Against the Gods

Chapter 1973 - The Six Kingdoms of God (1)

Chi Wuyao began her explanation with the power level of the Abyss.

“In Primal Chaos, everyone knows that Divine Master Realm is the pinnacle of the profound way. What we know as the ‘divine way’ is really just the pinnacle a mortal could achieve. It has long become impossible for this world to overcome one’s mortal limits and enter the realm of True Gods.”

She looked at Yun Che. “You probably think I’m going to say that in the Abyss, anyone can enter the realm of gods as long as they have sufficient talent, resource, and luck next. In truth, reality is unlike what you or I have imagined.”

“...” Yun Che raised his eyebrows but did not interrupt her.

She continued, “While Divine Master Realm isn’t the end of the profound way in the Abyss, it's still a chasm that most can never hope to bridge. After all, it's the point where mortals achieve transcendence and become extraordinary in every way such as power, body, the five senses and the soul and more.”

“However, achieving transcendence is but the first step to becoming divine. They are still a long, long, long way from becoming a True God. All mortals who achieved transcendence are known as Half-Gods; beings that have surpassed their mortal shells but are not yet divine.”

“In the Abyss, this cultivation realm is known as the Divine Extinction Realm. It means that all things may perish before the power of a god.”

“Divine Extinction Realm…” Yun Che whispered. He remembered hearing this term from Mo Beichen.

“You already know this, but Mo Beichen was in the Divine Extinction Realm,” Chi Wuyao said. “As the chasm between Divine Master Realm and Divine Extinction Realm is terribly wide, rarely is anyone able to become a Half-God. Those who succeed will earn a high prestige and status immediately.”

“Mo Beichen’s ranking was on the low-end among his fellow Abyssal Knights, but he was still deeply feared and respected in the Abyss. One might say that no one below a True God would dare to offend him as they pleased.”

“I’m getting ahead of myself. Exceeding Divine Master Realm and achieving transcendence aren’t the only things a profound practitioner of the Abyss must overcome to enter Divine Extinction Realm. They must also overcome the barrier that stands between the mortal and the Half-God. This half-step half-step [1]realm is known as Half-step Divine Extinction Realm.”

“Those who manage to overcome this barrier enter the Divine Extinction Realm for real, complete their transformation and become a Half-God. Most profound practitioners of the Abyss never overcome that final half-step and die as Half-step Divine Extinction Realm practitioners.”

“For example, Mo Beichen’s two squires, Nan Zhaoming and Nan Zhaoguang were Half-step Divine Extinction Realm. There are many, many more like them in the Abyss.”

Although the Half-step Divine Extinction Realm isn’t the true Divine Extinction Realm, it is still the realm beyond Divine Master Realm. That is why Mu Xuanyin and Qianye Ying’er, two of the greatest Divine Masters in the world below Yun Che were unable to handle Nan Zhaoming or Nan Zhaoguang even after they had joined hands.

“The true God Realm comes after the Half-God Realm, right?” Yun Che asked.

“Yes, and no,” Chi Wuyao answered. “There used to be ten levels in the Divine Extinction Realm, but now there are only nine. The tenth level of the Divine Extinction Realm has been categorized as a separate realm known as ‘the Divine Limit Realm’.”

“It's because it's the line that separates Half-Gods from True Gods; the ceiling of the Half-Gods and the floor of the True Gods.”

“They are supernatural beings that exist between the Half-Gods and the True Gods.”

“Not only that, the Divine Limit Realm is further separated into nine mini realms known as the ‘Nine Heavens to Achieve Godhood’. It shouldn’t need to be said that overcoming each mini realm is as difficult as scaling the heavens. Not only that, the Divine Limit Realm is the absolute highest realm the profound practitioners of the Abyss can achieve via cultivation.”

This drew Yun Che’s attention immediately. “The highest realm… one can achieve via cultivation? Do you mean that it’s not possible for the Abyss to produce True Gods? Or rather, do you mean True Gods are not created via cultivation?”

“That is correct.” Chi Wuyao nodded. This was wildly different from what they’d believed prior to acquiring Mo Beichen’s knowledge.

“Although the Abyss’ level is far greater than that of our world, it is still incomparable to the era of the Gods and Devils. When the Abyss first came to be, it was still possible for a handful of exceptional existences to become True Gods via cultivation. Unfortunately, it has been two million years since anyone was able to repeat that feat according to Mo Beichen.”

Yun Che frowned deeply. “So, you’re saying that the current True Gods of the Abyss are True Gods because they received some sort of inheritance from their predecessors?”

“That is exactly correct.” Chi Wuyao nodded again. “Although I am unable to determine exactly how the succession is done, I have a feeling that it is similar to how our people become Divine Masters by receiving divine origins. Of course, their inheritances exist at a much higher level than our divine origins, and the requirements are many times stricter.”

She thought for a brief moment before adding, “There is one crucial requirement one must fulfill before they can even consider inheriting the power of a True God, and that is divine essence.”

“Divine… essence?” Despite being the emperor of Primal Chaos, this was the first time Yun Che had ever heard the term.

“Generally speaking, anyone with enough divine essence is qualified to bear the power of a True God. Otherwise, the inheritance would fail, and the bearer would suffer grievous injuries at best, or perish at worst. Even in the Abyss, it is rare to find someone who meets this requirement in ten thousand years.”

The Devil Queen had not misspoken. The probability that a candidate with enough divine essence to inherit the power of a True God wasn’t one in ten thousand people, but one in ten thousand years. This was definitely a million times stricter than the standards that needed to be met to receive a divine origin.

That said, this was just useless trivia at this time. There were far more important things he needed to know such as, “How many True Gods are there in the Abyss right now?”

“Twelve,” Chi Wuyao answered slowly and succinctly.

“As I’ve told you earlier, seven of these twelve True Gods rule the Six Kingdoms of God.”

“The other five are living in the Pure Land. Excluding the Abyssal Monarch, the four True Gods are known as the ‘Four High Priests of the Pure Land’.”

“The four High Priests serve the Abyssal Monarch directly. They are the administrators of the Pure Land, the defenders of order of the Abyss, and the leaders of the Abyssal Knights. They are more esteemed than even the seven True Gods of the Six Kingdoms of God, and this is especially true for the head of the four High Priests, the ‘Chief Priest’. Generally speaking, there is no one who hasn’t heard of the four High Priests, and that they are the superior of all living beings except the Abyssal Monarch himself.”

There were twelve True Gods in the Abyss, and five of them were monopolized by the Pure Land.

The two strongest True Gods, the Abyssal Monarch and the Chief Priest reside within the Pure Land as well.

To say that their rule is unchallenged would be an understatement.

Yun Che made sure to engrave every word in his soul sea.

Right now, he was like an ant compared to these True Gods. However, not only must he surpass them somehow, he must do it in fifty years or less if he wished to save the world.

“Do you know how much stronger the Abyssal Monarch is compared to the other True Gods?” Yun Che asked.

This time, Chi Wuyao was silent for much longer before answering, “Mo Beichen might be an Abyssal Knight, but he obviously isn’t qualified to be privy to such knowledge. That said…”

“The Abyssal Monarch hasn’t displayed their power for the past million years or so—not publicly at least—so very few people know just how strong they are. Some rumors say that he is just a little stronger than the Chief Priest. Some also claim that the seven True Gods of the Six Kingdoms of God can join hands and still be no match for the Abyssal Monarch.”

Yun Che: “...”

“The most terrifying rumor of them all, however, is one you have heard Mo Beichen mutter multiple times already.” Chi Wuyao’s voice actually cracked a little when she said this, “The rumor that the Abyssal Monarch is seeking the realm of the Creation Gods!”

“...” Yun Che could not say anything in return.

“You don’t need to think about this yet. It will only serve as a distraction.”

Chi Wuyao let out a quiet sigh. Even for her formidable mind, she had to relieve the pressure in her heart from time to time to prevent herself from succumbing to her emotions. It was understandable. Their foe was an untouchable True God after all.

“It is impossible for you to enter the Pure Land directly after entering the Abyss. Therefore, you must begin your journey from the Six Kingdoms of God, or rather, the godless nations serving under them.”

“I understand.” Yun Che nodded and focused his mind once more. “How much information regarding the Six Kingdoms of God did you manage to retrieve from Mo Beichen’s mind?”

“Not much,” Chi Wuyao replied, “but thankfully, it contains the most basic knowledge of the Abyss, also the most important information to us.”

During the next period, Chi Wuyao slowly and methodically explained everything she knew about the “Land of the Living” and the Six Kingdoms of Gods every Abyss denizen revered to Yun Che.

“Of the six kingdoms, the ‘Boundless Kingdom of God’ is the one that reveres strength above all else. It is ruled by the True God ‘Dian Rahu’, and his divine title is the ‘Boundless End’. If we were to look at individual strength alone, he is publicly known as the strongest True God of them all.”

“He possesses a fiery temper and an honest personality. He wears his emotions on his sleeve and never resorts to trickery and deceit. Naturally, he values trust and justice above all else and despises hypocrisy, indecisiveness and oathbreakers above all else.”

Chi Wuyao put great emphasis on the True God’s personality because it was the most critical starting point into achieving a desirable outcome in her life.

The Boundless Kingdom of God [2]… Dian Rahu… the strongest of the seven True Gods!

Yun Che memorized it all carefully.

“The ‘Heaven Breaker Kingdom of God’ is ruled by the True God ‘Hua Fuchen’. His divine title is the ‘Heart Painter’.”

“On the surface, the name of the kingdom itself is beyond arrogant. It suggests that they seek to break the heavens after all. In reality, it is one of the most peaceful and tolerant Kingdoms of God. The Heaven Breaker Kingdom of God is outwardly peaceful and inward lenient. They never interfere with another nation’s business, and they never start conflicts or interfere with an existing one. They’ve never oppressed their godless nations either. One might say that they are utterly lacking in ambition and edge.”

“Moreover, the Heaven Breaker Kingdom of God and Boundless Kingdom of God have been fast allies for generations. Not only that, this generation’s Heaven Breaker Divine Daughter and the Boundless Divine Son are engaged to one another, and it was officialized by the Abyssal Monarch no less. This is no doubt a symbol of the two Kingdoms’ unbreakable bond and a beautiful story for the denizens of the Abyss.”

“Heaven Breaker Divine Daughter… and Boundless Divine Son?” Yun Che asked.

“You probably noticed some similarities between their Divine Sons and Daughters and our God Children, but you have my word that they are anything but similar,” Chi Wuyao said seriously. “In the Abyss, only seven people are crowned with the prestigious titles.”

“It is because they are the only ones with the perfect amount of divine essence to receive a True God’s essence; geniuses of geniuses that only appear once in ten thousand years. Yes, they are the future rulers of the six Kingdoms of Gods and successors of the seven True Gods.”

“...” Yun Che’s chest heaved.

When he first entered the God Realm, he had won the Profound God Convention and was granted the title “God Child”.

Unfortunately, it was less than a speck of dust compared to these true sons and daughters of gods.

“Speaking of which, most of the information I managed to pry loose from Mo Beichen’s crumbling soul was either some of his deepest memories or common knowledge that permeated his subconscious. Everything else was so blurry that I wasn’t even able to identify the imprint of the four High Priests, something he should be able to identify at a glance. However… his memory of the Heaven Breaker Divine Daughter was especially deep.”

“In fact, it was deep enough for me to make out an almost distinct outline.”

“Are you suggesting,” Yun Che chose his words carefully, “that he and the Heaven Breaker Divine Daughter were…”

“Of course not,” Chi Wuyao corrected Yun Che’s misunderstanding immediately. “Mo Beichen may be an Abyssal Knight, but there’s no way he would be qualified to interact with a Divine Daughter. He merely caught a glimpse of her when she was traveling to the Pure Land from afar.”

“That glimpse was all it took to etch a permanent memory in his soul.”

However, Yun Che said in a surprisingly indifferent tone, “Is that so? I suppose the Heaven Breaker Divine Daughter must be a great beauty then.”

Yun Che had seen countless beautiful women in his life, and to his knowledge, there was no one who could ever surpass Shen Xi or Qianye Ying’er in terms of looks, much less in an environment as terrible as the Abyss.

“What really caught my interest about this is that the engagement between the Heaven Breaker Divine Daughter and the Boundless Divine Son was officialized by the Abyssal Monarch himself,” Chi Wuyao’s seductive eyes gleamed with cunning and cruelty as she said this. “Moreover, the current ruler of the Boundless Kingdom of God is a hot-tempered man who loathes oathbreakers above all else. If someone can somehow wreck this engagement, I am certain that the two Kingdoms of God would go from fast friends to sworn enemies in the blink of an eye.”

Yun Che: “...”action

Suddenly, Chi Wuyao broke into a wry smile and said regretfully, “Of course, this is but a childish fantasy. Forget how unlikely it is to happen, getting close to the venerated Heaven Breaker Divine Daughter alone would be a near impossible task.”

“What about the other Kingdoms of God?” Yun Che asked.

He did not take Chi Wuyao’s comment to heart because he barely knew anything about the Abyss at all. Perhaps one day he would be able to reach the level of a Divine Son and make contact with that so-called Heaven Breaker Divine Daughter, but for now, it was as Chi Wuyao said, a childish fantasy.

1. (T/N: not a mistl) ☜

2. (T/N: will probably shorten to just Boundless/Boundless Kingdom in the future for brevity) ☜