Against the Gods

Chapter 2114 - Final Memory of the Heretic God

“Are they the Pure Land Divine Guards?” Yun Che asked in a hushed voice.

The three men were wearing silk robes instead of armor. They obviously weren’t Abyssal Knights.

“That’s right,” Meng Jianxi responded via sound transmission, “They do not possess the right of adjudication, and they rarely leave the Pure Land, if at all. They are responsible for all things major or minor within the Pure Land. The people view them as below the Abyssal Knights, but you must not look down on them or underestimate them no matter what.”

Those who failed the trials of the Pure Land did not qualify to become an Abyssal Knight and so were expelled from the Pure Land. However, those who passed the test of character were given an additional choice. They could leave, or they could remain in the Pure Land and become a Pure Land Divine Guard.

Becoming a Pure Land Divine Guard wasn’t all good though. They might never be able to set foot outside of the Pure Land ever again. It was the same as abandoning their past and cutting off all future paths except one.

The large majority of Pure Land Divine Guards were people who chose to remain in the Pure Land forever. As they rarely left the Pure Land after becoming a Divine Guard, the outsiders naturally knew very little about them. Their degree of freedom, authority and status were all inferior to an Abyssal Knight's as well.

Yun Che learned from Hua Caili a long time ago that there existed a small but very special subset of Divine Guards in the Pure Land.

They were raised by the four High Priests themselves.

There were a total of eleven peak Divine Limit Realm profound practitioners below the True Gods of the Abyss.

Six of them served the six Kingdoms of God, and the remaining five all served the Pure Land.

One of the five peak Divine Limit Realm profound practitioners who served the Pure Land was an Abyssal Knight. The other four were all Pure Land Divine Guards.

The Pure Land Divine Guard serving under the Chief Priest was Donghuang.

The Pure Land Divine Guard serving under High Priest Wandao was Changying.

The Pure Land Divine Guard serving under the High Priest Lingxian was Sushang.

And the Pure Land Divine Guard serving under the High Priest Liu Xiao was Yuanying.

Yun Che replied with feeling, “Even the lowest person in the Pure Land is someone no one dares to look down upon.”

Even the most ordinary Pure Land Divine Guard was a squire who failed the trials... but one of the prerequisites to participate in the Pure Land trials was to be at the Divine Extinction Realm.

In other words, every Pure Land Divine Guard was at least a divine Extinction Realm profound practitioner. In the Land of the Living, they were all powerful existences who could found a sect or create a faction should they so choose.

This concept alone was enough to strike terror in anyone’s heart.

The world changed as soon as they passed through the light barrier.

Yun Che’s very first look and impression of the Pure Land was this: Simple.

It did not look as luxurious or glorious as an imperial realm should. It did not feel as solemn and imposing as a supreme land naturally felt either. At first glance, there weren’t even many structures at all. Instead, it was filled with all kinds of flowers, trees, and other plants.

Every single bit of energy circulating in this place was extraordinarily gentle. He could not feel any anxiety or irritation from any living being whatsoever. The light here seemed gentle enough to shine into one’s heart and pacify any negative emotion with ease.

Yun Che looked around. He could clearly feel everyone’s breathing slowing down unconsciously. The younger disciples especially were exclaiming in surprise and looking intoxicated.

It was because this was the Pure Land, a realm where abyssal dust did not exist. It was the dreamland all living beings of the Abyss revered and longed for.

Meng Jianxi sucked in a deep, long breath and exhaled just as much. Finally, he let out a barely controlled sigh of admiration, “This isn’t my first time coming here, but it always feels like I’m entering an immortal realm... a world without abyssal dust.”

“I heard that the ‘Eternal Pure Land’ is an entire world without a speck of abyssal dust. I can’t even imagine what kind of beautiful world that is.”

“In that world, no living being ever needs to worry about being eroded by abyssal dust at all times. The plants grow naturally, the beasts run freely, countless races are being born, and even a newborn may cry to their heart’s content... the living beings of that world must be unimaginably peaceful. There cannot be any terror, struggle, or misery. Even natural malice would be pacified by purity. I cannot imagine that there exists cruel conflicts and murder in that world.”

Yun Che said nothing at all.

Meng Jianxi continued, “I heard that the Abyssal Monarch may very well speak of the Eternal Pure Land during this Pure Land Meet. Are you looking forward to it, Brother Yuan?”

Yun Che put on a look of longing. ‘Who doesn’t look forward to a world without abyssal dust?”

“The dream will come true.”

Up ahead, Meng Kongchan suddenly said indifferently, “Once upon a time, that world only existed in our dreams. But today, it is within our reach. Who knows, maybe it will only take a couple more decades for all of you to be able to set foot in the Eternal Pure Land, create, and continue the future of Dreamweaver, hahahaha!”

Yun Che and Meng Jianxi wore the same expression as Meng Kongchan laughed, but the tidal waves of emotions splashing inside their hearts could not be anymore different.

Suddenly, Yun Che’s face stiffened without warning. His footsteps came to a complete halt as well.

“Brother Yuan? What’s wrong?” Meng Jianxi asked while stopping in his tracks.

“... It’s nothing.” Yun Che shook his head and replied calmly, “I just lost focus for a moment.”

Meng Jianxi nodded in understanding. “That’s perfectly normal. For someone who was used to abyssal dust, to enter a world without abyssal dust is like stepping into a whole new world. I am not ashamed to admit that I lost myself several times when I first entered the Pure Land.”

For a profound practitioner of the Abyss to enter the Pure Land was like a fish used to a stinky swamp suddenly entering a spring that was perfectly clear. Of course they would be shocked by it.

Setting the ambient energies aside, what was an immortal sanctuary to the people of the Abyss was nothing more than an ordinary corner of the world to Yun Che.

So why had he reacted the way he had earlier?

Because a divine perception had enveloped him just now.

At that moment, he had felt as if his five senses had sunk into an endless sea. For an instant, he did not know where he came from, did not know where he was going, and could not see the end of the strange world he suddenly found himself in.

It was just a person’s divine perception, and yet it felt powerful enough to flood heaven and earth and devour worlds.

The divine perception had only hovered over him for a brief moment, but Yun Che felt like he had endured centuries in nowhere.

“What... was that?” Li Suo asked very, very quietly. This was her greatest expression of gravity and severity since she awakened from her slumber.

She knew the answer even as she voiced the question.

“He found me,” Yun Che replied calmly. Li Suo could tell that he was equally calm on the inside.

“Are you... truly prepared to face him?” Li Suo asked. Despite Yun Che’s calmness, she could not help but speak with thick worry.

“Yes, there is nothing to be worried about,” Yun Che replied calmly again, though he was more speaking to himself than Li Suo.

It was at this moment he felt a pinprick of pain from the depths of his soul sea. It was worsening as well.

It was the final two memory fragments of the Heretic God, Ni Xuan.

To think that the trigger to unlock them... was “His” presence.

The pain was telling Yun Che that the emotions within the final two memory fragments were far stronger than the previous three.

The Pure Land Divine Guards led them to a simplistic courtyard. It was lacking all the indulgences a guest might expect from their host. There were only dozens of profound formations used for meditation, and the flora remained the most conspicuous thing about the entire courtyard.

Still, not a single person dared to touch the plants. They were worried that it would constitute blasphemy.

A Pure Land Divine Guard said gently, “It is still early, so please catch a break in this courtyard, Dreamless Divine Regent, honored guests. The Abyssal Monarch will summon you all when it's time. Also, the Pure Land is rigidly structured and boasts a lot of forbidden areas, so please do not move about carelessly.”

“Understood.” Meng Kongchan nodded. “Have the other Kingdoms of God arrived?”

The Pure Land Divine Guard said, “Right now, only Dreamweaver and Heaven Breaker are present. The other four Kingdoms of God and the guests from the dragon race are still on their way.”

The Pure Land Divine Guards took their leave then. Not a single attendant had stayed behind to attend to their guests.

Still, not a single person thought that the Pure Land was being impolite.

Meanwhile, the pain in Yun Che’s soul sea was still worsening. He decided that he might as well reflect it on his face as anxiousness.

Meng Kongchan had long since noticed that something was wrong and said concernedly, “It’s easy for those who enter the Pure Land for the first time to feel uneasy. This is especially true for someone with light cultivation. If you cannot bear the discomfort, then why don’t you take a moment to meditate and get used to the surrounding energies?”

“Okay,” Yun Che replied obediently before adding in a much smaller voice, “If Caili shows up later, please help me and don’t let her see me like this, Divine Regent.”

“Oh?” Meng Kongchan looked surprised. He broke into a guffaw, “You stubborn boy. You don’t want to show any weakness to your lover, eh? Worry not! I shall guard you myself.”

Yun Che stopped talking and sat down at the center of a profound formation. Then, he activated an isolation barrier and allowed his consciousness to sink into the memory fragment that just broke.

......

A disastrous storm was blowing in a vast world.

The sky was out of place, the earth was shaking, and countless spatial cracks were forming every instant. From a distance, it looked like countless lightning was dancing through the air at all times.

Although the era of this memory was far, far before his time, Yun Che still recognized through the unique grayish white sky that this memory took place in the God Realm of Absolute Beginning.

Right now though, an ancient disaster of unimaginable proportion was taking place in the God Realm of Absolute Beginning.

Ni Xuan’s long hair was disheveled and hanging loosely behind his back. The face that once boasted unparalleled handsomeness now looked grayish with defeat, and his entire body was covered in overlapping stacks of horrifying wounds. His clothes looked like they had just been scooped out of a pool of blood, utterly drenched and reeking of blood.

He slowly lifted his upper body, his movement so slow and difficult it was like he was a dying old man. The next moment, he collapsed on his knees, the blood of a Creation God pouring wildly out of his countless wounds and dyeing the ground red.

He was the Creation God of Elements, the supreme existence of Primal Chaos. No one, not even himself, could imagine that he would one day be hurt this badly, look this terrible, suffer so much pain.

Standing in front of him was a huge, tall man wearing a golden outfit.

His facial features gave off the distinct feeling that they were carved using a sword.

The first and immediate impression one got when looking at his face was “justice”.

It was as if no laws could be violated, no rules could be trampled, no wrong could be tolerated, and no sin could exist before this face.

He was the first of the Four Creation Gods and the highest existence in the entire universe...

The Heaven Punishing Divine Emperor, Mo E.

He was wielding a sword with a broad blade. The blade was bronze-colored and looked no different from an ordinary slab of metal. Its edge was dull, its surface was dim, and it did not exude even the slightest bit of pressure. It was as if it truly was an ordinary slab of metal that not even the profound practitioners of the mundane world would afford a second glance.

The sword had a stunning name, however.

The Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword.

It was ranked first of the Seven Heavenly Profound Treasures. It was the first sword of Primal Chaos and the literal ancestor of all things.

He stood quietly with the Ancestral Sword in his hand. Although the world was crumbling, and the surrounding storm threatened to turn the world upside down, he remained as unmoving as a mountain that connected heaven and earth.

He was looking down on the bloodied Ni Xuan, Creation God of Elements, without any expression whatsoever. Not a single line had shifted out of place from the beginning until the end.

“To think you would muster the Ancestral Sword’s power a second time to defeat me.”

Ni Xuan’s voice was so dry it was unthinkable that it was the voice of a Creation God. “Is this all for the so-called ‘righteous way’ in your heart?!”

If a mortal were to activate the Ancestral Sword’s power, they would die instantly. If a True God were to activate it, they would lose ninety percent of their lifespan.

Even a Creation God must pay the hefty price of thirty percent lifespan to activate the Ancestral Sword’s power.

Since this was the second time the Heaven Punishing Divine Emperor used the Ancestral Sword, it meant that he had used up sixty percent of his lifespan.

He did not hesitate for even a moment though, much less regret his decision.

Ni Xuan simply could not understand Mo E’s determination, just like he could not understand why the man must kill Mo Su, his favorite son, the Heaven Punishing Crown Prince, the chosen inheritor of his power and will.

Even if Mo Su had violated the taboo, surely he did not deserve to die for it... much less deserve to be executed by his own father!

“You killed Mo Su, ambushed Jie Yuan, and kidnapped my daughter... I suppose it’s my turn now.”

Ni Xuan let out a horrible laugh as hopeless despondence colored his grayish complexion. “Do it.”

Mo E replied in a voice lighter than smoke itself, “I hate you, but I have no reason to kill you.”

“Hah!” Ni Xuan chuckled. “You will execute even the son you poured all your love and hope into just because he defied your ‘righteous way.’ Why on earth would you allow a complete rebel like me to live?”

The storm swept up some of Mo E’s hair and slapped them against his face. It gave him a look of deep sorrow buried deep within his soul.

Mo E did not raise his sword. He did not summon his energy either.

A long, long time later, he finally spoke up in a tone that Ni Xuan had never heard before, “Do you have any idea how much I envy you, Ni Xuan? How long have I dreamed of putting myself in your shoes?”

Ni Xuan: “...?”

“When the Ancestral God named you, she gave you the word ‘Ni (Rebellion)’. The personality she bestowed you is one that fits the word completely. You live free and true to yourself. You are ever unwilling to bind yourself to any rule, and you never stop defying and rebelling against those rules or situations that in your opinion seem old-fashioned, ridiculous, unfair, and wrong.”

“The world needs a Creation God like you because the world is constantly evolving, and the times are always changing. It has to change. It has to break the old rules again and again and get rid of the filth and shackles of each era.”

“From a barren universe of nothing to a prosperous universe filled with countless worlds and even more lives. This could not have been possible without countless corrections and changes.”

Ni Xuan just stared at Mo E. Perhaps he could not believe that such words could possibly come from Mo E’s mouth.

“Someone needs to change the world.” Mo E was also staring at Ni Xuan. “But just the same, someone needs to preserve the world.”

“Is that so?” Ni Xuan growled, “Is that what you told yourself when you decided that the God Race and the Devil Race must never mix? That it is a rule that must never be violated? Even if the involved is your son Mo Su, even if the involved is a Creation God and a Devil Emperor, even if it must cost you most of your lifespan to do so? You must eliminate the violation and violators no matter what?!”

Compared to Ni Xuan’s sorrow, anger, pain, and confusion... Mo E’s eyes were as calm and dead as a pool of dead water.

Or maybe, he was so sad that he could not feel any sadness at all.

Mo E continued, “The world is split into Existence and Extinction, and Existence is split into yin and yang. When yin and yang are balanced, the worlds are in harmony and peace.”

“The Ancestral God created the universe based on balance, so the universe began from balance. Without balance, a man would fall on his feet. Without balance, a world would fall apart.”

“That is why there are four Creation Gods and four Devil Emperors at the beginning of the universe, not eight Creation Gods or eight Devil Emperors.”

The Heaven Punishing Divine Emperor spoke words that he had never spoken before almost woodenly and completely without expression.

“Since ancient times, the God Race and the Devil Race have always been the supreme existences of this universe. Their actions could easily decide the fate of countless realms. What is a small accident to a God or a Devil could be the end of the world to everyone else.”

“The God Race and the Devil Race each occupied a corner of the world, rejecting and keeping each other in check. Over time, this state became a sort of balance as well. Everything in this world can change, everything... except. This. Balance.”

The storm was finally subsiding, and the shrieks of space were finally decreasing in intensity and frequency as well. All that was left was the natural storms inflicted by the existence of two Creation Gods’ souls.

Ni Xuan’s voice pushed the storm in Mo E’s direction. “You only know rejection and control. Whoever said that union could not possibly be a better form of balance?”

“You are correct. Union could be a better form of balance.”

Ni Xuan could not believe that the stubborn bastard who had never changed in an eternity actually agreed with him.

“However, all major changes should begin from the smallest tests, much less a change that involves the two races whose every whim could threaten the integrity and existence of the universe itself.”

“It could begin with the mortals from a God-created world and a Devil-created world. It could begin from the lowest God and Devil... but it cannot begin from Ni Xuan, it cannot begin from the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor, and it definitely... cannot begin from the son of Mo E!”

Ni Xuan’s pupils froze for a brief moment.

He could actually feel himself being drawn by Mo E’s words.

“Even so...” These two words were enough to reveal that Ni Xuan... did not reject Mo E’s statements completely. “You did not need to be so ruthless to Mo Su or yourself!”

Mo E finally moved for the first time since the beginning of this memory. His arm curled as he slowly crossed the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword in front of him.

“Four Creation Gods, four Devil Emperors. We are the highest beings of this universe, but we don’t possess the highest powers.”

“In fact, the highest powers of this universe are the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword and the Evil Infant's Wheel of Myriad Tribulations.”

“Ni Xuan,” he called out the Creation God of Elements’ name without sorrow or hate, resentment or wound, “do you know why they are bestowed such inauspicious names—‘Heaven Punishing’, ‘Myriad Tribulations’—despite possessing the highest powers of this universe?”