Against the Gods

Chapter 2132 - Fight Between Divine Sons

“From what I heard, the Abyssal Monarch has just given a reasonable announcement, so why is your heart suddenly sinking?” Li Suo asked when she sensed the unusual stirrings of Yun Che’s heart.

Yun Che calmed himself and answered, “I don’t know either.”

“You don’t?”

Yun Che thought for a moment before answering, “The Abyssal Monarch never paid any attention to the Six Kingdoms of God before, but today he went out of his way to advise two Divine Regents. From what I knew about his personality, this could not be explained with just ‘excellent mood’. I fear that there exists some sort of variable that is hidden from my knowledge and calculation.”

Li Suo pondered for a long time before asking, “But that is just your assumption, right?”

“Yes...”

“Your footsteps are too cautious. If you must wear a set of shackles every time you take a step, you may collapse under the pressure you put on yourself before you reach the final destination. There may be questions that you cannot find answers to right now, but that is fine. You can set them aside first and focus on completing what requires your greatest attention right now.”

“Mm...”

Li Suo’s words helped Yun Che relax gradually. “Okay. You are right.”

A while later, Li Suo’s ephemeral, fairy-like voice rang in Yun Che’s soul sea once more, “Do not act so lonely all the time, Yun Che, much less add heavier shackles to your already burdened body.”

“In this world, you aren’t just a monarch responsible for saving the world. You are also a father and a husband. Your daughter may not be accompanying you, but there exists a bond between you and her that absolutely nothing can sever. Your wife may have forgotten about you, but the karmic bond and the past that exist between you two cannot be buried even by the abyssal dust of the Endless Fog.”

“Hmm?”

Yun Che raised his eyebrows in surprise. He wasn’t expecting to hear something like this from Li Suo. “What a touching speech. Have you... secretly awakened the divine trait of the Creation Goddess of Life known as universal love while I wasn’t looking?”

“I am just stating a fact that both you and I are aware of.”

“... Forget it.”

Yun Che’s eyebrows dropped back to their usual position, and he mumbled, “What a boring answer... You are you after all.”

“Is it boring?”

Li Suo seemed concerned about this evaluation. A moment of silence later, she whispered, “They are not the only ones who support you. Success or failure, I will accompany you to the end of this journey as well.”

Yun Che’s chuckle rang inside his soul sea. It sounded both a little exasperated and teasing. “I’m going to spend some time educating you in the art of speaking when we return to our original world, but just so you know, you should never say the word ‘failure’ when you’re consoling someone, even if everyone knows it to be a real possibility.”

“... Got it. I’ve remembered this,” Li Suo replied softly.

Regardless of Li Suo’s ineptitude, it was undeniable that the conversation helped to loosen Yun Che’s nerves a lot.

Back in the real world, the Abyssal Monarch declared, “That is all this lone one had to announce.”

With that, the meeting had come to an end. Although it was incredibly simple and short, looking back at the countless Pure Land Meets that had taken place in the long, long history of the Abyss, the Abyssal Monarch was unusually “long-winded” today.

Yun Che hid the unnatural glint in his eyes. The Abyssal Monarch had said all he wished to say, and yet he never mentioned “Fog Monarch”.

For the past couple of years, Yun Che had done everything he could to create momentum for the “Fog Monarch” in the Endless Fog. By exploiting his unique capabilities to manipulate abyssal dust and the information gap between those in the know and those who weren’t, he was able to sow significant doubt in the people of the Abyss and make them question if the Abyssal Monarch had truly saved and created the world. As a result, their once flawless faith in the Abyssal Monarch was now shaken and tainted, and this erosion was only growing day by day.

Faith was, without doubt, the greatest foundation of any institution. No monarch could stand anyone or anything undermining the people’s faith in them. However, the Abyssal Monarch had not ordered the Six Kingdoms of God to suppress the spread, nor did he attempt to explain that the Fog Monarch’s slander was just that, slander. From start to finish, he never mentioned a single word about it. It was almost as if he did not care about the Fog Monarch’s existence or the damage he caused at all.

It was at this moment that the Chief Priest spoke up, “Your Majesty, it’s been a while since an audience of this scale has happened. The Godbearers of the Kingdoms of God have undergone some changes as well. Are you interested in observing the Godbearers this time?”

Excluding the Ritual of Void Breaching that happened once every fifty years and was attended only by the Divine Regents and the Dragon Lord, there was always a Godbearer competition during a formal Pure Land Meet like this one.

“Of course.”

The Abyssal Monarch smiled faintly. His gaze did not shift, and yet it seemed to touch every Godbearer equally. “The Godbearers of this generation aren’t just the foundation of the Kingdoms of God of the future. They are also new buds who are destined to bloom in the Eternal Pure Land.”

“Your performance today shall decide what kind of flower you will bloom in the first era of the Eternal Pure Land.”

In the past, the Abyssal Monarch was mostly just an observer. He rarely voiced such warm and heavy expectations. Naturally, it caused every Divine Son and Divine Daughter’s eyes to become ablaze with fighting spirit.

He was right. After millions of years of sacrifice and effort, they would become the first generation of Divine Children to enter the Eternal Pure Land. They would also become the first Divine Regents ever to be crowned in the Eternal Pure Land! Such honor and fortune must be paired with the greatest show of power, grace, and splendor as a matter of course!

The Chief Priest accepted his order with a nod. He then took half a step forward, lifted his giant arm into the air, and dropped it just as quickly. A shimmering barrier instantly descended from above and landed at the center of Eden’s Crown. The barrier was almost invisible, save for a faint, bronze-like glow slowly flowing across its surface.

“This barrier isolates power, but not the physical body. Going out of bounds is considered defeat.”

“The person who is challenged can surrender a fight, but they cannot refuse the challenge!”

“If the combatants’ cultivation levels are different, the weaker combatant may request the stronger combatant to fight at their cultivation level!”

“This fight is meant to show off a Godbearer’s splendor. This is not a clash for supremacy, and evil intentions will not be tolerated!”

“The combatant who shows off the greatest splendor can receive a wish from the Abyssal Monarch Himself.”

The rules the Chief Priest was reciting were succinct and to the point. Every word felt like an oracle. He did not mention basic rules that every competition practiced, such as no external interference, no use of means that did not belong to the combatant themselves, no malicious use of excessive force, and so on, not just because he didn’t need to, but also because no one would dare to overstep their boundaries right under the Abyssal Monarch’s nose.

The barrier was less than thirty kilometers wide and unbelievably small. It was more or less the same size as the arena battles that were held in the past. It was clearly built with quick matches in mind.

“It has begun.”

Meng Kongchan said softly, “You are not a Divine Son, Yuan’er, so this fight has nothing to do with you. Still, you should observe it carefully. This is your best chance to understand the Godbearers of the Kingdoms of God.”

“Profound energy is not the only thing that circulates in every move and technique. There is also their will and temperament. You will understand this when you have made some progress in the Dreamweaver Canon.”

On the other side, Meng Jianxi’s eyes were already covered in a silver hue. He looked eager to leap into battle. Yun Che then turned to look at Hua Caili. As if their hearts were connected, Hua Caili’s eyes happened to look in his direction at the same time. When their gazes met, Yun Che instantly understood the meaning behind the sword intent glinting in her eyes.

Hua Caili wished to challenge Dian Jiuzhi. At the second level of the Divine Extinction Realm, she was, of course, no match for Dian Jiuzhi, who was at the eighth level of the Divine Extinction Realm. However, she could request Dian Jiuzhi to fight her at her cultivation level. Assuming their cultivation levels were equal, she was confident that she could defeat him. Even if her confidence proved to be unfounded later, she was determined to try.

Perhaps she naively believed that defeating Dian Jiuzhi would further improve her odds of securing a future with him. However, Yun Che thought that it did not matter if she won or lost. The only one who would receive a wish from the Abyssal Monarch was the one who “showed the greatest splendor”, and clearly Hua Caili wanted to wish for the Abyssal Monarch to withdraw the engagement he promised.

Someone set foot on the battlefield before her, though. There was a flash of starlight, and a tall, handsome figure appeared inside the barrier using Star God Broken Shadow.

“Sha Xing of the Star and Moon Kingdom of God dares to go first!”

Boom! A deafening explosion echoed throughout the peak of Eden’s Crown, and a colossal silver sword bigger than the man himself appeared in front of him. Without the slightest hesitation whatsoever, Sha Xing lifted the greatsword and pointed it straight at the Owl Butterfly Kingdom of God.

“I request your guidance, Ow Butterfly Divine Son Pan Buzhuo!”

ROAR—

The shadow of an Azure Wolf appeared behind Sha Xing’s back. As it lifted its head and let out an ear-piercing howl, profound shadows brimming with endless pressure enveloped the Heavenly Wolf greatsword in azure blue power.

Pan Buzhuo stepped out as black light surged from his body, flickering erratically and violently like a blazing inferno.

The person who was challenged could not refuse a challenge. A Divine Child could lose, but not avoid a battle!

In a flash, Pan Buzhuo appeared inside the barrier and stood on the opposite side of the Star Divine Son.

At the same time, in the rear of the Star and Moon Kingdom of God entourage, Pan Buwang slowly raised his head and stabbed Pan Buzhuo with a look of infinite hatred. However, all those emotions were rapidly pulled back into his eyes and concealed perfectly, leaving not a speck behind.

Meanwhile, the Pray Eternal Divine Regent and the Heavenly Star Divine Regent’s gaze clashed in mid-air.

The Pray Eternal Divine Regent’s divine voice pointed straight at the Heavenly Star Divine Regent. “To think that your Divine Son would engage in a pointless fight for the sake of a castaway of Owl Butterfly. The heir you’ve painstakingly raised is ‘better’ than I expected, Heavenly Star Divine Regent.”

Wushen Xing responded with a careless smile, “I think it’s fine to follow one’s heart once in a while. Even assuming the worst, such a person is still far better than an animal that could discard their own blood relative without mercy. Don’t you agree, Pray Eternal Divine Regent?”

Pan Yushang let out a cold grunt and stopped talking.

“Sha Xing of Star and Moon, Pan Buzhuo of Owl Butterfly. You are both at the fourth level of the Divine Extinction Realm, so there is no need for balancing. Begin.”

As soon as the Chief Priest finished, Pan Buzhuo immediately took action. A demonic black beam immediately ripped through the air and stabbed toward Sha Xing.

Meng Kongchan said in a low tone, “The Heavenly Wolf Hell God's Tome the Star Divine Son practices uses a greatsword as the weapon. Its techniques boast incredible range and unparalleled power, but it is harder to master than most. The ways to counter it are one, seizing the initiative, and two, avoiding the brunt of its power.”

Yun Che nodded slightly to indicate that he had received Meng Konchan’s instructions.

“The sword the Star divine Son is wielding is called the Heavenly Wolf Holds A Star. Out of all the weapons wielded by the Divine Sons, it is the heaviest and most powerful bar none.”

“The spear the Owl Butterfly Divine Son is wielding is named ‘Cold Crow’. Those stabbed by it would be invaded by darkness and become as sad as a crow’s cry.”

He was the Dreamless Divine Regent, and yet he was meticulously and tirelessly explaining every detail to Yun Che.

Clang! Sword and spear clashed as countless pitch black demonic runes bloomed across space. It sounded like the mournful cries of countless demonic crows, and it consumed Sha Xing’s body and soul. Even the surrounding light was fading rapidly.

However, the Heavenly Wolf let out an angry snarl the next instant, and the Heavenly Wolf divine power annihilated all of the demonic runes and demonic crows.

Boom!

There was a crack that sounded like heaven itself was collapsing, and the Heavenly Wolf devoured most of the darkness in just an instant.

It looked as if the one wielding the upper hand had already been decided in the first exchange, but Pan Buzhuo’s first, initiative-seizing attack was, in fact, a ruse.

While the Heavenly Wolf was devouring the demonic crows, a small opening had appeared in its form. At the same time, Pan Buzhuo appeared in the air like a phantom and pointed his spear downward. Countless pitch black patterns abruptly spread out in every direction like a spider web.

Black light erupted in his eyes, and countless demonic crows flew out of the demonic runes. Their cries were shrill, bleak, and ear-piercing like the wails of a dead soul, but also resentful and overflowing with hatred like a curse that would melt the very bones. They flew toward him like a thick, inescapable net that swore to rip his flesh and penetrate his soul at all costs.