Against the Gods

The Devil Queen of the Northern Region, a title that resounded in the upper echelons of the Eastern, Western, and Southern God Regions. However, very few people actually knew her true name. In fact, no one in the Northern Divine Region would even dare to utter her name, not even in private.

Chi Wuyao!

Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er had never seen her or had any contact with her before. However, the moment her smoke-wreathed figure appeared… No, the moment her voice rang in their ears, whether it was Yun Che or Qianye Ying’er, even if it was any other person in the Northern Divine Region, the one who heard it would be utterly convinced that the Devil Queen of the Northern Region had appeared in person!

One step, two steps, three steps… Yun Che’s eyes were fixed on the woman who was slowly approaching them.

She did not exude any oppressive might, he could not even feel the slightest hint of pressure coming from her.

Once someone had reached her level of cultivation, even the invisible field of energy around them would disappear. They would simply exist and the entire world around them would treat them as its ruler, the core of its existence. A sense of abject inferiority and servility would swiftly grow in the deepest part of the souls of all who gazed upon such a being. It was not a feeling that could be controlled. In fact, it was something that completely ignored one’s willpower or conviction.

If not for the fact that the blood of a Devil Emperor flowed in Qianye Ying’er’s veins, even she, who had regained the strength of a level eight Divine Master, would have been noticeably affected in this manner.

“To think you would dare to address this queen by name. How bold of you.”

Her voice rang out once more. Even though she had only said a few words, it caused Yun Che’s blood, the blood that he had forcefully stilled, to start churning again.

He had imagined that the most frightening female voice in the Northern Divine Region would be accompanied by a soul-freezing oppressiveness. Instead, it sounded like the soft lament of a young wife in the privacy of her bedroom, like the playful whisper of a young girl that lingered in one’s ears. Yun Che clenched his hands tightly and when she looked into his eyes, they still remained dark and gloomy. “You can also call me by my name.”

“Oh?” When the black-clothed woman finally stopped moving, she was only three steps away from Yun Che. It seemed as if Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er’s responses had intrigued her. After that, she let out a soft laugh and said, “Yun Che. This queen has actually known your name for quite a while. You truly are a charming child, aren’t you?”

Yun Che, “...?”

“Ah, but you on the other hand, Qianye Ying’er.” Underneath that black mist, a pair of dusky eyes slowly and wantonly caressed every part of Qianye Ying’er’s body. Chi Wuyao’s already seductive and bewitching voice turned even more cottony and languid. “You are indeed worthy of being called the Brahma Monarch Goddess, the woman that all the men in the universe lust after. Your looks and figure stir feelings of jealousy even in myself."

Chi Wuyao’s gaze actually made Qianye Ying’er feel as if she was being undressed and caressed wantonly. Furthermore, this sensation was frighteningly vivid.

She was clearly wearing a mask but she felt as if it did not even exist as Chi Wuyao looked at her.

“My name is Yun Qianying.” Qianye Ying’er’s voice was cold and imperious and she did not avoid Chi Wuyao’s gaze. “Chi Wuyao, we finally meet. I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time.”

Chi Wuyao let out a soft gasp of surprise. After that, she took a graceful step forward and let out a soft complaint. “You stole my Untamed Divine Marrow and bullied my Witch. You even keep on disrespecting me. Do you really desire to be killed by me that much?”

She was only two steps away from her, a distance that no one else would even dare imagine. Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er could even feel her warm and gentle breath on their skin.

She did not make either of them feel any sense of danger. In fact, she did not even exude the slightest bit of pressure or aggression. Her devilish voice was so bewitching that it sounded like a celestial fantasy. It could obliterate the senses of any man in a single instant...

However, Qianye Ying’er would never be able to forget that the Chi Wuyao in front of her was the woman who had left a dark shadow in the hearts of two of the strongest god emperors in the Eastern Divine Region all those years ago. She was also the person that Qianye Fantian regarded as the most dreadful person in the universe.

When she had taken that gentle step forward, the very first thing that Qianye Ying’er had wanted to do was to take a step back. However, she fiercely smothered that instinctive movement in the very next instant. She said, “Given your abilities, Chi Wuyao, it would be easy for you to kill us. But all of us are well aware about the reason you chose to suddenly appear before us in such a hasty manner. Why waste our time with all of this nonsense?”

Chi Wuyao gave a smile that was not a smile before she suddenly stretched out an arm and gently hooked a finger toward Yun Che.

A soft sound rang in the air without any warning or profound energy rippling the air. After that, the spatial ring that Yun Che was wearing actually instantly appeared between Chi Wuyao’s fingers.

Yun Che had not even been able to react.

Chi Wuyao glanced at it indifferently as she stretched her hand wide open.

Bang!

The spatial ring instantly blew apart and an extremely tiny spatial vortex appeared amidst the debris. Meanwhile, a dim but oddly pure glimmer of starlight had appeared in the middle of Chi Wuyao’s palm.

At the same time, an unfathomably dense and pure aura swiftly spread through the air, cleansing everything in the surrounding area.

It was the aura belonging to the Untamed Divine Marrow!

It was a very tiny bit of Untamed Divine Marrow that was about as small as half a pinky nail. Chi Wuyao’s eyes narrowed as she said, “You used this petty trick to lure this queen here. The two of you truly are very naughty indeed.”

When he had refined the Untamed World Pellet, Yun Che had deliberately instructed He Ling to save a very tiny piece of the Untamed Divine Marrow.

The Cleansing Sky God Emperor had left a unique soul imprint on this piece of Untamed Divine Marrow all those years ago. This aura of this soul imprint could be obstructed by the Immaculate Barrier, but it clearly could not be obstructed by a spatial storage tools. Otherwise, the Burning Moon God Emperor, who was clearly afraid of the Devil Queen, would not have been so thorough in hiding it.

Given the Sky Poison Pearl’s level, it probably could perfectly obstruct the aura of the soul imprint if he had stored the Untamed Divine Marrow inside of it. This would stop the Devil Queen from being able to trace it. However, Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er could not be completely sure of this.

Furthermore, given their strength and circumstances at that time, they definitely did not have the qualifications to face the Devil Queen as equals and not lessers so they could not overlook even the smallest possibility. As a result, they immediately chose to leave the Northern Divine Region temporarily and take refuge in the God Realm of Absolute Beginning.

However, Yun Che was now making deliberate use of this unique characteristic as he intentionally stored that tiny bit of Untamed Divine Marrow inside an ordinary spatial ring. Doing this would conceal its aura but it would not conceal the unique soul imprint. The purpose of this action was to allow Devil Queen Chi Wuyao to find them as soon as possible and entice her into appearing in front of them.

Once the Devil Queen had detected them, she still would not personally appear due to her status. However, any matters concerning the Untamed Divine Marrow could not be left to any ordinary person, so it was most likely that she would send one of her Witches.

They would borrow this opportunity to defeat the Witch that she had sent, and in doing so, send the Devil Queen a message of their own. They were ready to cooperate with her as peers.

However, this Heavenly Sovereign Assembly and the presence of Fourth Witch Yao Die was a happy coincidence for them. It had allowed them to greatly simplify this process.

“But you still took the bait.” Yun Che’s gaze penetrated that wispy black smoke and he could just barely confirm that she had a pair of dusky eyes.

For them to actively search for Chi Wuyao and for Chi Wuyao to take the initiative to appear before them were two entirely different notions altogether.

“Aiyah.” Chi Wuyao grumbled, “Child, you truly do say some disagreeable things.”

She crooked her finger gently as she played with the remaining bit of the Untamed Divine Marrow. “What about the rest of the Untamed Divine Marrow?”

“We already used it,” Yun Che said.

Chi Wuyao curled her fingers. “So you stole and secretly used this queen’s Untamed Divine Marrow and you actually still dare to speak to me in such a bold and self-righteous manner. Are you really so sure… that I won’t kill the two of you?”

Her words still sounded annoyed but jovial and they could not even hear the slightest hint of anger in them. But the space around them, the aura of darkness, and all of the elements in the area completely froze in that instant.

“Go ahead and try it.” No matter whether it was Yun Che’s expression or his voice, they were both stiff and icy.

And the person who was standing in front of him right now was no other than the Devil Queen of the Northern Region, an existence that every living being in the Northern Divine Region feared!

Qianye Ying’er thrust out an arm and pushed Yun Che aside. She chose to stand face to face with Chi Wuyao as she said, “Why don’t we leave things like negotiations to me. This is especially true when it comes to Chi Wuyao. I’ve long been interested in matching wits with her.”

“Negotiations?” Chi Wuyao’s lips curved into a small smile, her bewitching voice as alluring as a dream. “But this queen far prefers having a match in the bedroom.”

“Cooperate with us.” Qianye Ying’er stared straight at her, ignoring her devilish voice and seductive words. “Nanhuang Chanyi said that to us a few years ago, and it had come from you. I also think that it’s the reason that you’ve appeared before us today.”

“That was back then,” Chi Wuyao said in a lazy and languid voice. “Although you didn’t exactly reject me back then, you’ve bullied one of my Witches and stolen my Untamed Divine Marrow. Even now, you are still showing such disrespect to me. Every single one of these things are considered unforgivable sins, crimes that demand your deaths.”

Qianye Ying’er replied, “We did Nanhuang Chanyi a huge favor in the Central Ruins Realm and it was just to get some compensation and a bargaining chip to protect ourselves. It was entirely reasonable.”

“As for the Untamed Divine Marrow, we obtained it from the Thousand Desolation Divine Sect. And it seems like this Thousand Desolation Divine Sect shares a most unusual connection with the Burning Moon Realm. So if you were to get down to the nitty-gritty, we stole it from the Burning Moon Realm, not your Soul Stealing Realm. So if you want to pursue this matter, you should take it up with the Burning Moon Realm.”

“As for our disrespect towards you…” Qianye Ying’er gave a dispassionate laugh. “Chi Wuyao, even though you are the famed Devil Queen, you still don’t possess the qualifications to make us lower our heads towards you in deference or tremble in fear. I believe that you also would not think highly of any associate who would behave in such a manner. In fact, I believe you would not even want to cooperate with such people.”

“Heeheeheeheehee…” Qianye Ying’er’s words caused Chi Wuyao to let out an unrestrained laugh. That coquettish and seductive laughter rang out in the air once more before she replied, “This queen has seen many people who talk big. However, this is the first time this queen has seen anything like the two of you. To think that two defeated dogs who fled the Eastern Divine Region would still dare to speak in such a frightfully proud and boastful manner. This has truly been an eye-opening experience.”

“Heh.” Qianye Ying’er also let out a cold chuckle, her voice as deep and low as any abyss. “Even a defeated dog can still bite. Moreover, its bite will be far more vicious, far more frenzied.”

Chi Wuyao’s laughter stilled and her eyes narrowed into two long slits. “As expected of the Brahma Monarch Goddess. Your words are far more pleasing to the ears than the words of this boorish child.”

“Chi Wuyao.” Qianye Ying’er’s eyes narrowed as well as she silently resisted the effect that Chi Wuyao’s devilish voice had on her soul. “Perhaps you desire to escape the cage that is the Northern Divine Region. Or perhaps you want to change the fate of the entire Northern Divine Region. However, what Yun Che and I want is to plunge those three divine regions… into an abyss for the rest of eternity!”

“We have different goals, but we share the same enemies. Our partnership will be completely complimentary. This means that you won’t have to worry about how to divide the spoils of war or coming into conflict with us regarding this. What’s there to lose?”

“Well said. Very well said.” Chi Wuyao seemed to be praising Qianye Ying’er. But in the next instant, her voice subtly changed. “Yun Qianying, you and I have always lived in two seperate worlds. We have never once met. But you sound as if you understand this queen very well and this truly piques my curiosity.”

“Understand you? Heh, what a joke.” Qianye Ying’er’s gaze grew cold and desolate. “The hardest, most impossible, and most ridiculous thing to try to do is to understand someone else. I don’t understand you at all. However, there is one thing about you that I am absolutely sure of.”

“Oh?” It seemed as if Chi Wuyao had blinked.

“You have a huge amount of ambition. Perhaps it’s for yourself, or perhaps it's for the Northern Divine Region, your actions in probing the Eastern Divine Region all those years ago proved that,” Qianye Ying’er said in an unhurried voice. “However, even though the strength of the other three divine regions and the current state of the Northern Divine Regions forced you to bide your time for the last ten millienia, your ambition definitely hasn’t dulled or decreased in the slightest.”

Chi Wuyao raised a hand and tapped a finger against her chin. “Where does this confidence come from?”

“Hmph, the woman that old dog Qianye Fantian spoke about the most to me was you. When that old dog talked about you, it also unconsciously influenced my temperament.” Qianye Ying’er said something that would stun anyone who heard it. “You are the same as me. We are both extreme people and you chase after things that other people would not even dare to dream of.”

“Moreover, you would be willing to do anything to achieve and sacrifice everything to achieve this goal. And we are the people who can help you achieve this goal… In fact, we are the only ones who can make your dream a reality.”

“The only reason you appeared before us so soon is because you were afraid that the Yama Realm or the Burning Moon Realm would find us first. Since that is the case, why is there a need to act so coy?”

Yun Che had kept his mouth shut as the two women “negotiated” beside him. He gazed towards the west and his lips seemed to be curving up… into what looked like a mocking smile.

“This queen has the Nine Witches, twenty seven Devil Spirits and three hundred and sixty Soul Attendants under my command. A trillion beings of darkness are at my every beck and call. With a single flick of my finger, I can turn this entire Northern Divine Region upside down. So what benefits can the two of you provide to me? You think that defeating Yao Die was enough?”

“Of course, the two of us won’t be able to create much of a ripple in this vast universe. However…” Qianye Ying’er started to speak in a slow and measured manner and each and every one of the words that she was about to say would shock the heavens. “With the two of us by your side, if you, Chi Wuyao, desired to swallow the other two king realms, accomplishing that would be …”

“AS EASY—AS—STEALING CANDY—FROM A BABY!”

To say that the act of “swallowing two other king realms” would be “as easy as stealing candy from a baby”. Nobody would even think of uttering such words. In fact, anyone who said these words would only be met by mockery, disdain, and uproarious laughter. 

However, Chi Wuyao neither mocked or laughed at them. She simply said two words. Two words which stunned even Qianye Ying’er for a moment.

“Very good.”

It seemed like she had been waiting for them to say such a thing… Words that anyone would find absolutely ridiculous.

“If this is the bargaining chip that you have laid on the table, then it is indeed enough,” Chi Quyao said in a slow and languid voice. However, her voice underwent a slight change in the very next instant. “Since you want to ‘cooperate’ with me as equals, then shouldn’t you first settle the debt that you owe me? If you still owe me something, then how can we work together as peers?”

“Debt?” Qianye Ying’er’s gaze grew intense.

“The Untamed… Divine… Marrow.” Chi Wuyao drawled in a soft and languid voice, her voice chiming like a mournful knell. “Brahma Monarch Goddess, surely you can’t be so naive as to believe that this queen will go extract that debt from the Burning Moon God Emperor just because of what you told me, right?”

Qianye Ying’er, “...”

“When you met Chanyi back then, your cultivation was only at the Divine Sovereign Realm. But in the short span of two years, you’ve actually reached the late stages of the Divine Master Realm. It looks like this queen's Untamed Divine Marrow had ended up being used by you. However, the Untamed World Pellet refined by the Sky Poison Pearl truly does live up to its reputation. It truly arouses my jealousy.”

“And once a woman’s jealousy is aroused…” Chi Wuyao said as her lips curved up slightly, “now that's a very scary thing.”

Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er furrowed their brows at the same time.

The Untamed World Pellet did not only require a piece of Untamed Divine Marrow, it also needed a Divine Fruit of Absolute Beginning. The latter item could only be obtained if one was truly lucky, yet Chi Wuyao sounded absolutely convinced that they had obtained an Untamed World Pellet.

Also, even though it was not strange that she knew that Yun Che had the Sky Poison Pearl, how did she know about its ability to refine medicine?

“Fine,” Qianye Ying’er said coldly. “The Untamed Divine Marrow was indeed used to refine the Untamed World Pellet. There’s no way to get it back. It would truly be a waste to allow such a thing, an item that cannot even be recovered, to destroy the harmony between us. So, we can take this Untamed Divine Marrow as a great gift that you, Chi Wuyao, have magnanimously bestowed upon us as a token of your sincerity.”

“It is only natural that we return a suitably important gift to you. As for what this gift will be… I think that you’ve actually already received it.”

“...?” Even Yun Che was stunned by those words.

“Oh?” Chi Wuyao calmly waited for her to finish speaking.

“What?” Qianye Ying’er said with an enigmatic smile, “Could it be that Zhou Xuzi still hasn’t sent a sound transmission to you?”