Against the Gods (Web Novel)

The devilish might of the Three Yama Ancestors shook the world the instant they took action. It was a power so dreadful that it seemed like it could devour the void itself.

As he shot through the space which had been drained of all light, Yan Two’s devilish claws exploded toward the four remaining Sea Gods of the Southern Sea God Realm. He traveled at a breakneck speed and the four mighty Sea Gods barely had any time to react to his soul-piercing devilish might. All of them attacked him in a flustered panic, causing four intermingled beams of Southern Sea divine power to explode against the onrushing darkness.

Bang!

The intense golden light which had erupted from their bodies was instantly ripped to shreds by Yan Two’s power. The four Sea Gods shuddered violently, blood gushing out of their mouths as the golden light shining in their eyes dulled considerably.

The four surviving Sea Gods were strong! They were a group that was composed of two level nine Divine Masters and two level eight Divine Masters, but a single blow from Yan Two had shown them the stark disparity in strength.

When they finally got a chance to put their strength against a Yama Ancestor, the immense gulf in strength scared the wits out of them. His strength was far beyond what they had imagined.

“Hee!” Yan Two let out a bizarre chortle as his Yama Devil Claw rent the air and sent the Sea Gods flying before they had even recovered from their shock. He rushed forward and millions of dark energy blades exploded out of his withered fingers and formed a nightmarish web of energy that seemed to come from a hellish abyss. It hurtled toward the last four Sea Gods of the Southern Sea God Realm, and it looked as if this net was going to drag them into an abyss of darkness.

“Yan Two, take Nan Qianqiu alive.” Yun Che’s calm voice echoed in Yan Two’s head.

Yan Two nodded his head in acknowledgement and his power, which had been about to engulf all four Sea Gods, suddenly twisted and swept toward Nan Qianqiu.

Yan Three’s twisted figure ghosted in front of the Southern Sea God Emperor at this exact moment, a devilish claw of darkness sweeping at his head with a soul-shattering cold light.

“Descendant of the Southern Sea, die! JIEHA!”

It was rare for Nan Wansheng to take action personally these days. If anything truly did happen, the Four Sea Kings would simply eliminate the threat with a flick of their fingers.

But now the Four Sea Kings were dead and the remaining Sea Gods could not even handle their own opponent right now. He had never imagined that he, the strongest god emperor in the Southern Divine Region, would ever be this “alone”.

The rage and resentment which threatened to shatter his body had finally found an outlet. The remaining hair on his head stood on end as a piercing and pure golden light shone from his eyes. The wrathful power of the Southern Sea God Emperor soon coalesced into a gigantic golden profound formation that threatened to shatter Yan Three’s darkness.

Riiiip!

The space fifty kilometers around them seemed to sink and twist as Yan Three’s claws of darkness shattered together with that golden profound formation. Yan Three was sent hurtling through the air while Nan Wansheng’s body sagged a little. Blood burst out of the wounds that peppered his body, but Yan Three’s ghastly face appeared in his vision before he could even catch his breath. A screeching ghostly laughter echoed all around him as the Yama Ancestor rushed in.

“JIEHAHAHAHA!”

BOOOM——

It was as if Nan Wansheng had been swept up in an apocalyptic storm; even his mind went completely blank in that instant. He managed to force himself to a stop, but he started to wildly vomit blood just as he was about to gather more power in his body. There were five more bloody holes in his chest and each of them had started leaking pitch-black blood.

In terms of overall strength, Nan Wansheng was slightly stronger than Yan Three, the weakest of the Three Yama Ancestors.

However, Nan Wansheng had already been heavily injured by the Titanic Sea God Cannon, and his blood and energy were raging about in complete chaos due to the immense anger that burned in his heart. He was not a match for Yan Three in his current state.

His injuries were so bad that even defending against Yan Three’s attacks with all of his strength would cause them to rapidly worsen. At this point, he could forget about even trying to fight the Yama Ancestor. These injuries had been inflicted by the Titanic Sea God Cannon itself. It would take dozens of years for him to fully heal them, if he had the luxury of entering isolated cultivation immediately.

As such, it came to no surprise that Nan Wansheng was rapidly retreating under Yan Three’s attacks. Unfortunately for the Southern Sea God Emperor, no one stepped in to even give him a chance to catch his breath. The four Sea Gods were being completely suppressed by Yan Two, and Nan Guizhong had not moved from his original spot yet. This was because he was currently facing an opponent that would brook no carelessness from him.

Qianye Bingzhu.

“Brother Bingzhu.” Nan Guizhong’s expression was still as calm as it had been before, but the luster in his old eyes had dimmed dramatically. “It’s been many a year since we last met. Perhaps it’s not so bad that we are able to spar once again.”

Qianye Bingzhu replied, “Sparring with an old friend is always a happy occasion. Unfortunately for us, what we are about to engage in today is a battle to the death.”

Storm winds surged as Qianye Wugu appeared beside Qianye Bingzhu.

The two great Brahma Ancestors, the previous rulers of the Brahma Monarch God Realm, had unleashed their auras and they were so mighty that they caused the blood of the powerful Nan Guizhong to freeze for an instant.

He glanced at the four Sea Gods and Nan Wansheng, quickly assessing the situation. After that, he let out a long sigh and an ancient sword made of dark gold appeared in his hand.

He was extremely confident that he would not lose to either Qianye Bingzhu or Qianye Wugu in a one-on-one duel. However, he did not have a snowball’s chance in hell of winning a fight against the two of them combined.

“Release all the seals on the capital!” As he raised his ancient sword high in the air, Nan Guizhong’s voice rolled through the entire Southern Sea God Realm like a vast wave. “Sons and daughters of the Southern Sea, devils have descended upon our capital and our very existence is at stake. Pick up your arms, scions of the Southern Sea. Burn up your lives and fight!”

Most of the seals layered around the Southern Sea’s capital city had been blasted to bits by the Titanic Sea God Cannon, but Nan Guizhong’s command had released the rest of them. The Southern Sea’s capital, the most holy and sacred place in the Southern Divine Region, was now a place that any creature could freely enter.

Yan Two was suppressing the four Sea Gods, Yan Three was taking on Nan Wansheng, and the two Brahma Ancestors were facing off against Nan Guizhong… There had never been such a fierce and desperate battle on this level in the Southern Divine Region.

Moreover, the site of this fierce battle was the Southern Sea God Realm’s own capital. As such, it would suffer catastrophic damage, no matter which side won.

Yan One started to move toward where Cang Shitian, the Xuanyuan God Emperor, and the Purple Micro God Emperor were standing. As the leader of the Three Yama Ancestors, his strength was greater than anyone present. So even the three god emperors felt an incomparably heavy dark pressure as he pressed in towards them.

“Don’t bother with them,” Yun Che suddenly said as he shot the three god emperors a look of incredible indifference.

Yan One instantly stopped in his tracks and returned to Yun Che’s side. He didn’t make a move after that.

Shocking explosions exploded in the air as earth-shaking roars rang out from below. The Southern Sea Elders and Sea Guards who had previously been suppressed by the Three Yama Ancestors were now rushing into the sky.

“Uncle Gu.” Qianye Ying’er calmly swept an eye over the battle below. “You haven’t killed in many years, but I’m afraid that you’re about to kill more people than you ever have today.”

Gu Zhu gave a dry chuckle. “Now that Miss has safely returned and even gained a new lease on life, an old slave like me has no lingering regrets in life. My previous stubbornness is no longer worth mentioning.”

His body had already started to turn transparent as he finished speaking. He appeared elsewhere, a storm swirling in his wake. Those blades of wind instantly tore apart space itself. They scythed through bodies like grass, swiftly dying the storm the startling color of blood.

Qianye Ying’er swooped down as well, her Divine Oracle flickering out like a hellish golden snake striking out from a dark abyss. It instantly slashed through dozens of Sea Guards, finally coming to a rest after it had sliced the Divine Master body of a Southern Sea Elder in twain.

As the fierce battle started to spread, half of the Southern Sea’s profound practitioners were fleeing for their lives while the other half were rushing boldly towards the capital.

What did the word cornerstone mean?

If a cornerstone was strong enough, it could be a tall tower that pierced the very heavens. If it was destroyed, then that tall tower would crumble to the ground and destroy everything around it.

The cornerstones of the Southern Sea God Realm were no doubt the Sea Kings and the Sea Gods. Now that all four Sea Kings and most of the Sea Gods had died however, the Southern Sea God Realm’s core now only consisted of Nan Wansheng, Nan Guizhong, and the four surviving Sea Gods. They were no longer a force that could fight back against Yun Che and his retinue… even if that retinue only consisted of eight people!

Battles between Divine Masters that stood at the peak of their realm were so dreadful that even Divine Sovereigns could not draw near them. Superiority in numbers and home-field advantages were completely useless in the face of such a battle. Thus, the Southern Sea profound practitioners rushing forward and attempting to use their power and lives to protect their holy land were nothing more than ignorant fools. They would be crushed to death by the aftershock of these clashes of power before they could even get close to the battle.

Boom! Boom! BOOOOOOOOOOM————

The entire Southern Sea God Realm was shaking as cracks started to appear in the skies above it.

In the short span of fifteen minutes, all four Sea Gods had been injured by Yan Two. Darkness invaded their souls, chilling their bodies and swiftly sapping away at their determination and will to fight.

Nan Wansheng was letting out hoarse wails as Yan Three relentlessly suppressed him. Black scars were being torn open on his body and his bones were slowly being dyed black by darkness profound energy.

Nan Guizhong was being hounded by both Brahma Ancestors, and his defense was becoming more and more desperate.

Most of the Southern Sea God Realm’s core strength had already been destroyed before the start of this terrible battle, and the elders and Sea Guards were being methodically slaughtered by Qianye Ying’er and Gu Zhu.

All reinforcements had been cut off from the Southern Sea God Realm, so the only things that could change their fate were the three god emperors of the Southern Divine Region.

Furthermore, all three god emperors had been accompanied by two other inheritors of divine power. This was a force that could change the result of this terrible battle.

Yet none of the three god emperors had made a move.

Yan One’s attack, which had been abruptly stopped by Yun Che, was undoubtedly a warning from the Devil Master himself… Yun Che was clearly telling them that the Southern Sea God Realm was his only target. He was also telling them that they would be buried together with it if they dared to intervene.

“God Emperor, are we truly… not going to help?” a Sea God who was standing behind Cang Shitian asked him.

Cang Shitian’s eyes narrowed but he did not reply.

The faces of the Xuanyuan God Emperor and the Purple Micro God Emperor went pale as they concentrated all of their senses on Yan One’s body. The dark might that radiated from the head of the Yama Ancestors clearly told them that he would immediately strike at their hearts with his devilish claws if they dared to act recklessly… He would be aiming to kill, and they wouldn’t even be given a chance to regret their actions.

“ARGHHH!”

A painful wail rang in the air as Yan Three’s claw drilled through Nan Wansheng’s chest. A bloody hole that was bleeding a dreadful black mist had appeared in his exalted god emperor body.

Nan Wansheng scrambled back in panic, hand to his chest. His eyes filled with boundless hatred and resentment, he turned toward the three god emperors and yelled like a despairing wild beast, “What are you still waiting for!?”

The Xuanyuan God Emperor and the Purple Micro God Emperor’s faces screwed up at Nan Wansheng’s words. The Xuanyuan God Emperor gritted his teeth, profound energy beginning to flare from his body. Sword energy had started to vibrate in the air as well.

“Are you sure that you want to get involved?” Cang Shitian’s cold voice rang out in the air, carrying a hint of contempt.

“Hmph!” the Xuanyuan God Emperor drew in his aura slightly before he replied in a solemn voice. “As god emperors of the Southern Divine Region, wouldn’t we become the laughingstocks of the world if we cowered in fear in front of these devils!?”

“That’s right!” The Xuanyuan God Emperor’s words had finally shattered the Purple Micro God Emperor’s hesitation. His eyes sharpened as he said, “If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. If we don’t help the Southern Sea God Realm drive away Yun Che today, we will be the ones who will die next… What’s more, we will die in complete and utter shame, die as the pathetic laughingstocks of this universe!”

“Heh heh heh.” Cang Shitian let out a low chuckle instead. “God Emperor? This title is indeed noble and grand. After all, it represents the peak of power and prestige in this universe. However…”

He slowly stretched a hand towards Yun Che. “Even the weakest of those three old monsters is stronger than any one of us, yet they are only worthy of being Yun Che’s loyal dogs. Since that is the case, what do you think the title of ‘god emperor’ is worth to him?”

“Cang Shitian!” Rage filled the Xuanyuan God Emperor’s eyes. “If you’re too scared of death to fight, that’s fine! But why do you choose to humiliate us and yourself in such a way!?”

The corner of Cang Shitian’s lips crooked up as he replied in a languid voice, “If you’re not willing to listen, then treat my words like the wind. Besides, I won’t be able to stop either of you if you do decide to take action. Just don’t forget that Yun Che has never targeted us. He didn’t attack us when he killed that Dragon God, and he didn’t attack us when he swore to exterminate the Southern Sea God Realm.”

“However, the moment you take action, you will have made yourselves his enemies without any provocation, and then there won’t be any more room for discussion.” Cang Shitian’s smile grew sinister. “And all of us have personally witnessed the fate of those he considers his enemies. Don’t blame me for not warning you when your time comes.”

“What a joke!” the Purple Micro Emperor sneered. “Yun Che is no longer the person you knew! He’s nothing more than a devilized lunatic at this point! You actually have the foolish notion that he will spare us after this?”

“Foolish notion?” Cang Shitian replied. “Just take a look at the current Eastern Divine Region. All of the people whom Yun Che hated and all the people who rebelled against him have suffered terrible fates. But you see, those who obediently submitted to him are still alive and well. Just look at the Glazed Light Realm, Shrouding Sky Realm, and the crippled Star God Realm. All of them stepped forward to surrender to him willingly and he didn’t harm a single hair on their heads. Tsk, tsk.”

The Xuanyuan God Emperor’s face twisted up before he started laughing in anger. “Now that devils are pouring in and the Southern Sea is on the brink of collapse, the first thought that comes to your mind isn’t to help them, but surrender? You, a god emperor of the Southern Divine Region, actually uttered those words. Heh… heh heh heh, Cang Shitian, even though I have never thought much of you, I never expected that you would actually turn out to be this big of a disappointment!”

The Purple Micro God Emperor ground his teeth together in rage. “Just those words alone are enough to make you the shame of our Southern Divine Region! The shame of the Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm!”

Cang Shitian wasn’t the least bit angered by the Purple Micro God Emperor’s words. He smiled at them cheerily. “The words Qianye Wugu spoke just now were interesting indeed. What is right, and what is wrong? What is good, and what is evil? He claimed that it becomes harder and harder to distinguish the two as we age. I disagree. In my eyes, the actions and decisions of the victor are what decides what is right or wrong, what is good or evil.”

The Xuanyuan God Emperor and the Purple Micro God Emperor were stunned by his words.

“If we intervene, the best result we can obtain from this battle is that we drive Yun Che and his devils away. We won’t be able to deal any serious damage to them, and we will be marked as irreconcilable enemies from now on.”

“If we choose not to intervene, the Southern Sea God Realm will fall and we will lose our honor, but it is very likely that we will emerge from this without a scratch. After his display of power today, it is clear that the only power that has a chance to destroy Yun Che is the Dragon God Realm. The miserable death of the Ash Dragon God today has already set the stage for this battle. If the Northern Divine Region is driven into the corner then, we can attack them and redeem ourselves from today’s shame. However, if even… if even the Dragon God Realm cannot defeat Yun Che…”

Cang Shitian’’s voice deepened by an octave as he continued, “Then taking action now will be nothing less than digging your own graves!”

“What nonsense!” Anger was still apparent on the Xuanyuan God Emperor’s face, but he had already unconsciously withdrawn his aura. It was clear that Cang Shitian’s words had shaken him.

At this moment, the already black skies suddenly turned even darker.

Yun Che’s figure slowly rose up into the air. He spread his arms out wide, his black hair dancing in the wind as a dense dark mist started to coil around him. All light in the world seemed to disappear into those murky black eyes of his as the world started to grow even colder and dimmer.

“May the filthy blood of the Southern Sea God Realm be forever drowned in the darkness!” Yun Che said, his voice sounding like a demonic curse that buzzed uncomfortably in one’s ears.

Any light in the Southern Sea extinguished as dark clouds roiled in the sky. The chaotic and turbid wind started swirling violently before forming countless dark storms. The dark elemental energy in the world started to erupt in a manner that defied all logic and it felt as if darkness was about to devour the entire area!

Calamity and Misfortune!

The same dark mist that was floating around Yun Che’s body appeared around Yan One, Yan Two, Yan Three, and Qianye Ying’er. Their dark powers which were already peerlessly dreadful started to swell at a furious rate. The four Sea Gods instantly began to wail in pain… and both fear and despair had finally crept into the Southern Sea God Emperor’s hoarse cries.

It was at this exact moment that those thirty dark auras finally arrived. Yan Tianxiao was at their head, and the moment the aura of the Yama Emperor engulfed the Southern Sea God Realm’s capital, it dyed it in another layer of black despair.

“What… What is this?” the Purple Micro God Emperor gasped as he stared at the sky in shock and panic.

“We must move now!” The Xuanyuan God Emperor’s body trembled as more than a million rays of sword energy converged around his body. “It will be too late to do anything if we don’t act now…”

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly jerked his head up to look at the sky.

It looked as if a hole had been torn into the boundless black sky. The aura… of another level ten Divine Master started to leak from that hole!

Countless eyes shot toward that wound in the sky. They could sense the aura of a god emperor radiating from that dark hole, but the person who emerged from it made everyone gasp in disbelief. It was a figure that seemed far too small and delicate for the power it contained.

“T-that’s!?” Shocked cries rang out all over the place, because the person who had come possessed a mighty name, one that all who lived in the God Realm recognized.

Qianye Ying’er froze in her tracks and turned towards the girl who had suddenly appeared, her eyes filled with consternation.

Yun Che slowly lifted his head and a strange light started shining in his pitch-black eyes. He whispered a single name in the softest of voices, “Cai…zhi…”

A level ten… Divine Master!?

Her progress had actually… been this bizarre!?

“Urgh… The Heavenly Wolf… Star God!” Nan Wansheng’s body violently swayed. When the aura of another level ten Divine Master had appeared, he had prayed for a savior. However, the only thing that awaited him was a cruel nightmare.

As she floated in the air high above them, Caizhi’s face was impassive. There was nearly no emotion in those eyes of hers as she stared down at the world below her. She slowly raised the transformed Heavenly Wolf Sacred Sword in the air and pointed it straight toward the heavens above.

Riiip!

The eyes of a wolf shone above the tip of her sword, but the light it emitted was not the azure profound light of the Heavenly Wolf’s divine power. It was instead a bizarre black light that was slowly being tinged… crimson.

“...!?” Yun Che narrowed his eyebrows in consternation.

This red light...

As the red light started to spread and disperse into the air, it formed a gigantic independent space around Caizhi.

ROOOOOOOOOOAAAAR——————

A soul-shaking roar rang out of that bizarre independent space, and everyone presently instantly recognized that it was a dragon’s roar. It was the mighty roar of a dragon that no living being could match!

As the roar reverberated in their ears, the huge figure of a dragon broke through space and appeared in the skies above them.

The dragon was long and vast and its body was the color of ash. It was a color that spoke of a long-lost primordial age, the passage of countless years. Shockingly enough, the draconic might that radiated from its body showed that it was a mid-stage Divine Master.

Even though this bizarre and sudden change had quieted the battlefield, the appearance of this dragon was just the beginning.

Before anyone had even recovered from their shock, a second draconic figure had appeared. It looked just as vast and ancient as the first one and it also exuded the incredibly heavy aura of a Divine Master.

After that, a third and fourth dragon appeared… but that number soon turned into ten… twenty… fifty… a hundred!

These incredibly rare Divine Master dragons had surged out of that strange hole in the sky right before everyone’s eyes. As they spread their wings, they blotted out the sun and covered up the sky. The aura of these hundred Divine Master dragons was so dense and heavy that even the tiniest grain of sand had frozen under its might.