” Huo Rulie said as his brows sank heavily, “If a person who has never known defeat before suddenly loses, the impact this loss will have on him will be extremely big. Furthermore, if a person who is normally as calm and gentle as water truly feels resentment towards someone else, that person will become something that is even more terrifying than a wild beast who goes into a rampage at the drop of a hat.”

“Furthermore, the feeling that today’s Luo Changsheng is giving me… it feels off.”

“Ah…” Huo Poyun’s mouth gaped open as a dazed expression settled on his face.

Mu Bingyun’s chest rose and feel as intense worry congealed in her icy eyes. However, she chose not to send Yun Che any sound transmissions as she spoke in a soft and wispy voice, “He is well aware of this. But he… will not listen.”