Against the Gods (Web Novel)

Nan Wansheng said, "This can't be true! Myriad Change and Aquatic Heaven were both level nine Divine Masters. Given their strength, the only way to instantly assassinate them would be if someone could get within twenty meters of them when their guards were down. That person would’ve also had to be able to summon up enough force to kill them in a single instant, before they even had a chance to circulate their energy…”

Given the strength of the Sea Gods, who could get within twenty meters of them without being noticed?

Furthermore, once someone reached the Divine Master Realm, they would obtain a powerful Divine Master body, which possessed extremely strong senses beyond the comprehension of any mortal. They would often instinctively react before they could even think.

Besides that, this assassin had to be able to instantly unleash a burst of power so incredible that it could kill a Sea God in the blink of an eye.

“Extremely strong stealth and explosive power. The only person in this universe that had even a slim chance of pulling this off was the Eastern Region Star God Realm’s Heavenly Slaughter Star God,” Nan Wansheng muttered. “However, she left this world a long time ago.”

Even if they were to make a ridiculous concession and imagine that the Heavenly Slaughter Star God was still alive, would she even need to assassinate anyone given her powers as the Evil Infant?

“There’s also one other thing to consider,” Nan Feihong said. “Every Sea God’s divine soul is marked with the Sea God Mark, so Cang Shitian would definitely be able to sense their deaths. Yet you’re telling us that no one knows who did it?”

This news had indeed shocked and horrified them, but they quickly realized how many holes this information had after giving it some thought.

The Court Envoy replied, “According to the news sent to us by our spy in the Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm, the profound veins and divine souls of the two great Sea Gods were sealed by their assailant from the very start of the confrontation. After they died, their sealed divine souls were completely destroyed as well. There was no way that their soul imprints would be transmitted to God Emperor Shitian.”

Nan Wansheng and Nan Feihong both froze at the same time before lapsing into a long silence.

The first thing the Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm had done when they discovered the sudden death of one of their Sea Gods was to seal off their borders. This was a move that was all too common and understandable. Even his Southern Sea God Realm was trying their best to prevent the news of the deaths of two of their great Sea Kings from leaking out… After all, any loss to one’s core strength was a huge blow to any king realm.

However, once they discovered the sudden death of the second Sea God, the Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm chose to make the matter public.

If they were not truly afraid, if these deaths had not been far too bizarre and irregular, why would they have made such a choice?

“Did they manage to discover what power or energy was used to seal their profound veins and divine souls?” Nan Wansheng asked.

“No,” the Court Envoy replied. “The area surrounding the corpses of the two Sea Gods had been completely obliterated but no traces were left behind. However…”

A clear unease appeared in the Court Envoy’s aura as his voice unconsciously grew grim. “The spy that was closest to God Emperor Shitian sent us some news that he had just received. They managed to detect a very faint draconic aura in the area where the two Sea Gods died. It was detected over a fifty kilometer radius, and even though it was very faint, it was also of an exceedingly high level.”

“...!!” Nan Wansheng and Nan Feihong’s eyes violently trembled at the exact same moment.

Nan Feihong thrust out a hand violently as he bodily lifted the Court Envoy into the air. “Are you sure that this news is true?”

The Court Envoy managed to keep his composure. He shook his head and replied, “This servant does not dare to confirm the news. However… this was the news that the lady sent us.”

The spy that he had spoken of, “the spy that was closest to God Emperor Shitian” was no other than one of Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm King Cang Shitian’s three beloved concubines.

If this matter was true, then the truth that lay hidden behind it already sent chills down their spines before they had even discovered what it was.

To be able to silently assassinate two great Sea Gods while leaving no traces behind. Even Nan Wansheng could not think of anyone who could accomplish such a feat.

But if it was the Dragon Monarch, who would dare say that he could not do it?

Coincidentally the Dragon Monarch just so happened to have gone “missing” under extremely peculiar circumstances at this very moment.

Why would he do such a thing?

“It isn’t possible.” Nan Feihong flung the Court Envoy away. “I don’t remember the Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm ever having any conflicts or entanglements with the dragon race. This could very well be a ‘clue’ deliberately left behind to hoodwink us.”

Even if it was something designed to hoodwink them, the perpetrators had to first obtain a draconic aura that was of a high enough level...

“Feihong,” Nan Wansheng said in a grim voice. “Besides what we just discussed, I want you to personally go and confirm the authenticity of this news.”

“Mn.” Nan Feihong grunted as he nodded his head. He left quickly after that.

The news that had come from the Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm truly defied all logic.

However, when the only clue that existed was a trace that they all recognized, something that had been verified by the Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm, then no matter how ridiculous or absurd this clue seemed, it had already planted a seed of doubt and suspicion in their hearts.

Once a seed of doubt had been planted in a person’s heart, many things would seem subtly different to them.

_____________

The Eternal Heaven Realm.

Yun Che had stolen the Eternal Heaven’s ancestral homeland and the Eternal Heaven Pearl, but he seemed to have no intention of rebuilding the place. He allowed it to remain in ruins.

After all, this place was far from his final destination. In fact, it was only a temporary abode.

Over the last few days, hundreds of the Eastern Divine Region’s higher realm kings had come here to kneel before Yun Che and declare their loyalty to him. All of them had been marked with that dark mark that could never be erased after that.

There were also higher realm kings that had chosen to flee, but they were few and far between. After all, every higher realm king had inherited vast ancestral holdings and they would have no choice but to abandon these ancestral holdings if they fled, leaving behind a name that would be cursed for all generations… If that was the case, they would rather bend the knee to the darkness. At least in the eyes of the world, this humiliating submission looked like it was for the peace of the world.

As the “seven day limit” Yun Che had granted them slowly drew to a close, the upper star realms which had yet to declare their loyalty to him… started to experience civil unrest even without the Northern Divine Region’s warning. The unrest grew so great in some of these upper star realms that the citizens declared that they would choose a new king if their realm king refused to go to the Eternal Heaven God Realm.

On the fifth day, the realm king of a star realm that everyone admired finally arrived.

The Holy Eaves Realm King, Luo Shangchen.

The Holy Eaves Realm had been the unquestioned number one star realm below the king realms in the Eastern Divine Region. Their realm king, Luo Shangchen, was extremely strong and their successor, Luo Changsheng, shone with such brilliance that it illuminated the world. He even had the potential to reach the level of the god emperors in the future, and a Luo Guxie to guide him.

However, when the Northern Divine Region invaded, the Holy Eaves Realm, one of the key forces that could help the Eastern Divine Region turn the tide of battle, did not do anything throughout the entire invasion. They did not even respond to any of the cries for help that were sent their way. Their current appearance caused the profound practitioners to gasp with boundless sorrow.

Luo Shangchen came together with the Holy Eaves Great Elder. When Yun Che saw him, his eyes started to narrow as a cold light that was clearly different from before started to radiate from his eyes.

Luo Shangchen started to slowly walk toward Yun Che. After that, he knelt before him like all the other realm kings had done. “Holy Eaves Luo Shangchen greets the Devil Master. From today onwards, the Holy Eaves Realm vows to take the Devil Master as our ruler. This vow has been witnessed by all creation and we will never betray it.”

Now that he had knelt before Yun Che and made that vow, the three great star realms of the Eastern Divine Region, the Holy Eaves Realm, the Glazed Light Realm, and the Shrouding Sky Realm, had all bent the knee to darkness. This also showed that the entire Eastern Divine Region had capitulated to darkness.

Yun Che stared at Luo Shangchen for a while before he suddenly lashed out with a kick.

Bang!

This kick was incredibly heavy, it was practically strong enough to cause a landslide. Luo Shangchen did not dare to circulate any energy to defend himself from the blow, so he was sent flying. He flew through the air for five whole kilometers before his back heavily smashed against the surface of a barrier that violently deflected him into the ground.

He lay prone on the ground, blood streaming from all of the orifices on his head. But he did not display any anger or make any attempt to stand up. He prostrated himself on the ground once more… He knew that this was the “treatment” he deserved.

He had been the first Eastern Region realm king to step up to obey the will of the god emperors at the borders of the Primal Chaos.

After all, the grievances Yun Che had with both Luo Changsheng and Luo Guxie, as well as those they had with him, caused Luo Shangchen to be the one who desired Yun Che's death more than any other realm king gathered here.

Yun Che stretched out a hand and pointed at his own feet. “Crawl back here.”

“Sect Master…” The Holy Eaves Great Elder stretched out a hand, but he did not dare to go forward to help Luo Shangchen to his feet. In fact, he did not even dare to make a single sound beyond his title.

Luo Shangchen’s eyes were indicating to him from far away that he was not to make any rash moves.

Luo Shangchen kept quiet. He hardly showed any hesitation as he started crawling forward on his hands and knees without any profound strength to support himself.

He knew that the only way for him to preserve the Holy Eaves Realm was to suffer enough humiliation, to the point where his dignity would be ground to dust.

In the Eastern Divine Region, he was a realm king who reigned above all other realm kings, but what befell him right now was utter humiliation, a humiliation that far exceeded everything his fellow realm kings had suffered, a humiliation that even a mortal would not be able to bear.

However, compared to the blows he had suffered over the last few days, this barely even tickled him.

He slowly crawled toward Yun Che as Yun Che and countless profound practitioners from the Eastern Divine Region watched. The distance which he had covered in the blink of an eye now seemed interminably long. He had only covered half a kilometer by the time seven minutes had passed.

At this moment, a sound transmission from a Burning Moon Divine Envoy rang in Yun Che’s ears. His brows sank slightly before he let out a cold and dull chuckle. “Let him enter.”

It was also at this moment that all of the Moon Eaters and Witches in the Eternal Heaven God Realm glanced to the side.

Because the person who had just arrived was, shockingly enough, radiating the aura of a level sevenl Divine Master.

Luo Shangchen, who was in the midst of crawling toward Yun Che, suddenly froze as his eyes violently shuddered.

No one was more familiar with this aura than he was.

Luo Changsheng!

No… this was the vile spawn of Luo Guxie and that peasant Ning Danqing from the lower realm!

The main culprit behind his wife and his son’s deaths!

Luo Changsheng’s figure soon shot in from afar, appearing within the projection to the audience. He still wore snow-white robes that fluttered elegantly… and landed before Yun Che and the rest of the experts of the Northern Region.

“Holy Eaves Luo Changsheng greets the Devil Master of the Northern Region.” He gave Yun Che a simple bow that was neither servile nor overbearing.

As he said those words, his eyes seemed to subtly flick toward the activated grand projection formation.

No one knew if this was deliberate or not, but he had not addressed Yun Che as the “Devil Master”. He had addressed him as the “Devil Master of the Northern Region”.

“Well if it isn’t Young Master Changsheng.” Yun Che did not even look at Luo Changsheng directly as his devilish might overflowed. How could Luo Changsheng even be mentioned in the same breath as him now? “Did you come here to accompany your royal father in his performance?”

The word “performance” was extremely insulting, but Luo Changsheng’s face remained calm and impassive. He replied, “No, royal father’s actions represent the will of the Holy Eaves Realm. But I, Luo Changsheng, have come here for my own volition to submit myself to the Devil Master. As for my sincerity? I believe it will definitely satisfy you.”

Luo Shangchen glanced at Luo Changsheng from the corner of his eyes, his heart violently thumping in his chest.

Unfortunately, there was no way he could act up in such a situation and it was even less likely that he would expose the gigantic scandal of the Holy Eaves Realm for the world to see.

“Good, very good.” Yun Che gave a dull laugh. “To think that you would so easily adapt to your new circumstances, you truly do live up to your name as the famed Young Master Changsheng! However, you should wait for your royal father to finish showing his sincerity before you do anything.”

“Of course.” Luo Changsheng bowed toward Yun Che again before he stood to the side. As he raised his head to look at Luo Shangchen, there wasn’t a single ripple in his eyes.

After a short pause, Luo Shangchen continued to crawl toward Yun Che. Every length he crawled forward along this interminably long stretch of five kilometers was a mark of shame and disgrace that would never be wiped away.

He could no longer hear any of the voices besides him clearly and his vision continued to sway. However, he refused to look in Luo Changsheng’s direction for even an instant even after his vision had grown blurry.

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime had passed, he had used his own hands and knees to crawl back to Yun Che’s feet. What lay behind him was his lifetime of glory and honor… all of it had been ground into dust.

Pah! Pah! Pah!

Yun Che slowly clapped his head as a faint smile appeared on his face. He praised Luo Shangchen. “You are indeed worthy of being the Holy Eaves Realm King, your posture as you crawled towards me is not something that any animal can imitate. It simply fills my heart with warmth and joy. In fact, I find myself left with no other choice but to clap my hands and sigh in admiration.”

As he finished clapping, he lashed out with another kick, which connected solidly with Luo Shangchen’s head.

Luo Shangchen still did not circulate any energy to block the blow so he was sent flying once more. This time, a long arrow of blood shot from his mouth and there were even some of his teeth mixed in.

Bang!

Luo Shangchen smashed into the ground far away from Yun Che. He had once more been flying several kilometers. As he slowly crawled to his knees, Yun Che’s calm and gloomy voice rang in his ears like the voice of a devil. “Since the Holy Eaves Realm King is so skilled in this art, why not crawl up here one more time and give the people of the world more joy.”

The Holy Eaves Great Elder was trembling from head to toe. Luo Shangchen unconsciously started to ball his hands into fists. Even though he had been prepared to endure any and all humiliation, his heart and soul were still spasming with anger at this moment.

“Please wait a moment!”

A voice suddenly rang out at an inopportune time. Luo Changsheng stepped forward… but before he could even finish speaking, a black shadow had already shot toward him.

It moved so fast that Luo Changsheng could not even begin to dodge it, despite his cultivation.

Pah!

With a heavy crack so loud that it threatened to split one’s eardrums, Luo Changsheng was sent flying into the distance. Yan Three’s arms retreated back into his black robes as his eyebrows sank and he spoke in a cold voice, “When Master is talking, a stripling like you is far from qualified to interrupt him.”

This was a slap that had been delivered by a Yama Ancestor. If it was most other people, even their souls would have been shattered by that slap. Luo Changsheng flipped his body around and one side of his face was blood-red, but there was no shock or anger on his face. Instead, he bowed toward Yun Che and said, “I was rude and impetuous… However, I beg for the Devil Master to grant me one kindness.”

“Hmm?” Yun Che glanced to the side.

“I hope that the Devil Master will magnanimously allow me… to complete the rest of the journey on behalf of my royal father.”

He bent his head respectfully, but pleading could be heard in his calm voice.