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

by Mars Gravity

  Bang!!

  Another loud boom rang through the air as the main gates of the Yun Family, which had just been closed, were blasted open once again. The sound of loud and carefree laugh that was filled with excitement practically resonated throughout the entire Yun Family household, “Hahahaha, Che’er, Grandfather has come to see you.”

  Mu Feiyan had brought along his three sons Mu Yubai, Mu Yuqing and Mu Yukong as he grandly strode through the gates. After that, he was immediately startled by the formation in front of him. Mu Feiyan’s eyes swept the area several times but he did not see Yun Che’s figure. So he immediately spat out a few words while glowering at everyone, “How about Che’er? Where is Che’er right now? Could it be that he didn’t return with you all?”

  “Father, you need to calm down first,” Mu Yurou said in a soft voice. “Che’er did return but he was injured, so he is receiving treatment from the Golden Crow Divine God right now. He should return fairly quickly…”

  “WHAT!?!” Mu Feiyan’s hair and beard immediately stood on end as he soared into the air in explosive rage, “Who was it!? Who was the bastard that harmed Che’er!? Speak, who was it!? Let’s see if this old man doesn’t tear him to pieces and pound him into mincemeat.”

  “That’s about enough Father,” Mu Yubai said wryly, the corners of his mouth hooking upwards. “With the Little Demon Empress around, the bastard who harmed Che’er has definitely been burned to the point where there wasn’t even ashes left. What makes you think that you’ll even get a chance?”

  “…” Xiao Yun opened his mouth before speaking in a very soft voice, “Actually… Actually, the Little Demon Empress wasn’t able to beat that person either and she ended up wounded as well. She was even forced to ignite her origin blood… In fact, all of us nearly died there.”

  Those few words of Xiao Yun caused Mu Feiyan and the rest of them to be completely stunned, their faces rapidly losing color. Yun Qinghong grabbed Xiao Yun anxiously as he stared straight at him, “You said… that the Little Demon Empress was wounded as well? And that she was also forced to ignite her origin blood?”

  “How… How can that be possible?” Mu Yukong said with a shocked and frightened expression on his face. “How can there still be anyone who can rival the Little Demon Empress in this world… How can that be possible!?”

  “Xiao Yun’s words were not the least bit exaggerated,” Number One Under Heaven said with a heavy sigh.

  Mu Feiyan, Greatest Ambition Under Heaven and Yun Qinghong glanced at each other with dismay. They were scarcely able to believe their own ears. Yun Qinghong relaxed his grip on Xiao Yun as his brows furrowed tightly together and he spoke in solemn tone, “Yun’er, give us a detailed account of everything that happened after all of you left for the Profound Sky Continent.”

  “I think it’d be better if I told this story,” Number One Under Heaven said as he took a step forward.

  Immediately after he said that, Number One Under Heaven gave them a long and detailed account of what had happened in the Profound Sky Continent. He especially focused on the details regarding Xuanyuan Wentian, from the time he had kidnapped Xiao Yun to the time when he had forced everyone into a desperate situation. He gave a thorough and detailed explanation of every single detail to the best of his ability.

  Once Number One Under Heaven had finally gotten to the part of the story where they had returned to the Illusory Demon Realm, Yun Qinghong and the rest of them had lapsed into a deep state of profound shock and they did not regain their senses for a long period of time.

  “Duke Ming was actually… only a pawn… He was actually only a pawn…” Greatest Ambition Under Heaven kept muttering to himself as he shook his head.

  “Just where did Xuanyuan Wentian’s power come from? How did it come to pass that even the Little Demon Empress was not able to fight him?” The shock that was present on Mu Feiyan’s face refused to recede as he asked that question.

  “I have already told you all that I know,” Number One Under Heaven said in a heavy voice. “However, I spent the majority of the time in Floating Cloud City, so Brother Yun and Princess Snow definitely have more information and know more secrets than I do. They may even know the reason behind Xuanyuan Wentian’s bizarre change.”

  “If all of this is really true, then Xuanyuan Wentian is at least ten times more dreadful than Duke Ming,” Yun Qinghong said as he closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath.

  Greatest Ambition Under Heaven suddenly thought of something and his expression faintly changed. He spoke in a heavy voice, “Since Xuanyuan Wentian’s current power is so dreadful and his obsession for the Mirror of Samsara is so fierce, then once he fully recovers from his injuries, he will definitely attack our Illusory Demon Realm… During those years, they could already forcefully construct a dimensional profound formation that could link both of our continents, so there is no reason that they would not be able to do it now. This won’t do! I need to inform all the cities and the various regions who hem our borders. From today onwards, we need to be on our guard constantly.”

  “Hold on for a moment, Brother Under Heaven,” Yun Qinghong said to restrain him. “It is not advisable to make this matter public at this present time. The absolute authority that the Little Demon Empress currently possesses is entirely built upon the reality of her absolute power. If the news that the Little Demon Empress was defeated gets spread around, it will definitely incite fear and panic. We should keep this matter to ourselves for now and wait for the Little Demon Empress to return from Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley first before deferring this decision to her.”

  “Mn, Qinghong’s reasoning is sound,” Mu Feiyan said with a faint nod of his head. “We should refrain from disclosing this news for now. Since Xuanyuan Wentian’s injuries are so serious, he definitely won’t make any rash moves for now. Let’s wait for the Little Demon Empress to return first before we make a decision on anything.”

  “Ah, we had just quelled the chaos incited by Duke Huai too. The Little Demon Empress presided over the land with power and prestige and I thought that the chaos and disorder that afflicted the Illusory Demon Realms was finally over, but who would have thought…” Greatest Ambition Under Heaven said as he let out a long sigh. “These are truly troubled times that we live in.”

  So Xiao Lie, Xiao Lingxi, Cang Yue and all the disciples of Frozen Cloud Asgard were moved into the Yun Family household.

  Yun Qinghong regarded Xiao Lie as his own father and he would go and pay his respects every morning and night. He also personally attended to every matter that concerned Xiao Lie. He also took extremely good care of Xiao Lingxi, his only fear being that she suffered even the smallest indignity.

  As the wife of the Young Patriarch, Cang Yue was accorded remarkable status the moment she entered the Yun Family. Mu Yurou grew more and more delighted with this daughter-in-law of hers as the days passed and she would spend entire days dragging Cang Yue along with her and asking her various things about her relationship with Yun Che.

  Xiao Yun and Number Seven Under Heaven did not return to their King Palace. Instead, they stayed with the Yun Family to accompany Xiao Lie and spent every day joyfully awaiting the arrival of that little life.

  Yun Qinghong had also personally arranged for the disciples of Frozen Cloud Asgard to be housed in the Yun Family residences.

  Even if one was to randomly choose one girl from amongst the girls of Frozen Cloud Asgard, she would be breathtaking enough to stun everyone around her, let alone when so many of them appeared at one time. During the thousand year history of Frozen Cloud Asgard, there was never a time when they completely mobilized and showed themselves to the world. So one could well imagine the sort of commotion they incited after they had all entered the Yun Family. Whether they were old or young, every single one of the Yun Family disciples were left completely dumbstruck by their beauty. It was as if all of them had entered some dreamland. But the stern prohibition of Yun Qinghong that swiftly followed firmly put a damper
on all of their fantasies. So the only thing the male disciples of the Yun Family could do was stare at those distant courtyard walls with a burning desire. Because even drawing close to those walls was wishful thinking.

  The Mu Family had dispatched many people to guard the entrance of Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley but even after a day and night had passed, the profound formation at the entrance of Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley remained shut and no one had emerged from within.

  Seven days…

  Ten days…

  Fifteen days…

  One month…

  An entire month had passed by but the Little Demon Empress and Yun Che had still not emerged from Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley. At this point, even Yun Qinghong could no longer maintain his previous cool. For the next few days, he would travel by himself to the entrance of Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley before the sun even kissed the sky and observe the sealing profound formation to see if it had undergone any changes.

  The only thing he could console himself with was the certainty that Yun Che was definitely alright. If not, the Little Demon Empress and the girl who was known as Princess Snow would have long ago departed from Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley.

  They must have a very important reason for staying in there for such a long time.

  It was amidst this self-consolation and increasingly anxious and frantic waiting that an entire three months slowly passed. The wait was akin to a long and drawn-out painful torture.

  However, while they were still unaware, a dark cloud was slowly creeping towards the Illusory Demon Realm.

  ————————————————

  Author’s Note:

  The title of this volume is: “Cloud’s End Mirage”. These four words are the key. The rest are just to make up for the word count.

  A friendly reminder: Su Ling’er is now sixteen years old.

  Chapter 855: Illusory Demon Crisis

  Five Way Region was located northwest of the Illusory Demon Realm. There were no cities present in the region and it was simply a piece of wasteland. However, a large army was safeguarding the region day and night, all year round. That year, this place was the starting point of Profound Sky Continent’s infiltration into Illusory Demon Realm. Back then, the Four Great Sacred Grounds paid a great price to construct a spatial profound formation and its exit was right here.

  At the same time, this place could be considered the end point of the infiltration that year. Though the Four Great Sacred Grounds were strong, the number of people that could be transferred was limited. With Demon Imperial City as their home ground, the battle eventually pushed the people from the Four Great Sacred Grounds back here and the final ferocious battle unfolded in this Five Way Region.

  Even till today, traces of disasters left behind by that ferocious battle a hundred years ago were still present here.

  Not too long after the disappearance of the Little Demon Emperor, the exit of that spatial profound formation disappeared. However, Demon Illusory Realm was still unable to ascertain whether the Four Great Sacred Grounds had completely closed off the spatial passageway for good. In order to prevent the other party from re-opening the exit, a large elite army would always be keeping watch, day and night. Among them, there were even several disciples from the Guardian Families.

  A hundred years had passed and not a single anomaly had appeared. Forget about the profound formation making a reappearance, even the slightest of irregular spatial ripples was never sighted at all.

  Following after the calm of Duke Huai’s upheaval, the Little Demon Empress regained her authority and even obtained astonishing strength. The pressure on the guards here had thus plummeted as well. In the past, this was a dangerous land that concerned the safety of Demon Imperial City but now, it would often be filled with laughter and sounds of happy guards. There was no longer even the slightest bit of heavy or suppressive atmosphere.

  In the early hours, the sky had just turned bright. If it was a year ago, it was most likely the time for a change in shift as per schedule. Presently, however, the various powerful guardian districts of Five Way Region were filled with snores and those guards who were on night duties were in a mess as well. It was seemingly impossible to find a person who still maintained his clarity and alertness. Even the leaders coming from the Guardian Families were all sound asleep.

  Right at this moment, in the skies above the center district of Five Way Region, space severely distorted all of a sudden. An abnormal profound light weakly flashed and then, in the span of a few short breaths, it released an eye-piercing profound radiance, drawing out a small sized profound formation that was merely a meter in length.

  A spatial profound formation that only allowed a single person to pass through once!!

  In the instant the spatial profound formation was formed, a black figure gently descended from within.

  A suppressive aura that felt as though it had originated from purgatory enveloped the entire Five Way Region, waking up all the soundly sleeping guards in thick, trembling fear.

  Demon Imperial City, Yun Family.

  It had been exactly three months and there had yet to be any news of Yun Che and the Little Demon Empress since they had entered Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley. Though Yun Qinghong was still consoling Mu Yurou especially calmly and peacefully like before, he had actually long been blazing with anxiety.

  Today, he had once again gone another night without sleep, as he silently stood in the courtyard, staring blankly until the sky brightened. Finally, he was no longer able to restrain himself and was preparing to head over to Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley again like yesterday.

  At this moment, an incomparably intense energy ripple was suddenly released from his sound transmission jade.

  With a heavy heart, he quickly picked up the sound transmission jade. Glancing at the sound transmission imprint, he realized it was actually coming from Yun Zheng, a disciple from Yun Family who was stationed at Five Way Region!

  Yun Qinghong’s brows fiercely twitched. The number of disciples stationed at Five Way Region was not many but every single one of them was a leader of either a small or large group of soldiers. As for Yun Zheng, he was the leader among all the Yun Family disciples stationed in Five Way Region. Usually, he would send a routine sound transmission at the end of each month to report on the situation among the guards and there had never been a situation where he would send a sound transmission at any other times.

  “Patriarch… Save… us…”

  The voice transmitted by the sound transmission jade contained an agonized and hoarse voice, as though it was uttered by someone who would soon meet his death, carrying deep fear and despair.

  Yun Qinghong was shocked, growling. “Yun Zheng, what happened over there!?”

  “Hehehehe…” What replied him was the sound of sunken laughter.

  Though it was merely the sound of laughter and did not carry the slightest bit of the other party’s aura, it still fiercely pressed down on Yun Qinghong’s chest and even his breathing had suddenly turned abnormally rapid.

  “Who are you?” Yun Qinghong said with a sunken voice.

  “Regarding this sovereign’s identity, why don’t you make a guess… Yun Qinghong.” Behind the sinister voice was Yun Zheng’s bitter and frail groans.

  Yun Qinghong’s hair stood on end and his pair of hands trembled, as though at any moment, he could shatter the sound transmission jade due to the loss of control of his strength. The heavy name which had been binding his heart in this few days, surfaced within his mind…

  “Xuanyuan… Wentian!?”

  “Well done.” The voice on the other side softly praised and then continued with an amused tone. “Yun Qinghong, inform the Little Demon Empress that within the next hour, this sovereign shall grandly descend upon Demon Imperial City. Furthermore, it will just be this sovereign alone. Have her bring the Mirror of Samsara and personally welcome this sovereign’s. This sovereign might even conside
r pardoning Demon Imperial City then. Otherwise, this sovereign will have all of you witness what true fear is.”

  “WUARGHH—”

  The final sound that reverberated was Yun Zheng’s scream and following after was the sound of the sound transmission jade shattering.

  “!!!”

  Bang!!

  The sound transmission jade in Yun Qinghong’s hand was also immediately shattered by the squeeze of his hand due losing control of his profound energy. His back was ice-cold and his heart felt as though it was being pressed down by a hundred and fifty ton gigantic boulder, incomparably heavy.

  If it was three months ago, suddenly hearing news of Xuanyuan Wentian… forget about Xuanyuan Wentian, even if he received the sudden report of the Four Great Sacred Grounds making another infiltration, he would still remain incomparably calm. However this time, the arrogance that was carried within that voice, as though he was a deliverer of judgement, had informed Yun Qinghong that only he alone had arrived. It made his hands shiver intensely and he only managed to calm himself down after taking in a few dozen breaths.

  Because, the present Xuanyuan Wentian was not the Xuanyuan Wentian of a hundred years ago but someone who could defeat Little Demon Empress!!

  The strength that Little Demon Empress possessed after she awakened her bloodline was powerful beyond compare and had even broken the record in the history of the Illusory Demon Realm. Duke Ming, who was supposed to be undefeatable in the Illusory Demon Realm, merely had the power to flee when facing her. During this period, the Illusory Demon Realm had seemingly regarded the Little Demon Empress as a divine spirit. The Twelve Families and the countless Duke Palaces were all behaving obediently as well and none dared to carry the slightest bit of treacherous intention or disobedience.

  After the situation in the Illusory Demon Realm had completely settled down, taking revenge on the Profound Sky Continent would no longer be a mere dream but a matter that was within reach.

  But to be capable of defeating the Little Demon Empress… That immense power was something Yun Qinghong and even the entire Illusory Demon Realm, was unable to imagine or comprehend!