Against the Gods

Yun Che arched both his eyebrows, as if he was intrigued, before he replied in a calm voice, “That’s not a bad suggestion. Cang Shitian, since you’re so familiar with the Purple Micro Realm, I leave you in charge of this.”

Cang Shitian looked as if the highest honor had been bestowed upon him as he swiftly bowed and said, “I won’t disappoint the Devil Master.”

Yun Che turned to look at the Purple Micro God Emperor, whose face had turned as ashen as a corpse. A look of distinct displeasure appeared on his face as he said, “Why is this idiot still alive? Did you old ghosts go deaf or something?”

The Three Yama Ancestors practically jumped in fright as they unleashed their Yama Devil powers in a fluster of panic and fear.

Riiiip!

Thousands of black scars were ripped open in the empty air around the Purple Micro God Emperor as his god emperor body was cruelly slashed open by those merciless attacks. His body started to bend and twist, and if it had been an ordinary Divine Master on the receiving end of those attacks, they would have already been torn into chunks of flesh by the peerlessly dreadful power of the Three Yama Ancestors.

“Wait… wait a minute… please wait a minute!” He started to struggle desperately as he yelled out in a hoarse voice. “Devil Master… I am willing to swear my loyalty… Ah… I beg you… please spare the Purple Micro bloodline… please spare the Purple Micro bloodline… I am willing… to give even my life for your cause… AAAAAHHHHHH…”

The Purple Micro God Emperor’s conviction, something which had stood firm in the face of the Northern Divine Region’s might and the threat of his realm’s destruction, had been so easily shattered by those few words from Cang Shitian.

Yun Che had already become ruthless enough, but he was still missing some of that venom… At the very least, he wasn’t anywhere near as venomous as Cang Shitian.

“It’s too late,” Yun Che replied in a deep voice filled with disdain.

Crack… CRACK!!

The Purple Micro God Emperor’s skeleton was slowly being crushed as his body was eroding away under the assault of the Three Yama Ancestors’ devilish energy. The purple light radiating from his body shook and trembled as he desperately struggled, but he spent the majority of his energy calling out to Yun Che, “Devil Master! The Purple Micro Realm swears loyalty to you that will endure for all the ages… The Purple Micro bloodline… has members that are useful to you… I’m begging you… Please… Please spare the Purple Micro Realm… I beg the Devil Master… AAAAAAHHH…”

As the Yama Ancestors’ power continued to eat into his body, the Purple Micro God Emperor’s wails started to grow more filled with misery and despair with each passing second. However, Yun Che still stood with his back faced to him as he refused to respond any further.

“Stop,” Qianye Ying’er suddenly said.

“...?” Yun Che glanced towards her with a small frown on his face.

The heads of the Three Yama Ancestors simultaneously swiveled toward Yun Che, but they dutifully withdrew their power at the same time. After all, they did not dare to defy Qianye Ying’er’s commands either.

The Purple Micro God Emperor’s entire body shuddered like a leaf, his face warped into a mask of terror. Now that he had been pulled right back from the brink of the abyss, he no longer showed any of the defiance he had shown earlier.

“He’s still a god emperor. If he’s willing to obediently listen to your commands, isn’t it better to let him live?” Qianye Ying’er said in a soft voice.

Caizhi suddenly interjected coldly, “Qianye, as a slave of the Devil Master, you dare to disobey his commands!?”

Her words were both a rebuke and a stinging reminder that Yun Che had once branded Qianye Ying’er with a slave imprint, something that would forever remain a scar in her heart.

“I would never dare to disobey the Devil Master’s commands,” Qianye Ying’er replied in a slow and languid manner as her eyes flitted over Yun Che’s figure. “I am only presenting the Devil Master with another option.”

“If the Purple Micro God Emperor is truly willing to submit, then we would have gained another god emperor as a helper. Furthermore, we wouldn’t need to waste any effort or manpower capturing the Purple Micro Realm. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. However…” Qianye Ying’er paused as she turned to look at the Purple Micro God Emperor. Her voice turned ice-cold as she continued, “Since the Devil Master already gave the order to execute him, how can he take it back so easily? If we were to let you off with nary a punishment, it would be far too unfair to God Emperor Shitian and the Xuanyuan God Emperor, who have been model citizens thus far.”

“Speak plainly,” Yun Che replied.

Qianye Ying’er pursed her lips, and that sensuous curve of lustrous ruby was alluring enough to steal the soul of anyone who looked at it. However, such perfection then proceeded to utter one of the most terrifying names known to existence. “The Brahma Soul Death-Wishing Mark”

The Xuanyuan God Emperor, Purple Micro God Emperor, and God Emperor Shitian shuddered at the exact same moment when they heard those words. Even Yan Tianxiao’s pitch-black eyes trembled when he heard them.

There was only one name that could instantly cause a god emperor’s blood to run cold and that was the “Brahma Soul Death-Wishing Mark”. Even Yan Tianxiao, who lived in the Northern Divine Region, had heard of this horrifying name before.

“...” Yun Che did not say anything. After all, he was one of the very few people who had personally experienced exactly what the Brahma Soul Death-Wishing Mark could do to a person.

“It looks like the Devil Master is willing to bestow this opportunity upon you,” Qianye Ying’er said as she gazed down at the Purple Micro God Emperor. “This is also the last chance for you and your realm. Choose.”

The Purple Micro God Emperor’s vision had never been so dim and blurry before.

He looked toward Yun Che… and saw only cold apathy masking inscrutable intentions. He could not even detect a hint of emotion on the Devil Master’s face. It was as if he didn’t even care which choice he made.

He then looked toward the Xuanyuan God Emperor… and saw a mixture of pity, shock, and even the smallest hint of schadenfreude on his fellow god emperor’s face.

He finally looked towards Cang Shitian… and he saw undisguised contempt, mockery, and full-blown schadenfreude on the face of the person who had plunged him into this abyss of despair.

……

It was only after having lived for tens of thousands of years that the Purple Micro God Emperor came to startling realization that he had never truly understood the Xuanyuan God Emperor or Cang Shitian, that he had never truly understood human nature itself.

The convictions that he had valued and lived by for all of his life had become all too fragile in the face of this existential threat. All of a sudden, they were not worth even a single copper coin.

The moment he was marked with the Brahma Soul Death-Wishing Mark, his fate would be entirely in the hands of Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er. Even if the Western Divine Region were to destroy the Northern Divine Region in the future, or if some other twist of fate were to occur, he would still be tied to them forever. He would never have a chance to escape or struggle against their shared destiny and it was very possible that he would eke out an existence where death would be infinitely more preferable.

Now that matters had come to a head, he no longer had any order choice. As the Purple Micro God Emperor bent his head, his lips actually started quirking up in a grin. He no longer felt any sorrow in his heart… and it was as if his heart and soul had died at that very moment.

“I humbly ask the Devil Master… to bequeath this mark upon me.” He very softly expressed his intent with as few words as he possibly could. In fact, his calm surprised even him as he accepted his inevitable fate.

“Very good.” Qianye Ying’er slowly raised a hand as she replied in a low voice, “You should know very well what will happen to you if you choose to resist.”

The Purple Micro God Emperor closed his eyes and withdrew all of the profound energy into his body.

A cold breeze brushed past everyone’s faces as Yun Che suddenly appeared beside Qianye Ying’er. He grasped her fair and jade-like wrist and slowly forced her hand down.

“You do it,” he said to Qianye Wugu and Qianye Bingzhu.

Qianye Ying’er, “...”

A faint smile suddenly appeared on the faces of the normally reticent Qianye Wugu and Qianye Bingzhu. They said, “That’s right. Planting the Brahma Soul Death-Wishing Mark on someone will damage the root of your soul. As the future of the Brahma Monarch Realm, no harm must come to your god emperor body. How can we possibly allow you to personally administer the mark?”

After they finished speaking, they both stretched out their hands and grabbed the Purple Micro God Emperor by his shoulders. Immediately, beams of golden light shot out from their palms and swiftly spread through the Purple Micro God Emperor’s body.

The Purple Micro God Emperor’s body trembled, but he didn’t move an inch from where he was standing. Instead, he allowed the most cruel and terrible soul imprint in the known universe to freely invade both his body and his soul.

Qianye Ying’er’s lips curved up into a small but sweet smile as she giggled and turned to look at Yun Che. Her voice was as soft as cotton as she said, “Oh, so my dear Lord Devil Master finally knows how to be flustered with concern over me?”

Yun Che, “...”

“Back when I entered the Northern Divine Region, my Brahma Soul and Brahma Monarch powers had already been stripped from me, so how could I plant the Brahma Soul Death-Wishing Mark on anyone? To think that you actually forgot such a simple thing just a moment ago.”

Yun Che’s body stiffened when he heard those words. Then, he gave a cold snort and said, “Now is not the time for jokes. Mind your own business.”

As he said that, he could clearly feel an icy-cold intent radiating out from behind him, and the owner of this intent took a long while to finally suppress it.

It looked like it would be far harder for Caizhi and Qianye Ying’er to coexist than he had initially thought.

After the golden marks spread through the Purple Micro God Emperor’s body, everything disappeared after a flash of brilliant light. The Brahma Soul Death-Wishing Mark had firmly taken root inside him.

After he personally witnessed the Purple Micro God Emperor get inflicted with the Brahma Soul Death-Wishing Mark, the Xuanyuan God Emperor started rising up and down as he trembled with emotion. However, the emotion he was feeling wasn’t resentment or discontent. It was a feeling of twisted joy and celebration.

“Xuanyuan, Purple Micro,” Yun Che said in a deep voice.

The Xuanyuan God Emperor hesitated for a second before he took a single halting step forward. He copied the bow that Cang Shitian had made to Yun Che and said, “What instructions… do you have for me?”

As someone who had been destined for the throne from the very start, there was no way he would be used to paying obeisance in such a servile manner. As a result, these words and mannerisms did not come easily to him.

The Purple Micro God Emperor also walked forward and bowed before Yun Che. However, the look in his eyes was a lot more bleak and hopeless than the Xuanyuan God Emperor’s.

“You are to marshal all the forces of the Xuanyuan Realm and Purple Micro Realm and embark on a punitive campaign of extermination against the remnants of the Southern Sea bloodline that managed to flee today. Furthermore, you are to execute this order immediately!” Yun Che said. With this, he had ordered these two great god emperors of the south to personally drive the final nails into the coffin of the Southern Sea God Realm.

“There will be nothing left of the Southern Sea bloodline!” That was the awful vow that he had made all those years ago.

The heads of the two god emperors sagged deeply as a deep sorrow surged through their hearts.

The Southern Sea God Realm had been their fellow king realm since the inception of the Southern Divine Region, yet its royal bloodline was going to be destroyed by their own hands.

Yun Che was simply dragging them deeper and deeper into a dark abyss where all light was lost.

They didn’t have the guts to refuse his command, so they could only obey.

“Remember to spread this news,” Yun Che continued. “The ones who deserve to die are those who bear the royal bloodline of the Southern Sea God Realm. Any of the other profound practitioners of the Southern Sea God Realm who surrenders someone from that bloodline to me will receive a full pardon. If they manage to kill a member of the royal bloodline, they will even receive a huge reward from me.”

Once this news was spread, it would plunge the profound practitioners who had escaped the Southern Sea God Realm into a terrible hell.

“Yes,” the two god emperors immediately replied, but the strain in their voices was obvious.

Yun Che’s voice turned dark and cold as he said, “Three months. After three months, I do not wish to see even the slightest trace of the Southern Sea’s bloodline remaining in this world! Not even a single drop can remain! Do you understand!?”

This time, the Xuanyuan God Emperor and the Purple Micro God Emperor did not immediately respond, because three months was simply far too short a period of time.

After hesitating for what seemed like an eternity to him, the Xuanyuan God Emperor finally bit the bullet, “Devil Master, the Xuanyuan Realm has always… feared and hated the devils of the north. Even though I have willingly become your servant, this command will definitely cause internal chaos and unrest in the Xuanyuan Realm because of their long-held beliefs. Just pacifying this chaos will take quite a while. It’s also the same for the Purple Micro Realm. Three months is really far too…”

Yun Che cut him off with a cold bark of laughter. “Heh, you can’t even properly control your own subordinates!? Did you spend all of your years as a god emperor lying on a dog’s back!?”

His eyes turned even more sinister and chilling as he continued, “Since when did an obedient dog have the right to summon its master!? All you need to do is to faithfully obey your orders! Three months… No matter what methods you have to use, no matter what measures you have to take, you are not to take a single day longer than that!”

Internal chaos? Wonderful! That also meant that they would be far less of a threat if they ever decided to throw their lot in with the Dragon God Realm!

The dreadful shadow Yun Che had planted in their hearts today had been far too dark and heavy. His dark gaze and sinister voice caused their very souls to shake in fear and they no longer dared to protest his orders. Instead, they hurriedly nodded their heads and acquiesced.

Yan Tianxiao suddenly barked out in a severe voice, “The Devil Master told you to begin ‘immediately’! What part of that word did you not understand!?”

He now understood exactly why Yun Che had ordered them to cease their pursuit. It had been Yun Che’s intention all along to burden the remaining king realms of the Southern Divine Region with the task of hunting down the dregs of the Southern Sea God Realm, an act that would firmly cement his hold over them.