Against the Gods

Chapter 2124 - Wuyi’s Resolve

A Divine Regent was powerful, commanding all living beings like ants beneath their palm. However, they were coupled with equally powerful dignity, status, and bearing. Barring exceptional circumstances, they would never demean themselves by attacking a weakling, much less stain their divine name for a weakling.

That was only if the Divine Regent wasn’t crazy, though. Having received all the warnings he received, not to mention that he was alone right now, Yun Che wasn’t going to cause unnecessary trouble right now. So, he stopped in his tracks and slowly withdrew his aura.

This soul-stunning pressure that stood out among all the Kingdoms of God alone was proof of the Eternal Night Kingdom of God’s infamy. It wasn’t until the group of women was completely out of sight that Yun Che finally let out a small sigh of relief and continued along his original way.

When the people of the other five Kingdoms of God set foot on the Pure Land, they were usually half parts respectful and half parts excited. However, the atmosphere of the Eternal Night Kingdom of God was completely different. The group of hundreds carried themselves in a uniform manner and firmly kept their auras in check. Even those who came to the Pure Land for the first time looked nowhere but straight ahead; as if they did not carry even an ounce of the natural excitement or curiosity all other profound practitioners possessed. Even their footsteps were infused with puzzling slowness and caution as if one misstep would plunge them into a bottomless abyss of no return.

The extreme silence and oppressiveness they exuded were positively stifling. Even the cool breeze of the Pure Land could not dispel it.

At the center of the group was a palanquin that had fallen out of usage in the other Kingdoms of God long ago. It was a vehicle that could only be found in a small country of a low-level Land of the Living, and only rarely. All four sides of the palanquin were covered by pitch-black curtains that prevented anyone from looking inside. However, it could not cut off the icy, soul-chilling divine pressure emanating from behind the curtains. If someone were to remove the curtains, they would still find a black veil preventing them from catching even a glimpse of the passenger’s face.

Shenwu Yanye, the Lightless Divine Regent. Too many years had passed since she revealed her true appearance to anyone. No one was foolish enough to probe the true countenance hidden behind the black curtains either.

Sha Xing and Pan Buwang were currently gazing at the formation from far, far away. Despite the distance, they were unconsciously holding their breath.

If he had a run-in with any other Divine Regent, Sha Xing would have taken the initiative to greet them. It was his duty as a Star Divine Son. Not so for the Eternal Night Kingdom of God. He stayed far away from them like they were plagued.

The warning he received as the Star Divine Son was no different from Yun Che’s: Do not make contact with the Eternal Night Kingdom of God. So, it wasn’t until the formation was far away that he finally turned around. He looked at Pan Buwang for a long time before saying in a meaningful tone, “Your growth in recent years is truly astonishing, Brother Buwang.”

Earlier, when Pan Buwang first heard the name “Eternal Night Kingdom of God”, the bloodthirst he exuded was so intense it was shocking. But when the formation was within sight, his expression was indifferent and calm, and the stunning hatred that had seeped into every bit of his marrow did not leak even a little.

Eyes glued to the direction the Eternal Night Kingdom of God formation had disappeared in, Pan Buwang said indifferently, “My will does not stray[1], my hatred is not forgotten.”

Sha Xing stared at him for a while longer before exhaling slightly. “I’ll be frank with you, Brother Buwang. You are more of an enigma now than when you were still the Divine Son. Before this, I was hoping to find out why you must come to the Pure Land ‘no matter the cost’, but now I’m actually worried about what you have planned.”

Pan Buwang withdrew his gaze and replied, “I wasn’t expecting to find the one person in the world who still cared about my welfare after I was stripped of my title.”

It was impossible to distinguish the emotions behind this sentence, and so it was impossible to tell if he was confessing his sorrows or expressing relief toward Sha Xing’s concern.

Sha Xing smiled and said sincerely, “We are friends. What does our bond have to do with our status and identity?”

“Mm. Friends.” Pan Buwang also smiled and naturally shifted his gaze away from the Star Divine Son.

At this time, Sha Xing could not understand the complex meaning hidden behind the smile.

“The woman flying next to the Lightless Divine Regent’s palanquin is probably the new and mysterious Eternal Night Divine Daughter, Shenwu Yi. Unfortunately, she is too far away and wearing a black veil. There is no way to glimpse her true countenance.”

“That said, the audience with the Abyssal Monarch is near. When the time comes, the Divine Daughter whom the Lightless Divine Regent has hidden for so many years will reveal her true appearance. I look forward to it.”

Shenwu Yi’s appearance marked the death of Shenwu Qing. So, Sha Xing thought that Pan Buwang would grow agitated after hearing his words. But to his surprise, Pan Buwang’s expression and aura were utterly unmoved. It was like a pool of dead water that refused to budge.

Sha Xing could not help but frown a little. To have changed so much... Just what on earth did Pan Buwang go through after he left the Owl Butterfly Kingdom of God and spent three years in the Endless Fog?

“To break off from one’s heart abyss, one must face the heart abyss head-on. The reason I desire to travel to the Pure Land is because of him.”

Sha Xing recalled Pan Buwang’s words even as his curiosity and anticipation, worry and unease grew silently in his heart.

The pitch black palanquin came to a stop, and the entourage of hundreds rose to their feet uniformly. They did not elicit a single sound.

“Wuyi.”

A hoarse, raspy voice slithered out of the palanquin, stabbing and cutting everyone’s eardrums, heart, and soul.

Shenwu Yi stepped forward and performed a respectful salute. “What are your orders, Mother?”

“Now that the Pure Land is beneath your feet, tell me again why you have come to the Pure Land!”

Her jade-like countenance half-concealed by her veil, Shenwu Yi lifted her eyes and declared firmly, “To trample over all Divine Sons!”

This was the first Pure Land Meet after an abyssal passage was successfully created. It must be meaningful beyond imagination. As the prelude to the legend of the “Eternal Pure Land”, it could very well decide the trajectory of the fate of the Abyss. Naturally, all the Kingdoms of God were looking forward to this meeting...

... All, except the Eternal Night Kingdom of God.

The reason was simple. It was because Shenwu Yanye was a Divine Regent whose behavior and conduct could not be fathomed or predicted by her title, or otherwise. In the eyes of the other Divine Regents, she was closer to a madwoman who had completely lost her mind than a Divine Regent.

The Lightless Divine Regent’s soul-shaking voice came once more. “From the day I changed the kingdom’s name to Eternal Night, the other five Kingdoms of God have isolated us. They address me as Lightless Divine Regent, but they really look down on me, scorn me, call me mad, and shun me like vermin. All men in this world, be it Divine Regents or Divine Sons—their flesh and blood, their lips and tongues, and even their souls—are filthy beyond imagination; so hypocritical and cheap that you can’t help but throw up!”

Her voice only grew raspier and more heart-rending as she spoke.

“Wuyi, today is the reason I spent twenty years nurturing you regardless of the cost!”

“In this Pure Land Meet on this so-called highest land, you will rip off all the faces of the Divine Sons; trample all over their dignity until not one speck is left! You will straighten the ugly faces of the filthy idiots who look down upon my Eternal Night Kingdom of God from their high pedestals and witness just how cheap they truly are!”

She didn’t just want Shenwu Yi to defeat her opponents; she wanted her to crush, trample, and humiliate them utterly. If a member of another Kingdom of God were to hear this, they would be astonished and horrified beyond measure.

Shenwu Yi had gotten used to this long ago. Expression unperturbed and voice weighed by flawless determination and unhesitating confidence, she declared, “Pan Buzhuo of Owl Butterfly, Meng Jianxi of Dreamweaver, Xing Xuanyue of Star and Moon, Dian Jiuzhi of Boundless... Wuyi will make sure to trample over all of them!”

“When today is done, there won’t ever be a ‘number one Divine Son’ ever again! There will only be Wuyi, the name that Mother bestowed and tramples over all Divine Sons!”

The icy, terrifying voice of a god came from the palanquin like the groan of hell, “Failure will not be tolerated.”

Shenwu Yi bowed her head and said softly, “I will tolerate failure less, Mother.”

“Very good.” The two low, raspy words sounded uncaring, but it was really the highest praise the Lightless Divine Regent could give anyone.

In front of the palanquin, Shenwu Youluan and Shenwu Mingque exchanged a secret look with each other before hiding their worry and anxiety the next instant. However, none dared to cast their gaze in Shenwu Yi’s direction.

When would the Kingdom of God of eternal night finally welcome dawn?

Dian Jiuzhi was currently seated on the floor with his eyes closed. He was not surrounded by profound qi.

On the surface, he looked calm and collected. Only the occasional twitching of his eyebrows showed that he was nowhere as calm as he projected.

A silver barrier was isolating this place. Only Dian Sansi was accompanying him. However, Dian Sansi was nowhere near as quiet as Dian Jiuzhi. He was constantly pacing back and forth with twitching, spasming features. Sometimes, he would stop and calm his breath by force, but the irritation brewing within was only growing increasingly out of control.

It was at this moment that the cry, “Divine Regent!” came from outside the barrier. Dian Sansi skidded to a stop, and a kaleidoscope of emotions boiled behind his eyes for a moment. Then, he clenched his teeth and charged toward the exit.

A hand appeared from behind and caught his wrist in a vice grip. Dian Jiuzhi’s voice came next, “Are you really going to ignore my words and report to Father about this?”

Dian Sansi spun around and stared at his brother with widened eyes. His voice tremored as he said, “Brother Jiuzhi, you are the number one Divine Son of the six Kingdoms of God. You are the future Divine Regent of the Boundless Kingdom of God and the person I admired and respected the most in my life... You do not deserve to tolerate such a terrible stain on your honor!”

Dian Jiuzhi’s expression did not change as he said evenly, “This is my choice. You promised me, re—”

“I DON’T UNDERSTAND!!”

Dian Sansi had almost never interrupted Dian Jiuzhi in his entire life, much less with such force and volume. His eyes reddened a little as he uttered, “Father and the Heart Painter Divine Regent were the ones who encouraged the engagement between you and the Heaven Breaker Divine Daughter! The Abyssal Monarch himself even acknowledged it! So how could she... and how dare Meng Jianyuan...”

His chest heaved visibly as his anger grew. “We are absolutely the ones in the right here! Why should you be the one to endure when they are the ones who have committed such an ugly affair?!”

“Sansi!” Dian Jiuzhi raised his voice slightly, and his profound sound entered Dian Sansi’s soul and scattered most of the irritation and anger boiling in his heart.

Dian Jiuzhi let out a quiet sigh. He was the one who was enduring heart-wrenching pain and soul-piercing humiliation, and yet his voice was calm as a stream. “Do you still remember why Father bestowed you the name Sansi (Think Thrice)?”

The light in Dian Sansi’s eyes stilled, and his voice ultimately softened. “Of course I remember. I was born with more talent than most, and I became quite arrogant and impulsive because of it. As a result, I have committed countless mistakes, big and small, since I was young. That's why Father changed my name to Sansi. He permitted me to be impulsive in small matters, but demanded that I think thrice and practice self-restraint in big matters.”

“Very good.”

Dian Jiuzhi nodded lightly. “Now, I want you to think carefully. What would happen if you were to expose this matter?”

“...” Dian Sansi was unable to answer immediately because his thoughts were still in chaos.

Dian Jiuzhi continued, “Allow me to tell you. Among the six Kingdoms of God, Boundless, Heaven Breaker, and Dreamweaver are the closest. This bond originates from the friendship between Father, the Heart Painter Divine Regent, and the Dreamweaver Divine Regent, and it has remained unbreakable despite the passage of time and the burden of their titles.”

“So long as this bond still exists, if one Kingdom is in danger, the other two will lend them their unreserved aid. This is an invisible protection that the other three Kingdoms of God only wish they could obtain.”

“However...”

Dian Jiuzhi’s voice grew heavy, and he shifted his gaze slightly. “If today’s matter were to be exposed—and during the Pure Land Meet no less—then this precious friendship would be broken in a single day... and this trust that our three kingdoms rely on would collapse irreversibly.”

“Even worse, our bond would become a laughingstock for god-knows-how-many-years.”

Dian Sansi’s lips trembled, and his mind buzzed at just the mere thought of that future.

Despite knowing every sentence Dian Jiuzhi spoke was correct beyond measure, he still gritted his teeth and argued, “What about the Heaven Breaker Divine Daughter and Meng Jianyuan then? How could they... Why would they...”

Dian Jiuzhi raised a hand and patted Dian Sansi’s shoulder lightly. “Meng Jianyuan is two-sexagenary-years old and has just returned to the Dreamweaver Kingdom of God. Caili... in terms of worldliness, is not even half-a-sexagenary-years old. They are ultimately too young and inexperienced. Their understanding of the word ‘Kingdom of God’ is superficial at best. It's natural that the gaps in their cognition would lead to mistakes.”

“However... They can afford to make mistakes, but I cannot...”

“Brother Jiuzhi!”

Dian Sansi interrupted him once more and stared at Dian Jiuzhi’s seemingly calm expression. “If you really are holding yourself back for the greater cause, if what you say really comes from the heart, then why are you avoiding my eyes when you say all this?!”

Dian Jiuzhi’s lips moved, but this time he could not say anything.

Dian Sansi said, “I’m currently three-sexagenary-years old. I’m no longer the bull-headed child who requires your teaching in everything. On the contrary, I have never stopped chasing after your back my whole life, so I dare say that I understand you better than most.”

“You... are really doing this to protect the Heaven Breaker Divine Daughter, aren’t you?!” His words were slow and phrased as a question, yet infused with absolute conviction.

Dian Jiuzhi subconsciously shook his head and opened his mouth, but when his eyes met Dian Sansi’s, when he saw that more pain than anger in his brother’s eyes, whatever he was about to say became lodged in his throat. In the end, he smiled lightly and said, “You grew up before I knew it, Sansi.”

This time, his smile was colored with undisguised bitterness. Dian Jiuzhi’s words more or less validated Dian Sansi’s accusation as well. However, Dian Sansi did not feel the slightest relaxation or relief. On the contrary, he felt more and more aggrieved, his hands clenching unconsciously.

Looking up at the sky, Dian Jiuzhi’s vision grew blurry before he knew it. He whispered, “She... can hurt me thousands... even tens of thousands of times, but I will never... ever... hurt her. Not even once.”

Dian Sansi copied his gesture and responded in a tone full of puzzlement and confusion, “I don’t understand.”

“You haven’t encountered your ‘Heaven Breaker Divine Daughter’ yet. Of course, you don’t understand.”

Dian Jiuzhi’s voice became as unclear as his gaze. “Do you still remember what I said to you at Ling Xian’s divine abode?”

It took him a while, but Dian Sansi ultimately nodded. “I remember. You said, ‘It’s not really good luck to be admired by someone. The great luck of a lifetime is finding someone you are willing to give up everything for.’”

Dian Jiuzhi lowered his head so that Dian Sansi could clearly see the determination residing in his eyes. “I meant every word I said. She can hurt me ten times worse than this, and still I wouldn’t voice half a word of complaint. After all, she is not just a woman I fell in love with. She is also my idol, my savior, and my benefactor.”

“Without her, I would not be standing before you, wearing the honor I am wearing today. I may have become a corpse in a pool of forgotten mud long ago.”

“So... ignore the talk about the bigger picture. Can you do it for me, Sansi? For the sake of this immature brother of yours, can you please pretend that this matter does not exist until the Pure Land is behind us?”

For the first time ever, Dian Jiuzhi looked at Dian Sansi with begging in his eyes. Dian Sansi hurriedly looked away because he could neither endure such a gaze nor say no after receiving it. They both knew all too well what Dian Rahu was like. He was fiery as fire and cherished comradeship and honor above all else. If he were to learn about this, his anger would surely paint even the skies of the Pure Land red.

“I... understand.”

Dian Sansi’s voice was pained not because the promise was difficult to give, but because he felt terribly, terribly sorry for Dian Jiuzhi. Everyone had their weaknesses, but he never knew that Dian Jiuzhi’s weakness went so deep that it was rooted in the deepest parts of his life vein and soul.

“Allow me to give you another reason.”

He clapped Dian Sansi’s shoulder once more. He said in a gentle voice, “Although I am called the number one Divine Son of the six Kingdoms of God, everyone knows that the main reason is because I am backed by the strongest Kingdom of God, the Boundless Kingdom of God; that my Father is the number one Divine Regent of the six Kingdoms of God.”

“Even my so-called highest cultivation is also just the product of age.”

“In terms of talent... forget Caili or Meng Jianyuan, both of which are perfect God Bearers, even you are far more talented than I was when I was your age.”

Dian Sansi panicked and hurriedly said, “Do not say that, Brother Jiu Zhi! You possess the one and only Divine Vein of Great Rage in this world! You just started a little later than—”

“This is a fact. You do not need to argue on my behalf.”

Dian Jiuzhi smiled. “That is why I don’t dare to grow lax for even a moment. Every day, I am working to prove that I am deserving of my undeserved title. With such a heavy weight on my shoulders, I cannot bear to sustain damage in any form, be it physical, reputation, or dignity... Do you understand?”

“I understand.” This time, the words came out much easier than before.

Gritting his teeth and exhaling deeply, Dian Sansi gathered a sufficient amount of determination in his eyes and declared, “Brother Jiuzhi, I hereby swear to you that I will not tell anyone what happened today, including Father, before we leave the Pure... no! I won’t tell anyone unless you expressly give me permission. If I break this promise—”

“Sansi, thank you.”

Dian Jiuzhi smiled and said gratefully, “I am truly honored to have a younger brother like you.”

It was at this moment that an unexpected voice came from outside, “Yun Che of Dreamweaver has come to pay a visit to the Boundless Divine Regent and the Boundless Divine Son. I humbly beg your forgiveness if my presence at this time is intrusive.”

The voice was gentle, refined, and harmless like the wind, and yet it struck both Dian Jiuzhi and Dian Sansi like lightning, freezing them in place.

1. His name, Buwang, means ‘does not stray’. ☜