Against the Gods - Chapter 2026: Abyssal Horned Dragon

There had never been a colorless profound handle in the Yun Family of the Illusory Demon Realm or the Heavenly Handle Yun Clan of the Northern Divine Region. There wasn’t even a rumor about it, much less a record.

In other words, this was an unknown profound handle that belonged to Yun Che and Yun Che alone!

One thing he noted immediately was the aura the profound handle was releasing. With a single thought, he transformed the profound handle into his own shape.

Unlike before, the profound handle looked exactly the same as Yun Che; be it his appearance, his aura, or anything else. In other words, this evolved colorless profound handle was capable of bearing one hundred percent of his power!

Yun Che continued to stare at the profound handle for a moment when he suddenly recalled something. He immediately activated Hell Monarch.

His expression and eye color remained the same even though he activated Hell Monarch. There was no sign of his profound energy going berserk either. It simply went from calm and even to strong and rich, and he couldn’t feel any pressure on his body at all. It felt as natural and easy as breathing.

This meant he could now maintain Hell Monarch permanently.

Unfortunately, his body double’s aura did change, but the amount of power it could bear was the same as before. It wasn’t bolstered by the Heretic God Art whatsoever.

His dream of gangbanging all future enemies with his profound handle was extinguished just like that. In the end, the best way to maximize the combat strength of his profound handle was God Manifestation. Obviously, whatever entity he manifested with his new profound handle would be a lot stronger than before.

The disappointment lasted a while longer when he suddenly narrowed his eyes again.

Out of all the new things his new profound handle had displayed so far, the one he perceived the clearest was its connection with his blood and soul. It was a qualitative change too.

He hadn’t tested it yet, but he was certain that its range had increased massively.

“A Devil Handle,” Li Suo whispered, “I can’t remember which devil race it originated from, but considering how special and potent its bloodline power is, it has to originate from a middle-rank devil or above.”

Yun Che didn’t respond to her musings. Instead, he reached out toward the profound handle’s forehead and crushed the abyssal core in his hand.

Thick abyssal dust immediately spilled out into the open like water, and Yun Che consciously pulled it to enshroud every inch of his profound handle’s body. It was like he was dragging it into eternal darkness.

Soon, its silhouette and even its aura were almost perfectly concealed by the abyssal dust.

Yun Che watched his profound handle silently as his eyes flickered with a dark, devilish glint.

A long time later, he finally withdrew his arm and his profound handle as well. Without his guidance, the abyssal dust he gathered naturally dispersed into the surroundings. Yun Che himself swiftly went away and vanished into the gray fog.

……

Time passed.

Northern Divine Region, Soul Stealing Realm.

Chi Wuyao looked through yet another pile of tattered books and steles with her devilish soul, and just like all the other times before, she wasn’t able to find anything.

Shred!

It was at this moment someone tore apart the sound isolating barrier she had laid down rudely. Then, a milky white ankle covered in golden silk fabric entered her gaze. “Devil Queen, the people are panicking, and the world is in chaos right now. But instead of performing your duties, you’re hiding in your room reading these ancient records that even a three-year-old isn’t stupid enough to believe? If you don’t show up soon, I’m afraid that someone might start to think that you’ve dove into the Abyss with Yun Che.”

Chi Wuyao rose to her feet and extended a hand smilingly. “Just give me what I ask for. No need for pleasantries.”

Qianye Ying’er scoffed and tossed a golden spatial ring into Chi Wuyao’s hands.

“Next time, just send someone to bring me the items,” Chi Wuyao teased smilingly. Of course she knew why Qianye Ying’er had shown up in person.

“… It’s been twenty days,” Qianye Ying’er muttered. Her golden eyes suddenly lost their magnificent luster and became clouded and distraught.

It had been twenty days since Yun Che fell into the Abyss of Nothingness.

Assuming the Black Tide of Time remained constant… he must have spent over half a year in the Abyss.

Twenty days was a very short time. However, her heart had not settled down for even an instant during this time.

To say that she felt the impulse to leap into the Abyss after him would be an understatement. But every time she was about to take the step, her reason would pull her back immediately.

Plus, the Abyss of Nothingness was guarded by Jie Xin and Jie Ling. There was no way she could’ve gotten close anyway.

“Although I gave him eighty percent of my Nirvana Devil Emperor Soul, I was unable to detect even a hint of it as of the second breath after he leaped into the Abyss,” Chi Wuyao said slowly, “I’m afraid you’ll only find disappointment from me.”

“If you cannot calm yourself, I suggest you invest the Brahma Monarch God Realm’s resources into the Moon God Realm’s reconstruction.”

“… Why?” Qianye Ying’er frowned with a complicated look on her face.

Chi Wuyao smiled. “Because the most perfect ending I can envision for this adventure… is him returning to the Primal Chaos with Xia Qingyue.”

Qianye Ying’er turned away so Chi Wuyao couldn’t see her eyes. “I can rebuild a million Moon God Realms, but do you really think she’ll forgive me for what I’ve done? Assuming they do come back together?”

Chi Wuyao didn’t answer her. She couldn’t.

“It’s not important anyway.” Qianye Ying’er looked back. “Five years. That’s what you promised me. If he doesn’t return in five years…”

“Then I will jump down the Abyss of Nothingness with you,” Chi Wuyao answered immediately.

Five years was fifty years in the Abyss and the next time the passage opened once more. If Yun Che hadn’t returned by then… then they would know that Yun Che had failed in his mission. That the worst ending was upon them.

“But don’t worry. I am sure he is doing very well right now. It has only been half a year in the Abyss, but… he might already be standing at a height we can’t imagine.”

Chi Wuyao was consoling both Qianye Ying’er and herself.

“He is my man after all. He won’t be broken by a mere Abyss!”

“No, he was my man first!” Qianye Ying’er scoffed, “You may be the queen, but I got to him first!”

It was a pretty childish argument, but it was one that put a smile on Chi Wuyao’s face.

“Speaking of which, have you found what you were looking for?” Qianye Ying’er asked. Their conversation had given her some measure of comfort.

Chi Wuyao shook her head. “No. And honestly, even if I did find something, I wouldn’t be able to inform him about it anyway. I can’t settle down until I’ve discovered an answer.”

Qianye Ying’er hugged her soft, wholesome breasts and asked indifferently, “Why are you so certain that the Abyssal Monarch must be an ancient devil?”

“Because of the Nether Mirror and the Devil Pearl,” Chi Wuyao replied simply but succinctly.

Qianye Ying’er raised an eyebrow and replied casually, “If you ask me, I think that the Abyssal Monarch has a higher chance of being an ancient god. In fact, they might even be related to the Brahma Monarch God Race.”

“Oh?” Chi Wuyao grew interested. “And why do you say that?”

“Remember that guy named Nan Zhaoming?” Qianye Ying’er said slowly. “Mu Xuanyin and I clashed briefly against him before you showed up. We were no match for him whatsoever. Later, Qianye Wugu attacked him in order to buy Mu Xuanyin and I time to escape, and Nan Zhaoming’s response… it was like someone had frozen him in place. He didn’t try to block Qianye Wugu’s attack at all.”

“…!” Chi Wuyao’s pupils abruptly contracted into pins.

“I hadn’t thought much about it at the time because of desperation, but now that I have, Nan Zhaoming’s reaction was obviously shock and fear. It was no ordinary shock and fear either.”

Qianye Ying’er continued, “Nan Zhaoming and Nan Zhaoguang called themselves ‘Squires’ or something, so I suppose they barely counted as a subordinate of the Abyssal Monarch? Considering that they served the greatest profound practitioner in the Abyss, but were so scared that they completely lost their wits for a moment… I couldn’t help but wonder if the Abyssal Monarch’s profound light is similar to the Brahma’s.”

Chi Wuyao scrunched her face into a deep frown. “Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?”

Qianye Ying’er rolled her eyes at her, “I couldn’t even catch my breath while I was trying to escape those two, and after that, well, you know what happened next.”

“…” Chi Wuyao was silent for a very long time. It was at this moment she suddenly recalled Qianye Wugu and Qianye Bingzhu’s murmur when they were plotting to save Yun Che:

“Remember how those two acted when we unleashed the golden light of Brahma? With luck, we may be able to catch him by surprise as well.”

At the time, Mo Beichen literally had Yun Che by the throat, and she was too occupied with thoughts of saving Yun Che to mull over their words at all. After that, it was a non-stop escape that ultimately led to the final battle against Mo Beichen.

As a result, it was only now that she realized that she had missed a crucial clue.

“The Brahma…” Chi Wuyao frowned deeply as she fell into deep thought.

How can the Brahmas control the Nether Mirror? Was I wrong after all?

“Hmm? It looks like I’ve successfully thrown your thoughts into disarray. That alone is worth the trip.” Qianye Ying’er turned around. “Have fun. If… if your devil soul senses anything at all, be sure to notify me immediately.”

“Qianying.”

Qianye Ying’er was just about to leave the room when suddenly, Chi Wuyao called out to her in a daze. “The Brahma Monarch God Race, the Star Gods, the Moon Gods and more… they were all gods serving under the Heaven Punishing Divine Emperor in ancient times.”

“They all left behind their power and inheritances, so why did the Heaven Punishing Divine Emperor leave behind nothing at all?”

Qianye Ying’er turned back to shoot her a puzzled look. “So? The Heretic God and the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor are the only ones who left behind an inheritance. I suppose that your Nirvana Devil Emperor Soul barely counts as one, but no other Creation God or Devil Emperor left behind anything. What’s so strange about that?”

“It’s not the same.” Chi Wuyao shook her head slowly. “Of the four Creation Gods and four Devil Emperors, the Creation God of Life died to the three Devil Emperors’ ambush, and the three Devil Emperors and Creation God of Order all died to Myriad Tribulations. They never had the time to leave behind anything.”

“As for my Nirvana Devil Emperor Soul, it doesn’t really count as an inheritance. It is just an untainted soul origin that the Nirvana Devil Emperor managed to eject before he was completely consumed by Myriad Tribulations.”

“The Heretic God was the former master of the Sky Poison Pearl, and so possessed unique resistances toward the ultimate poison that was born from it. Naturally, he had enough time to leave behind a proper inheritance.”

“The Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor returned to the Primal Chaos and gave you and Yun Che her devil blood. She also left us the Eternal Calamity of Darkness.”

“This proves that the power and bloodlines of the Creation Gods and Devil Emperors can be passed down. The three Devil Emperors and two Creation Gods died sudden deaths, and so had no time to pass down their inheritances. But the Heaven Punishing Divine Emperor… he was the Creation God who passed away because he reached the end of his lifespan!”

“Out of everyone, he was the one person who had the most time to leave behind an inheritance. But according to the ancient records, it was never stated that he had a successor. To this day, we have never witnessed anything that resembles his divine inheritance.”

Qianye Ying’er’s head was full of worries and imagined scenarios regarding Yun Che’s plight, and so she didn’t really care about this mystery. She answered carelessly, “Maybe it’s because he didn’t want to? He was, supposedly, the loftiest Creation God of them all. Perhaps he thought that no one deserved to be his successor, and that his power is better off lost forever.”

It was clear there was no thought behind Qianye Ying’er’s answer whatsoever. One could even say that it was quite illogical. However, her answer made Chi Wuyao look up in shock.

Chi Wuyao’s unusual reaction elicited a frown from Qianye Ying’er. “Did you figure out something?”

The Devil Queen didn’t give her an answer. Qianye Ying’er followed her gaze to a tattered stele that was covered in dark, ancient imprints. Chi Wuyao had specifically placed it in a small barrier.

No one knew what the stele was made of, only that it was strong enough to withstand the passage of millions and millions of years. Most of the text on the stele was blurry, but not because the stele had eroded with time. It was clear that someone had intentionally wiped it away.

There were three words that weren’t wiped away, however. They were recognizable even to this day:

“Pan, Owl, Butterfly.”

The words looked perfectly normal, and yet Chi Wuyao could almost sense an ancient, soul-piercing sorrow from them.

……

The Endless Fog looked as boundless as ever. Yun Che had lingered in this place for half a year.

He didn’t always stay in the same spot, of course. Sometimes, he would linger in one place for a time. Sometimes, he would venture deeper into the Endless Fog. Always deeper into the Endless Fog.

As the abyssal dust grew thicker and thicker, so did the abyssal beasts in the surrounding area. At this depth, even a Half-God would need to tread with caution.

Yun Che, on the other hand, was progressing at an even pace. His eyes were darker than even this abyss of fog itself.

It was at this moment he heard a terrifying growl from his right side.

It sounded like a dragon, but it was many times raspier and eerier. It sounded like the despairing roar of a chained beast who was enduring ten thousand tortures at the same time.

It wasn’t long before a draconic silhouette entered his spiritual perception.

Yun Che’s life aura was stimulating the draconic silhouette’s destructive instinct, and its aura… was equal to that of a Divine Extinction Realm profound practitioner.

It was a horned dragon.

He was all too familiar with the silhouette of a horned dragon. Back in the Flame God Realm, it was a horned dragon who had forced him to bed Mu Xuanyin and indirectly, Chi Wuyao. Judging from its aura and pressure, it was probably at the second level of the Divine Extinction Realm.

The horned dragon was obviously a massive threat to Yun Che, but the young man was completely unguarded for some reason. He didn’t even slow down or quicken his footsteps.

Right before the abyssal dragon would inflict its wrath upon Yun Che, it suddenly froze in its tracks. Then, it lowered its body, withdrew its destructive aura, and curled up beside Yun Che as meekly as a pet.

It was only then that Yun Che made a move. He raised his hand and flicked a wisp of profound light into the abyssal horned dragon’s abyssal core.

With the abyssal dust acting as the carrier, this would allow him to sense the abyssal horned dragon even in this vast and seemingly endless Endless Fog.

An early-stage Divine Extinction Realm abyssal beast was the absolute highest creature he could control for now.

Naturally, he wasn’t going to pass it by.