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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“Very well.” Xia Qingyue nodded indifferently.

Xia Qingyue was the one avenging herself, and she was also the victor, yet she showed no expression of joy or excitement.

Qianye Ying’er was facing the extremely cruel slave imprint, something that would enslave her for a thousand years and wipe out her entire lifetime’s worth of dignity. Yet she was strangely calm and did not feel any sadness or anger.

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor, who had been silent throughout, observed these two people closely. Even though he had lived for tens of thousands of years, this was the first time he had so clearly realized that women were often far more terrifying than men... no, they were "far more than just terrifying".

This was especially true for Xia Qingyue, this Moon God Emperor who had just taken her position three years ago, who he had only met a few times. His image of her and his respect for her had just undergone an earth-shattering change.

“Eternal Heaven God Emperor,” Xia Qingyue said, “when Yun Che plants the slave imprint on her, this king will have to trouble you with helping me to greatly suppress her profound energy, so as to prevent her from suddenly attacking Yun Che during this process.”

Qianye Ying’er coldly smiled, “Xia Qingyue, you underestimate me far too much.”

“You are the one who is unworthy of this king’s trust!” Xia Qingyue said sarcastically.

“Brahma Monarch Goddess, if this is truly what you have decided on and you won’t go back on your word, then we shall proceed with what the Moon God Emperor has said,” the Eternal Heaven God Emperor calmly replied.

When the slave imprint was being planted, both people involved had to be in extremely close proximity to one another. So if Qianye Ying’er were to have any strange ideas at that moment, she could kill Yun Che in a single instant. But he would definitely not allow such a possibility to exist.

“Alright…” Qianye Ying’er did not resist and neither was she angry. She simply gave a chilling smirk and no one knew if she was laughing at Xia Qingyue or herself, “Come, everything will go according to your wishes!!”

She languidly opened her arms, withdrawing all the profound energy surrounding her body.

She was already caught in a dead end. Xia Qingyue had also already agreed to her conditions and reduced her servitude from three to one thousand years, so this conclusion was already much better than what she had anticipated.

Xia Qingyue looked as if she had given in on the surface, but actually, she had silently cut off all Qianye Ying’er’s thoughts of retreating. 

Xia Qingyue’s figure blurred, instantly appearing beside Qianye Ying’er the next moment. She stretched out her palm and without touching her, she released a ray of purple light that pressed down on Qianye Ying’er’s body. After a short pause, it entered Qianye Ying’er’s body and directly suppressed her profound veins. 

Qianye Ying’er did indeed not resist.

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor stepped forward and stood beside Qianye Ying’er. A ray white light overflowed and also pressed on Qianye Ying’er’s profound veins. With the powers of two great god emperors pressing on her profound veins, even if she were Qianye Ying’er, there was no hope for escape. 

“Brahma Monarch Goddess, even though you brought all of this upon yourself and even though this old one is unable to sympathize with you, the fact that you are able to go to such an extent for your royal father, despite your temperament, has truly opened this old one’s eyes.”

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor said in a voice that was somewhat moved.

“Yun Che, come over here,” Xia Qingyue said.

Yun Che strode out of the profound formation and slowly walked toward Qianye Ying’er until he stood face to face with her.

He was about seven and a half feet tall but he was only half a finger taller than Qianye Ying’er. Furthermore, that invisible spiritual pressure which belonged to the Brahma Monarch Goddess caused Yun Che, who was used to facing Mu Xuanyin and Xia Qingyue, to feel a deep sense of suffocation and oppression.

“Yun Che…” Qianye Ying’er said in a low and deep voice. Yun Che originally thought that she wanted to scold him harshly due to her extreme humiliation, but he instead heard her say these words slowly, “This slave imprint is repayment for the Brahma Soul Death-Wishing Mark, so this can be considered measure for measure. But… you had better be careful of that woman beside you. When she is good to you, she can offer me to you as a slave without any hesitation. But if there ever comes a day where she wants to harm you… then even having ten lives would not be enough!”

“Well said, I hope that your future master will remember these words for a long time,” Xia Qingyue said indifferently as she looked at Yun Che. “Let’s begin. You won’t refuse this, will you?”

Refuse? Only if Yun Che’s head had been kicked by a donkey!

But the person before him was Qianye Ying’er… She was the Brahma Monarch Goddess, the number one goddess in the Eastern Region who was held in the same regard as Shen Xi! 

Her background, status, strength, cunning, and means; everything about her was top notch. Just her charm and looks alone… made Jasmine’s older brother, Xisu, willing to die for her. It was also enough to make the number one god emperor in the Southern Region to fall head over heels for her.

At the same time, Qianye Ying’er was also the one person who frightened him the most. She was the person who had left the darkest shadow in his heart.

And he was actually going to... plant the slave imprint on such a person and have her as his personal slave for the next thousand years. She would have to listen to his every command and she would not be able to defy him at all! 

It would absolutely be a lie to say that he was not excited at this prospect. In fact, anyone in this world who was faced with this situation would be assaulted by feelings of boundless fantasy and surreality, let alone Yun Che… They would feel that even their most bizarre dreams would not be as ridiculous as this.

Yun Che stretched his arm out wordlessly… he practically could not say anything. His palm stretched out stiffly as he placed it on Qianye Ying’er’s forehead, dangerously close to her golden eye mask.

He had never seen Qianye Ying’er’s true countenance before.

At the same time, he had some suspicions. Could there really be anyone in this world whose looks could compare with Shen Xi’s?

 “What are you still hesitating for?”

Xia Qingyue’s indifferent words brought Yun Che back from his stupor. He gently inhaled as the slave imprint was formed swiftly, entering directly into the depths of Qianye Ying’er’s soul.

That eye mask prevented him from seeing the turmoil in Qianye Ying’er’s eyes… but her lips, lips that were inconceivably beautiful in both shape and color, were trembling slightly. The instant that the slave imprint formed by Yun Che infringed her soul, Qianye Ying’er’s body shook slightly and the slave imprint collapsed and scattered.

“Qianye Ying’er, “Xia Qingyue slowly and indifferently said, “if you are regretting this, this king will immediately let you go back and collect your royal father’s body.”

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor looked away and did not say a word as an unprecedentedly complex feeling arose in his heart. 

“Spare me your nonsense!” Qianye Ying’er spat coldly. She gritted her teeth lightly… and slowly closed her eyes.

Xia Qingyue hinted at Yun Che with her gaze and he immediately changed his hand gestures, swiftly forming a new slave imprint which once again invaded Qianye Ying’er’s soul.

This time, the invasion of the slave imprint was not obstructed at all... Only Qianye Ying’er’s pale neck and her slightly exposed countenance gave a slight tremble…

The slave imprint entered Qianye Ying’er’s soul and was deeply engraved in the depths of her soul… Unless Yun Che willingly retracted it or her soul completely shattered, there was no chance of removing it.

It was… done…?

Yun Che could sense the slave imprint that he had created deeply engrave itself in Qianye Ying’er’s soul, this sort of special soul bond was incomparably clear. Yun Che’s palm continued to hover in midair and it remained there for a very long time. A dazzled look had also appeared in his eyes and it did not fade away until a long while later.

Because this surreal feeling was simply far too intense.

Xia Qingyue retracted her palm and the purple light faded away. At the same time, the Eternal Heaven God Emperor had also retracted his powers. Qianye Ying’er, who was no longer suppressed, just stood still… At this very moment, if she wished to, just a small flick of her fingers would completely obliterate Yun Che, who was standing right in front of her.

But Xia Qingyue was not the least bit worried. Because the moment the slave imprint entered her soul, Qianye Ying’er became the last person who would ever hurt Yun Che in this world.

On the contrary, whoever dared to hurt a strand of his hair, no matter who it was, would become her greatest enemy.

“Sigh—” The Eternal Heaven God Emperor let out a long sigh. He had actually silently agreed to, witnessed, and helped to form the slave imprint. It was obvious that he would have complicated feelings. 

“Qianye Ying’er, shouldn’t you hurry and greet your master,” Xia Qingyue said in a gentle but cold voice. 

“Hmph!” Qianye Ying’er’s tone was penetratingly cold, “Xia Qingyue, you still don’t have the qualifications to lecture me!” 

She faced Yun Che and instantly, the coldness and hatred toward Xia Qingyue had completely disappeared. She completely restrained her aura, and replaced it with one that was cautious and fearful… she, who had only bowed to Qianye Fantian and who had also sworn to only ever bow to Qianye Fantian, was now bowing to Yun Che: 

“Qianye Ying’er… greets Master.”

Her tone held its customary iciness but the usual arrogance and haughtiness were gone, and whether it was Xia Qingyue or the Eternal Heaven God Emperor, both heard a respect that bordered on piety in her voice. 

“...” Yun Che was lost in a trance when he saw the Brahma Monarch Goddess kneeling in front of him.

How many people in this world had ever seen her kneeling posture?

Her long golden hair gently brushed against the ground and reflected the brightest and most luxurious brilliance in this universe. The body underneath that golden armor was so beautiful that no words could describe it and no painting could capture it, and it was right now kneeling at his feet in the most humble and respectful manner… She would not even dare to raise her head or stand up before he spoke.

Yun Che did not know that even before Qianye Fantian, Qianye Ying’er would only kneel for a short while at most and not stoop to bow in such a manner.

“Eternal Heaven God Emperor, in this case, Yun Che now has one more talisman and one less person who would harm him. Even the Brahma Monarch God Realm would not dare to do any harm to him and this could be called killing two birds with one stone. Surely you will be able to put your heart at rest now,” Xia Qingyue said calmly. 

Though his feelings were currently complicated, the Eternal Heaven God Emperor agreed and nodded his head, “You are right. In this current situation, Yun Che’s safety is indeed the most important.”

Taking a look at the Eternal Heaven God Emperor’s complexion, Xia Qingyue comforted him, “Planting a slave imprint is indeed an inhumane act and it must be hard for the Eternal Heaven God Emperor to accept it. But in this case, both are willing parties and since we have decided to slightly resolve our past debts and hatred, this act only brings about benefits and not harm. Moreover, the Eternal Heaven God Emperor is only a witness and did not participate in it at all. Please don’t be too concerned about this matter.” 

“Haha.” The Eternal Heaven God Emperor smiled faintly. “Please rest assured, though this old one hates evil people and evil deeds, I am not an overly-stubborn man. Since I have agreed to be a witness, I would not have any second thoughts. Moreover, your words are correct. Putting aside other grudges, just going by the sole fact that she planted the Brahma Soul Death-Wishing Mark on Yun Che, suffering this consequence… is only fitting for her!”

Xia Qingyue no longer said anything and gave the Eternal Heaven God Emperor a small bow.

    …………

At the same time, Brahma Monarch God Realm.

Gu Zhu was a special existence in the Brahma Monarch God Realm. Not many people knew of his name, and even fewer people knew of his true background and identity. They only knew that he often accompanied the Goddess and was especially valued by the god emperor. His status in the realm was not inferior to any of the Brahma Kings.

Like a spirit, Gu Zhu arrived at the Brahma Heaven Temple without a sound. He entered the hall without even reporting and once again, he flashed and appeared in front of Qianye Fantian like a spirit.

“Master, this old servant has something to report.” He gave out a low voice which was extremely horrible to listen to.

As deadly poison and devilish energy twined around his entire body, Qianye Fantian opened his eyes and said slowly, “All of you, leave.”

All the Brahma kings who were guarding by the side were slightly stunned but they did not dare to question him. All of the people left the hall, including those Brahma Kings that were poisoned.

In a short span of time, Qianye Fantian and Gu Zhu were the only two people left in the hall.

Gu Zhu stretched out his withered hand and a golden ray flashed across the hall as the Brahma Soul Bell appeared in his palm. He presented it to Qianye Fantian with incomparable respect, “Miss had entrusted this old servant to pass the sacred bell to Master.”

Qianye Fantian’s complexion was icy and calm and he actually did not show any signs of shock. He acknowledged those words with an indifferent hum. Then, with a single flick of his fingers, the Brahma Soul Bell returned to him, disappearing in his palm.

After that, he returned to his peaceful state and did not ask anything about why Qianye Ying’er returned the Brahma Soul Bell through Gu Zhu or where she had gone to.

Under his huge gray robe, Gu Zhu’s face, that seemed to be even more withered than an old tree, trembled silently. He, someone who was not usually talkative, asked at this moment, “Master, it seems that you knew in advance that Miss would return it?” 

“Haha,” Qianye Fantian laughed out loud. Even though it was a very faint laugh, it matched his countenance that had turned greenish-black due to the deadly poison, making it seem exceptionally sinister and terrifying, “The Brahma Soul Bell has been her long-cherished wish and lifetime’s goal. If I did not give her a nudge using the Brahma Soul Bell, how would she save my life so obediently!?”

“...” Gu Zhu stood rooted there and remained speechless for a long time. His pupils, that had not been perturbed for a long time, trembled violently in fear… It was only after a long while that he managed to slowly settle down.  

Note:"Feet" being used here for height is an ancient version of Chinese feet (Chi).

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