Against the Gods

Chapter 2017 - Heart-Wrenching

Yun Che flew out of the Qilin God Realm with Yun Xi. The moment he confirmed that he had left Ximen Boyun’s spirit perception range, he quickly picked up the pace, passing through countless deserts and cities until he landed inside a sandstorm.

Compared to where Yun Che had arrived, the sandstorm here was much tamer.

Instead of clearing up, the light around them suddenly dimmed upon leaving the sandstorm area.

The world ahead was a gray haze that stretched as far as the eye could see, as if it had been enveloped by a layer of eternally undispellable, thick fog. The sky and earth were indistinguishable, and it was impossible to feel the borders of the fog that didn’t feel like they even existed.

Endless Fog… Those two words appeared in Yun Che’s soul sea.

The Endless Fog’s “fog” was an immensely dense expanse of abyssal dust. It encompassed at least ninety percent of the abyss and was known as certain death to all abyss inhabitants. The deeper you went, the denser the abyssal dust, and the more horrifying the abyssal beasts inside, hence inching you closer to death.

He had already known that the Qilin Abyss Realm was close to the Endless Fog on his very first day.

After leaving the Qilin Abyss Realm, Yun Che’s taut nerves finally relaxed a little. Pain and fatigue came battering down on every inch of his body with the weight of ten thousand mountains.

Yun Xi sensed his abnormal state from his disorderly aura and distinctively wobbly trajectory. She said coldly, “Put me down.”

Few creatures lived near the borders of this land, and since this place was close to the Endless Fog, no signs of habitation could be sensed.

In the past, every time he activated God Ash, he would inevitably faint from the backlash. This time, however, he had actually hung on for so long. It was not just his body that was on the verge of collapse, but even his consciousness was clearly muddled.

Yun Che slowly landed without a single protest. Right when his foot touched the ground, exhaustion blasted over him, along with an immense desire to kneel on the ground. Although that was what he wanted, he stood up straight and did his best to stabilize his body.

After all, he had to heal Yun Xi’s injuries first… He had to do that first.

At the very least, he couldn’t collapse in front of her.

It was only after he strained to recover from his muddled state that he realized Yun Xi had long left his side and was already ten steps away from him.

Her wounds had closed long ago and her aura was especially steady. She was absolutely not in the near death state she was in previously, back in the Qilin God Realm.

The same injury would’ve been grievous if found on a normal human being, but she was, after all, a Dragon God.

Even though Yun Che’s consciousness was still somewhat chaotic, he realized that Yun Xi’s previous condition was faked. It was either enacted to lower the guard of Ximen Borong and the others or… it was done to anger him.

His throat throbbed, finding it difficult to call out the name that even now, still felt like a dream. “Yun… Xi…”

“My name is Long Xi!” She said coolly, with her back facing him. “Long, my mother’s lineage. Xi, the name my mother gave me. Stop saying it wrong!”

A faint yet incomparably pure and holy white profound light floated on her body, silently healing her injuries.

That’s the Divine Miracle of Life… She had indeed inherited her mother’s light profound energy, and had even successfully cultivated the Divine Miracle of Life.

Yun Che took a step forward, his voice gentle. “I know… I owe you two so, so much. I don’t deserve to be a father and you hating me is well-des...”

“No, I don’t hate you, not one bit.”

Yun Xi’s voice was still calm. “The root cause of mother’s misfortune was due to her decision back then. It had nothing to do with you. She had no regrets or resentment. As her daughter, I should share the same feelings. I too, hold no grudges or hatred.”

Yun Che: “...”

“Yes, you are my biological father, but…” She finally turned around and looked Yun Che straight in the eye. However, her gaze was even colder than her voice. “I don’t need a father anymore. I don’t need you.”

“If it wasn’t for the fact that I needed to use you to escape, I definitely wouldn’t have let you know about my existence.”

There truly was no hint of resentment in her body language, the only thing there was an extreme indifference and alienation.

To Yun Che, this was far more heart-wrenching than hatred.

She had always hidden her aura and appearance previously. Whenever he came close, she had always rejected him and had even threatened him with death.

She had long since known who he was but had never bothered to acknowledge him.

His oldest daughter Yun Wuxin… he was also not there when she was born and had also missed out on her growing up, but when they met, she greeted him with elation as pure as a fairy.

It was because even though she did not have a father by her side, she still had the company of her mother.

As for Yun Xi, she…

Heavy injuries and an intense pain in his heart blurred his line of sight. Once it cleared again, the black cross on her face stung his eyes.

He asked, “The scar on your face… who did that…”

“Heh.” Yun Xi laughed without a trace of emotion. “Me, of course.”

Yun Che: “...!?”

Yun Xi coldly answered, “Mother was the most beautiful woman in the world. Fortunately, or rather unfortunately, I inherited her looks.”

“When I was fifteen, I noticed that people looked at me differently and the senses that lingered on my body stayed longer and longer.”

“As a result, I stole the abyssal core of an abyssal beast from the Endless Fog and scraped it against my face, releasing the abyssal dust inside the abyssal core. I eroded my face with it to the point where nobody would dare give me another look.”

“...!!!” Yun Che’s body shook violently and was finally no longer able to support itself. He fell down hard on his knees, his body quaking, unable to rise again. The pain and cruelty that felt like arrows boring through his heart sounded like someone else’s trivial story when told the way Yun Xi described it.

“This is corrosion caused by abyssal dust. In these past decades, it has long since fused with me. Even the Divine Miracle of Life cannot dispel it from my body.”

“...” Yun Che clenched his teeth. The desire to stand came up several times in his head but due to his extreme heartbreak, he was unable to find a silver of strength no matter how hard he tried.

“Why… would you…”

He suddenly remembered something and abruptly raised his head, his pupils constricting. “What about your mother? Is… is she not by your side?”

“Of course she’s by my side!” Yun Xi’s tone of voice worsened and she immediately turned her head, hiding the sadness in her eyes. She muttered absentmindedly, “Always by my side… Mother would never let me go… Never…”

Yun Che’s heartstrings tightened. That unconscious mutter doubled his unease. “What’s wrong with Shen Xi? What happened to her? Tell me!”

“It’s none of your business!”

The cold words came with a sharp shrill that pierced Yun Che’s heart, instantly stumping him in place.

Yun Xi turned around again and slowly exhaled.

It should’ve been fine if I stayed away and didn't look at him, why did I still lose control?

“You weren’t at her side during mother’s most painful and hopeless time. She held on all by herself, and to save me, sh-…”

“You were never there when I was at my loneliest, darkest, saddest, most hopeless, when I wanted to die, and needed even the smallest bit of support.”

She took a deep breath and her voice gradually returned to calm. “But it’s fine. I’ve already fought against it all. Mother is also strong and still ‘exists’.”

“...” Yun Che closed his eyes, blood streaming down the corner of his mouth as his entire body shook incessantly.

To have destroyed her own face and a coldness that came from her very bones… He couldn’t imagine, wouldn’t dare to imagine how she spent her years in the Abyss.

“I’m strong now. I can already protect myself. And I even found a way to ‘wake’ mother up… Now that I don’t need or want any support, you just had to ‘timely’ appear!”

“And the moment you show up…” Yun Che gritted his teeth. “You almost destroyed the only hope I had of saving her!”

“...?” Yun Che blankly muttered, “You got the Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid… for Shen Xi?”

“Yes.” Yun Xi answered slowly, “Originally, if I hid my aura and quietly approached the Qilin God, I could’ve easily gotten the Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid. My grandfather, the Primordial Azure Dragon, did the Qilin Clan a huge favor in the ancient era. Qilins are a race that remembers favors, and they would pass down their words if it hasn’t been repaid. The Qilin God in the Qilin God Realm would’ve recognized my aura. As long as I said the word, they’d have been more than willing to give me their Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid.”

“Originally, I could’ve easily gotten it and quietly left.”

“But you…” Yun Xi’s chest heaved. “Do you dare say that the sudden demise of the Qilin God has nothing to do with you!?”

“...” The hand Yun Che used to support himself from the ground trembled for a long time as his heart suffered yet another immeasurably heavy blow.

Grandfather… Primordial Azure Dragon…

So Shen Xi really was the Primordial Azure Dragon’s daughter… But at this moment, there was only pain in his soul. He no longer had the strength to think.

“So don’t think that I’m going to be grateful just because you saved me. This is what you owe me, and I even got injured too!”

Yun Che’s consciousness fell into a deep sea of darkness. Guilt, agony, pain, self-hatred…

In the God Realm, he was a mighty emperor. Everyone feared him, everyone bowed to him. But he had no clue that in another world, his daughter walked alone in a dark abyss, carrying her mother.

“Yun… Xi…” He said softly. All words in the world paled at that moment. “I’m sorry… I didn’t know… I really… didn’t know…”

“I… didn’t even know that you existed… When… I left your mother that year… I had no choice… and then… I couldn’t find her anymore…”

She coldly interrupted him. “I know you have many difficulties, many things you were forced to do against your will, and many other wives and children to protect. But so what?”

“Do I have to accept it all? Do I have to forgive it all? Do I have to forgive it all in place of mother? And then respectfully call you ‘father’ the moment you appear in my life?”

“...” Yun Che lowered his head and was silent for a long time before he said painfully, “At least, give me a chance to make up for it…”

“No need!” Yun Xi turned away and rejected him without the slightest hesitation. “I’ve already made it very clear just now. I don’t need a father anymore, and I don’t need you to make up for anything.”

“I also don’t hate you. If mother wants to see you again after I save her, I won’t stop her. But before then, please do not bother us! Because the only thing you bring is disaster!”

“Treat it as me begging you.”

After that, she flew into the air and decisively left.

“Wait!”

It was unknown where he got the strength from when his body was on the verge of collapse, but it sent him right in front of Yun Xi.

Yun Xi was forced to stop.

“Tell me… Shen Xi… Tell me what happened to her… Where is she…” Yun Che asked with a pleading gaze.

Yun Xi shot a cold look back. “What happens if I do? What can you do? Save her? Protect her?”

Yun Che: “...”

“Do you think you’re so awesome after killing a few Qilin Abyss Realm minions?” Yun Xi sneered, “You know, in front of the truly strong ones in the Abyss, you’re only just a slightly bigger ant! You think you can protect my mother? Dream on!”

Before Yun Che could reply, her tone suddenly changed. “You killed that Abyss Knight Bei Mochen, right?”

Yun Che’s reply got stuck in his mouth due to his shock.

“Hmph, as expected.”

A strange expression instantly flashed across Yun Xi’s face. “You can probably do that with the power you showed when you killed those Qilin Abyss minions and the heavenly profound treasures on you. If that’s the case, then the reason why you’re here in the Abyss is because you’re looking for a way to stop the Abyss from corroding that other world.”

“...” Yun Che stared at her, speechless.

Her figure flashed and she arrived behind Yun Che. In the next flash, she was already far into the distance. “Stay far away from me if you don’t want me to expose you, or else…”

Her voice quickly grew distant, until it disappeared into the dusky horizon.

Yun Che pressed his hand on his chest and slowly closed his eyes.

So smart…

So terrifyingly smart…

As expected of…

My daughter…

His consciousness crumbled and he fell from the sky, fainting dead away.

――――

[Speaking of which, why do some people think that Helian Lingzhu is Yun Che’s savior? I was super shocked… But it might really be because I wasn’t expressing my words clearly. I’ll pay attention next time.]