Against the Gods

Chapter 2156 - Frightening Revelation

Yun Che looked at the guffawing Mo Su, who, at this moment, carried none of the holy bearing of the Abyssal Monarch, and guffawed as well. “Hahahaha! It is a dream most people dare not even dream of to swear brotherhood with the unparalleled Abyssal Monarch. Why on earth would I turn down such a sweet deal?”

While guffawing, Yun Che was secretly calming the tidal waves inside his soul sea. Mo Su’s sudden invitation was both his sincere desire and a test. If he had been half an instant slower, had evaded or turned down the invitation, the outcome would have been entirely different. How much he resembled Ni Xuan directly determined the weight he carried in Mo Su’s eyes.

As his soul sea gradually returned to normal, Li Suo said, “To think you fabricated so many big lies in such a short time. Are you aware that your opponent is a man who can annihilate you in an instant? If even one of these lies were exposed, you could very well face eternal damnation.”

“That is why—” Yun Che actually had the leisure to respond to her remark. “Every lie I spouted is an inexcusable lie.”

“Before I dropped into the Abyss, the Devil Queen once told me that my biggest advantage is the information gap. Naturally, I should exploit this advantage to the max.”

“In areas where he knows or may know the truth, I will respond with truths. In areas I am sure he knows nothing about, I will feed him my lies... or should I say, ‘knowledge.’”

Li Suo said, “He is Mo Su and the Abyssal Monarch. He possesses the most extensive knowledge and powerful spiritual sense of the Abyss. This is your first meeting with him, and yet he gave you his trust easily and even desired to swear brotherhood with you... I can’t understand this.”

Yun Che replied leisurely, “The first and most insignificant reason is that he is the Abyssal Monarch. No one would dare to lie to him.”

“The second reason is that he is never lacking in someone who looks up to him, but sorely lacks someone he can see as an equal. He is the son of a Creation God, and I am the successor of a Creation God, the big brother he respected the most, no less. I am the only person in the entire world who deserves to be viewed as his equal.”

“He desires this form of equality more than anyone else in the world. Naturally, he is more than willing to believe.”

“As for the third and biggest reason... he will answer you himself.”

Li Suo: “...”

Yun Che straightened his facial features and said seriously, “Before we swear brotherhood, there is something I’m curious about. You are the unrivaled Abyssal Monarch who towers over the entire history of the Abyss. I’m sure you have witnessed countless truths and falsehoods, good and evil. I am just an insignificant prince of a Kingdom of God, and I have just proven myself to be a man who will resort to any means to achieve my goals. I am definitely a despicable man, so aren’t you worried that I am really a malicious villain?”

“For example... Aren't you worried that I’m exploiting my master’s favor and your relationship with him to approach you on purpose? Aren’t you worried that I would exploit my connection with you to oppress the people or throw the world into calamity and chaos?

Mo Su looked at Yun Che, his gaze looking more like that of an equal as time passed. “I have no reason to suspect someone Big Brother Ni Xuan chose and gave everything to.”

“Besides, you and I will soon be sworn brothers. Why would I have a problem with you using our connection to start something?”

Inside his soul sea, Yun Che replied in a voice that sounded far more relaxed than it was at the beginning, “See? That’s your answer.”

“At his level, he doesn’t fear anyone’s plots and schemes because no one can take anything from him.”

“However, he more than anyone else in this world needs an ‘equal.’”

Yun Che had only endured that endlessly terrifying loneliness for a couple of years, but Mo Su had been enduring it for millions of years. Therefore, he knew very well what Mo Su desired above all else in the world.

Of course, he was still majorly caught off guard when Mo Su said the words, “Swear brotherhood.” Perhaps he underestimated Mo Su’s fondness for Ni Xuan, or maybe he underestimated the terrible loneliness Mo Su had endured for millions of years.

Li Suo did not say a word for a long time. She quietly filled in the gaps in her understanding of human emotions.

Meeting Mo Su’s gaze, Yun Che broke into a smile that was more sincere than any smile he had worn before. “Good! So long as your words remain true, you will forever be my Big Brother Mo Su. If Master could see this, I’m sure he would be terribly happy on our behalf.”

Ni Xuan’s memory fragments clearly showed him how Ni Xuan usually talked, acted, and carried himself. Yun Che was also telling himself in his mind that he was Ni Xuan repeatedly. As a result, he was increasingly resembling Ni Xuan over time.

“Okay, Yun Che.”

Mo Su addressed Yun Che by his name, but this time, his voice carried clear human emotion. Mo Su lifted his hand to give Yun Che a forearm shake, but he paused for an instant about halfway there... it was the timidness of a man who had been drowning in loneliness for millions of years.

So, Yun Che reached out first and grabbed Mo Su’s forearm firmly. He then declared without hesitation, “Big Brother Mo Su.”

Mo Su’s hand finally gripped Yun Che’s forearm, linking them physically and aurically. It was a promise of forearms. “I’m very happy, Yun Che. Very happy.”

“Me too.”

Yun Che said with a serious expression, “I once thought my face was unrivaled under this heaven, and a man who doesn’t envy my looks doesn’t exist. That record has been broken today, and to say that I am annoyed would be an understatement. But if that man is my brother, then I have no qualms about it.”

Mo Su let Yun Che go and smiled. “Big Brother Ni Xuan was the undisputed most handsome man of all realms back then. He took pride in it and often admired himself in the mirror. Alas, despite boasting an appearance that could seduce any man or woman in the world, he was unable to win even a sidewise glance from the one person he desired, senior Li Suo.”

“I wonder if he ever fulfilled his wish.”

Li Suo: “...?”

For obvious reasons, Yun Che wasn’t going to tell Mo Su that Ni Xuan had long moved onto Jie Yuan, and he definitely wasn’t going to tell him that the reason Ni Xuan encouraged him not to be bound by the taboo of god and devil repeatedly was not without his own selfish reasons. After all, this would definitely shatter his rose-tinted lens regarding Ni Xuan.

“The Creation Goddess of Life, Li Suo.”

Yun Che whispered before saying, “Master mentioned her once in a while, but he never dove deep into the subject. Maybe it’s because he harbored some regrets. However...”

He raised his hand, and pure holy light shone out of his palm. It was white-colored and overflowing with the pure energy of life.

Mo Su recognized the white light as soon as he saw it. “The Divine Miracle of Life. As expected, Big Brother Ni Xuan would not allow senior Li Suo’s Creation God art to vanish permanently, not when he found a successor.”

It was clearly mentioned in Ni Xuan’s memory fragments that Creation Gods did not keep their Creation God arts to themselves. For example, Ni Xuan took only four hundred years to master the Ninety Nine Heaven Breaking Swords and won a bet against the Heaven Punishing God Emperor, Mo E.

It was only thanks to this bet that Hong’er and You’er managed to survive to this day.

Although the Divine Miracle of Life was a Creation God art, it originated from the Creation Goddess of Life and so embodied compassion and universal love. Despite being way easier to practice than your average god art, its entry barrier was one of the hardest to overcome—a Sacred Heart and light profound energy.

This was why Yun Che was fairly confident that Ni Xuan knew about and even tried to practice the Divine Miracle of Life. In fact, he was correct.

Mo Su even told Yun Che a past he didn’t know about. “Back in the day, Big Brother Ni Xuan kept trying to master the Divine Miracle of Life in hopes of earning some affection points with senior Li Suo. Alas, he never succeeded. To think that you, his successor, would be the one to do what he could not. He must have been glad and resigned at the same time.”

Yun Che: (As I thought...)

Mo Su’s reaction toward Yun Che’s display of light, profound energy was extremely mild. Although he was slightly surprised when the light shone—after all, light profound energy had never been born in the Abyss—the sheer mildness of his reaction still vastly exceeded Yun Che’s expectations.

He could understand the man viewing the emergence of light profound energy with indifference, but why... did he act so indifferent toward the Divine Miracle of Life as well? Show no sliver of joy or hope whatsoever!?

Why...

“Why... did you reveal light profound energy of your own accord?” Li Suo asked in puzzlement.

Yun Che took a moment to calm down before answering her question, “You remember that I showed Hua Qingying my light profound energy on purpose in order to earn her trust as soon as possible, right? This hasn’t been an absolute secret for a long time.”

“Me showing this to him of my own accord carries far more meaning than if he learns it from someone else. In fact, one of my biggest goals in meeting him in the Pure Land is to let him know that I possess the Divine Miracle of Life... However, his reaction is far too strange. It did not fall within my predictions at all.”

“...”

Li Suo could roughly understand what he meant by “strange”.

“If a drowning person finds a straw, he will do everything in his power to cling onto it... much less the Divine Miracle of Life, the literal most powerful restorative ability in the universe. Unless...”

It was at this moment that Mo Su spoke up. “You seem to be wondering why I’m nonchalant toward your Divine Miracle of Life.”

“I am,” Yun Che admitted frankly. “Master told me many things about you, so I’m aware of who you were and why you fell to the Abyss. I... am also aware of the daughter of Original Nether, the one who greatly altered the trajectory of your fate...”

“Pan Xiaodie.”

When Yun Che said the name, he could clearly see the waves of sorrow fluctuating in Mo Su’s pupils.

Mo Su said nothing for a while. It had been far too long since he heard anyone mentioning the name that was engraved in every corner of his soul.

Yun Che softened his voice, “Is she... okay?”

“She’s doing great.”

Mo Su answered without any hesitation whatsoever, “She just fell asleep. A deep, long sleep... I’ve been searching for a way to awaken her throughout the years, but that method isn’t the Divine Miracle of Life.”

Yun Che’s heart and soul suddenly felt heavy. It was as if a bottomless ocean drenched them. Sorrow filled his lungs, and grief pierced his bones[1].

“If it’s you, I’m sure you will succeed no matter what obstacles stand in your way.”

He wisely changed the subject. ‘Master also told me a lot of things about you, such as your Father and your god race.”

“There is no need to bring them up.” Once again, Mo Su gave Yun Che an answer anyone in his shoes would have found surprising.

In fact, from the start until the end, Mo Su had not asked him about a past he knew nothing about or brought up a secret only Ni Xuan might know.

Yun Che mulled over this for a moment before asking, “Do you still hate your Father?”

“I don’t.” The answer came back immediately, and there was still no emotion or even a ripple in his gaze whatsoever.

“He had his own standpoint to defend, and choices to make, just as I have my own path to walk, and choices to make. There is no right or wrong, hate or not hate, it just... no longer matters. Today, I can barely remember what he looks like.”

His tone was as calm as an eternally silent sea. He looked like he was talking about someone else’s problems.

If Ni Xuan’s final ending was one of self-loathing and regret, then Mo E’s final ending was the destruction of the very soul. The latter lived up to his title, his race, but not his son... That was why Mo Su of all people had the right to hate him.

Right now, though, Mo Su was expressing extreme indifference and calm toward his father. In fact, he was so calm and indifferent that he almost forgot about him. It wasn’t just his father that he had nearly forgotten, either.

Mo Su didn't ask about Mo E or what happened to the god race after he fell into the Abyss... he didn’t ask anything. Instead, he simply smiled at Yun Che and said, “It so happens that all the kingdoms are present, so I will announce our brotherhood to the Pure Land and the kingdoms. From now on—”

“Oh no no no no no!!”

Seemingly shocked, Yun Che hurriedly shook his hands. “Please don’t!”

“Why’s that?”

Mo Su asked with a half-smile.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Yun Che spread his arms wide while wearing a slightly exaggerated expression on his face. “If the people learn that I am the Abyssal Monarch’s sworn brother, then they will all fear and respect me. No matter how much they hate me and scorn me, they will, at least on the surface, act respectfully toward me.”

“My objects of desire will become easily obtainable. Even if said object belongs to someone, one look is all I need to make them hand it to me. I won’t need to work hard to fulfill my goals either. Scratch that, I won’t even need to participate to fulfill any goal. Countless people will swarm to finish my goals for me.”

“A life like this has no enemies, no challenge, and no motivation. It doesn’t have true friends or any true relationships either. Life would become as ridiculous as it is boring. Just thinking about it frightens me to the bone.”

The light in the Abyssal Monarch’s pupils seemed to darken a little. “An expected answer. If anything, I would be puzzled if you had agreed to this too easily.”

“You and Big Brother Ni Xuan are far too similar.”

Yun Che tugged at one corner of his lips and answered matter-of-factly, “I cannot recall my past from Dreamweaver. The very first memory of my life is Master. My life, my personality, my knowledge, and even my profound veins were forged by Master. Of course, I resemble him.”

His gaze shifted sideways, and he said almost inquiringly, “Personally, I have every reason for not wanting this to happen. But ignoring that, your decision just now is far too negligent for the absolute monarch of the Abyss; so negligent that even a child would find it unbelievable.”

“Oh? Why’s that?” Mo Su asked.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Yun Che said slowly, “The Abyss is a world you created, grew, and developed for several million years. Without exaggeration, it is the culmination of several million years of effort. If you were to publicize our brotherhood to the world, then... tch.”

He shook his head and wore a distant look as if he was imagining something, “The people probably won’t view me as your equal, but someone slightly below your level? That would most certainly be true. If I ever go astray, then I could easily turn the currently calm and balanced Abyss into a hell of chaos and calamity. When that happens, it’ll be too late for regrets.”

“This simply isn’t something even the smallest regent of the lowest and most remote region of the Land of the Living would do.”

Yun Che had said this in a half-teasing, half-joking voice in order to deepen the free and wanton image of Ni Xuan’s successor.

Mo Su looked at him and said indifferently, “If you like it, forget throwing the Abyss into chaos, I would not care even if you destroy this whole world.”

“...!?”

Yun Che abruptly lifted his head and looked straight at Mo Su’s eyes. Still, he found nothing. Right here and now, his shock wasn’t faked in the slightest.

“If it’s the opposite, and you are fond of this world, then I will surrender the title of the Abyssal Monarch to you. All you need to do is ask.”

“...”

Yun Che opened his mouth and let out a sudden, low chuckle. “Hahaha, what an Abyssal Monarch you are. I can’t believe you would use the fate of the Abyss as a joke. If word of this were to spread out, the jaw of every abyssal knight is going to hit the floor.”

The sincerity in Mo Su’s eyes was flawless, however. “I am not joking. You called me big brother, so you can naturally have anything I have, be it the Pure Land or this world.”

Yun Che had been staring straight into Mo Su’s eyes all this time in hopes of finding any sign of falsehood or joke. However, his appearance was as perfect as the air of this room was dustless. In fact, the surrounding air didn’t even ripple despite the absolutely stunning words he spoke.

“But... why?”

Since he entered a private meeting with the Abyssal Monarch, he had been relatively successful in controlling the way the conversation was headed and the direction of Mo Su’s emotions. Even now, everything was progressing as he wished... or more accurately, the fruit of his “brotherhood” far, far exceeded his expectations.

Looking at Mo Su again, Yun Che suddenly realized that he might not have seen through the person before him after all.

Facing Yun Che’s confused and shocked eyes, Mo Su closed his eyes slightly and turned around. “Come with me, Yun Che.”

He did not move his feet. Instead, he waved his hand and collapsed the world in front of him, causing a completely different space to emerge.

Yun Che stepped forward and stood next to Mo Su, staring at the scene before him in astonishment.

It was a rectangular, transparent barrier about three meters long. Trapped inside the barrier were chaotic streams of destruction. Another smaller barrier was floating steadily at the center of the barrier. It was ball-shaped and only as big as a human fist. It wasn’t transparent, though. It was grayish-red, and it was impossible to see what was inside.

Mo Su pointed at the ball-shaped barrier and whispered, “I am the son of a Creation God, so I possess some specks of power of creation. It is nowhere enough for me to create life and planets like a true Creation God.”

“On the nine hundred and nine thousandth year after I fell into the Abyss, I suddenly became capable of controlling this sliver of power of creation. With this power at hand, I spent the next ninety thousand years creating a tiny planet. I succeeded.”

He was referring to the grayish red, ball-shaped object in front of them.

“This is the planet I created with my own two hands. I named it... the Othershore Paradise.”

A twinge appeared in Yun Che’s heart.

Paradise... Eden... Cradle...

He fell into deep thought for a moment.

Staring at the “Othershore Paradise” he created, Mo Su continued with an increasingly distant voice, “The son of a Creation God is ultimately not a Creation God, so the fact that I could employ this power at all was already a huge anomaly. I was only able to grant this exceedingly tiny, so-called ‘planet’ the most basic laws of existence and source of life.”

“However... This planet gradually perfected its laws on its own and eventually gave birth to its first-ever lifeform.”

Novelty appeared in Yun Che’s eyes when he heard this.

“Later, the lifeform instinctively underwent reproduction on its own, evolved, reproduced, then evolved some more... and so races came to be, and tribes emerged. Some time later, countries came to be, and independent continents were formed...”

“Later still, these lifeforms began exploring the wide, wide world. And so they began recognizing star realms and the universe itself.”

“...!!”

Yun Che furrowed his brow deeply. The novelty in his eyes was gradually transforming into deepening astonishment.

Mo Su continued, “As life kept reproducing and evolving, the laws of the world were developing as well. Slowly, elements and powers came to be. Intelligent life would continue developing these powers until the distinction between different lifeforms, their strength, status, planes, and more grew increasingly clear.”

“In the end, the experts standing at the highest levels reached the edge of the world and started trying to break through the barrier with great power. Again and again, generation after generation...”

“Finally, thirty thousand years ago, one lifeform finally succeeded in breaching the edge of the world. However, what welcomed him was the irresistible force of destruction. So, he had no choice but to retreat, and the gap he opened mended instantly.”

Waves of shock were slowly but surely growing inside Yun Che’s heart.

Mo Su turned around and looked into Yun Che’s eyes. “Don’t you think that the edge of this world resembles the Wall of Primal Chaos? And the destructive force that prevented them from leaving the world, the destructive storm beyond the Wall of Primal Chaos?”

“...”

Yun Che was unable to say anything for a long, long time.

“The person who breached the edge of the world was unquestionably the ultimate expert of his world. He must think that all of heaven and earth is his to trample, and all living beings only deserve to kowtow before him.”

“He could never imagine that his existence is no bigger than an ant in our eyes. We literally only need a finger to end not just him, but his whole world. They wouldn’t be able to resist for even an instant.”

“So...”

He asked, “Are we living in such a world as well?”

“Is our world just another person’s ‘Othershore Paradise’? Is our so-called strength and nobility just playthings for this person to enjoy?”

“Or maybe, we’re not even real existences... perhaps we’re just illusory constructs of a higher being.”

“Segments of a dream...”

“Passages inside a book...”

“Or even... a stray thought that could disappear at any moment.”

“...”

Yun Che opened his mouth, but no sound emerged. This was a stunning theory he had never heard of or even imagined. It was so heavy and terrifying that it was assaulting everything he ever knew.

Sensing the terrible quakes happening in Yun Che’s heart and soul, Mo Su smiled. “Do you understand now?”

“The greater your knowledge, the higher you stand, the more you realize just how small your existence or even the existence of the world is.”

“We are so small that what we once thought was infinity is but a handful of withered dust, so small that... we can only bear to carry one thing in a lifetime. Everything else—status, power, reputation, desire, favors, grievances, and more—is just delusions that don’t matter one bit.”

“So...”

Yun Che finally found his voice and asked in a somewhat raspy voice, “The you now can only bear one thing in your life, and everything else... doesn’t matter at all?”

“I was.”

Mo Su reached out and gently placed a hand on Yun Che’s shoulder. “Your appearance is, to me, a most pleasant surprise. Besides that one thing, I now have a brother for the rest of my life as well.”

He lowered his hand after the pat on the shoulder. “Back then, I envied Big Brother Ni Xuan for his ability to live freely and without restraints. Today, I still envy your ability to live brashly and wantonly. Unfortunately, I could never live like you or him, not because I don’t want to, but because I neither have that energy nor the right.”

He wore a smile, but his words were anything but happy. “Meeting you, finding another person whom I can surrender my heart to, and being able to let out a couple of wholehearted laughs is to me... a kind of luxury that almost crossed the line.”

Deep inside his soul sea, Li Suo whispered, “Your heart is beating so fast.”

Yun Che exhaled quietly and slowly suppressed the chaotic thoughts racing through his heart. He did not try to persuade Mo Su in any way. Instead, he slowly nodded and said, “I understand. You accept me for who I am. It is only natural that I should respect your choices as well, big brother.”

The corners of his mouth twitched, and he cracked a smile once more. “Back at Eden’s Crown, I was wondering why you didn’t mention anything about the ‘Fog Monarch’ whose baseless rumors had shaken countless people’s hearts in just a couple of years. To think it’s because you truly do not care at all.”

Mo Su’s smile slowly faded, and Yun Che’s gaze suddenly grew still.

Mo Su slowly lifted his head and whispered, “I can’t lie to you. The Fog Monarch’s claims... they are all true.”

“...!?” Every thread in Yun Che’s soul grew taut at the same time. Wait a second... What the hell... is he saying?

Unsurprised by Yun Che’s shock in the slightest, Mo Su continued slowly, “Although I am called the Abyssal Monarch, I do not possess the power to manipulate abyssal dust. It is the Fog Monarch who concentrated the abyssal dust of this world into the Endless Fog and left behind many Lands of the Living. It is also the Fog Monarch who kept the soulless abyssal ghosts and abyssal beasts in the Endless Fog and prevented them from invading the Lands of the Living.”

“It is only thanks to them[2] that the Abyss exists as it is today. Therefore, not one word of what they say is a lie.”

“...”

If someone were looking closely, they would notice that Yun Che’s pupils were shrinking a little.

Staring straight ahead, Mo Su continued in an indifferent voice, “The Fog Monarch and I exchanged promises with each other back then. They’re angry now, probably because my current trajectory has somehow strayed from their expectations.”

“But... that is no longer important.”

1. Because he knows that Pan Xiaodie is most likely dead, and that his last chance to resolve this universal crisis without resorting to burying the entire Abyss is most likely gone. ☜

2. I have no idea what gender this person is so I’m using them. In fact Mars specifically avoided pointing out a gender by choosing to type ‘ta’ instead of 他 or 她, so I think them is perfectly fine. However I’m guessing it’s a woman known as the other half of the Ancestral God LIKE I’VE BEEN SAYING ALL ALONG. ☜