Against the Gods

As the Northern Chill Divine Sovereign roared out those words, the ten great Divine Kings released their profound energy at the same time… but no one moved forward or attacked.

After all, if one were to ignore the current situation… Attacking a single person in front of ten million profound practitioners was not something these famous and reputable masters could easily do. Their pride and their own mental barriers stood in the way.

The whole place was silent and everyone’s eyes were fixed on the scene in front of them. But they were not waiting for the conclusion of this battle, a battle where the disparity in strength could not be any greater, a battle which was not the least bit suspenseful. Instead, they were waiting to see how the Southern Phoenix Divine Country would handle the aftermath.

Beihan Chu had sincerely and humbly sought her hand in marriage, but Nanhuang Chanyi had directly rejected him. If this battle ended up with Nanhuang Chanyi becoming the servant of Beihan Chu, then the Southern Phoenix Divine Country would become the greatest laughingstock of all the middle star realms.

It was at this time that Qianye Ying’er subtly raised her head to shoot Nanhuang Chanyi an indifferent glance. After that single instant, she withdrew her gaze and closed her eyes once more.

Even though it was only in the instant where she closed her eyes, a cold and dangerous light silently flashed in the depths of her golden eyes.

The ten great Divine Kings stood around staring at each other in the battleground and none of them were willing to step forward and attack.

At this time, Yun Che slowly raised a hand and spread out all of his fingers in a languid manner.

It was also in this moment that the atmosphere in the silent battlefield suddenly grew stifling for no apparent reason and the light in the area had clearly dimmed.

This abrupt change caused everyone to involuntarily raise their heads, but they discovered that there were no black clouds covering the sky. Furthermore, that stifling feeling was quietly growing more intense and it made everyone feel as if there was an object that was growing heavier and heavier by the second pressing down on their chests.

Amidst everyone’s shock and fear, a black light suddenly burst out from Yun Che’s body. In an instant, the huge Central Ruins Battlefield in front of them was covered in a pitch-black darkness.

This dramatic change had not occurred gradually, it had occurred in a single instant. The entire battlefield was now filled with darkness, it was as if the Central Ruins Battlefield had suddenly been engulfed by a dark night. It was as if the darkness had swallowed up everything.

This darkness that was far too dense had swallowed up every trace of light within the battlegrounds. Everyone’s vision, and this included the great Divine Sovereigns, was completely blocked by the darkness. They could not even make out an outline of Yun Che’s figure or the figures of the ten great Divine Kings, and even their spiritual perception was clearly being obstructed.

Qianye Ying’er’s delicate brows faintly twitched...

Because the darkness that had engulfed the entire battlefield was clearly the unique domain of darkness from the Illusory Devil Tome of Eternal Night—Lightless Eternal Night!

He had also cultivated the Illusory Devil Tome of Eternal Night after all!

It was just that, for him to make such a grand gesture against a few measly Divine Kings… It looked like he had some sort of special plan.

Could it be...

As startled gasps ran through the crowd, all of the great Divine Sovereigns shot to their feet with a “whoosh”, looks of shock and alarm plain on their faces. As for those ten great Divine Kings inside the Central Ruins Battlefield, the moment the darkness had descended upon them, they did not feel as if they had been swallowed up by the dark night, they felt as if they had been swallowed up by an abyss!

There had been no warning or telltale signs before everything turned black before their eyes. In their shock and horror, they had instinctively released their profound energy but their hearts had become even more horrified and alarmed at this moment. This was because they felt as if their limbs, their bodies, were being shackled by countless invisible things. They had to use nearly all of their strength just to lift a hand.

They felt as if an enormous mountain was firmly pressing down on their profound energy and no matter how much they struggled, they were unable to shake free from this suppression.

But what was even more frightening than all of these things were those threads of ice-cold, oppressive and sinister energy that crazily surged toward their bodies and souls from every direction. It was as if countless evil spirits were gnawing away at their bodies and minds, causing fear and despair, both of which only grew heavier with every passing second, to be birthed in their hearts

Lightless Eternal Night did not only devour light, it also devoured life and hope!

Yun Che’s body had soundlessly moved within this darkness and he appeared in front of one of the Divine Kings… Even though he was only a few feet away from him, this strong Divine King, who stood at the pinnacle of his realm of power, did not sense him at all. Even his spiritual perception had been completely devoured.

Yun Che pointed his finger at this particular Divine King. After that, a wave of darkness profound energy struck his body before exploding inside of him as it cruelly battered his four limbs.

“UWAAAAAH!”

That cry of misery was completely drowned out by the darkness. The first Divine King’s chest ruptured open, his arms and his legs snapping simultaneously… Even though Yun Che had only used a single finger, these Divine Kings’ profound energy and wills were being heavily suppressed, so what sort of defence or guard could they put up? Under Yun Che’s power, they were practically as frail as rotten wood.

As Yun Che’s feet moved in the darkness, he instantly appeared in front of another Divine King. Once again, he lazily and casually stretched out his arm and tapped the air in front of him… Before the body of the first Divine King had even fallen over, the second Divine King’s body was already fountaining blood, his limbs snapping simultaneously.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

……

The explosion of energy, the shattering of bodies, the miserable wails of despair… All of these things were completely buried by the darkness. Outside the battlegrounds, the audience could only see the battlefield being blanketed by complete and utter darkness. They could not see any bodies or hear any sounds, so they had no way of knowing what was happening within the darkness.

The brows of the Northern Chill Divine Sovereign, the East Ruins Divine Sovereign, and the Western Ruins Divine Sovereign furrowed greatly. There was a pure mass of darkness in front of them, a darkness so pure that it was even somewhat inconceivable. They all moved forward at the same time without any prompting, but the moment they approached, the darkness shrouding the battlefield suddenly dissipated.

It was as if a pitch-black curtain had been torn open from the middle. Light suddenly spilled out from within, instantly swallowing up all of the darkness in an instant.

The battleground appeared in front of every once more.

A long stifling silence also appeared at the same time.

Yun Che was quietly standing in the middle of the battleground, and no matter whether it was his stance or his position in the battlefield, they were no different from before.

His face was expressionless and there were no ripples in his eyes. The audience also could not see any wrinkles or dust on his clothes, and it looked as if he had not even moved a single inch from where he had been standing.

However, there were ten startling and ghastly pools of blood in front of him. Within these ten pools of blood lay ten bodies so brutalized that it was hard to look at them. Each body was drenched in blood and there were five bloody holes carved into their chest and limbs. These bloody holes were practically identical in shape and location, and blood was still swiftly spurting from them.

Their faces were as white as a sheet and their bodies twitched and spasmed from time to time. Their bodies occasionally shuddered due to the fear that had yet to dissipate from their hearts, and hoarse and miserable groans leaked from their mouths, making them sound like ten dying worms.

Furthermore, these ten people… were, shockingly enough, ten top Divine Kings that had come from Northern Chill, East Ruins, and Western Ruins!

The expressions of the three great Divine Sovereigns dramatically changed and their bodies visibly swayed. It was as if someone had smacked them on the head with a hammer.

Silence, a deathly silence appeared. The violent impact of the scene in front of them had brought about a shock and terror that had completely exceeded their understanding, had completely torn apart their beliefs.

Nobody knew exactly what had happened. They had only seen the darkness that had come and gone, and they were currently looking at the ten great Divine Kings lying limply on the floor. They were so heavily wounded that they could not even stand up.

Furthermore, only a frightfully short time had passed.

“Ah… Ah…”

“Hsss…”

“This… What is… this…”

“……”

Whispering, groaning, sharp intakes of breath, and the chattering of teeth rang in the air… But even the ten great Divine King themselves had not known what had happened, much less the audience.

“What happened!!?”

The wind whistled as the Northern Chill Divine Sovereign instantaneously blinked into the battlefield and arrived at where the ten great Divine Kings lay. As he observed them closely, his eyelids twitched and his face twisted up even more.

Half of these ten people belonged to the North Ruins Realm. Furthermore, among these five top Divine Kings, one of them had come from abroad and the other four were part of the core and foundation of Northern Chill City. It was very likely that these terrifying wounds would leave behind some permanent damage, so to his Northern Chill City, this was an incalculably huge loss.

He did not know what had happened… but he definitely did not believe that Yun Che had done it with his own strength!

“Uw… aaaah…” The Divine King from Northern Chill City who lay in the middle gasped groaned painfully through bloodied teeth. “Demonic technique… It’s a demonic technique!”

That sudden darkness, the suppression of their bodies and profound strength, the corrosion of their souls… This was the very first time this Divine King was truly convinced that demonic techniques existed in this world.

“Yes… it’s a… demonic technique…” another Divine King belonging to Northern Chill desperately gasped out in a hoarse voice. That shocked, terrified, and despairing voice burrowed into everyone’s ears like an evil wind.

On the seat of honor, Beihan Chu’s brow greatly furrowed as he spoke in a low voice, “Junior Master, what exactly happened just now!?”

“...” Superior Unwhite lapsed into a brief and heavy silence before he spoke again. “Stories of demonic techniques are purely fantasy. But this child definitely used some sort of high-grade devil artifact.”

He spoke those words with a cast-iron certainty.

Beihan Chu gave a brief nod of his head. “This disciple thinks so as well.”

But when he said those words, a strange light flashed through his eyes.

Superior Unwhite’s head drooped slightly. “It looks like you’ve taken some interest in this devil artifact.”

“But of course,” Beihan Chu said with a dry laugh, “since we have been presented with such an opportunity, wouldn’t it be a waste if we didn’t try our luck?”

The pained words of the two great Divine Kings belonging to Northern Chill City caused the Northern Chill Divine Sovereign’s head to jerk upwards, his gaze piercing straight towards Yun Che. “Yun Che! What exactly did you do!?”

“Isn’t what he did obvious?” Nanhuang Chanyi’s voice rang out from the southern side of the battlefield. “Our Nanhuang’s Yun Che defeated the ten Divine Kings belonging to your three sects by himself. Could it be that you can’t see it? Or is it that… you, the distinguished Northern Chill Divine Sovereign himself, actually truly believes that Yun Che used some sort of demonic technique?”

“Hmph! Yun Che is only a mere… How could he defeat the ten of them!?” How could the Northern Chill Divine Sovereign even possess a hint of the confidence he had displayed before? His voice was laced with a shock and killing intent he could not conceal. “Even if he did not use a demonic technique, he definitely used some sort of devil artifact!”

His words and thoughts were exactly identical to Superior Unwhite’s.

“So what if he did?” Nanhuang Chanyi said. “In the battle between Yun Che and the ten Divine Kings from your three sects, did anyone set any rules prohibiting the use of profound artifacts?”

“Yoou!!” The Northern Chill Divine Sovereign’s face abruptly stiffened… Nanhuang Chanyi’s words seemed to be admitting that Yun Che had indeed used some sort of powerful profound artifact, but they had also left the Northern Chill Divine Sovereign with no room to retort.

Because while profound pellets and profound formations were all forbidden items in nearly all the battlefields, there were nearly no prohibitions on profound artifacts other than armor. Weapons were also a kind of profound artifact and the ability to handle a powerful profound artifact was also an ability in and of itself.

If one’s ability was lacking and one forcefully attempted to control a powerful profound artifact, it was nearly equivalent to courting death.

There was finally an explanation for the scene that had appeared before their eyes, so a look of fury appeared on the face of the East Ruin Divine Sovereign as he spoke in a severe tone, “Even though the Central Ruins Battle does not prohibit the use of profound artifacts, it is very clear that the devil artifact that Yun Che used is no ordinary item, so it is very likely that it is a forbidden item!”

“To use a forbidden devil artifact to harm ten great Divine Kings of our three sects, and to inflict such vicious and cruel wounds on them at that… How can we pardon you!?” the Western Ruin Divine Sovereign shouted in a furious voice.

“Oh?” Nanhuang Chanyi said in a serene voice. “The result of the battle between our representative from the Southern Phoenix and the ten people from your three sects has already been decided. It ended in Yun Che’s complete victory. However, with the way you three realm kings are acting, could it be that you are prepared to abandon all of your dignity and the dignity of your sects and go back on your word in front of everyone?”

The Northern Chill Divine Sovereign’s eyebrows sank even further. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Nanhuang Chanyi’s tone suddenly change as she said, “Young Master Beihan. As the highest ranking arbiter and witness to this battle, what do you think?”

The Northern Chill Divine Sovereign immediately swallowed the words he was about to say. He knew that it was impossible that Beihan Chu would decide in Yun Che’s favor, no matter what happened.

Under the riveted gazes of everyone present, Beihan Chu stood up and gave a small smile as he said, “Profound artifacts are indeed not prohibited in the Central Ruins Battle. However, profound artifacts that exceed the level of this battlefield can indeed be considered ‘forbidden items’. Normal profound artifacts will provide a reasonable boost to a profound practitioner, making for a more exciting and entertaining battle.”

“But forbidden profound items which exceed the level of this battle will destroy the most basic rules and balance of this fight.”

“What should decide victory and defeat in this battle are the profound practitioners themselves. It should not be a profound artifact that completely breaks the balance of the competition! So this battle has basically been rendered meaningless! If one were forced to decide on a winner, then the winner would be this devil artifact that should not even have appeared in this battle, not Yun Che!”

Beihan Chu’s words were spoken calmly but they were irrefutable.

Yun Che did not lift his head either. Instead, he simply replied in an extremely cold and dull voice, “I didn’t use a devil artifact.”