Against the Gods

Chapter 2139 - Ice Heart Nine Profound (2)

“Apologies.”

Dian Jiuzhi stopped wasting his breath and covered both his arms in silver profound light. Gradually, even his eyes were covered in a sheen of silver. Although the profound light of Boundless and Dreamweaver were both silver, their actual qualities could not be any more different. Dreamweaver’s profound light invaded the soul and disturbed the heart, while Boundless’... represented the greatest strength under the Pure Land.

Even before he took action, an invisible pressure had nearly frozen the entire battlefield. Even the air was perfectly still.

Shenwu Yi was the Eternal Night Divine Daughter, so Dian Jiuzhi could understand her indifference. However, he could not understand why she was completely unperturbed by his display of power.

Dian Jiuzhi raised a palm. He was just about to crush the space where Shenwu existed remotely when his vision blurred strangely and without warning. In fact, everything around him was turning blurry as if some sort of invisible power had sealed the surrounding space. The only thing he could see clearly was Shenwu Yi’s eyes.

She was looking at him from several kilometers away, yet Dian Jiuzhi felt as if her eyes were right in front of him. Speaking of which, her gaze was cold and silent from start to finish. As far as he could tell, it hadn’t changed one bit. And yet, Dian Jiuzhi felt as if those eyes saw through his very soul.

Those icy, still eyes were so pure and flawless that they resembled the most perfect and limpid glazed glass in the world. It was so pure that not a speck of common dust could be found, much less abyssal dust.

Those pure eyes seemed to be peering into his soul sea through his eyes and illuminating every soul string and corner of his soul. It shed light on the darkness, filth, and even wounds he never wanted to touch again, down to the finest detail. He began feeling ashamed and humbled. He felt as if the pure gaze revealed the filthy and embarrassing existence he really was.

Dian Jiuzhi abruptly realized that something was wrong and looked away from Shenwu Yi’s eyes. However, the strange feeling that his soul was completely seen through remained. Was this... a soul attack? No! Not at all! He could not find any sign that his soul was invaded in any way. This feeling of shame and self-abasement... were they naturally appearing from the depths of his soul!?

Dian Jiuzhi’s sudden hesitation and unusual eye movements caused Dian Rahu to furrow his brow slightly. Everyone else looked puzzled as well.

“What’s going on?” Meng Jianxi asked softly, “Is it just me, or does Dian Jiuzhi look a bit distracted?”

“...”

Yun Che was staring at Shenwu Yi unblinkingly, unwilling to lose focus for even a moment.

It was at this moment that Shenwu Yi moved. Her right hand—her sword arm—was lowered, and her left hand was raised. A white flash later, a sting about two-thirds of a meter long appeared.

The sting was gem white, covered in a kind of divine radiance that resembled moonlight. Strange light would occasionally flash from its tip. It was so cold that it was unbearable to look at directly.

“It’s the Profound Sky Cleansing Moon.”

Meng Jianxi corrected himself, “Scratch that, I mean the ‘Heartbreak Sting’. Looking at her form... is she going to use it as a weapon?”

Heartbreak Sting was a Divine Child armament possessing the power of space. Its main functions were spatial travel and escape. It was a lifesaving artifact meant to protect the Eternal Night Godbearer from danger, but this was the Pure Land, a perfectly safe realm where no threats existed. Therefore, there was no reason to bring it whatsoever.

Moreover, space was a higher law compared to water, fire, wind, thunder, earth, light, and darkness. It was challenging to grasp and harder to master. It was also slow to activate and cost an insane amount of energy. Because of this, it was basically impossible to use for combat. When activated during a crisis, a Godbearer mostly relied on its inherent spatial divine powers to swiftly activate the spatial profound artifact.

The Abyss’s power level far exceeded that of the God Realm, and its space was just as tough. It was challenging to pass through or break. That was why everyone was confused by Shenwu Yi’s decision to bring the Eternal Night Kingdom of God’s spatial artifact into the battle of Divine Children.

It was at this moment that Yun Che knitted his eyebrows a little. The space surrounding Shenwu Yi was growing transparent. Then, what looked like seven... colorless, luminous clouds? Emerged from it.

“What... is that?” Meng Jianxi voiced his puzzlement.

The luminous clouds kept flickering in and out of existence. They did not possess any perceptible aura whatsoever. If not for the fact that they obviously distorted one’s vision when looked upon directly, no one would even realize they were there.

Puzzlement colored everyone’s faces, including the Divine Regents. Then, surprise bloomed across Hua Fuchen’s expression as he blurted out in astonishment, “Could it be... the Exquisite Profound World!?”

The moment the three words escaped his mouth, the expressions of every elite changed dramatically. Even those ancient eyes that had seen everything too many times to count abruptly widened to the max. A loud, chaotic commotion instantly erupted within the temple.

“The Exquisite Profound World? But... how is this possible??” Meng Jianxi muttered to himself in shock.

Meng Kongchan was watching the strange luminous clouds closely and replying in a low tone, “It is pretty unbelievable, but this spatial phenomenon... it matches the description in the ancient records perfectly.”

“But didn’t the legends claim that it is a spatial divine body that only an ancient True God may awaken? Shenwu Yi... She’s just...” Meng Jianxi stammered. Even he could not believe that there would come a day when he would question his own Father’s words.

“What is the ‘Exquisite Profound World’?” Yun Che asked dumbly.

Meng Jianxi shook his head and sucked in a deep breath. Only then did he manage to recover from his shock. “Brother Yuan, remember that time you asked me if someone possessing the Nine Profound Exquisite Body could possibly exist in this world nineteen months ago? According to the records, the ‘Exquisite Profound World’ is a special space only a person possessing the Nine Profound Exquisite Body could create.”

Yun Che: “...”

“However...”

Meng Jianxi’s tone changed. “According to the records, everyone in the world could have a Nine Profound Exquisite Body, and the ‘Exquisite Profound World’ still should never appear. If Shenwu Yi really is bearing the Exquisite Profound World, then... the ancient records must be terribly wrong in regards to this.”

“As for what is so special about the Exquisite Profound World...”

Meng Jianxi shook his head. “All I’ve seen in the records is the name. I know nothing about it.”

It was at this moment that Meng Kongchan spoke up. “Yuan’er, Jianxi. Most people believe that the Nine Profound Exquisite Body is special because spaces would naturally form inside their profound veins after it awakened and matured. It accelerates their cultivation speed and makes it so that they don't encounter any bottlenecks.”

“They are both profound vein mutations, but Dian Jiuzhi’s profound vein is named the ‘Divine Vein of Great Rage’, and the Nine Profound Exquisite Body is named the way it is instead of the ‘Nine Profound Exquisite Vein’. Why do you think this is the case?”

Meng Jianxi did not know the answer, and Yun Che was no different.

The “Nine Profound Exquisite Body” was a widely known concept. Even in the lower realms, Yun Che had long heard about it. However, he only knew that it was a profound vein that was a world unto itself, and... women possessing the Nine Profound Exquisite Body were excellent, if not the best, cultivation incubators.

As for why it obviously sounded like some sort of mutated profound vein but was named the ‘Exquisite Body’... he never thought about it until now.

While observing the luminous clouds surrounding Shenwu Yi, Meng Kongchan explained in a low tone, “According to the records, the Nine Profound Exquisite Body originates from the profound veins. When it first sprouts, it imbues the profound qi with a kind of special aura that is easily distinguishable. As a result, a woman possessing the Nine Profound Exquisite Body commonly experiences two types of fate. If their family background is prestigious enough that no one dares to offend them, then their Nine Profound Exquisite Body will mature, and they will surely become a hegemon of a corner of the world. But if their family background isn’t strong enough... then they will choose to... or be forced to become a cultivation incubator. It is a pitiful fate to say the least.”

“When the Exquisite Body has matured, an Exquisite World will be formed inside its profound veins. Not only will their cultivation speed increase, but they can also exceed the laws to a certain extent and possess a ceiling that is far greater than that of an ordinary profound practitioner.”

“However, this is not the true form of the Nine Profound Exquisite Body. It is just the seed... a seed that could not break through the earth.”

“A seed?”

Yun Che could not help but interrupt, “All that... and it’s still just a seed?”

“Yes, it’s just a seed. It can only be a seed.”

Meng Kongchan explained, “It’s because a mundane body can't withstand the Nine Profound Exquisite at all... Even among the ancient God race, the chances that a possessor of the Nine Profound Exquisite Body could create the ‘Exquisite Profound World’—and that is assuming that they can perfectly inherit the Nine Profound Exquisite—is less than one in a hundred!”

“Yun Che: “...”

Exquisite space... Exquisite Profound World... in the profound way, the word “exquisite” was often linked to space. For the longest time, Yun Che thought that the “Nine Profound Exquisite Body” referred to the Exquisite World within their profound veins... it was only now that he realized it was a spatial divine body that even an ancient True God could only pray to obtain.

Meng Kongchan continued, “Nine Profound Exquisite Body owners are rare, but it’s not like they had never appeared in the history of the Abyss. But one possessing the ‘Exquisite Profound World’ has never appeared... because it's outright impossible. It’s why the concept has blurred for many people.”

“If it has never happened before—if it is outright impossible—then why do you and every other senior seem to think that it is the Exquisite Profound World, Father?” Meng Jianxi asked.

Meng Kongchan explained, “When the power of space is unleashed, it is inevitable that one will leave behind traces of laws, energies, and dimensions. There are only two exceptions.”

“The first exception is the ancient profound treasure, the World Piercer. It could traverse ten thousand realms without leaving a single trace behind. The second exception is the ‘Exquisite Profound World’. Its existence seems to flicker between the real and unreal, and it is perfectly untraceable.”

“Shenwu Yi...”

This wasn’t the first time he said the name of the Divine Daughter of the Eternal Night Kingdom of God, but the gaze he cast in her direction had changed dramatically compared to before. “She intentionally manifested these seven spatial ripples so that we can see them, but I am unable to detect even the slightest spatial laws from them.”

“That’s not all. Not only did she manifest the true Nine Profound Exquisite Body that only a True God should be able to manifest at the sixth level of the Divine Extinction Realm, she had even reached the level of Seven Profound... that’s seven Profound Exquisite Worlds in total.”

“According to the ancient records, only eight people had ever attained perfection and reached the level of Nine Profound in the vast history of the God race. She... is not far away from that level either.”

“As for what is so powerful about the ‘Exquisite Profound World’, you’re going to find out very soon.”

The Divine Regent looked at the battlefield closely... and it wasn’t just him. This was the first time the battlefield of the battle between Divine Children received this much attention from the Divine Regents.

The noises outside the barrier sowed doubt in Dian Jiuzhi’s heart and caused him to stare at the luminous clouds surrounding Shenwu Yi. They were clearly spatial ripples, but he could not feel any spatial disturbance at all.

He was still astonished and puzzled when suddenly, the luminous clouds disappeared all at once, and a sword beam shone into his eyes.

Shred! A sharp sword pierced through space and elicited an impossibly shrill noise. Still, just like before, this level of power was completely useless against Dian Jiuzhi, whose physical strength and cultivation exceeded hers by two whole levels. Dian Jiuzhi reached out to grab the sword beam, but unlike before, he wasn’t just defending anymore. Instead, he unleashed a merciless blast of power that vowed to crush her in one strike. Every inch of space near his fingers rapidly warped and distorted under pressure...

The terrifying spatial distortion and aura revealed the seven luminous clouds that looked like illusory profound shadows. Dian Rahu subconsciously took a step forward to warn Dian Jiuzhi about the dangers of the Profound Exquisite World, but he forced the words back down right before they would exit his throat.

So what if that really was the “Profound Exquisite World”, and it was truly as miraculous as the legends claimed? They were two whole cultivation levels apart. It was a gap that could never be overcome. He might actually make things worse for the boy if he tried to warn him.

Bang boom!! The forceful power of the Boundless Manifestation Art erupted, and the space in front of him underwent an extreme distortion for an instant.

Shenwu Yi’s sword and figure instantly crumbled like dead leaves... before scattering into a cloud of afterimages.

“...!?” Dian Jiuzhi’s astonishment lasted only an instant before his heart turned cold. He felt a cold beam heading straight toward his skull. He barely had enough time to think that this was not an instantaneous movement... because there were no traces of a physical or auric dash at all. In fact, the cold beam hadn’t slowed down even a little.

It was as if... her attack had suddenly undergone a spatial curve!

Thang!

The Heartless Sword struck Dian Jiuzhi’s skull with a metallic clang, and the man’s severed hair scattered everywhere. Both his cultivation and body were so strong that the skull-piercing attack wasn’t able to penetrate his protective profound energy completely, but even so, that one instant of pain and surprise was enough to shake Dian Jiuzhi greatly.