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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Xia Qingyue’s words stunned everyone present, causing Shui Qianheng, who had already resigned himself to fate, to jerk his head upwards. “You… you can’t! This matter was my idea alone, it has nothing to do with anyone else.”

“Shui Qianheng, why bother lying to us and yourself?” Xia Qingyue said in a chilly voice. “As the Glazed Light Realm King, if not for your youngest daughter, whom you pamper and love the most, would you really risk the safety of the entire Glazed Light Realm and secretly hide the devil Yun Che for a whole twenty-four hours?”

“I don’t believe you would have, and neither does the Eternal Heaven God Emperor. In fact, it’s impossible for anyone to believe that.”

Indeed, anyone would be able to come to the realization that the only person who could cause Shui Qianheng, the Glazed Light Realm King, to disregard the safety of the Glazed Light Realm was his daughter.

“No.” Shui Qianheng violently shook his head. He, the person who had been calm and unafraid in the face of death, now wore an expression filled with fear. “Moon God Emperor, you said that you’d punish me alone just now, and that you definitely wouldn’t touch anyone else. As a mighty and exalted god emperor, how can you go back on your words?”

“This king only said that she would not kill anyone else. I never said that I would not investigate anyone else.” She glanced at Shui Meiyin. “Shui Qianheng, you should be well aware that if she did not possess the only Stainless Divine Soul in this world, if she was not the unique treasure of our Eastern Divine Region, the very first person this king would punish would not be you, Shui Qianheng!”

“But since it involves the devil Yun Che, there is no way that this king can simply let her off.” Xia Qingyue’s eyes turned slightly. “Eternal Heaven God Emperor, what do you think?”

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor did not meet Xia Qingyue’s gaze, but he understood her meaning well enough… Xia Qingyue had already relented when it came to the matter of Shui Qianheng and his punishment had been reduced to getting rid of his strength as a Divine Master. If he, the Eternal Heaven God Emperor, tried to force the issue and protect Shui Meiyin as well, this would not only enrage the Moon God Emperor, it would also cause the rest of the world to look at this matter strangely if it were to ever get out.

“Eternal Heaven God Emperor.” Shui Qianheng did his best to move forward even though his body was still transfixed by the Purple Pylon Divine Sword. It seemed as if he did not feel any pain or care about his injuries. He looked at the Eternal Heaven God Emperor and practically begged him. “Even if my humble daughter Meiyin has done wrong, it is due to her youth and inexperience. Everything… The authority to decide everything rests with this sinner Qianheng. Qianheng is willing to pay for his crimes with his life, but I beg that the Eternal Heaven God Emperor save my humble daughter. I beg… for the Moon God Emperor’s magnanimity. Even if this Qianheng dies, I will still be grateful for your act of mercy.”

He had calmly admitted his crimes and faced his own death, completely displaying the bearing and dignity of a higher realm king. But once it concerned his daughter, he had reverted into a father completely. He had become so panicked, helpless… and pathetic.

Given the mercilessness of the Moon God Emperor, especially her resolute determination towards Yun Che, he was unable to imagine just how she would treat Shui Meiyin once she had fallen into her hands… In fact, he did not even dare to imagine her treatment.

Xia Qingyue did not seem the least bit moved. She coldly said, “Since this king already promised the Eternal Heaven God Emperor that I wouldn’t kill you, then I definitely won’t do so. Otherwise, wouldn’t this king become a despicable and untrustworthy person?”

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor, “...”

“In fact, even if you desire death now, this king will not allow it. When you hid Yun Che back then, you should have thought of the price you would pay today!”

“Moon God Emperor,” the Eternal Heaven God Emperor suddenly spoke up. He continued in an unhurried manner, “I’ll have to trouble you to exact Shui Qianheng’s punishment, but how about you allow this old one to handle Shui Meiyin? Since it is imprisonment, then there should be no difference between the Moon God Realm and my Eternal Heaven God Realm, correct?”

The gloom in Shui Qianheng’s eyes lessened, and his eyes had now started to shine with some hope.

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor was extremely fond of Shui Meiyin, this was something the entire Eastern Divine Region knew. Long before the Profound God Convention, the Eternal Heaven God Emperor had not hesitated to pay a personal visit to the Glazed Light Realm just to take Shui Meiyin as his direct disciple… he had even wanted to make her his very last disciple, but Shui Qianheng had turned him down.

If she was imprisoned in the Eternal Heaven God Realm, even if she truly could not take a single step outside of it for the next millennia, given the righteousness of the Eternal Heaven God Realm and the fondness the Eternal Heaven God Emperor displayed toward her, she definitely would not come to any harm.

“It looks like the Eternal Heaven God Emperor is kind and benevolent to the end. You are even so merciful and compassionate to the sinners who hid away the devil Yun Che,” Xia Qingyue said.

“Ultimately, their actions were a result of their natures. It was not because they desired to help the devils in any capacity,” the Eternal Heaven God Emperor said. “Otherwise, this old one would also not be so ‘compassionate’. I am sure the Moon God Emperor is well aware of this.”

“That is indeed true,” Xia Qingyue said. “If not, why would this king even be willing to take half a step backwards. However, a mistake is still a mistake. If no price is paid for it, then wouldn’t it be unjust to the people who will suffer the consequences of their wrongdoings!?”

“Ah.” The Eternal Heaven God Emperor let out a long sigh and said, “Saying anything more would be meaningless. How about imprisoning Shui Meiyin in my Eternal Heaven God Realm? The Moon God Emperor need not worry, this old one absolutely will not allow her to take a single step out of the Eternal Heaven God Realm before a thousand years have passed. I will ensure that she reflects on her wrongdoing every day. After a thousand years have passed, this old one will also be responsible for ensuring that she uses her powers to make up for her crimes.”

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor knew that it was likely that the Moon God Emperor would reject his words. It could be said that everyone in the universe knew about his intense desire to take Shui Meiyin as his disciple back then. However, after she thought about it for a brief period of time, Xia Qingyue slowly nodded her head and said these words that greatly surprised him, “Since the Eternal Heaven God Emperor is so insistent, then this king… will give Shui Meiyin the chance to make a choice.”

Choice?

“Shui Meiyin.” Xia Qingyue slowly turned around and looked straight at the girl who had been silent the whole time. “Even though hiding the devil Yun Che was your father’s doing, you are the most important reason for his actions. Being imprisoned in a king realm for a thousand years is the most compassionate punishment that this king can think of. Moreover, this punishment would also save your father’s life.”

“You do not have the right to reject. But right now, this king will give you the chance to choose.” Xia Qingyue’s beautiful eyes grew relaxed and her voice became gentler. “The Moon God Realm or the Eternal Heaven God Realm, I will let you choose!”

“Of course, if you want to go to the Brahma Monarch God Realm, that’s acceptable as well.”

It seemed as if it did not matter to Xia Qingyue which king realm in the Eastern Divine Region carried out the punishment… As for the Star God Realm, they had been quietly kicked out of the ranks of the king realms.

Once she said these words, everyone present breathed a deep sigh of relief. Both Shui Qianheng and Shui Yingyue looked towards Shui Meiyin. Their eyes trembled, but they did not utter a word… Because this was a choice that could not be any simpler.

After a brief period of silence, Shui Meiyin’s gaze came into contact with Xia Qingyue’s own. They only beheld each other’s eyes in this moment… Both pairs of eyes were deep and boundless. It was just that one pair of eyes looked like a dark night sky that was dotted with countless bright and resplendent stars, while the other pair was clearly a dreamy purple color but resembled a purple abyss that held no other light.

Shui Meiyin’s lips softly moved and she spoke as if she were in a dream, “I will follow you… to the Moon God Realm.”

Shui Meiyin’s reply stunned all three people at the same time. Shui Qianheng could not help but blurt out, “Meiyin! You… what sort of foolishness is this!? Go to Eternal Heaven… that is the place that’s more suited for you!”

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor was even more mystified… Could she really not see the one who was trying to protect her? The one who had desperately protected the entire Glazed Light Realm?

Shui Meiyin’s gaze turned toward them and she let out a very soft laugh as she said, “The Moon God Emperor is right. No matter what reasons we had, in the eyes of the Eastern Divine Region, we did commit a grave sin. Since we were wrong, then we should make up for our crimes. Since we are paying for our crimes… if I were to choose the Eternal Heaven God Realm, then Father… and the Glazed Light Realm will have to endure countless criticisms from now on. Because once today’s matter is spread to the rest of the world, everyone will know that it was Grandpa Eternal Heaven who protected me.”

“It’s fine, it’s absolutely fine,” Shui Qianheng anxiously said. “Your safety is far more important than that!”

Shui Meiyin shook her head and said to Xia Qingyue, “Moon God Emperor, I will return with you to the Moon God Realm. I request that you honor your words and let my royal father off.”

“How can this king go back on her words?” As Xia Qingyue said those words, the purple sword projection that pierced Shui Qianheng’s body suddenly swelled up explosively and a flash of purple light exploded in front of Shui Qianheng’s chest, directly striking at his profound veins.

“Father!”

Shui Qianheng let out a heavy moan, but he did not struggle or resist. He knew that those actions would only make matters worse. He allowed that fearsome power to surge into his profound veins and mercilessly destroy the strength that had allowed him to stand proudly over all creation...

Buzz!

As the fantastic purple light died, the Purple Pylon Divine Sword disappeared from Xia Qingyue’s hand. Shui Qianheng slowly sank to his knees, the hole in his chest still gushing fresh blood.

Shui Yingyue moved forward to support her father’s body as she panickedly used profound energy to seal his wound… He had kept his life, but even if he made a full recovery, his cultivation would drop to the Divine Sovereign Realm. Furthermore, due to the severity of his wounds, it was very possible that his cultivation would never return to the Divine Master Realm in his lifetime.

The Divine Sovereign Realm was a realm of power that countless profound practitioners could not enter even if they spent their entire lives trying. But he was the Glazed Light Realm King… For his cultivation to fall from the latter stages of the Divine Master Realm to the Divine Sovereign Realm was no different than death.

Shui Yingyue’s hands were shaking. Her delicate head drooped low and she did not raise it… because she was afraid that Xia Qingyue would see the rage and bloodlust violently surging in her eyes.

“Let us depart.” Xia Qingyue turned around and no longer looked at anyone else.

“Right… now?” Shui Meiyin’s voice was very soft. It was as if she had fallen into a slumber that she had not woken up from.

“Yes,” Xia Qingyue replied.

“Alright.” She gave a small nod of her head. She took one last look at her father and big sister before she said in a very soft voice, “Daddy, Big Sister, wait for my return.”

With just those words, she started to slowly walk forward. When she neared Xia Qingyue’s back, Yao Yue suddenly extended a hand and a blue barrier engulfed her and sealed her within itself.

“I will not allow anyone else to take responsibility for something that has already happened…” The Eternal Heaven God Emperor’s calm voice was tinged with pain. “Treat her kindly.”

Xia Qingyue did not say anything. After an instant had passed, she had already left into the distance with Yao Yue and Shui Meiyin, quickly vanishing from their sight.

Bang!

As Shui Yingyue stared into the distance absent-mindedly, Shui Qianheng limply collapsed to the ground, his entire body shaking in pain. It was just that he was not being tormented by his physical pain, he was being tormented by a pain of the heart.

The moment Shui Meiyin entered the Moon God Realm, her fate would be entirely under the control of the Moon God Emperor. No one would be able to even help her, much less save her.

The world had long ago started to regard the current Moon God Emperor with the same dread as the Brahma Monarch Goddess. Now that Shui Meiyin had fallen into her hands… No one could imagine what the results of this would be. In fact, no one even dared to imagine it.

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor did not leave immediately. He looked at Shui Qianheng and sighed as he said, “Glazed Light Realm King, you do not need to worry too much. At the very least, she will definitely keep her life.”

Right now, the only thing that was guaranteed was Shui Meiyin’s life… Other than her life, far too many things could happen over the course of a thousand years.

“The consequences that you reaped today… Glazed Light Realm King, do you feel any regret?” The Eternal Heaven God Emperor asked.

“Re...gret?” Shui Qianheng slowly raised his head and there was a trace of a miserable smile on his pale face. “Why would… I need to regret?”

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor’s brow furrowed slightly as he spoke in a gentle voice, “Right now, Yun Che is in the Northern Divine Region, a place where our hands cannot reach. As such, we have left a calamity with dreadful potential to fester. Could it be that you still do not think that you’ve done anything wrong?”

“Calamity?” The miserable smile remained on Shui Qianheng’s face. “Hasn’t the greatest calamity already passed us? Could it be that there could still be a greater calamity than the Devil Emperor and the devil gods?”

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor, “...”

“Moreover, the person who rescued us from this apocalyptic calamity was none other than Yun Che.” Shui Qianheng’s face was masked with pain, but his voice and words were incredibly hard. “The person that I saved back then was not just my future son-in-law. Even more than that, he was my savior… He was the savior of my Glazed Light Realm… It was only righteous and just for me to save him, what wrong did I commit!?”

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor’s face suddenly went completely rigid. Perhaps he could not quite believe that Shui Qianheng had actually said such a thing. “Glazed Light Realm King, no matter what happened in the past… didn’t you know that he had already become a devil at that time!?”

“Devil…” Shui Qianheng muttered under his breath. “What is a devil? Back then, the Yun Che that I saw was the person who was called the Child of the Heavens, the one who was crowned with the prophecy of the ‘return of the True Gods’. Someone who had both the legacy of the Heretic God and the Sky Poison Pearl. Someone who possessed limitless possibilities… He, a person who had everything, even obtained the protection of the Devil Emperor upon her return to this world.”

“Eternal Heaven God Emperor, have you ever thought of what anyone else that you know would have done, had that person been in Yun Che’s shoes? He would have tried his best to get the Devil Emperor to stay in the Primal Chaos Realm forever. Because that way, he would have been the supreme ruler of the universe after the Devil Emperor and even the god emperors and the Dragon Monarch himself would have had to bend their knees to him!”

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor opened his mouth, but he could not make a single sound.

“You saw better than anyone the things that Yun Che did. He was the one who ultimately convinced the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor to leave the Primal Chaos. If not, even if the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor truly did not mean to bring disaster to this world, those returning devil gods would definitely have transformed the Primal Chaos Realm into a purgatory.”

“The title of ‘God Child Messiah’ that you personally conferred to him, was well and truly deserved!”

“No one will deny or forget the things that he did back then. However…” The Eternal Heaven God Emperor sighed as he said, “What is the use of saying all of these things right now?”

“Deny or forget?” Shui Qianheng shook his head. “The world is basically unaware of everything that he has done, so how can they deny or forget? The only things that they know are that he was the companion of the Evil Infant, and became a sinful devil!”

“The only reason I am saying all of these things is to ask the Eternal Heaven God Emperor one thing…” Shui Qianheng’s body was growing weaker and weaker and his consciousness was wavering on the brink of oblivion, but his voice had grown incredibly clear. “How did someone whose heart was so kind and compassionate that he could even be called naive suddenly become a devil that all of you fear so much…”

“That’s enough!” Those words had violently prodded a sensitive area for the Eternal Heaven God Emperor, causing him to bellow in a low voice. His aura had clearly been thrown into disarray as well. He turned around and said, “He did indeed save the world. However… if he were to bring back all of these disasters one day, would you still take his side with such fervor?”

“The only thing that I know is that every single person in my Glazed Light Realm owes him their lives. If he wants to take them, then he is welcome to them. However…” Shui Qianheng suddenly laughed, “I do know if that day ever does come, even if he slaughters all of the other star realms, he definitely won’t kill a single person from the Glazed Light Realm…”

“Even if he does become a demon, in the end… he is still the son-in-law… that I, Shui Qianheng, have approved of…”

After he said those words, Shui Qianheng’s consciousness scattered and he finally fell unconscious.

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor was frozen in place. He raised his head and closed his eyes, his entire body gently trembling… It was only after an indeterminate amount of time had passed that he finally flew into the distance. However, he did not head in the direction that the Eternal Heaven God Realm lay. 

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