Against the Gods

Considering that Qianye Ying’er had planted the Brahma Soul Death-Wishing Mark in Yun Che, enslavement by slave imprint was almost an unfairly light punishment. If by enslaving Qianye Ying’er, Yun Che would lose a terrible enemy and gain a powerful, loyal protector instead...

Normally, the Eternal Heaven God Emperor would never have allowed something like a slave imprint to exist. But the reason Xia Qingyue gave him was simply too good to deny!

“Brahma Monarch Goddess, you’re surprisingly accepting of this. In fact, you seem to have known that this would happen from the start,” said the Eternal Heaven God Emperor. The way he spoke and looked at Qianye Ying’er had changed slightly since the revelation.

“Heh,” Qianye Ying’er sneered at him, “did I ever say I refuse to accept this?”

“Are you sure you want to…”

“Cut the nonsense!” Qianye Ying’er interrupted him coldly. “From the moment I arrived in the Moon God Realm, I already knew what the outcome would be. Just be our witness and keep your comments and unnecessary meddling to yourself!”

Qianye Ying’er didn’t care to give face to the Eternal Heaven God Emperor. In fact, she had always scorned him for his righteousness and impartialness. On the other hand, there was literally no one she trusted to become a witness other than him. No one except the Eternal Heaven God Emperor himself could assure her that Xia Qingyue and Yun Che wouldn’t break their promise.

“Fine…” Instead of getting angry with Qianye Ying’er, the Eternal Heaven God Emperor sighed softly before saying, “This old one despises the slave imprint, but… just this once, I will be the witness to its ceremony.”

He had never thought that the day he would bear witness to something like this would come. He definitely hadn’t predicted the people who would be involved in the ceremony at least...

Let alone mortals, not even Divine Masters or god emperors could imagine something like this happening. But it was the truth, and it was happening right in front of him.

“You have my early thanks, Eternal Heaven God Emperor.” Xia Qingyue bowed slightly at the Eternal Heaven God Emperor before staring at Qianye Ying’er. “You may speak of your ‘conditions’ now, but I advise you to think carefully before you speak. Don’t forget that this king is the one who gets to decide whether your conditions are acceptable, not you.”

Qianye Ying’er coldly snorted in response, but she was no normal person. Most people thought it was better to die than to accept a slave imprint, but Qianye Ying’er was almost inhumanely calm despite her situation. “Number one, you must cure my father and the Brahma Kings’ poison in at most ten hours after the ceremony is complete!”

“Agreed.” Xia Qingyue accepted her first condition immediately.

Yun Che’s mouth twitched once when he heard this. It  because the sky poison would fade out swiftly on its own in at most four to six hours. Ten hours? Well...

“Number two, you are not allowed to harm me or my profound energy.”

“Qianye Ying’er, not everyone is as despicable and unprincipled as you are,” Xia Qingyue said with ridicule. “This king has already given her word that she wouldn’t harm you or your profound energy before, and she isn’t one to break her promises. After all, you’re required to spend the next couple thousand years as Yun Che’s most loyal servant and protector. It would be foolish to order you to commit suicide or cripple yourself.”

“I trust no one except the Eternal Heaven God Emperor!” Qianye Ying’er said frigidly.

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor sighed quietly before starting, “Moon God Emperor, Yun Che, you are not allowed to order the Brahma Monarch Goddess into self mutiliation or suicide while she’s enslaved, unless it is an accident caused by external forces. Otherwise, you must protect her life and her profound energy until she completes her servitude… do you have any objections?”

“Thank you, Eternal Heaven God Emperor,” Xia Qingyue said. “This king agrees.”

“Number three, you’re not allowed to make me do anything that harms the Brahma Monarch God Realm!” Qianye Ying’er emphasized in a cold tone, “This is my bottomline.”

“Alright.” Again, Xia Qingyue had agreed to her condition without any hesitation. “However, this condition doesn’t apply if the Brahma Monarch God Realm is the one who attacks us first. I’m sure you understand, right?”

“Hmph!” Qianye Ying’er continued, “Number four…”

“Number four?” Xia Qingyue suddenly cut her off and said in an indifferent tone, “You should know the saying ‘there is no fourth time’, don’t you? This king has already consented to your wish earlier and summoned the Eternal Heaven God Emperor as witness. Then, she accepted all three of your conditions without any alteration. But you’re still asking for more even after this king has given so much? Have you already forgotten who’s the master and who’s the beggar here?”

Before Qianye Ying’er could give a reply, Xia Qingyue suddenly changed her tune and continued softly, “Never mind. You are the famous Lady Goddess of the Eastern Divine Region, the proud and noble Qianye Ying’er who’s revered by every man. This king supposes that it is fine for you to enjoy one more condition… speak.”

Qianye Ying’er didn’t shoot back a retort. Finally, for the second time of the day, she looked towards Yun Che and uttered with barely suppressed murder, “No one is allowed to sully my body!”

Yun Che, “...”

This time though, she got a disdainful snort from Xia Qingyue instead of agreement. The woman was even staring at her like she was a hilarious idiot. “This king didn’t realize that Qianye Ying’er, the woman who was feared by all, the enemy who had nearly driven her to the brink of death had such a naive side to her.”

Qianye Ying’er, “...”

“This king can promise that Yun Che would never allow any man or woman to sully your body, but himself… what would it matter even if this king did agree to your condition? You should know how men are, Qianye Ying’er. I can control his will and action, but do you really think I can control his beastial nature?”

Yun Che: ⊙﹏⊙∥

(Did you seriously just say that, Qingyue!? I didn’t even touch a hair on you while we were married for dozens of years… Where is your conscience! Where is it!?)

“And let us not forget you are the famous Lady Goddess, countless people would throw their lives away if they could catch even one glimpse of your countenance, and let us not even mention what the god emperor from the Southern Divine Region would do to seize you. But now, you’re telling me you want a man who has total power over you to not lift a finger against you for three thousand years? Qianye Ying’er, are you trying to make me laugh?”

“???” Yun Che was completely dumbstruck by this turn of events. Wait! Something’s not right! Nominally, I am Xia Qingyue’s husband, and Qianye Ying’er is her most hated enemy. No matter how you looked at it, she should’ve ordered me to never touch her, so why...

Is this a conspiracy!?

Or… is she just humiliating Qianye Ying’er?

“Very well…”

Qianye Ying’er’s lips curled icily, but once again Xia Qingyue interrupted her before she could form a full sentence, “Qianye Ying’er, you should know that this condition of yours would never come true, so the only reason you mentioned this seemingly reasonable, but really laughable request of yours is so that this king wouldn’t be able to turn down your next and final request, correct?”

“You are disgustingly smart.” The temperature behind Qianye Ying’er’s voice abruptly dropped a few degrees lower.

“Heh, thank you for the praise. Unfortunately for you, you won’t be speaking to me like this for a long time to come very soon.” Xia Qingyue narrowed her eyes. “Now speak and tell me your final request. Don’t disappoint me with a boring request!”

Forget Yun Che, not even Qianye Ying’er could equate the Moon God Emperor before her to the delicate and powerless Xia Qingyue at the God Realm of Absolute Beginning several years ago. It was as if there were two completely different people behind that flesh of hers.

Although Qianye Ying’er was driven to this point because of Yun Che’s Sky Poison Pearl, his mastery of light and darkness profound energy, the might of the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor, and her one and only weakness, Xia Qingyue was the one who had strung them all together into the perfect trap.

Even their verbal exchange today was completely dominated by Xia Qingyue… It was to the point where Qianye Ying’er felt suffocated like never before.

Ironically, Qianye Ying’er herself was the biggest reason why a lost Xia Qingyue was able to become the Moon God Emperor she was today!

Finally, Qianye Ying’er revealed her last condition slowly, “Two thousand years of servitude, and no more. This is also my bottomline!”

Her voice was slow and forceful. She sounded like she was warning Xia Qingyue against rejecting her.

If Xia Qingyue agreed to her request, then her period of servitude would be shortened by a third and more.

Qianye Ying’er’s current cultivation gave her a lifespan of around fifty thousand years, meaning that three thousand years was only about a twentieth of her lifespan.

However, time was hardly the thing Qianye Ying’er couldn’t accept the most. It was the shame of becoming another person’s slave!

Every day she served under Yun Che was a day of impossible shame!

But there was no escaping her fate. Not only was Yun Che the only one who could cure the Brahma Heaven God Emperor, her failure to drive Yun Che into a dead end when she planted the Brahma Soul Death-Wishing Mark actually came back to bite her and drive herself into a corner today.

There was no sense in regretting at this point. Right now, the only thing she could bargain over was time.

Forget a thousand years, she would accept a reduction of a hundred years, or even a tenth of that.

At first, Qianye Ying’er thought that Xia Qingyue would reject her offer without hesitation. She thought that they would be sparring with words for a bit and arrive at a final “bargain” in the end. But Xia Qingyue’s reaction once again completely exceeded expectations. When she saw a mechanical, emotionless smile crossing Xia Qingyue’s lips, she immediately had a feeling that Xia Qingyue had predicted what her final request would be a long time ago.

Xia Qingyue opened her mouth and said something that stunned even the Eternal Heaven God Emperor. “One thousand years.”

Qianye Ying’er immediately frowned at the unexpected reply.

“Yun Che,” Xia Qingyue turned slightly, “Is that enough for you?”

Understanding her meaning, Yun Che nodded and replied, “Mn. That’s enough.”

“Good.” Xia Qingyue continued with a smile that was completely detached and cold, “You heard him, Qianye Ying’er. You wish to reduce your sentence by a thousand years? This king agrees, and reduces your sentence by another one thousand years. Is there anything else you would like to say?”

“Heh, hehe…” Qianye Ying’er sneered, “Your ability to scheme is far better than that trash Yue Wuya, Xia Qingyue.”

“This king will take that as a compliment.” Xia Qingyue didn’t look angered at all by the comment.

“Good, a thousand years… a thousand years…” Her gaze passed through her mask and fell on Yun Che briefly… The price of saving her father and the eight Brahma Kings was a period of servitude of one thousand years. Since her mother’s death, this was the first time she had sacrificed herself for anyone in countless years. Even “better”, it was a kind of sacrifice that almost no one could accept.

If none of this had happened, Qianye Ying’er herself wouldn’t believe that she could go this far.

Just like Xia Qingyue had told Yun Che earlier, when a person was selfish in the extreme, the only familial tie she had left would actually become the one thing she couldn’t lose no matter what.

Who knew—who could even believe—that Qianye Ying’er, the selfish and almighty Lady Goddess whose only goal in life was the pursuit of ultimate power... would willingly call another person her master to save her father’s life?

At the very least, neither Yun Che nor the Eternal Heaven God Emperor had seen this coming. The Eternal Heaven God Emperor thought that he knew the Brahma Monarch Goddess well enough, but her actions today had completely defied his expectations. His shock was at least several times bigger than Yun Che’s.

“So, your conditions are to treat the Brahma Monarch God Emperor and the eight Brahma Kings’ accidental poisoning within ten hours, to not harm your life or your profound energy, to not force you to harm the Brahma Monarch God Realm, and to reduce your sentence from three thousand years to one thousand years,” Xia Qingyue reiterated unhurriedly. “This king has agreed to all of your requests, and you don’t have to worry about us breaking our promise with the Eternal Heaven God Emperor acting as the witness… You still have time to change your mind, you know. After all, how can the life of a god emperor and eight Brahma Kings possibly compare to one thousand years of the Brahma Monarch Goddess’ freedom?”

“Hmph! Save your childish provocations for someone else.” Qianye Ying’er’s hands tightened bit by bit as her lips—a pair of things more perfect that even the prettiest of flowers—trembled slightly. “Xia Qingyue, Yun Che… don’t you forget what you said today. Don’t you forget… what happened today!”

“Of course. It would be a shame to forget a wonderful day like this, don’t you agree?” Xia Qingyue said with a half-smile.

Qianye Ying’er closed her eyes while breathing heavily. Eventually, a slow, desolate voice slipped out of her mouth. “Now… let… us… begin!”

Obviously, Qianye Ying’er would like to push this as far back as possible. However… Qianye Fantian’s condition simply couldn’t be delayed any longer.

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