Against the Gods - Volume 08 - Cloud's End Mirage

by Mars Gravity

  The Little Demon Empress looked to the side and with a sway of her colorful sleeves, a rough wave of wind had already swept the people into the sky. “Hurry and tell me the direction!”

  Chapter 842: Final Hope

  Though she was carrying six people with her, with her fully unleashed profound energy, the Little Demon Empress’ speed was still extremely fast. Before anyone came to their senses, they had already flown several hundred kilometers away.

  But at this moment, the Little Demon Empress began to slow her pace and she suddenly asked. “Yun Che has an official wife on Sky Profound Continent and she is even the princess of a country. Where is she?”

  “It’s big sister Cangyue,” Feng Xue’er said. “But she’s no longer a princess but the empress of Blue Wind Empire. She’s currently residing in the imperial city.”

  “…” The Little Demon Empress turned her head over. “Give me the directions, we shall head to the imperial city first!”

  The Little Demon Empress changed her direction at once and arrived at Blue Wind Imperial City. She immediately charged into the imperial palace and without giving any explanation, forcefully swept up Cangyue who was completely unaware of what happened. Then, she made a beeline towards the north, rushing towards the Snow Region of Extreme Ice.

  The present Frozen Cloud Asgard was still as cool and quiet as usual and the hearts of anyone who came here would become as tranquil as the endless ice and snow.

  All of the girls in Frozen Cloud Asgard held the deepest of respect, gratitude and reliance for Yun Che and not a single one of them did not like Feng Xue’er from the bottom of their hearts. Their engagement was also an extremely happy matter for Frozen Cloud Asgard. However, they were completely unaware that the situation had already worsened to a grave extent.

  At dusk, an extremely terrifying gust of wind suddenly swept up in the quiet Snow Region of Extreme Ice. Murong Qianxue and the other girls of Frozen Cloud Asgard sensed this at seemingly the same time and they hurriedly gathered together before charging out of the gates.

  “Who is it!?” Murong Qianxue sharply shouted. With the reinforcement of her profound energy, her voice spread to several dozen kilometers away. However, in the next instant, as though they had teleported, several human figures instantly appeared in front of them.

  Behind them, waves of cold wind and snow raised up to several hundred meters in height.

  “Senior Masters and Junior Masters, hurry… hurry and bring us to the Wintry Spring!!” Feng Xue’er leapt down from the sky with Yun Che in her arms and as they were pressed for time, she anxiously shouted.

  “Princess Snow? This… They are?” Murong Qianxue and the others were stunned for a moment. Frozen Cloud Asgard seldom received visitors and it had always been for a thousand years. Though Yun Che was the Asgard Master, because of his respect towards Frozen Cloud Asgard, he seldom brought visitors over as well. Other than Feng Xue’er, he had only brought Xiao Yun over once and it was due to an important reason as well.

  But this time, Feng Xue’er had instantly brought over this many unfamiliar faces. Most importantly, today was clearly the day of engagement between their Asgard Master and Feng Xue’er, so why did she suddenly return?

  However, their surprise had only lasted for a single moment, as they suddenly realized the person in Feng Xue’er’s embrace was actually Yun Che. In an instant, as though the six were struck by lightning, they surrounded the two of them out of fright. “As… Asgard Master!? What happened!? Who injured Asgard Master…”

  “Did you all not hear her words earlier!?” The Little Demon Empress coldly reprimanded. “If you don’t want him to die, then bring us to that place called Frozen Cloud Wintry Spring immediately.”

  “Senior Master, Junior Master… Hurry… It’s the only place left that can save Big Brother Yun.” Feng Xue’er said in a teary tone.

  “Hurry and come with us!” Murong Qianxie did not probe any further and fully unleashed the all the profound energy in her body. She pushed out her palm the moment she turned around and all of the restrictions placed on the gates were all removed in an instant. With her quickest speed, she charged right up to the front and at the same time, a cold authoritative voice, carrying a light quivering, was spread throughout Frozen Cloud Asgard. “Wu Xuexin, Shui Hanyin… as well as all of the disciples near the Wintry Spring, heed my order! Immediately release all of the restrictions surrounding the Wintry Spring! This matter concerns the life of our Asgard Master, there must not be the slightest of delay!!”

  Ever since they encountered the crisis back then, Frozen Cloud Asgard had placed many restrictions and Frozen Cloud Wintry Spring which resided at the core was especially so. When it came to the strength of these restrictions, if Feng Xue’er wanted to forcefully break them apart, even she would have to spend a large amount of time and effort to do so.

  However, from the gates to the Wintry Spring, all of the restrictions were removed by Murong Qianxue and the five others using the crudest methods and when they charged straight to the center of the ice palace, all the restrictions surrounding the Wintry Spring had already been removed. Feeling the extremely concentrated cold energy, the Little Demon Empress directly grabbed Yun Che out of Feng Xue’er’s hands and in a flash, threw him into the Wintry Spring where white mist was rising.

  “Little Demon Empress… sis, can this really save Big Brother Yun?” Feng Xue’er worriedly asked.

  “…” The Little Demon Empress was silent for a moment, before she softly said. “A year ago, he was heavily injured from Duke Huai’s attack and was forced to the Sea of Death with me. The Sea of Death was initially a place of certain death at the moment of contact but not only was he unharmed, his injuries rapidly healed. After that, when I questioned him on this matter, he once said that not only was pure flame energy unable to harm him, he could even absorb it to rapidly heal his vitality and profound energy. At the same time, he pointed out that it was not just flames, ice had similar effects as well.”

  “Though the degree of concentration and plane of power of this Wintry Spring is far from being comparable to the Sea of Death, it still indeed contains a pure and rich amount of cold ice energy. It can be said that it does not disappoint me too much.”

  “In that case, Big Brother Yun… can Big Brother Yun be saved?” Feng Xue’e excitedly said.

  The Little Demon Empress fixated her eyes on Yun Che who was submerged in water and her voice carried a frosty chill. “The plane of power of the energy behind his injuries is extremely high and presently, it’s still residing in his body. Forget about fixing his injuries, my powers are incapable of even scattering away this energy. For just this mere Wintry Spring it is basically impossible to save him. In this Wintry Spring, he could still possibly die in the next breath… What I hope for is that this Wintry Spring will bestow him a little vitality, allowing him to once again wake up right before his death and then activate the Primordial Profound Ark to return to the Illusory Demon Realm… This is our only hope.”

  Murong Qianxue and the five others had already turned dumbfounded from their conversation. Chu Yueli stepped forward and anxiously said. “Princess Snow, just what in the world happened? Who… Who injured Asgard Master?”

  “I don’t know.” Feng Xue’er painfully shook her head. “I was next to Big Brother Yun back then but I simply did not notice who was behind this fatal attack on Big Brother Yun.”

  “You all should step down for now. There’s no need for too many people here.” The Little Demon Empress commanded. Her every word carried a might which others were basically unable to go against. The Frozen Cloud Six Fairies had all become Overlords but under this might, they were seemingly unable to breathe. However, at the same time, not a single one of them left.

  “Currently, other than the people of the sect, Yun Che’s dearest relatives are here. You all should find them a place to settle down. Especially the three among them who have considerably weaker profound strengths, they are simply unable to endure
the cold here,” The Little Demon Empress coldly said.

  Only then did Feng Xue’er come to her senses and anxiously say, “Ah… Grandfather Xiao, Little Aunt and Big Sister Cangyue are still outside. If they stay here any longer, they will definitely be injured by the cold. Senior Masters and Junior Masters, I have to trouble you to take care of Grandfather Xiao and the others. We will protect Big Brother Yun here, without taking a single step away.”

  Murong Qianxue hesitated for a brief moment, then slowly nodded. “Alright… if Asgard Master wakes up, you must inform us immediately.”

  “Hanyue, hurry and personally seal all of the gates, as well as activate the defensive profound arrays. Hanxue, head over to the Snow Congealing Hall and retrieve all of the Healing Liquid Jade! Lianqie, Lanyi, send orders to all of the disciples to be on high alert around the clock. Yueli, let us go.”

  Murong Qianxue was very clear that the present crisis was not so simple as being limited to just Yun Che being heavily injured and him possibly dying at any moment. The danger concealed behind it was definitely even more terrifying than the disaster they experienced before.

  When the Frozen Cloud Six Fairies left, the Little Demon Empress turned around and looked at Feng Xue’er with a pair of eyes which resembled the silent and starry night. It was also the first time she truly measured her. “You are Feng Xue’er?”

  “Yes,” Feng Xue’er lightly nodded. “Little Demon Empress sis, I often heard Big Brother Yun mention you and I’m also aware that big brother Yun and you are already married when he was in the Illusory Demon Realm.”

  “…You really did not see who injured him?”

  “I did not.” Feng Xue’er shook her head depressingly. “I was by Big Brother Yun’s side back then. Royal father, grandfather and great grandfather were there as well but none of us knew what happened. I only heard Big Brother Yun shouting and then he pushed me away. When I turned around, Big Brother Yun was already… already…”

  “…” The Little Demon Empress sank into silence for a long while. Then, she said with an indifferent look, “Tell me everything that happened starting from the time he returned to this continent. Tell me all that you know, without missing a single detail.”

  “Mn,” Feng Xue’er agreed without the slightest hesitation.

  From the Little Demon Empress, she saw power which could defeat three Sacred Masters, a might and coldness that could suffocate anyone. Even when facing Yun Che who could possibly die at any moment, she was still as calm and emotionless as before, calm to the point where his life or death was of no concern to her.

  However, she had clearly seen with her own eyes, ever since she first met the Little Demon Empress, all of her actions, words and even her seemingly frightening composure, there was not a single moment where they were not for Yun Che.

  Her aura could suffocate, however, it had allowed Feng Xue’er, who was in a state of utter anxiety, to find immense trust and even a sense of reliance in the Little Demon Empress.

  The existence of the Frozen Cloud Wintry Spring was far older than Frozen Cloud Asgard. It was situated at the core of Frozen Cloud Asgard and was also the core of Snow Region of Extreme Ice. Though it resided in an extremely cold land, it stayed unfrozen. The spring water was incomparably clear and every single grain of sand at the bottom of the spring could clearly be seen. Furthermore, the cold aura contained within had even surpassed that of profound ice. This place was usually the bathing grounds of the Frozen Cloud girls and when submerged within, the girls could calm their hearts and even subside the uncontrollable cold aura within their bodies.

  But in the past few days, Frozen Cloud Asgard was on high alert around the clock and the Frozen Cloud Wintry Spring had even become their greatest forbidden ground. Not only were Frozen Cloud disciples unallowed to approach it, even sound itself was completely isolated.

  The usual quiet Frozen Cloud Asgard was even more terrifyingly silent than before, as it was enveloped by an unprecedented suffocating atmosphere.

  One day… Two days… Three days… Seven days… Ten days…

  In these ten days, Yun Che’s body was still quietly submerged within the Wintry Spring and within the Wintry Spring, even if a corpse was submerged within, there would not be any changes to it even after a million years. In these ten days, the Little Demon Empress had been staying above the Wintry Spring and had never made a step out. Her aura had also been connected to Yun Che’s body the entire time, without diverting away for even a single moment.

  As ten days passed, Yun Che was still motionless and there were no traces of him waking up either. The extremely heavy injuries on his body did not heal a single bit and even that final strand of lifeforce was still as utterly weak as ten days ago. However, out of sheer tenacity, that strand of lifeforce continued to stay within his body without completely scattering off. It was the final strand of hope that remained in this difficult time.

  Chapter 843: Dark Clouds in the Snow Region

  Xiao Lingxi did not get much sleep in the entire ten days and most of the time she was staring blankly into space. Occasionally, when she was drowsy, she would unconsciously fall asleep but immediately after, her nightmares would scare her awake.

  The cold aura of Snow Region of Extreme Ice was definitely not something Xiao Lingxi could endure, so most of the time, she, Cangyue and Xiao Lie could only stay within the special barrier Feng Xue’er had placed. They could hardly move around in Frozen Cloud Asgard for long periods of time and with Frozen Cloud Wintry Spring being surrounded by extremely heavy cold aura, wanting to approach it to visit Yun Che was just wishful thinking.

  “Little Che…” She shrank at the corner of her room and muttered softly, as though her soul had already left her body. At this moment, the door was gently pushed open and Cangyue slowly walked in.

  Xiao Lingxi suddenly raised her head and then, she stood up and charged forward as though she was hit with an electric shock, jumping into Cangyue’s embrace in an instant. “Cangyue sis, how is Little Che… is he awake yet… is he already awake…?”

  “Lingxi, calm down for now,” Cangyue hurriedly held onto her and consoled her with a gentle voice. “He will wake up and he will definitely get better. Big Brother Under Heaven said that if it was anyone else, that person would have already died ten thousand times with that kind of injury, however my husband is still tenaciously staying alive. Have you forgotten… In the past, there were so many times when we thought that we would not be able to see him again but he would always appear in front of us safe and sound? This time, he will definitely wake up and get better, safe and sound like always.”

  “I… I know, I know…” Xiao Lingxi lightly teared up. “I just hate myself for being so useless. I’m not able to do a single thing and I’m not able to help Little Che in the least. Now, I can’t see Little Che even for an instant, I… I…”

  “Just taking care yourself well is the greatest help and comfort he can receive.” Cangyue mustered a light warm smile and then helped Xiao Lingxi to a chair. “My husband is working so hard to live because he can’t bear to let you and all of us go. So you must not look so beaten down when my husband wakes up, otherwise it will worry him to death.”

  As she held back her tears, Xiao Lingxi bit her lips. Then, she lightly nodded. “Mn… I understand, I’m fine… I have always been taking good care of myself. Cangyue sis, you’re the one who should get a good rest. In these few days, you have gotten even less rest than me and you have even been consoling me the entire time. You’re even an empress, there must be many things for you to do at the imperial palace…”

  Cangyue lightly shook her head. “Don’t worry, I have already sent Palace Chief Dongfang a sound transmission, allowing him to manage the state affairs on my behalf. Lingxi, put down your worries and have a good sleep. You never know, once you wake up, your Little Che might wake up as well.”

  “Alright…” This time, Xiao Lingxi obediently agreed and stood up. “I shall first visit my father, he hasn’t go
tten much sleep these last few days either and he’s eating so little too. Xiao Yun and Seventh Sister can’t even persuade him with his future great grandson. If this keeps up, he definitely won’t be able to hold on.”

  Though Xiao Lie’s true grandson was Xiao Yun and not Yun Che, he had raised Yun Che for sixteen years, protected him from the wind and rains for sixteen years and it was also Yun Che who accompanied him for sixteen years as well. They were not related by blood but the feelings developed in those sixteen years were basically not any weaker than the bond of blood.

  “I will go with you.”

  Just as the two girls were about to head over to visit Xiao Lie, suddenly, she felt that the light in front of them had suddenly dimmed, as though the blazing sun up high in the sky was suddenly covered up.

  However, the sun and moon could never be seen all year round in Snow Region of Extreme Ice and the sky had always been a vast expanse of whiteness. So why did it suddenly turn dark?

  Above the Frozen Cloud Wintry Spring, the Little Demon Empress who was as silent as an ice sculpture suddenly widened her eyes, as she raised her head and looked towards the sky.

  The whiteness of the sky which was usually cast upon by the endless ice and snow, was actually being covered by a layer of foggy darkness all of a sudden. An aura carrying an extreme degree of suppression poured downwards, casting another layer of dead silence that could shake one’s heart, upon the already tranquil Snow Region.

  “What happened?”

  All of the Frozen Cloud disciples were startled by this sudden abnormal change. The Frozen Cloud Six Fairies rose into the air, scanning the sky and their surroundings. An incomparably intense stifling feeling and discomfort surfaced in their hearts. There had always been only a single climate in Snow Region of Extreme Ice ever since the days of old and never had such a sight been seen before. Furthermore, this stifling feeling which was sending chills down their spines, was definitely not caused by the change in climate either…