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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Calamity and Misfortune… that name caused bewilderment to cross everyone’s face. However, they saw a look of shock they had never seen before on both the Burning Moon God Emperor and Fen Daozang’s faces.

One breath… two breaths… three breaths...

Three full breaths passed before the Burning Moon God Emperor finally came back to his senses. He replied in a deep voice, “The Calamity and Misfortune Formation and the transformation of your Witches. Were all of these things because… he inherited the power of a devil emperor!?”

However, he was the Burning Moon God Emperor in the end. Even if his thoughts were swirling inside his head like a tsunami, he had to quickly deal with this clearly unimaginable thing that was happening right in front of him… As a god emperor of the Northern Region, how could he not know that the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor had returned to the Primal Chaos and had left again because of Yun Che.

Many people were still unaware of the words Calamity and Misfortune, but they had clearly heard the words “power of a devil emperor”. For a moment, even powerhouses like the Moon Eaters felt as if heavenly lightning had just struck their bodies. They were so shocked that their eyes very nearly burst out of their sockets.

A Devil Emperor… one of the emperors of the primordial True Devils, an existence that transcended faith itself!

“The Eternal Calamity of Darkness,” Chi Wuyao said with a faint smile. “The Burning Moon God Emperor can’t be unaware of who this devil art belonged to and what sort of qualities it possesses, correct?”

The Burning Moon God Emperor, “!!”

“No! That’s not possible!” Fen Daozang yelled as he took a few steps forward, his voice incredibly anxious and strident. “The Eternal Calamity of Darkness was the unique devil art which belonged to the primordial Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor! The records state that even the True Devils in her clan and the other Devil Emperors themselves were unable to cultivate it. So how can Yun Che… How can he possibly…”

“Then what exactly did you just witness?” Chi Wuyao said with a knowing smile.

“...” Fen Daozang trailed off and he no longer knew what to say.

The two Witches’ ability to control darkness had completely transcended all logic and common sense. The Burning Moon God Emperor himself paled in comparison to them. In addition to that, there was that dreadful devil formation he had personally tasted, a devil formation that far exceeded his comprehension… These were powers that should not belong in the present day. Powers that fit the exact description of the Eternal Calamity of Darkness, the symbol of ultimate darkness, left behind in their records and legends.

“Perfect compatibility with the darkness is something that has never appeared before in the one million year history of the Northern Divine Region. On the other hand, Yun Che, who has inherited a Devil Emperor’s power and cultivated the Eternal Calamity of Darkness, can do it with a mere flip of his hand.”

Chi Wuyao spoke in a slow and languid voice, but every single word that proceeded from her lips shook the very universe. “The Burning Moon God Emperor was curious as to why this queen summoned back all of my Witches, Soul Spirits, and Soul Attendants, correct? Do you understand the reason now?”

The Burning Moon God Emperor’s body swayed slightly.

Fen Daozang, the gathered Moon Eaters, the Burning Moon God Emperor, and all of his children who were present were instantly struck dumb by that pronouncement.

Perfect compatibility with the darkness, that was something that had never existed in the Northern Divine Region before… but Yun Che could realize it with what amounted to a flip of his hand!?

The reason why all of the Witches, Soul Spirits, and Soul Attendants had been summoned back...

This also meant that their ability to control the power of darkness had completely exceeded that of any previous god emperor!? Thanks to Yun Che, they had achieved perfect compatibility with the darkness, a feat that no god emperor had ever been able to accomplish before!

This, this kind of freaking...

If this was really true, wouldn’t that mean… that those who were once equal to them would now always be at a higher height than them?

The middle stage level eight Ninth Witch had handed the late stage level eight Ji Daopian a complete and utter defeat just due to her perfect mastery of darkness.

If all of the Witches had undergone a similar transformation then the Moon Eaters would undoubtedly be inferior to them from now on!

If this extended to the Soul Spirits, to the Soul Attendants… to their entire Star Realm, then the entire Burning Moon Realm would be unequivocally inferior to the Soul Stealing Realm!

As to what heights the Nine Witches could reach in terms of profound strength...

Just thinking about it caused their bodies to be drenched in cold sweat. They did not dare imagine it any further.

When they now looked at the currently seated, silent and unmoving Yun Che, the way they viewed him had undergone an earth-shattering change.

The Burning Moon God Emperor’s eyes faintly narrowed and he managed to quietly stop his eyes from trembling, something that very nearly escaped his control. “Back when the darkness aura in the Northern Divine Region started to undergo those frequent and bizarre changes, after a while we discovered that this was because the ancient Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor had not fallen. Instead, she had survived in the void outside the Primal Chaos to this very day and she made her triumphant return filled with hatred… But she then later decided to return to the void outside the Primal Chaos because of Yun Che.”

Given the mutual enmity and isolation the Northern Divine Region shared with the other three divine regions, the Burning Moon God Emperor had no way of knowing the exact details, but he did know the basic story.

“To think that the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor left behind such a precious gift of darkness before she departed.”

After he said those words, his gaze fell on Yun Che. “No wonder you were able to kill the Yama Ghost King while only being at the seventh level of the Divine Sovereign Realm. No wonder the Devil Queen is willing to make you her emperor. The Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor… the Eternal Calamity of Darkness. It looks like the time has finally come for our Northern Divine Region to break the shackles of fate.”

Excitement and animation started to creep into his voice as he spoke those words.

But how could Chi Wuyao not see the intentions behind those words. She gave a dry chuckle as she said, “Burning Moon God Emperor, it’s far too late for you to flatter him now. Because he belongs to this queen! Belongs to the Soul Stealing Realm! He does not belong to the Northern Divine Region! And your Burning Moon Realm can only dream of having him!”

The Burning Moon God Emperor’s face went a little stiff, but he immediately smoothed his expression. He gave a small smile before saying, “The Devil Queen’s words are too excessive. As the ancient emperor of the True Devils, the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor surely left such an inheritance behind for the future of our Northern Divine Region. It was definitely meant to change this entire region’s fate! How can it belong… solely to your Soul Stealing Realm!?”

Perhaps someone else would not be able to bring themselves to believe that Yun Che had inherited a devil emperor’s powers and the Eternal Calamity of Darkness. However, given the fact that he had inherited the primordial memories left to every Burning Moon God Emperor, the annals left behind in the Burning Moon Realm, and the things he had just witnessed… There was no way he could doubt these facts.

He also did not doubt Chi Wuyao’s words in the slightest!

If it continued on like this and all the Witches, Soul Spirits, and Soul Attendants were completely reborn, then his Burning Moon Realm would be trampled by the Soul Stealing Realm before they knew what hit them!

If the two newest and weakest Witches could manage to eventually suppress the strongest Moon Eater of his Burning Moon Realm, then the results would have been unimaginable… if the Great Witches had come!

All of this had happened because of one person, Yun Che!

The Burning Moon God Emperor’s face was calm and composed, but every strand of his spirit, every vein in his body felt like they had been thrust into a flaming inferno. 

He had long known that Yun Che had entered the Northern Divine Region; he had even ordered his people to chase after him and hunt him down because of the Untamed Divine Marrow. However, he had never been aware of the fact that the boy had actually inherited the power of a Devil Emperor and the Eternal Calamity of Darkness… and it had ended up being taken by the Soul Stealing Realm first!

If the Burning Moon Realm had been the one to obtain Yun Che, then all of these things… would belong to his Burning Moon Realm!

“Heh, how ridiculous.”

As expected, the only response that the Burning Moon God Emperor’s words garnered was a cold, mocking retort from Chi Wuyao. “Yun Che is a living, breathing human being. He is the one who decides where he will go, who he will belong to. Since when did he ever become an object to be shared with the entire Northern Divine Region? Did the Burning Moon God Emperor bother to use his brain before he uttered such nonsense?”

“Furthermore, you haven’t so quickly forgotten that you once… secretly sent people to hunt him down, right?”

“If you’ve truly forgotten about it, this queen will remember it for you.”

The Burning Moon God Emperor strove to maintain his composure with all of his might, but his eyebrows still dipped a fraction.

Chi Wuyao suddenly let her eyes wander and that soul-penetrating gaze slowly swept across the body of every person in the hall. After that, she spoke in the softest of voices. “The fate of the Northern Divine Region will indeed be changed. But my Soul Stealing Realm will be the one that will change everything. Of course…”

“If anyone wants to be reborn in the span of a single day and personally experience a whole new realm of darkness. If anyone wants to personally be a part of this change and witness everything that is going to happen, my Soul Stealing Realm will warmly welcome each and every one of you.”

Those devilish, dulcet tones drilled straight into their hearts and started twining around their very souls.

From the Moon Eaters to princes and princesses, everyone had been stirred by that voice.

The Burning Moon God Emperor’s hands curled up slightly. He did not need to survey the hall to see how much of an impact Chi Wuyao’s words had created.

They had all witnessed the strength of the Witches. If they could achieve the same rebirth in the span of a single day… that could be said to be the greatest bait to ever exist in the Northern Divine Region. Every person who cultivated dark profound energy would be moved by such a proposition, it had nothing to do with whether they were loyal or not.

Furthermore, the stronger a person was, the greater their heart would be stirred by this proposition.

She was swaying the hearts of the people of the Burning Moon Realm right in front of their god emperor. Any other god emperor would have burst into a terrible rage at this moment… Still, the Burning Moon God Emperor’s anger was not to be stirred. In fact, he did not even say anything in rebuke.

Because the feeling of being violently trampled by the Soul Stealing Realm was far too real. The Burning Moon God Emperor, someone who had never been willing to clash violently with the Soul Stealing Realm in the past… did not need to consider whether he needed to do so anymore.

As she indifferently glanced at the Burning Moon God Emperor, Chi Wuyao’s lips curved up imperceptibly. She had accomplished whatever she had sought to do today.

Without mentioning whether the Burning Moon God Emperor even dared to do anything outrageous anymore, just the fact that his Moon Eaters and Burning Moon Divine Envoys had been so agitated by her arrival meant that he would have no time to deal with any foreign affairs for the time being.

It was not that her plan had been very brilliant this time. It was simply that the power displayed by Yun Che’s Eternal Calamity of Darkness had been far too overwhelming… After all, this was one of the ultimate powers that had led the True Devils back in the Primordial Era.

Chi Wuyao turned around seductively and faced the entrance of the great hall. She spoke with her back facing the Burning Moon God Emperor. “For the last two years, the Burning Moon God Emperor must have been worried that this queen would come and ask you to settle that old debt with me, right?”

The Burning Moon God Emperor, “...”

“Hmph.” She gave a playful snort before she chuckled dryly. “You can put that anxiety to rest for now. Because a mere Untamed Divine Marrow is no longer that important to this queen.”

“When Yun Che is made emperor of the Soul Stealing Realm, I hope that the Burning Moon God Emperor won’t hesitate to come and witness it personally.”

“Let’s go.”

Just as Yun Che rose to his feet, the Burning Moon God Emperor suddenly spoke.

“Please wait a moment.”

Chi Wuyao turned towards him, “Oh, does the Burning Moon God Emperor still have some wisdom to impart?”

The Burning Moon God Emperor slowly strode forward. An emotion that was hard to distinguish flashed in his calm eyes and he gave a faint smile as he said, “This king has already taken the Devil Queen’s intentions to heart. Still, it is extremely rare for me to have a meeting with the Devil Queen so this king will take this exceedingly rare opportunity to be slightly presumptuous and ask the Devil Queen for a favor. I hope that the Devil Queen will oblige me.”

“Oh?” Chi Wuyao responded in a dry voice.

The Burning Moon God Emperor bowed his head slightly as he said, “When the life of each god emperor of the Northern Divine Region reaches its natural end, their greatest wish is to witness the realm of darkness that lay beyond our limits. Yet, no one has ever been able to fulfill that wish.”

“Even the Yama Realm’s Yama Ancestors, who have been steeping themselves in darkness for nearly a million years, have never been able to break through the limit known as ‘Divine Master’.”

“However… if the power of the Devil Queen has been merged with the power of the Eternal Calamity of Darkness, it is possible that you have reached a realm of darkness that even our ancestors have never seen before.”

Devilish light shone from the Burning Moon God Emperor’s left hand as he beckoned her respectfully with his right. “So I request that the Devil Queen duel with this king and fulfill my greatest wish.”

It was very obvious that he wanted to see the limits of Chi Wuyao’s strength.

If the weakest Witches in the Soul Stealing Realm could undergo such a startling transformation thanks to the Eternal Calamity of Darkness. Then, if Chi Wuyao’s strength, which had already reached the ultimate pinnacle of power, was bolstered by the Eternal Calamity of darkness, would it also far exceed what it used to be?

Because this was the emperor of the Soul Stealing Realm, someone who had always been his equal in power and position, this point was clearly incomparably important to him.

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