Against the Gods - Volume 07 - Heaven Smiting Shakes the World

by Mars Gravity

  The four of them descended towards the island. Immediately, an incredibly strong repulsive force struck them. The strength of all four people was at the very peak of the Profound Sky Continent, but they immediately found it hard to breathe as an oppressive force constricted their chests.

  “What a powerful barrier!” Xia Yuanba exclaimed in a low voice, “We are so far away and yet the repulsive force that struck us was strong… Master said that this barrier has persisted for more than ten thousand years, and that it could even be called the strongest barrier that exists within the Profound Sky Continent. It looks like the reputation it has for being indestructible is richly deserved.”

  “Just based on its isolating ability alone, this barrier is indeed unparalleled.” Zi Ji said as he nodded his head, his expression filled with admiration and reverence, “The founders of Supreme Ocean Palace used more than half of the Tyrant Profound artifacts that exist in the Profound Sky Continent and used up an incredible amount of profound crystals in order to set up this barrier all those years ago. If not for this isolating barrier, that dreadful yin energy would have run rampant for the past ten thousand years and the consequences would have been unimaginable.”

  “My Ocean Palace has flourished for ten thousand years and even though we have made our shares of mistakes through the years, we have also maintained this barrier for ten thousand years as well. So my Ocean Palace has always been able to search its own soul without being found wanting, truly living up to the name ‘Sacred Ground’!” Zi Ji’s calm voice was laced with pride. He strode forward slowly and the Ocean Emperor Seal, which was flickering with blue light, was already in his hand.

  Yun Che took a quick breath before walking up to Zi Ji’s side. It had already been an entire seven years since Jasmine had first mentioned that she needed to find a Netherworld Udumbara Flower. In these seven years, the only place where it was possible to even find a Netherworld Udumbara Flower was the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest that laid enclosed in a barrier before him.

  And now, Jasmine had already been cleansed of the devilish poison and all the materials that were needed to reconstitute her body had been gathered, save for that very Netherworld Udumbara Flower… Even though there was a very slim chance that they would be able to find one, here he was. He could only hope that he was able to find the miracle flower in full bloom during the short hundred breaths that he could stay in the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest.

  The closer they drew to the barrier, the more they understood just how strong this barrier was. Yun Che was completely convinced that even if he had ten times the amount of strength, he would not even be able to make a dent in this barrier.

  When Zi Ji stood right in front of the barrier, he raised the Ocean Emperor Seal and hesitated for a moment before turning around to address Yun Che, “Yun Che, even though we are already here, and I know that I shouldn’t say anything to dampen your hopes… but you should be very clear that the chance of finding a Netherworld Udumbara Flower in full bloom is extremely slim. Moreover, even if you do miraculously find one, how will you obtain it?”

  “Those Supreme Ocean Elders who had seen the Netherworld Udumbara Flower all those years ago were all peerless powerhouses who were at the Sovereign Profound Realm. Even though they only looked at it from a distance for a few moments before swiftly departing, all of them suffered through a terrible illness after that. So it is hard to imagine the consequences of even coming close to that flower, much less picking it. And from my own knowledge, there has never once been a recorded instance where the Netherworld Udumbara Flower was successfully harvested in the history of Profound Sky Continent. The only records we have of this flower are the countless deaths that occurred because of it and its reputation as the ‘evilest of flowers’.”

  “I have my own methods.” Yun Che said confidently.

  The moment he had spoken those words, Jasmine’s voice also rang out in his mind, “If there is really a Netherworld Udumbara Flower, you must definitely not approach it. Even though you have the Dragon God Soul, if you come within thirty meters of it, you will definitely be wracked by extreme pain. And if you come within fifteen meters of it, you are simply begging for death! Leave the harvesting of the Netherworld Udumbara Flower to me, I will bring it into the Sky Poison Pearl fully intact.”

  “I know.” Yun Che replied. When he was living in the Azure Cloud Continent, his master had taught him about the Netherworld Udumbara Flower as well and the words that he had emphasized the most when he had taught Yun Che about this flower was that “you must never ever come close to one.”

  Zi Ji slowly nodded his head. He did not attempt to speak any further. Instead, he slapped the Ocean Emperor Seal heavily against the surface of the barrier in front of him.

  Immediately, they could see the barrier ripple where it came into contact with the Ocean Emperor Seal. Zi Ji’s brows sank and he said in a solemn tone, “The moment the seal on the barrier is released, there will be a large amount of yin energy expelled. This yin energy is extremely domineering and if normal people and weak profound practitioners come into contact with it, their lives will be put in danger. The yin energy within the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest is even more dreadful, and even if it is us, the moment we enter this place, our profound strength will be suppressed by two entire realms. At the same time, our vitality will also be drained away swiftly. Right now, you need to use all your strength to protect yourselves! You definitely must not underestimate the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest!”

  Chapter 773: Half-bloomed Udumbara (1)

  Yun Che turned around and spoke to his two companions, “Yuanba, Xue’er, this place is extremely dangerous. I think it’s best that neither of you accompany me in and wait outside. And no matter whether this place has the thing that I am looking for or not, I will also leave as soon as possible.”

  “That’s enough, Brother-in-Law.” Xia Yuanba shook his head as all of his muscles bulged fiercely and his body was surrounded by a peerless and domineering profound energy aura, “Since we have already come here, how can I not go in and have a look?”

  “Big Brother Yun, if I am not by your side to protect you, all the Junior and Senior Masters will definitely blame me.” Feng Xue’er said in a soft voice, her expression completely devoid of fear.

  “Alright.” Yun Che said as he grabbed Feng Xue’er’s tiny hand, “Xue’er, you mustn’t let go of my hand. Yuanba, you must be careful as well! If anything happens, remember that the first thing you should do is to run away!”

  Sssss!!

  A sound like thunder ripped through the air, as both the barrier and the Ocean Emperor Seal simultaneously emitted a glaring blue light. In the next instant, Zi Ji retreated swiftly as he gripped the Ocean Emperor Seal tightly while the a square-shaped hole that was two meters wide and long appeared in the barrier.

  Tendrils of ebon darkness crazily gushed out from inside the barrier.

  This was…

  “We only have a hundred breaths, hurry up and go in!” Zi Ji shouted as he swiftly put away the Ocean Emperor Seal and rushed through the gap in the barrier.

  “Be extremely cautious!” Yun Che did not have the leisure to think anymore, he pulled Feng Xue’er along as he rushed inside as well, with Xia Yuanba hot on his heels.

  When they entered the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest, it felt as if they had stepped into a desolate, icy abyss. A chill washed through them, body and soul. All of the hairs on their bodies instantly stood on end. Yun Che felt Feng Xue’er’s hands tightly grip onto him as she pressed herself against him.

  The sun was shining really brightly over the South Ocean, and a hole that was two meters in length and width was big enough for the daylight to shine through and illuminate a large portion of the abyss. But, after they had taken three steps forward, they were thrust into the inky darkness once more; they could scarcely see even a glimmer of light.

  When they turned around, all they could see of the entrance was a hazy white outline.

  “The daylight is unab
le to penetrate this darkness!?” Xia Yuanba exclaimed in shock.

  “This is darkness energy.” Yun Che said as his brows knit together. When he had fought Fen Juechen, he had used profound energy of this exact element, “This darkness energy will swallow all light while restricting your spirit perception at the same time… it may even affect your five senses!”

  “That’s right!” Zi Ji’s voice rang out in the darkness, “This is only the entrance of the Devil Nest, the further you venture inside, the thicker the aura of darkness will be. Your spirit perception will be suppressed to barely a tenth of its normal strength! And your five senses will be similarly restricted! When you have reached the deepest parts of the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest, even your profound strength will be suppressed to the Emperor Profound Realm.”

  “I am already beginning to feel… my profound strength being restricted.” Xia Yuanba said through gritted teeth as he raised an arm, “It feels as if my profound veins are being constricted by something, and I find it far harder to circulate my profound energy than normal.”

  “…Senior Zi, we only have the space of a hundred breaths, so we need you to immediately bring us to the location where the Netherworld Udumbara Flower was last seen.” Yun Che said calmly.

  “Yes!” Zi Ji replied.

  Within the darkness, Feng Xue’er raised her arm and a scarlet cluster of Phoenix flames began to burn on top of her tender and white palm. The Phoenix flames that she had conjured were far purer than Yun Che’s Phoenix flames, so the light that these flames released would shine brightly over large distances. But within this Moon Slaughter Devil Nest, they could only illuminate the space that was within ten steps of them.

  Furthermore, they were still only at the entrance.

  Under the light of the Phoenix flames, Yun Che could see the floor that was still pitch-black despite being illuminated by the Phoenix flames. But he could not see the walls or the ceiling of the Devil Nest. It was clear to him now that this nest was far more spacious than he had expected it to be.

  “Don’t worry, the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest only has one passageway, the path doesn’t fork or branch. As long as you follow the path, you will reach the end of the nest. Furthermore, this nest isn’t very deep. Given your current speed, you should be approaching the end of the nest in around thirty breaths.” Zi Ji was in front of them and he was moving at a respectable speed. Even though it was the first time he had entered the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest, he had heard and read the records that the Supreme Ocean Palace had kept of this place so many times that he had practically committed it all to memory

  “So that is to say that the Netherworld Udumbara Flower that was discovered one thousand three hundred years ago was located at the very end of the Devil Nest?”

  “That is right.” Zi Ji replied as he nodded his head, “Ten thousand years ago, the seven Ocean Palace Ancestors who discovered the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest also plumbed its deepest reaches. The weakest among them was at the eighth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm, but once they had reached the deepest part of the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest, all of their profound strengths had dropped to the middle of the Emperor Profound Realm and their vitality was being drained away swiftly as well. Afterwards, they ran into the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign who was only at the initial stage of the Tyrant Profound Realm and they were massacred. Only one of the ancestors managed to escape with his life… After that, this ancestor established a law for us. The law was that we were forbidden from entering the deepest parts of the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest unless we could confirm that Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign was already dead.”

  Zi Ji was steadily increasing his speed, but the profound energy aura he was releasing was growing weaker and weaker.

  The radius of the light given off by the Phoenix flames were swiftly shrinking as well.

  “So has the death of the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign been confirmed?” Yun Che asked gravely.

  “It’s only a Tyrant Profound beast after all.. Even the most powerful Sovereign Profound beasts only have a lifespan of a few thousands years. So no matter how strong a Tyrant Profound beast is, it will definitely not have a lifespan that extends past ten thousand years. Even though we have yet to discover its corpse… it should have long ago turned into dust within the darkness.” Zi Ji replied.

  “Are there any clues as to where this yin energy is originating from?” Yun Che asked, his brows furrowing together as he looked ahead. At the same time, he checked his own profound veins.

  The profound energy auras of Zi Ji, who was in front of him, Feng Xue’er, who was beside him, and Xia Yuanba, who was behind him, were all steadily growing weaker with each passing second. Zi Ji’s profound energy aura was weakening at the fastest rate, Xue’er’s aura weakened the second-fastest, while Xia Yuanba’s aura weakened at the slowest pace. Now that they had reached the middle of the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest, Zi Ji’s profound energy aura had already dropped to roughly the eighth level of the Tyrant Profound Realm.

  Feng Xue’er and Xia Yuanba had both dropped to around the third level of the Sovereign Profound Realm.

  And the reason why he could so clearly feel the change in their profound strength was because…

  His profound veins had not been affected in the slightest!

  He did not even find it hard to circulate his profound energy either.

  Jasmine had indeed been right. The Evil God’s profound veins could not be restricted by ordinary means. The Heaven’s Might Soul Suppressing Formation would not be able to restrict them, and neither could the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest!

  The suppressive power Feng Xue’er was facing was weaker than Zi Ji, and it was clear that it was because of her Phoenix bloodline!

  As for Xia Yuanba, he was the person who possessed the Tyrannical Emperor’s Divine Veins!

  “This is the greatest unsolved mystery of the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest.” Zi Ji said as he exhaled, his breathing becoming slightly uneven, “The origin of this dreadful yin energy is something that my Ocean Palace wants to find out more than anyone else. But for the past ten thousand years, we have yet to find the answer to that question. Perhaps the origin of this yin energy is located in the deepest part of the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest. It is just that the yin energy in the deepest part of the nest is far too terrifying. It will cause a person’s profound strength to drop drastically and muddle their five senses. Perhaps even if the Sovereign of the Seas herself came into contact with it, she would unable to remain for longer than twenty breaths. So attempting to conduct a thorough search is a task that is as hard as soaring to the heavens.”

  As their profound strength grew weaker, the scope of the spirit perception would grow smaller as well. It got harder and harder for them to breathe and their five senses kept growing weaker as well, to the point where they could not even hear the sounds of their own footsteps.”

  “To think that such a place existed in this world. Sss…” Xia Yuanba said through gritted teeth. The feeling of having his profound strength and spirit perception suppressed was unbearable. It felt as though he had sunk into a deep marsh, and he found it difficult to even move his feet.

  “Jasmine, have you figured out where this yin energy may have come from?” Yun Che asked in his heart. There was one thing that had caused him great concern… and that was the fact that Jasmine had kept silent ever since they had entered the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest, and she had not said a single word since then.

  “The yin energy in this place…” Jasmine’s voice grew extremely heavy, and Yun Che could hear traces of disbelief in that voice as well, “What exactly is going on here!?”

  Yun Che ground to halt as he quickly asked, “Could it be that there is something irregular about this place?”

  “This is something that is far beyond the word irregular!” Jasmine’s voice was frightfully low and heavy, “Based on strength alone, the aura of darkness in this place isn’t too intense, and one might say that it is actually rather weak. But… but if
we are talking about the level of this darkness, it is so high that it is frightening.”

  The words “so high that it was frightening” caused Yun Che’s heart to lurch in his chest. Because these words had been uttered by Jasmine herself.

  “And as for the principles of darkness contained in this place, they are so profound that even I cannot understand them!”

  Within the Sky Poison Pearl, Jasmine had a serious expression on her face, an expression that she had never adopted before. Her eyes which flashed with red light contained a fierce disbelief, “This level of darkness energy, I have not even seen it on the plane that I was born in, much less this plane! Just what sort of thing could release such an aura of darkness!!”

  “…” Those few words of Jasmine had shocked Yun Che a million times more compared to when Zi Ji was telling him about the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest.

  “Yun Che! Leave this place immediately!” Jasmine suddenly yelled in a shrill voice, “The situation here is completely out of my expectation! There must be some incomparably terrifying object hidden inside this place! That’s the only explanation for this yin energy! Leave immediately and do not bother with the Netherworld Udumbara Flower right now! Because even if you…”

  “Heeheeheehee… Kekekehahahaha… Huhuhuhu… Wahahahaha…”

  At this time, an incomparably sinister laugh rang out from the darkness ahead of them. Ever since they had entered the depths of this place, their five senses were being heavily suppressed. Yet all of them could clearly hear this dreadful sound that sounded like the cackling of demons. It sounded like weeping and laughter all at the same time, and it seeped into their very souls.

  “Ah!!” All four people came to an abrupt halt. Feng Xue’er had let out a cry of alarm as she dove into Yun Che’s chest, “Wha… what was that sound… it’s so scary!”