Against the Gods (Web Novel)

“Ho… Holy shit!” Huo Rulie almost jumped in fright. “Th-th-th-… This time it’s over for real!”

“…” Yan Juehai’s pupils shrank at the scene. However, unlike Huo Rulie, the fluctuations of emotions in his eyes weren’t due to fear but because he was alarmed by the actions Mu Xuanyin had taken against the master-disciple pair.

Jun Xilei got up to her feet while she was still in a dumbfounded state. She didn’t think even in her dreams that she, the successor of the Sword Sovereign, would actually get a tight slap from of a middle star Realm King in the presence of so many people.

“You scoundrel thing! How dare you speak the revered name of this king!?” Mu Xuanyin said in a chilly tone.

“You…”

“Pfft!” Jun Xilei was just about to say something when a mouthful of blood gushed out once again. Her body immediately kneeled down as she curled up shivering amidst an irresistible cold sensation, and her face gradually turned deathly pale.

There was no way she would be only lightly hurt after getting a slap from Mu Xuanyin. If not for the fact that she was the disciple of Jun Wuming, even ten thousand spare lives wouldn’t have saved her from dying completely.

Jun Wuming went ahead and helped Jun Xilei up, as he covered her entire body with some formless profound aura. It was only then that the complexion of Jun Xilei looked a lot better, and she said in a trembling voice, “Master…”

“Listen here, don’t say anything.” Jun Wuming let out a light sigh, but his voice carried a sense of helplessness that Jun Xilei had never felt before.

“Realm King Xuanyin.” Jun Wuming didn’t show any anger, or fiercely unleash his profound aura. He still spoke as indifferently as he had earlier, “Lei’er was certainly the one to commit the mistake before. Now that she has received her punishment, and you have also vented your anger, this old man has nothing to say about it. We’ll be on our way.”

Everyone was stupefied to hear such words from Jun Wuming.

The jaw of Huo Rulie dropped to the ground with a bang. He remained dumbfounded for a long time before muttering, “This disposition and self-restraint of the Sword Sovereign… This ability to endure… is simply too great,,, right? No, wait a moment! He… he can even endure something like this?”

Furthermore, truly talking about seniority, Jun Xilei was absolutely above Mu Xuanyin. Although it would be inappropriate to call her name, she did indeed have the qualification to do so.

“Sect Master Huo, don’t tell me that you don’t feel that something strange is going on?” Yan Juehai heaved his chest as he used an extremely low voice to continue. “Mu Xuanyin was a hundred steps away from the disciple of the Sword Sovereign, while there was only a distance of two steps between Sword Sovereign and his disciple. Despite such a difference, the Sword Sovereign was completely unable to block that slap just now!”

“…!!” Huo Rulie was first taken aback at his words, but then his whole body shivered intensely, and he remained speechless for a long while.

“It’s only natural that you would have nothing to say! But it is still a bit too early for you to leave.”

Her deeply respectful attitude towards Jun Wuming in the very beginning had fully turned ice-cold and unfeeling at this moment. “The punishment just now was only for her directly calling the name of this king. This king didn’t take her life right away, which is already giving you much more leeway than you deserve. You should be well aware of it yourself.”

“She acted offensively to my Divine Ice Phoenix Sect, hurt my disciple, and has still not kneeled on the ground to apologize. You think you can get away so easily!?”

“You…” Anyone could clearly see the brows of Jun Wuming jerk lightly this time. There was anger and hostility gathering at the point between his brows.

Then, when everyone was trembling in their hearts, thinking that the Sword Sovereign would surely fly into a rage this time, they were puzzled to see him actually taking a few breathes and firmly suppressing his anger and hostility which were surging from him until just a moment ago..

“Sigh.” Jun Wuming let out a long sigh. “In the end, we can only blame ourselves. Lei’er, although you may have done it unintentionally, it’s certainly true that you affronted the Divine Ice Phoenix Sect, and hurt the disciple of Realm King Xuanyin. It’s no wonder that Realm King Xuanyin was so enraged. Thus, comply with the words of Realm King Xuanyin and go over to apologize.”

“Master!?” Jun Xilei raised her head. Incomprehension was written all over her face, she was unable to believe his words.

Her master was none other than the Sword Sovereign, a mythical person in the boundless universe. She herself was someone who was famous throughout the God Realm, known for being one of the “Four God Children” as well as the successor of the Sword Sovereign. No matter where it was in the God Realm, no one would disrespect or fail to look up to them. In her opinion, their arrival in a mere middle star realm like the Snow Song Realm was a matter of immense glory for the realm.

People from the Snow Song Realm and the Flame God Realm were extremely deferential to the Sword Sovereign, as if they were worshiping a deity. Such scenes were so common to her that she didn’t feel anything about it. It was only normal to her for the Realm King of Snow Song to travel across half of the realm just to come pay her respects. There was also nothing wrong with her blocking the way of the disciples from Snow Song with her astral sword, to let her master and herself go ahead… How could a mere Divine Ice Phoenix Sect deserve to walk in front of their master-disciple pair.

But, she never expected for things to turn out like this.

Jun Wuming doted on her. No matter where she would go to cultivate, each and every person who saw her would only feel fear in their hearts, and would be on their best behavior. But today, she was given an incomparably heavy slap before so many people. It was the first time in her life suffering such an insult.

The thing that she found even more unbelievable was that her master did not attack the offender in anger to avenge her, but he instead… wanted her to kneel on the ground and apologize to the other party.

How could she accept such a thing?

“Go now.” Facing her shivering pupils, Jun Wuming slowly closed his eyes. “It’s an order from your master, and also an important life lesson.”

The mind and common sense of Jun Xilei were already on the verge of collapse. These words from Jun Wuming were undoubtedly the final push to trigger the breakdown. She stood dazed in place, as her eyes lost their luster. She couldn’t even feel the intense pain on her face any longer.

“Didn’t you hear the words of your master!?” Jun Wuming suddenly chided in a stern tone.

“…” Her lusterless pupils finally regained some focus, but they no longer looked as spirited as before. They appeared visibly dull. Jun Xilei’s mind had never been in such a mess. Nothing had felt so incomprehensible and confusing to her until now. It was also her first time to truly realize the meaning of humiliation.

The order from her master couldn’t be disobeyed. Jun Wuming’s words echoed in her mind, “It’s an order from your master, and also an important life lesson.”

An important life lesson… Does Master want to use this opportunity to help me improve my temperament?

She finally found a reason in her heart. She took a deep breath as she slowly walked over to Mu Xuanyin. Then, she leaned forward while kneeling down little by little. However, her eyes had an indifferent an unswerving look in them. Although her knee had come into contact with the ground, she was still brimming with the dignity of her identity as Sword Princess Wu Lei, and the pride of being the successor of the Sword Sovereign.

“Humph! You’re kneeling in front of the wrong person.” Before Jun Xilei could open her mouth, Mu Xuanyin told her in a chilly voice. She pushed Yun Che to the front, “You got that slap for belittling my Divine Ice Phoenix Sect. Since this king wants to give some face to your master after all, this king won’t pursue it any further. But as you’ve also hurt my disciple, you should at least properly apologize to him.”

“…” Jun Xilei again froze in place. She had just calmed down her aura with utmost difficulty, but it had been once again thrown into disorder.

Mu Xuanyin was still the Snow Song Realm King, as well as a supreme existence of Divine Master level similar to her master. Although kneeling before her and apologizing would be humiliating, it wouldn’t really cost her the loss of all her dignity.

But, the man that Mu Xuanyin had pushed to the front… was someone close to her age, with profound strength that was merely at the first level of the Divine Tribulation Realm. She had seen too much of such people during her journey to many realms alongside Jun Wuming. In many star realms, a person of such an age and cultivation level would be considered a genius, but in her personal opinion, such a person wouldn’t even have the qualification to make her look straight at them.

But now, she was asked to kneel and apologize to such a person!?

If she were to truly do so, it would be far worse than humiliation. All of her inherent dignity and pride would undoubtedly get firmly trampled upon and be crushed to pieces. It would become a mark of disgrace on her that she would never be able to erase in her life.

But she didn’t hear Jun Wuming, who was present behind her, say anything for a very long while.

The passage of time felt very slow to her. Every second was incomparably long. The state of her mind was in such disorder that it immediately turned so blank that she almost lost all her ability to think, and kneeled on the ground like a machine.

“Xilei has been disrespectful and offensive… Please forgive her sins…”

By the time she squeezed out the few words, her tightly bitten lip had already turned completely pale.

“…” Yun Che just stood in place without budging an inch. He didn’t know how to respond in such a situation.

“That’s more like it.” Mu Xuanyin said in a cold tone, but didn’t even spare a glance at her. “Do not feel that you’ve been greatly wronged, for it’s the result of your own actions! Don’t you naively believe that just because you have been labeled as one of the ‘God Children of the Eastern Region,’ you can act haughty and aloof, without a care for anyone. In the eyes of this king, you don’t even deserve to be a servant girl who warms the bed of this king’s disciple!”

Jun Xilei, “…”

Yun Che, (⊙﹏⊙)b

“Lei’er, the successor of the Sword Sovereign can also make a mistake. It’s natural to make a mistake and, as such, you also need to realize when you do something wrong, you apologize for it. Master has been wanting to give you this lesson for a very long time, so it’s also good for things to unfold in such a way. Make sure to remember this day. When you have completely calmed down, you’ll be able to take a step closer to the ‘heart of sword’… Let’s leave now.”

Jun Xilei rose to her feet, silent and expressionless, as if her body had suddenly lost its soul. She silently followed behind Jun Wuming and soundlessly stepped into the snowstorm as she disappeared from the sight of everyone.

“They… just left?” Huo Rulie said in a daze. “Could it be that… the Sword Sovereign was truly helping his disciple practice the ‘heart of sword’?”

“That was nothing more than an excuse to escape embarrassment,” Yan Juehai said in a low voice.

“Mu Xuanyin…could she have truly…”

“…” Yan Juehai remained silent.

The entire snowy region was so silent one could hear a pin drop.

Each and every person felt extremely shocked in their hearts, unable to calm down for a long time.

In the very beginning, they all thought that Jun Wuming had yielded to Mu Xuanyin because of his great magnanimity as the Sword Sovereign, and perhaps he also found it beneath his dignity to go on the offense against someone of inferior standing and strength. But when Mu Xuanyin drove him into a corner bit by bit, and Jun Wuming still compromised even when his disciple was slapped in public…

They weren’t so foolish or naive as to not sense that there was something fishy… However, the one possibility they thought of shocked them no end and was simply so unimaginable that they found it unbelievable, and didn’t even dare think it.

Seeing the disciples of the Divine Ice Phoenix Sect appearing so lifeless, Mu Xuanyin knit her brows as she rebuked in a cold voice. “What are you spacing out for!? Waiting for the profound formation to close!?”

Her scolding voice was like the evening drum and the morning bell. It was only then that Mu Huanzhi came to his senses as if he had just awakened from a dream. He crawled up from the ground and said loudly, “Disciples of the Divine Ice Phoenix Sect, quickly follow me inside the formation. The profound formation is going to close in less than twenty breathes!”

Obeying his order, all the disciples swiftly rushed inside the profound formation in an orderly manner.

Mu Bingyun came over beside Mu Xuanyin. She had a complicated look in her eyes as she said in a light voice, “I’ll keep watch over Yun Che at all times, so elder sister doesn’t have to be anxious.”

Mu Xuanyin turned her gaze over as she looked at Yun Che. However, there was no sign of her ice-cold and unfeeling expression from before, and instead she looked incomprehensibly relaxed to Yun Che. “If nature has decided so, then speaking anything else will produce no result.”

Mu Bingyun, “…”

“Master?” Yun Che was slightly taken aback.

“Do not get yourself into trouble. Before making any dangerous decisions, remember the warnings of your master again and again… In addition, although Master has taught you not to overestimate your ability or behave unscrupulously, never have those teachings included letting someone else bully and humiliate you!”

“…Understood, Master.” Yun Che sincerely listened to her orders.

“Go.”

There were not that many disciples of the Divine Ice Phoenix Sect who were going to the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm, so all of them got inside the formation very quickly. Yun Che was also lead by Mu Bingyun into the profound formation as they disappeared in the midst of the white light.

The rotation speed of the dimensional profound formation slowed down, and the profound light gradually became fainter too. It was the sign of the profound formation about to close.

It was already impossible for all the several thousand disciples from the three sects of the Flame God Realm to enter the formation at this point. Yan Juehai at once said, “Sect Master Huo, you bring Poyun inside first.”

“Sounds good!” Unable to have any time to think, Huo Rulie grabbed Huo Poyun up and entered straight into the profound formation. His figure disappeared about the same time as the final flash of the profound light.

Since the dimension profound formation had closed, Yan Juehai and all the remaining elders and disciples from the Flame God Realm had to wait for two hours.

The profound formation had become inactive, and there were only disciples from the Flame God Realm that were left in the snowy region. But there was still absolute silence as Mu Xuanyin was still present with them.

This Snow Song Realm King, who had made the distinguished Sword Sovereign retreat from the Snow Song Realm, gave off an indescribably heavy pressure just by being present among them. None of the disciples said a word as they tried to breathe as lightly as possible.

Yan Juehai was no exception, either.

It was at this time that Mu Xuanyin finally turned around. Looking to the north, she said indifferently, “This king hasn’t congratulated you yet. It seems that if nothing unforeseen happens, there will be one more upper star realm in the Eastern Divine Region in three years.”

Yan Juehai revealed a stiff smile in response as he raised his arm. “I’d first like to thank the Snow Song Realm King for the auspicious words. Even if everything within our expectations becomes reality, it would be due to the favor of the Snow Song Realm King. Yan Juehai will not dare to forget this point, and the Flame God Realm will also absolutely not forget about it.”

In the past, he would feel suppressed because of the difference in their cultivation levels. Consequently, Yan Juehai would be prudent while acting politely in front of her, not daring to enrage her as a result of his carelessness.

But at this moment, whether it was his words or the movements of his body… there was also a sense of respect and humility to them which he himself wasn’t aware of.

“That won’t be necessary!”

Mu Xuanyin flicked her snow white sleeve. Everyone’s vision blurred for a moment, after which Mu Xuanyin had disappeared from the place, as if she had melted in the midst of the endless snow flying all over the area.

Yan Juehai kept silent for a long while, as he still found it difficult to calm his emotions. He took a deep breath and turned around to look at all the people, before saying in a slow voice. “You’re not allowed to leak even a single word about what happened just now… Is that clear!?”

His voice was very mild and slow, but it made all the people tremble in fear inwardly.

Actually, Yan Juehai didn’t need to warn them. Everyone present at the place would definitely not dare to speak carelessly of it, even if they were given three more guts. After all, it was a matter related to the dignity of the Sword Sovereign. The Snow Song Realm might have provoked the Sword Sovereign, but their Flame God Realm couldn’t afford to provoke such an existence!