Against the Gods - Volume 05 - Primordial Profound Ark

by Mars Gravity

  “If your sister were to find out about your current strength, she would definitely be in for a huge shock.” Yun Che looked at Xia Yuanba, and said very seriously.

  “Big Brother Yun!”

  At this moment, a clear and spirited voice, as though it was heavenly music to the ears, could be heard behind them. Yun Che paused his steps, and hurriedly turned his head around… This voice, was clearly Feng Xue’er’s voice!

  The moment he turned around, he saw the figure of a teenage girl with peerless and illusory-like beauty in the sky. She slowly floated down from the sky, and the beauty of her posture was like a firefly demonstrating an elegant dance. Although she was still wearing the phoenix jade-glazed coronet, Yun Che was still able to sense her joyful feelings. “Xue’er!? Why are you here? Where’s your royal father and the rest of them?”

  Feng Xue’er landed next to Yun Che, and said happily. “Royal father and the rest have went to investigate the inner areas of the profound ark, and allowed me to freely move on my own.”

  “Why would your royal father allow you to be alone? In the past, he wouldn’t even permit you to leave Divine Phoenix City.” Yun Che said in shock.

  “Hehe.” Feng Xue’er smiled sweetly. “I told father the words that big brother Yun had told me back then. I told royal father that I have already grown up, that I have reached the age where I should be independent, and make my own decisions, so royal father agreed to it.”

  “Is that so…” Yun Che slightly nodded. Even though he still had doubts that Feng Hengkong would really feel at ease in allowing Feng Xue’er to freely move on her own in this world where unknown dangers could still exist, Feng Xue’er was currently standing right in front of him, so he had no choice but to believe it.

  Seeing Feng Xue’er, who was now beside him, Yun Che’s mood naturally lifted. Initially, he had thought that it would be a long time before he could face her at such a close proximity once again; he never expected that he would gain the opportunity to interact with her so soon. With a smile, he said. “Then… Xue’er, do you want to venture with us?”

  “Mn!” Feng Xue’er nodded very strongly. If her phoenix jade-glazed crown was removed at this moment, it would be possible to see a pair of eyes which had already curved into bright new moons. She cheerfully said. “Then, big brother Yun, you have to protect Xue’er, alright? …Oh, and bulky big brother, you have to protect Xue’er as well.”

  “Bulky big brother” had been staring straight at the two of them. Only when Feng Xue’er spoke to him did he regain his senses, and asked with widened eyes. “Brother-in-law, you two… know each other?”

  “Mn.” Yun Che nodded. “Xue’er had once saved my life.”

  When Yun Che uttered these words, the eyes Xia Yuanba had been looking at Feng Xue’er with instantly underwent a severe change… She had once saved Yun Che. Just by this point alone, forget about her being the Princess Snow of Divine Phoenix Sect, even if she was an extremely vile old demonic grandma, he would still respect her, and be thankful to her all the same. With a pat to his chest, he said. “You have saved my brother-in-law’s life, then that’s the same as having saved my life. Don’t worry, if anyone dares to bully you, no matter if it’s a man or a profound beast, I definitely won’t let any of them off… Eh, wait a minute!”

  Xia Yuanba suddenly recalled the evaluation Spiritual Master Gu Cang had given Feng Xue’er yesterday. His voice came to a sudden halt, and then, he began to stutter a little. “Little miss… Oh, no, no. Princess Snow, is your profound strength… really… half-step from the Sovereign Profound?”

  “That’s right!” Feng Xue’er nodded very casually, as though in her opinion, it wasn’t really a matter that’s worth to be proud or mindful of. “When I’m twenty years old, my profound strength should be able to reach the actual Sovereign Profound Realm. Am I really incredible?”

  “Incredible… Incredible…” Xia Yuanba strongly swallowed down a mouthful of saliva, and nodded with a stiff expression. He stayed in Absolute Monarch Sanctuary for nearly two years, and had seen countless numbers of experts who he thought only existed in legends. His outlook of the world had long changed from what it was before… However, even in Absolute Monarch Sanctuary, there had never been an appearance of a Monarch below the age of twenty! Forget about Xia Yuanba, even Spiritual Master Gu Cang was stunned on-site when he found out about Feng Xue’er’s strength.

  “You… You’re… You’re really only sixteen years old? How exactly do you cultivate?!” Xian Yuanba couldn’t help but ask.

  “That’s a secret, so I can’t tell you that, alright?” Feng Xue’er cheerfully replied, and then came to Yun Che’s side. “Big brother Yun, where should we head to play? In the next twenty-two hours, I’m able to once again pass my time with big brother Yun. I’m so happy.”

  “Xue’er, where do you wish to go?”

  “Hm… Actually, anywhere is fine! Let me tell big brother Yun a secret, the reason why I left royal father and moved on my own, was in order to find big brother Yun. But this place is really spacious, and my perception range has been terribly reduced as well. Earlier, I had even gotten lost. And here I thought I wouldn’t be able to find you…”

  Xia Yuanba, who was left hanging by the side, looked blankly at the two people who were standing affectionately together, and he silently stretched out his hand to scratch his head… Their relationship seemed to look really good. But strange, didn’t Master say that Princess Snow of Divine Phoenix Sect had never permitted anyone to make contact with her…

  ——————————————

  At the same time, in another place.

  “Divine Phoenix Great Elder? Why are you here?”

  Ye Xinghan turned around, and with narrowed eyes, he looked towards Feng Feiyan who had come to look for him. Yue Ji and Mei Ji beside him had slowly scattered aside as well, revealing a dagger in each of their hands; their expressions had turned icy cold as well. This world within the Primordial Profound Ark was the best place for a murder to take place, because no one else in the vicinity would be able to see or sense if a person was killed here. After the Primordial Profound Ark disappeared, all traces would completely disappear, allowing the murderer to return scot-free. Feng Feiyan was the Great Elder of Divine Phoenix Sect, and even more so, a high-level Overlord who was at the eighth level of the Tyrant Profound Realm. Naturally, Ye Xinghan wasn’t his match.

  “There’s no need to be worried. This Divine Phoenix Great Elder is the smartest person in entire Divine Phoenix Sect. The reason he has come to find this young master, can only be for a good matter, and not a bad one.” Ye Xinghan stretched his hand, and took the initiative to walk towards Feng Feiyan. “You didn’t go to investigate with Feng Hengkong and the rest? Could it be that you’re assigned for something else?”

  “Hoho.” Feng Feiyan gave a meaningful smile. “I’m of course here to bring Young Hall Master good news… I’m preparing to send Young Hall Master that huge gift. There’s no longer a need to wait for tomorrow or the day after, as it can be done today. And, it can also be done absolutely flawlessly.”

  “Oh?” Ye Xinghan’s face tilted upwards.

  “Feng Xue’er, whom Young Hall Master wishes to have, did not accompany Feng Hengkong to investigate the deep areas. Instead, she’s moving on her own… and the reason why I didn’t follow them into the depths, was to comply with Feng Hengkong’s intentions. Protect Feng Xue’er from the shadows, and at the same time, kill Yun Che, that rat who overestimated himself!”

  Feng Feiyan’s words caused Ye Xinghan’s eyes to release an odd light. Right after, he stretched out both of his arms, raised his head skywards, and began to laugh maniacally…

  Chapter 457: Sudden Crisis

  Inside of the Primordial Profound Ark, a vast wasteland.

  After proceeding onward for yet another two hours more, the world before them was still a stretch of wasteland. If one could only use one word to express Yun Che’s feelings, it would be…
/>   Bored!!

  In addition, there was not the least bit of excitement, nervousness, or mysterious feeling in exploring a different world. As far as the eye could see, it was all wasteland, there were barely any larger than usual rocks. One or two profound beasts would scuttle about, but they were all beaten to a pulp by one of Xia Yuanba’s punches, he simply did not need to do anything… During his last adventure inside the Heaven Basin Secret Realm, there was a sky filled with flying snow, there was danger, there were great encounters… In comparison, this place was simply dull to the extreme. There was not much to see, no encounters, and no risks at all.

  Fortunately, the delightful Feng Xue’er was by his side.

  “Jasmine, did you sense anything?” Yun Che asked casually.

  “…This is an independent world’s wasteland.” Jasmine said indifferently: “The first place you guys landed in was basically this world’s only green area. All other places are wastelands, and the deeper you go, the more desolate it becomes.”

  “What does this mean?” Yun Che asked.

  “It means that this world is dying!” Jasmine answered: “Even though this world still has profound beasts, you should also realize that not only are the profound beasts here few in number, they all have hard outer armor. They’re all profound beasts that are extremely resistant to extremely poor environments! After a few more millennia, these extremely durable profound beasts will also gradually go extinct. By that time, this world will completely become a dead world.”

  “…Why would this world die?”

  “This is an independent world, not a natural world born from the large universe. Since it is a self-made independent world, its existence relies on the support of certain forces. Once the power that supports this world disappears, this world will also slowly and naturally become desolate and die.

  Yun Che: “…”

  “Big brother Yun, I heard yesterday that you’re Blue Wind’s Prince Consort. Your wife is also a princess… so Big brother Yun’s wife must be really pretty, right?” Feng Xue’er tilted her head to look at Yun Che as she asked with curiosity.

  Before Yun Che could answer, Xia Yuanba had already moved closer and said replied seriously: “Senior Sister Xueruo is indeed beautiful, but she’s not as beautiful as my big sister… oh, oh, and, my big sister is Brother-in-law’s big wife. Even though Senior Sister Xueruo is a princess, she’s only a little wife.”

  As the younger brother of Xia Qingyue, Xia Yuanba had an small instinctive hostility toward Yun Che’s latter wife, Cang Yue, but due to Cang Yue’s noble identity as a princess and her sweet-tempered disposition, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of crisis for his elder sister. So when Feng Xue’er mentioned Yun Che’s wife, and even directly mentioned Princess Cang Yue, he quickly stepped in and upheld his sister’s first wife position.

  “…” If not for the fact that he couldn’t beat Xia Yuanba, Yun Che really wanted to kick him flying.

  “Ah?” As expected, Feng Xue’er’s cherry lips gaped open in amazement: “Big brother Yun, you actually have… two wives?”

  “Cough cough… this… this… you also know that your big brother Yun has great charm. Some things cannot be opposed with one’s will.” Yun Che explained incoherently.

  But he never expected for Feng Xue’er to nod, and answer seriously: “Mn, right. Big brother Yun is so nice, so there must be many girls who like him. Big brother Yun having two wives at the age of nineteen… doesn’t seem to be much! Royal father has more than four hundred sixty wives, way more than Big brother Yun, you know!”

  M… more… than four hundred sixty?!

  Yun Che sucked in a breath of cold air… as expected, being an emperor was so comfortable that it made one envy!

  Wait… More than four hundred sixty wives, yet only had fourteen sons and one daughter?

  Doesn’t seem too special!!

  After thinking about the latter, Yun Che’s mind immediately calmed. He nodded, and said earnestly: “Mn! I will learn from Xue’er’s royal father and work hard in that aspect… Xue’er, I have a few questions to ask you. If you can answer them, answer them, if you don’t feel comfortable answering them, you don’t have to.”

  “Mn, Big brother Yun, go ahead.” Feng Xue’er replied cheerfully.

  Yun Che arranged his thoughts, and asked: “Xue’er, before you turned sixteen, was most of your time spent beside your sect’s ‘Phoenix God’?”

  The two words “Phoenix God” caused a slight pause to appear in Feng Xue’er’s footsteps. After a moment of silence, she nodded lightly: “Yes, Lord Phoenix God suddenly appeared on the day I was born and brought me to its side, all the way until I turned eight, which was when I first saw my royal father. Then, most of my time was still spent by Lord Phoenix God’s side, until the year I turned thirteen…”

  Feng Xue’er’s voice cracked, then didn’t continue any futher.

  Yun Che was able to guess that the “Lord Phoenix God” had died in the year Feng Xue’er turned thirteen, which was three years ago. Of course, he wasn’t going to as Feng Xue’er to confirm this fact, because even in Divine Phoenix Sect, there was probably not many in the sect who knew that the phoenix spirit was already dead. It was an humongous secret that could not be spread out. He pondered, then asked: “Then had your Lord Phoenix God ever talked to you about… another phoenix god?”

  Feng Xue’er lifted her head. Her beautiful eyes silently looked at Yun Che for a while, then… she lightly nodded.

  “Lord Phoenix God is one of the two remnant spirits that the Divine Phoenix Beast left behind in the Profound Sky Continent a long long time ago, a guide to test those who are worthy of the Phoenix power and pass on its legacy. One of them is our Divine Phoenix Empire’s Lord Phoenix God. The other, is in Blue Wind Nation… Lord Phoenix God told me this a long time ago.” Feng Xue’er said slowly. She looked at Yun Che: “You asked me yesterday why I taught you the World Ode of the Phoenix even though I knew you were the other Phoenix God’s inheritor… In fact, I only half-answered it yesterday. The other half of the reason… was that it was Lord Phoenix God’s wish.”

  “Phoenix God’s wish?” Yun Che’s brows twitched violently.

  “Lord Phoenix God was originally a pure Phoenix Spirit, but due to it staying in Profound Sky Continent for a long time, its pure spirit was polluted by the mortal world’s filth, making it give birth to feelings it shouldn’t have, making it desire to be the only phoenix spirit in the Profound Sky Continent, and claim the entire Profound Sky Continent as its own. As it result, it broke away from its bindings and left the trial grounds for Blue Wind Nation in order to find the other phoenix spirit. After a fierce battle, it annihilated the other spirit, but it also suffered heavy injuries. Not only had its power weakened by several times, its lifespan of more than several ten thousand years had been reduced to a few thousand years. Even World Ode of the Phoenix had been damaged by the fierce battle, fragmented…”

  “…” What Feng Xue’er had said and what Yun Che had heard from the phoenix spirit’s own mouth back then in the trial grounds was exactly the same. Only, the phoenix spirit didn’t actually die that year and its World Ode of the Phoenix had broken to the point where only the fifth and sixth stages remained.

  “Then, as Lord Phoenix God’s lifespan gradually approached its end, it saw through many things, so its filth slowly diluted. In regards to that year, it felt evil and regretted destroying the other phoenix spirit. However, three years ago, when Lord Phoenix God was about to… Lord Phoenix God suddenly felt the existence of the other phoenix spirit and another Phoenix bloodline inheritor. It told me that if I ever met the other Phoenix successor, I should be peaceful and teach him the World Ode of the Phoenix… because Lord Phoenix God had lost the fifth and sixth stages of the World Ode of the Phoenix during the battle back then, and it had completely destroyed the other phoenix spirit’s World Ode of the Phoenix. Even if the successor obtained the Phoenix bloodline, he would never be able to cultivate Phoenix Prof
ound Arts.”

  Yun Che listened in earnest, baffled.

  Even though Feng Xue’er was trying to cover it up as much as she could, most of her words all indicated that the phoenix spirit had already died. What surprised him was that the “Phoenix God”, which the phoenix spirit had warned him to be careful of, the one he was the most afraid of before coming to Divine Phoenix Sect, had already regretted and confessed its crime and betrayal. The world was truly full of unpredictable happenings.

  “I never expected that Big brother Yun would actually be the other Lord Phoenix God’s inheritor, and even obtained its original power and soul… Oh, right. Big brother Yun, how does the other Lord Phoenix God look like? Is it… still well?” Feng Xue’er asked excitedly.

  “Looks like…” Yun Che pondered, then said somewhat helplessly: “Actually, I never clearly saw what it looked like, every time I saw it, I only saw two dazzling gold eyes. Right now it’s somewhere in Blue Wind Nation. It had also told me about a few of the grievances between it and your Lord Phoenix God that year. Once I return back to Blue Wind, it seems that I have to talk to it about this. It ought to feel quite a bit relieved by it.”

  “Mn!” Feng Xue’er nodded. Then, her expression became misty: “Actually, when Lord Phoenix God found out that the other phoenix spirit had not died, it really was happy. Like… its greatest worry had been unknotted. So when I found out that Big brother Yun was the other phoenix spirit’s successor, I was also very happy.”

  Just as Yun Che was about to say something, an ear-piercing voice suddenly sounded from behind:

  “Oh? Isn’t this my incomparably beautiful little sister Xue’er? Meeting you in such a vast mysterious world is truly this young master’s fortune.”

  Yun Che, Feng Xue’er, and Xia Yuanba turned around at the same time. No less than three hundred meters away from them was a black attired Ye Xinghan who held onto his two seductive women. His face full of smiles did not cover up the slightest bit of his insolence and excessive lewdness as he casually walked their way.