Against the Gods (Web Novel)
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chapter-294
Only after Yun Che rested for a long while, did he finally recover his strength. He sat up from the ground and patted his chest with a face full of satisfaction. Defeating the profound handle that held back at sixty percent of its strength, was unquestionably another enormous breakthrough.
“HAHAHAHA…” The demon looked at him, and suddenly wildly laughed out loud.
“What are you laughing at?” Yun Che asked.
“I’m laughing at myself for doing what could be considered the most laughable and contradictory thing in this world.” The demon said as he howled with laughter: “The me who was more dead than alive, yet was still unwilling to die for a hundred years, is actually teaching a junior to kill me quicker. If it were someone else doing this, I would definitely believe that he is a madman. And it just so happens, that I am actually such a madman. Moreover, I actually can’t feel any regrets doing so; seeing you breaking through day by day, I actually felt gratified… HAHAHAHA! Could it be that I really have gone crazy?”
“No, you aren’t crazy, of course you aren’t crazy.” Yun Che faintly smiled: “I can understand why you would do this. Because you aren’t a bad person, and neither am I. You and I both, more so, aren’t like those despicable people whom we both hate. We suffer from the same fate… and most importantly, I am someone worthy of your entrustment.”Yun Che’s last sentence, made Yun Canghai’s hearty laugh suddenly stop.
Yun Che calmly spoke: “Even though I am respecting you more and more, and am feeling increasingly grateful to you, I will unquestionably kill you the day I obtain the ability to do so. Because that would grant me freedom, and also liberate you… At the same time, the matter you wished to entrust me with, I’ll definitely use all my power to finish the task as well!”
Yun Canghai’s entire body shook, and his gaze that looked at Yun Che started to slightly tremble. He slowly nodded, and said with a slightly shuddering voice: “Good! Good! This word of yours, was what I waited, and always wished for! I believe, that if you willingly spoke those words, then you’ll definitely achieve them! Good... Good!!”
Yun Che spoke in a firm tone: “Even though you and I had not gone through the ritual of master and disciple, during this period of time, you are already half of a master to me. Even if it’s to fulfill my filial duty as disciple, I’ll still definitely complete your entrustment.”
“Haha… Hahahaha…” Yun Canghai started laughing once again; his laughter was filled with exhilaration and gratification: “The Heavens… have finally given me a little pity, to have sent you to me. I have been suppressed here for a hundred years, and was more dead than alive since long ago. With the Heaven’s Punishment Sword’s suppression and the Heaven’s Might Soul Sealing Formation’s Seal, added to the fact that this is the Profound Sky Continent, I’ve actually already accepted my fate, that it was simply impossible for the day of my escape to come. Living, would instead become a concern and burden for my clan’s people. The Mighty Heavenly Sword Region keeping me, is also just to use my life as a bargaining chip at the right time… However, I still have something important on me, something critically important to the entire Illusory Demon Realm. So I can’t die… I can’t die no matter what. Now, I finally found someone I can entrust it to… And finally, I can go accompany his royal highness.”
As Yun Canghai spoke, his eyes were already vaguely tearful.
“Something extremely important to the Illusory Demon Realm? You want me to give it to Illusory Demon Realm?” Yun Che spoke in astonishment. His gaze swept through the demon’s entire body, as he felt surprised in his mind… The demon only had a piece of tattered clothing, and there simply wasn’t anywhere to store things. Even if he was strong to the extent of being able to open up space himself, the things inside would definitely be forcefully seized by Mighty Heavenly Sword Region’s people. For such an important object, there was no way that people of the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region would let it remain on him… But from what he said, that object was still on him. If so, then just where did he hide it?“Not yet!” The demon shook his head: “You are still too weak. Only till the day you are strong enough to kill the current me, will I pass it to you! So, if you want to obtain freedom after killing me, then do not slack off! Even though your progress is extremely fast, you are still too weak, and don’t have the power to head to the Illusory Demon Realm at all.”
“I know.” Yun Che nodded. Then, he held up a huge chunk of dragon flesh, cut it in half, and started roasting it in his hand: “Speaking of which, Senior, just how did you fall into the hands of Mighty Heavenly Sword Region? From what I heard, you seemed to have been… plotted against?”
The demon’s eyes narrowed as an incomparable hatred flashed past his eyes. He made a sneer, and spoke: “My understanding toward your Profound Sky Continent’s Four Great Sacred Grounds, is far greater than your lot. From my knowledge, these so-called Four Great Sacred Grounds, had always publicly declared their mission of protecting the Profound Sky Continent to the outside. Under this seemingly incomparably noble mission’s halo, they were called ‘Sacred Grounds’, and gathered beings of the strongest plane within the entire Profound Sky Continent. And the enemies they ‘protected’ against… is our Illusory Demon Realm!”
“HAHAHAHA! What an enormous joke. In terms of size, the Illusory Demon Realm surpasses the Profound Sky Continent. In terms of resources, Illusory Demon Realm wins even further! Even though the Illusory Demon Realm discovered the Profound Sky Continent long long ago, we never had any wild ambition, and never had any reason to give birth to such ambition either. It was instead those despicable fellows who carried the name of “Sacred Ground Guardians” to put us Illusory Demon Realmers as villains who desired to swallow the Profound Sky Continent, and then conducted themselves in the way of bandits! In order to obtain our Illusory Demon Realm’s greatest treasure, they stopped at no expense and invaded my Illusory Demon Realm. The Demon Emperor went missing afterwards, and even though I didn’t want to admit it, it was highly likely that the Demon Emperor had already encountered their malicious wrath. To search for the Demon Emperor, I single-handedly went toward the Profound Sky Continent, yet I carelessly stepped into Heaven’s Might Soul Suppressing Formation set by the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region and was heavily wounded by Sword Master Xuanyuan Wentian, and sunk to this place… My Illusory Demon Realm’s grudge and hatred with the Four Great Sacred Grounds, is already to the extent of unwilling to exist under the same sky!”
Yun Che silently listened, and spoke: “I am someone of the Profound Sky Continent after all; your words, I cannot completely trust. Moreover, in the Profound Sky Continent, the Four Great Sacred Grounds had always been holy existences, like fairy tales. Their strength is unbeatable, and their prestige was not allowed to be tainted. Even if these words of yours were to be told to the entire Profound Sky Continent, there would almost be no one who’d believe you. After all, many people have the ingrained belief that the Profound Sky Continent was only peaceful because there is the protection of the Four Great Sacred Grounds. There are also no notorious rumors of the Four Great Sacred Grounds oppressing the weak and such…”
As he spoke till here, Yun Che suddenly recalled that those so-called upright and honest clans with excellent reputation and fame in the Azure Cloud Continent had hounded his Master to death for the Sky Poison Pearl. He deeply sucked in a breath, and continued: “But I don’t completely doubt your words either. After all, I am not familiar with the Illusory Demon Realm that you belong to, and I am even more so unfamiliar with the Four Great Sacred Grounds. How the real situation is, I’ll see it with my own eyes the day I become strong enough to touch the Four Great Sacred Grounds and Illusory Demon Realm.”
“Nice! Well said!” Yun Canghai nodded with admiration: “What you said, really doesn’t seem like words from a young man who has yet to reach twenty. Then, aren’t you afraid that because of my affairs, that you’ll be swept into the resentment between the Four Great Sacred Grounds and the Illusory Demon Realm? That is an even bigger vortex so huge that you can’t even imagine.”
“Of course I’m afraid!” Yun Che said honestly: “At least to the me right now, whether it is the Four Great Sacred Grounds or the Illusory Demon Realm, they all are behemoths that I can only look from afar; the top most of the food chain in this world we belong in. But dread, does not mean I would breach my word and faith. Since you have already decided to grant my freedom with your life, then no matter what, I would still finish your entrustment. It’s just that the time in which it’ll take may take somewhat longer.”
“HAHAHAHA!” Yun Canghai howled with laughter: “It’s actually the first time I’ve ever heard someone speak the word ‘afraid’ so resonantly and heroically. If you had straightly spoken that you are not afraid, even though I would be more grateful, I would also be a little disappointed. Because if you were to not know fear, then you would overestimate yourself, underestimate your enemies, and perhaps meet your downfall very early someday. But with these words of yours, I am even more at ease now.”
Yun Che smiled, and passed the already roasted dragon meat into Yun Canghai’s hands. The two of them, one standing one sitting, started gobbling down at the same time. The dragon meat’s deliciousness, became their only enjoyment in this dark and gray space.
The two of them filled their stomachs up at the same time. Yun Che sat on the ground, closed his eyes and recovered his profound energy. Next, he’ll be trying to challenge the profound handle of seventy percent strength.
Yun Canghai also closed his eyes, and low mutters came from his mouth non-stop...
“It's been a hundred years, and no news of his Royal Highness have been heard… Is he really already dead…”
“If it’s the Sun Moon Divine Hall’s Heavenly Monarch Ye Meixie and Mighty Heavenly Sword Region’s Sword Master Xuanyuan Wentian together, then they indeed have the ability to kill his Royal Highness… No… Impossible.. I do not believe….”
“The Prince ought to have finished his wedding… That person from Mighty Heavenly Region said that the Prince had already succeeded as the Little Demon Emperor… then impulsively rushed in the Four Great Sacred Grounds to kill on the succession day… and also died…”
“Illusory Demon Realm… the one dictating the whole picture is Little Demon Empress…”
“Little Demon Empress… Could it be.. her… Perhaps it’s her… The Crown Prince did not fear heaven and earth, and only feared her. The Crown Prince ascended the throne with her as Empress… Even though she is a woman, she does indeed have the ability to dictate… sigh…”
Yun Che ears were full of Yun Canghai’s mutters to himself, but he did not have much of a reaction. Because these words, Yun Canghai would recite them many times every day, to the point that his ears grew calluses when hearing them a long time ago. Every single moment he was here, he had always thought about the Illusory Demon Realm. His loyalty toward the Illusory Demon Royal Family, could even be testified by the heaven and earth itself. Yun Che could also tell, that he and the Demon Emperor were half as king and subject, and half as brothers.
Quickly recovering profound strength, Yun Che’s breath and mind had also completely calmed down. He opened his eyes, watched the pitch-black darkness ahead of him as dreamily figures emerged in his mind one after another… Amongst those he cared about, he wasn’t worried about Xia Qingyue and Chu Yuechan, since with their strength it could be said that no one in the Blue Wind Empire could hurt them. But he could not help but worry about Cang Yue and Xia Yuanba… They must all think that he was already dead. The Imperial Family was under unrest, he could not imagine how Cang Yue should hide and protect herself. Yet at this most important and helpless moment that she needed him the most, he, who had promised her, could not accompany her by her side.
Xia Yuanba would definitely deeply fall into self-blame. He could only hope for him to walk out from this kind of self-blame, and then truly grow up.
Grandfather and Little Aunt as well… From the promise of three years he had made before, there was only one month left.
Being trapped here, there was no way that he would have the power to kill Yun Canghai within a month. The promise he had made when he first left, was already destined to be impossible to fulfill.
Yun Canghai was very pitiful. Being suppressed for a hundred years while in despair for a hundred years, he suffered all the misery there was. But at least he has had several hundred years of glory, had the past of looking down at the Illusory Demon Realm together with the Demon Emperor, had his own enormous family, had his own family members. Even if they couldn’t meet in a hundred years, he could still think of his dearest family, and there were also family that thought of him… Yet Yun Che, till this day, still didn’t even know who his birth parents were.
“Haah…” Yun Che silently sighed, and subconsciously touched toward his neck with his hand, wanting to touch the only thing left to him by his birth parents. Only after the moment his finger touched his skin, did he finally remember that he had put it away in the Sky Poison Pearl after coming back from the Azure Cloud Continent and realizing it was extremely likely to be the Mirror of Samsara.
Yun Che took out that petite necklace from the Sky Poison Pearl, put it on his hand and silently stared at it… Fantasizing about just what kind of people his birth parents were, and if they were still alive and healthy in this world.
Yun Canghai was also in a half-absentminded condition within his mutters. As he lifted his head, his gaze inadvertently fell onto the copper colored pendant in Yun Che’s hands… Instantly, it was as if he had been struck by a profound thunderbolt from the nine heavens. His entire body abruptly shook as both eyes fixedly stared wide open in an instant. Released from his mouth was a shout that was as intense as a beast’s roar...
“What is that in your hand… What is that in your hand!!!!”
