Against the Gods

Chapter 2145 - The Forbidden Zone of Slumbering Gods?

No one dared to break the rules of the Pure Land, including the Divine Regents of the Six Kingdoms of God. However, there was one exception; one man whose very existence sat above all of the rules. He was the Abyssal Monarch.

The Heaven Breaker sword that Hua Caili poured all of her willpower into, the Glazed Glass Ice that Shenwu Yi used to crush Dian Jiuzhi, all disappeared without a trace like a bubble. While everyone was staring at him with a dumb expression, he slowly lowered his hands and said, “The body is exquisite, and the heart creates glazed glass. This is unprecedented in the history of the world; a miracle bestowed by the heavens themselves.”

“Caili, you have glimpsed the true intent of the Heaven Breaker Fourth Sword despite only being in your twenties. In terms of talent in the way of the sword alone, you did not just surpass your aunt; you are not far away from my level when I was your age.”

The Abyssal Monarch’s intervention didn’t just surprise the six Kingdoms of God. The Chief Priest was greatly astonished as well. His evaluation of Shenwu Yi and Hua Caili especially exploded in their hearts like thunderclaps. He had called Shenwu Yi a “miracle” and compared Hua Caili to himself!

“If either one of you suffers even a tiny amount of damage, it will be a great loss to this world. So, let us end this here, shall we?”

Shenwu Yi calmly put away her sword and bowed to him. “Wuyi obeys, Your Majesty.”

Hua Caili’s adaptability was slightly weaker than Shenwu Yi’s, and she did not fear him like most others did. So, she remained speechless for a good few seconds before she finally mumbled, “But... Uncle Abyssal Monarch... the favor...”

The Abyssal Monarch’s pupils seemingly shifted slightly in Hua Caili’s direction and smiled. “Both of your performances are enough for me to make an exception. I will grant you both my favor.”

The Abyssal Monarch’s words did not move Shenwu Yi in any way, but countless brilliant stars lit up in Hua Caili’s eyes. “Real... really! Thank you, Uncle Abyssal Monarch! You’re the best, Uncle Abyssal Monarch!”

She was standing next to the Abyssal Monarch on a battlefield at Eden’s Crown... and yet her joy was so direct, strong, and truthful.

“...” Dian Jiuzhi closed his eyes to conceal his disappointment. He also let out a sigh in his heart. Suddenly, he understood why Hua Caili had done something that wasn’t just against common sense, but also her own nature; why she threw everything into this fight even at the risk of greatly injuring herself. It was all to obtain the Abyssal Monarch’s favor, a favor that was tied to her and Yun Che’s future.

Hua Fuchen let out a long, long sigh of relief. It was only now that she realized that his back was ice cold. It was because his shirt was completely drenched in cold sweat.

Hua Caili was still brimming with joy. She looked completely different from when she was wielding a sword. She had transformed from a sharp and intimidating little Sword Fairy to a spoiled young girl in an instant.

Looking at Shenwu Yi, Hua Caili said frankly, “There is no need to end this battle here. I surrender. Even if I throw everything into this attack, I know that my chance of victory is only one percent. There is a ninety-nine percent chance you would have won, Eternal Night Divine Daughter.”

The Abyssal Monarch smiled but did not comment on it.

The Chief Priest did not waste his breath as usual. He declared, “Hua Caili of Heaven Breaker surrenders. Shenwu Yi of Eternal Night wins!”

“During this battle of Divine Children, Shenwu Yi of Eternal Night and Hua Caili of Heaven Breaker performed splendidly. His Majesty approves of their performance and decides to make an exception for them. Both of them will receive a favor from His Majesty.”

The Abyssal Monarch’s promise and the Chief Priest’s declaration sounded the end of this battle between Divine Children. Including Pan Buwang, a total of six Divine Sons and two Divine Daughters had participated in the battle. However, it was the two Divine Daughters who achieved the ultimate victory, and the six Divine Sons were their foils. This was especially true for the former number one Divine Son, Dian Jiuzhi. Shenwu Yi’s icy light had almost completely wiped out his former honor and glory. This outcome stunned everyone belonging to the Kingdoms of God.

When Hua Caili put away the Glass Cloud Sword and turned around, her vision suddenly blurred, and she nearly collapsed to the floor. However, a cyan figure caught her before she could do so. When Hua Caili found herself in Hua Qingying’s embrace, she finally noticed that she was exhausted from head to toe. It was to the point where she could barely lift her arms.

Hua Fuchen was right behind Hua Qingying. When he saw the terribly pale complexion but beaming smile on his daughter’s face, he ultimately could not bring himself to rebuke her. He could only curse inside his head, “It’s all that brat’s fault!”

Meanwhile, Hua Qingying was carefully inspecting Hua Caili’s condition with her profound energy. It wasn’t until she had scanned her whole body that she relaxed. The Abyssal Monarch’s well-timed intervention had prevented the Heaven Breaker Fourth Sword from unleashing, so it ultimately did not backfire on Hua Caili. However, it still taxed her far too much to create the sword, which was why she was in a state of severe physical and mental exhaustion right now.

If Hua Caili had unleashed the sword in her current state... Hua Qingying did not dare to imagine the outcome. She quickly carried Hua Caili and brought her back to the Heaven Breaker Kingdom of God’s formation. At the same time, the seven Heaven Breaker Sword Sovereigns rushed forward and surrounded Hua Caili in seven gentle sword energies. They restored her depleted energies and aura at an astonishing rate.

“You will not do anything like this in the future.”

Despite his wavering resolve, Hua Fuchen ultimately found it in himself to rebuke her.

“I get it, Father. I won’t do this in the future.”

Hua Caili replied obediently and modestly, but pride quickly took over as she declared, “But you can’t deny that I succeeded thanks to this sword!”

She admitted her mistake in a single sentence, only to undermine him in the next. Hua Fuchen covered his face with one hand before shooting the distant Yun Che a glare.

Hua Qingying said indifferently, “Besides obtaining the Abyssal Monarch’s favor, are you sure you’re not thinking about anything else when you throw all caution to the wind?”

“Nope!” Hua Caili looked away and adamantly refused to admit anything.

It was at this moment that Sha Xing finally returned from outside. He was confused when he saw the strange scene.

Xian Yue said slowly, “The battle of Divine Children is over. Shenwu Yi defeated Dian Jiuzhi, Meng Jianxi refused to fight and surrendered, and the Abyssal Monarch himself personally stopped Shenwu Yi and Hua Caili’s fight. After promising to make an exception and bestow both of them his favor, Hua Caili surrendered the fight.”

His explanation was short, but it was enough to stack multiple layers of shock on Sha Xing’s face. It would be a long, long time before he recovered his senses.

It was only now that Xian Yue unhurriedly produced a Profound Imagery Stone and handed it to Sha Xing. “I’ve already engraved everything you missed. You should thank me for my foresight. Otherwise, you would have missed some of the most astounding scenes that have ever taken place in the history of the Abyss.”

On the Boundless Kingdom of God’s side, Dian Rahu was stroking his long beard with obvious approval and a wide smile. The rage that gripped him after Dian Jiuzhi was humiliated following his defeat seemed to have been entirely forgotten.

“Caili seems so gentle and mild-tempered in the norm, I didn’t think she had it in her to go so far for Jiuzhi’s honor, not to mention that her sword talent surpasses even Qingying... as expected of my daughter-in-law, huohahahaha!”

The man was laughing happily when he reached the end of his sentence. He did not notice that Dian Sansi wore a dark, ugly expression behind his back.

“Brother Jiuzhi...” He cautiously shot Dian Jiuzhi a look. He wanted to say something to comfort his brother, but he could not think of anything. However, Dian Jiuzhi shook his head and cracked a faint smile. That smile... looked like letting go.

The more he acted like this, the more Dian Sansi’s heart ached. Eventually, it grew so painful that he could barely suppress his reaction. Without thinking, he turned to look at Yun Che. To his surprise, their gazes “coincidentally” clashed once more. Yun Che’s eyebrows were curving downward, and the corners of his mouth were turning upward. He was smiling with ridicule, arrogance, and disdain.

Right after that, Yun Che casually turned away from Dian Sansi as if looking at him for even a second longer was a waste of his time and energy. However, right as his face turned, Dian Sansi clearly saw Yun Che’s mouth opening and closing. The word he said without making a sound was: Pitiful.

“~!@#￥%......”

At that moment, every drop of blood inside his body rushed into his head. Dian Sansi’s face and neck turned completely red, like he was drenched in blood, and even his vision was a blurry haze of red. The desire to divulge everything so that Father would fly into an unholy rage, the Abyssal Monarch would enact divine judgment, and Yun Che and Hua Caili would lose everything threatened to implode his heart from the inside.

He recalled the consequences of such an action and Dian Jiuzhi’s warning, which sounded more like pleading... a good few breaths later, he finally clenched his teeth and mastered himself. The humiliation, the rage, the hatred, the reluctance... bit by bit, he forced it all down to throat level.

That was all he could do. Even with all his willpower, his throat was as far as he could shove down the emotions. Although he was keeping his emotions at bay, there was just no way he could swallow them like he had done so many times before. As a result, all this rage, humiliation, and hatred were lodged in his throat like a million fish bones. It felt so uncomfortable that every breath felt like a year.

This was a kind of pain and torture he never imagined could exist until now.

“Mm. He’s almost at the limit of his limit,” Yun Che said leisurely inside his soul.

“Dian Sansi?” Li Suo asked.

“Yes.”

Yun Che replied, “Right now, even a simple poke could potentially cause him to explode. A strong stimulation? His reason would be obliterated, and he would self-destruct no matter the time, place, or circumstance.”

Li Suo whispered, “The battle of Divine Children is already over. The opportunity you need...”

“Will be given to me by the Abyssal Monarch Himself. Who knows, he might even be more desperate than I am.”

Li Suo: “...??”

The Abyssal Monarch waited until Hua Caili was sufficiently recovered before asking, “So, what is your desired reward, Caili?”

Smiling, Hua Caili paid him a bow before declaring fearlessly, “My desired reward is a little special, Uncle Abyssal Monarch. Can I tell you about it in private?”

The Abyssal Monarch smiled. “Of course. However, aren’t you worried that this lone one would go back on his word without a witness?”

“You wouldn’t. Thank you in advance, Uncle Abyssal Monarch!” Hua Caili saluted him again before stepping behind Hua Qingying with a smile on her face.

Next, the Abyssal Monarch shifted his gaze to Shenwu Yi. “What is your desired reward, Shenwu Yi?”

Shenwu Yi replied quickly and succinctly, “Your Majesty, Wuyi would like to enter the ‘Forbidden Zone of Slumbering Gods’.”

Her words surprised everyone. An unnatural shockwave of profound energy washed out of the pitch black palanquin where the Lightless Divine Regent was residing, and it was mixed with all-too-obvious anger. Clearly, Shenwu Yi’s request had gone against her wishes.

“The Forbidden Zone of Slumbering Gods? What kind of place is that??” Yun Che asked with a frown. It had been three years since he arrived at the Dreamweaver Kingdom of God. Although he was mainly focused on collecting information regarding the Divine Children of the Kingdoms of God, he knew more or less everything that was necessary to know about the Abyss. However, this was the first time he heard this name.

Meng Jianxi answered in a hushed voice, “It is the place where the ancient gods perished after falling into the Abyss, before the abyssal world was formed. It is... also the place the Abyssal Monarch landed when he first fell into the Abyss.”

“It is rumored that most of the True Gods and demon gods who perished at the very beginning were corrupted by primal abyssal dust and transformed into abyssal ghosts... later, after the Abyssal Monarch had created the abyssal world, the graveyard of gods was sealed and named the ‘Forbidden Zone of Slumbering Gods’.”

“I have never gone to the Forbidden Zone of Slumbering Gods before. So I know very little about it. But according to the records of the Xuanji Hall, the concentration of abyssal dust in the Forbidden Zone of Slumbering Gods is comparable to the inner regions of the Endless Fog, despite not being situated in the Endless Fog. Besides that, it contains far more abyssal ghosts than abyssal beasts, and every abyssal ghost could be an ancestor or a god of the denizens of the current Abyss.”

“The Abyssal Monarch probably sealed the region and named it a forbidden zone out of respect to everyone’s ancestors and gods. If I remember correctly, the place was opened less than twenty times since it was made a forbidden zone.”

Yun Che asked, “In that case, why would Shewu Yi waste such a precious opportunity to travel to such a place?”

Meng Jianxi thought for a moment before answering, ‘Countless ancient True Gods have met their end in that place. Considering their divinity, not even primal abyssal dust should be able to eliminate them immediately. Perhaps they had left behind inheritances or extraordinary treasures prior to their deaths... and Shenwu Yi is interested in them?”

Meng Jianxi’s reply was hesitant and slow. Clearly, he was just guessing.

The Abyssal Monarch fell silent, but the silence only lasted two breaths. He nodded. “As you wish.”

“However,” he added, “The Forbidden Zone of Slumbering Gods only opens once in a very, very long time. It would be a waste to open it for just one person.”

“Zhuyuan.”

The first knight, Dugu Zhuyuan, stepped forward to receive his order.

“Open the Void Breaching Formation to the ‘Forbidden Zone of Slumbering Gods’ twenty hours later. Every Kingdom of God is allowed to dispatch one junior into the place.”

The other five Kingdoms of God were visibly delighted by the Abyssal Monarch’s order. Not only was He bestowing them a gift, he was subtly making them owe Shenwu Yi one.

“Thank you for granting my favor, Your Majesty.” Shenwu Yi had no objections to offer. She did not seem pleased that her desire was granted either. She withdrew in silence and indifference to where she had been.

The Abyssal Monarch had made his announcements, the “Eternal Pure Land” was right around the corner, and the battle of Divine Children had reached its end. Now, it was time for the Abyssal Monarch to take his leave, and the Chief Priest to announce the end of this term’s Pure Land Meet.

But against all expectations, the Abyssal Monarch cast his gaze at the Dreamweaver Kingdom of God’s formation. Then, he said:

“Kongchan, this lone one heard that another perfect Godbearer besides Caili has descended to your Kingdom of God. Is this true?”