Against the Gods

As the Eternal Heaven Crown Prince personally guided them along the way, they very quickly reached the area surrounding the main hall. Zhou Qingchen bid Yun Che farewell as he said, “Royal Father is inside. If God Child Yun wants to do so, you can go in and see Royal Father. If you have something else to attend to first, you may also go and see to those matters. Also, Royal Father has personally decreed that if the God Child Yun has any requests in the future, even if it requires all of the power this realm can muster, we will also not disappoint you. We must ask God Child Yun to not stand on ceremony and hope that you will call on us if you require anything in the future.”

Yun Che, “Err…”

“Qingchen will take his leave now.” The Eternal Heaven Crown Prince made a bow before he left with a smile on his face.

After he had moved a fair distance away, he finally turned around and shot Qianye Ying’er a glance from afar. After that, he tilted his head towards the sky and sighed. “Even though Yun Che is currently still young, his potential is boundless and he will definitely rise above all creation in the future. He also has a halo that can illuminate the entire world shining over him, so he is indeed the person that is most worthy of her.”

“But… why is she a slave, why is she a slave…”

“Royal Father went against the principles that he had stubbornly clung to all this while and he even acknowledged… and bore witness to her enslavement personally. Was it also for the sake of cutting off my wandering thoughts…”

Within the Eastern Divine Region, every single one of her suitors, all of whom possessed an exalted status and lofty title, who felt like they were worthy enough to draw close to the Brahma Monarch Goddess were completely crazy about her. But because Zhou Qingchen’s own nature held him back, he was the most reserved of them all.

It was just that the Brahma Monarch Goddess… had actually become Yun Che’s slave!

Not his wife or his concubine, or even his servant. She had become his slave, the most humiliating position that one could find themselves in, the lowest of the low! She had been put in a situation where she could not even retain a single shred of her dignity!

When this news had first been swiftly spread with the help and encouragement of the Moon God Realm, it provoked countless reactions of shock and fury...

But at that time, Yun Che had been backed by the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor, so who would dare do anything to him? Even the Brahma Monarch God Realm and the Southern Sea God Emperor who was most infatuated with Qianye Ying’er had to obediently hold it in.

And now that the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor was about to leave, the Evil Infant had suddenly appeared at his side! Then there was his world-saving feats, which made it so that all of creation owed him a debt for saving the universe. So what could anyone do to him?

After Zhou Qingchen left, Yun Che turned around and shot a look at Qianye Ying’er as he said, “Ah, yet another one… You really have harmed quite a few god children, haven’t you.”

Zhou Qingchen had snuck a glance at her at the very beginning and after that, he had glanced in Qianye Ying’er’s direction multiple times. Even though he had kept his emotions in check and his expression had not betrayed his intentions, Yun Che had still been able to sense all of it.

“He has a reserved nature and possesses a hidden weakness. His thoughts are as stubborn and rigid as his father’s and he is not worthy of my attention,” Qianye Ying’er said in a completely emotionless voice.

It was as if the distinguished Eternal Heaven Crown Prince, the future Eternal Heaven God Emperor, was not even worthy of a second look from Qianye Ying’er.

“Then by your reckoning, exactly what kind of man in this world is worthy of your attention? Heavenly Wolf Xisu?” Yun Che asked.

“He was also unworthy,” Qianye Ying’er replied without a hint of hesitation. “Only Master is.”

Yun Che tapped on his chin with a finger as he shifted his gaze away from Qianye Ying’er. “But it’s a pity that you aren’t worthy of me!”

Qianye Ying’er, “...”

“Hoho, as expected, God Child Yun has arrived.”

A warm and gentle voice rang out in the distance. The Eternal Heaven God Emperor had sensed Yun Che’s aura and chosen to step outside to greet him. As his figure blurred, he appeared in front of Yun Che. There was a faint smile on his face as he looked at Yun Che and his eyes were filled with kindness.

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor’s spirits and appearance had undergone a great change since the last time Yun Che saw him and it was naturally because all of the calamities had been resolved.

“Senior.”

Just as Yun Che was about to greet him, the Eternal Heaven God Emperor stretched out a hand to stop him. He said, “From now onward, you do not need to perform any etiquette in my Eternal Heaven. You’ve already met my son Qingchen just now.”

Yun Che nodded his head and said, “This junior had a pleasant chat with His Highness.”

“That’s good then.” The Eternal Heaven God Emperor gave a small smile and nodded. “This old one has high hopes for him and my decision to have him proactively approach you was born out of my own selfishness. I hope that you can give him some pointers in the future, so that more of your qualities and divine light will rub off on him.”

The corner of Yun Che’s eyebrow twitched as he hurriedly said, “No matter whether it is background, status, cultivation, or experience, His Highness the Crown Prince… far exceeds this junior in every single aspect. This junior is definitely not worthy of Senior’s words.”

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor smiled as he shook his head. “A few months ago, you revealed your light profound energy and allowed this old one to see your compassionate sacred heart, and at that time, I still only felt personal gratitude and great comfort. But I had never imagined that you would save the entire God Realm just a few short months later. You saved this entire era and left behind accomplishments that will not fade for all the ages.” 

“The words from a ‘sacred heart’ are sincere and free from falsehood.”

“Errr…” There was a conflicted look on Yun Che’s face. “This junior is only a normal person.”

When he spoke those words, the admiration on the Eternal Heaven God Emperor’s face deepened even more. He gave a small sigh of admiration as he said, “You possess a sacred heart and you’ve also saved the world. Not only have you not grown arrogant because of this, you are even still so gentle and humble and still so pure of heart. If Qingchen can even be half of what you are… No, if he can even be a third of you, this old one will truly have no more regrets in this life.” 

Yun Che: o((⊙﹏⊙))o

(It looks like I’ll be interacting quite a bit with Zhou Qingchen from now on. I hope… that I don’t lead him astray.)

“Speaking of which… God Child Yun,” the Eternal Heaven God Emperor’s voice dropped an octave as he said, “is the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor…”

Yun Che said, “This junior has spent the last few days in the God Realm of Absolute Beginning and the Snow Song Realm, and I did not meet the Senior Devil Emperor. If the Senior Devil Emperor has any instructions for me, she will appear before me herself. If not, this junior is also not able to meet her. However, Senior doesn’t need to worry. Senior Devil Emperor’s words are as heavy as mountains, she definitely won't go back on her words.”

“Mn.” The Eternal Heaven God Emperor nodded his head and the little nervousness that could be seen on his face faded away. After that, he asked another question, “Is the Evil Infant… truly willing to stay in the lower realms forever?”

Yun Che nodded. “I said before that this was both my wish and hers and staying in the lower realms is not something that is a restriction to her. But I’ll just repeat what I said before. Please don’t approach her or disturb her in the future, let her slowly be forgotten… It would be for the best if the entire God Realm could forget about her existence.”

“I will also once again pledge to Senior that she definitely will not proactively approach or offend the God Realm. If there comes a day where she needs to return to the God Realm for some reason, I will inform Senior in advance and it will be accompanied by my utmost sincerity and guarantee.”

“As long as it’s you, I definitely won’t be worried,” the Eternal Heaven God Emperor said. “You are someone who possesses a sacred heart and you will put the safety of the world first. If you aren’t confident that you can do so, how would you even dare make such a promise.”

Yun Che: (Here we go again…)

“Sigh.” The Eternal Heaven God Emperor turned his head and stared into the distance. “The current Eternal Heaven and even all the other realms have become peaceful. The gloomy haze that constantly shrouded us has finally lifted and I no longer sense the terrifying aura which once haunted us.”

“The news of the Devil Emperor’s return has been kept under wraps. This in addition to the Devil Emperor’s orders means that no one dared to spread this news. As a result, only a small number of people knew about this. However, the Evil Infant’s existence is known by every living creature in the God Realm. After the Devil Emperor departs, the God Realm will still remain under the dark shadow cast by the reemergence of the Evil Infant and it will never be at peace.”

“But if we want to exterminate her, it is truly… even harder than scaling the heavens.”

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor had personally fought the Evil Infant back then so he understood this point very well. If the Evil Infant were to engage in a life-and-death struggle with them, they might still be able to gather their peak strength to destroy her… But unless she was deliberately seeking her own death, it would be impossible for this situation to occur.

Furthermore, as long as she wanted to leave, even the combined power of all of the god emperors from the three divine regions would not be enough to contain her.

This also meant that it was very likely that the three divine regions would eternally live under the dark shadow cast by the Evil Infant. As long as she wanted to, she could silently move through the darkness and slowly pick off the important members belonging to the great king realms. She could do it one by one, or even slice by slice, and she could even thrust a god emperor into the abyss of death.

It was for this exact reason that all the great god emperors shuddered in fear every time they thought of the two words “Evil Infant” over the last few years. The prospect of her suddenly leaping out of one of the dark shadows that lay around them terrified them.

But now, because of Yun Che, the Evil Infant had moved from the unknown shadows to a world that could be seen, and she had even sworn an oath of mutual non-interference and non-aggression with the God Realm… What was even more important than that was that this promise had been made by Yun Che.

Yun Che’s goal was to save Jasmine and make sure that she wouldn't be confined to the dark shadows of the universe. But that very act had also saved the God Realm and calmed countless hearts that had been trembling in terror.

“When you said that the Evil Infant had actually been mastered by the Heavenly Slaughter Star God and that she had also sworn to leave the God Realm, this old one agreed to that arrangement with a wild joy and I impatiently announced it to the public without delay while also making a corresponding vow… It has been far too long since this old one felt this relaxed. In fact, this is practically the most relaxed I’ve ever felt in my life.”

It is hard to imagine just what the God Realm would currently look like if we didn't have you.”

As he spoke, he shot a glance towards the distant Qianye Ying’er… someone who had very nearly caused Yun Che’s death in the past. When he had first witnessed the creation of the slave imprint between her and Yun Che, he still found it a little hard to swallow even though he had already promised to be a witness to this event.

But at this moment, he had actually started to feel that Qianye Ying’er’s current situation was practically a sort of blessing!

“However, after you send the Devil Emperor off, you are probably going to be staying in the lower realms for a long time, right?” the Eternal Heaven God Emperor asked, his eyes were filled with the hope that Yun Che could stay and some regret.

“Yes,” Yun Che replied as he gave a nod of his head. As he thought of Mu Xuanyin, who was no longer willing to see him, a jolt of pain ripped through his heart and his expression also went rigid for while. “Truth be told, the reason why this junior entered the God Realm in the first place was to find her. And now, I have achieved what I had set out to do, so I really don’t have much… attachment to the God Realm now.”

“Moreover, I am sure that Senior and everyone else will feel more at ease with me by Jasmine’s side.”

“Be that as it may… Sigh.” The Eternal Heaven God Emperor sighed yet again. “The aura in the lower realms is muddy and turbid and its resources are scarce. It will slow down one’s cultivation while affecting one’s lifespan. Also, I heard that you are going to marry the Glazed Light Realm’s little princess next month. If you don’t return frequently, I’m afraid that Glazed Light Realm King also won’t agree to this. Hoho.”

“Eh…” It was very clear that sly old fox Shui Qianheng had already impatiently exposed this matter a long time ago. “This junior has never dared to forget the care and favor Senior has always shown me. In the future, this junior will regularly visit Senior and His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Mn.” Even though he felt regretful, the Eternal Heaven God Emperor no longer tried to persuade Yun Che to stay. It was just as Yun Che had said. Everyone would only feel the most at ease when he was beside the Evil Infant. The Eternal Heaven God Emperor’s gaze shifted to the main hall. “The gathered god emperors are in the hall, including the Moon God Emperor. Do you want to go inside as well?”

“Will Senior Dragon Monarch also be there?” Yun Che asked.

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor nodded his head.

“Alright!” Yun Che nodded his head. Just as he was about to take a step forward, his body suddenly halted and he said, “Ah, I think I won’t after all. Even if I have been acknowledged by everyone, in the end, I’m still a junior with a lowly status. I do not dare to sit together with the gathered god emperors.”

Yun Che did not wait for the Eternal Heaven God Emperor to invite him again. Instead, he asked him a question. “So when will the grand dimensional formation that will take us to the easternmost point of the Primal Chaos open?”

“In twelve hours,” the Eternal Heaven God Emperor replied.

“Alright, then this junior will go there and wait. I will take my leave now.”

Yun Che had originally agreed, but he had suddenly reversed his decision after that. This made it clear that it had nothing to do with the reason that he had offered up… As the Eternal Heaven God Emperor stared at his departing back, doubt and suspicion appeared on his face. He pondered the matter for a while before he finally sighed and mumbled to himself, “He not only saved the world and has a sacred heart, he is even so carefree. If Qingchen was even a tenth of him, I’d be happy. I wonder what sort of people his parents are. To think they would be blessed with such a heaven-sent child.”

“The Blue… Pole… Star…” He softly muttered the name of a planet as he wondered whether he should pay it a visit. But when he recalled the existence of the Evil Infant, he gave up on that line of thought.

In the end, his position was still far too special after all. Strictly speaking, if he were to personally visit that place, he would have violated his oath. Once he provoked the wrath of the Evil Infant and broke apart the balance he had built with much difficulty, he would become a great sinner.