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 1260 - Heavenly Poison Falls

Those near emotionless words pronounced the demise of a Star God. Moonflower’s pupils swiftly lost their color as she finally realized something in her last moments of lucidity...

“Could it be… that Yun Che… is...”

Jasmine slowly turned around. The bloody light in her eyes flashed once as she raised her hand and lightly flicked a finger.

A strand of gentle wind immediately brushed past Moonflower’s body.

It was only a strand of gentle wind that was created by the flick of a finger, having only enough power to brush away a dried leaf. But after coming into contact with this gentle wind, Moonflower’s body actually started to dissipate all of a sudden… just like a bunch of wooden boxes being toppled by the wind.

It was at this moment that the red line that transfixed Moonflower’s body finally disappeared.

The Heavenly Poison Star God… had fallen!

In a single instant, her body and soul had been sliced into countless tiny fragments, a swiftly spreading pool of blood and water left behind by her dissipating body. Her body had been sliced in such tiny fragments that even the people most familiar with her would not be able to find any trace of the Heavenly Poison Star God.

A short scarlet-red dagger that was held between Jasmine’s fingers soundlessly disappeared... Even though its entire body was a scarlet-red, it did not have a single droplet of blood on it. Furthermore, this blade had a name which would cause all of the people who lived in the Realm of the Gods to tremble in fear...

The God Slaying Blade!

“Big… Big Sister...”

Caizhi’s face was a ghastly white, and it was clear that she was extremely shocked and frightened by this turn of events.

Even though she loathed Moonflower… Moonflower was still a Star God.

The death of a Star God was a shocking thing and it was not something that would merely shock the Star God Realm. It was a huge event that would shake the heavens and the earth within the Eastern Divine Region, in the entire God Realm.

Compared to the Caizhi who had suffered from a great shock, Jasmine’s face was a sea of calm and indifference... It was so calm and indifferent that it seemed as if Jasmine had merely squashed an annoying fly.  When she arrived in front of Caizhi, her eyes and her voice had become far more gentle and soft, “Caizhi, I’m sorry… I used you.”

“Big Sister, you… got me to duel her, just so you could...” Caizhi’s voice trembled.

Jasmine gave a small nod of her head, “Moonflower was an insidious and cunning person. If I had told you in advance, even if your acting was extremely good, it was still very possible that she would figure out that something was off.”

Caizhi’s blanched lips opened, but no words came out of her mouth for a very long time.

“Moonflower and Rose were going to arrive in advance, so I had calculated the time of their arrival and dispatched you at a time when you would just happen to run into them... Rose’s strength lies in his mental strength whereas that also happens to be your weakest area. In addition to this, you disliked Moonflower the most, so you would definitely choose Moonflower as an opponent.”

“Furthermore, Rose has a sister complex. The first thing he’ll do when he gets back is to go see Zi Wan. As a result, he wouldn’t choose to watch the duel either.”

“This place is located in the Star God Realm. Furthermore, it is the Stardust Palace itself. So this is the place that you and Moonflower would feel most secure in. Even though you were not able to beat Moonflower, she did not dare to allow herself to be distracted while facing you... I hid in this place and waited for a good opportunity to take her life.”

“...” Caizhi’s brain was still completely dazed by this, her eyes still fixed on that pool of blood and water. She still did not dare to bring herself to believe that the puddle of blood was actually all that was left of the Heavenly Poison Star God, who did not even have a body left to bury...

“Bu... but… she… she...”

“Caizhi, you don’t need to worry,” Jasmine consoled her in a soft voice. “Moonflower deserved to die a long time ago. As for that ‘old villain’... Hmph, he won’t have the guts to do anything to me anyways.”

---------------------

As he accompanied the retinue of the Star God Emperor, Yun Che finally arrived in the Star God Realm that he had yearned to come to in his dreams.

As a king realm, the Eternal Heaven Realm had a higher status than the Star God Realm, but compared to the first time that he had stepped into the Eternal Heaven Realm, Yun Che’s emotions were several times more agitated and restless than they were before.

Because this was the place where Jasmine was born and where Jasmine currently resided.

When he had entered the Eternal Heaven Realm, the first impression that Yun Che had was that he had stepped into some sort of celestial realm. But it was at this moment, when he had entered the Star God Realm, that Yun Che truly knew what a celestial realm was supposed to look like.

The world in front of him was shrouded by clouds and mist, countless palaces and celestial mountains floated within them. Specks of light dotted the space between the heavens and the earth, one moment seeming like the light of fireflies and the next moment seeming like starlight itself.

Just like the Eternal Heaven God Realm before it, the spiritual energy of the Star God Realm was also incomparably dense and pure. Walking within this spirit energy was like bathing in a clean spring of water, soothing and clearing both the heart and mind. Under this dense spiritual energy, one could see, in a single glance, countless celestial flowers and strange plants, and countless priceless treasures of the heavens and the earth in this place.

One could hear the gurgling of water in one’s ear as countless spirit springs, that sat on the top of celestial mountains wreathed in an auspicious glow, gushed up high into the clouds.

This place… was the Star God Realm...

A place that was as beautiful and lovely as a celestial realm… No wonder it could produce and nurture such a person as my Jasmine...

“Yun Che, this place is the Star God Realm. You need not feel restrained or restricted here and you need not feel any urgency or pressure when it comes to cultivating the Star God’s Broken Shadow technique. Instead you can first relax and have fun exploring this realm.”

“I understand,” Yun Che replied.

The Star God Emperor turned around and gave a faint smile, “I heard that you came from a planet in the lower realms. It is called Neptune, is that right?”

Yun Che’s heart gave a slight thump before he spoke in an incomparably unperturbed voice, “To think that the Star God Emperor would actually know of this junior’s origins. This junior is simply far too honored… and left in extreme fear.”

“Heh heh, now that you have been dubbed the ‘child of the heavens’, things are far different from how they were back then. So it’s natural that people will be curious about where you were born.” The Star God Emperor’s eyes swivelled, “This emperor has not descended to the lower realms in many years, so I have also not heard of this Neptune either. I have no idea what sort of planet this is, that it could actually...”

Before the Star God Emperor had finished speaking, his body suddenly convulsed, his expression changing drastically.

As the emperor of the Star God Realm, only a momentous event would provoke such a violent reaction from this man. The Heavenly Origin Star God was shocked by this reaction as well, and he swiftly asked in a low voice, “What happened?”

The Star God Emperor’s expression was dark and gloomy and it was a long time before he finally said with a heavy voice, “Moonflower… is dead!”

“What!?” The Heavenly Origin Star God gasped as he went pale with shock, “Who? Who did it!?”

The Twelve Star Gods were not only a symbol of strength for the Star God Realm, they were akin to the cornerstones of the Star God Realm as well. For a Star God to fall... In the eyes of the Star God Realm, there could be no event that was bigger than this.

But who in the known universe was able to kill a Star God!? Who in the known universe would dare to kill a Star God!?

“Moonflower… was killed by somebody in an instant.”

When the Heavenly Origin Star God heard those words, his expression changed yet again.

In the entire God Realm, there was only one person who could take the life of a Star God in a mere instant!

The Heavenly Slaughter Star God!!

Amongst the Twelve Star Gods, if one were talking about a face-to-face confrontation, everyone knew that Heavenly Wolf was the strongest while Heavenly Slaughter was the weakest.

However, the most dreadful Star God of them all was the Heavenly Slaughter Star God.

Because the Heavenly Slaughter Star God’s power lay not in battle, but in “slaughter”!

The explosive power and the concealment ability of the Heavenly Slaughter Star God had no equal. The moment she was concealed in the darkness and with her God Slaying Blade in hand, she would become the most dreadful devil god in this entire universe. If she did not move, nothing would happen. But the moment she acted, gods and buddhas would fall.

Even one that was as strong as the Heavenly Poison Star God was actually robbed of her life in an instant. If anyone heard such a tale, the first thing they would think of would definitely be the Heavenly Slaughter Star God! Because in the known universe, only she would be able to accomplish such a task… and there definitely did not exist another person who could copy her feats.

“Let’s go!”

The Star God Emperor took to the air, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

“Protect Yun Che!”

Heavenly Origin Star God Tumi gave a bellow as he hurriedly followed after the Star God Emperor.

“...What happened?” Yun Che asked suspiciously.

“I have no idea,” Xing Ling said with furrowed brows as he replied in a low voice, “The god emperor’s expression was extremely ugly just now, something big has to have happened.”

BOOM!!

The palace doors of the Stardust Palace were blasted open and the Star God Emperor rushed inside. The first thing that caught his eye was that glaring puddle of water and blood… and its surface still rippled with the remnants of the Heavenly Poison Star God’s divine aura.

And to the side were both of his daughters… Jasmine and Caizhi.

“Heh, that was fast,” Jasmine said in a mocking voice, a cold smile spread across her face. “When my big brother died all those years ago, I did not see you reacting with such speed.”

As space distorted, Heavenly Origin Star God Tumi quickly followed after the Star God Emperor, his expression changing drastically when he surveyed the scene of the crime.

“You...” The Star God Emperor’s expression darkened as his entire body quivered, he was astonishingly enough already on the verge of snapping from extreme rage. Heavenly Origin Star God Tumi rushed in front of the Star God Emperor, “I beg that my king stay his anger for a while. There is definitely some reason for this! Let us first hear her Highness Jasmine out!”

“...” The Star God Emperor’s chest rose and fell so hard that it looked like it was going to burst. He had managed to contain himself but his expression and his tone of voice had both become extremely dark and heavy, “You… actually...”

“Caizhi, this has nothing to do with you, you may leave first,” Jasmine suddenly said.

“Huh?” Caizhi raised her eyes and said in a frightened and weak voice, “Big Sister...”

“Leave!” Jasmine’s voice suddenly turned serious and heavy.

“I… I understand.” Caizhi’s heart jumped as she hurriedly replied and she was about to obey Jasmine and leave.

“Oh… wait a moment.” Jasmine suddenly thought of something and stopped Caizhi from leaving. She glanced at the Star God Emperor before speaking, “I heard that you were going to bring back the person who had placed first in the Profound God Convention’s Conferred God Battle and ask me to personally teach him the ‘Star God’s Broken Shadow’ technique. Hmph, even though you shamelessly took the initiative on that, it was actually one of the rare good ideas that you had. Because I also happen to be extremely interested in this ‘child of the heavens’ who drew to himself a nine stage heavenly tribulation.”

The Star God Emperor, “...?”

“Caizhi, after you depart, bring the person who placed first in the Conferred God Battle, who is at Xing Ling’s side right now, to my Star God Palace. Tell them it is my order!”

“Ah… yes,” Caizhi said in a rather muddleheaded voice as she left the Stardust Palace.

When the Star God Emperor had said the words “the Heavenly Slaughter Star God would personally impart this to you”, it had been a gamble and a feint, and the motive behind these words was to induce Yun Che to come to the Star God Realm—Because he was convinced that the Heavenly Slaughter Star God would definitely refuse, yet he did not think that she would actually take the initiative to invite that person to her abode.

But he was presently boiling with rage over the miserable death of Heavenly Poison Star God Moonflower, so where would he find the energy to care about the matter of Yun Che? He gave a low roar as he exclaimed, “Why did you kill Moonflower!?”

“Because she was an eyesore to me,” Jasmine said with a cold laugh. “Is that reason enough?”

“You...”

“My king, please calm your wrath!” Heavenly Origin Star God Tumi said in a gentle voice. “Her Highness Jasmine, our king can tolerate any of your wrongdoings, but to kill a Star God, that is...”

“Tumi!” Jasmine’s gaze suddenly swivelled towards him, the scarlet-red light that radiated from her eyes piercing Tumi’s heart and soul like two bloody knives, “This princess is speaking to this old villain, there is no place for you to interrupt! If you don’t want to shut up and listen, then get out!!”

Tumi instantly stiffened at those words.

Not only was Heavenly Origin Star God Tumi the imperial tutor of the current Star God Emperor, he was also the one who had guided and instructed Jasmine in her cultivation of the profound way when she was young and had not yet inherited the Heavenly Slaughter Star divine power. So he could absolutely be considered at least half a master to her as well.

During that period, Tumi was also one of the people that Jasmine had respected and revered the most.

But right now, Jasmine’s gaze, as she looked at Tumi, only contained an icy coldness that cut to the heart and a dreadful killing intent.

Tumi’s lips trembled before he finally averted his eyes from Jasmine’s gaze. He turned his face away and let out a light sigh, not daring to casually breathe another word.

“Jasmine! I know that I have done you wrong, so I am extremely tolerant towards you. I tolerate your nonsense and outrages, but you… you...” The Star God Emperor’s entire body trembled as he said that. Moonflower had died just like that, a Star God had died just like that, and even though he was the Star God Emperor, he still found it hard to believe and accept this fact. “You actually killed Moonflower... Do you realize how great a crime that is!?”

“So? How are you prepared to deal with me?” Jasmine’s arms crossed over her chest and not a single trace of worry or anxiety crossed her face. Instead, her expression was filled with contempt as she said, “Are you going to kill me? Or are you going to cripple me instead?”

“You...” The features of the Star God Emperor twisted but he could not say anything.

Jasmine’s smile became even more mocking. Her eyes faintly narrowed as she spoke in a languid tone of voice, “At that time, you swore to me that as long as I supported your 【Ceremony】, you would grant me three requests. My first request was that Caizhi was not allowed to find out. You promised me that and to this point, you have indeed fulfilled it.”

“Since that is the case, I will tell you my second request right now... That request is to kill Moonflower!”

The Star God Emperor, “...”

“Even though you’ve always disgusted me in the extreme you old villain, you are still the god emperor of a king realm, so you won’t go back on your word right? Furthermore, in order to not trouble you, our most honorable Star God Emperor, and cause you worry, I personally took the initiative and got rid of her. It’s fine if you don’t thank me, but to think you’d actually shout at me and kick up such a big fuss… Ah, you’re really good to this slut, aren’t you. MUCH… BETTER… THAN… YOU… WERE… TO… MY… MOTHER!”

Those last few words were pronounced with an extremely cold hatred and killing intent.

Crack, crack, crack...

The Star God Emperor clenched his fists tightly as his joints let out explosive cracks that sounded like the fracturing of bones.

BOOOM!!

The Star God Emperor suddenly thrust his hand out and starlight ruptured with an explosive roar. Moonflower’s blood and remains completely disappeared under that obliterating starlight, there was not a single trace left of her.

The Star God Emperor tossed his long sleeve in the air before he turned around and left without a single sound.

“You must remember to clean your backside well. If you don’t and word got out that the Heavenly Poison Star God died, and at my hands at that, I’m afraid that the old villain that is yourself would become the biggest joke in the entire Eastern Divine Region.” Jasmine mockingly cast those words at his back as she narrowed her eyes.

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