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 848 - Prison of Despair

From the moment the Little Demon Empress had defeated Xuanyuan Wentian to the moment Xuanyuan Wentian had cast the Little Demon Empress into the abyss of darkness; every time they had descended into a great panic, they saw the extinguished Golden Crow flames soar towards the sky yet again, completely burning away the darkness that covered the sky...

The hearts of Number One Under Heaven and the others endured a countless number of incomparably violent blows.

The darkness profound energy and Xuanyuan Wentian’s aura had completely vanished and there was not even the slightest trace of white snow left in anyone’s vision. Just as they were about to let out whoops of celebration, they suddenly realized that the Golden Crow flames, which had stretched to the horizon, were shrinking away at an abnormally fast pace. Furthermore, at the same time they felt Xuanyuan Wentian’s aura disappear, they could also barely sense the aura of the Little Demon Empress.

“Little Demon Empress sis!”

Feng Xue’er’s cried out anxiously as she raised her hand to release her Phoenix fire barrier and flew towards the location where the Little Demon Empress was, leaving a trail of scarlet-red fire in her wake.

The intervening distance of one hundred and fifty kilometers was crossed swiftly, Feng Xue’er arrived at the place where the Little Demon Empress and Xuanyuan Wentian had engaged in their fierce struggle as she soon found the Little Demon Empress amongst those fluttering flames. She quietly lay against the scorched, dry ground with her rainbow robes still flawless. However, the trail of blood that leaked from the corner of her mouth was ghastly to behold and her aura was growing weaker to the point where it could barely sustain itself.

Feng Xue’er swiftly descended before arriving at the Little Demon Empress’ side. Once she determined that the Little Demon Empress was fine, she relaxed slightly but her expression had become exceptionally complex as she gazed at the Little Demon Empress.

Before she had met the Little Demon Empress, Feng Xue’er held a deep curiosity and deeply complex emotions that she could not identify towards her due to her relationship with Yun Che and her title ‘Little Demon Empress.” Today, she had finally met the Little Demon Empress… She had greatly exceeded Feng Xue’er’s estimation of her strength, ability to inspire awe, coldness, decisiveness and calmness.

Compared to her puerile immaturity and the ignorance that she had yet to completely shake off, the Little Demon Empress gave her the feeling that she would never be able to reach her level.

Right now, she was lying there, as weak and frail as a common person. But the figure reflected in Feng Xue’er’s eyes was far more profound and imposing than before.

With her own strength, the Little Demon Empress had saved all of them.

Feng Xue’er bent over as she carefully lifted the Little Demon Empress’ upper body off the ground before softly calling out, “Little Demon Empress sis…”

As someone who had also inherited a divine flame bloodline, she could tell with a single glance that the Little Demon Empress had clearly burned her own Golden Crow origin blood. Even though she was extremely weak right now, she had not suffered any major injuries aside from this one. The only side-effect would be that her Golden Crow bloodline would lie completely dormant for the following month at the very least and she would not be able to conjure up any Golden Crow flames.

“I am fine.” The Little Demon Empress’ face was ghastly white but her voice still remained calm and rather cold. After speaking those three words, she closed her tired eyes and did not open them for a long time. Her chest gently rose and fell. Not only was her Golden Crow bloodline lying dormant, she had also completely exhausted all of her profound energy.

Feng Xue’er gently supported the Little Demon Empress’ body. The weight she was supporting was as light as cotton, so Feng Xue’er could scarcely imagine how such a frail and delicate body could contain such terrifying power, “Xuanyuan Wentian’s aura has already completely disappeared, so this great villain has finally met the end that he deserved.”

“They are… alright, yes?” The Little Demon Empress asked in a soft voice.

“Mnnnn!” Feng Xue’er responded as she gave a heavy nod of her head, “All of us are fine thanks to Big Sister Little Demon Empress. We’ll immediately go and find a place where we can rest for the moment… Big Brother Yun will definitely wake up soon as well.”

As Feng Xue’er spoke, she pressed a palm against the Little Demon Empress’ chest, transferring her Phoenix vital energy to her unreservedly.

The Little Demon Empress did not refuse. Soon, her face began to regain some color and the rising and falling of her chest gradually became steady.

“Little Demon Empress!!”

Number One Under Heaven and Xiao Yun had rushed over with such great haste that they were practically stumbling over themselves. After they had made their descent, they did not even bother to catch their breath, gasping out, “The Little Demon Empress, she… How is she…”

“You don’t need to worry,” Feng Xue’er said as she gave a faint smile, moving her small hand away from the Little Demon Empress’ chest, “Little Demon Empress sis is really powerful. She did not sustain any serious injuries and she is only a bit weakened from her fight. Also…” She hesitated for a moment but after recalling the identity of Number One Under Heaven and Xiao Yun, she simply said, “Also, she won’t be able to use her Golden Crow flames for at least one month.”

Feng Xue’er words caused Number One Under Heaven to immediately understand that the Little Demon Empress had ignited her Golden Crow origin blood. He breathed a faint sigh of relief before immediately clenching both hands into tight fists as he fiercely gritted his teeth, “It’s okay. Once we return to the Illusory Demon Realm, no one will be able to harm even a hair on the Little Demon Empress’ head as long as we Guardian Families are around.”

“Hmph!” The Little Demon Empress’ eyes suddenly sprang open and a cold snort ensued from her mouth, “If you Guardian Families were truly so competent, then the Illusory Demon Imperial Family would not have been reduced to just this empress and even I was nearly forced into a dead end myself!”

She leaned on Feng Xue’er’s arm as she slowly stood up. Even though she did not have her normal profound strength and she was only relying on the vital energy that Feng Xue’er had transferred into her to stand up, that peerless and awe-inspiring might caused Number One Under Heaven and Xiao Yun to involuntary dip their heads.

“It… it is Number One who is useless,” Number One Under Heaven stuttered with an expression filled with guilt and remorse. If not for Yun Che and if they had relied solely on the Guardian Families, today the Illusory Demon Imperial Family would not even exist anymore...

“As long as the Little Demon Empress is fine, then all is well.” Xiao Yun said in a voice tinged with self-ridicule, not daring to lift his own head.

This enormous danger had been dealt with in an incredibly desperate and bitter fashion. The price they had paid was not only the hibernation of the Little Demon Empress’ Golden Crow blood and the complete exhaustion of her profound energy. Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace and the Snow Region of Extreme Ice had disappeared as well.

The Golden Crow flames had completely died down but the after-effects of the flames still lingered on. The air of the originally bone-chillingly cold Snow Region of Extreme Ice was now suffused with a scorching heat that was almost intolerable.

Feng Xue’er carried the Little Demon Empress and the four of them swiftly reunited with Number Seven Under Heaven, Cang Yue, Xiao Lie, Xiao Lingxi and the ladies of Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace.

Murong Qianxue arrived in front of the Little Demon Empress, giving a deep bow, “If not for this senior, our Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace would definitely have been obliterated in this place. This senior has saved all of our lives and all two thousand disciples of our Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace will engrave this kindness in our hearts.”

“There is no need!” The Little Demon Empress rebutted coldly, “Xuanyuan Wentian was a person that this empress had to kill. Whether you lived or died has nothing to do with this empress.”

A startled tremble ran through Murong Qianxue. After that, she faintly nodded her head and did not speak any further, turning around to check on Yun Che’s condition.

The Little Demon Empress had defeated Xuanyuan Wentian and Feng Xue’er had used all her might to protect them. So aside from the Little Demon Empress, none of them had sustained any injuries. Yun Che also looked like he had not been affected in any way. This was undoubtedly the greatest fortune that had occurred during this misfortune.

“Let’s leave this place first so we can find a place to rest and recuperate for a while. Such a great commotion has happened here, so it will definitely alert a lot of people,” Number Seven Under Heaven said, the expression on her face displaying the lingering trepidation in her heart. She extended a hand towards her belly before she fiercely spat out, “That vile Xuanyuan Wentian, who would have thought that he would be so powerful? To think that he was someone who was even more sinister and vile than Duke Ming! If Father and the others knew about this, they would definitely be shocked. For him to die like this, it is truly letting him off too easily!”

“Right!” Number One Under Heaven growled through gritted teeth, “We should have done to him what we did to Duke Ming. Cripple his profound strength and all four of his limbs, submitting to him to the cruelest of tortures every day but using all of our strength to make sure that he doesn’t die. We should have let him live forever wallowing in pain and despair!”

“Heh… That is a very good suggestion indeed.”

A hoarse and cold low laugh rang out, it was sinister and dark that it sounded like it came from the depths of hell itself.

In a split second, everyone’s heart suddenly stopped beating. The scorching heat in the air seemed to instantly turn into the most extreme cold as countless needles of bone-piercing cold energy sank into their every pore, piercing into the deepest part of their souls.

Boom!!

The silent ground exploded as a pillar of black light burst out from under it to pierce the sky. After the black light dissipated, a black human figure had appeared at the border of where the ground had split open. His entire body had been burnt black and his face was smeared with blood. A thick black energy circled agitatedly around him, the pitch-black greatsword in his hand releasing a dense and strange light.

“Ah… ah… ah…” Xiao Yun’s mouth opened wide but he could not utter a single coherent word.

“Xuanyuan… Wentian!!” Number One Under Heaven’s pupils contracted to their limits. It was as if his entire body had been plunged into an icy abyss and he felt like his guts were about to rupture.

“You…” The Little Demon Empress’ body swayed fiercely. Even she could barely believe what was unfolding in front of her eyes.

Before they could soak in this hard-fought moment of relaxation for long, they were once again plunged into an even greater terror. Xuanyuan Wentian had not died and now he had seemingly returned from the pits of hell, bringing along with him boundless resentment and sinister coldness as he once again appeared before them.

Furthermore, the Little Demon Empress, only one amongst their number who could resist him… no longer possessed even the slightest bit of her power.

“This sovereign had clearly already become a devil god…. But all of you… all of you allowed this sovereign to experience the taste of death and terror! Unforgivable… UNFORGIVABLE!!”

Xuanyuan Wentian dragged the devil sword behind him as he advanced. His steps were slow and heavy and his body even swayed as he walked, his aura was far from what it had been previously but this aura now contained a resentment, fury and killing intent that was tens of times more intense than it had been before.

“All of you need to flee quickly!!”

Feng Xue’er let out an anxious cry as a strong gale swirled and pushed everyone towards the back. Her body transformed into a blazing figure of Phoenix fire and she attacked Xuanyuan Wentian with an “Empyrean Dance of the Phoenix Wing”.

Xuanyuan Wentian’s blood-shot eyes fiercely widened as he let out a howl that sounded like it came from a wild beast as the devil sword in his hand fiercely swept upwards to meet Feng Xue’er’s flames.

Poom!

The flames ruptured and a crack that was several kilometers long and several feet wide appeared in the ground. Amidst the exploding fire light, Xuanyuan Wentian was pushed back by more than ten steps while Feng Xue’er flew like a fallen leaf that had been blown away by the wind. She managed to barely descend but before she could even stand steadily, a scarlet jet of fresh blood sprayed from her mouth, staining the ground in front of her red.

Even though Xuanyuan Wentian had sustained serious injuries all over and had exhausted most of his profound strength, he was still someone who had taken half a step into the Divine Profound Realm. Moreover, he also clutched the Eternal Night Devil Sword, whose devil soul had been awakened, in his hand, so he was still not someone that Feng Xue’er could face.

“Princess Snow!!” Everyone went pale with shock as Feng Hanxue and Feng Hanyue hurriedly rushed forward to support her.

“I… I’m fine.” Feng Xue’er’s vision grew dim and all of the profound energy in her body was as chaotic and volatile as boiling lava. She had launched that Empyrean Dance of the Phoenix Wing attack with all of her might, so the backlash she endured was naturally incredible. Even though she had clashed with Xuanyuan Wentian only once, she had already sustained rather serious internal injuries.

But, the Little Demon Empress’ profound energy was completely exhausted so she was the only person left amongst them who could obstruct Xuanyuan Wentian.

The Little Demon Empress had not hesitated to ignite her Golden Crow origin blood for their sakes… So how could she allow herself to collapse just like this.

Feng Xue’er forced herself to stand steadily as the Phoenix flames around her body began to burn at the same time. The overly-glaring fire light caused the gasping Xuanyuan Wentian to raise his head. He gasped roughly for breath while he howled in a frenzied voice, “Just you… A little phoenix… who hasn’t even fully matured yet… deems yourself worthy to cross arms with this sovereign!!?”

“Darkness… Prison!!”

The light fiercely dimmed as countless beams of black light suddenly flashed through the empty air. Before anyone could even react, they had been enshrouded within this cold and sinister black light.

The Phoenix flames that Feng Xue’er had just ignited were nearly entirely extinguished in an instant. The black light that surrounded her body felt like a large hand made of irresistible force that was firmly suppressing her profound strength. It locked up her entire body and even though she used all of her might, she could not loosen the restriction that had been placed on her at all.

She was not even able to move her legs or raise her arms, much less make an attack. It felt as if every part of her body had been trapped in a prison of despair that she could not struggle free from.

If even Feng Xue’er, who currently possessed the greatest profound strength, was in this state, then it would not even be possible for the others to resist, they did not have the slightest ability to struggle free.

“Sha… Heh…” Xuanyuan Wentian, who had finished releasing the Darkness Prison, felt his entire body go weak and as he swayed, he felt his body slump to his knees. He only managed to slowly prop himself up using the devil sword a good long while later, a loud and sinister laugh emerging from his mouth, “Haha… Hahahaha… This sovereign is already a devil god… If it’s just you commoners… how would it be possible for you… to escape from this sovereign’s grasp… Hahahahaha…”

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