Against the Gods (Web Novel)

Chapter 1943 - Nightmarish Half-God

Partially Edited Chapter - Rubble

Star regions, space, the heavenly law, the laws, the living and the dead… everything seemed to be shaking beneath Yun Che’s terrifying aura.

The way he was right now, no one would suspect if he claimed that he was an ancient devil god who just stepped out of a bloody purgatory.

A long time ago, Chi Wuyao and Qianye Ying’er had witnessed Yun Che’s in his God Ash form from afar. Now that they were seeing it again, they were absolutely certain that it was even stronger than before.

Its power was greater and stabler than what it used to be.

It made sense. His body and profound strength were greater than what they used to be, and he had cultivated the complete World-Defying Heaven Manual.

The effects of the laws of nothingness were as profound as they were undetectable.

“What… what is going on here?” All ten of Nan Zhaoguang’s fingers were spasming uncontrollably like his face. “Why is there… a Half-God in this world…”

As far as the Abyss was aware, the world on the other side of abyssal dust was a godless world; a world that could never give birth to the power of a god.

In fact, it was the most basic common sense there was. However, there was no mistaking the power clamping down against their entire bodies. It was without a doubt the omnipresent pressure of a Half-God!

That wasn’t even the most shocking thing of it all. Somehow, the pressure was that of a Half-God, but the profound energy was clearly that of a Divine Sovereign’s!

“This can’t be real.” Nan Zhaoming could not believe his eyes. “He… he must have affected us with an illusory aura or something… there’s just no way a mere Divine Sovereign could—”

A storm abruptly split and churned the space in front of him before he could finish. The next thing he knew, the young man covered in eerie devilish patterns was charging toward him. In that moment, it felt like the storm of the entire star region, no, the entire Primal Chaos was pressing toward his head.

“Pull back!”

Nan Zhaoguang shouted as he unleashed his aura and pushed the four pages as far away from Yun Che as possible. At the same time, he circulated his energy at an impossible rate and summoned a deep blue domain that looked something like a tsunami straight at the young man. He then yelled at Nan Zhaoming, “Hit him with everything you got!”

Nan Zhaoming’s shock and confusion hadn’t diminished in the slightest, but it didn’t stop him from cooperating with his fellow squire. He quickly unleashed a blast of dark energy that caused the surrounding space to ripple like waves. However, his body abruptly locked up as Yun Che’s power descended from above. An unnatural fear that seemed to have sprouted from the deepest depth of his soul and spread to every corner of his body in no time. Before he knew it, his soul, his body and even his power were shaking uncontrollably.

He was backing away unconsciously even as he unleashed everything he had against Yun Che. For that matter, he discovered that his attack was at least sixty percent weaker than it should be.

“What are you—” Nan Zhaoguang noticed Nan Zhaoming’s unusual reaction immediately and tried to cry out a question. However, he did not get far before Yun Che’s black and blood red figure reached them and blotted out all the light within their eyes.

BOOM—

Nan Zhaoguang’s upper body bent backward as an irresistible force blew his powerful domain to bits in an instant. The one attack had blown away most of his consciousness, bloodied his face, and caused dozens of holes to erupt across his arms. Blood jetted out of each wound like a fountain.

His condition was nothing compared to Nan Zhaoming’s though. The man screamed in pain and terror as his left arm shattered into pieces, and he was blown away uncontrollably toward the bottom. He looked like a ruptured blood bag the way blood was spraying out of every natural and unnatural hole in his body.

“Zhaoming!”

Nan Zhaoguang’s eyes widened so much that the edges threatened to split apart. The duo had been praying that none of this was real, that the terrible power screeching against their senses was just a mighty fine illusion. Unfortunately for them, Yun Che had cruelly annihilated that hope in one slash.

It wasn’t an illusion. They really were being threatened by a Half-God who absolutely shouldn’t exist in this world.

Even worse, his power was almost equal to the Abyssal Knight who led them, Mo Beichen!

How was this possible? How could a power that was equal to that of an Abyssal Knight possibly exist in this lowly, godless world!? And what the hell happened to Nan Zhaoming just now?

This was no time to be pursuing answers, however. His fear was stabbing into his rationality and telling him that Yun Che’s power level might very well be equal to Mo Beichen’s. There was no way he and Nan Zhaoming could resist even if they went all out against him.

The four pages? They were only cannon fodder before a Half-God.

“Retreat!!”

It was probably his loudest shout of his life. Despite his panic, he instinctively sensed that Yun Che’s power had a time limit of sorts, so running away was without a doubt the wisest course of action here. However, Yun Che had to sacrifice four divine origin powers just to activate God Ash. There was no way he was going to let them escape after paying such a huge price.

Still seeing the world through blood-drenched lenses, Yun Che swung the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor Sword a second time at a paling Nan Zhaoguang.

RUMBLE!!

The impact sounded like the eruption of ten thousand thunders at the same time. Nan Zhaoming was incapacitated, so Nan Zhaoguang had no choice but to withstand the full might of Yun Che’s power of his own. The attack caused his chest to cave in and a shocking amount of blood to spray through the gaps of his teeth.

“How… are you…” Nan Zhaoguang asked as he held back Yun Che’s power with everything he had. However, his words were unclear because an insane amount of blood would pour out of his throat every time he opened his mouth.

Nan Zhaoguang looked through layers upon layers of blood and locked gaze with the blackest pair of eyes he had ever met in his life. He was hoping for an answer, but all he got was a devastating sword strike that blew away his crumbling protective aura and struck him across the chest.

BUZZ—

All color and sound abruptly vanished from Nan Zhaoguang’s world. This time, the attack not only caved in his chest, it shattered his sternum and crushed his internal organs. He left a wide trail of blood, bone and gore as he flew uncontrollably toward the distance.

Three strikes. In just three strikes, Yun Che had defeated the two outsiders who had driven Mu Xuanyin and the Qianyes into a corner. One of them had their morale shattered, and the other was grievously injured.

The storm continued to howl all around Qianye Wugu and Qianye Bingzhu. However, the two old men were as silent as statues.

They had spent their whole lives attempting to overcome the absolute wall that stood in their pursuit for power. To that end, they had gone so far as to prolong their lives through unnatural means, even though it meant defying the natural order and withstanding the torment of time. And today, their labor had finally been rewarded. They had finally witnessed a miracle that no one since the beginning of God Realm was able to achieve with their own eyes.

“Long Bai’s defeat… is more than well-deserved,” Qianye Wugu muttered.

“I genuinely don't have any regrets left for this life,” Qianye Bingzhu added.

Chiang!

There was a sharp, metallic shriek, and one of the Southern Sea divine lights perished forever.

Back then, the four Star God divine origin powers had only sustained Yun Che for less than three breaths.

Today, only one Southern See divine origin had shattered after four breaths had passed.

At the back, the four pages looked like they might black out at any moment. The shockwaves alone were almost enough to crush their bodies.

They all wished to fulfill the code of chivalry and fight alongside their fellow squires, but there existed an impassable chasm between Yun Che and them. They weren’t able to move even an inch closer to their squires no matter what they tried.

Meanwhile, a hand caught Nan Zhaoguang before he could continue tumbling toward god-knows-where. It belonged to the now one-armed Nan Zhaoming. The second he caught his grievously injured comrade, he immediately blasted off toward the distance. A wise move considering that his fear was overwhelming, and his dark profound energy was fluctuating like it might lose control at any moment.

“Quickly… inform… the knight… ugh!”

Nan Zhaoguang was trying to speak, but his voice suddenly vanished as if an invisible hand had seized his throat.

A pair of dark, demonic dots suddenly appeared in their soul sea. It was as if an ancient devil god had opened its eyes.

Both squires looked up. Behind Yun Che stood a massive wolf with a height of over thirty thousand meters, a maw that looked like it was drowning in blood, a pair of eyes that looked like devilish abysses, and an unspeakable aura that promised infinite horror and death. There was enough hatred and brutality in its killing intent to fill up a thousand-level hell.

“Dark Heavenly Wolf…” Caizhi murmured to herself as she stared at the creature.

Yun Che raised the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor Sword one more time, and the image of a massive, pitch black sword appeared above the heavens.

It was impossible to maintain God Ash for long, and attempting to wield the Heavenly Wolf's Sixth Sword Style in this state was definitely going to end poorly for him.

So what? They had hurt Mu Xuanyin. For that offense, he would annihilate them so thoroughly that not a hair of them would be left in this world!

“Die.”

That was all he said before dropping the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor Sword on them. The dark wolf let out a deafening, abyssal howl before pouncing toward the shell-shocked outsiders, the absolute darkness promising a dark purgatory of infinite despair.

............

Western Divine Region, the Qilin Realm.

“I have shown you my mercy, and I have granted you my trust.”

Mo Beichen said while looking down at the Qilins, “Remember, you only have five years to complete your mission.”

“If five years have passed, and this so-called God Realm is not as tame as I expect it to be, then all the patience I afforded you today… will transform into anger.”

His gaze wasn’t cold, but it was enough to send icy chills up their spines anyway. “And I promise you would not like to see me angry.”

Qi Tianli sucked in a deep breath before making a solemn vow, “Do not worry, Venerable One. Yun Che hasn’t had the time to solidify his rule so much that it would be too difficult to remove his influence. Right now, the world fears Yun Che far more than they are loyal to him. This old one swears on the future of his race that we will present you with the ideal outcome in five—no, three years at most.”

Not counting the three Yama Ancestors, Qi Tianli was the man with the highest seniority after the death of Long Bai and the nine Dragon Gods.

That was why he was familiar with the big picture of God Realm more than anyone else in the universe.

“Very good.”

Mo Beichen’s reply consisted of two words only, but it was literally the highest praise he could give a denizen of this lowly world.

It loosened the Qilin Emperor’s nerve enough that he finally dared to let out a concealed sigh of relief.

He wasn’t done yet, however. After struggling with his hesitancy and fear for a moment, the Qilin Emperor finally mustered enough courage to raise an arm and said, “We, the Qilin Race, value peace and security above all else. Since the Venerable One has promised us that, of course we will devote our hearts and souls to serve the Venerable One and the supreme Abyssal Monarch. It’s just… may I ask you for another favor, Venerable One?”

“Speak.”

Mo Beichen replied indifferently.

Qi Tianli knew full well that weaklings had no right to make requests. He had to try for a certain someone’s sake though, and Mo Beichen’s answer was better than anything he could’ve hoped for. Deep gratitude welled inside of him even as he lowered his head to the ground and began in fear and trepidation,

“There is a Blue Dragon Race that resides in the Western Divine Region, and their ideology is similar to my Qilin Race. That is why our races have been friends for generations. The latest Blue Dragon Emperor in particular is extremely close to this old one, so close that I practically view her as my daughter.”

“This old one is certain she and the Blue Dragon Race could be convinced to submit to the Abyss easily.”

“It’s just… back when the world was Yun Che’s, the Blue Dragon Emperor was forced to become his imperial consort to preserve the peace. However, this old one swears that it was the only choice she had at the time, and that there is no love lost between the Blue Dragon Emperor and Yun Che. In fact, they had never even consummated their relationship! This is an open secret in all of the God Realm.”

“So, if I may be so bold to ask…”

“You wish for me to leave the imperial consort and her people alive?” Mo Beichen interrupted coldly.

“That is correct, Venerable One!” Qi Tianli begged with all his heart. “Please…”

“Hmph!” Mo Beichen interrupted Qi Tianli again before continuing, “The loyal will live, and the defiant will die. When everyone in the world is an ant, an imperial consort is no different from a mere chicken or a dog, is she?”

His words were unbelievably scathing, but Qi Tianli picked up his meaning and broke into a wide grin. He immediately bowed deeply and thanked the man from the bottom of his heart. “Qi Tianli… thanks the Venerable One for his great mercy.”

At first, the Qilin Emperor held only abject shock and terror toward Mo Beichen. That was no longer quite the case.

Although Mo Beichen looked down on everything in this universe, he did not treat them as such. In fact, he had shown them a level of kind and tolerance that was, frankly, completely unexpected from a superior being like him.

Mo Beichen had claimed that it is an Abyssal Knight’s eternal responsibility to bear their souls with nobility, and Qi Tianli was starting to realize that it might not be a false claim after all.

The Abyss… the Abyssal Monarch…

Perhaps the future might be less scary than he imagined.

“Now,” Mo Beichen continued, “Take me to—”

Suddenly, the man stopped talking and abruptly turned sideways. Every Qilin within the vicinity abruptly ceased breathing as his aura spiked, and his cold, dead eyes became fixed to the east.

“Ve… Venerable One?” Qi Tianli looked up in confusion.

“...” Mo Beichen did not answer him. His complexion grew darker and darker until finally, he muttered, “This aura…”

The man had unleashed his consciousness in full and spread it toward the distant star region.

It was so powerful that it spread across half of Primal Chaos in just a short time.

Suddenly, his pupils contracted violently.

“Half… God!?” The words were spoken with bone-chilling emotion behind them.

Boom!!

The man abruptly blasted off the ground and shot toward the east. The shockwave was so sudden and powerful that the Qilins were sent tumbling away like rag dolls. However, the man reappeared in front of Qi Tianli and gripped his shoulder with an icy cold hand the next instant.

“Tell me the fastest way to get to the east.”

Despite his confusion and shock, Qi Tianli pointed in a certain direction and responded immediately, “There is a formation in the city that connects to the center of the Eastern Divine Region.”

“Guide me there now!”

The Qilin Emperor just barely had the time to comprehend Mo Beichen’s urgent order before he found himself being dragged in that direction at a speed that should be impossible.

Shui Meiyin had used the World Piercer to construct this great teleportation formation that connected the Eastern Divine Region and the Western Divine Region together.

Since the Qilin Realm was the new core of the Western Divine Region, it made sense to build the teleportation formation there.

She did not know that the innocuous decision would become her worst nightmare.