Against the Gods (Web Novel)
chapter-1942-30041322

Chapter 1942 - God Ash Returns

Partially Edited Chapter - Rubble

Western Divine Region, Qilin Realm.

“The inheritances of both the Creation God and the Devil Emperor, a dragon body and soul that is superior to all other dragons…” Mo Beichen said while staring at the kneeling Qilin Emperor, “I may be new to this world, but I have read and learned much of its records. What you are saying…”

His voice abruptly turned harsh. “Is completely impossible!”

“This old one wouldn’t dare to lie to you, Venerable One!” Qi Tianli protested in fear and trepidation, “There isn’t a living soul across the four divine regions who doesn’t know about this! You only need to inquire with another person to know this is true!”

“The God Realm is a million years old, and it had always been under the Dragon God Race’s control until Emperor Yun ascended to this world. Despite being born in a lower realm, Emperor Yun was able to annihilate the Dragon God Race and conquer all four divine regions at the age of thirty! Even better, he did it as a bonafide Divine Sovereign.”

“His achievements have no precedent, and it is unlikely that anyone will ever surpass them in the future. Only the Creation God and Devil Emperor’s inheritances could have produced a monster like him!”

“...” Mo Beichen continued to stare at Qi Tianli with a frown on his face.

A long and stifling silence later, the man suddenly let out a cold chuckle. “If what you say is true, then this expedition has just become a lot more interesting.”

Qi Tianli hurriedly added, “This old one swears on his life that he is telling the truth.”

Mo Beichen looked up at the sky and said slowly, “His Majesty has spent his whole life seeking the way of the Creation God.… the inheritances of the Creation God of Elements and the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor, you say? Hehehe… the Abyssal Monarch will be most glad when I present him these gifts!”

The Abyssal Knight was obviously speaking to himself, but the words “spent his whole life seeking the way of the Creation God” landed in the Qilins’ ears like thunder.

The Qilin Emperor bowed his head even more until his forehead was touching against the ice cold floor.

Just how powerful was the Abyss? The answer he got was despairing to say the least. Absolute obedience was without a doubt the wisest… no, the only choice he could’ve made.

Mo Beichen looked down once more and asked, “Where is this Yun Che right now?”

Qi Tianli replied, “Emperor Yun—I mean, Yun Che may be the emperor of Primal Chaos, but the actual ruler of this world is the Devil Queen. What this means is that Yun Che is often absent from Emperor Yun City, and his whereabouts are unpredictable and undiscoverable. However, Yun Che is a man who values bonds deeply, so he will show up if you kidnap someone he cares about and use them as a bargaining chip…”

“Kidnap? Bargaining chip?” Mo Beichen’s gaze suddenly grew so harsh that it drilled into Qi Tianli’s head like a pair of icy spikes. “Are you insulting me?”

Qi Tianli shivered all over before his head hit the ground with a loud thump. “This old one dares not! Of course the Venerable One would not need to resort to such cheap tricks to capture a mere Yun Che! What was I thinking? This old one begs the Venerable One to forgive foolishness and slip of the tongue and show mercy, mercy…”

“Remember this, Qilin,” Mo Beichen said in a powerful, intimidating voice. “The Abyssal Knights serve the Abyssal Monarch and the Pope, and it is the highest honor one could possibly receive in the world! Our bodies bear the power of a Half-God, and our souls bear the eternal responsibility of nobility! Our willpower and faith will not be shaken by anyone including ourselves!”

“Simply put, a person who would employ such a method will never be unworthy of serving the Abyssal Monarch!”

“This old one knows his sins…”

“Save it,” Mo Beichen interrupted. “I am not so petty that I would criticize your natural vulgarity and ignorance. Now say what you’re supposed to say.”

“Yes, yes.” The Qilin Emperor hid a sigh of relief before continuing, “If the Venerable One wishes to take control of the four divine regions in the shortest amount of time possible, there are some candidates who could be of great use."

“First and foremost, I must speak of Cang Shitian. He was the former Deep Sea God Emperor when the Dragon God Race still reigned supreme, and is now the Chief Enforcer of the new world. He is the Devil Queen and Yun Che’s most faithful dog.”

“Although Cang Shitian was a God Emperor, he could not be farther away from one in terms of conduct and dignity. He is headstrong, crazy, self-serving and pragmatic. He was the first person to change sides when Yun Che was on the rise. He went so far as to disgrace himself in order to prove his loyalty.”

“If you never arrived, then he would forever be Yun Che and the Devil Queen’s most faithful dog. But since you have, I'm certain he won’t hesitate to backstab them in order to keep himself alive. He will do anything to convince you of his loyalty and accept his surrender.”

The Qilin Emperor then recalled their earlier conversation and added in a hurry, “Of course, this old one is aware that a person of such conduct is absolutely unworthy of your patronage, but Cang Shitian is the Chief Enforcer of Primal Chaos, and he has total control over all the Enforcers scattered across the four divine regions. You may not accept him, but his aid is absolutely critical in achieving your objective.”

“Hmph!” Mo Beichen didn’t deign to give Qi Tianli a response. “Continue.”

“The Xuanyuan Emperor and Purple Micro Emperor of the Southern Divine Region are the same as this old one. They are followers who would rather… bask under a great tree than become one themselves. Their loyalty to Yun Che is true, but it isn’t the type that would rather break than bend…”

“The Chi Dragon and Hui Dragons had their life veins severed at the end of the war, and this old one only disposed of a small number of them during the recovery period because I believe they have already been punished enough. They submit to Yun Che not because they are loyal, but because they are afraid. If they were given the opportunity to enact vengeance against their tormenter, I cannot see any reason why they would do otherwise…”

“...”

“...”

“I should also mention Huo Poyun, the Flame God Realm King of the Eastern Divine Region. This young man was one of the very few people who was blessed with a divine inheritance from an ancient spirit, and his future is limitless. He can be useful since he also holds a deep grudge against Yun Che…”

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

Meanwhile, the six outsiders were trying desperately to keep themselves from laughing at Yun Che’s antics.

The corners of Nan Zhaoming’s lips were twitching uncontrollably. He felt like he was watching an ant he could crush at any moment squeaking incomprehensible threats through its mandibles and making hostile gestures with its cute little limbs. It was amusing to say the least.

How pitiful and laughable, lowly and foolish, ignorant and insufferable could a scum be? It appeared that they had found their answer today.

It took Nan Zhaoming three whole breaths before he trusted himself not to burst out laughing like an idiot and let out a chuckle.

“Ha. Hahaha.” The man slow-clapped with half-lidded eyes as if he was praising the clownish performance of an interesting monkey. “I gotta admit, the ruler of this world is an eye opener if nothing else.”

“Hahahahahahaha!” Nan Zhaoguang did not have his restraint. The man had been laughing non-stop since three breaths ago.

“I can hardly believe it, but I’m actually starting to pity this tiny, godless world.” Nan Zhaoming turned his body sideways so Yun Che would only appear at the edge of his vision. And why was he doing this? It was because this so-called “emperor” did not deserve the full weight of his gaze, of course. “Do you know who you’re talking to, pitiful reptile?”

Chiang!

There was a flash of demonic light, and the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor Sword appeared in Yun Che’s hand. He casually pointed the tip of its blade at his enemy, its invisible yet all-encompassing pressure soundlessly enveloping everything in this region.

He did not bother probing them for their background or their objective. There was only the heavy, solemn promise of retribution.

“That’s a good laugh.” Yun Che said slowly and indifferently, “As the emperor of this world, I grant your three breaths to laugh however you like, lest my people criticize me for my lack of courtesy or hospitality.”

“When those three breaths are over though…” Yun Che’s tone hadn’t changed, but everyone could tell his words were infused with soul-chilling cold somehow. “You won’t ever have the chance to laugh again in your lives. You will spend every second, every instant regretting your choice to invade my world even after you have fallen into the underworld and burn in the eternal hell!”

“...” Nan Zhaoguang’s gaze shifted a few centimeters more to the side. By now, he couldn’t even bring himself to laugh in disdain. He let out a sigh full of pity and said, “My ancestors did not lie when they say that a human’s stupidity is boundless.”

“Three.” Yun Che began counting. As promised, they would have exactly three breaths to say their last words.

“I could scarcely believe that this world would elect a fool like him to be their emperor. Perhaps we have arrived too soon. Had we waited a bit longer, I’m sure this world would’ve collapsed into nothingness on its own,” Nan Zhaoguang snorted.

“Two.”

“Hehe. You don’t actually believe he’s the emperor of this world, do you?” Nan Zhaoming side-eyed Yun Che through the gaps between his fingers. “I’m pretty sure he’s just a crazy guy who lost all semblance of his mind when he sensed us.”

“One.”

Yun Che slowly raised his head and looked to the front. The light in his eyes slowly faded away to reveal a pair of infinite, pitch black abysses.

“Get back!”

Chi Wuyao abruptly waved her sleeves and pulled everyone away from Yun Che with her powers.

“Heh. Here we go again,” Nan Zhaoming commented while raising his hand, but a ray of golden light stabbed into his eyes before he could unleash his power.

A golden orb glowing with a peculiar golden gleam was floating in front of Yun che’s chest. It was none other than the divine origin artifact of the destroyed Southern Sea Realm, the Southern Sea Divine Pearl.

Once upon a time, Yun Che had many artifacts of divine origin and devil origin in his possession. After he became the emperor of everything, he had returned the Star God Wheel to Caizhi, the Burning Moon Exquisite Devil Jade to Fen Daoqi, and the Yama Devil Nether Crossing Cauldron to Yan Wu. He only had the Southern Sea Divine Pearl now.

Twenty two different lights were currently circulating soundlessly in the Southern Sea God Pearl. It meant that the Southern Sea bloodline once commanded a total of twenty two unique divine origin powers.

Before Yun Che showed up, these divine origin powers could only be controlled by a member of the Southern Sea bloodline, and only partially. With the Laws of Nothingness though, Yun Che was able to command them to fly into his body without any resistance whatsoever. They shone like a thousand suns right after.

Everything around Yun Che became dyed in brilliant gold. However, his eyes remained as empty as a black hole.

Nan Zhaoming and Nan Zhaoguang’s smiles stiffened at the same time. It was because they suddenly found themselves staring at Yun Che as if their gazes had been pulled by an invisible force. At the same time, a deep sense of unease appeared in their hearts all of a sudden.

“What is… that?” Shui Meiyin asked softly.

Chi Wuyao replied while holding a dark barrier in front of everyone, “This is the power he used to annihilate Fen Daojun back then. It is also the power that caused the origin power of Heavenly Chief, Heavenly Poison, Heavenly Origin and Heavenly Strength to vanish permanently from this world.”

Her voice softened as she let out a sigh. “He has never needed to use it even when he was facing Long Bai. I never thought I would witness this scene again.”

She allowed herself only a moment of sentimentality before ordering in a sharp voice, “Yan One Two Three, create a barrier now!”

The three Yama Ancestors immediately created their own dark barrier with their Yama Devil powers. Qianye Wugu and Qianye Bingzhu also created their own divine barriers with their immense Brahma Monarch divine powers.

RUMBLE!

There was the dull sound of an explosion, and Evil Soul, Burning Heart, Purgatory, Rumbling Heaven and Hell Monarch were all unlocked at once. His clothes flapped wildly, and his hair danced behind his back like crazy. His aura had skyrocketed in a way that completely defied common sense.

The blast of profound energy caused all six outsiders to bend backward instinctively. Their expressions had become overwritten by shock. The fool’s profound aura was still Divine Sovereign level ten, and yet the pressure they were feeling was that of a level ten Divine Master! How was that possible!?

“Hmm!?”

The exclamation of shock came from Nan Zhaoming.

He could not comprehend what was going on in front of him. It was completely beyond even the common sense of the Abyss.

Nan Zhaoguang was a lot calmer than his comrade, however. He let out a disdainful chuckle before commenting, “This is clearly some sort of self-boosting forbidden art, and I imagine that the price is just as huge considering the level of amplification. What a shame that his sacrifice is completely wasted on us.”

They couldn’t deny they had never seen this level of amplification in their lives, but it didn’t change the fact that he was still no threat to them whatsoever. If anything, it made his arrogance and threat even more amusing.

“You maggots should’ve stayed to lurk in your Abyss forever, but no, you just couldn’t resist the light of day, could you?”

Yun Che said in a deep, dark tone as energy and space fluctuated wildly all around him. The four lights inside his body began blinking more and more rapidly. “In that case, you may wail in hell for eternity!”

His imperial pressure abruptly transformed into berserk bloodthirst as his features contorted into something uglier than even the bloodiest wraiths. He raised his arm and let out a soul-rending roar as a thick, bloody light exploded from his body.

BOOM—

The four golden lights turned piercing and desperate.

Scarlet cracks spread all across Yun Che’s body, and even his devilish eyes had shattered into bloody abysses.

The space around his person simply winked out of existence like a fragile bubble, and the star region itself was shaking violently like an earthquake. A storm that seemed powerful enough to annihilate Primal Chaos itself howled as it spread to every corner of the star region.

Crack!

Worlds darkened, and skies shook in fear. The heavenly law screeched in the form of lightning, but they looked so pitiful it was like it was begging Yun Che to stop.

The three Yama Ancestors, Qianye, Caizhi and everyone else… six of the greatest profound practitioners of Primal Chaos had created a massive, six-layered barrier to protect them, and yet the explosion of the power still struck them like a hammer and pushed them far, far away from ground zero. It wasn’t even directed at them, and they still couldn’t resist its power.

“W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-WHAT—IS—THIS!??” The three Yama Ancestors screamed in fear and panic. They had followed Yun Che for many years, and they were as loyal and respectful to him as they could be. However, they never realized that their master possessed such terrifying power until now.

Qianye Wugu and Qianye Bingzhu were people who had experienced all there was to experience in life and come to terms with their existence since a long time ago, but even they were so shocked that their eyes nearly lost all color.

In the Eastern Divine Region, countless beings suddenly looked at the sky in panic and felt their hearts racing against their will. It was because over half of the entire Eastern Divine Region was shaking uncontrollably, and the lower star realms that had the misfortune of being close to ground zero immediately began splintering like they would fall apart at any moment. Profound beasts roared uncontrollably as if it was the end of the world.

“Ah… ah—”

“How… ugh!”

The scorn, ridicule and pity on Nan Zhaoming and Nan Zhaoguang’s faces had vanished without a trace. It looked as if an invisible hand had forcefully twisted their facial features into abject shock and ever-deepening fear. It was because the power Yun Che unleashed was great enough to cause even their souls to shake in terror!

“AHHHHH—”

Bloodcurdling screams filled their ears. Since the four pages were much weaker than them, the tsunami of energy not only pushed them back uncontrollably, it also left black, bloody scars across their powerful bodies.

Yun Che’s vision turned red and blurry. He felt as if his blood was boiling lava; as if he had been teleported from space to infinite purgatory in an instant.

The four Southern Sea lights in his body also let out piercing, despairing shrills.

Yun Che slowly raised the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor Sword. The dark profound energy slithering across the blade looked as thick as hissing, black lightning.

For the second time of his life, he had activated the sixth gate of the Heretic God Arts, God Ash.

The first time he did it, he was only a level seven Divine Sovereign. His profound energy, physical body, soul and law of nothingness were far weaker than they were now.

As a result, he could not hold it for more than three breaths even at the cost of four Star God divine origin powers.

That was in the past though. Now that he was much stronger than he was before, the load did not feel nearly as unbearable as they used to be. He would be able to remain in this form for longer; long enough to annihilate these six abyssal magots into eternal, devilish ashes!