Against the Gods (Web Novel)

It took Shui Meiyin less than a day to unlock all the palace seals of the World Dragon City. The seals on certain special defense mechanisms, profound formations, and the lower space were a lot more complicated, but she fully expected to unlock them all in less than a month.

She very much looked forward to the day that enough energy was injected into the unlocked World Dragon City. After all, this was a true ancient profound ship.

After a whole day of rest, Yun Che had regained most of his soul energy. Standing on the World Dragon City, he looked quietly at the flattened, blood-drenched Ten Directions Deep Sea God Realm for a very long time.

The biggest obstacle had been eliminated, his last person of hatred had been eliminated from this world, and he was well and truly the pinnacle existence of this world… So why did he not know what to do next?

He should return to the Blue Pole Star now and inform his loved ones of his safety, but…

A little more than two hours later, he finally turned away and followed Chi Wuyao’s trail of aura.

“I’ve been waiting for you, my Devil Master,” replied Chi Wuyao with a smile when Yun Che approached her.

She knew full well that Yun Che would fall into indecision after the battle ended, and he no longer had a clear goal to strive for. He was just a thirty year old man. Of course he wouldn’t know where to even start to become the emperor of the universe.

“Hmm!” Yun Che let out a helpless sigh. “I’ve been trying really hard not to become dependent on you, but it turned out to be a pipe dream in the end. Ruling the world is way harder than becoming unrivaled beneath the heavens so to speak.”

He was sure that Chi Wuyao had plotted out every step he should take after this victory.

“Before that, I want you to answer one thing.” Chi Wuyao walked closer to him and looked him in the eye. “What is your heart’s desire, exactly? Do you want to usher this world into an era of abyss so that you and the northern region profound practitioners who have suffered for a million years can vent their darkness to their heart’s content… or do you wish to become a true ruler of the Primal Chaos and lead the realms just as you have led the Northern Divine Region?”

“...the latter,” Yun Che responded.

“I knew it.” Chi Wuyao smiled. “For the past couple of years, your hatred was like an infinite horde of devils that was barely penned up inside your heart. From the beginning, I was worried that your hatred would eventually break through your control and devour you completely. Then, you just... changed.”

“The day you came back with Meiyin,” Chi Wuyao said seriously, “can you tell me what happened that day?”

“Mn. It is time I tell you about that.” Yun Che looked to the south while pressing a finger to his glabella. A small ball of soul light slowly appeared into view. “For the past few years, I could not wait to destroy everything and anything. I could not help but want to slaughter every living being on these star realms one by one and bathe myself in their blood. After all, I’m the one who saved them all, and yet I’m the one who lost everything.”

“However, the reason that drove me to hate the world and become a devil… vanished that day.”

“Vanished?” Chi Wuyao raised her eyebrows.

After the soul light was ready, Yun Che tapped it gently into Chi Wuyao’s glabella. That day’s memories immediately entered her mind.

“...” For a long time, Chi Wuyao couldn’t say anything. Her eyes were the only thing that betrayed the turmoil of emotions she was feeling right now.

“Incredible,” Chi Wuyao murmured to no one in particular. She had never witnessed such a ridiculous turnaround until now.

The World Piercer…

Shui Meiyin…

As it turned out, engraving that fateful day into the Illusory Glazed Imagery Jade wasn’t the only thing she did for Yun Che. She even fooled the entire Primal Chaos, protected Blue Pole Star… and made Yun Che into what he was today.

Indirectly, she was even the savior of the Northern Divine Region.

This wasn’t the first time Yun Che saw Chi Wuyao shocked, but it certainly was the longest he had ever seen from her. It made sense though. No one could’ve seen this coming, especially since the destruction of the “Blue Pole Star” was witnessed by countless Divine Masters and God Emperors.

It felt as if the mountain of weight that was sitting in her heart all this time suddenly scattered into the wind. A kind of joy and relief like nothing she had ever felt before coursed through her body and tugged her lips into a beautiful smile. “I… see. This is truly wonderful. It may very well be the greatest miracle the world has ever seen.”

“Xuanyin, Caizhi, Qianying, the Northern Divine Region… I’m sure everyone will rejoice for eternity when they learn about this.”

Her eyes turned a bit misty while she was speaking, but she chased it away immediately. Although Yun Che had removed the emotional upheaval he felt during the memory, she knew that Yun Che must’ve cried loud and hard on that day… it wasn’t something any willpower in the world could endure.

“Also, I must admit that I’ve underestimated Meiyin completely. I had no idea that she had done so many things for you and paved so many stepping stones for us in secret.”

“Mn.” Yun Che nodded lightly. “It will take untold lifetimes to repay all the love and favor I owe her.”

“I’m sure she’ll be satisfied with just one lifetime of love. Never betray her confidence, okay?” Chi Wuyao said with a beautiful smile on her face. Yun Che’s change was obviously a good thing, but she never imagined that it would be caused by such a beautiful, even dreamlike miracle.

Now she understood why he was willing to enter the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm for three whole years when previously, even one day’s wait was absolute torture to the man. After discovering that his loved ones and homeworld were safe and sound, forget three years, he would endure thirty or even three hundred years if it meant securing a better future for them.

“The Dragon God Realm has been destroyed, and Long Bai is dead. The biggest threats to our safety no longer exist in this world, so… this is the best time to meet them… right?” Yun Che asked in a sorrowful tone for some reason.

“The fact that you’re asking this shows that you are aware that now is still not the time to meet them,” Chi Wuyao said consolingly. “I know what you’re thinking. I understand your urgency and your… guilt.”

“You may have removed the biggest obstacles in your path, but you have only just begun your journey to ruling this universe,” Chi Wuyao explained slowly. “The Western Divine Region alone is a significant threat to your rule. You may have butchered the Divine Masters of the Dragon Gods, the Emperor Chi, the Hui Dragons and the Myriad Manifestations completely, but there are still over four hundred upper star realms and two thousand middle star realms who may oppose you.”

“While this combined force may not be enough to threaten you or us, the Blue Pole Star is just a lower planet… it won’t be an exaggeration to say that it is as fragile as a newborn child before the God Realm.”

“Right now, there are countless star realms and profound practitioners in the God Realm who both fear and hate you. It is impossible to change the long-time prejudice toward dark profound practitioners in a short time either. If the Blue Pole Star is exposed before you are able to take sufficient control of the God Realm, and if you are to make even a single mistake during this time…”

Chi Wuyao shot Yun Che a long look.

Yun Che didn’t react to Chi Wuyao’s words too much. He asked calmly, “What will be the best time to return then?”

“When you’ve officially been crowned the emperor of the Primal Chaos,” Chi Wuyao answered. “It will not take too long. Barring any accident, it should take only a year to stabilize things.”

“Can we do it in half a year?” Yun Che’s gaze turned distant. “Wuxin’s twentieth birthday is in a hundred and ninety nine days, and... I don’t want to miss her birthday ever again.”

“...” Chi Wuyao was going to say something when she saw the inexplicable emotions swimming behind Yun Che’s eyes. A short silence later, a playful smile suddenly sprung across her lips. “Half a year is not impossible, I suppose. I will need your full cooperation though, my dear Devil Master.”

Yun Che faced toward her and replied seriously, “Understood. Tell me what I have to do.”

When it came to acting the emperor, controlling the people, and especially manipulating their minds, he and Chi Wuyao didn’t even belong in the same game.

Chi Wuyao slowly walked to Yun Che’s right side before starting, “Forceful suppression is one of the easiest and most thoughtless ways to eliminate all those who oppose you, but it is not applicable to our current situation. For starters, our core strength is severely damaged, and we cannot afford to lose even a single one of them in the short term.”

“Also, this method causes more fear than respect.”

“Therefore, the best way to do this is to fool everyone into thinking that you already have the entire Primal Chaos in your palms, and turning the star realms and profound practitioners who intend to rebel into heretics before they can unite into a sizable threat. The sooner, the better. Given enough time, the rebels will crumble upon themselves before we even lift a finger.”

Yun Che frowned and thought for a moment before answering, “This is much harder than just suppressing all enemies by force.”

He waited patiently for Chi Wuyao’s answer. He knew that the Devil Queen wouldn’t make a suggestion unless she already had a solution at the ready.

“That is correct. However…” she shot Yun Che a look and smiled playfully again. “The stars are aligned just well enough for us to make this work. If you will afford me your cooperation, of course.”

“What in the world do you want me to do?” Yun Che asked.

“It’s a very secular but very useful method that the royalty or nobility of any plane often employ.” Chi Wuyao continued a short pause, “I’m talking about political marriage.”

For three whole breaths, Yun Che couldn’t say anything. “HAH!?”

Chi Wuyao smiled at his reaction before continuing, “Thanks to Meiyin’s recordings, everyone knows that you saved the world, and that you were betrayed by the king realms and upper star realms. This means that we have an excellent foundation to begin our plan right off the bat.”

“Next, we begin building the momentum for the world to acknowledge your rule, and the first step to doing so is to exaggerate both facts.”

Her voice slowed and deepened for a bit. “History has always been written by the victor, not a fair and impartial observer.”

“With this as the base, what do you think will happen if you have an imperial consort in every divine region?” She said while shooting Yun Che a charming look.

“...” Yun Che froze as he thought of the implications.

“You don’t need to do anything regarding the Northern Divine Region. The world already knows that I am your queen.”

For some reason, she sounded a tad resentful when she said this.

“All four king realms of the Eastern Divine Region are either crippled or destroyed, and the only one that is relatively intact, the Brahma Monarch God Realm is ruled by Qianying. Naturally, she has no qualms about becoming your consort.”

“The Star God Realm is dead in all but name, but the Heavenly Wolf Star God is still around, and the king realm’s lost divine artifact is in your hands. You can aid Caizhi in rebuilding the Star God Realm, make her the god emperor, and claim her as your consort later.”

“In the same vein, you can support the Snow Song Realm and turn it into a new eastern region king realm. Although the Snow Snow Realm as a whole is pretty weak, there are few profound practitioners in the world who can match Mu Xuanyin right now, not to mention that you were once a disciple of the Divine Ice Phoenix Sect. That is all the legitimacy you need to make this happen. Once enough high quality resources and your ‘special ability’ has been injected into the sect, it is only a matter of time before it grows into a true king realm.”

“Do you understand what I’m saying now? When all is said and done, you will have three god emperors, each one representing a king realm, as your consorts!”

“This is the news that will stifle all seeds of disloyalty in the Eastern Divine Region and unite everyone’s wills as one!”

“...” Again, Yun Che couldn’t say anything for a very long time.

You can… do things… like this!?

Chi Wuyao continued, “Let’s move onto the Western Divine Region. Four out of six of its existing king realms are dead in all but name, but that is fine, because there is a perfect candidate for you to marry among the two remaining king realms.”

“She is the Blue Dragon Emperor.”

“!?” Yun Che’s eyes widened like saucers. “You can’t possibly suggest that—”

“She does not have the right to refuse.” Chi Wuyao ignored Yun Che’s interruptions and continued, “She can detest the idea from the bottom of her heart, and she’ll still choose to become your consort because it is the best possible protection the Blue Dragon Realm can hope to have right now.”

“Plus, her stance will change ever so subtly after she becomes your consort, even if only in name. Consciously or not, she’ll favor you every time she makes a decision.”

“As you are already aware, the Qilin Realm and Blue Dragon Realms are as close as family. In fact, the Qilin Emperor practically treats the Blue Dragon Emperor like his own daughter. Once the Blue Dragon Emperor becomes your consort, the Qilin Realm will naturally follow your lead to a certain extent.”

“Once the ‘beaten outsider’ has become a part of the ‘family’ so to speak, it becomes much easier to make certain things happen in the Western Divine Region.”

“As for the Southern Divine Region, I have already found the right candidate for you during our stay in the Deep Sea Realm,” a strange smile crossed her lips as she said this. “I guarantee that you will be… satisfied with my choice.”

“Having said that, all I need you to do is to nod your head, and all these god emperors will become your consorts. This is something that has never happened in the entire history of the God Realm. I promise you that it will generate a kind of momentum that will suppress all seeds of disloyalty without costing a single life.”

“But,” Yun Che said with a serious face, “I’ve only met the Blue Dragon Emperor a couple of times. There is literally no love lost between us whatsoever. I’m not sure…”

“It’s in name only, dear. Love has never been a necessary element in political marriages,” Chi Wuyao said. “Also, did you forget that I myself am your queen-in-name? We haven’t even consummated our love yet, have we?... You playboy.”

Yun Che: “...”

“It’s not like the Blue Dragon Emperor has any undesirable qualities either. On the contrary, her countenance is exquisite, her skin is as soft as water, and as far as I know there is no woman in the world whose body shape is as good as hers. Also, as a god emperor, the Blue Dragon Emperor was going to practice a lifetime of celibacy until you came along. If anything, I think she’s the one who should be complaining about this, not you.”

Yun Che: “(￣ェ￣;)”

“There are no downsides to having a consort-in-name, and in this case it’ll make taking control of the Western Divine Region many times easier. Also, if you ever feel like it, you can always cross off the in-name part and actually lay your hands on her, can you not? Are you going to tell me you don’t like the idea?”

“...” Yun Che couldn’t stop himself from imagining the long, pale, and stunningly beautiful legs he saw underneath the Blue Dragon Emperor’s blue skirt that day. They were like a pair of white jades carved by one of the most masterful smiths in the world. His heart began thumping wildly.

To his surprise… he was actually very tempted by the offer!