Against the Gods

Chapter 2127 - Arrival of the Kingdoms

Until a century ago, Meng Kongchan would always be the last person to show up at the Pure Land Meet. At the time, his was the only Kingdom of God that did not yet have a God Bearer. Every time he met the eyes of another Divine Regent, he could feel his head lowering so deeply that it was sunk into dust. It wasn’t until after Meng Jianyuan was born and lost, and after Meng Jianxi underwent a latent awakening, that he could finally keep his head up.

It was different this time. Not only did he have two Divine Sons, but one of them was a perfect God Bearer. His hands clasped behind his back, the Dreamless Divine Regent had set foot in Eden’s Crown with his head high and his strides long. Even his eyes were raised so high he only wished they could sit higher than his own skull. When he finally lowered them and scanned his surroundings, he discovered that none of the other five Kingdoms of God had shown up yet.

“Our lord’s head is practically floating above the clouds,” the second Dream Lord, Meng Chaoyang, remarked with an involuntary chuckle.

The fifth Dream Lord, Meng Chaofeng, said in a low tone, “After ten thousand years of frustration and self-abasement, he is finally graced by the presence of two Divine Sons. One of them even has perfect divine essence, a feat that illuminates the Abyss. Of course, he’s going to vent it all.”

The brother and sister exchanged a glance before chuckling together. They could already foresee how “arrogant” Meng Kongchan was going to act when they encountered each other. Divine Regents were people who inherited the power of True Gods after all.

Dreamweaver was the first Kingdom of God to show up, but not the first faction. Three figures had been waiting in the pure white world for god-knows-how-long. When they showed up, the trio waited for the right moment before respectfully and politely walking up to them.

The leader of the trio, an old man, greeted them smilingly, “Haha, it has only been a few years since we met, and your divine appearance is so much fiercer than before. How envious I am.”

As excited as he was, Meng Kongchan did not actually let his “arrogance” go to his head. He smiled and returned the salute. “Your race has been welcoming great news one after another as well. Congratulations to you as well, Dragon Lord.”

The dragon race was meek and far inferior to the Six Kingdoms of Gods, but as the only existing Beast left in the Abyss, they were unique in a way that could not be ignored. In terms of seniority and experience, the Dragon Lord was greater than all current Divine Regents as well. Therefore, the Dragon Lord was qualified to be treated as an equal by a Divine Regent.

Behind the Dragon Lord, two people took half a step forward and saluted respectfully.

“Left Attendant Dragon Chixin greets you, Dreamless Divine Regent.”

“Right Attendant Dragon Long Qianxin greets you, Dreamless Divine Regent.”

“Chixin (Devotion), Qianxin (Piety)...”

Yun Che muttered the two names under his breath and sighed. “It looks like the matter of succession concerns the dragon race deeply.”

“It has always been so.”

Meng Jianxi replied, “It is rumored that the ancient dragons from beyond the Abyss experienced great difficulties in reproducing in the first place. After they fell to the Abyss, the ever-present erosion of the abyssal dust has only made their condition so much worse.”

“The Dragon Lord is exceedingly old; so old that there are only a few people left who still remember his true name. It isn’t until eight sexagenary years ago that he finally had a descendant, namely the current Young Dragon Lord, Long Wangchu. The Young Dragon Lord is also the one and only direct heir of the Ancestral Dragon’s bloodline. It is pitiful.”

“However...”

Meng Jianxi changed his tune and lowered his voice even more, “The dragon race is not to be underestimated. Although the Dragon Lord is only at the middle-stage of the Divine Limit Realm, his draconic body far surpasses that of a human body. Grandfather (Meng Cangji) once told me that he, a peak Divine Limit Realm profound practitioner, still isn’t sure if he could defeat the Dragon Lord.”

“The Dragon Lord’s Dragon Attendants, Long Chixin and Long Qianxin, are also at the Divine Limit Realm.”

“Alas, it is an undeniable, unstoppable fact that the dragon race is declining with every generation. I can only imagine how much worse the dragon race will become after Long Wangchu succeeds his father.”

Meng Jianxi’s tone was clearly scornful when he spoke of Long Wangchu. It was because everything the Xuanji Hall told him in the past few years revealed to him that the Young Dragon Lord was an idiot and a failure through and through.

Unfortunately for the Ancestral Dragons, the idiot failure was their only direct heir and option. They literally could not choose another heir even if they wanted to. What a pitiful and lamentable fate it was.

It was at this moment that the Dragon Lord set his gaze on Yun Che. “Unless my eyes are gravely mistaken, this young man here is the son you lost and found, the Divine Son Yuan who shocked the world with his perfect divine essence, am I right?”

Meng Kongchan smiled. “Your eyes do not deceive you, Dragon Lord. He is indeed my clumsy son, Jianyuan. He calls himself Yun Che.”

Yun Che stepped forward and said respectfully, “Junior Yun Che greets you, Dragon Lord. I have heard of the dragons for a long time. I am honored to finally meet you, lord of the dragons, in person.”

The show of etiquette was proper and respectful. The Dragon Lord was so used to bowing his head before the Kingdom of God for so long that he was taken aback for an instant.

The ancient creases on the Dragon Lord’s face smoothed out considerably as he smiled and nodded at Yun Che. “There is nowhere you can go without capturing eyeballs with manners and bearing like yours, Divine Son Yuan.”

Meng Kongchan gladly accepted the old dragon’s praise of his son and chuckled. “You flatter him, Dragon Lord. He has only returned for a few years. He is still oh-so-soft and wet behind the ears.”

The Dragon Lord shook his head. “His bearing resembles the clouds, his appearance resembles the sun, and his perfect divine essence is practically a god-given miracle. No praise is too much when applied to Divine Son Yuan. In comparison, my unworthy son is...”

The Dragon Lord paused for a moment as his smile turned bitter. He shook his head and said, “Forget him.”

Meng Kongchan returned politely, “You are too humble, Dragon Lord. Although I haven’t had the time to pay the Ancestral Dragon Mountain Range a visit in the past couple of years, I still know that the Young Dragon Lord has been growing by leaps and bounds as of late. I assume that he must have experienced enlightenment, and that the years of hard work and study have finally begun to pay dividends. I can only imagine that his future is bright.”

“Haha.”

The Dragon Lord let out a chuckle and concealed the embarrassment in his eyes without a trace. “I am truly ashamed to accept such words from you, Dreamless Divine Regent.”

Another person might think the Dragon Lord was just being modest, but not Chixin or Qianxin. The word “ashamed” rang completely differently for them.

“Now this is a rare sight. I did not expect you to show up so soon, Dreamless Divine Regent.”

It was at this moment that a half-teasing voice rang, and the pure white world gained a new sheen of divine light. Starlight and moonlight shone down from beyond the skies, then mingled into a fantastical curtain of radiance. Then, two identical divine figures emerged from it.

They possessed the exact same countenance and body figure. Even the way they stepped across the clouds, the way they breathed, even the way the light in their eyes swirled and unfolded, were identical. It was as if they were mirror figures of each other.

Their auras were most familiar to Yun Che. It was the power of a Star God and a Moon God!

This also meant one thing. They could only be the Twin True Gods of the Star and Moon Kingdoms of God, the Heavenly Star Divine Regent Wu Shenxing, and the Sky Moon Divine Regent Wu Shenyue!

“Dreamweaver has just received the enviable boon of perfect divine essence. It is only natural that the Dreamless Divine Regent’s spirit would be renewed like he just received a new lease on life.”

After Wu Shenyue spoke, exactly who Wu Shenxing and Wu Shenyue were became clear. As the rumors claimed, Wu Shenyue’s voice was soft, gentle, and feminine in a way that most women could not hope to compare.

“What’s wrong?”

Meng Kongchan turned around and grinned at them. “Am I not allowed to lift my head high and flaunt my feathers like a peacock for once after being showered with sympathetic gazes by the likes of you for over ten thousand years?”

“Hahahaha!”

A peal of laughter escaped Wu Shenxing, though his eyes were on Yun Che. He did not hesitate to shower the young man with praise, “And what a man your Divine Son Yuan is! He has only recently returned to his Kingdom of God, and he is only a Divine Master. And yet, he remains calm and composed before our appearance, and his countenance... actually surpasses the rumors. If given a couple more years to come into his power, I have a feeling that he might even snatch the title of number one Divine Son from Divine Son Dian!”

Yun Che swiftly stepped up to the two Divine Regents and saluted them. “Yun Che of Dreamweaver greets the Heavenly Star Divine Regent and Sky Moon Divine Regent. Heavenly Star Divine Regent, your praise is far too great for me to bear. This junior desperately and fearfully requests you to withdraw it.”

Meng Kongchan disagreed. “Every word spoken by a Divine Regent is worth ten thousand sacred tripods. If he says you are worthy, then you are. You must accept it even if Old Dian is present.”

The chit-chat between Divine Regents wasn’t too different from that of ordinary people. Their juniors were naturally interacting with each other as well.

“Brother Yuan, this is the Star Divine Son, Sha Xing, and this is the Moon Divine Son, Xian Yue.”

Meng Jianxi introduced them to Yun Che.

“I have long heard of the famous Star and Moon Twins.” Yun Che greeted them. “I am Yun Che. Please feel free to address me by my name.”

Pan Buwang was sitting in a corner behind the two Divine Sons, but Yun Che never even looked in his direction. It was as if he hadn’t noticed his existence.

Sha Xing and Xian Yue exchanged a look with each other before Sha Xing replied smilingly, “We have heard of your story and more or less know why you insist on going by that name, but we still feel that addressing you as Divine Son Yuan is for the best. We hope you don’t mind.”

“You exaggerate, Star Divine Son, Moon Divine Son.”

Yun Che replied with a polite smile on his face. It was a perfunctory interaction, neither too friendly nor estranged.

It was at this moment that Meng Kongchan’s gaze settled on the one figure that did not fit the Star and Moon Kingdoms of God’s entourage whatsoever.

“Hmm?”

He lifted his eyebrows slightly. “You are?”

Sensing the Dreamless Divine Regent’s gaze, Pan Buwang rose to his feet and stepped forward. He said respectfully and calmly, “Junior Pan Buwang greets you, Dreamless Divine Regent.”

Pan Buwang was the former Owl Butterfly Divine Son. Of course, Meng Kongchan recognized him. He looked at Wu Shenxing and Wu Shenyue with puzzlement, astonished that Pan Buwang was accompanying them.

Before either Divine Regent could speak, a cold harrumph came from behind them.

“Hmph. The Star and Moon Kingdoms of God must have a lot of free time on their hands as of late. Not only did you pick up our castaway, but you even wasted a slot to bring him to the Pure Land? Should I take this as an intentional slight against Owl Butterfly?”

Darkness abruptly invaded the light, and the Pray Eternal Divine Regent, Pan Yusheng, arrived without a sound. His demonic pressure possessed no form, and yet it chilled the surrounding space and shook all nearby souls instantly.

Wu Shenxing side-eyed the man and let out a light chuckle. “Pan Buwang may be a castaway to you, but he is an honored guest to us. How can we treat an honored guest’s request lightly?”

Sha Xing was the one who requested that they bring Pan Buwang to the Pure Land. He was surprisingly insistent as well. In the end, Wu Shenxing accepted it.

“Pray, Eternal Divine Regent.”

As if worried that Star, Moon, and Owl Butterfly would clash against each other, Meng Kongchan interrupted, “Whatever mistake Buwang committed, he is ultimately your son and the former Owl Butterfly Divine Son. There is no need to act so estranged and ruthless to him, is there?”

“Hmph. Sort out your own family matters before you stick your nose into mine, Meng Kongchan.”

Pan Yusheng side-eyed Yun Che and said coldly, “Don’t lose your head just because you obtained a perfect God Bearer. Everyone knows that this so-called ‘Divine Son Yuan’ not only refuses to become a Divine Son, but he even rejects his birthname, ‘Meng Jianyuan’. He is only willing to address himself as ‘Yun Che.’”

“A ‘Divine Son’ who refuses to become a Divine Son; a son who refuses to acknowledge his origin and surname. Heh. What a joke.”

The insult was frank and terrible, and yet it failed to elicit the slightest anger on Meng Kongchan’s face. On the contrary, a proud smile appeared on the Divine Regent’s face as he declared, “You are exactly right, Pray Eternal Divine Regent. Yuan’er is such a person.”

“During the one century he was lost, Yuan’er was rescued by his master and bestowed the name Yun Che. Although he has returned to Dreamweaver, he still hasn’t regained his memories. Naturally, he could not truly acknowledge his identity as Meng Jianyuan. More than that, he could not forget the life and name his master gave him.”

Staring straight at Pan Yusheng, Meng Kongchan declared proudly, “Is there any man under the heavens who does not desire to be born as the son of a Divine Regent? To be known as a Divine Son? There is none. However, there is one man who, despite facing the world’s greatest temptations, refuses to commit any act that would violate the sanctity of this favor and bond even a little, and he is My Yuan’er! What a model of loyalty, integrity, and character! As expected of a man of Dreamweaver! As expected of my son!”

His head held high, he cast an ashen-looking Pan Yusheng a sideways glance and declared, “I do not find anything wrong with Yuan’er’s words and actions. If anything, it is yours that confounds me greatly, Pray Eternal Divine Regent. Do you truly believe that a man is someone who chooses fame and fortune over kindness and loyalty without hesitation?”

“Well said! Well fucking said! Hahahahahaha!”

A boisterous laugh abruptly deafened everyone’s ears to the point where they felt like throwing up blood. At the same time, the Boundless Divine Regent Dian Rahu and the Heart Painter Divine Regent Hua Fuchen arrived shoulder-to-shoulder. Their combined divine pressure instantly dispelled the yin coldness unleashed by the Pray Eternal Divine Regent.

“When did you become so eloquent, Old Meng?”

Dian Rahu arrived next to Meng Kongchan and spoke loudly, “In the past, trying to get more than two sentences out of you was like trying to pry open a clam, but now... as expected, Jianyuan gave you a ton of confidence, didn’t he? Hahahaha!!”

His volume was booming, his words were unrestrained, and his gestures were uncaring. He did not possess the bearing that was expected from a Divine Regent whatsoever.

Despite having his shameful past exposed in public, Meng Kongchan did not appear embarrassed in the slightest. He admitted frankly, “But of course. They say that a father’s pride is his son, don't they? I find nothing wrong with mooching off my son’s successes.”

The two Divine Regents exchanged grins with each other, and Pan Yusheng turned away with a heavy grunt through their nostrils. He said nothing more.

As for Yun Che, he locked eyes with Hua Caili from a distance for an instant before looking away. The young woman was the same. Just like Yun Che, she had received repeated warnings to watch herself from both Hua Fuchen and Hua Qingying prior to coming to Eden’s Crown.

The Divine Regents surrounded them, and the Abyssal Monarch sat above them. For their common future, they must maintain the highest level of restraint and reveal no openings whatsoever.

Yun Che leisurely turned his head and “accidentally” met Dian Sansi’s eyes. His face was amiable, and his eyes were calm. However, Yun Che knew better than anyone that hidden behind those eyes was an inferno that was suppressed by sheer willpower and reason.

The corners of Yun Che’s lips turned up slightly into a small smile. From an outsider’s perspective, smiling when one’s eyes met with another person was just common courtesy. However, Dian Sansi’s hands abruptly clenched under his sleeves. He knew far too well what kind of scorn and disdain were hidden behind Yun Che’s seemingly warm and harmless smile. Even now, his vile words and humiliating insults were stabbing away at his soul like a million poison needles. No matter how well he maintained his facade on the surface, the horrible humiliation stewing inside his soul refused to truly fade.

It was at this moment that Dian Jiuzhi stepped forward of his own accord and smiled at Yun Che. He said, “Brother Yun, Father told me that you tried to pay me a visit earlier. Regretfully, I missed it. I learned much from our previous meeting at Dreamweaver, and I only wish we had gotten to know each other sooner.”

“When this Pure Land Meet is over, I will visit you at Dreamweaver in ten days. When the time comes, I would like to converse with you to my heart’s content. Are you free during that time?”

To be honest, Dian Jiuzhi’s response greatly exceeded Yun Che’s expectations. The Divine Son’s eyes especially... for some reason, he could not find any hatred anywhere. There was only honesty.

Maybe the Divine Son was just that adept at hiding his hatred, maybe Yun Che’s ability to see through the heart was still lacking, or maybe...

Yun Che swiftly put on a smile and said, “What are you saying, Brother Dian? Nothing matters more than your arrival. I look forward to it.”

At the side, Dian Rahu laughed boisterously. “Tsk tsk, I wonder when these two started addressing each other as brothers?”

Grabbing Meng Kongchan’s hand with his left hand and Hua Fuchen’s with his right, the big man declared with a flying beard and a slightly reddened complexion, “It seems that our comradeship is destined to never break. Even our heirs are either marriage partners or brothers. Good. Very good! Huohahahaha!”

“But of course.” Hua Fuchen smiled. “We swore to be friends forever from a young age. No matter our identities or grievances, this is the one oath we will never forget.”

Every word he spoke was true, but his and Meng Konchan’s smiles were not nearly as natural as Dian Rahu’s.

Now, the five kingdoms of god were gathered in one place. Only the Eternal Night Kingdom of God was absent. However, as if having entered a silent agreement beforehand, not a single man or woman breathed a word about them.

The crowd was still conversing with each other when Yun Che walked over to the smallest and most neglected group in the temple: the dragon race.

“If I may dare ask, senior Dragon Lord, is there a woman named ‘Long Jiang’ among your people?”