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 1223 - Crimson Flame (2)

“What does he want to do?”

Yun Che’s strange action drew the attention of the audience. At this time, Yun Che, who had suddenly closed his eyes, was now spreading his arms. Violent golden flames ignited above his right arm—it was the Golden Crow flame that he had been relying on the most.

A cluster of scarlet flames slowly burned into existence atop his left arm. This flame was not as luminous and fierce as the Golden Crow flame, it burned with extreme tranquility.

When this scarlet flame ignited, everyone sitting in the Flame God Realm seats were stunned all at once. This was especially true for members of the Phoenix Sect, a great majority of them stood up with a bang.

“Those are… Phoenix flames!?”

“That’s the Phoenix flame! That’s definitely the Phoenix flame!”

“What’s going on? How can Yun Che ignite the Phoenix flame? Th-this…”

Yan Juehai’s face stiffened for a long time. He subconsciously shifted his gaze toward Huo Rulie, only to find the same stunned expression there. Huo Rulie then suddenly turned to him. “Sect Master Yan, why would the Phoenix flame appear on Yun boy’s body? How did this happen?”

Yan Juehai heavily shook his head and then said in a low voice, “His Phoenix flame’s… aura is incredibly pure. That is only possible if he possessed the most primal Phoenix  blood, and our Phoenix Sect has long lost that.”

“How many more secrets does he have!?”

Yan Juehai’s emotions were the exact same as what Huo Rulie had felt when Yun Che ignited the Golden Crow flames.

“Sect Master Yan, put the matter of where he obtained the Phoenix flames aside and admit that it came from you for now! Otherwise, it will bring the boy unnecessary trouble,” Huo Rulie softly reminded.

“I understand.” Yan Juehai nodded slightly. “Only, why does he want to forcibly reveal the Phoenix flames? The Golden Crow flames cannot deal with Luo Changsheng, so the Phoenix flames also… Wait!”

Yan Juehai’s expression suddenly shifted. “Ice Phoenix, Golden Crow, Phoenix… Wouldn’t this mean that Yun Che is the same as Luo Changsheng, and possesses three divine inheritances?”

“It’s not just that,” Huo Rulie said in a low voice. “The Vermillion Bird, Phoenix, and Golden Crow are three supreme divine flames that reject one another. Unless one erases the existence of the other divine blood, it is impossible for them to receive the acknowledgement of, and have affinity with, the other two blood inheritances. Everyone in our Flame God Realm knows this. Yet Yun Che… actually has the powers of the Phoenix and Golden Crow coexisting within him! This… is just... impossible…”

Huo Rulie’s last words caused his voice to shake uncontrollably.

“Three divine powers in one body.” Atop the eastern seating area, the gazes of the god emperors also changed. The Eternal Heaven God Emperor exclaimed, “There is actually someone else other than Luo Changsheng who is able to hold three divine powers.”

“But the powers of the Phoenix and Golden Crow are both fire based. Is there that much of a difference between cultivating one or ten? Igniting two divine flames would instead be a waste of both mental and profound strength,” the Moon God Emperor commented.

Dragon Monarch, “...”

The gold colored Golden Crow flame and the scarlet colored Phoenix flame were presently burning intensely above Yun Che. They spread at the same time, from his arms to his entire body, causing Yun Che’s body to quickly be covered in flames. The gold flames occupied half his body while the scarlet flames took over the other half, both flames especially distinct.

“Oh?” Luo Changsheng casually neared with shock in his eyes. “The Phoenix flame? So you are also someone who can simultaneously wield three divine inheritances. I thought that I was the only one in the Eastern Divine Region who could do that among our generation. This is quite a nice surprise.”

“However,” Luo Changsheng narrowed his eyes, “if I were to compare to the Golden Crow flames at full power and the Golden Crow flames mixed with Phoenix flames at half power each, I feel the former would seem to be more of a threat. Do you not think so?”

Yun Che’s sudden ignition of the Phoenix flame did indeed shock the audience. However, their shock was because Yun Che actually possessed three types of divine powers like Luo Changsheng. As for divine flames of the same level, forget about one, even ten different kinds of flames were fundamentally unable to affect the battle.

Yun Che remained silent, his eyes still closed. The two different kinds of divine flames that burned on his hands were now slowly touching.

The two flames were similar, they would either repel each other or mix together. To everyone in the Flame God Realm, the Phoenix flame and Golden Crow flame were mutually repulsive. Even being close to each other would make them devour their counterpart, let alone making contact. However, the moment the two flames within Yun Che’s hands touched, it was as if two different colored rivers silently blended, releasing a different kind of luminance.

It was neither the Golden Crow flame’s scarlet gold, nor was it the Phoenix flame’s scarlet, but an exceptionally enchantingly beautiful… crimson!

The moment this kind of bizarre fusion finished within his palms, it quickly spread. The Golden Crow and Phoenix flames on his body quickly mixed as Yun Che’s body lit up with a layer crimson no one had ever seen before.

The scene left the audience dazed while the eyeballs of those from the Flame God Realm, the two sect masters included, nearly popped out.

“W.. w-w-w-w-what is that!?” Huo Rulie’s jaw dropped to the ground after he shakily roared.

The pure auras of the Golden Crow and Phoenix disappeared without a trace as an aura no profound practitioner at the scene had ever felt, surged on the Conferred God Stage. It seemed to be the aura of the Phoenix, then the aura of the Golden Crow, then the fusion of both, yet incomprehensibly twisted.

“Th… this… what in th…” Yan Juehai blankly stared, unconsciously standing up. “How… can such a thing... happen…”

The flames were two out of the three supreme divine flames in the Primal Chaos, representative of the highest caliber of flame power. This meant that there were no other flames at an even higher level. Every legend and record solidified this proof. 

Yet right now, they had actually witnessed the fusion of the Golden Crow and Phoenix flame within Yun Che’s palms. They merged to become a strange flame with a completely different color and aura. It was not just absurd. If they had not personally seen this, even if they were able to believe that the God Burying Inferno Prison could be extinguished with some urine, they would still not believe that this could happen.

Regarding the fire created by the strange fusion of the two different kinds of divine flame… As profound practitioners of the Flame God Realm who specialized in fire, they had never seen such a beautiful red flame, nor had they ever felt such a chaotic, warped flame aura.

The crimson fire on Yun Che was at times calm and at times explosive. It was unknown if this was the attribute of the fused flames or his inability to fully control it.

Yun Che stretched out a hand and the Heaven Smiting Sword flew back into his grasp. When his fingers lightly brushed across its blade, the crimson fire followed them until it completely covered the sword’s body.

Luo Changsheng’s brows slightly knitted. His spirit sense told him the flame aura was chaotic but its power was not as great as the Golden Crow flame from before. He chuckled. “Interesting. This flame is very pretty, but I wonder how powerful it is.”

Before he had yet to finish speaking, Yun Che had already flown up, sending out a crimson flame sword beam from the Heaven Smiting Sword.

During the couple of months he spent at the bottom of the God Burying Inferno Prison, after Yun Che finished cultivating the World Ode of the Phoenix, he suddenly recalled the ice flame. Since he was able to defy the natural elemental laws using the Heretic God’s power to fuse the mutually repulsive attributes of ice and flame, then what would happen if he tried to fuse the Phoenix flame and Golden Crow flame together?

Once this thought flashed in his mind, he had immediately tried it out.

The moment the dazzling light of the first crimson flame was emitted, the still existing Phoenix soul immediately issued a tremoring shocked cry.

Since the Golden Crow flame and the Phoenix flame were both flames, their fusion was much less defiant to the natural laws than the “heaven defying” ice flame. Thus, their fusion was many times faster. Although he had yet to completely comprehend it, he could still manage to accomplish it in a few breaths if he concentrated.

As for the might of the crimson fire formed through the fusion of the two divine flames… the depths of its power were unknown.

If ordinary profound practitioners had undergone the heavy injuries Yun Che suffered, their profound energy would have been in turmoil long ago. They would’ve become lethargic and wouldn’t even be able to bring out sixty percent of their strength. Yun Che’s imposingness, on the other hand, was the same as before, having not been weakened by his injuries.

Facing the Yun Che who had ignited this strange flame, Luo Changsheng released his profound energy again, but he did not move at all. Following the shine of yellow colored profound light on his body, the gravitation field which had ruthlessly suppressed Yun Che previously came down once more.

The next instant, however, caused Luo Changsheng’s expression to slightly shift.

Beneath the gravitational force, Yun Che’s speed did not decrease in the slightest, nor did his might get suppressed. The crimson fire burned with tranquility. No matter where it went, it burned the gravitational force field Luo Changsheng pressed down, layer after layer. That tremendous power was immediately run through as a crimson sword beam was blasted directly at Luo Changsheng’s chest.

Boom!!

The huge power connected, and the Divine Wind Battleaxe firmly blocked the Heaven Smiting Sword’s power. In terms of profound strength, Yun Che was far inferior to Luo Changsheng. His body violently shook and all the blood in his body fiercely churned. However, the follow up attack that Luo Changsheng should’ve made to blast Yun Che away did not come. Luo Changsheng’s pupils enlarged, a tightness that never appeared before suddenly surfacing on his face.

The crimson flame’s light burned within his eyes. Sword and axe collided and the moment the crimson flame came before him, he suddenly felt like both his face and body had been branded by a million soldering irons. The immense pain which lasted just an instant almost made him scream out loud. At the same time, he suddenly felt that a strange abnormality had appeared on the Divine Wind Battleaxe… it too was shrilling in extreme pain.

Luo Changsheng swiftly withdrew his power and retreated backwards, lightning quick. Only then did that terrifying burning pain disappear. He lowered his head, eyes abruptly contracting.

The incomparably heavy Divine Wind Battleaxe was still faintly trembling. It possessed an extremely high level intelligence, but it had never felt this pained and frightened before. Luo Changsheng’s gaze fell at the spot he had previously blocked the Heaven Smiting Sword’s attack… A considerably wide and shallow mark was shockingly engraved there, and even faintly radiated crimson.

“Wh...at!? Though they were separated by quite a distance, how could that compare to a Divine Master’s eyesight? Holy Eaves Realm King Luo Shangchen had immediately seen the impression on the Divine Wind Battleaxe, astonishment surfacing in his eyes.

When Luo Changsheng was still in disbelief, Yun Che’s attack came yet again like a storm. The moment that streak of crimson firelight neared, Luo Changsheng no longer dared to receive it. A windstorm swept him up as he retreated far into the distance. The Divine Wind Battleaxe and the Holy Lightning Sword then blasted downward at the same time. Three thick, meter long sword beams slashed toward Yun Che, bringing along a terrible storm. Wherever it went, it plowed three deep, unsurprising grooves on the Conferred God Stage below.

In the past, Yun Che was unable to receive Luo Changsheng’s full powered attack head on. But he directly confronted it this time, not dodging nor defending. The Heaven Smiting Sword welcomed the three wind sword beams with a ruthless blast of its own, smashing out a gigantic crimson sword domain.

Chi chi chi chiiii———

When the three wind sword beams sliced into the crimson sword domain, instead of ripping apart the sword domain and piercing through it like Luo Changsheng had expected, the three wind sword beams rapidly melted amidst an incredibly frightening burning sound. They had only traveled halfway through the domain before all the profound light and power behind them completely melted into nothingness

“!!!!” Luo Changsheng’s sunken brows nearly knocked against each other.

Yet it was at this moment that Yun Che’s speed exploded, rapidly closing the distance between him and Luo Changsheng. Gigantic phoenix wings unfurled behind him, their silhouette emitting an extremely resonancing phoenix cry.

“”Empyrean Dance of the Phoenix Wing!!”

Yun Che’s entire body transformed into a streak of crimson light, traversing space in but an instant, unreservedly releasing an ultimate blast of sword might and flame might at Luo Changsheng.

BOOM———

Firelight exploded as the energy explosion shook the heavens. Yun Che spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying far away. Luo Changsheng did not retreat, but the exploding crimson flame directly burned through the defensive barrier he was the most proud of, gunning straight for his chest.

“AHHHH!!!”

A scream of immense pain suddenly sounded on the Conferred God Stage. 

Even though this scream was forcibly stifled right after by Luo Changsheng, he was unable to suppress his body’s reaction—his incomparably handsome face, which had always been as elegant as jade, was currently twisted, almost all of his facial features were completely bunched up together. His hands violently trembled as his fingers neared his chest. Shockingly imprinted there were three connecting charred bloody indentations.

He was not an ordinary person, he was Luo Changsheng who was head of the Eastern Divine Region’s Four God Children. It was simply unimaginable what kind of pain would make him involuntarily scream out in front of the gazes of the public.

“Changsheng!” Luo Guxie shouted in shock and instantly paled.

Being burned by the Phoenix flame and Golden Crow flame was already painful, let alone the crimson flame created by their fusion. Not only was its power warped, the scorching pain accompanying it also reached a different kind of warped domain. Luo Changsheng was in so much pain that even his soul was convulsing. At this moment, he heard Yun Che’s cold taunting voice.

“Didn’t you say that I wouldn’t give you a second wound on your body?” Yun Che chuckled. “The next time you try to talk big, remember to clearly check out who the person in front of you is. Otherwise, when you get slapped in the face… it’ll hurt a lot!”

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