Against the Gods (Web Novel)

After leaving Cloud’s End Abyss, Yun Che flew toward the Profound Sky Continent. He did not fly at a fast pace but he had a frown on his face as if there was something weighing on his mind.

Qianye Ying’er kept an even distance behind him. She swept her spiritual perception over this world that was exceptionally lowly and inferior compared to all the other worlds that she knew of.

“Master, what is on your mind?” He Ling asked with concern.

Yun Che came back to his senses and said, “What kind of a person do you think the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor is from these past few encounters?”

He Ling thought about it seriously for a while before replying, “When I first met her, I was terrified, uncontrollably terrified. But, after she and Master had interacted a few times, I did not feel frightened anymore. But instead… Because of her and Master, my previous perception of ‘devil’ and ‘darkness profound energy’ has changed.”

“Also, I feel that she is very… very lonely, it’s a kind of loneliness that cannot be described. And every time I see her, this feeling gets even more intense.”

“...I see, it’s not just me who feels that way.” Yun Che had a complicated expression on his face. “In this universe, too many people have exhausted their means to chase after the highest privilege, position, and power. They become like that the higher they climb.”

“Meanwhile, the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor’s power is something that others cannot stand against and she exists far above everything in this era. She can command and order any living being, and do anything she wishes to do. The things she wants can be easily obtained as long as they exist. She can even decide the life and death of any living being. She can even easily change all the laws, rules, and structures.”

“The Dragon Monarch is the ruler of the Primal Chaos, but even if there were ten of him, he would not be able to possess such absolute prestige and power. Even supreme experts who have given their life to pursue a higher level would never dare to have such extravagant thoughts.”

“Yet the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor who possesses everything is shockingly indifferent ever since she returned to the Primal Chaos. She has shown no anger, nor did she look down on all creation with arrogance. Neither did she give any orders, commands, or demands. No happiness, anger, or grief could be felt from her. She did not even announce publicly or even allow those who knew the truth to publicize her existence.”

"It's not just that, she has no interest in the Evil Infant Wheel of Myriad Tribulations or the Ancestral Divine Art whatsoever." Yun Che shook his head and said, "It's difficult to understand."

“The Heaven Smithing Devil Emperor has existed for an incomparably long time. Her lifetime’s worth of experience cannot be compared to any living being in this era. Thus, it is absolutely normal that we are not able to understand her frame of mind,” He Ling said in a soft voice.

It was like… when she stayed by Shen Xi’s side for a few years, yet never truly understood Shen Xi's thoughts, especially what she did to Yun Che.

Yun Che thought for a while before nodding, “Mn, you’re right. The only thing I am certain about is that we both feel the same way. She is very lonely, and her loneliness is something that we may never understand throughout our whole lives.”

“She asked me to look for her in a month and she will tell me her ‘answer’...” Yun Che’s brow furrowed and a strange light flashed in his eyes. “I have a feeling that the ‘answer’ that she will give me in a month, will most probably decide the fate of the Primal Chaos from then on!”

…………

Returning to the Profound Sky Continent, Yun Che swept his spiritual perception across… and found that Wuxin was indeed at Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace.

As he entered Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace, Wuxin was not cultivating her powers but Chu Yuechan was teaching her how to write. She concentrated on her studies as her white hand seemed to gently dance over the paper. The writing strength applied was neither heavy nor light, her penmanship was elegant and lacked any childlike features.

Yun Che looked on silently, not wanting to disturb them initially. But later on, his gaze and mind had been unconsciously immersed in her writing and he was no longer willing to tear his eyes away.

She lifted her eyes to look at her achievement after she had once again filled a whole page. She smiled satisfactorily and was about to ask for a reward from her mother when she noticed a smiling Yun Che who had appeared out of nowhere.

“Daddy!” Yun Wuxin called in a lovable voice as her eyes lit up and she launched herself at him. It was only at this moment that Chu Yuechan noticed Yun Che’s presence and turned around. “You’re back.”

She saw a golden-robed girl behind Yun Che and her beautiful eyes instantly froze.

There was no profound energy radiating from Qianye Ying’er. But the formless aura that she radiated, an aura which had even mightily reigned over all living creatures in the God Realm, gave Chu Yuechan a terrifying sense of oppression that far surpassed anything that she knew.

“Haha.” Yun Che swooped Yun Wuxin into his arms… but, her delicate fourteen and a half year old body had grown a lot. She had already grown slightly past his shoulders and he could no longer simply grab her up with one arm like he used to. It gave him a strange feeling of regret as he blurted out, “We’ve not seen each other for only half a month, so why does it seem as if you’ve grown even taller?”

Before he knew it, his daughter was already just two years from a marriageable age. Xia Qingyue was exactly sixteen years old when she married him back then.

Time was truly cruel…

Yun Wuxin giggled and flopped around in his arms for quite some time before her attention was drawn to Qianye Ying’er who just stood there quietly. Even Yun Wuxin, who was still ignorant, thought that her appearance was so ridiculously beautiful and she asked, “Daddy, who is that big sister? She couldn’t be…”

“She is my… follower!” Yun Che quickly interrupted the words she was about to say before shooting Chu Yuechan a pure and firm gaze.

Chu Yuechan, “...”

“Follower?” Yun Wuxin clearly had some suspicions and said, “Is it really not some strange relationship? And also, why does this big sister wear a mask? Still, this mask is really pretty.”

“Of course it’s because she isn’t good looking, that’s why she has to cover her face up,” Yun Che said with a completely straight face.

“...” Qianye Ying’er turned her face slightly and it seemed that she did not like Yun Che’s assessment.

“Ah?” Yun Wuxin took an earnest look at Qianye Ying’er for a long while. Every inch of her face that was not covered by the mask was as beautiful as a jade sculpture, delicate and so perfect to the extent that it would make others gasp in surprise. Yun Wuxin whispered, “But, she looks as if she is really very beautiful.”

“Mn, actually, she may look very beautiful in the eyes of others. But if placed next to your mother, she can’t even compare and so, in Daddy’s eyes, she is considered someone who is relatively ugly,” Yun Che said beamingly.

“...” Qianye Ying’er took an earnest look at Chu Yuechan before turning her entire face away.

“Oh.” Yun Wuxin seemed to understand Yun Che’s explanation.

“Sl…” those words had just left Yun Che’s mouth when he suddenly realized that the name “Slave Ying” was not appropriate to be mentioned in front of his daughter and he swiftly corrected himself, “Qianye, this is my daughter. From now on, her orders are equivalent to mine. You must spare nothing to protect her when you are by her side.”

“Yes.” Qianye Ying’er acknowledged his orders.

“Qian…ye?” Yun Wuxin softly whispered. “What a strange name.”

“Let’s not talk about her anymore.” Yun Che stooped down slightly and said with a smile, “Wuxin, make a guess as to what present I got for you!”

“Eh?” Yun Wuxin’s face did not show surprise or curiosity, but rather one of suspicion. “Daddy actually did not forget it this time?”

The corner of Yun Che’s eyes twitched for a moment as he said gloomily, “My sudden return the last time was totally unexpected, I absolutely did not forget. I will surely accomplish everything that I have promised Wuxin.”

“Hehehehe.” Wuxin’s crescent brows arched as she laughed sweetly and stretched out her snow-white hand. “Present, present!”

Yun Wuxin could no longer hide the emotions on her face and she was brimming over with anticipation and excitement.

A light flashed in front of Yun Che and a simple white silk robe appeared in his hand. The robe glimmered a pure and mysterious faint light. The light appeared to be like a gentle fog at times and the moonlight at others.

“Wow! Such a beautiful robe.” Yun Wuxin had been instantly attracted to what she saw.

“It is called the ‘Vast Moon Divine Robe’ and it comes from the Moon God Realm of the Eastern God Region.” Yun Che passed it into Yun Wuxin’s hands and smiled slightly. “Not only is it beautiful, it can also protect you well. If you wear it, no one on this planet will be able to hurt you.”

Only the Moon God Realm possessed the Vast Moon Divine Robe; it was incomparably precious. One would have to be at least the level of a Moon Divine Envoy to be qualified to possess it.

Yun Che conveniently took it from Xia Qingyue’s bedchamber… and it was not just this one piece. Xia Qingyue had repeatedly asked him for it but he had blatantly refused to return it and in the end, she had to helplessly drop the matter.

“Wow!” Yun Wuxin exclaimed in a lovable manner as she clasped the Vast Moon Divine Robe in her hands. The robe was light as air and a sort of exceptionally mysterious and enthralling aura quietly enveloped her entire body as she said, “This is my first time seeing such a beautiful robe. But it will look even better if Mother wears this.”

“Don’t worry, your mother has one too.” Yun Che stretched his hand out once again and a sparkling white jade appeared on his palm. The piece of jade was dainty and exquisite but it radiated an aura that was even more mysterious than the one coming from the Vast Moon Divine Robe. “And there’s also this!”

That unique aura caused Qianye Ying’er’s gaze to swivel towards them and it lingered over Yun Che’s palm for a brief moment.

“Eternal Imagery Stone?” Qianye Ying’er said to herself.

She naturally knew how rare and valuable the Eternal Imagery Stone was.

“What is this?” Yun Wuxin took the stone and looked at it curiously.

“This is a Profound Imagery Stone.”

“Huh? Profound Imagery Stone?” Yun Wuxin was clearly surprised.

“Mn, but it’s not an ordinary Profound Imagery Stone.” Yun Che smiled slightly and continued his explanation, “Whatever image it records will be retained forever and you will never have to worry about it disappearing or crumbling. In other words, for the rest of your life, you will be able to look at whatever image you wish to record anytime with this.”

“Hence, it has a special name, it is called an Eternal Imagery Stone.”

Even Chu Yuechan who was extremely indifferent was slightly moved by Yun Che’s description of the Eternal Imagery Stone.

“Wow!” Yun Wuxin evidently did not understand the concept of the “Eternal Imagery Stone” clearly. But she still squealed with excitement and carefully played around with it for a while. Her star eyes twinkled as she asked, “So… how do I use this?”

“Erm… Because this present is for Yuxin, I did not try it out. But I think that its application method should be the same as an ordinary Profound Imagery Stone.” Yun Che thought for a while.

“I’ll give it a try.” Yun Wuxin took the Eternal Imagery Stone, faced Yun Che and poured in her profound energy. Soon after, a mysterious dim light flashed on the Eternal Imagery Stone.

Yun Wuxin used her spiritual perception to explore the Eternal Imagery Stone and she laughed soon after. “So this is what Daddy looks like… Will it truly not disappear forever and ever?”

“Mn!” Yun Che nooded with certainty.

“Then I want to record Mother, Master, Grandpa, Grandma… many people and many different places.” Yun Wuxin shouted with excitement but her hand that held the Eternal Imagery Stone suddenly became sluggish and a subtle expression appeared on her face.

“Mn? What’s wrong?” Yun Che asked.

She restrained her profound energy and spiritual perception that was immersed in the Eternal Imagery Stone. With a “whoosh”, Yun Wuxin hid her hands behind her back and laughed joyfully, “I like this present so much, thank you Daddy!”

“Mn, as long as you like it.”

He would always feel incomparably glad and satisfied whenever he saw Yun Wuxin’s happy expression… At the same time, he was thinking of ways to thank Mu Feixue.

“But, the present that I have prepared for Daddy is not completed yet.” Yun Wuxin was a little apprehensive and said, “Can Daddy wait for a little while more?”

Chu Yuechan told him that Yun Wuxin was preparing a mysterious present for him the last time he returned. For this present, she personally went to many places in the Profound Sky Continent and Illusory Demon Realm… But she was not willing to tell him exactly what the present was.

“Alright,” Yun Che replied with a small smile.

“Then has Daddy finished what he wanted to do?” Yun Wuxin asked.

“Not yet…”

“Then… when will Daddy leave this time?”

“Hm… probably half a month later,” Yun Che said.

“Half a month…” Yun Wuxin mumbled under her breath as she seriously thought about it for a while. After that, she spoke up with a resolute gaze in her eyes, “I will surely completely the present before Daddy leaves this time… Oh! I’ll go right now! Daddy is not to peek!”

“Alright, I will not peek,” Yun Che said with a smile.

After speaking, Yun Wuxin ran away hurriedly. But after running for a short distance, she suddenly turned around with a serious look on her face. “Daddy! You must not go anywhere tonight and can only accompany Mother! Not even to see Master!”

Yun Che, “...”

A daughter would naturally be biased towards her birth mother. Yun Che shook his head as he smiled and said to Qianye Ying’er, “You don’t have to follow me during this period of time, go and protect Wuxin. You have to obey her every word.”

“Yes,” Qianye Ying’er responded and followed after Yun Wuxin in the blink of an eye.