Against the Gods

Chapter 2051: Nightmarish Qilin God

The abyssal dust of the Endless Fog blocked everything, whether it be perception, sight, or sound. But this voice from the black fog rang like a dark prison’s bell and shook the world. Every profound practitioner within tens of kilometers was startled in place, before turning toward the direction of the voice.

“What… is that?”

“Fog Monarch? What Fog Monarch?” One profound practitioner after another looked at the dusky sky before them in shock, their hearts indescribable.

The Abyss only had one monarch, which was the Pure Land’s Abyssal Monarch.

Aside from the Abyssal Monarch, no one else would dare call themselves a “monarch”.

More and more profound practitioners rapidly approached, wanting to personally see the origin of this strange phenomenon.

Although what rolled in front of them was thick abyssal dust that should only be found within the depths of the Abyss, it wasn’t enough to pose a threat to Hua Qingying. Even so, her brows wrinkled with a faint sense of unease.

What made her feel even more disturbed was the fact that she didn’t know the reason behind this uneasiness.

“Aunt? He said… the Fog Monarch patrols the Endless Fog? What does that mean?” Hua Caili asked, still in amazement and without fear.

Aside from the Abyssal Monarch, those who could pose a threat to her in this world were the Six Kingdoms’ Seven Gods, and the Four High Priests of the Pure Land.

She was well acquainted with them, and even they would not dare to call themselves a “monarch.”

While Hua Qingying softly muttered those words, her eyes were still ice-cold and devoid of scorn.

This was because abyssal dust was uncontrollable. Even someone as strong as a True God could only use a massive amount of divine power to achieve almost absolute dispersal or isolation of abyssal dust. It was impossible for them to make abyssal dust gather so obediently like this, especially to this degree of concentration and scale.

The supreme Abyssal Monarch had also never heard of such an ability before.

“Let’s go, Caili.”

She took a hold of Hua Caili’s hand and turned to leave.

If she were alone, she would certainly get to the bottom of this, but with Hua Caili at her side and that faint sense of unease, this strange situation that transcended her perception made her choose to retreat without any hint of hesitation.

She had never heard of this so-called Fog Monarch in her life. There was a ninety-nine percent chance that it was someone messing around, but if it was something that could make her feel a sliver of unease, she would never allow Hua Caili to be in danger.

“Huh?” Hua Caili visibly froze for a moment, and it was only then that she noticed her aunt’s expression and immediately retreated with her.

Unfortunately, the ignorant were fearless and the fearless would not be afraid of anything.

More and more profound practitioners were attracted to the situation and with them came the sound of taunting ridicule.

“Fog Monarch? Who dares call themself a monarch with the Abyssal Monarch here! Don’t think that you can shoot your mouth off just because you’re in the Endless Fog.”

“Haha! Pretending a clump of fog is abyssal dust? I’ve never bothered to do such a childish thing the moment I turned thirty. Are you trying to gather people to look at your joke to laugh your ass off?”

“A scam? Hah, proclaiming yourself to be a monarch is just digging your own grave!”

In the midst of a stern shout, someone suddenly attacked and a streak of lightning struck the thick fog. Purple lightning cut through the dark sky with an astonishing screech. By the time it drew close, it was nearly three kilometers long when it blasted down.

This kind of power was surprisingly at the half-step Divine Extinction Realm and frightened the crowd of profound practitioners into silence.

Boom! Rip!

The lightning exploded and a purple haze shone in the sky. The crowd of profound practitioners who were originally planning to check out which clown was messing around and calling themselves a “Fog Monarch” were immediately startled into a daze.

At the place the lightning struck, the thick fog that should’ve been instantly annihilated had only slightly dispersed due to the explosion before slowly gathering again. In just a few breaths, it had returned to its original state without a single change in color or form.

It was as if that booming lightning was just a powerless purple light.

The profound practitioner who had attacked had an immortal air. Following behind him were dozens of disciples so it was obvious that he was a sect leader or elder. At this time his arm stayed in the air. His expression froze, as if he simply didn’t dare to believe his own eyes.

Under the sudden dead silence, the black fog in front of them suddenly distorted. At the very top, a pair of gray eyes slowly appeared.

The pair of eyes from the fog condensed, constantly twisting and fluctuating to retain form in vain. But those nearby actually felt an incomparably distinct sense of being stared at. It forcefully stopped their breathing and caused their souls to tremble.

A bone-chilling coldness ran down their backs and an unspeakable sense of fear swiftly spread throughout their bodies.

“W-what in the world is that…?”

“It’s not fog? Then is it… really abyssal dust?”

“How is this possible… A True God can only disperse… How can anybody control abyssal dust…”

The unknown was the greatest fear, especially when this unknown materialized before their very eyes.

Before they had time to properly react to this steep fear, that horrifying voice had already sounded again, “I am the monarch who rules over the Endless Fog. I do not wish to be close to ordinary beings.”

“You trifling lowly beings actually dare to violate my imperious authority. Your crime is unforgivable, and so your punishment is death!”

Its fury was not prevalent, but every word was gut-wrenching enough to chill the soul.

When the last word fell, the massive black fog suddenly collapsed and quickly scattered.

A black shadow that was completely enveloped in abyssal dust and could not be perceived by anyone also silently disappeared into the darkness along with the scattered abyssal dust.

At this instant, the pupils of Hua Qingying, who was flying away with Hua Caili, suddenly shrunk and looked back.

This aura…

Previously, the abyssal dust was so huge and dense that even her divine perception was unable to completely penetrate it. Now that it had scattered, the earth beneath it had a wisp of aura that pierced her nerves like a cold needle.

Boom!!

The earth crumbled and a huge black shadow broke through the ground, its roar shaking the sky.

Hua Qingying glanced back at the very moment it broke through the ground.

It had the body of a deer, the tail of a dragon, the head of a lion, and a huge horn on its forehead that seemed to be able to tear apart the heavens.

Ancestral Qilin God!

Hua Qingying was well familiar with this Ancestral Qilin God, or rather, this Abyssal Qilin God.

This abyssal beast was an Ancestral Qilin God that had been completely eroded by abyssal dust and the Six Kingdoms of God were well aware of its existence. She, who frequently entered the Endless Fog, had also encountered it several times and used it to train.

She could not do anything about it, and the same went for the reverse. But at this moment, her heart churned with numerous torrential waves.

How… could it be here?!

How could it appear here?!

If she were alone, she wouldn’t be alarmed in the slightest even if she was against ten Ancestral Qilin Gods. But she was with Hua Caili!

At this moment, they were merely thirty meters away from this Ancestral Qilin God.

Hua Qingying no longer cared about anything else. Her sleeves bulged and her long hair fluttered as she unreservedly erupted all the profound strength in her body.

Boom——

How terrifying! Its might was at the extremities of the Divine Limit Realm. The air currents that erupted at the time of the explosion expanded into a hundred meter hurricane, causing the guts of countless abyssal beasts and profound practitioners to quake to the point of shattering.

Along with Hua Caili, their figures had already become streaks of light, piercing through the thick Endless Fog and escaping into the distance.

Rumble!

The Abyssal Qilin God heavily landed on the ground, shaking open thousands of radiating cracks. At nearly the same instant of it crashing onto the ground, it raised its massive hoof and blasted the ground.

Boom——

The boom of annihilation engulfed countless desperate screams and shouts. Forget about resisting, those profound practitioners that had gathered couldn’t even find a chance to escape. They were shaken down from the air like little mosquitos, crushed by the violent destructive force, and then buried in the grounds of the roiling Endless Fog, no longer able to let out another sound.

Hua Qingying turned around with cold eyes. Hundreds of sword silhouettes instantly cast a defensive sword formation to protect the surroundings with the remainder of her profound power that she could mobilize all thrown onto Hua Caili.

“Aunt!” Hua Caili let out a cry of alarm. Her ears then buzzed with the sound of destruction that was enough to swallow the world as everything before her instantly blanked out.

In an instant, blood burst out of Hua Caili’s seven orifices while her face became as pale as white paper.

Drops of blood splattered on the back of Hua Qingying’s hands and the lapels of her clothes. She clenched her hands, her sword heart in slight disarray.

She was a sword fanatic, an immortal of swords. Her worst subject was the power of protection and she had never brought along any life-saving profound artifacts with her.

She was very clear about the terror of this Ancestral Qilin God. If she stood at the very limits of humanity, it stood at the very limits of abyssal beasts.

Even though Hua Caili was half-step into the Divine Extinction Realm, she would still die at this distance if she were to be touched by the might of the Qilin God.

It was only the power of one hoof just a moment ago. Even with her powers protecting Hua Caili, she had still received injuries that couldn’t be described as light. If they weren’t able to get away as fast as possible and took a few more hits…

As her heart roiled, yet another roar came from behind.

And what came from behind was a might vastly stronger than before.

As if attracted by Hua Qingying’s full burst of aura, the Abyssal Qilin God’s aura firmly locked onto Hua Qingying’s body. Its two hooves pounded on the ground. The violent and unparalleled power of the Qilin God tore through space and crushed through the ground like a merciless hammer of destruction, directly covering the space where Hua Qingying and Hua Caili were located.

Hua Qingying turned, brandishing the Immortal End Sword, and swept out thousands of stunning sword beams.

In an instant, the incoming power of the Abyssal Qilin God was fractured like a piece of cloth and reduced to nothing. This marvel was exclusive to Hua Qingying.

Although the Sword Immortal’s sword could easily dismantle the opponent’s momentum, it was impossible to completely annihilate the incoming power.

Pfft!

The tremor of space was accompanied by the sound of blood spraying.

A long arrow of blood spurted out from Hua Caili’s lips and scalded Hua Qingying’s arm, almost instantly scorching a hole in her heart.

Her hands covered the back of the young woman’s heart, quickly healing her injuries with slightly quivering fingers. This was the first time in thousands of years that her sword heart was in true disarray.

The sin of that year could no longer be redeemed.

That day, she secretly swore that both the sword in her hand and the remainder of her life would be dedicated to the protection of her daughter.

How could…

“Aunt… don’t worry…”

The young woman called softly, almost breathless. But she still moved to gently clasp her extraordinary cold hand. “I’m… fine…”

“...” Hua Qingying’s speed suddenly slowed as she let out a long exhale.

“Caili.” She whispered to the young woman, “Run. Don’t look back and don’t stop.”

After she finished speaking, she fiercely slammed her palm against the back of Hua Caili’s shoulder.

Hua Caili swiftly flew into the distance like a sweeping sword beam. As for Hua Qingying, she instantly turned around, her Immortal End Sword exploding out a lengthy sword wave toward the Abyssal Qilin God.

Her palm just now was bound to aggravate Hua Caili’s injuries but it was her only choice after quickly weighing her options.

To protect Hua Caili, she had to make her leave the range of the Abyssal Qilin God’s power. She, in turn, had to use her aura and sword beams to draw it in the opposite direction as fast as possible.

Ding!

The Immortal End Sword shot out and a lengthy sword wave pierced through dozens of meters of space in an instant, shooting straight toward the Abyssal Qilin God’s eye like a sky-breaking meteor.

An ear-shattering metal collision rang out and the sword wave fell apart as the dark light in the Abyssal Qilin God’s right eye was extinguished. Its roar became even more frenzied and its hundreds of meters long massive body jumped into the air, pouncing straight at the approaching Hua Qingying.

Rumble!

The earth that had just met with disaster crumbled once again as the Abyssal Qilin God’s power missed its mark and only hit a quickly fading afterimage.

Hua Qingying had already appeared behind the Abyssal Qilin God at this time. Hundreds of sword silhouettes penetrated its back, sustaining its fury. But at the same time, her figure did not stop and continued to quickly bolt in the direction opposite Hua Caili.

Abyssal beasts had no self-awareness. There was only the instinct to destroy. This was why power and aura could easily lure them over.

Howl!

With a wrathful roar, the Abyssal Qilin God raised its hoof again.

Hua Qingying’s pupils instantly contracted to the extreme. Instead of turning around to attack her with that terrifying power, it blasted straight toward Hua Caili, whom she had pushed away with all her strength.