Against the Gods

Chapter 261 - Azure Cloud Dream

“Ling’er, I shall first bring you over to get to know a big sister before sending you back home, alright?”

Yun Che’s attention had never left Xia Qingyue. Holding on little Ling’er’s hand, they arrived next to Xia Qingyue.

As expected, when Su Ling’er saw Xia Qingyue, her eyes instantly shone, and she let out a soft cry. “Waah! Such a beautiful big sister! She’s more beautiful than any other big sister I have met before... But why is she lying here? Is she injured?”

“Mn!” Yun Che nodded. Walking over next to Xia Qingyue, he once again pressed his hand on her chest. “But she will get better really soon.”

Xia Qingyue’s temperature had gradually returned to normal. However, her breathing was still really weak, and she did not show any signs of waking up any time soon. As a doctor, he was extremely clear about Xia Qingyue’s current situation... After transferring all of her profound energy over to his body, her own body was completely devoid of spiritual energy, and under this state of depletion, an ice-cold chill completely entered her body... Including her blood, heart, and every corner of her body... Not only was her vitality injured, her meridians had suffered a considerably large damage, it might even be possible for her entire body to be paralyzed because of this.

What Jasmine said was right. If not for the Frozen Cloud Arts she was cultivating that allowed her body to adjust to the cold to a certain degree, it would have been certain death for her long before Yun Che woke up back then.

With her body’s current degree of weakness, all Yun Che could do was to use the most gentle of methods to disperse the cold chill in her body. He did not dare to make any other movements.

Little Ling’er squatted at the side. Her two hands held on to her cheeks, as she stared unblinkingly at his heavy and serious look. She kept looking at him like this for a very long time, as though she was trying to figure something out.

After a good while, Yun Che’s hand finally left Xia Qingyue’s chest. He heaved a long sigh of relief, and raised his hand to rub off the warm sweat from his forehead. At this time, he finally realized that Little Ling’er, who did not interrupt him throughout the entire process, was looking at him without turning away. That cute and focused look could not help but cause him to laugh. “Why do you always keep looking at me?”

“Because big brother Yun Che is very good-looking.” Little Ling’er answered without any hesitation.

“Good-looking?” To be praised by a naive and blooming young girl who did not have any sort of subtlety, Yun Che could not help but feel proud in his heart. He laughed cheerfully. “Even though I am indeed really good-looking, good-looking people might not all be good people. Ling’er, aren’t you afraid that I’m a bad person as well?”

“I’m not afraid!” Ling’er shook her head, and firmly said. “Big brother Yun Che is definitely not a bad person!”

“Why?”

“Because...” Ling’er did not even think for a single moment, and hastily gave an explanation for Yun Che. “Because, not only did big brother Yun Che save me, with just a single glance, you look like a very, very good person. Uuu... Papa taught me not to approach strangers since I was young, and since I was young, I have always hidden far away whenever I see living people. But, it’s not the same for big brother Yun Che at all. When I see big brother Yun Che, I’m not afraid in the slightest, and I feel very close to you... even closer than a real brother! It’s like... I have known big brother Yun Che a long, long time ago. When I see big brother Yun Che, my mood also becomes very happy.”

While she said that, little Ling’er smiled, revealing two little pearl-like canine teeth.

Yun Che smiled as well. Actually, in his heart, he felt the same as little Ling’er as well. Just by quietly looking at her like this, his mood would become especially cheerful, as though he had actually seen his Ling’er return to his side. Even the heartache he got from the state of Xia Qingyue’s body had watered down quite a bit.

Currently, Xia Qingyue was no longer in danger of losing her life. What he needed to do next, was to recover her vitality bit by bit, and quietly wait for her to wake up. After she wakes up, there was still a need to slowly recover her vigor, and this process would require a very, very long time. After that, he needed an even longer time to condition her body, so as to not leave any sequela. As for completely recovering her profound energy, it might not even be possible to do so within half a year.

It was good that he was in front of her. Otherwise, if he was not by her side, with Xia Qingyue’s current state, she might have been paralyzed for life.

“Is beautiful big sister not well yet? When is she going to wake up?” Little Ling’er looked towards Xia Qingyue, who was not showing any signs of waking up, and asked worriedly. At the same time, she was silently thinking in her heart: When I grow up, it would be great if I’m as good-looking as beautiful big sister...

“Don’t worry. She’s already fine, she just needs to rest for a period of time.” Yun Che said with a very relaxed tone.

Xia Qingyue’s current state was momentarily stable, and at the moment, he did not dare to do anything excessive either. It was about time he officially started to find out what this place, where the Evil God sent him and Xia Qingyue to, actually was. He looked at the little girl in front of him that he saved, who stimulated the depths of his soul. Just based on the same name she had with Su Ling’er, and the similar appearance she had, it was destined that he was unable to leave her alone like this.

He asked Su Ling’er. “Ling’er, where’s your home? Is it far away from here? Why were those people trying to capture you?”

Ling’er’s small hand moved away from her cheek, and she pointed to the north. “My home is over there. It’s not too far away from here. At first, Papa was suppose to bring me out to play today but while we were walking, a lot of black-clothed people suddenly appeared. Papa began fighting with those black-clothed people, and told me to quickly run away... So I kept running, and after running quite far away, suddenly, those three bad people from earlier appeared and chased after me together... If big brother did not save me, I might have already been captured by them. Uuu... I don’t know what happened to Papa either, but since Papa is so strong, he’s definitely able to beat up all those bad people.”

When she spoke of her “Papa”, little Ling’er’s eyes were filled with adoration, and did not carry too much worry. Evidently, she trusted her ‘Papa’ very much.

Because of sprinting for a long time, and even tripping down heavily in the end, little Ling’er’s shoes were already completely filled with dirt. The corners of her skirt were dirtied by a large amount, and there was even a big bruise on her small leg as well. Earlier, Yun Che had been concerned about Xia Qingyue’s situation the entire time, and only now did he realized that. Instantly, he felt his heart ache. Walking next to Ling’er, he picked up her small slim leg, and gently asked. “Ling’er, did you fall and injure yourself? Does it hurt?”

“A little... But it’s already not that painful anymore.” When Yun Che picked her small leg up, pain clearly flashed through her expression. However, it was hurriedly replaced with a smile that could move everyone’s hearts. It was as if she was trying to console Yun Che instead.

“Come, let me take a look at it. I’m a very incredible genius doctor, you know. No matter what injury it is, I’m able to cure it well.” Yun Che sat beside Ling’er, and as he said that, he carefully took out her shoes because he had to check if her ankles were injured.

As Yun Che held onto her shoes, he asked. “Ling’er, can you tell me where I am? I came a from a place very far away, so I don’t even know where this place is.”

“A place very far away?” The little girl had an expression of astonishment, but then, she excitedly said. “It’s no wonder big brother Yun Che is not the least bit old, yet is as incredible as Papa. You and this beautiful big sister must have came from those incredible places in those legends, right? Papa told me, in those incredible places, there are many very incredible people, and there are people that are even more incredible that Papa... Ah! Oh right, I almost forgot to answer big brother Yun Che’s question...”

Ling’er stretched out her hand and pointed to the distance. “My home is called the ‘Grandwake Clan’, and it’s at the bottom of the tallest mountain over there. That mountain is called ‘Grandwake Mountain’. Big brother Yun Che, have you ever heard of that mountain? Papa told me that our home’s mountain is very famous in the Azure Cloud Continent, you know.”

“Mn, of course I have heard of it.” Yun Che nodded, and smiled. “My master once told me, Grandwake Mountain is a divine mountain, and is one of the thirteen divine mountains. There was a period of time when I yearned to see it. I did not expect that this place is... actually...”

Yun Che’s voice suddenly slowed down, and then, it was completely stuck in his throat. Abruptly, his body trembled, and even his pupils had severely shrunk for a moment. His voice, began to tremble. “Grandwake Mountain... Azure Cloud... Azure Cloud... Azure Cloud Continent? You’re saying... this place is... is... Azure Cloud Continent?”

“That’s right, this place is obviously Azure Cloud Continent.” Yun Che’s sudden strange reaction caused Ling’er to feel puzzled.

Yun Che was completely stunned in place. His mind was in a state of chaos, and only after a good while, did he finally calm his state of mind down. Azure Cloud Continent... A place that had been sealed within his memories, a place where he had stayed in his past life, a place where his life had ended at. A place where he thought it was no longer possible for it to appear again in his life, and had thought his fate with this place had forever been severed then and there.

In the Blue Wind Empire, he had once tried to inquire information about the Azure Cloud Continent, however, basically no one there knew about the name “Azure Cloud Continent”, and Azure Cloud Continent was not even mentioned in any of the various records. Hence, he knew that Azure Cloud Continent and Profound Sky Continent belonged to two completely different worlds, and there was essentially no sort of intersection between them. From then on, he had forever kept it within his memories, and, in the Profound Sky Continent, it was a place that only he knew of.

He completely did not expect that, the place that the Evil God sent him to, was actually here!

The Phoenix’s Spirit had once said, he had three lifetimes. Indeed, he truly did have three lifetimes. In his first lifetime, he grew up in the Xiao Clan of Profound Sky Continent’s Blue Wind Empire. When he sixteen years old, on the day of his marriage with Xia Qingyue, he was poisoned to death by Xiao Yulong, and his life ended there. In his second lifetime, he was born in Azure Cloud Continent, and was picked up by the Medical Saint. He spent half his life learning medical techniques, saving the ill and aiding the injured. He then spent the other half of his life with a heart filled with hatred, slaughtering countless of people. And when he was twenty seven years old, he was forced off Cloud’s End Cliff and died.

In his third lifetime, he brought all of his memories in his first and second lifetimes, and awakened in his first lifetime’s dead body...

His knowledge told him that his own experiences were so strange and shocking, to the point of that they could shock the world.

He had once suspected that everything about the Azure Cloud Continent was actually just a dream as well... Otherwise, how would he have awaken in his own body that should have died at least twenty seven years ago... There was a possibility for everything in this world to be turned over, however, only time could not be turned back. If his lifetime in Azure Cloud Continent was not a dream, then, excluding every other possibilities, based on time, at least twenty seven years were turned back.

However, currently, the name “Azure Cloud Continent” had once again appeared in his world, and it was telling him with a thundering voice... Everything about the Azure Cloud Continent was not a dream at all, and it was impossible for it to be a dream.

“Big brother Yun Che, what happened to you? Your expression looks really strange? Ow...” Su Ling’er cried out painfully. It seemed like, when Yun Che was lost in a daze, he accidentally pressed on the bruise on her ankle.

Yun Che regained his senses, and hurriedly held onto her small leg carefully, gently taking off her socks. “It’s nothing. I was just thinking of some matters earlier, did I hurt you... Right, Ling’er, can you tell me, which country are we in?”

Grandwake Mountain was located in Supwake, a country that was situated furthest east in Azure Cloud Continent. Yun Che very clearly knew of this point, he simply wanted to use this girl’s answer to make a clearer confirmation that he had indeed returned to the Azure Cloud Continent.

“Of course, it’s the Country of Supwake!” Ling’er answered clearly.

“Then... What profound year is it this year?”

“Azure Cloud’s 1999 Profound Year!” Ling’er blurted out, answering with complete confidence.

Yun Che’s movements instantly paused...

Azure Cloud’s 1999 Profound Year?

When he leapt off Cloud’s End Cliff, it was clearly the Azure Cloud’s 2014 Profound Year, and now, time had past a year and a half since then, the time here should have been Azure Cloud’s 2015 Profound Year!

If time had really turned back by twenty seven years, then this year should have been the Azure Cloud’s 1987 Profound Year!

Why was it Azure Cloud’s 1999 Profound Year?

On the day of Azure Cloud’s 1999 Profound Year, he was still in the Azure Cloud Continent, and had just reached twelve years old. Su Ling’er was two years younger than him, and had just reached ten years old. Back then, they had yet to meet, and he always followed his master to different places, learned more and more complex medical techniques while testing out all of the herbs on earth. At the same time, he had only just found out the existence of the Sky Poison Pearl...

Could it be, the place the Evil God said he would send him to, was just a dreamscape he created? After all, the Evil God’s residue soul read his memories, and would believe that this was the place that he would wish to be in the most.

His thoughts were once again in a state of chaos, and the movements with his hands became slow as well. On Ling’er’s leg, that dirtied sock was finally taken off. On her leg which was as tender as milk, two dots of hazel-colored scar marks were incomparably eye-catching...

Yun Che’s entire body once again trembled, as though he was struck ruthlessly by a bolt of lightning.

This scar...

It was at the same position... as his Ling’er’s. The same shape. The same size. The same color... The exact same scar!!

In his mind, the image of him first seeing this scar surfaced... Back then, Ling’er told him. “This was bitten by a very cute little snow mink when I was seven years old. But, it can’t be blamed, as I was the one who accidentally stepped on its tail. Oh right, that little snow mink is called Ling Ling, we even became very good pals.”

After that, he had used a type of medical cream that he mixed himself and completely removed the scar by applying it on her leg, allowing her leg to once again return to being as flawless as white jade.

Seeing Yun Che suddenly looking at the scar on her leg in a daze, little Ling’er blinked her eyes, and said cheerfully. “This was bitten by a very cute little snow mink when I was seven years old. But, it can’t be blamed, as I was the one who accidentally stepped on its tail. Oh right, that little snow mink is called Ling Ling, we even became very good pals.”

“...!!!”

Yun Che slowly raised his eyes and stared blankly at the little girl who had a charming smile, as his vision began to spin...