Against the Gods (Web Novel)

Chapter 2011 - Greed

Partially Edited Chapter - Rubble

Yun Che didn’t try to lower his speed. As the east side of the Qilin God Realm was forbidden from exploration, it was extremely unlikely that someone would set foot in this area. Even if someone was drawn over by the commotion, it didn’t matter too much. He had already achieved his objective. He could make up whatever lie he wanted to draw attention away from himself.

That was until the aura of an entire group of Half-Step Divine Extinction Realm profound practitioners barged into his senses. He counted eleven of them, which coincided with the number of all the Half-Step Divine Extinction Realm experts who had entered the Qilin God Realm.

Yun Che froze as a matter of course. The eleven auras were coming straight toward him, and every single one of them was flying at top speed as if they were chasing down their sworn enemies.

His heart sank. What’s going on? Did I accidentally reveal something?

For an instant, he considered the possibility that the collapse and distortion of this space had somehow transmitted his conversation with the Qilin God to every corner of the secret realm. If they knew that they possessed the inheritance of the Creation God of Elements, they certainly would come after him without a second thought.

It’s extremely unlikely, but what else could drive them to act like this?

It was at this moment he sensed another aura flying toward him at full speed from the south.

It was Long Jiang’s aura.

Long Jiang had done her utmost to conceal her aura since she entered the Qilin God Conference. It was clear she was using some sort of concealment profound artifact. But now she was unleashing her full power, and her aura was clearly that of a Dragon God, the supreme of all dragons!

Another person might have difficulty telling apart a Dragon God from other dragons, but not him. Coincidentally, the “Ancestral Dragon” Mo Beichen spoke of was a Dragon God.

Back then, Mo Beichen mentioned that his aura was almost the same as an Ancestral Dragon. This meant that the so-called Ancestral Dragons of the Abyss were really dragons with an incredibly rich Dragon God bloodline.

Although Long Jiang had done exceptionally well to conceal her presence, Yun Che did possess the blood of the original Dragon God. It was how he found her out as soon as he made contact with her.

He could even tell that her bloodline might be richer than his.

Therefore, she must be one of the “Ancestral Dragons” Mo Beichen spoke of.

He wasn’t sure though. It was why he had sounded her out a couple of times. But now, he knew for sure that his guesses were true.

Yun Che soon noticed that Long Jiang wasn’t flying directly toward him. She was aiming for something slightly to the west.

It was the same for the eleven Half-Step Divine Extinction Realm profound practitioners. When he looked in that direction, he realized that it was the source of the unusual yellow light and aura.

Yun Che’s heart immediately relaxed.

That scared me.

The only treasure that might be found in the Qilin God Realm was an earth-based treasure. It must be an incredible one too considering how excited the experts were.

When it came to treasure, the rule of the Qilin God Realm was first come first serve. Their urgency made perfect sense.

Long Jiang’s urgency made no sense though. She was a Dragon God, the strongest dragon of all the dragons. She didn’t cultivate earth profound energy either. So why was she acting as urgently as the others?

A few breaths later, the others sensed Yun Che’s aura.

Yun Che was going to circle around them. Since their focus was completely centered on that treasure, he doubted that they would bother him no matter how much some of them might hate him.

In the end, he stuck to his course.

As expected, they all sensed Yun Che’s aura, but not one of them spared even a wisp of aura to keep track of him.

This more than doubled Yun Che’s curiosity. After all, he was flying over from where the Qilin God had resided. They should be shocked and alarmed at the very least.

What is that yellow light?

Inevitably, the yellow light finally revealed its true appearance to everyone. It was a blooming spirit flower that was about a meter tall. It had four gem-like petals and a stem that was flowing with yellow light. Floating above the sand, at least a thousand earth spirits of all shapes and sizes were dancing around it. The dust clouds seemed to forget how to fly around it, and even the quick sand beneath it flowed slowly almost as if it was afraid of disturbing this emperor of spirit flowers.

“Ah… That’s… that’s…”

A raspy, shivering voice slipped out of Ku Xian’s throat.

“It’s the Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid! I knew it was the Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid!” Zhai Kexie roared on top of his lungs. There was no one who hadn't heard of the legendary flower.

“How is it so big?” Helian Jue’s eyeballs looked like it might burst out of his eye sockets at any moment.

Ku Xian murmured in a daze, “The Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid the Ancestor Emperor [1]obtained was only sixteen centimeters tall. To think that this one… would be a full meter tall!”

His words caused everyone’s excitement and desire to explode like a hundred volcanos. Back then, Helian Kunlun had used a sixteen-centimeter-tall Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid to shatter his bottleneck and become a Half-God, cementing his era as part of the Golden Age of the Helian Dynasty.

It was also how the Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid became the pinnacle object of desire of everyone in the Qilin Abyss Realm.

If a sixteen-centimeter-tall Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid could make Helian Kunlun a legend, then this one…

For a time, no one said a single word. Clothes flapped, and teeth gnashed. Everyone was putting every ounce of their power into their flight. Sure, they could sense Yun Che and Long Jiang’s auras, but that was hardly a concern right now.

Their opinion regarding Long Jiang quickly changed though. It was because the dragon was clearly gunning for the Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid as well. In fact, she was closer to the treasure than they were.

The distance between the Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid and its seekers were rapidly shortening. Its pure, divine light attacked their profound veins like a physical object. Not only was it hastening the circulation of their profound aura, even their blood was flowing a lot faster as well.

If its aura alone could affect them like this, they couldn’t imagine how much better it would feel if they refined it. One thing for certain, the Half God Realm wouldn’t be a dream anymore.

Just when the world’s most beautiful dream was right within reach, a hand wrapped in coarse, grayish white garments abruptly entered their view. The hand belonged to none other than Long Jiang. It was only then they realized that the dragon was just three hundred meters away from the treasure.

All eleven Half-Step Divine Extinction Realm profound practitioners shouted in horror at the same time, “Stop!”

Their combined roars were so strong that it shook even the surrounding space, but Long Jiang didn’t stop for even an instant. Like a bolt of grayish white lightning, she appeared next to the Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid and reached out.

The reason the eleven Half-Step Divine Extinction Realm profound practitioners were so horrified was because collecting a natural treasure like this took extreme care. Even the tiniest damage could result in a significant loss of potency.

Long Jiang was clearly prepared though. A bizarre profound artifact appeared between her fingers, and a half-transparent barrier wrapped around the Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid perfectly. It was gone just like that.

Ximen Borong, Zhai Kexie, Wan Lei, Helian Jue… all eleven experts paused in their tracks. It was pretty dim because the sand and dust was blotting out the light, but it wasn’t nearly as dark as their complexions.

To the east, Yun Che leisurely made his way to the ground.

“Ah? Brother Yun? Why are you here?” Behind Ku Xian, Mo Cangying subconsciously called out when he saw Yun Che. However, his amiable greeting did not loosen the tense atmosphere in the slightest.

Yun Che replied, “It’s a little embarrassing, but I actually lost my way as I was traveling north. I quickly turned back when I realized that I was moving toward the east. But what are you, the emperor, and the rest of the sect masters doing here?”

Mo Cangying carefully looked around for a bit before motioning for Yun Che to come closer, “Come, Brother Yun. I will tell you later.”

Yun Che nodded and stepped past Long Jiang calmly. Then, he stood beside Mo Cangying and Ku Xian.

No one’s eyes or auras so much as lingered on his person. They were all focused on Long Jiang.

“It’s the Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid,” Mo Cangying said via sound transmission.

That explained a lot. Helian Lingzhu had mentioned it while Yun Che was subtly inquiring about her Guardian Ancestor. The man had become a Half-God thanks to it.

Although Yun Che had zero interest in it, he could understand why it was worshiped by practically every Qilin Abyss Realm profound practitioner.

Mo Cangying continued, “That’s not all. The Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid Emperor Kunlun used to become a Half-God was only 16 centimeters long, but this was a full meter long. That’s many times the difference.”

“...!” Yun Che frowned and quietly swept his gaze across the crowd. His eyes eventually set on Long Jiang.

He finally understood why the peak experts of the Qilin Abyss Realm were acting like they had gone insane.

He also understood that Long Jiang was in danger.

It no longer mattered who she was or what faction was backing her.

If this was any other ordinary treasure, they would have weighed the pros and cons and given it up without much fanfare. However, some temptations were powerful enough to overcome reason, and this particular temptation was many times greater than the one that had created a legend back then. It was enough that they were willing to risk anything and everything.

Moreover, this was the Qilin God Realm, a location that was completely isolated from the outside world. It was the perfect place to kill her and blame it on the dangers of the secret realm.

“Venerable Dragon,” Ximen Borong began, “What you took just now was the ultimate treasure of the Qilin God Realm, the Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid. It is extremely useful for those who cultivate earth profound energy, but practically a decoration to a dragon like you.”

His tone and mannerisms were as respectful as ever, but his aura was firmly locked onto Long Jiang. If she made a single wrong move, no one had any doubt that he would attack her without hesitation.

“So please, give the Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid to us. If you do, I promise to give up all of the Qilin Worship Alliance’s profound artifacts and treasures to you.”

If Long Jiang was only facing Ximen Borong, then of course she could turn him down like he didn’t even exist. However, she was facing eleven Half-Step Divine Extinction Realm profound practitioners right now. It was a pipe dream to think that she would be able to keep the Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid.

That was why the most logical thing to do here was to surrender the Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid before it was too late. It was also her only option.

Long Jiang’s reaction completely exceeded Yun Che’s expectations, however.

“First come first serve is a basic rule even a three-year-old knows. I’m not interested in trading with you people either. Now get out of my way!”

This is suicide, Yun Che thought to himself. For someone of her background and talent, she was surprisingly unintelligent. Maybe she’s a white paper just like that Heaven Breaker Divine Daughter?

Ximen Borong’s tone darkened as he raised an arm, “Please don’t put me in a difficult position, Venerable Dragon.”

“Is that your answer?” Long Jiang’s response and tone were actually darker than Ximen Borong’s. “You dare to steal what we dragons have claimed?”

Now there isn’t a sliver of chance she might get out of this, Yun Che exhaled in exasperation. In most circumstances, bringing up the dragons was an excellent intimidation tool, but right here and now? Forget intimidating them, it would only force them to take action. And they did.

Zhai Kexie, Ximen Borong, Wan Lei, Helian Jue… all four Half-Step Divine Extinction Realm profound practitioners looked at each other in unison.

Zhai Kexie suggested, “We’ll split it four ways. No more, no less.”

“Very well.” Wan Lei nodded.

“You sure the treasure would be split evenly?” Helian Jue was clearly hesitant.

“Of course,” There wasn’t a shred of friendliness on Ximen Borong’s face any longer, “We are grasshoppers bound to the same rope from now on. [2] All of us will suffer if her death is leaked to the dragons. No one here is stupid enough to risk that over a slightly bigger portion.”

Helian Jue relaxed instantly. One-quarter was still far more than what Helian Kunlun got back then, and who didn’t want to become a Half-God?

“Are you sure?” Long Jiang’s voice turned as cold as winter. “You must’ve gone crazy to think that you can offend us dragons!”

“Hehehe!” Ximen Borong let out a low chuckle. “We wouldn’t dare if this was outside the Qilin God Realm, but in here? No one will know of your death. They will hear that you have perished in the natural disasters of the Qilin God Realm, a secret realm that was created by the Abyssal Monarch himself. Your kind may be strong, but dare they challenge him?”

“Plus…” His smile grew even eerier. “We have an Abyssal Knight to testify that that is the case. Everyone else in the Qilin God Realm shall testify to the same thing.”

“...” Long Jiang clenched her fists and put away the spatial profound artifact containing the Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid. Once again, her actions surprised and confused Yun Che.

Even now, she had no plans of giving up on the Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid. It was as if the item was more important than her own life.

Is the Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid… actually her reason for entering the Qilin God Realm?

“Let’s back off, Brother Yun.” Mo Cangying grabbed Yun Che’s arm and slowly pulled him backward. However, her warning actually reminded everyone that there was still another outsider here besides Long Jiang.

Countless gazes and auras locked onto Yun Che instantly.

1. Referring to Helian Kunlun, the first guy who obtained the first Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid and is still alive to this day. ☜

2. Same meaning as we’re all on the same boat. ☜