Against the Gods

Chapter 2131 - Rebirth Is Close At Hand

“The last time this lone one summoned you for a meeting was less than a decade ago, Divine Regents. Now that we are gathered once more, I’m sure you already know the reason.”

His voice was soft, but it seemed to come from the deepest part of one’s soul. It was also impossibly clear to the point where it resembled an etching on one’s heart and soul, never to be forgotten.

He was standing right in front of them, and yet it felt as if he really existed in an ancient painting, the sky beyond the highest clouds, the end of a dream...

It was as if he were an existence everyone recognized as an “untouchable existence” from the bottom of their souls.

Perhaps this was what Li Suo had meant. In this era, he truly was an existence who stood above all planes in every sense of the word; a true god who was unlike the Divine Regents, who inherited their divine powers. If one must use words to describe this ephemeral feeling of untouchability, then it would be something like the “face of god” and “divinity”. All living beings knew these concepts, but could not actually perceive them.

"As you are all aware, we have finally opened a spatial passage to the 'Eternal Pure Land' during the previous Ritual of Void Breaching, also the thirty thousand and eleventh attempt containing the history, power, and will of the Abyss."

"Our pioneers have successfully entered the Eternal Pure Land through this thirty thousand and eleventh spatial passage."

Although they already knew about this, the infinitesimally small possibility that it was just a fabricated rumor was eliminated when the words came out of the Abyssal Monarch’s own mouth. For a time, tidal waves of emotions were crashing in everyone’s heart, be it the highest Divine Regents or the lowest profound practitioners.

They knew very well what this meant. It meant a dramatic change in the course of fate and an eternal break from the nightmare that was abyssal dust. It meant that their one million years of effort had finally borne fruit.

This was especially true for the Dragon Lord. His ancient features were trembling, his lips were opening and closing unconsciously, and his old eyes were so blurry that he almost couldn’t see anything. However, he was still in the presence of the Abyssal Monarch. They all were. No matter how agitated they felt, not one person lost control of their emotions or reacted in an unsightly manner. The only visible change that could be observed was their eyes; all of them blazing like an inferno.

The Abyssal Monarch’s holy decree settled the dust and announced an actual turning point and rebirth for the Abyss. What this “rebirth” would mean to the “Eternal Pure Land”... no one cared. No one even thought about it. No one, except for the one true monarch of the “Eternal Pure Land”; the man everyone saw, but no one recognized.

“Thirty thousand and eleven attempts, countless generations of contribution and effort from the Kingdoms of God, and the sacrifices of one hundred ninety-six thousand and fifty-seven pioneers. Without them, we could not have excavated the one passage that would lead to rebirth.”

The Abyssal Monarch raised his palm; his slightly stretched fingers looked like they encompassed the entire Abyss. “This honor and reciprocation, this ray of dawn that hails from the ‘Eternal Pure Land’, does not just illuminate the Pure Land. It also illuminates all of you.”

Everyone’s heartbeat grew louder and louder.

Dian Rahu, the Divine Regent who was least adept at controlling his emotions, lost his cool first and stepped forward with a bow. He asked, “If I may be so bold, Your Majesty, does this mean that we will be able to set foot on the ‘Eternal Pure Land’ during the next Ritual of Void Breaching?”

The Abyssal Monarch replied with a smile, “Naturally.”

It was just one word, but it was an unquestionable, undeniable truth.

Dian Rahu asked another question, “In that case... how many of us can enter the spatial passage when it opens once more?”

Everyone tensed up and stared at the Abyssal Monarch nervously. This was, without a doubt, the question they were most concerned about.

The Abyssal Monarch’s gaze turned, and everyone felt a ray of divine light that seemed to hail from the beyond brushing gently against their body and soul. “Each Kingdom of God may send up to one thousand people. As for the dragons, they may send a hundred people.”

He did not mention how many the Pure Land would be sending. He did not need to.

Dian Rahu abruptly lifted his head. He looked like he couldn’t believe his ears. When the shock passed, uncontrollable joy flooded into everyone’s expression. Even the Divine Regents were clearly wearing unnatural expressions.

One thousand people... was a terribly small number considering how many people the Kingdoms of God harbored. However, it was a number that far exceeded their expectations.

Every fifty years, the Kingdoms of God and the dragons would come together to execute the Ritual of Void Breaching. The spatial passage they excavated was usually so small that it could only fit a handful of people. However, the previous attempts—all thirty thousand and eleven of them—were also just probing attempts. Naturally, they hadn’t gone all out.

Now that the path had been confirmed, they could, of course, create a spatial passage much bigger than before. Still, they hadn’t expected to be able to bring so many people.

For this Pure Land Meet, each Kingdom of God was allowed to bring a hundred people to the Pure Land. They had thought that this was a hint and an early notice. They had thought that this was the Pure Land’s way of saying that they could dispatch one hundred people to the Eternal Pure Land. For once, though, the truth turned out to be far more pleasant than their expectation.

To be fair, a quota of one thousand people was fairly small. However, it was definitely enough to fit the nucleus of a Kingdom of God. So long as their nucleus existed, the Kingdom of God would be able to settle, take root, and propagate without trouble in the Eternal Pure Land.

The Ritual of Void Breaching took place once every fifty years. This meant that each Kingdom of God could transport one thousand people to the Eternal Pure Land every fifty years. Even if the Ritual of Void Breaching were carried out indefinitely, they could only move twenty thousand people to the Eternal Pure Land in a thousand years, or two hundred thousand people in ten thousand years.

This wasn’t important. After all, no matter the plane of existence or status quo, the weak could always be sacrificed and discarded without thought, even if the weak were the ones who had a greater need for the “Eternal Pure Land” compared to the strong, who possessed at least some measure of resistance against abyssal dust.

Thump!

The Dragon Lord dropped to his knees heavily, while tears streamed down his ancient face like a waterfall. “On behalf of everyone in the dragon race, Long Zhiming[1] thank you for granting us a new lease in life, Your Majesty!”

Abyssal dust ate away at Beasts far faster than humans. If they could travel—or more accurately, return to the “Eternal Pure Land” their ancestors once resided in, then the dragon race might not need to wallow in despair in the face of the threat of extinction once more. In the far future, they could even become the sovereign of all races once more.

The “Eternal Pure Land” carried far more meaning to the dragons than the humans. Naturally, his agitation was many, many times more than the Six Kingdoms of God as well.

“You do not need to act this way, Dragon Lord.”

The Abyssal Monarch smiled faintly. “Without the dragon race, today’s fruit could not have happened. There is no need to thank this lone one.”

A million thoughts and emotions were racing inside Yun Che’s head when suddenly, he felt a warmth on his shoulder. It was Meng Kongchan grasping his shoulder lightly while staring ahead. He said quietly, “How lucky I am to benefit from the blessings of my ancestors, and to be succeeded by you, Yuan’er. When I send you to the Eternal Pure Land... this father will have no regrets left in this life.”

“...”

Yun Che did not look at him. Instead, he said in a quiet voice, “I dare not speak of the future lightly, but... if I can set foot on the Eternal Pure Land safely, then I will do everything in my power to protect all that is dear to me... no matter the toll on my body or soul.”

Meng Kongchan tapped Yun Che once on the shoulder and broke into a smile. “Well said. Even without executing my soul arts, I can tell just how much you mean what you say. I believe in you, Yuan’er. Be it the Abyss or the Eternal Pure Land, this father believes that everything will go as you wish.”

“It will.” Yun Che smiled back.

In a corner far behind the Star and Moon Kingdom of God’s entourage, Pan Buwang slowly lifted his head. Everyone else looked excited and overjoyed, but not him. There wasn’t even a hint of light in his eyes.

The Eternal Pure Land, huh... heh...

Mother... Wuqing...

A world without the two of you is just another hopeless abyss of death, no matter how dazzling or wonderful it is...

Pan Buzhuo, Shenwu Yi...

This body of mine lives for vengeance only... and I will not let you have your wish!

Before you set foot in the “Eternal Pure Land” of your dreams, I will do everything in my power to drag you into a deeper, more painful, and more despairing abyss of death than the one I’m in!

No one noticed this, but the Chief Priest chose this moment to turn his head slightly and stare at the Abyssal Monarch’s back. The light in his eyes did not change, so no one could possibly capture or understand the ripple of determination and karma lasting several million years concealed within them.

“This lone one has another thing to announce.”

The Abyssal Monarch spoke up, and all of the noise vanished into nothing once more.

“This time, we will be creating a spatial passage big enough to move thousands of people using the Void Breaching Great Formation. Naturally, the energy necessary to fuel the Ritual of Void Breaching will be far greater than before. The Kingdoms of God will need to contribute their resources, and the Divine Regents their power as much as possible.”

Hua Fuchen replied, “This is a boon of fate that will benefit us and all who come after us for many thousand autumns. Naturally, we will spare no effort to see it done.”

“That’s right.”

Meng Kongchan followed next, “Just give us the word, and we will surrender everything we have, Your Majesty.”

The rest of the Divine Regents said more or less the same thing. They were a united front when it came to the “Eternal Pure Land”. No one, be it the Kingdoms of God or the dragon race, would even think of skimping.

“There is no need to go that far.”

The Abyssal Monarch seemed to be smiling, but it also looked like his face hadn’t changed a bit since the beginning. “In order to pave the way to the ‘Eternal Pure Land’ and to recreate the base of the Ritual of Void Breaching, I will require the power of all Divine Regents.”

“Boundless End Divine Regent of Boundless, Heart Painter Divine Regent of Heaven Breaker, Dreamless Divine Regent of Dreamweaver, Heavenly Star Divine Regent and Sky Moon Divine Regent of Star and Moon, Lightless Divine Regent of Eternal Night, Pray Eternal Divine Regent of Owl Butterfly, and Long Zhiming, Lord of Ancestral Dragons.”

His gaze swept across each and every person as he addressed the names of the seven Divine Regents and the Dragon Lord. “Ten years from today, you will all gather here and recreate the Void Breaching Great Formation. Your attendance is mandatory.”

His words were exactly the same as before, light and completely devoid of presence or pressure. Most of what he said was an announcement and a confession... but the last four words, “Your attendance is mandatory,” were unquestionably the order of a monarch. It must not be disobeyed!

The seven Divine Regents and the Dragon Lord straightened their expressions and received the command with immeasurable reverence. “As you command, Your Majesty!”

Ten years from today... recreate the Void Breaching Great Formation... Yun Che’s expression did not change, but he engraved these words into his heart. According to the memories Chi Wuyao stole from Mo Beichen, the anomalous mirror the Abyssal Monarch used to create a spatial passage would fall into slumber every time it was used. It could only recover its strength fifty years later.

Besides that, the anomalous mirror was most likely the spatial artifact that had fallen into the Abyss together with the daughter of the Original Nether Devil Emperor, the Original Nether Void Breaching Mirror. It was mentioned in Ni Xuan’s memory fragment. The names “Ritual of Void Breaching” and “Void Breaching Great Formation” were all excellent circumstantial evidence that supported this theory.

If the information he received and his guesses were accurate, then the next time the Original Nether Void Breaching Mirror awakened was over forty years later. So... why was the recreation happening in a decade?

Of course, the Abyssal Monarch was not necessarily planning to create a spatial passage ten years later. He would have just said it outright if that was the case. This was just to recreate the base of the formation... right?

“Heart Painter Divine Regent,” the Abyssal Monarch’s warm words floated across Eden’s Crown once more. “For the past ten thousand years, you have repeatedly damaged yourself in order to rescue Caili. As a result, you have lost over two hundred sexagenary years of lifespan, and your divine power is rejecting your physical body more and more. Only you know how much pain it causes.”

“... !” Hua Caili abruptly turned to look at her father, face turning deathly pale in an instant.

“Father! Y... You...”

She knew that her Father endured a tremendous amount of pain every time he saved her during the ten thousand years she spent in the “Cradle”. However, she never knew—nor did anyone tell her—that acute pain wasn’t the only thing that tormented him. He had also lost a tremendous amount of lifespan and faced mind-numbing torture that could happen at any moment as well.

Hua Fuchen simply gave his daughter a gentle smile and, with his eyes, told her he was safe and well.

“You will rest and recuperate in the coming ten years. You will not use your divine power during this time.”

Hua Fuchen bowed to the Abyssal Monarch and replied, “As you command. Fuchen promises to be in the best condition ten years from now.”

The Abyssal Monarch shifted his gaze slightly. “Eternal Night Divine Regent, the divine power you bear has done great damage to both your body and soul. Already, you have lost seventy percent of your lifespan. In your case, the remedy to save yourself is to pass down your divine power to another as soon as possible.”

“If you pass down your divine power now, you will still have two hundred sexagenary years to live. Your eyesight may recover as well. But if you continue to cling to your divine power, every day could be your last in merely forty sexagenary years.”

Behind the black curtain, Lightless Divine Regent answered in her raspy voice, “Shenwu thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty. Shenwu knows what to do.”

Despite what she said, everyone knew that Shenwu Yanye was the last person to pass down her divine power to an heir, no matter the pain she suffered or the lifespan she lost.

That was all the Abyssal Monarch said before falling silent once more.

“The Abyssal Monarch is in an excellent mood today. The ‘Eternal Pure Land’ really must be close at hand,” Meng Jianxi said smilingly.

“How can you tell?” Yun Che looked surprised.

Meng Jianxi took a moment to organize his words before speaking to Yun Che via his soul voice, “The Abyssal Monarch’s presence is, in fact, quite weak throughout the history of the Kingdoms of God. The Ritual of Void Breaching, where all Divine Regents gather in His presence, might be the only time He interacts with anyone from the Kingdoms of God.”

“Besides that, the Abyssal Monarch has never gotten involved in the matters of the Kingdom of God unless he was requested to. He had almost never even asked about them before. Take the Eternal Night Kingdom of God, for example. The Abyssal Monarch has never cast them a single glance, even though the kingdom practically changed overnight... The only exception might be the Owl Butterfly Kingdom of God, and even then, His involvement was minimal.”

“But today, the Abyssal Monarch had offered not one, but two Divine Regents His personal advice.”

Meng Jianxi’s eyebrows were clearly smiling. “I saw how astonished Uncle and the others looked, you know. This is probably a first time for them as well.”

“...” Yun Che looked straight ahead without giving Meng Jianxi a response. For whatever reason, the Divine Son’s careless remark caused his heart to sink a little.

1. The Dragon Lord’s true name, also means Fate Knowing. ☜