Against the Gods - Chapter 2040: Subtle Guidance

She should be hiding a sigh of relief since she finally managed to say what she wanted to say, but her heartbeat increased until it was resounding throughout her soul sea.

Since she started experiencing the secular world, she was realizing more and more just how attractive she was. It was why she had rejected countless people’s invitations and perceived even more starstruck looks.

This would be the first time she invited a man of her own accord, to do anything, since she joined the Endless Sea… no, since she was born. The strange nervousness fluttering in her heart was unfamiliar and complicated to say the least.

Generally speaking, a person’s first time was full of novelty and nervousness. It was also unforgettable.

As expected, Yun Che stared at her with an astonished look on his face. He didn’t speak for a very long time.

Hua Caili hadn’t forgotten that Yun Che bade her goodbye very quickly during the few times they had met. He made it very clear that he wanted to keep their interactions as short as possible.

That line “We belong in different worlds” left a deep impression on her mind.

Having seen how he acted in the past, Hua Caili wouldn’t be surprised if Yun Che turned her down immediately. She was just about to say something else when Yun Che nodded his head slightly. “Very well.”

“Huh?” Hua Caili didn’t try to hide her surprise at all. A moment later, she even adopted a half-teasing voice and said, “I thought you would reject me. After all, you didn’t even give me the chance to thank you during the previous times we met. I almost thought that I was secretly an abyssal beast in disguise or something.”

“You’re anything but an abyssal beast.” Yun Che shook his head smilingly. “It’s anyone’s honor to be able to meet someone like you even once in their life. Generally speaking, no one in their right mind would try to avoid you. It’s just…”

His smile faded slightly as he turned serious. “You remember what I said, right? We belong in different worlds. I’ve been avoiding you because I know I shouldn’t get close to you.”

Hua Caili mulled over his words seriously before asking, “And why would you think that?”

“Some things are impossible to hide,” Yun Che said calmly. “For starters, anyone can tell that you are of noble upbringing. From the first day I saw you at the Helian palace, I knew that you stood at a point so high that someone like me could barely imagine it, much less reach it.”

His tone grew even more indifferent. “People who don’t belong in the same world should never cross paths with each other.”

High atop the gray sky, Hua Qingying felt a sudden twinge of pain in her heart.

She knew that Yun Che was telling Hua Caili a cruel truth of life that countless people were unwilling to admit.

It was a truth that only someone who had been worn down by the passage of time or experienced countless tragedies could truly understand, so she didn’t expect to hear it from a youngster who wasn’t even sixty yet; a youngster who should be overflowing with arrogance and youthful naivety.

Take Hua Caili for example. She might be able to understand the superficial context of Yun Che’s words, but never the weight and truth behind them.

“You say that, but we both live in the world known as the Abyss, don’t we? How can we live in separate worlds?” Hua Caili blinked and argued disapprovingly. “And if that’s what you really think, then why did you agree to accompany me now? I was sure you would reject my invitation, you know.”

“You’re my savior. How can I turn down your request?” Yun Che replied in a sincere tone. “Besides, I’m pretty sure that a noble lady like you could not possibly be allowed to adventure the world without being protected by a powerful bodyguard or two. It’s why I felt like such a busybody earlier. I was sure that your bodyguard would save you from danger.”

Hua Caili’s eyes widened in realization. No wonder…

“But I guess I was wrong. You really are adventuring the world alone.”

Yun Che’s misunderstanding was understandable. After all, Hua Caili surely would have died in Fan Qingzhou’s hands if he hadn’t intervened at the last moment.

“M-my aunt said that an adventure where you always have someone to rely on has little benefits and barely counts as a true adventure, so…”

She blinked her butterfly-wing-like eyelashes and trailed off. She herself knew that she was a terrible liar, so she simply cut herself off midway and let Yun Che to make of it what he will. It wouldn’t count as a lie then.

“I see.” Yun Che asked, “Your aunt?”

“Mm! My aunt is also my master. She’s the one who pushed me on this adventure.” Hua Caili walked next to Yun Che and asked, “So, are we companions now?”

Yun Che nodded seriously. “We are. An eye for an eye, a life for a life. I will do everything in my power to protect you until you are fully recovered.”

Despite his agreement, Hua Qingying could tell that Yun Che was drawing a clear line between Hua Caili and himself.

Normally, most people would approach Hua Caili with all kinds of schemes. Her beauty and upbringing were unlike any other after all.

Yun Che too approached Hua Caili, but it was with the complete opposite intention.

Perhaps the records were true after all. A bearer of the light profound energy truly cannot withstand even the slightest taint of darkness in their soul.

“Oh right, I haven’t asked for your name yet, big sis.” A bit of expectation trickled into Yun Che’s bright, clear eyes.

Hua Caili took a few steps forward so that he could only see her back. “My name is Qu Yixin.”

She added something that sounded unnecessary after a moment, “My aunt’s the one who named me.”

……

Bang!

There was a dull bang as two early-stage Divine Master abyssal beasts exploded into bits long before they could get close to their prey. Yun Che cautiously observed his surroundings before slowly lowering his arm.

“So, the reason you were staying in the Qilin Abyss Realm and participating in that Qilin Abyss Conference was to repay that princess’ favor?”

Hua Caili was bombarding Yun Che with a bunch of questions. The sudden appearance of the abyssal beasts failed to dampen her mood in the slightest.

“The sandstorms beyond the Qilin Abyss Realm were quite dangerous, and I was grievously injured at the time. If Her Highness hadn’t saved me, I would’ve been stuck in that sandstorm for a lot longer,” Yun Che replied carelessly. “So, I temporarily joined the Helian Empire and won them the right to enter the Qilin God Realm.”

“I see. And here I thought you were her consort,” Hua Caili remarked smilingly.

Yun Che shot her a look of astonishment and puzzlement. “Why on earth would you think that?”

Her eyebrows furrowed mischievously at the sight. “Because the two of you were close, and… let’s just say that a lot of people thought the same thing, I’m sure.”

She had never felt so relaxed since she entered the Endless Fog. Even her eyes looked like a million stars had joined their depths.

When she was fighting alone in the Endless Fog, she had to stay alert every minute, every second. If she let down her guard even a little, there was a chance she might be ambushed by an abyssal beast. As if that wasn’t enough, every breath she spent in this place was like trying to wade through a thick and heavy gray swamp with no end in sight.

Now that she had a partner, the pressure on her had lessened drastically. The difference between having to remain alert without rest, and having someone to watch your back while you rested, was like night and day.

“Ridiculous.” Yun Che chuckled and shook his head incredulously. “She is a princess, and I’m but a rootless duckweed who was blown into the Qilin Abyss Realm by a sandstorm. Our paths would never cross if not for her kindness.”

“I see that you value kindness and reciprocation a lot.” Hua Caili felt that her footsteps were so much lighter without the weight of death and danger pressing down on her. “By the way, were you able to meet the legendary Qilin God while you were exploring the Qilin God Realm?”

Yun Che shook his head, though there was no regret on his face whatsoever. “No. I was uninterested in the Qilin God Realm in the first place. The only reason I participated in the Qilin Abyss Conference was to repay Her Highness’ kindness. After the imperial family stepped inside, I stayed for a couple hours and left the place afterward.”

“Ah?” It was Hua Caili’s turn to be surprised. “You just… left? Did the princess not try to change your mind? The imperial family and especially her must be incredibly reluctant to let you go.”

Yun Che shook his head. “I’ve already repaid the favor I owed them in full. As such, there is no reason for me to stay in the Qilin Abyss Realm any longer. But as you’ve imagined, I too predicted that she might do everything in her power to persuade me to stay. She would surely be saddened if I rejected her to her face. Besides, my master taught me that a man may kill a woman, but he must never wound her heart. That is why I had no choice but to leave without saying goodbye.”

“I see…” Hua Caili tilted her head slightly while doing her best to process Yun Che’s words.

She had a lot more questions she wanted to ask Yun Che; so many that she didn’t even know where to start.

It would be an understatement to say that he was a bag of curiosities. Even her aunt was curious about him.

A long silence later, the girl suddenly asked, “Oh right, where are you from, Young Master Yun? And why are you alone?”

“Where am I from?” Yun Che shook his head. “I’m from nowhere.”

“You’re from… nowhere?” Hua Caili couldn’t understand his words. “What do you mean by that? You have to have sprung up from somewhere. Like, where is your home? Who are your parents? Do you have any family?”

Yun Che looked straight ahead. “I… don’t have a home. I don’t have any friends or family in this world either.”

It was the truth. His home, friends and family were all on the other side of the Abyss. Not a single word was a lie.

Of course Hua Caili interpreted his meaning incorrectly. She thought he was replying the cruelest truth in the calmest voice.

Hua Caili turned and looked at him directly. The stars in her eyes looked like they might shatter into pieces, and her voice became much gentler than before. “Did they… encounter something… bad?”

The man before her eyes shook his head again and replied just as calmly as before, “I have never had a home since I came to this world. As for friends and family, I’ve never even met them. That is why I said I’m from nowhere.”

“You thought something bad happened to them, but I never had a home, friends or family in the first place, so how can anything bad have happened to them?”

“Loss is painful, but it would’ve meant that I had something to lose. But… there is nothing for me in this Abyss, nor is there a place for me to return to.”

His voice was as calm and indifferent as ever, but Hua Caili’s breathing hitched in her throat, and her heart felt like a barbed hook had pierced through it. The pain was unbearable.

Yun Che suddenly turned around and shot her a grin. “It sounds pretty sad, isn’t it? Hahaha! I honestly don’t feel anything though. After all, I’ve been like this since I came to this world. I’ve long since adapted to it.”

The stars in her eyes only grew more fragmented.

Internally, Yun Che was scoffing once more at Hua Caili’s naivety. What a ridiculously emphatic girl. She is not fit to be a Divine Daughter at all. It would take ages for someone like her to mature.

This was perfect for him though.

Still, he couldn’t help but feel even more puzzled about something. From the information he had learned from the Qilin Abyss Realm and some of the memories he had pried loose from Meng Jianzhou’s head, the Rainbow Glass Divine Daughter of the Heaven Breaker Kingdom of God had existed for thousands of years at least.

Literally no one he knew who was several thousand years old would empathize with a nobody’s tragic past. Hell, those people could walk across a sea of corpses like it was a stroll in the park.

No matter how well-protected Hua Caili was, even if this was the first time ever she made contact with the secular world, she had to have lived for several thousand years, right? Was it really possible for someone so old to be so naive regarding the nature of humanity and the ironclad laws of survival?

“Maybe I had them in the past,” he muttered carelessly.

The girl heard his words and put two and two together, “Are you saying… that you lost your past?”

Yun Che nodded. “When I first awoke in this world, all I saw was infinite darkness and my master. He was the one who woke me. He told me that I was around ten years old at the time, and both my body and soul were severely damaged. If it wasn’t for him, I would’ve died a long time ago.”

“My master used a miraculous art to heal my wounded soul. The fact that I woke up at all was a miracle on its own. However, it came at the cost of all of my memories. Not a single trace of them was left behind. Naturally, I wouldn’t know my past even if it was right in front of me.”

His voice was calm and even. There was no sadness, no melancholy, no complaint, not even a sliver of yearning for the past. It was almost like he was narrating a perfectly ordinary experience.

Hua Caili stared at him. A long, long time later, she finally looked down and whispered, “I’ve never met my mom. The day I was born was the day she died.”

Yun Che: “…”

“Father and aunt treat me very well. Everyone loves me as well. But sometimes, I can’t help but think about the mother I never met, envied those who have a mom to love them and rebuke them. I can’t help but regret this irreparable loss in my life.”

She continued, “Throughout this adventure, I have witnessed darkness and tragedies I never imagined could even exist. Out of all of them, the one memory that left the deepest impression on me was a handful of babies being killed because they were born with poor talent. They never even had the right to grow up.”

Tragedies were far more impactful when someone bore witness to them with their own eyes. However, most of the people living in this cruel Abyss were used to it.

“It was during this time I came to realize just how lucky I was.”

She looked up and showed Yun Che a consoling look. She was about to say something when Yun Che shot her a sideway glance. “You’re not trying to console me, are you? Just so you don’t misunderstand, but I never thought that I have a tragic past. In fact, I always thought that I’m the luckiest man in the entire world.”

“For starters, I got a second lease in life. Second, I was able to meet my master. That is a kind of luck countless people could never hope to obtain even if they reincarnated for ten thousand lifetimes.”

When he said the word “master”, he subconsciously straightened his spine and lifted his head slightly. The man had faced down the gravest danger without even batting an eyelid, but now his eyes were clearly shining with deep reverence.

“Your master must be an incredible person.” Hua Caili lowered her voice and asked both tentatively and cautiously, “Is he famous? He must be, right?”

High above the sky, Hua Qingying focused all of her attention on Yun Che. She wasn’t going to let a single bit of body language escape her grasp.

Yun Che was the man who defeated a Divine Extinction Realm profound practitioner as a Divine master. He was also the man who bore five elements in his body including the mythical light profound energy. To say she was beyond curious who his master was would be an understatement of the century.

Even with her vast, profound knowledge, she couldn’t envision a single person who could match their power. Not a single one.

Yun Che shook his head and said slowly, “I owe you my life, Sister Qu, so I shouldn’t keep secrets from you. However… one of the very few things my master asked of me despite the fact that I owe him everything, is that I must never reveal his identity.”

Startled, Hua Caili hurriedly apologized, “Forgive me. I have overstepped.”

Remorse flickered across Yun Che’s expression. A moment of hesitation later, he answered, “My master doesn’t belong to this world. In fact, he’s not even a person. He was just a remnant of a soul. He has no contact with the current world whatsoever besides me, so of course you have never heard of him.”

“It was a coincidence and a moment of kindness that he chose to save me… and that is all I can tell you, Sister Qi. I hope you won’t mind.”

His tone was apologetic, and it made Hua Caili feel both warm and a little panic-stricken. She shook her head furiously as she said, “Of course you should obey your master’s teachings. This is normal. So, how is your master doing right now?”

Yun Che smiled indifferently. “He disappeared after giving me everything. Since then, I’ve been alone for many years.”

In the sky, Hua Qingying frowned deeply and muttered to himself, “An ancient soul?”

In the ancient times, countless gods and devils had fallen into the Abyss. It wasn’t until the abyssal dust began to thin, and the Land of the Living emerged that some of them were barely able to maintain their existence. Even so, most of them perished as a matter of course, though many left behind their soul fragments via different methods.

Back in the day, ancient souls were fairly common. Millennia passed, and they grew fewer and fewer until it became near impossible to encounter one.

If Yun Che’s “master” really was an ancient soul who had never shown itself in the real world, that would certainly explain the strange—if not outright impossible—powers he possessed.

……

At the furthest east where the Wall of Primal Chaos stood, Chi Wuyao, Qianye Ying’er and Shui Meiyin were standing with stern expressions on their faces.

Every witness, every official report, and every planar fragment resulting from the terrible shockwave all pointed that the noise had come not from a certain planet or star realm, but the Wall of Primal Chaos itself!

Shui Meiyin reached out and tapped the lightless World Piercer against the Wall of Primal Chaos. A short while later, she whispered, “Its structure looks flawless, but the Wall of Primal Chaos would normally heal itself in a matter of breaths if it was damaged. There is no way to tell if it was damaged now.”

“This position…” Qianye Ying’er exhaled slowly. “It’s almost the same spot as the one where the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor made her return.”

“…”

“Is it possible that she and her Devil Gods are…”

“That’s impossible.” Chi Wuyao rejected her hypothesis before she could finish. “The reason the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor and her Devil Gods were able to survive outside of Primal Chaos for so long was thanks to the World Piercer. The reason she was ultimately able to breach the Wall of Primal Chaos and return was also thanks to the World Piercer.”

“Before the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor went away, she left behind the World Piercer… Without the World Piercer, it is only a matter of time before the space they created to survive the harsh environment outside Primal Chaos collapses. Many years have passed since, and it is extremely unlikely that any of them are still alive.”

She purposely avoided mentioning Jasmine because she was so, so much weaker than the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor or the Devil Gods. She was probably dead the second she was ejected from Primal Chaos.

“Even if they are alive, the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor simply doesn’t possess the power necessary to breach the Wall of Primal Chaos a second time without the World Piercer.”

Chi Wuyao’s words were common knowledge within their group. Neither Qianye Ying’er nor Shui Meiyin were able to refute them.

The Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor had sealed her and her subordinates’ doom the moment she chose to leave Primal Chaos without taking the World Piercer with her.

“It looks like you’ve got an answer already,” Qianye Ying’er said.

Chi Wuyao nodded. “I tried searching through the Nirvana Devil Emperor Soul’s memories, and I discovered that this phenomenon is, in fact, not too uncommon in ancient times. Every six million years or so, something like this would happen either because some foreign object had crashed into the Wall of Primal Chaos, or because a spatial vortex had made contact with it and caused a dimensional explosion.”

Qianye Ying’er mulled over her words briefly. “It’s a reasonable explanation, I suppose. The only one we have, in fact. The Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor can’t possibly own another World Piercer, right?”

Chi Wuyao looked away from the Wall of Primal Chaos. “It is hard enough to quell the people’s panic regarding the threat of the Abyss. We certainly don’t need another problem right now.”

She summoned a dark sound transmission formation in front of her and declared, “The shockwave was caused by a foreign object from beyond crashing into the Wall of Primal Chaos. It has now subsided completely, and it will not happen again. Hua Jin, please transmit this message to every realm and quell the unrest as soon as possible.”

After she put away the profound formation, Chi Wuyao turned her back against the Wall of Primal Chaos and declared, “The Wall of Primal Chaos is something that exists beyond the laws. We can spend a million years studying it and discover exactly nothing, so let us put this behind us and return already.”

Qianye Ying’er and Shui Meiyin said nothing. They took their leave, but they all harbored varying thoughts.

Her whole life, Chi Wuyao never made a decision lightly. She might have identified the most likely and appropriate reason for the unknown shockwave, but her thoughts were still racing beneath the currents.

As the bearer of the Nirvana Devil Emperor’s memory fragments, her knowledge far exceeded anyone in the current world.

She knew that not even the ancient Creation Gods or Devil Emperors could breach the Wall of Primal Chaos.

According to the Nirvana Devil Emperor’s memory fragments, there were only three powers that could breach the Wall of Primal Chaos. They were the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword, the World Piercer, and the Evil Infant Wheel of Myriad Tribulations.

The Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword had vanished without a trace since ancient times.

The World Piercer was currently held by Shui Meiyin, but it was completely drained of power.

As for the Evil Infant Wheel of Myriad Tribulations…

Chi Wuyao’s breathing hitched for an instant before she wiped away the thought.

The Evil Infant Wheel of Myriad Tribulations and its bearer, Jasmine had been knocked out of Primal Chaos, and it was much, much weaker than it was at its prime due to the abnormal decline of Primal Chaos. Jasmine was strong enough to kill a God Emperor back then, but she was nowhere close to being on Mo Beichen’s level, a Half-God.

This meant that the Evil Infant of this era was far weaker than even a Half-God. Compared to the Devil Gods, she might as well be a speck of dust.

There was no way an Evil Infant this weak could survive the world beyond Primal Chaos, much less unleash a blast of power strong enough to shake the Wall of Primal Chaos.

It was just impossible.

Chi Wuyao exhaled in secret and tried her best to remove her stray thoughts.

The threat of the Abyss was still hanging over their heads like a guillotine, Yun Che was still fighting in a completely foreign world alone… she prayed that this was the end of their woes not just for herself, but the entire universe.

Not far away, Shui Meiyin was clutching the World Piercer tightly. Her soul sea was shaking for some reason.

Was it just me…

Or did the world Piercer tremble when I touched it against the Wall of Primal Chaos earlier?