Against the Gods

Chapter 916 – New Emperor of Absolute Monarch Sanctuary

When Dongfang Xiu and Qin Wushang, who had been hiding in the furthest and most isolated corner of the place, suddenly heard Yun Che’s words, they were so shocked that they nearly jumped into the air at the same time.

What kind of organization was the Black Moon Merchant Guild?

The combined wealth of all the nations in the Profound Sky Continent besides the Divine Phoenix Nation would definitely not be able to equal one Black Moon Merchant Guild. The status and historical foundation of these six nations were far from coming close to the Black Moon Merchant Guild.

What kind of notion was thirty percent of the Black Moon Merchant Guild’s total earnings… It was an astronomical number that even Dongfang Xiu and Qin Wushang were not able to fathom.

Furthermore, the transfer of money Yun Che spoke of was purely a tribute, the Blue Wind Imperial Family did not need to be chained down by any conditions or hardships. In fact, the Blue Wind Imperial Family did not even need to participate in any part of the process or administration and management of the money; they were just taking the money, pure and simple! Furthermore, they were taking thirty percent… this was far worse than simply skinning the Black Moon Merchant Guild, this was even taking a pound of their flesh as well. Furthermore, this process would be repeated every year.

This was definitely the most merciless case of getting something for nothing in the entire history of the Profound Sky Continent.

If the Blue Wind Nation received such a great amount of wealth every year, their national power would definitely soar.

“This… This…” The Black Moon Merchant Guild was the result of Zi Ji’s entire life’s work and effort. It was something that was practically akin to his own life. At the same time, it was also the lifeline which supported all of Supreme Ocean Palace. If they were robbed of thirty percent every year, it would undoubtedly be equivalent to ruthlessly cutting his own flesh. It was also equivalent to cutting away thirty percent of the lifeline that supported Supreme Ocean Palace.

“Asgard Master Yun, this… Is it possible that we can negotiate this a little? Twenty percent… How does twenty percent sound?” Zi Ji wore a tortured expression on his face and one did not know whether it was because of the devilish poison eating away at his body or because he had to divide up the most precious thing in his life. Furthermore, as a businessman, it was practically instinctive for him to try and reduce his losses.

“Oh… it looks like Mister Zi isn’t too happy with the terms of this arrangement,” Yun Che said with a low chuckle. “That’s fine. I shall acquiesce and negotiate a little then. So how about you… offer up forty percent every year!?”

“Wh… What?” Zi Ji’s entire body fiercely shook.

Dongfang Xiu and Qin Wushang shuddered even more violently.

“Oh? Could it be that Mister Zi still feels discontented with this arrangement?” Yun Che asked with a faint smile.

“No… No, NO!” Zi Ji frantically and anxiously waved his hand, “Forty percent! Forty percent it is!”

Zi Ji’s heart was bleeding and he fell into a bout of self-loathing, hating the fact that his very first reaction was actually to try and strike a bargain… he actually thought of trying to bargain with Yun Che of all people!

“Very good,” Yun Che said with a satisfied nod, “It’s only forty percent. It’s not like I’m asking for seventy or eighty percent. In the end, I, Yun Che, am still not able to become the sort of person who relies on his power to extort others. Since I’ve given my word, then let it be settled with this.”

Zi Ji, “!～＠＃￥％…” (MMP)

After Yun Che had finished speaking, he stretched out his left hand and an emerald-green purifying light immediately engulfed everyone of Supreme Ocean Palace who had been afflicted by the devilish poison. Within the span of a few short breaths, nearly all of the devilish poison had been cleansed away.

The afflicted people felt the pain of their bodies being devoured greatly decrease before that feeling gradually disappeared altogether. It was just that their bodies had been corroded by the devilish poison for so long, so they still required a period of time before they could make a full recovery.

“We thank Asgard Master Yun for saving our lives,” he several Venerable Ones who were at the head of Supreme Ocean Palace rose up and bowed towards Yun Che as they spoke. Even though they had paid an extremely heavy price, they had at the very least escaped that agony and the nightmarish spectre of death. And because of this, Supreme Ocean Palace would also be able to be saved.

Moreover, they were not Zi Ji, so they did not clearly understand just what it meant to hand over forty percent of the Black Moon Merchant Guild’s earnings every year.

“This Ocean Palace has been met with such a great calamity, so the damage dealt must definitely be rather severe,” Yun Che said blandly. “ If all of you still want to continue to float atop this blue ocean, then you can slowly repair it. If you don’t want to do so… The source of the black energy within the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest that is to the south of here has already disappeared. So that protective barrier could have been dispelled a long time ago and all of you no longer have any reason to continue to keep watch over this place.”

Several of the Venerable Ones exchanged glances before their leader, Venerable Purple, cupped his hands towards Yun Che and said, “This matter… I thank Asgard Master Yun for informing us about it.”

Zi Ji, who had escaped the grasp of the devilish poison, had heavily and slowly inhaled several times. He hugged the dying Qu Fengyi as he stood up. His expression was filled with grief and mourning as he said, “Asgard Master Yun, this old man knows full well that I have no face to beg you to forgive the mistakes the Sovereign of the Seas has made but she… is nearly at the end of her tether and she is destined to pass on from this life. So I beg that Asgard Master Yun allows this old one to leave for a while and bring her to a quiet place…”

The current Qu Fengyi lay curled up in Zi Ji’s arms, her body was soaked with blood and her aura was as thin as gossamer threads. She no longer exuded the power and prestige that she normally did. Nor did she still radiate an aura that caused one’s heart to palpitate. In fact, Yun Che could barely sense even any profound energy aura from her body…

Xuanyuan Wentian’s venomous and wicked devil energy had almost completely crippled Qu Fengyi’s profound strength.

This was perhaps the most helpless and weak Qu Fengyi had been in her entire life… But at the very least, there was a man who had continued to tightly hug her in his arms through this ordeal and even though that man also had to endure the enormous pain inflicted by a devilish poison, he had not let her go at any moment.

Even the powerhouses of Supreme Ocean Palace had only clearly remembered that they were husband and wife at this moment.

Zi Ji hugged Qu Fengyi, his face a rigid mask as he slowly walked away, his back shadowed by a desolateness that was hard to describe. Yun Che turned around as the despair that he had felt when he had held Ling’er in his arms all those years ago flashed through his mind. After that he finally took in a deep breath before speaking, “If I am able to save her, what would you give me in exchange?”

Zi Ji’s steps came to a sudden halt before he suddenly froze up. After that, he abruptly and turned around with great force as he turned towards Yun Che and dropped to his knees heavily. His voice quivered violently as he spoke, “Life… My life! As long as you are willing to save her, no matter what… The life of this old man Zi Ji… Everything that I have… I will agree to any request you make… Beg… I beg Asgard Master Yun to raise his hand in mercy and show me great favor and kindness. If I, Zi Ji, am unable to repay this debt in this life, I am willing to use the entirety of my next life to repay this debt of gratitude… I beg Asgard Master Yun to show grace and save her…”

The lips of Qu Fengyi, who lay in his arms, gently moved as two lines of tears slowly flowed from the corners of her eyes.

“…” Yun Che turned his face to the side as he took in a deep breath. If someone had told him that he would be able to save Ling’er all those years ago, then he would also definitely be willing to kneel in front of that person and use everything he had to make an exchange or beg for her life…

He loathed Qu Fengyi but the actions of Zi Ji had deeply touched the weakest spot in his heart. He strode forward and stretched out his hand before speaking blandly, “Senior Zi, please rise. After all, I am only a junior, so I am unable to receive such great courtesy from you… Put her down, I will save her.”

Zi Ji’s mouth gaped open before he hurriedly swallowed the words that he was just about to say. His body shook uncontrollably for a moment before he lay Qu Fengyi on the ground with the utmost care. Yun Che simply crouched down beside her, the hollow of his palm pressed against the fatal wound on her chest. He focused his mind as dense and pure energy of heaven and earth slowly congealed and spun in his palm before he infused all of it into Qu Fengyi’s body.

In a short amount of time, the remaining devil energy inside her body had been completely dissipated and her nearly completely withered life energy also began to swiftly recover.

But throughout this whole process, the one who showed the most vivid expression was Zi Ji. His eyes started to quake with increasing intensity as both his hands scrabbled against the ground desperately. Even though he was extremely agitated, he did not dare let out the slightest bit of sound.

An entire seven minutes went by before Yun Che removed his palm from Qu Fengyi’s chest. After that, he exhaled lightly. Qu Fengyi had already completely lost all consciousness but her face now clearly had a tinge of red to it that it did not have before.

“For now, her life isn’t in danger anymore,” Yun Che said in a calm voice. “Given the foundation and resources of your Supreme Ocean Palace, you won’t need me to help you with the rest. It’s just that her profound veins are severely damaged, so even if she makes a full recovery, her profound strength should fall to the Tyrant Profound Realm or even lower. Furthermore, even if she continues to cultivate again, her progress will be interminably slower than it was before.”

Once he sensed that the aura exuded from Qu Fengyi was tens of times clearer and steadier than it had been before, Zi Ji cupped both his hands towards Yun Che and gave him a deep bow before speaking, “Thank…”

“I do not require your thanks, nor do I require you to give me anything,” Yun Che said as he turned around. “I did not save her for your sake. Nor did I save her for her own sake either. I saved her for my own sake. You had better hurry up and bring her to a place which is more suited for rest and recovery now.”

As he lifted Qu Fengyi, Zi Ji replied to Yun Che’s back in a deep voice, “Asgard Master Yun, this great debt of gratitude I owe you is something I, Zi Ji… will never be able to forget for the rest of my life!”

After Zi Ji had finished speaking, he did not tarry any longer as he hurriedly carried Qu Fengyi away from this place. If there had been any fury in his heart due to Yun Che’s mercilessness and blatant extortion, it had all been completely washed away at the present moment. The only thing left in his heart was boundless gratitude and gratefulness.

All of the members of Supreme Ocean Palace shared the same sentiments as well.

“He whacked them with a big stick but after that, he immediately bestowed a great boon upon them… Yun Che is not merely powerful in regards to profound strength, he is even more adept at manipulating the hearts of people,” Dongfang Xiu said with a deep sigh. Yet he did not know that the reason Yun Che had saved Qu Fengyi was merely because he wanted to try to fill up a certain emptiness in his heart and it was definitely not because he wanted to manipulate anyone’s heart or anything like that.

The members of Supreme Ocean Palace were all now safe and sound and Yun Che had even shown incredible benevolence by saving Qu Fengyi, who had tried to harm him twice. However, Absolute Monarch Sanctuary was still deep in the clutches of this nightmarish devilish poison. After Zi Ji left, they directed gazes filled with hope and anxiety towards Yun Che as they begged him profusely, “Asgard Master Yun, We beg that you raise your hand towards us in mercy and you purge the poison from our bodies.”

Yun Che turned around and spoke in an incomparably cold and indifferent voice, “Supreme Ocean Palace did not give me a reason to purge them of their poison for free and neither does your Absolute Monarch Sanctuary. You have all witnessed what has just happened. If you want me to purge all of you of the poison that is raging through your bodies, then you need to present to me terms and conditions that are agreeable to me. At the very least, it must be something that has equivalent value to all of your lives.”

Spiritual Master Nine Lamentations spoke in a hoarse voice, “If there is any way Asgard Master Yun can use our Absolute Monarch Sanctuary in the future… We will definitely… not reject you in any way whatsoever…”

“I have no need for that,” Yun Che said immediately. “Whatever your Absolute Monarch Sanctuary can do, I can do better. And if there is something that I cannot accomplish, then your Absolute Monarch Sanctuary definitely won’t be able to accomplish it either. I simply cannot think of any possibility that I would ask Absolute Monarch Sanctuary to do anything for me in the future.”

“Cough cough…” Huangji Wuyu moved his body forward but even this simple movement caused him to cough out two great mouthfuls of blood. His aura was thin and weak as he spoke, “I, Huangji Wuyu, am fully aware that I have no right to face you and that I have even less right to beg anything of you. If I can resolve Asgard Master Yun’s fury towards us, I am willing to immediately take my own life, as long as Asgard Master Yun is willing to give Absolute Monarch Sanctuary… a way out.”

“Heh, if you want to go and take your own life, that’s your own business. Please do as you please,” Yun Che said as he indifferently turned his face aside. “As for giving your Absolute Monarch Sanctuary a way out, I don’t understand what you’re saying at all. The devilish poison that is afflicting you came from Xuanyuan Wentian, it has nothing to do with me. Yet you spoke as if I was the one who did the deed.”

“Brother-in-law,” Xia Yuanba strode over and spoke in a pleading voice as well, “Even though they have committed many mistakes and they have done things that are hard for you to forgive, in the end, they… In the end… they are just like Master, they are all righteous people. At least, I have never ever seen them do wicked things. For the sake of the Mirror of Samsara, Lord Saint Emperor… has committed the only wrong thing I ever witnessed him commit but it was also the most wicked and wrong thing…”

“That’s enough Yuanba.” Yun Che patted his shoulder as he said, “Senior Ancient Blue is your master, so saving him is the completely right and natural thing to do. But these people, even though they belong to the same Absolute Monarch Sanctuary as you, they are neither your master nor are they your disciples. Furthermore, they nearly forced me into a dead end not too long ago, so I have no duty or obligation to save them.”

“Bu… But…” Xia Yuanba immediately grew so anxious that he was at a loss for words.

But at this moment, Huangji Wuyu’s eyes glimmered fiercely. He used all of his strength to struggle to his feet and beckon Xia Yuanba to him, “Yuanba, come over here.”

Xia Yuanba obediently went over to Huangji Wuyu but just as he arrived in front of him, he saw that Huangji Wuyu’s expression was completely solemn and serious. After that, Huangji Wuyu spoke in a booming voice, “Absolute Monarch Sanctuary disciple Xia Yuanba, kneel down to receive your command.”

“Lord Saint Emperor.” Xia Yuanba was completely stunned but he hurriedly sank to his knees despite not knowing the reason for his action.

When all of the gathered members of Absolute Monarch Sanctuary saw this, their eyes flashed and they immediately understood what was happening.

Huangji Wuyu held up the Primal Chaos Heavenly Ruler in his left hand, his right hand holding a seal that flickered with a strange golden light. A strange and ancient aura radiated from this golden-colored seal. He brought the Primal Chaos Heavenly Ruler and the golden-colored seal in front of Xia Yuanba. He bore the pain of the devilish poison as he spoke in an extremely solemn tone of voice, “Thirteenth Saint Emperor of Absolute Monarch Sanctuary, Huangji Wuyu, presently passes on the Saint Emperor Seal and the Primal Chaos Heavenly Ruler to Sacred Grounds Disciple Xia Yuanba. From today onwards, Xia Yuanba will be the fourteenth Saint Emperor of Absolute Monarch Sanctuary.

“Yuanba, receive the seal and the ruler!”

Xia Yuanba’s mouth gaped open as he stood there completely dazed, “I…”

Yun Che slapped a hand against Xia Yuanba’s lower back, “If they asked you to receive it, you better receive it!”

Xia Yuanba staggered forward as he unconsciously took the presented Primal Chaos Heavenly Ruler and Saint Emperor Seal into his arms. It was also at this exact moment that all of the people in Absolute Monarch Sanctuary deeply bowed towards him. Even his own master, Spiritual Master Ancient Blue had bent his body and bowed towards him as all of them shouted:

“We greet the Saint Emperor!”

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