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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“Fen Daoqi! You… You treacherous dog!”

When Fen Daoqi fell to his knees in front of Chi Wuyao, countless Burning Moon elites felt their hearts and souls shudder and crumble apart.

Their god emperor had died, their barrier had been collapsed, the core of their inheritance had fallen into another person’s hands. To top it all off, the Devil Queen and her Great Witch had descended upon their capital. All of them had been sure that there would be a few useless cowards who would surrender to the Devil Queen. But no one had expected that Fen Daoqi, the imperial advisor whom the Burning Moon God Emperor had greatly respected and held in high regard, would be the very first one!

He had not even put up a fight. Chi Wuyao had only needed to say a few words before he fell to his knees and proclaimed his undying loyalty to her!

“Fen Daoqi… can you still look our king in the face after saying such a thing!?”

“You’ve enjoyed the favors of the Burning Moon Realm your entire life, yet you are the first to betray your master and principles the moment we meet with calamity… When you die, will you still be able to look at the god emperor in the face after doing such a thing!? Will you be able to look our ancestors in the face!?”

“...”

Every Moon Eater and Burning Moon Divine Envoy got to their feet. They were seething with anger, but confusion was also raging in their hearts. Because they knew Fen Daoqi as someone who had advised and helped the Burning Moon God Emperor for his entire life. He and his clan had been staunchly loyal to him. He had not hesitated to put everything on the line time and again to ensure that Feng Daojun ascended the throne. He could be called someone who was willing to die ten thousand deaths for Feng Daojun.

If that was not the case, there was no way Feng Daojun would have regarded him with such esteem and respect… So why had he turned traitor so quickly?

Fen Daoqi turned back to meet the sea of angry gazes. There was no guilt on his face. Instead, they saw a firm resoluteness that none of them could understand. “Our god emperor has died and the Exquisite Devil Jade has fallen into God Emperor Yun’s hands. These are things that all of you witnessed personally. From today onward, the Burning Moon Realm exists in name only! Should I choose to die fighting, I would only be recovering some of my lost honor. It won’t do anything to reverse the deadly situation that the Burning Moon Realm has found itself in.”

“On the contrary, a vicious battle between Divine Masters will only drag in countless innocent Burning Moon profound practitioners and might result in the deaths of our departed master’s children!”

He cupped both hands as his voice grew deep and solemn. “I, Fen Daoqi, am useless. I was not able to protect the Burning Moon Realm and even if I died ten thousand deaths, I still would not be able to face our ancestors. But there is still a greater use for this life of mine than dying in a meaningless battle…”

“Ptooey!!”

Fen Zhuo spat in disgust and fury. Devilish light exploded in all directions from him. His soul was still suffering from the shockwave of True God power, so the light shining from his body was chaotic and twisted. “Our Burning Moon Realm does not need a spineless dog like you! I will kill you first!”

He was already rushing toward Fen Daoqi as he yelled out those words… Profound energy started surging through the other Moon Eaters behind him as they all swore to fight to the very end.

They were all afraid of death. However, once someone was marked as a “traitor”, it was a stain that would follow them all of their lives and it would become an emblem of shame and humiliation that would haunt their descendants. They would much rather die than be subjected to that!

Besides, there were still eleven Moon Eaters and a big group of Divine Envoys left! Even if they were to all die in this place, they’d still deal a grievous blow to the Soul Stealing Realm!

If worst came to worst, they could still flee!

Fen Zhuo had just started to rush forward when a long piece of black silk suddenly fell from the sky and brushed against his body. Fen Zhuo, whose aura was already in an extremely chaotic state, nearly blacked out and most of the devilish light that had surged out of his body dissipated in that instant. He fell heavily to the ground but his eyes were still glowing with a fierce bloody light.

Chi Wuyao crooked a finger and the long piece of black silk flew back into her hand. She narrowed her bewitching eyes and looked at the crowd below her. When she had spoken previously, her voice had fallen heavily on everyone’s hearts and souls like a pronouncement of judgement, but now it turned soft and cottony as she mocked Fen Zhuo. “How ridiculous. Although this queen has never thought too highly of your Burning Moon Realm, I never expected that the Moon Eaters would be so disgracefully inadequate. The only one of you who still has a spine was actually called a ‘spineless dog’ by the rest of you pathetic idiots. This is simply far too ridiculous.”

“Devil Queen!!” Fen Zhuo yelled as he gnashed his teeth. Devilish light burst forth from his body once more. “You can forget about swaying us with your bewitching words. We, Moon Eaters, will always choose death… before disgrace!”

“Disgrace? You’ve already allowed yourself to degrade into useless dogs! Do you really think this queen needs to shame you any further!?” Chi Wuyao’s tone grew cold and contemptuous. 

“Hah… how ridiculous!” Fen Zhuo yelled as he struggled to stand. He looked determined to fight until the end.

“Ridiculous? That’s right. All of you are ridiculous.” Chi Wuyao’s eyes were still narrowed and her devilish voice slowly blanketed every corner of the Burning Moon Royal City. “As Moon Eaters, you don’t only form the core of the Burning Moon Realm, you are also one of the pillars of the Northern Divine Region itself.”

“Your power wasn’t given to you by the Burning Moon Realm, much less your departed god emperor. It was an inheritance left behind by the ancient devil race!”

Her tone shifted as she said unhurriedly, “The fallen Burning Moon God Emperor Fen Daojun. He lived a life of decadence and dissipation. He was always careful and cautious, and he avoided fights when he could. He never desired to change anything. The only thing he wanted to do was to safeguard his throne and enjoy life. What about the Burning Moon Realm’s future? What about the Northern Divine Region’s future? When did he ever spare a thought for those things!?”

“Fen Daojun spent his entire life defending his own household. So all of you… were basically no more than the guard dogs that he kept by his side!”

“You!” All of the Moon Eaters flew into a great rage… with the sole exception of Fen Daoqi. He did not express any indignation or rage when he heard those words. He chose to quietly close his eyes instead.

As the Burning Moon Imperial Advisor, he was the person who understood Fen Daojun the best in this world.

“The loyal guard dogs are going to die for their dear departed master. What a moving story this is!”

“This queen is completely different from your previous master.” Chi Wuyao stretched out a hand as the black light on the tip of her finger shone towards the distant southeast. The direction in which the Yama Realm lay. “All of you are only this queen’s first step. Soon, even the Yama Realm will fall into this queen’s hands.”

“Moreover, all of you just personally witnessed the power that will allow this queen to accomplish all of these things… The power that the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor deliberately left behind. A true ray of hope that she left to our Northern Divine Region! In other words, Yun Che, the one who inherited the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor’s power, is the most qualified person to become the emperor of the Northern Region. In fact, he is the only person who is qualified to become our emperor!”

“Since the one who has inherited the power of a Devil Emperor has appeared, our Northern Divine Region no longer needs any other god emperor.”

Chi Wuyao’s gaze swept across the crowd as she continued, “Now that Fen Daoqi has chosen to follow this queen, he will also obtain the blessing of Yun Che’s Eternal Calamity of Darkness. From that moment forward, he will possess perfect compatibility with the darkness and in the future, he will be part of the vanguard which will lead the charge to break open the cage that is the Northern Divine Region! One of the pioneers who will change the fate of our entire race!”

“Even if he dies, his name will forever be left behind in history!”

“As for the rest of you…” Her cold, mocking voice once more pierced into the hearts of the people of the Burning Moon Realm. “Although you inherited one of the core powers of the Northern Divine Region, you aren’t willing to fight to change its dark fate. Instead, you’re simply content to be the guard dogs of your useless master. Guard dogs who would rather fight to the death than do something useful with your lives.”

“Loyalty? Martyrdom? Death before surrender?” Chi Wuyao slowly shook her head, her cold smile piercing into their hearts. “No, when the Northern Divine Region opens up a brand new chapter in its history books, you will instead be remembered as… a bunch of stupid, foolish, and selfish guard dogs!”

“...”

A cold and bleak gust of wind blew through Burning Moon Royal City. Every single person started to shiver uncontrollably.

Fen Zhuo dumbly stared into the space in front of him. His eyes were listless and his face had gone white. He, the Moon Eater with the most volatile and explosive temper, had been rendered utterly speechless by Chi Wuyao’s barrage of insults.

The black profound light that shone from his body chaotically flickered and swayed like black mist caught in a gale.

All of his overflowing rage and stubborn determination had soundlessly dissipated and he even felt his strength swiftly slipping away.

Before he knew it, his knees had weakly hit the ground and his entire body had bent forward.

With the strength of the Nirvana Devil Soul infused into her words, Chi Wuyao spoke far more seductively and persuasively than if those same words had come from anyone else.

The eleven people she was specifically targeting were the powerful Moon Eaters after all...

However, before she had started speaking to them, the Moon Eaters had witnessed Yun Che killing Fen Daozang with a single strike of his palm, had witnessed him obliterating Fen Daojun with a single blow from his sword. The oppressive might and stunning power that belonged to a True God had hit them with no less strength than Chi Wuyao’s seductive devilish voice.

Furthermore, one could say that the reality that had just assaulted their spirits and their senses was far more powerful than any attempt to sway their hearts and minds.

Once they had witnessed the power that could obliterate a god emperor in a single instant, the words “breaking the people of the Northern Divine Region out of their prison” was no longer just a fantasy that merely existed in their minds. Furthermore… they could practically taste this imminent reality.

Successor of a Devil Emperor...

The power to kill a god emperor in a single instant...

Pioneers who would change the history of the Northern Divine Region...

The guard dogs of the dead Burning Moon God Emperor...

As the final fragments of his determination and belief crumbled to dust, Fen Zhuo, who was kneeling on the ground, bowed his head and spoke in a hoarse voice. “I, Fen Zhuo… am willing to abandon my title as Moon Eater to serve God Emperor Yun and the Devil Queen now and forevermore. I will not hesitate to give my life in battle… in order to change the fate of the Northern Region!”

Fen Daozang had died, so Fen Zhuo was the strongest Moon Eater left. He was also the Moon Eater with the most fiery nature, the first one to leap up and curse Fen Daoqi, the first one to swear that he would fight to the bitter end.

His submission had undoubtedly blasted away the last bits of determination that was lingering in the hearts of the other Moon Eaters. The Devil Queen’s words and the power that Yun Che had displayed filled up every corner of their hearts and souls.

The surging dark profound energies died down one by one as one Moon Eater after the other started to fall to their knees… Not a single one of them remained standing.

Their god emperor had died and all of the Moon Eaters had chosen to submit, so why would the Burning Moon Divine Envoys, who collectively formed the other pillar of their realm, choose to persist to the bitter end? Whether they were satisfied with this outcome or not, they no longer had any say in the matter the moment all of the Moon Eaters chose to submit.

“Very good,” Chi Wuyao said in a calm voice. “However, there’s no need for you to abandon the title of Moon Eater. The Burning Moon Realm will retain and your titles as Moon Eaters will also continue to exist. The only thing that will change is your master.”

“Fen Daoqi,” Chi Wuyao said, “this queen now decrees that you are the leader of the Moon Eaters. I believe that this queen does not need to instruct you on what to do next. This queen also hopes that you will be able to give me a satisfactory answer one month from now.”

“I thank my lord for her favor. My lord need not worry, this Daoqi will not fail you!” Fen Daoqi had started to address Chi Wuyao in a different manner. Since he had already made his decision, he would follow through with it to the end. 

Chi Wuyao turned around and said in a low voice, “Jie Xin, Jie Ling, I’ll be leaving the rest to you.”

Jie Xin and Jie Ling inclined their heads… but Chi Wuyao had already started flying toward the Soul Sky Warship.

Swallowing a king realm. To most people, this was a huge and dangerous goal… A goal that sounded a little ridiculous.

Although there were differences in the strength of the three king realms of the Northern Divine Region, it was a different matter altogether for one of them to try and conquer the others. Even if two of the three king realms joined forces, it was still nearly impossible for them to swallow up the remaining one…and should they manage to do it, the counterattack by those inheritors of the devil origin power would undoubtedly cause incredibly horrific damage.

But today, the Soul Stealing Realm had swallowed up the Burning Moon Realm… It had only taken a single day and not a single shot had been fired.

A Devil Emperor’s legacy, the power of a True God, and her seductive devilish voice. All of these conditions had to be met for her plan to work.

However, perhaps the most important factor was really the desire that lay buried in the hearts of every strong individual in the Northern Divine Region. The desire to break out of this cage and destroy their destined fate.

When Chi Wuyao returned to the Soul Sky Warship, she immediately appeared at Yun Che’s side. His eyes were closed and it seemed like he was fast asleep.

There was no one else in sight.

Chi Wuyao quietly stood there for a moment, but then she started slowly walking in his direction. She inclined her exquisite neck toward him and slowly stretched out a hand to touch Yun Che’s neck.

“Chi Wuyao.” A cold and aloof voice rang out in front of her. Qianye Ying’er was staring at her from the corner of the room. “I have something to say to you.”

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