Against the Gods

Chapter 1865 - Plans

“Of course, if the idea really is that detestable to you, then you can pretend that you’ve never heard of this. There is no one left in the world who can force you to do anything.”

Chi Wuyao then blamed herself dramatically, “I’m so sorry, but this is the only way I can think of to take over the world in half a year’s time... unless you have a master plan you would like to share with me now, o’ magnificent one?”

“... who is your choice for the Southern Divine Region?” Yun Che asked seriously.

The Southern Divine Region only had three male god emperors left after the destruction of the Southern Sea Realm... Chi Wuyao couldn’t be plotting to choose a random woman and make her his consort, could she?

Chi Wuyao smiled at Yun Che’s expression before replying, “Obviously, the Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm is our best choice. Cang Shitian is extremely loyal to you right now. You don’t know this, but he even called himself your mad dog during the earlier battle.”

Yun Che frowned a little before lowering his voice, “Devil Queen, are you seriously going to elevate Cang Shitian in an important position?”

“Of course,” Chi Wuyao replied smilingly.

“When the situation is bad, gamble; when the situation is good, play it safe. That’s what you always say,” Yun Che said. “Cang Shitian may be a god emperor, but he is an impetuous, twisted man whose modus operandi is illogical to the point where it is almost unpredictable. I can barely tolerate the idea of letting him live, much less making use of him. So why?”

Still smiling, Chi Wuyao said in a serene tone, “You are correct. A mad dog is difficult to control, and no one can predict when he will turn on his master. Unfortunately... a mad dog is exactly what you need right now.”

Yun Che: “?”

“It’s simple.” Chi Wuyao explained, “Right now, there are countless people who hate you to the bone. For example, those who lost their loved ones or even entire families in your war.”

“Even worse than this is the million-year-long perception the three Divine Regions have had toward the Northern Divine Region. They could pretend to accept the ‘devil people’ and their darkness profound energy, but it doesn’t take a genius to know that they are a long, long way away from truly accepting things.”

“The one and only way to deal with these uncontrollable elements that may turn into huge threats in the future... is to eliminate them quickly and ruthlessly.”

“However, this type of dirty work cannot be done by the Devil Master himself. The ‘devil people’ are a poor choice as well. With that in mind, who better than the ‘mad dog’ who ‘betrayed’ the Southern Divine Region for the Devil Master a long time ago to bear this ill reputation?”

“...” Yun Che’s expression was half parts astonishment and half parts realization.

“Chief Enforcer,” Chi Wuyao voiced the words slowly. “This is the new title I have prepared for him. Just give me the nod, and he will be reborn with a whole new identity.”

“You want a man who detests the very concept of law and order to act as my ‘enforcer’?” Yun Che shook his head smilingly. “You are the only one who can come up with these types of ideas.”

“He will enjoy his new role thoroughly. At the very least, he will enjoy it a thousand times more than being a god emperor.” Suddenly, Chi Wuyao changed her tune. “But of course, there have to be some restrictions. A ruler is an amalgamation of two faces. The one on the outside must be as clean as a virgin silver, and the one on the inside must be as black as sin itself.”

Yun Che knuckled his glabella for a bit. Chi Wuyao’s bite-sized “How to Become a Ruler 101” knowledge was starting to give him a headache.

When he was the Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace Palace Master, he basically dumped all his responsibilities on Murong Qianxue and the girls. Maybe he could do the same here?

Actually, judging from Chi Wuyao’s expression, she already knew what he was going to do to her...

Yun Che shook off his muddy thoughts and said in a surrendering tone, “Fine, we’ll do as you say.”

Right now, his foremost desire was to take control of the world, eliminate all those small but unignorable threats, and reunite with everyone in the Blue Pole Star.

All this ruling stuff wasn’t his forte anyway, so he might as well follow Chi Wuyao’s plan to the letter.

............

Some time later, the realms reunited at the center of the ruined Deep Sea God Realm.

After a day or so of rest, thanks to the dark resonance of Calamity and Misfortune, the northern region profound practitioners had mostly recovered from their recent plight. Their eyes had shed the pain of losing their loved ones and the joy of having reversed their fates, and they had regained their dark determination once more.

“What is the situation?” Yun Che scanned everyone present before asking.

Fen Daoqi took a step forward before reporting, “We have not yet regained our full strength, but we are capable of carrying out our duties now. The Western Divine Region is currently knee-deep in panic, and the Dragon God Realm, the Emperor Chi Realm, the Hui Dragon Realm and the Myriad Manifestations Realm especially are in total chaos. This is a good chance to suppress them once and for all.”

“Please command us to carry out the suppression right now. By the time we reach our destination, we will have regained around seventy percent of our strength, so worry not about our capabilities, Your Magnificence. Once we enter the Western Divine Region, we will slaughter all opposition and bring you glory!”

“...” The Qilin Emperor shook a little and looked like he wanted to say something. In the end though, he chose to stay silent.

However, the Blue Dragon Emperor had no such inhibitions. She suddenly took a step forward and said, “Divine Masters of the Northern Divine Region, you have slaughtered the Divine Masters of the Dragon God Realm, the Emperor Chi Realm, the Hui Dragon Realm, and the Myriad Manifestations Realm. The Blue Dragon Realm and the Qilin Realm have also submitted to you, and given our word that we would persuade the fellow people of the Western Divine Region to submit to you peacefully. So why do you still need to carry out a forceful suppression?”

“Are you joking?” Fen Daoqi’s respectful tone turned icy in an instant. There was no love lost between him and a member of the Western Divine Region. “If the dregs are left untouched, they will become a threat in the future! Also, did you already forget the Blue Dragon Realm lives only because His Magnificence granted you his mercy? How dare you question his decision already!”

Heart thumping like crazy, the Qilin Emperor hurriedly stepped out and said, “Please quell your anger, Your Magnificence. The Blue Dragon Emperor didn’t mean to offend you. She is stepping out of line only because she dislikes conflict and cannot bear to watch the blood of the Western Divine Region be spilled. Please forgive her indiscretion.”

“She can’t bear to watch the blood of the Western Divine Region be spilled?” Yun Che sneered as he side-eyed the Blue Dragon Emperor. “Who was the one who spilled the blood of the Northern Divine Region for a million years then, and where were you when it happened? Where were you when I was betrayed by those animals, and my even saving of the world was hidden from the people? Have you ever spoken a single word in my defense?”

“...” The Blue Dragon Emperor’s lips parted, but she couldn’t think of a single word to defend herself.

“Ac... actually,” the Qilin Emperor protested weakly, “at the edge of the Primal Chaos, the Blue Dragon Emperor did intend to speak in defense of you back then. I... I was the one who stopped her from doing so. I swear on the Qilin’s name that every word I have said is true.”

The only response Yun Che had was a disdainful snort.

“Calm down, you two.” It was at this moment Chi Wuyao interrupted with a smile. “His Magnificence never said that he will suppress the Western Divine Region by force, did he? Also, the Northern Divine Region is sorely injured right now. If it’s possible to take control of the Western Divine Region without wasting a single life, why wouldn’t we opt for such a method?”

Forget the Qilin Emperor and the Blue Dragon Emperor, even the northern region profound practitioners were surprised by her words.

“Of course... that is only if you two are able to control the Western Divine Region to that extent.” Chi Wuyao was smiling, but her voice grew several degrees more intimidating than before.

Overjoyed, the Qilin Emperor swallowed his excitement and said, “Yes, yes, Her Majesty is completely correct. Don’t worry, Your Magnificence, Your Majesty, the qilin race and blue dragon race are only second to the dragon god race in terms of reputation. Now that the Dragon Gods have perished, the people of the Western Divine Region will surely look to us as their leaders. I promise—”

“You promise, but how are you going to go about this task, exactly?” Yun Che suddenly spoke up in a cold voice.

The startled Qilin Emperor immediately bowed his head before Yun Che’s invisible might. He forced himself to say, “I... I will do my best. I... will accept any punishment if I fail to fulfill my promise.”

“Those are some bold words. It’s a shame that your promise is worth nothing to us.” Chi Wuyao’s words shut up the Qilin Emperor like a clamp.

She continued, “Without exception, all four divine regions look to the king realms as their heads. The head of the Northern Divine Region need not be said. The head of the Eastern Divine Region used to be the Eternal Heaven Realm, Moon God Realm, Brahma Monarch Realm and Star God Realm, but now only the latter two realms are left. Thankfully, there is a way around this. The god emperor of the Brahma Monarch Realm is His Magnificence’s future consort. The Star God Realm is half dead, but the Heavenly Wolf Star God is still present. She can take over as the Star God Emperor. However weak it may have become, the Star God Realm is still a long-time king realm.”

“Finally, Snow Song Realm King Mu Xuanyin slew the Crimson Destruction Dragon God in one strike during yesterday’s battle. This achievement alone puts her above all king realm god emperors. Considering the decline of the Eastern Divine Region, she alone can elevate the Snow Song Realm from a middle star realm to a king realm. Once His Magnificence takes her as his consort, no one will dare to question the Snow Song Realm’s legitimacy as the third and new king realm of the Eastern Divine Region!”

“Once the god emperors of the future king realms of the Eastern Divine Region all become His Magnificence’s imperial consorts, peace is but the foregone conclusion.”

Qianye Ying’er: “...”

Caizhi: “......”

Mu Xuanyin: “.........”

Everyone in the northern region faction was stunned beyond words.

“The two of you though... you and the western region king realms you command are outsiders. You are not ‘family’. With that said, how can we trust you more than we trust our own to influence the Western Divine Region? Do you two understand what I’m saying?” Chi Wuyao side-eyed the Qilin Emperor and the Blue Dragon Emperor.

“What about you, Qilin Emperor?”

“...” The Qilin Emperor was an incredibly wise man. His confusion only lasted half a breath before realization struck him, and he abruptly dropped to one knee. He declared, “You are completely right, Your Majesty! In that case, if this old one may say so, he would like His Magnificence to take the Blue Dragon Emperor as his consort.”

Jaws hit the floor the second the people made sense of his words. The Blue Dragon Emperor was in the middle of figuring out Chi Wuyao’s meaning when she heard this and felt like a lightning bolt had hit her. She turned toward the Qilin Emperor and exclaimed uncontrollably, “Wh... what did you just say!?”

Contrary to the Blue Dragon Emperor’s shock, the Qilin Emperor calmed down and said seriously, “The Devil Master is the successor of the Heretic God and the Devil Emperor. He is an existence who surpasses all who live and breathe in the Primal Chaos. In just a couple of years, he has both saved the world from destruction and terrorized it with his unparalleled power. Be it in terms of power or prestige, there are none who can surpass him, be it now or before.”

“With such qualifications, who but he deserves to rule the Primal Chaos? Who but he deserves to become its first true emperor!? With that in mind, isn’t it natural that he will take only god emperors as his consorts?”

“If His Magnificence accepts the Blue Dragon Emperor as a consort, the Western Divine Region will no longer be an ‘outsider’ force so to speak. The combination of the blue dragon race one-million-year-long reputation and the Blue Dragon Emperor’s new status will surely speed up the elimination of the seeds of disloyalty in the Western Divine Region as well. Also, as His Magnificence’s imperial consort, she will naturally work even harder to support him, and we, the qilin race, will assist Consort Blue Dragon in guiding and affirming the will of the Western Divine Region as well.”

Yun Che didn’t wrong the Qilin Emperor when he called him an old fox earlier. Not only had he figured out Chi Wuyao’s intentions and acted accordingly, he even changed the way he addressed the Blue Dragon Emperor to Consort Blue Dragon!

He wasn’t even speaking against his own will. Clearly, the old man could barely keep his excitement and joy from bubbling out of control.

“That is a good suggestion you have there, Qilin Emperor,” Chi Wuyao praised before looking at the obviously distressed Blue Dragon Emperor. “It looks like His Magnificence doesn’t dislike this particular idea either. What about you, Blue Dragon Emperor?”

The Blue Dragon Emperor was about to reply when the Qilin Emperor’s urgent sound transmission entered her ears. “Blue God Emperor! I understand what you’re feeling, but ‘Consort Blue Dragon’ is just a title. To the Devil Master, marrying you will allow him to kickstart a massive momentum to seize the Western Divine Region. To the Western Divine Region, this is also good news. If the marriage goes through, the amount of casualties will be kept to a minimum. The Blue Dragon Realm especially will gain a level of protection the other realms can’t even hope to gain!”

“There is no one left to stop Yun Che from becoming the Emperor of the Primal Chaos. To become his consort is an honor, not a mark of shame.”

“If you reject this, things will devolve into the worst case scenario which you hope to avoid! It may even become worse than our imaginations!”

“So you mustn’t reject this no matter what! You mustn’t!!”

“...” The Blue Dragon Emperor was well aware that she didn’t have the right to turn this down.

If she dared to reject the Devil Master’s proposal, forget the Western Divine Region, she and her people might not even be able to walk out of this place alive.

A couple of deep breaths later, she said slowly, “If I agree to this... will you promise not to trample over the Western Divine Region, Your Magnificence?”

“Promise? Hah!” Yun Che barked out a laugh of utter disdain. “It looks like I’ll have to correct your misperception, Blue Dragon Emperor. You are not sacrificing yourself to become my imperial consort. I am the one who’s gifting you the opportunity to become my imperial consort! With that said, how dare you request me to grant you a promise on top of a gift?”

“...” The Blue Dragon Emperor ground her teeth visibly. The Blue Dragon Divine Attendant standing behind her hurriedly gave her sleeves a tug.

The Blue Dragon Emperor was naturally mild-tempered. She was fine being unwed despite having become a god emperor for a hundred thousand years. Individually, marrying the Devil Master was a huge personal sacrifice. Generally, she could scarcely imagine the day she met her ancestors in the afterlife. The Blue Dragon Emperor becoming another person’s consort? It was unthinkable!

As if that wasn’t enough, she had to endure the Devil Master’s verbal humiliation even before she accepted the “proposal”!

Chi Wuyao’s lips curled into a half smile as she spoke, “You may not see it that way, but the title is ultimately just a title; a tool that we are using to the benefit of both of us. After that, whether you can truly win His Magnificence’s affection is up to your own abilities.”

“The Devil Master’s harem has always faced fierce competition. Even the Brahma Monarch Goddess herself has abandoned her duties as a god emperor repeatedly just to stick by His Magnificence’s side all day and night. In the future, the competition is only going to become a hundred times worse. Sigh. Woe is us.”

“Hmph!” Qianye Ying’er humphed through her nose.

Yun Che: “...”

Somehow, Chi Wuyao’s words caused the Blue Dragon Emperor’s taunt muscles to relax a little. After she had collected herself, she replied, “Understood. I will obey as His Magnificence and Her Majesty commands.”

“Very good.” Chi Wuyao narrowed her naturally flirtatious eyes a little. “Since both parties have consented to this arrangement, it is officially decided that His Magnificence shall accept the Blue Dragon Emperor as his consort. The wedding ceremony shall take place at the same time as His Magnificence’s coronation ceremony. Naturally, you will announce this wonderful news to the Western Divine Region yourself, Blue Dragon Emperor.”

The Blue Dragon Emperor clenched her fingers until they turned white. Her voice sounded perfectly calm, however. “Understood. I will announce this to the Western Divine Region immediately after my return.”

Chi Wuyao nodded slowly. “As expected of the Blue Dragon Emperor. I am starting to like you more and more. Who knows, His Magnificence may truly come to like you one day.”

“...I graciously accept your blessing, Your Majesty.” The Blue Dragon Emperor just barely squeezed the words through her teeth without losing her cool.

The Qilin Emperor bloomed into a smile and congratulated them. “Congratulations, Your Magnificence. Congratulations, Consort Blue Dragon.”

Yun Che didn’t respond at all. The Blue Dragon Emperor looked like her features were frozen in ice. The Qilin Emperor only managed half a turn before he wisely took half a step backward with an awkward smile on his face.

Meanwhile, Qianye Ying’er was glaring at the Blue Dragon Emperor’s long, pale legs like murder. She knew that this was Chi Wuyao’s ploy, and she fully acknowledged that it was an extremely intelligent one. That was no reason not to suspect that Yun Che was actually lusting for the Blue Dragon Emperor though!

After all, the Blue Dragon Emperor’s legs were a pair of masterpieces like nothing in the world could compare to. Even she had to admit she was envious after just a couple of glances.

“Lastly, we shall speak of the Southern Divine Region.” Chi Wuyao finally turned her gaze onto Cang Shitian.

“The Devil Master now has consorts from the Northern, Eastern, and Western Divine Region. Naturally, he needs a consort from the Southern Divine Region as well.” Chi Wuyao’s eyes glowed dark and bright. “There are no suitable candidates among the Xuanyuan Realm and the Purple Micro Realm, so my apologies, God Emperor Shitian, but you will have to make a great sacrifice.”

“[email protected]#\%...” Cang Shitian felt like death was crawling across scalp. The man who normally feared nothing was literally shaking from head to toe right now. He forced himself to say, “Y-y-y-y-your Majesty, the heavens as my witness, Shitian is absolutely loyal to His Magnificence, b--b-b-but... I don’t do homosexual, so... this is probably detrimental to His Magnificence’s reputation as well, so... can we p-p-p-p-please reconsider this... Your Majesty? Your Magnificence?”