Against the Gods (Web Novel)

Long Bai’s death represented the end of an era, the beginning of a new epoch.

The profound practitioners of the Northern Divine Region had already gathered behind Yun Che. The moment he turned around to look at them, they had already fallen heavily to their knees, kowtowed and shouted, “Your Magnificence!”

Most of them were either exhausted or heavily wounded and they were only still chugging along thanks to the second wind given to them by Calamity and Misfortune. However, this greeting of theirs seemed to be louder and more deafening than any of their previous greetings.

In fact, it almost seemed like every northern region profound practitioner had tried their best to tear their own throats with this shout.

In the back, the surviving Brahma Kings and Deep Sea profound practitioners kneeled on the ground. Even further back, the Qilins and Blue Dragons also dropped down on knees trembling with unease and fear.

“...” Yun Che nodded his head. “You may rise.”

However, none of the northern region profound practitioners rose to their feet.

Fen Daoqi raised his head to look at Yun Che. He took in a few deep breaths before he could finally speak in a quavery voice, “Devil Master, we… won… right?”

“Yes, we’ve won.” Yun Che gave a heavy nod of his head. “Of the four king realms of the Eastern Divine Region, two were destroyed and two have come under the wings of our devil race. The Eternal Heaven God Realm was bathed in the blood of its denizens, while the Moon God Realm is nothing more than floating rock and ash. The Star God Realm… and the Brahma Monarch God Realm joined us, so the Eastern Divine Region has been completely pacified.”

“Of the four king realms of the Southern Divine Region, we trampled on the Southern Sea God Realm, cowed the Xuanyuan Realm and Purple Micro Realm into submission, and had the Ten Directions Deep Sea God Realm willingly join our side.”

“As for our largest and most difficult obstacle, the Western Divine Region. All of the Divine Masters belonging to the Dragon God Realm, the Emperor Chi Realm, the Hui Dragon Realm, and the Myriad Manifestations God Realm have been killed. These four king realms now only exist in name alone, they no longer have any power to threaten us. As for the Qilins and the Blue Dragons…”

That short pause caused a shudder to go down the backs of all the Qilins and Blue Dragons.

“They are alive merely at my whim, and I firmly control their destinies in the palm of my hand.”

Yun Che’s gaze swept the entire crowd, as he started to speak in a slow and serious manner. “Right now, there is no power left in this universe that can impede the progress of our Northern Divine Region.”

“From today onward, from this moment onward, as long as I, the Devil Master, remain in this world, there will no longer be anyone who can malign, insult, or despise the dark profound practitioners of the Northern Divine Region for no good reason!”

“You, your kinsmen and your clans, your children and your descendents, all of them will completely escape this dark yoke that has been hanging around your necks for a million years! You can finally raise your heads proudly and walk in the light! It is now the era of the Northern Divine Region and we will be in control of the God Realm!”

The northern region profound practitioners had not yet settled down. They had just emerged from that bloody and terrible battle as the most unlikely of winners. Their minds still dwelled on the slaughter of their kinsmen and the dramatic reversal that ensued. As such, they were still filled with violent bloodlust and their minds were still fogged up by a dense blood mist.

However, the Devil Master’s pronouncement had finally brought everything to a close, their violent malice dissolving into hot tears that spilled down their cheeks.

Their worn-out heartstrings finally relaxed as the murderous bloodlust soundlessly dissipated along with the profound energy they still unconsciously held. They could no longer even smell the blood wafting in the air.

Thud...

Many of them even sank limply to the ground as the strength went out of their bodies. However, they hurriedly got to their knees once more as they deeply bowed their heads and assumed a low and humble posture. Their shaking eyes were filled with a worshipful reverence that they would guard zealously for the rest of their lives, a worshipful reverence they would pass on for a thousand generations.

Fen Daoqi slowly closed his eyes as he kowtowed deeply to Yun Che. His every word was accompanied by tears as he said, “The strength of the Western Divine Region far outstripped all records we had of it. It was beyond our most dreaded nightmares. If the Devil Master did not exist, our Northern Divine Region may very well have been trapped in that cage of darkness forever. We may never have had a fighting chance to reverse our fortunes.”

The magnanimity of the Devil Master will never be forgotten, and can… never… be repaid...”

Fen Daoqi pressed his head against the ground for a very long time. As the former imperial teacher of the Burning Moon God Realm, he was filled with the wisdom that only a vast amount of experience could bring. However, at this moment, he simply could not find words that could fully express his gratitude and emotions for this blessed moment.

This destiny-altering battle had gathered the strength of the various Divine Regions… and the Western Divine Region’s had been exceptionally terrifying. After all, their very bodies still bore the testament to their might.

Without Yun Che, the Northern Divine Region’s pitiful and sorrowful fate would not have stopped at a mere million years… It would have continued on for all time, until the day that the Northern Divine Region naturally collapsed.

The words “darkness profound practitioner” and “devil person” would also have forever become bywords for sin and filth, something carved into the minds of all the people of the world.

As such, Fen Daoqi’s words struck the heart and soul of each and every northern region profound practitioner. All of them kowtowed deeply to him once more before they shouted:

“The magnanimity of the Devil Master will never be forgotten, and can never be repaid!”

“The magnanimity of the Devil Master will never be forgotten, and can never be repaid!!”

“THE MAGNANIMITY OF THE DEVIL MASTER WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN, AND CAN NEVER BE REPAID!!!”

……….

Even though they were clearly weak and exhausted, their shouts had grown louder with each repetition, until the very air above the Deep Sea Divine Region echoed with their voices.

In the back, the Qilin Emperor slowly raised his head and it was filled with surprise and admiration.

Their cries didn’t contain a single bit of the flattery and fear he had long grown accustomed to. Instead, every word seemed to echo out from the bottom of their souls.

It was nearly impossible to repay someone for saving your life, so how could anyone possibly repay the debt of saving such a vast Divine Region, all the lives contained within it, and all the lives that would come with each successive generation.

Right now, even if Yun Che were to command them to immediately give up their own lives, the Qilin Emperor was convinced that all of them would immediately end their lives without a single hint of regret or remorse.

This reverence and loyalty that permeated their very bones… As fellow emperors, neither he nor the Blue Dragon Emperor could ever truly obtain such a thing.

Yun Che made a small gesture with his fingers, causing a very small and thin sound isolation barrier to surround the sleeping Caizhi. Another wave of energy spread out from his body and hushed all the voices.

“The fruits of this battle are not due to my work alone! Nor did I save the Northern Divine Region by myself. We all did. Together. Each and every one of you!”

Yun Che let out a soft sigh and said, “Long Bai’s early return, the World Dragon City, the Venerable Withered Dragons… These were all unexpected variables that we could not possibly account for. However, I, as the Devil Master, did not make sufficient preparations for these possibilities before I entered the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm. This was my fault as Devil Master, and it brought down severe consequences on us all.”

Chi Wuyao’s eyes narrowed imperceptibly… Naturally, none of these were Yun Che’s fault. Any unexpected variable wouldn’t have the word “unexpected” attached to it if they could be predicted. All of the changes that occurred in the Dragon God Realm were ones that even she could not predict. In fact, if she had not managed to burrow a thread of her devilish soul into Zhou Xuzi’s, the results of today’s battle would have been even more catastrophic.

However, Yun Che’s words were the most appropriate words for this moment.

After all, there was never an emperor who did not require eloquence or the hearts of his people.

“The Eternal Heaven Divine Realm is a unique world that follows its own special laws, so it is normally something that can’t easily be affected by the outside world. However, the power of the current Eternal Heaven Pearl has nearly dropped to zero, and it was a huge ask to even open it for three years. As such, it was incredibly unstable and any external attacks could have easily caused it to collapse… The result would have been catastrophic.”

Yun Che swept his eyes to the west and looked at the ground that was stained in devil blood. “All of these things were probably already told to you by the Devil Queen. That also means that all of you clearly had enough time to flee, yet you all chose to stay behind… In this doomed situation, you did not act for the Northern Region or yourselves, you acted solely for my sake.”

Every word was filled with emotion that had come from the bottom of Yun Che’s heart.

When he mentioned the word “you”, he was not only referring to the people kneeling before him, he was also referring to the ones who had died while protecting him before his return… However, they were no longer here to hear those words, no longer here to see the bright light that the Northern Divine Region now firmly grasped in their hands, the light they had been thirsting after for generations.

“If you had not desperately defended me until the very last instant, the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm would definitely have collapsed. I would have been tossed into an unknown place via the chaotic slipstreams of space, and in the worst case scenario… it could have ended with my death.”

This wasn’t an exaggeration whatsoever. In fact, He Ling was the one who had personally told him these things.

“Every ounce of your strength, every drop of your blood, every sacrifice made by one of your kinsmen ended up saving me. To be exact, they also ended up saving the Northern Divine Region. As such, the one who changed the Northern Divine Region’s fate and rewrote our history books was not me alone… It was all of you as well.”

When Yun Che had left the Eternal Heaven Divine Region, Long Bai had practically been within arm’s reach of the Eternal Heaven Pearl.

As a result, every attack, every drop of blood, every life sacrificed to the cause had gained valuable time for Yun Che. All of it had been necessary, and as it turned out, none of it had been in vain.

“All of your names will be carved into the history of the Northern Divine Region. That is the special honor and glory that belongs to all of you. And in the future, it is something that all of you must protect together.”

All the northern region profound practitioners felt their devilish blood surging through their veins and hot tears sprang to their eyes.

As Yun Che said those words, darkness energy erupted from his body and lifted all the northern region profound practitioners to their feet. “Rise. Now is not the time to dwell in your feelings. There is an even more important task ahead of you.”

“Go and gather the bodies of our fallen kinsmen and prepare them for burial… Do not even miss a drop of their devilish blood. We must erect a monument for them in every land in the Northern Divine Region. One that will endure forever!”

Fen Daoqi walked to the head of this assembly and deeply bowed to Yun Che once more. Tears streaked his old face as he said, “We solemnly obey the words of the Devil Master.”

After that, the northern region profound practitioners dispersed back to the battlefield. They followed the lingering traces of darkness profound energy toward the bodies of their fallen kinsmen.

The cruel living conditions of the Northern Divine Region had inevitably caused many grudges and resentments to be formed between the star realms within it. However, at this moment, if anyone found the body of what had once been their most hated enemy, they did not feel even a single ounce of joy in their heart. Instead, they bent down and wrapped them in the most gentle profound energy they could produce, and their only fear was that they would harm the body in any way.

After they had fought in this bloody battle for the Northern Divine Region’s future, all of their past resentments had already dissolved into dust.

Yun Che turned to calmly look at the Deep Sea profound practitioners.

The Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm had not betrayed them, and to be honest, he was very surprised.

It was at this moment that Cang Shitian strode forward and prostrated himself before Yun Che. He yelled in a loud voice, “This sinner Cang Shitian kowtows to the Devil Master! I congratulate the Devil Master for using his world-shaking divine might to rid the world of these calamitous and wicked dragons. You saved the Northern Divine Region from their cruel fate and saved the God Realm from the tyranny of the dragons! This is truly the fortune of the world, the most joyous event under heaven!”

There were only three Deep Sea Sea Gods left and the Deep Sea Divine Envoys had been reduced to fifteen people. Cang Shitian’s dramatic performance, where he was practically on the brink of shedding tears, caused them to deeply bow their heads in shame as their lips twitched constantly.

Yun Che cast him a sidelong glance. “You actually managed to survive?”

To him, Cang Shitian was someone devoid of all kingly dignity and comportment, someone who would go in whatever direction the wind blew. As the second strongest god emperor of the Southern Divine Region, he not only did not lend a helping hand when the Southern Sea God Realm was being destroyed, he even immediately submitted to Yun Che and proved his loyalty by striking a vicious blow against Nan Wansheng.

This had also forced the Xuanyuan God Emperor and the Purple Micro God Emperor into grudging capitulation.

When the wind was blowing in one’s favor, such a person would be a very uself lackey.

However, the moment things started getting rough, he should have immediately thrown his lot in with the Dragon Monarch just like he had with Yun Che. At the same time, he would viciously backstab the Northern Divine Region as proof of his loyalty.

As such, before he entered the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm, he had gone out of his way to tell Chi Wuyao to be careful of Cang Shitian.

Surprisingly, when he emerged from the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm, they weren’t just in an unfavorable situation. They were practically a step away from death’s door! But Cang Shitian was actually still on their side!

This was exactly the opposite of his immediate grovelling capitulation when he was faced with imminent danger the last time.

He shot a fleeting glance toward Chi Wuyao as he wondered exactly how she had gotten Cang Shitian to behave… But perhaps he had been wrong about Cang Shitian all this while… Or perhaps it was a combination of both factors?

“Reporting to the Devil Master! Since this Shitian is merely the Devil Master’s loyal dog, how would I dare to die without the Devil Master’s express command!?”

Cang Shitian had not even hesitated to proudly shout out those words which completely stripped him of his dignity.

“...” Yun Che knitted his brows together before he turned to look at Chi Wuyao.

Chi Wuyao also chose this moment to speak. She said, “Even though God Emperor Shitian committed a great mistake back in the day, he did indeed perform many meritorious deeds in today’s battle. As for whether it can lessen the severity of his crimes…”

She gently turned to look at Mu Xuanyin. “It’ll be up to the Devil Master or the Snow Song Realm to decide.”

A cold light suddenly erupted from Mu Xuanyin’s blue eyes the moment Chi Wuyao finished speaking. A beam of icy energy swirled into existence out of nowhere and explosively shot towards Cang Shitian.

As the cold energy pressed in towards him, Cang Shitian felt every hair on his body stand on end. However, he fiercely clenched his teeth and forced himself to remain still. In fact, he even swiftly dispersed most of the profound energy protecting his body.

Pchhht!

An icicle that was several meters long pierced his chest and sent him flying. He flew for several kilometers before he was cruelly pinned to the ground.

Bang!!

The icicle that pierced his body ruptured with a loud explosion. Cang Shitian was blasted into the distance once more, his body landing unceremoniously on the ground.

Mu Xuanyin turned around. She did not deign to attack or even look at him again.

The terrifying cold energy had turned Cang Shitian’s skin a shocking bluish-purple. His entire body shuddered uncontrollably, but he still managed to struggle to his feet. All of his profound energy surged up, but it wasn’t to heal his injuries. Instead, he let out a low roar as his right arm swung through the air. The earth-shaking sound of bones being shattered reverberated through the air as he bodily smashed his own left arm apart.

He knelt to the ground with his remaining limb, his breathing rough and heavy. After that, he bent his head to the ground and said, “Back then, I used this arm to attack the Snow Song Realm King… If it can appease the Devil Master and Snow Song Realm King’s wrath, I am willing to live without this arm for another three hundred years.”

“Hmph!” Mu Xuanyin gave a cold snort. “I would rather you have both arms, so that you can serve the Devil Master better!”

Cang Shitian jerked his head up, a happy and surprised smile on his face. He deeply kowtowed and said, “This humble king Cang Shitian gratefully thanks the Snow Song Realm King and Devil Master for their mercy.”

“...” Chi Wuyao had been watching each and every one of Cang Shitian’s actions with cold eyes. After that, she murmured in a soft voice, “He really is an incredible man.”

Yun Che stared at Cang Shitian from the distance, the murderous intent in the depths of his eyes not completely erased.

The surviving Sea Gods and Deep Sea Divine Envoys helped the heavily-wounded Cang Shitian to his feet, strange and complicated looks glimmering in their eyes.

If they set aside some of his actions and words, which were so humiliating that even they could not bear to witness them when they happened, the only thing they felt towards Cang Shitian’s wild behavior right now was a wild joy… and a deep-seated admiration which surpassed any feelings of admiration they had ever had for him.

During this battle, the Deep Sea Divine Region had been reduced to nothing, and many of their Sea Gods and divine envoys had fallen.

However, their vessel of divine power was still safe and sound, and the middle and lower tier of Deep Sea profound practitioners had already been dispersed long before the battle began, so their roots had weathered this vicious storm. Even more importantly, Cang Shitian’s actions during this battle had ensured that his Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm had a rather lofty position in this new world controlled by the Northern Divine Region.

If he had gone with the flow of the battle before Yun Che’s emergence and thrown his lot in with Long Bai… then he would have shared the fate of the four tragic king realms of the west.

Still, it must be said that if Cang Shitian had not chosen to fight with them and place all of his bets on Yun Che, the Northern Divine Region might not have had the happy ending it was having right now.