Against the Gods (Web Novel)

After leaving the Eastern Divine Region, the black profound arks that no longer needed to conceal their presence increased their speed drastically as they shot through the Southern Divine Region.

The Southern Divine Region was thrown into a great panic because of that, as everyone feared for their lives. However, these black profound arks ignored everything else, flying into the Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm in an exceptionally neat formation. All the major star realms and hubs in the Southern Divine Region had gone untouched, unlike what had happened in the Eastern Divine Region.

A few days passed since those black profound arks flew into the Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm, but the forces of the Northern Divine Region showed no sign of disembarking. Despite that being the case, the panic that had engulfed the entire Southern Divine Region still hadn’t dissipated.

The core of the Northern Divine Region’s strength had shifted from the Eastern Divine Region to the Southern Divine Region, and to the Southern Divine Region’s star realms and profound practitioners, it felt no different from having their heads thrust into a tiger’s mouth. No one could guess when it would go crazy and bite their head off.

This time, the Northern Divine Region had truly shifted all of their forces over. The three king realms of the north, the Burning Moon Realm, Soul Stealing Realm, and Yama Realm had led the way, and the core forces of the upper and middle star realms had traveled alongside them. This large movement made it seem as if they were abandoning the conquered Eastern Divine Region in a desperate bid to avoid the Dragon God Realm’s wrath.

Chi Wuyao and the three Witches Jie Ling, Jie Xin, and Hua Jin, arrived last.

When she entered the Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm, everyone bowed to her the moment they saw her. This included both the devils of the north and the profound practitioners of the Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm. The former did it out of worshipful adoration, but the latter did it out of abject fear.

This was the Devil Queen of the North, Chi Wuyao! The dreadful woman who had beaten the number one Dragon God black and blue and sent him scurrying away in defeat!

Furthermore, the two ephemerally beautiful women behind her with cold and serene expressions on their identical faces, were the twin Witches who had beaten back the Pure Dragon God by themselves.

There was no one in the God Realm who did not have the images of these three women engraved in their hearts and souls.

“Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm King Cang Shitian respectfully welcomes the Devil Queen.”

After he yelled out that excited and nervous greeting, Cang Shitian stepped forward to officially welcome her with his entire retinue of Sea Gods. He bowed respectfully before she had even drawn near and shouted, “The heavenly might of the Devil Queen shakes the world, and it has already resounded in my ear like heavenly thunder since ten millennia ago. I finally had the honor to see the Devil Queen’s true prowess a few days ago and even one as strong as the Crimson Destruction Dragon God was nothing but a mere worm in front of your heavenly might.”

“The only one under heaven who can be the Devil Master’s queen is the Devil Queen herself, and the only one who deserves to obtain the Devil Queen’s majestic body is the Devil Master himself! With the Devil Master and the Devil Queen joining forces, it is truly time for a new era to dawn! A time for new rules to be written!”

Chi Wuyao’s alluring eyes hidden beneath black mist swept over Cang Shitian before she languidly replied, “I’ve heard of the Southern Divine Region’s God Emperor Shitian since a long time ago, and you truly do live up to your reputation. Even your words of praise are at the level of a god emperor.”

Cang Shitian bowed his head and said, “I dare not receive such lavish praise from the Devil Queen. The fact that the Devil Queen even deigns to grace the Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm with her presence is a multitudinous blessing in and of itself. Having the Devil Queen grace me with her presence today is truly worth even a hundred calamities…”

Before he could finish speaking, Cang Shitian suddenly sensed an extremely heavy and oppressive aura rapidly approaching. He didn’t even need to think before he turned around and dropped to his knees. “I greet the Devil Master!”

Yun Che descended from the sky with Qianye Ying’er by his side, and the Three Yama Ancestors were trailing him in the distance.

“Your Magnificence,” Chi Wuyao greeted him with a small but sweet smile. Her soft and cottony voice rang in the air, sending a shudder through the soul of everyone who heard it. Some even felt their bodies go limp upon hearing that bewitching and alluring voice. “To think that the hasty and impromptu visit you arranged to the south ended up with you trampling over the Southern Sea God Realm and cowing the entire Southern Divine Region into obedience. What a truly delightful surprise you’ve given me.”

Yun Che’s eyes lingered on her for a few seconds and he swallowed the words that he had just been about to say. Instead, he replied in a calm voice, “Didn’t you do the exact same thing? You gave me a huge surprise as well.”

Chi Wuyao moved forward, her slim and graceful figure inching toward Yun Che as she said, “The matter with the Crimson Destruction Dragon God was something I thought of on the fly. It was presumptuous of me to do so. If the Devil Master wants to punish me in front of everyone, I will have no complaints about it.”

Her words sounded as if she was bracing herself for punishment, but her voice was bewitching enough to steal one’s soul. Cang Shitian, who was standing by the side, suddenly felt his entire body burning up… It was as if a raging fire had started burning within him. He swiftly concentrated and calmed his heart as he fiercely bit down on the tip of his tongue. The coppery taste of blood filled his mouth and it was only then that he managed to suppress his wild thoughts and prevent himself from showing any inappropriate expressions.

Even though his entire body was still burning with raging desire, the depths of Cang Shitian’s eyes were actually filled with shock and chagrin.

She truly did live up to her reputation as the Devil Queen who had destroyed the Crimson Destruction Dragon God’s two hundred thousand year reputation in a single battle. Just a few simple words had affected him in such a dreadful manner.

However, what truly stunned him in this moment was Yun Che’s reaction.

Cang Shitian was merely a bystander and he had very nearly embarrassed himself, but Yun Che was the direct target of Chi Wuyao’s “attack”. Her lips were practically right next to Yun Che’s ear, and every single one of her words were directly whispered into his soul. However, his expression hardly even changed under this “assault” and the only obvious reaction Cang Shitian could observe was Yun Che subtly averting his eyes to dodge Chi Wuyao’s gaze.

“You’ve always succeeded in whatever you get yourself involved in,” Yun Che said. “This time was no exception. However, it is better for you not to act in such a rash and presumptuous manner in the future, because… there is no need for it.”

Chi Wuyao, “...”

Qianye Ying’er’s eyes narrowed when she heard those words… When it came to acting in a “rash and presumptuous manner”, there was no one who could compare to Yun Che. But he was the Devil Master, so what could anyone do about it?

However, the words “there is no need for that” were rather stinging. Even though the intention behind those words was to tell Chi Wuyao to stop taking risks, it did nothing to reduce the unintended hurt that it caused.

Yun Che walked forward a few steps to avoid direct contact with Chi Wuyao’s eyes. “The sights and sounds that can be found in the Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm are singularly beautiful, you should go take a look. In six hours time, I want everyone to go to the main hall, I have something big to announce.”

After he finished speaking, Yun Che simply left.

Something big?

A pensive look appeared on Chi Wuyao’s face and she remained where she had been standing.

Could it be...

“Did you get hurt?” Qianye Ying’er asked.

“These petty injuries are nothing to be concerned about,” Chi Wuyao replied casually.

“Even I can tell whether those wounds are minor or not. So do you think that he couldn’t?”

Qianye Ying’er stared straight past the black mist to look into Chi Wuyao’s eyes. “I know far better than you just how strong the Crimson Destruction Dragon God is. Your unique devil soul is indeed something that is unrivaled in this world, but in the end, it is still too weak. What’s more, you already split off a thread and planted it in Zhou Xuzi’s body. I don’t think you even had a ten percent chance of winning in a fight against the Crimson Destruction Dragon God.”

“Taking such risks are not your style.”

“Chance of winning, huh.” Those three words elicited a long sigh from Chi Wuyao.

Qianye Ying’er, “...?”

“Yun Qianying, do you still remember what I was most worried about when we started this campaign?” Chi Wuyao suddenly asked.

“The Dragon God Realm,” Qianye Ying’er replied.

Back when they had used revenge against the Eternal Heaven God Realm as a pretext to invade the Eastern Divine Region, the thing they were worried about the most was that the Dragon God Realm would move outside their expectations and forcibly step in to intervene.

This worry was definitely not unwarranted. When the god emperors betrayed Yun Che, the Dragon Monarch had shown an abnormally strong killing intent towards him. This was especially clear during their confrontation outside the Blue Pole Star. His actions toward both Yun Che and Mu Xuanyin were the most cruel and callous he had ever been.

They only found out about the reason for this much later… To think that the “Dragon Queen”, who was as spotless and pure as a heavenly lotus, had also ended up sleeping with Yun Che!

As such, even if the Dragon Monarch killed him a million times over, he still might not be able to quench his hatred.

Yet Yun Che had never ever been worried about the Dragon God Realm. His eyes actually gleamed with anticipation practically every time the Dragon God Realm was mentioned, it was as if he couldn’t wait to take them on.

It even seemed as if he viewed the Dragon God Realm as less of a threat than the king realms of the Eastern Divine Region and Southern Divine Region.

Both Chi Wuyao and Qianye Ying’er had clearly sensed this strange confidence of his many times over.

“Why doesn’t he fear the Dragon God Realm? I have been ceaselessly thinking about this question for the past few months,” Chi Wuyao said in a slow and measured voice.

The words “there is no need for that” that he just said to Chi Wuyao truly expressed his utter lack of concern about the Dragon God Realm.

“Do you know the answer?” she asked Qianye Ying’er.

“He’s going to suppress them with his dragon soul?” Qianye Ying’er asked in a doubtful voice.

Chi Wuyao shook her head as a faint smile appeared on her face. “Looks like you don’t know either, but it definitely won’t be as simple as that.”

Qianye Ying’er folded her arms below her chest before she replied in a dry voice, “I’ve said this many times already. He’s no longer the Yun Che he was before. Right now, he holds a little of himself back from everyone, no matter who they are, and that includes the little wife he just picked up. Hmph.”

“Also, when he said ‘there is no need for that’, it wasn’t a deliberate stab at you,” Qianye Ying’er said with a dry chuckle. “From the moment he received news that you were facing off against the Crimson Destruction Dragon God alone to the time where the images were broadcast across the Eastern Divine Region, he was constantly in a state of anxiety and impatience.”

“Oh really?” The black mist that circled Chi Wuyao grew sluggish and dense, but the corners of the Devil Queen’s lips quirked up slightly. “What truly shocked me is that these words actually just came out of your mouth.”

“I’ve also been constantly changing,” Qianye Ying’er said as she looked up at the sky. “Let’s continue talking about the ‘chances of winning’ that you seem so concerned about. For you to take such a gamble, it means that you don’t have much confidence in our upcoming battle against the Western Divine Region.”

“Yes.” Chi Wuyao didn’t deny it. “From the moment we stepped out of the Northern Divine Region, the more I thought about the Dragon God Realm and the Western Divine Region it commands, the more worried I grew. During this period, I’ve been able to spy on the core of the Dragon God Realm’s forces and I very quickly came to this conclusion. If we remove the factor that is “Yun Che”, we have absolutely no chance of winning if we go to war with the Western Divine Region with our current forces.”

“...” Qianye Ying’er didn’t display any shock whatsoever at Chi Wuyao’s conclusion.

“Let’s take my recent duel with the Crimson Destruction Dragon God as an example. Even though he ended up losing in the most pathetic manner, I didn’t get off lightly either. Truth be told, the Crimson Destruction Dragon God’s power far exceeded even my highest estimate. He could actually hurt me this badly while his soul was already being eroded by mine.”

Chi Wuyao’s expression was somber and her eyes were filled with gloom. She definitely wasn’t being self-effacing, and she most definitely wasn’t cracking a joke. “I had thought that no matter how strong the Crimson Destruction Dragon God was, he would be no stronger than Yan One. But in reality, he is actually stronger than even him.”

“After Jie Xin and Jie Ling underwent the dark baptism of the Eternal Calamity of Darkness, they became strong enough to fight evenly with Yan Tianxiao as long as it was a two on one fight. However, they could barely even scratch the Pure Dragon God despite the fact that she was distracted.”

“This forces me to have no choice but to reevaluate the strength of the other Dragon Gods.”

Qianye Ying’er replied, “Since you’re so worried, why didn’t you tell him that just now? You could even use that to find out why he is so confident in regards to the Dragon God Realm, which would also allay our worries.”

Chi Wuyao smiled and shook her head once more.

“You should know that I’m never willing to do something unless I am completely confident in it succeeding. If I were him, I would have chosen to hole up in the Northern Divine Region for at least a thousand years, but he couldn’t even wait five.”

“However, it is precisely because it's him that he has the right to be as wilful as he wants to be. Therefore, I won’t object to anything he sets his mind to. Neither am I willing to wheedle an answer out of him if he doesn’t want to talk about it. The only thing I need to do is to use my own methods to raise the chances of victory as high as I possibly can.”

“Isn’t that the same for you?”

“You’re right,” Qianye Ying’er said as she looked at her. “Though there are some differences. Whether he is being impulsive or calm, wilful or scheming, whether he wins or loses in the future, lives or dies… I do have my worries but I am not apprehensive about the results. Because no matter what happens in the future, I will follow him.”

“Even if I end up being buried in a deep abyss, even if I end up being part of the most rotten part of the God Realm’s history, I still want my name to be written beside his.”

“You’re different. You shoulder the fate of the entire Northern Divine Region. Therefore you need to consider far more than I do.”

Chi Wuyao turned her delicate head toward Qianye Ying’er and she quietly observed her for a long time. When she finally spoke, her voice was filled with implied meaning as she said, “Yun Qianying. To think that the Brahma Monarch Goddess who would stop at nothing to pursue her own interests would actually become someone who is fully content to be subordinated to a man. This is probably the most shocking ‘miracle’ in the Eastern Divine Region.”

“Subordinated? I wouldn’t even get angry if someone were to call me his toy or slave right now. I might even feel a strange sort of satisfaction.”

Qianye Ying’er’s eyes grew hooded as she spoke in what sounded like a very self-deprecating voice, “Do you think that I was always this cheap by nature? Or do you think that he’s secretly planted some sort of devilish curse on me?”

Chi Wuyao gave a soft sigh. “Isn’t this also a sort of fortune and happiness? In fact… it’s the most extravagant sort of happiness, isn’t it?”

“...In the end, we should just trust him,” Qianye Ying’er replied. “Given his strong thirst for vengeance, he wouldn’t have taken a step out of the Northern Divine Region if he didn’t have sufficient confidence in his plan. I’m actually more eager to see what will happen next than I am worried. When he faces off against the Dragon Monarch and the Western Divine Region, what sort of card will he play then?”

It was at this moment that a gloomy and oppressive might fell from the skies, immediately causing both women to look to the side.

Caizhi’s figure slowly descended from the sky. Even when she stood next to other women like Qianye Ying’er and Chi Wuyao, she still seemed exceptionally small and delicate.

Her dress was still the color of a rainbow, a symbol of some past nostalgia she simply wasn’t willing to let go of. Only the belt she wore and the tassels of her dress had been changed to black. Furthermore, her face was still as flawless and milky-white as it had been since Yun Che first met her.

In the past, she had always looked like an exquisitely-carved doll. Now, this “doll” radiated a murky and dangerous aura, and had unconsciously acquired a strange and bewitching charm.

“You got hurt?” Caizhi asked with some worry in her voice as she looked her Chi Wuyao,

“It’s just some minor injuries. Nothing that anyone needs to be concerned about,” Chi Wuyao said as she exhaled softly. Even little Caizhi had been able to tell how badly injured she was with a single glance. It seemed like she had truly suffered some spectacular damage to her vital energy this time.

“Oh?” Qianye Ying’er’s eyes flitted between the two as a look of faint surprise appeared on her face. “The two of you should be meeting for the first time, right? Why does it seem like you’re so familiar with each other?”

“Get lost!” Caizhi barked out coldly as she bared her naked killing intent at Qianye Ying’er.

Chi Wuyao quietly took a step backwards, as if this matter didn’t involve her at all.

“Sigh, my dear little Heavenly Wolf.” This time, Qianye Ying’er didn’t immediately leave. Instead she let out a sad sigh and a helpless look appeared on her snowy mien. Of course, she still looked as arrestingly beautiful as she always did as she feigned sadness and said, “You should already have eavesdropped on the conversation between the Devil Queen and I, so you should know that I will stick to Yun Che, in both life and death. Even he can forget about chasing me away, much less you.”

“How about we try to get along instead?” Her golden eyes turned toward Caizhi and ripples could be seen in them. “On account of the fact that you’re his lawfully-wedded wife, I’d be willing to take compromise on many things as long as you’re willing to try for peace. I might not even mind… if you asked me to call you ‘big sister’.”

“Dream on!” Caizhi’s eyes blazed with hate and malice as she straightforwardly rejected the strange words that Qianye Ying’er had just uttered. “You led my aunt and big brother to their deaths and nearly killed my sister! I will never ever forgive you! Once we have defeated the Dragon God Realm and you no longer of any use to him, I will be waiting with the executioner's blade!”

“Oh my, there’s no need to be so cruel, is there?” Qianye Ying’er’s voice turned soft and cottony, something that rarely happened, as she feigned frailty and replied, “Heavenly Wolf Xisu died for me willingly, and he died a satisfied man. You’re well aware of that.”

“As for the Heavenly Slaughter Star God, even though I did use Nan Wansheng to force her into the corner, I didn’t manage to succeed in the end. I actually helped her meet Yun Che, and that was how you ended up with your current husband, you know.”

“Since that’s the case, shouldn’t you be thanking me?” Qianye Ying’er said as she languidly coiled a strand of golden hair around her finger. After that, she softly muttered to herself, “He was hooking the big sister even while he secretly ate up the little sister. He really was a depraved beast even before he turned into a devil.”

“You…” Qianye Ying’er’s strange words had caused Caizhi’s killing intent to waver.

“Your aunt died because of Yue Wuya’s stupidity and Xing Juekong’s heartlessness. Heavenly Wolf Xisu died for me all too willingly. The Heavenly Slaughter Star God died at Zhou Xuzi’s hands. You should hate me, but that hatred shouldn’t be the sort of hatred that can only be resolved with my death.”

“If you truly aren’t able to set aside your hatred…” Qianye Ying’er sighed as if in deep sorrow. She clasped her slender fingers to her fantastically beautiful bosom and said, “then I’ll just stand there and let you beat me up one time. How about that?”

“...” Caizhi’s starry eyes started to narrow, the stars in her eyes starting to glitter with a dangerous glow. “Are you sure about that?”

“Of course… it’s a joke!”

Whoosh!

A storm swirled in Qianye Ying’er’s wake while she appeared several kilometers away. Her voice sounded exceptionally carefree as it rang out through the air, “Little wolf, if this body ends up being battered and bruised, the one whose heart will hurt the most is your beloved husband. After all, I’m the most perfect toy in the world to him, something that a bratty little kid who can’t grow up can never replace! Heeheehee!”

RUMBLE!!!

Devilish energy and killing intent erupted from Caizhi’s body at the same time and the ground around her instantly cracked and broke apart. Just as she was about to take the skies, Chi Wuyao grabbed her hand and gently restrained her.

“You can’t actually do anything to her, so why bother chasing?” Chi Wuyao smiled as she shook her head. If it came to a war of words, even ten Caizhis wouldn’t be Qianye Ying’er’s opponent.

Caizhi’s small chest heaved violently for a few moments, but she didn’t end up chasing after Qianye Ying’er after all.

It took a long while before she finally calmed down. After that her head swiveled towards Chi Wuyao as she began staring at her.

Her skin resembled both snow and ice and it was lustrous and pure white. The black “mist” that shrouded her body was composed of the highest grade of devilish energy in the current universe, yet it actually seemed a little less black due to the glow of her dewy skin.

Furthermore, her figure was made up of exquisite curves that Caizhi simply couldn’t find the words to describe and she was possessed of a devilishly alluring charm which seized one’s soul. She didn’t even need to deliberately tease someone to instantly set their desires ablaze. In fact, she didn’t even need to use her eyes or that devilish voice of hers to completely burn up a person’s rationality.

Whether they were men or women.

“...” Caizhi immediately swiveled her head away from it and her chest started heaving again, despite the fact that she just managed to calm herself down with much difficulty.

“Hmmm?” Chi Wuyao blinked as she admired the red clouds that were slowly forming over the young girl’s snowy face and neck.

“Devil Queen, I’m going to ask you one question, and you have to answer me, no matter what,” Caizhi said as she stared at Chi Wuyao with a serious expression on her face. Even her voice had turned serious and sincere.

“Fine,” Chi Wuyao said with a faint smile, “ask away.”

Caizhi’s lips opened but no words came from her mouth. Her face soon started burning up… to the point where her blush had started spreading from her face to the rest of her body.

She hurriedly turned her face to the side and quietly bit down on her lower lip. After that, the young girl whispered to Chi Wuyao in the softest and most sincere voice possible, “How can… How can I… become like you?”

She said the last half of her sentence in an incredibly quick manner. After she finished speaking, she bit down on her tender lower lip yet again, and she refused to look Chi Wuyao in the eye.

“...” After a short pause, silvery laughter erupted from Chi Wuyao’s lips as she walked forward and whispered something into Caizhi’s ears. “This is something you should actually ask him. He’s the real expert.”

“~！@#￥%…” Caizhi’s body, which was as tense as a coiled spring, shuddered for a few moments, before she suddenly turned around and spat, “All of the women of your kind… are so incredibly petty! Hmph!”

As she stared at her fleeing back, an unwitting smile appeared on Chi Wuyao’s face. She muttered to herself softly in a rather sheepish manner, “All of you? Actually, the last time you asked that question, I was the one you asked as well.”

————

In the distant skies high above the center of the Deep Sea Divine Region.

Tian Guhu had run over at the fastest speed possible and the moment Yun Che’s figure entered his vision, he knelt down and asked in an anxious voice, “Tian Guhu greets Your Magnificence. I await your command.”

“Tell this to all the higher and middle realm kings.” Yun Che’s eyes contained a gloominess that it didn’t have before. “Everyone is to assemble at the Deep Sea Royal Hall within the next six hours. I have something big to announce.”

Tian Guhu’s body shook violently before he cried out in a trembling voice, “Tian Guhu hears and obeys! I will depart now!”