Against the Gods

Chapter 2097 - Invasion of the Fog Monarch

Yun Che: “...”

“She was brought back to the dragon race because she boasted the aura of the Ancestral Dragon, but no one claimed her as their child when they asked around. Eventually, it was believed that she was a mixed blood between an Ancestral Dragon and a human.”

“How is her life with the dragons?” Yun Che asked. This was the question he was most concerned about.

Meng Jianxi thought for a moment and gave him a clear answer. “Although she is a mixed blood, Long Xi’s status in the dragon race is extremely high. One would even say she was special.”

“She is adored by the ruler of the dragon race, the one they call the Dragon Lord. Not only did he bestow her a personal territory of her own, he strictly forbade anyone from offending or bullying her because of her foreign bloodline. No one is allowed to enter her territory or even greet her without permission.”

“Why’s that?” Yun Che asked almost subconsciously.

“It’s simple. Because Long Xi’s profound talent is exceedingly high.” Meng Jianxi used the word “exceedingly” without any hesitation. “It was difficult for dragons to reproduce to begin with, and their cultivation speed is far inferior to that of humans. In fact, the Ancestral Dragons only had one junior this generation, and his name is Long Wangchu. Despite investing the dragon race’s greatest resources in him, he just barely entered the Divine Master Realm at the age of three hundred and sixty.”

“That said, Long Wangchu has been suddenly improving by leaps and bounds in the past sixty years or so. He is now four hundred and eighty years old and a late-stage Divine Master. Everyone’s guessing that he is awakening some sort of innate latent talent.”

Meng Jianxi continued, “As for the collateral branches, there are only a handful of them that are worthy of mention. That is why Long Xi’s profound talent astounded the entire dragon race when it was first revealed.”

“According to the rumors, Long Xi was extremely reclusive even when she was at a young age. She was unwilling to make contact with anyone nor accept any resource from the dragon race. Despite this, she was able to become a Divine Sovereign at the age of eleven, and a Divine Maser at the age of fifteen via her own effort. It was such shocking news that the Dragon Lord left his secluded cultivation prematurely.”

To become a Divine Master at the age of fifteen without relying on any resources? It made Long Wangchu, the guy who took a hundred and eighty years to become a Divine Master despite enjoying the dragon race’s greatest resources, look like absolute garbage.

Meng Jianxi sighed in admiration, “To reach Divine Master Realm at the age of fifteen without relying on any high level resources is no small feat. Forget the dragon race, she would have been a legend even in the Kingdom of God... at the very least, you and I are no match for her.”

“This is why the Scarfaced Dragon Girl is well known even among the Kingdoms of God.”

“I heard that her scars appeared when she was fifteen?” Yun Che asked slowly and calmly.

Meng Jianxi frowned a little and spent a long time trying to recall the memory. Finally, he nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. According to the intel gathered by the Xuanji Pavilion, Long Xi was astoundingly beautiful even when she was just a prepubescent girl, and countless dragons were drawn to her like bees to honey. Long Wangchu especially begged the Dragon Lord to bestow him Long Xi many times...”

Bang!

A crack suddenly appeared on the tea table Yun Che was resting his hand on, and Meng Jianxi’s voice cut short.

Yun Che lifted his hand and gave him a small smile. “Sorry, I’m at the brink of a breakthrough, so sometimes I can\'t quite control my profound energy. Please continue.”

Meng Jianxi lowered his gaze and continued in the same tone as before, “As Long Xi’s talent is so high that it astounded the entire Abyss, the Dragon Lord naturally wished for a union between her and Long Wangchu... and as you said, that is the year she suddenly gained a pair of horrifying scars. It also scared Long Wanghu into forgetting his desire for her.”

“Brother Yuan, are you suspecting that Long Xi went so far as to destroy her own face... just to fend off her suitors?”

“...” Yun Che did not say anything, but he also didn’t deny it.

Meng Jianxi thought for a moment but could not accept his logic. “But... all women naturally value their countenance. Girls in particular view their beauty more importantly than their own life. Besides, Long Wangchu is the only direct descendant of the Ancestral Dragon. In the future, he is certain to become the next Dragon Lord. if Long Xi attaches herself to him, she would have become the Dragon Queen and enjoy the pinnacle luxury of the dragons.”

“To say that she went so far as to destroy her face just to avoid becoming the Dragon Queen, it just...”

Doesn’t sound logical to Meng Jianxi at all.

The corners of Yun Che’s lips twitched into something resembling a twisted sneer. “Not even the loneliest, youngest phoenix would ever fall in love with a village chicken with bright feathers.”

“Er...” Meng Jianxi paused as if something was caught in his throat before moving on as if nothing had happened. “If that is true, then the Scarfaced Dragon Girl truly is one of the fiercest and most vicious women I’ve ever heard.”

“You mentioned that Long Xi was treated very well in the dragon race. So, despite her rejection, the Dragon Lord did not get angry with her or force her into submission?” Yun Che asked as calmly as ever... but the only thing that was calm was his voice.

“As far as I can tell from the intel we collected, yes,” Meng Jianxi declared with certainty. “The Dragon Lord has lived for a very long time. He is mild-natured and broad-minded. If Long Xi really destroyed her own face, he might even feel guilty for asking her about this. In fact, some more believable rumors claimed that the Dragon Lord had openly wanted to adopt Long Xi as his daughter in public many times, though he was rebuffed every time.”

“The fact he is so desperate to adopt Long Xi at least proves that he is fond of her beyond measure. Naturally, he would treat her well. Also, a believable rumor stated that Long Xi’s territory was almost a forbidden zone open to none but herself. Due to the Dragon Lord’s strict order, no one dares to enter it without permission. This is clearly more evidence of his fondness for her.”

“Also, I have never heard of her being bullied or rebuffed by the dragons despite her mixed blood. In fact... she is the one who treated all dragons like strangers. It is why everyone in the dragon race viewed her similarly and stayed a long distance from her.”

“One more thing. Four days ago, a strange wind suddenly blew at the Ancestral Dragon Mountain Range. It seems like someone has entered the Divine Extinction Realm, but the commotion was far greater than your usual Divine Extinction Realm breakthrough.”

“Assuming it really is the phenomenon of a breakthrough, whoever the Half God was must be astoundingly talented... I personally believe it is Long Xi.”

Meng Jianxi stopped there.

The dragons were the only Beasts left in the Abyss, and they rarely made contact with the outside world because they were too busy surviving. Naturally, the six Kingdoms of God had few reasons to pay attention to the dragons. The fact that Meng Jianxi knew about Long Xi to this extent was a commendable trait. It showed just how much effort he put into realizing his ambitions in the past century. It was too bad that Yun Che appeared out of nowhere and crushed them ruthlessly.

As an intelligent man, Meng Jianxi gave many answers but asked very few questions.

Yun Che did not press him for more answers either.

Suddenly, Yun Che asked a completely unrelated question, “Divine son Xi, have you heard of a woman with the surname Xia in recent years? The location doesn’t matter.”

“Xia?” Meng Jianxi thought for a brief moment before shaking his head. “I’ve never heard of this surname.”

“Got it.” Yun Che nodded and rose to his feet. “Starting now, I want to be updated on every Divine Child’s activity as soon as possible. All of them, and no matter how minor the change is. Do not hesitate to report to me at any time. If I am cultivating, pass the message to Lu Laisheng. He will inform me about it when I finish.”

From Meng Jianxi’s point of view, Yun Che was officially inserting himself as the Dreamweaver Divine Son.

He immediately replied, “I understand. Don’t worry, Brother Yuan. Be it verified or unverified rumors, I will transfer it all to you. I’m sure you’ll be able to determine their validity yourself.”

“Very good. You may leave.”

After Meng Jianxi was gone, the fake calmness Yun Che had been wearing this whole time finally cracked.

He closed his eyes and let out a deep, murky sigh.

Although the horrifying scars on Long Xi’s face remained lodged inside his heart like a pair of poisonous thorns to this day, at the very least, her life in the dragon race was peaceful and sufficiently luxurious.

It felt as if much of the burden and worry in his heart had disappeared without a trace.

......

“I’m strong now. I can already protect myself. And I even found a way to ‘wake’ mother up... Now that I don’t need or want any support, you just had to ‘timely’ appear!”

“I also don’t hate you. If mother wants to see you again after I save her, I won’t stop her. But before then, please do not bother us! Because the only thing you bring is disaster!”

“Treat it as me begging you.”

......

Long Xi’s calm yet heart-wrenching words had replayed inside his soul sea countless times.

Long Xi... my daughter... please treat yourself well. You’re right. I am drowning in myriad tribulations and disasters right now. If I approach you by force, I will only disturb your peace and bring you untold disasters...

I won’t let you wait too long though... even though you’ve never waited for me or expected anything for me.

You are Shen Xi\'s and my daughter. The scars in your heart, and the scars on your face... one day, I will heal it all.

At the very least, I hope you will give me the chance to make it up to you.

I hope I can one day hear you call me “Father” from the bottom of your heart.

Dragon race... I have heard of your benevolence to Long Xi. When all is said and done, I will repay this favor ten thousand fold.

The Abyss must be destroyed, but even so, I swear I will do everything in my power to ensure your survival!

......

Time passed slowly amidst the constant flow of abyssal dust. Before you know it, a year had passed since Yun Che arrived at the Dreamweaver Kingdom of God.

It was also the most chaotic year the Abyss had witnessed in recent years.

This was especially true for the Lands of the Living bordering the Endless Fog. To say that the atmosphere here was anomalous would be an understatement. And why was that? Because a monarch had appeared in the Endless Fog... no, scratch that. A monarch who ruled the Endless Fog since time immemorial had deigned to show himself.

His name was... the Fog Monarch.

At first, when the name “Fog Monarch” was first spoken, everyone thought that it was a pathetic trick by some audacious scum. Whoever did it must be in a hurry to dig their own grave, they all thought.

Each time the Fog Monarch showed up however, he would cause bigger and bigger waves outside of the Endless Fog.

Legend has it that the fog Monarch could manipulate abyssal dust and control abyssal beasts. He could even cure the absolutely incurable malady known as abyssal corruption with the flick of a finger.

The legends kept growing more and more ridiculous, exaggerated, and hilarious... but slowly, surely, more and more people found themselves unable to laugh at the rumors anymore.

It was because the Fog Monarch kept appearing, proving that he wasn’t just some legend cooked up by some insane sinner. More and more people saw him with their own eyes every day.

It was an experience that completely overturned what they knew of the world too.

Once abyssal corruption entered the heart, the victim could not be rescued. This was common sense for everyone living in the Abyss.

In fact, abyssal corruption was easily the main cause of death in the Abyss. Ninety percent of people who died in the Abyss died because of it.

Most of the Beasts went extinct because of abyssal corruption as well.

The appearance of the Fog Monarch tore this knowledge asunder.

As more and more victims who absolutely should have perished to abyssal dust were rescued by the Fog Monarch, the scornful laughter turned into suspicion, and the suspicion turned into hope...

In fact, since ten months ago, a large number of people bearing abyssal corruption or those carrying friends and family and beloved who were doomed to die to abyssal corruption would appear at the edge of the Endless Fog. They would search for the Endless Fog and beg for his appearance so they might receive his legendary blessing.

Then, two months ago, the Fog Monarch appeared and cured over a thousand people of abyssal corruption in the span of a few breaths...