FIGHTING THE GODS, VOLUME 4 - SEASON 14 EPISODE 5

“Senior Shen Xi,” Yun Che bowed with heartfelt gratitude, “Thank you for the great mercy you have shown in saving my life.”

“There’s no need to thank me. If you want to thank someone, you should thank Ling’er.”

Before meeting Shen Xi, Yun Che had never thought that a person’s voice could actually be so pleasant to the ear… it was as soft as a wispy cloud and as beautiful as nature’s song, it simply sounded as if it was celestial music that had descended from the heavens, something that should not exist in this dirty mortal realm.

That celestial voice lingered around Yun Che’s ear as a bizarre feeling of weakness spread throughout Yun Che’s entire body. It was only after being dazed for half a breath that he finally spoke, “The debt that I owe He Ling, and the debt that I owe Senior Shen Xi, this junior definitely will not dare to ever forget them.”

“Please rise,” Shen Xi’s voice became even gentler, “From today onward, there will be no need for you to be formal with me or to pay any obeisance towards me. The customs of mortals do not exist in this place.”

Yun Che was stunned by those words and he rose to his feet as he said, “I understand, this junior will remember.”

“Stretch out your hand.”

As she said those gentle words, Shen Xi had already started to slowly extend her right arm.

That hand was extremely beautiful, it was more flawless than first snow, more lustrous than divine jade. It was as if a celestial maiden had stretched out her supple hand from a dream. Furthermore, the hazy white light radiating from that hand also increased the feeling that this was an illusion by several degrees.

Yun Che unconsciously caught his breath… to think that a woman’s hand could be so beautiful that it would actually take his breath away. Moreover, even his own stretched out hand seemed to freeze in midair, as if it was actually a bit reluctant to draw near to hers, as if he was afraid that he would profane her.

Shen Xi’s wrist made a small movement, and as her jade finger pointed outwards, a cluster of white light flew towards Yun Che, coming into contact with the back of his hand.

Immediately, fine and delicate golden markings appeared on Yun Che’s body and in the blink of an eye, they covered his entire body.

The Brahma Soul Death-Wishing Mark!

When the golden markings started to flash, it was also the signal for the Brahma Soul Death-Wishing Mark to start to violently flare up. But at this time, even though Yun Che’s body was clearly covered by golden markings, he did not feel the slightest bit of pain. He glanced downwards only to discover that a very thin layer of incomparably pure and lustrous white profound light was shining on top of the golden markings.

Following a slight movement of Shen Xi’s jade finger, that lustrous white profound light became slightly more dense.

What kind of strength was this… Yun Che muttered in his heart. It was not any kind of power that he recognized, and it was definitely not pure profound energy either, yet it was a power that could contain such a degree of purity.

After that soft and tender arm was withdrawn, Shen Xi said in a soft voice, “The Brahma Soul Death-Seeking Mark afflicting your body has been suppressed but in the coming months, there is still a possibility that it will flare up again. However, the pain you experience should be a pain that you are able to endure. You should thank the Wood Spirit Orb in your body, if not your body would not be able to react to my power in such an intimate fashion. Normally, suppressing the mark to such an extent would require more than ten times the amount of time.”

The Wood Spirit Orb… reacted to her power in an intimate fashion?

“I will suppress it once every twenty four hours, and during this period the Brahma Soul Death-Wishing Mark will dissipate in an extremely slow fashion. Furthermore, if it is not suppressed for more than twenty four hours, the Braham Soul Death-Wishing Mark will once again take root inside of you and all of the previous efforts would have been for naught. Please remember this particular point.”

“Yes,” Yun Che said as he nodded his head, “I’ll be in your care, Senior Shen Xi.”

Shen Xi’s words meant that before the Brahma Soul Death-Wishing had completely dissipated, he would be unable to leave this place… If not, he would once again completely fall into that deep abyss where he would not be able to die even if he wanted to.

“Senior Shen Xi, if I may be so presumptuous… Does this junior really have to stay here for fifty years?” Yun Che asked, his heart filled with boundless complex feelings.

Shen Xi did not give a direct answer to that, instead she spoke softly, “Even if you have an untold number of worries in the outside world, you still need to remain in this place until the Brahma Soul Death-Wishing Mark has fully dissipated. Because other than me and the person who afflicted you with that mark, no one else can release you from it.”

“…I understand,” Yun Che said with a small nod of his head.

Shen Xi turned around. She clearly existed in this world, but when one looked at her, a feeling that it was all just an illusion would well up in one’s heart. It was like this for Yun Che as well, “The girl who delivered you to this place left the Vanishing Moon Celestial Palace here for you, it is just outside the barrier. Go and retrieve it.”

He had not needed Shen Xi’s reminder. After he had woken up, Yun Che had sensed that there was one more thing interacting with his soul… It was the interaction between him and the Vanishing Moon Celestial Palace.

Xia Qingyue had left and had forcefully severed the destiny that they had shared together. Yet she had left him one of the best divine tools that could be used to preserve one’s life, a divine tool that could even shake off the pursuit of a Divine Master.

“She…” As the word left his lips, he felt a slight pain pierce his heart. Yun Che forcefully sucked in a breath before he continued speaking, “When she left, did she say anything?”

As she sensed Yun Che’s worry and the chaos in his heart, Shen Xi said in a gentle voice, “Are you afraid that she returned to the Moon God Realm to face death?”

It was very clear that Shen Xi had been able to understand something of the situation during the days when Yun Che had been unconscious.

Even though this was a place that existed outside the mortal realm, Yun Che’s name had already shaken the entire God Realm, so the commotion that he and Xia Qingyue had caused was something that everyone under heaven knew. The rumours grew spicier with each retelling and if one wanted to know, it would be all too easy.

“…Yes,” Yun Che nodded his head, “This whole affair has definitely enraged the entire Moon God Realm. Moreover, she also feels an intense guilt towards her foster father and her mother. So even if they were to put her to death, she would not have a single complaint, and she would put up even less resistance.”

The Moon God Emperor was Xia Qingyue’s foster father, this was a secret that extremely few people knew. But he had unconsciously blurted it out in a moment of vulnerability and disconcertion.

Feelings that were like thin ice… Cutting off all ties…

When he remembered the words that Xia Qingyue had said when she left and when he recalled the blood stains on her moon robes, the tears that she had shed for him, the way that she had thrown away all her dignity as she begged on his behalf, and the Vanishing Moon Celestial Palace that she had left behind for him… Yun Che gave a deep and gloomy sigh of lamentation in his heart: If their feelings were truly as thin as ice, then why would she do all of this?

You are doing this to defuse all the resentment and anger the Moon God Realm has towards me. Or perhaps you are afraid that after you die, I will seek out my vengeance against the Moon God Realm… If these were truly the case, then you have also thought far too little of me.

What you destroyed was merely a pale white wedding contract, a piece of paper… It was only a marriage contract, but everything else was still completely perfect and whole, and those are things that will never fade away.

“…” Shen Xi lapsed into a brief moment of heavy silence. After that a light and gentle sigh came from her lips, “She has placed herself in her current situation all to protect your dignity. A girl who is able to make that kind of choice, there indeed are very few girls like that in this world.”

Yun Che, “…”

“But you don’t need to worry.” A gentle voice that was as soft as floating cotton brushed across Yun Che’s very soul, and it was as if it was warmly and gently comforting him, “When she departed, it was not with the determination to die. Instead, it seems like she had made a very important decision… Perhaps, the experiences that she went through with you over the past few days has caused a few changes to occur in her heart and mind.”

“Perhaps I should say it in a way that is more fitting to her situation.” Underneath that white glow, Shen Xi faintly lifted her eyes and that warm and cozy celestial voice seemed to contain several degrees of mysterious expectation, “Her Heart of Glazed Glass has started to awaken.”

“The Heart of Glazed Glass… has started to awaken?” Yun Che clearly did not understand the implications behind those words as he was left somewhat dumbfounded, “Will awakening it… bring her the protection of heaven?”

“It will not.” Completely contrary to Yun Che’s expectations, Shen Xi shook her head instead, “The world has said that the ‘Heart of Glazed Glass’ is part of the remaining power of the Ancestral God so it is above the laws of heaven and thus, the one who possesses it can obtain the protection of heaven. But in reality, those are merely fabrications that the world assumes is correct.”

A look of shock and astonishment appeared on Yun Che’s face. The woman who possessed the Heart of Glazed Glass was called the daughter of the heavens and was known as the one who received the protection of the heavens. This was not just something the everyday man on the street was saying, it was something that even Divine Masters and the god emperors themselves firmly believed.

“Then what does the Heart of Glazed Glass starting to awaken… actually imply?” Yun Che asked.

“Once the Heart of Glazed Glass awakens, one’s power, wisdom, vision, and soul will all undergo changes which appear strange on the surface. But their speed of growth will become so fast that it would be inconceivable to a normal person, and the changes to their wisdom and vision will cause them to no longer be willing to be under anyone else… At the very least, that person definitely will no longer be weak, hesitant, or bewildered.”

“The Eternal Heaven Ancestor was the first example of this all those years ago. She was originally a mortal woman, yet she became the first Eternal Heaven God Emperor and she even convinced the Eternal Heaven Pearl to submit to her.”

“The Heart of Glazed Glass is, for all intents and purposes, a true ‘divine miracle’. I had originally thought that it would not be possible for another Heart of Glazed Glass to appear in this world… but perhaps, she is the final divine miracle. Just on this point alone, even the term ‘the protection of the heavens’ doesn’t seem the least bit incorrect.”

Shen Xi’s words were hard for Yun Che to understand. Because no one had ever made clear exactly what kind of existence the “Heart of Glazed Glass” was, and all the rumors and information surrounding it had been centered on the words “protection of the heavens”.

Yet Shen Xi had given another answer, an answer completely different from the rest of them.

“When Qianye Ying’er made her move against you, perhaps she did not think that her actions would forcibly create such a fearsome opponent.” Shen Xi glanced to the side as if she was gently looking at Yun Che, “Within fifty years, she will definitely be able to become a threat to Qianye Ying’er. You need to believe in the ‘divine miracle’ that exists within her body.”

“Fifty years… why does it have to be fifty years?” Yun Che asked in a baffled voice.

“Because if she isn’t able to contend against Qianye Ying’er within the next fifty years, you will eternally live under the dark shadow of Qianye Ying’er after you leave this place… The reason she forcefully cut off all ties with you is also because she is afraid of her own failure.”

Shen Xi took a slow step forward, it was only a single light and gentle step, yet her body started to become more and more illusory before disappearing within those myriad flowers. But her celestial voice still lingered in his ears, “I hope that after I have said all of these things, you will be able to feel more at ease.”

Yun Che quietly stood in that place, and he did not leave for a very long period of time.

Shen Xi’s words had not caused him to feel less tense. On the contrary, they had instead made his heart feel even heavier…

“Qingyue, what exactly are you going to do?”

…………………

The Eternal Heaven God Realm. The day when the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm was about to be opened.

All of the heaven chosen children had gathered together long ago, but even including the young profound practitioner who had replaced “Wei Hen”, only nine hundred and ninety nine people were gathered in this place. Yun Che was yet to be seen.

The Eternal Heaven Divine Realm was right before their very eyes and all of the gathered heaven chosen children felt apprehension fill their hearts at the thought of being separated from the world for three thousand years. Yet at the same time, every single one of them was also filled with great anticipation and excitement. They could cultivate with no distractions at all for three thousand years within the Eternal Heaven Pearl, yet it would only be a short three years in the world outside. This was well and truly what could be called reaching the heavens in a single step.

Within the crowd of people, a snow-white figure stood in the center. The people around him had given him a very wide berth, it was as if no one was willing to be near to him and it also seemed as if he was also not willing to be close to any of them.

Holy Eaves Realm, Luo Changsheng.

All of the injuries he had suffered at the hands of Yun Che one month ago had completely recovered… At least, that was what it looked like on the surface. But a clear change had happened to the aura that he radiated. Even though it was still as gentle and warm as water, the depths of his eyes now contained a startlingly sinister malevolence.

When he had fought Yun Che the first time, even though he had lost, all of his best points had been up on display. Furthermore, he battled with every bit of power and will that he had, so his reputation had only been increased by that loss.

But during the second battle, at the same time he had become a Divine King, the other side of himself that had been hiding in the depths of his soul had erupted due to his loss against Yun Che. In the end, this caused him to not only lose some profound strength, it also caused him to lose all of his face and dignity.

Compared to the past, his entire person had undergone a complete and utter change… At the very least, that was what the people who had met once again all felt.

However, even though he had lost to Yun Che, and even though that loss had been incredibly miserable, he was still Luo Changsheng, the exceptional genius who possessed three divine powers and could use three different elements, the youngest Divine King in the history of the Eastern Divine Region.

Just what heights would he reach after three thousand years? This was something that no one dared to estimate.

After a somewhat long period of waiting, an ancient figure slowly strode out at this moment.

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor.

He was about to personally send these heaven chosen children, that had been selected during the Profound God Convention, into the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm.