Against the Gods

NEW NOVEL: First and foremost, I'm delighted to announce that our long-time veteran translator littleshanks has finally launched his new novel, Rise!  Rise is a novel about the esports scene in Shanghai, the competitive gaming capital of China. It follows the story of Lin Feng, a boy who has just moved to the city for his last year of high school. He's a passionate gamer and dreams of being the best professional League of Legends player in the world. The twist? He almost achieved his dream, but failed at the...

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Chapter 1182 - Instant Defeat

When Mu Bingyun came to the courtyard in the early morning of the next day, she found Yun Che quietly standing by the pond side. His body had a thick layer of morning dew on it, which made it evident that he had not slept the whole night.

Yun Che turned around to look at Mu Bingyun. She sensed something from within the expression in his eyes, but he didn’t shift his gaze away from her. His eyes still had a mild look like the day before… and, there was now even a trace of resoluteness too.

“Palace Master Bingyun, I assure you that I’ll absolutely not do anything that would let Master down,” Yun Che said all of a sudden.

Mu Bingyun was taken aback. She said in a light tone with an incomparably complicated look in her eyes, “You don’t need to assure me of anything… The Conferred God Battle is about to start, so let’s be on our way.”

In the Conferred God Battle on this day, the top sixteen will be contending against each other. There was no doubt that the battles were going to be much more fierce and wonderful than previously.

Mu Bingyun flew to the Conferred God Stage bringing Yun Che along. Her speed was not really fast, and she didn’t say a word the whole way. As it was a matter related to Mu Xuanyin, it was unavoidable for the atmosphere between the two to become subtly strange. Mu Bingyun, in particular, was unable to have the same state of mind as before while facing Yun Che.

She could not accept what Mu Xuanyin had done, nor did she understand the reasoning behind it.

She could still somehow accept Mu Xuanyin forgiving him two years ago. After all, Yun Che’s original intention was to save her. But… why would she do so this time!?

“Brother Yun… Senior Bingyun!”

It was at this time that Huo Poyun’s voice came from behind. Mu Bingun’s figure stopped in her tracks. She shoved her snow white hand sideways, as she retrieved her energy on Yun Che, “Remember to not be late.”

Having finished her words, her snow-white figure flashed and appeared several kilometers away.

Yun Che, “…”

Huo Poyun was by himself and very soon came over to Yun Che’s side. Yun Che turned to him with a faint smile, “Brother Poyun, how come you are alone? Where are your master and the others?”

Huo Poyun explained, “Last night, Master and Sect Master Yan combined their power to set up a ‘fire spirit realm’ for my sake, and had me cultivate inside it with the assistance of the time wheel barrier. Right now, they are in the process of retrieving the ‘spirit fire realm.’ As my battle is scheduled to be the first today, they were worried that I might be late so they made me leave for the Conferred God Battle ahead of them. They should be arriving there very soon.”

“I see.” Yun Che nodded his head. “Brother Poyun, your opponent today is Jun Xilei. How confident are you in winning against her?”

“Well…” Huo Poyun let out a bitter laugh. “Frankly speaking, I truly don’t have the slightest confidence. However, although I don’t believe that I can win against her, it’s not going to be so easy for her to beat me, either.”

Sensing that Huo Poyun wasn’t scared by the great reputation of Jun Xilei, and was instead full of fight, Yun Che also put his worries away as he said smilingly, “Of course.”

“By the way… Brother Yun,” Huo Poyun lowered his voice suddenly, as he asked in a hesitant tone. “Why did Senior Bingyun… leave you behind like this?”

“…Isn’t this a very normal thing?” Yun Che responded.

“No, it is not.” Huo Poyun, however, shook his head. “I wouldn’t feel anything strange about it if it was some other senior, but Senior Bingyun’s treatment towards you… how should I put it? She basically doesn’t treat you like a disciple from the younger generation. She has always been gentle and soft to you like a mother or an elder sister. That’s how it seems to me at the least, which makes me feel so envious too. Therefore… I found her doing such a thing strange just now.”

“…” Yun Che was faintly startled, and turned his face sideways unnaturally. While avoiding the gaze of the other party, he uttered in one breath, “Because she is a woman.”

Huo Poyun, “???”

At this time, an abnormally chilly aura swept past their bodies. It was as if a sharp sword had scratched their souls all of a sudden.

Yun Che and Huo Poyun simultaneously turned their heads around with the speed of lightning. A girl had appeared not that far away to the east at some point in time. She was dressed in snow white clothes, had an exceedingly pretty appearance, and there was an old bronze sword on her back. Her whole self looked like a goddess who had come out of an ancient picture scroll. She actually had extremely beautiful eyes, but there was a dangerous, soul-piercingly cold light emitting from them.

The successor of the Sword Sovereign, Jun Xilei!

The moment their gazes came into contact with hers, it felt as if the tip of a sword was thrust at their throats. But Jun Xilei turned her gaze away in the next instant, and didn’t spare them another glance. Her white clothes fluttered in the breeze and she had gone far away in an instant.

“Such… Such a powerful aura.” Huo Poyun inhaled heavily. “Could this be the formless sword intent that Master told me about last night?”

Yun Che frowned. The clearly hatred-filled gaze and aura of Jun Xile just now made him feel a slight heaviness in his heart. Although the same thing would happen whenever Jun Xilei saw him, the situation this time was different than earlier.

“Brother Poyun,” Yun Che said with incomparable seriousness. “You need to be very careful when you fight against Jun Xilei in a short while.”

“Hmm, I know.” Huo Poyun nodded heavily.

“No, I mean to say that you need to be careful because she is going to attack you ruthlessly.”

“Ah?” Huo Poyun was surprised, as he asked with incomprehension, “Why?”
“Don’t tell me you have forgotten that she was forced to apologize to me on her knees by my master earlier in the Snow Song Realm? It was certainly the greatest shame for someone who was the successor of Sword Sovereign and the center of focus of the masses. Every time she saw me in the Eternal Heaven Realm, she was looking at me with so much hatred, as if she was dying to hack me to pieces. It was just that she didn’t get the opportunity to attack me. But, she knows about the friendship between you and me, and will very likely take out her anger on you."

Yun Che’s tone was quite serious, which made Huo Poyun raise his brows. He said hesitatingly, “That… should not happen, right? Jun Xilei is the successor of the Sword Sovereign, and one of the extremely famous Four God Children of the Eastern Region. She would not stoop so low as to do such a thing. That would be unfitting for her identity and status, right?”

“It’s true that she is the successor of the Sword Sovereign, but she is also a woman in the end! Women just don’t forget about their grudges… Phew, it seems that you don’t have the experience of suffering a headache because of women.”

“Eh… I thank Brother Yun for the warning. I will be careful.” Huo Poyun could only nod his head. Although he disapproved of Yun Che’s opinion, he still didn’t ignore his advice completely because of his trust in Yun Che, and he very carefully remembered his words.

As they came to the Conferred God Stage area, Yun Che immediately attracted countless gazes. Even all the great god emperors kept their gazes on him for a while.

When he had first arrived in the God Realm, it was only to meet Jasmine, and so he had intended to remain as low profile as possible, and not to catch the attention of anyone. However, he had very quickly alarmed the entire Divine Ice Phoenix Sect, and had also become the direct disciple of the sect master. In the short period of a few years, due to Mu Xuanyin’s exclusive pampering, he had gained such a standing that he almost stood below one person and above everyone else in the Snow Song Realm.

Upon arriving at the Eternal Heaven Realm, he had not wished to draw others’ attention. However, in the short period of less than two months, his name had spread far and wide, and he had surprised all the great realm kings and god emperors. After the battle the day before, even the entire Eastern Divine Region was startled by his deeds.

Given all the things that he had or had shouldered, it was seemingly already impossible for his life to be safe and calm any longer. He himself had felt it too… and perhaps, it was his nature that lead to such an outcome.

Very soon, the dragon monarch and the five god emperors had all arrived, and it was finally time for this day’s Conferred God Battle to begin. They had already found out about the “major event,” but the Dragon Monarch and God Emperor Shitian had not left the Eternal Heaven Realm yet. It was very clear that they were also truly interested in this session of the Eastern Divine Region’s Profound God Convention… Perhaps, they were interested in one or more participants in the convention.

“We will now have the first battle of the second round of Conferred Gods Group. Huo Poyun of the Flame God Realm versus Jun Xilei, the successor of the Sword Sovereign!”

Jun Xilei was from the “Jasper Hear Sword Pavilion,” but Honorable Qu Hui introduced her as “the successor of the Sword Sovereign.” It was obvious that the latter carried much more weight.

On this day, the first battle to be held was of the Conferred Gods Group. Following Honorable Qu Hui’s announcement, Huo Poyun leapt into the air and landed on the Conferred God Stage. He was holding Devil Destroying Sword in his hand, and the blazing Golden Crow flame had spread across his entire body down to the blade of his sword. He was already in battle mode the instant he entered the stage. People present at every corner of the Conferred God Stage could sense the strong aura of the Golden Crow flame and his fighting will.

“This young man is good indeed.” At the eastern seating area, the Eternal Heaven God Emperor nodded his head, as he praised generously, “He has such achievements despite being from a middle star realm. He is so young but still mastered the use of the Golden Crow flame which is considered the most difficult flame to control. Especially, for him to not show any sign of cowardice, when his opponent is as powerful person as the Sword Sovereign’s Successor, shows that he will certainly have great success in the future.”

“He is definitely praiseworthy.” Even the Dragon Monarch nodded in agreement. Afterwards, he said in a declarative tone, “But it is a pity that he will certainly face defeat in this battle.”

Jun Xilei’s body flashed instantly and as if she was being carried by a gentle breeze, lightly drifted over to the top of the Conferred God Stage as she landed. But her preparation before the battle was different than Huo Poyun who had endless fighting will burning in his heart. She was standing quietly with an expressionless look on her cold face. She was still carrying the “Nameless Sword”, a sword she was unable to use, which belonged to Sword Sovereign on her back. She appeared as if she was isolated from the world and paid no attention to mortal lives.

“Begin!!”

Hearing the order of Honorable Qu Hui, the blaze on Huo Poyun’s body reached to a height of over three hundred meters, causing most of the Conferred God Stage to be dyed a faint golden color.

However, Jun Xilei still remained completely unaffected, and there wasn’t the slightest alteration in her aura, either. Even her beautiful and enchanting eyes didn’t seem to be looking at Huo Poyun.

A big frown appeared on Huo Poyun’s face as he sensed her attitude of looking down upon him. But he was not enraged because of it, and instead his fighting will burned even more intensely. He let out a loud roar, “Huo Poyun of the Flame God Realm asks for guidance!!”

“Hah!!!!”

Screeee

Among the three supreme flame possessors, the Golden Crow had the greatest burning and extermination power as well as the strongest sense of haughtiness and dignity. Carrying the strongest Golden Crow bloodline in the history of the Flame God Realm, the nature of Huo Poyun naturally also received the greatest influence by it. The bloodline would not show itself usually, but once its energy was stimulated, it would be triggered completely.

An enormous flame image of the Golden Crow manifested itself behind Huo Poyun, as it spread its wings and issued a mighty cry.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM

Dozens of streaks of Golden Crow flame burst apart simultaneously at this moment, blooming into dozens of pure golden fire lotuses. When the firelight of the lotuses grew strong to its limit, it seemed as if tens of suns had appeared in the sky above the Conferred God Stage, which made it almost impossible for the countless experts present to dare look straight at them, as they felt shocked in their hearts.

“This aura… and the speed at which the profound strength of the flame is being unleashed… Is he truly only at the seventh level of the Divine Spirit Realm?” a middle star realm king who cultivated a fire attribute profound art shouted in uncontrollable surprise.

“Furthermore, that is not an ordinary profound flame. It is none other than the Golden Crow flame that is far more difficult to control than an ordinary profound flame… No, the most difficult to control even among all the divine flames!”

“It looks like this is his true strength. He was easily able to defeat Lu Chenyuan earlier not because of the other party’s carelessness or some sort of coincidence!”

Confronting Jun Xilei, Huo Poyun didn’t hold back in the least and released all the strength of the flame, causing countless experts to exclaim in admiration again and again. But on the contrary, Jun Xilei hadn’t even so much as moved her finger in front of Huo Poyun, and allowed Huo Poyun to unleash his profound strength to the limit. Only an undetectable, faint frown had appeared on her face during this whole time.

She was clearly displaying a very deep arrogance, but Huo Poyun wasn’t surprised or angered in the slightest and slowly pointed the Devil Destroying Sword ahead. After which, the flame image of Golden Crow issued a sky-shaking cry once again. The auras of all the fire lotuses linked with each other, and came flying down towards Jun Xilei like flaming meteors falling down from the outer space.

“Good!!” Huo Rulie couldn’t help but roar loudly, as he stood up in excitement.

“You’ll have to pay the price for underestimating Poyun, even if you are the successor of the Sword Sovereign.” Yan Juehai also let out a low shout.

An unusual look appeared in Yun Che’s eyes, too. He could sense clearer than anyone else how powerful Hou Poyun’s move had become when the auras of the many fire lotuses linked with each other. Although the profound strength of Jun Xilei exceeded Huo Poyun’s by three small realms, the power of the Golden Crow flame that Huo Poyun possessed was absolutely extraordinary. Judging from the fact that he had easily defeated Lu Chenyuan, Yun Che was absolutely sure that his strength was enough to rival the experts of the ninth level of the Divine Spirit Realm. Jun Xilei had been acting conceited and arrogant and hadn’t even budged an inch all along, nor did she release her aura. Now that Huo Poyun was able to fully accumulate and release the power of the flame due to having enough time for it, it would certainly be difficult for even someone like her to face it head-on.

As the fire lotuses drew closer to her body, Jun Xilei finally showed some movement.

With a wave of her arm, a sharp sword appeared all of a sudden. The entire sword was shining and white. It was less than half an inch thick and less than one and a half meters long. Despite the fact that whole sky was covered by Golden Crow flame, there was surprisingly no gold reflecting on it.

This sword was called “Misty Light” and was personally bestowed by Jun Wuming to Jun Xilei. It was also the sword that he had himself refined for his future successor during his tens of thousands of years long journey in search of a successor.

Jun Xilei lightly brandished Misty Light as soon as she unsheathed it.

In a split second, all the sounds between heaven and earth disappeared suddenly; even the rays of light darkened abruptly. In the field of vision of everyone present, only a flittering light could be seen rapidly streaking across, which seemed even more magnificent and dazzling than a shooting star…

This streak of flittering light penetrated through one lotus after another, through space, and through the several layers of flame as it struck Huo Poyun in the chest… after which, it pierced all the way through his chest.

This flittering light was obviously inconceivably fast, but that moment when it penetrated through all the things in its way, it seemed as if the passage of time had completely slowed down. All the people, including those with the weakest cultivation here in the Divine Tribulation Realm, clearly saw every single thing that happened when the flittering light had streaked across the air.

DING!!

The instant the flowing light bumped into the isolation barrier, it dispersed and disappeared in no time. The world suddenly returned to its “normal” state at this moment. The fire lotuses, including those that hadn’t even come into contact with the flittering light, were totally cut into two halves and dissipated in the air. The blood from Huo Poyun’s body spattered around as he let out a horrible shriek while being blown away forcefully. His body flew all the way out of the barrier and smashed onto the ground outside the Conferred God Stage.

Once Jun Xilei made her move, Huo Poyun instantly suffered a defeat.

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