novel against the - Chapter 2065

Chapter 2065: The supreme-ruler Venerable’s Wrath

A tremor rippled through space, simultaneously felt across most of the Zhetian Divine Kingdom. In the central Divine Domain, all the Xuan practitioners froze. The entire domain seemed enveloped by an invisible cauldron, bringing an oppressive suffocation that left them breathless. Hua Fucheng’s robes billowed, his long hair wildly scattered. The suddenly unleashed power of a True supreme-ruler plunged the entire Sword Pavilion into a raging abyss, every breath turning into a frigid sword imbued with boundless rage and killing intent.

“Damn…it…” Hua Fucheng’s originally gentle and handsome features were distorted as if pulled and twisted by invisible threads, almost beyond recognition. With a deafening boom, he burst from the Sword Pavilion, the terrifying air blast tearing space apart. But just as he was about to escape, three green sword beams appeared before him, aimed directly at his eyes. Hua Fucheng stopped abruptly, the fury in his eyes seemingly torn apart by the sword beams, restoring a sliver of clarity.

“Haven’t you had enough of the bitter fruit of impulsiveness in your younger years?”

Hua Qingying’s cold voice came from behind him, like icy rain washing over him, a cold spring cleansing his soul. Hua Fucheng’s chest heaved violently. After several breaths, he slowly turned around:

“How can I remain calm in this situation!”

Even supreme-rulers can experience a breakdown of reason. If not, it only means they haven’t yet encountered something they truly care about. Hua Qingying met his gaze, her voice carrying a soul-piercing sword intent:

“Don’t you want to know the whole story?”

With a semblance of reason returning, Hua Fucheng remembered that Hua Cai Li had been accompanied by Hua Qingying throughout her year of training. With her by her side, how could she have left the Sword Pavilion? Hua Fucheng forcibly suppressed the rage that felt like an uncontrolled demon in his chest, slowly walking back:

“Alright…tell me.”

The sword intent in Hua Qingying’s eyes subsided, and she spoke calmly:

“The matter between Cai Li and Yun Che, ultimately, was orchestrated by me.”

Hua Fucheng’s brows furrowed, but he remained silent, listening intently as she continued.

“Their encounter began in an independent land near the Mist Sea, a place called the Lin Yuan Realm,” Hua Qingying recounted their meeting, their accidental reunion in the Mist Sea, Yun Che’s rescue, his departure, and their subsequent encounter in the Mist Sea… Finally, Hua Fucheng spoke in a low voice:

“You mean, you deliberately asked Cai Li…to travel with that boy?”

“Yes.”

Hua Qingying slowly closed her eyes… It was her decision that led to everything that followed. However, as a Sword Immortal, she remained completely unaware, and utterly incapable of believing, that her decision was made under Yun Che’s subtle guidance and suggestions.

“Why?”

Hua Fucheng shook his head slowly, his face full of incomprehension:

“Qingying, I know your character better than anyone. You are devoted to the sword, you care deeply for Cai Li, and nothing else can capture your attention. How could you…how could you…”

Hua Qingying said slowly:

“Because he repeatedly displayed things I couldn’t comprehend.”

Curiosity is an innate nature of humans and all living beings. Often, its power can even surpass everything else. No one is immune.

“You…couldn’t comprehend?”

These five simple words were utterly foreign to Hua Fucheng. Although Hua Qingying wasn’t a True supreme-ruler, her cognitive realm was second to none in the Six Divine Kingdoms. How could a mere Level 3 supreme-ruler Sovereign boy make her say “incomprehensible”?

“I promised Cai Li to keep his secret. Therefore, I cannot elaborate. However, there is one thing…though I feel guilty towards Cai Li and Yun Che, I should tell you.”

“Yun Che…”

Hua Qingying’s voice softened, uttering words that would be earth-shattering in the Abyssal World:

“Can use Light Profound Energy.”

She revealed this secret to Hua Fucheng for a clear reason and purpose. Those who possess Light Profound Energy must have an extremely pure body and soul. It was because Yun Che had “exposed” his Light Profound Energy that she subconsciously lowered her guard against him.

“What? Light Profound Energy?”

Amidst the fury Hua Fucheng had been desperately suppressing, a strong shock finally squeezed out. Hua Qingying glanced at him:

“Upon hearing about Cai Li and Yun Che, you must be furious, and your initial judgment of Yun Che is entirely negative. I am breaking my promise to reveal this secret to you, hoping that you will not be overly influenced by your emotions when judging this matter.”

Hua Fucheng remained silent for a long time before slowly saying:

“What happened next?”

“Brother Yun, this is my Sword Pavilion. When I was seven, Father supreme-ruler gave it to me. I usually practice swordsmanship here… Look! These are all the swords I’ve used since I was little. Once I’ve used a sword, my aunt won’t allow anyone else to touch it.”

“Look over there! That’s the Folding Sword Tower, inscribed with almost all the sword techniques in the world, except for the Zhetian Sword Technique. But Aunt never lets me go there, saying that those techniques are not worthy of me, and would only distract my sword heart.”

“That place emitting strange sword beams is called the Myriad Swords Tempering Heart Array, a place for comprehending sword intent… Ah, another light?? That’s the dimensional array personally set up by Uncle Yuan Huang. Each Divine Kingdom has one, connecting the Six Divine Kingdoms and the Pure Land, but each activation requires a lot of energy, so it’s usually only used during major events.” Hua Cai Li introduced her place of growth to Yun Che in great detail, eager to show every aspect of her life to Yun Che, to integrate it into his life.

“This is my sleeping quarters.”

“Ah… Elder Sister!!”

Hua Lianzhi exclaimed, but could only watch helplessly as Hua Cai Li pulled Yun Che into the Divine Maiden’s sleeping quarters. Because no man had ever entered Hua Cai Li’s sleeping quarters… including her Father supreme-ruler At this moment, no matter how much Hua Lianzhi didn’t want to believe it, she had to see the signs.

“Ugh!!”

Hua Cai Li threw herself onto the soft bed, then took a long breath of the faint sandalwood fragrance:

“So comfortable. The thing I missed most during my year away was my soft bed.”

Yun Che shook his head with a wry smile:

“Your sister Lianzhi is probably terrified by you.”

Hua Cai Li got up and hugged him, softly saying:

“Among all my sisters, Lianzhi and Biyi are closest to me. Don’t worry, they won’t say anything.”

“I suddenly remembered that no man has ever been in my sleeping quarters before, Brother Yun is the first, oh.”

Hua Cai Li said with a smile:

“And he’ll be the only one.”

“Huh? So, your Father supreme-ruler hasn’t been in here either?”

Yun Che was slightly surprised.

“Yeah.”

Hua Cai Li sniffed:

“Don’t look at Father supreme-ruler always smiling, seeming unconcerned. He’s actually very old-fashioned. When I was ten, he told me about ‘girls avoiding their fathers’ and then about the propriety between men and women, it was ridiculous. There are so many girls in the Divine Domain who can still ride on their fathers’ heads and play when they’re teenagers.” Yun Che’s heart sank. This wasn’t good news. A person who is so traditional at heart, if he suddenly heard that Hua Cai Li was… the possibility of him killing Yun Che on the spot in a fit of rage was probably as high as 99.9%.

Thankfully, Hua Qingying was there… She was the biggest problem before, and now, she was also the biggest help.

“…Hua Lianzhi stood outside the sleeping quarters, vaguely hearing the sounds inside, her heart pounding like a drum. Elder Sister wouldn’t really… really be with him… This… what should I do? If Father supreme-ruler finds out, he’ll be furious. It’s fake… it has to be fake. But… I’ve never seen Elder Sister laugh so happily.” While she was distraught and flustered, Hua Cai Li had already grabbed Yun Che’s hand and flew to another place:

“I’ll take you to see my garden, Brother Yun will love it.”

Pure white Caiyun branches spread out into a continuous sea of clouds, even in this weak Divine Kingdom, it was as beautiful as a fairyland. And when Hua Cai Li walked into the cloud sea, it became a true fairyland of this world.

“Caiyun branches… Cai Li, Yun Che.”

As Hua Cai Li softly chanted, the Liyun Sword flew out and landed in her palm:

“Liyun Sword… also Cai Li and Yun Che.”

Her smile was more beautiful than countless Caiyun flowers blooming:

“Look, everything around me tells me that Brother Yun is my destined person.”

Hua Lianzhi hurried over, hearing this, she was so frightened that she stood there dumbfounded, then quickly retreated, guarding the flower garden from afar, fearing anyone approaching.

“You mean… Cai Li just escaped danger, and then encountered a Yuanhua Dragon, and that dragon happened to be a Qiulong… Cai Li was poisoned by the Qiulong’s blood, the injury was just enough not to be fatal, and she just happened to be unable to resist the Qiulong poison, and just happened to be unable to forcibly expel the poison?”

Hua Fucheng, who had just sat down, stood up again:

“How can there be such a coincidence in this world! It’s just a mere Qiulong poison, a mere insignificant aphrodisiac poison!”

“Yes, it was that coincidental.”

Hua Qingying sighed softly:

“Or we could say, everything… seemed destined.”

“Absurd! Utterly absurd!” Hua Fucheng took a deep breath, his heart heavy beyond words. After a moment, he thought of something and said solemnly:

“Besides, Cai Li possesses a perfect Divine Physique, her body has been refined by countless strange pills and supreme herbs, a mere Qiulong poison, even if it causes serious injury, she shouldn’t be unable to resolve it on her own.”

Hua Qingying turned her head, coldly saying:

“The Qiulong’s breath is extremely poisonous, its blood is a powerful aphrodisiac. The aphrodisiac won’t kill, but if not resolved, it can severely damage the mind and soul, turning a woman into a ‘madwoman’. So, if you were there, would you dare to gamble?”

“…”

Hua Fucheng couldn’t answer.

“I know you’re angry, and I know what’s bothering you. But no matter what, you need to understand one thing.”

“Yun Che saved Cai Li’s life.”

Hua Qingying’s words were icy:

“In that situation, without him protecting her with his life, Cai Li would have died a hundred times. And you wouldn’t even have had a chance to be angry.” Hua Fucheng无力地 sat back down, and after a long time, he mumbled:

“The so-called ‘Mist Emperor’, and the strange appearance of the Ancestor Lin supreme-ruler… did you investigate further?”

Hua Qingying shook her head:

“After nearly causing Cai Li’s death, I didn’t dare to leave her side, and I had no time to investigate.”

Hua Fucheng tilted his head and closed his eyes, slowly saying:

“If you hadn’t told me these things yourself, I wouldn’t have believed a single word.”

“I understand.”

Hua Qingying said:

“If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, experienced it myself, I wouldn’t have believed it either… So, don’t you think they are destined?”

“Heh, destined…”

Hua Fucheng let out a moment of sad laughter:

“How beautiful it is to believe in these four words, and how absurd and cruel it is when they are shattered.”

Hua Qingying: “…”

“Qingying,”

Hua Fucheng seemed to have calmed down, his eyes no longer filled with that frenzied sword light:

“Your subsequent inaction wasn’t because that boy saved Cai Li’s life, but because… you still harbored resentment from that year.”

“Yes.”

Hua Qingying didn’t deny it:

“Wanxin’s ending is a heart demon I can never erase. Perhaps, I secretly… wanted to see her daughter, under a similar fate, achieve another… the ending she longed for but couldn’t obtain.”

A long silence, the atmosphere became extremely oppressive.

“Qingying,”

Hua Fucheng finally spoke:

“You know best why I wanted to arrange Cai Li’s marriage with Dian Jiu Zhi.”

“Yes.”

Hua Qingying’s response was still simple.

“Then you should also know that he is the most suitable person for Cai Li in this world.”

These words were uttered with a sense of powerlessness.

“I… cannot deny it.”

Hua Qingying said slowly:

“His background, talent, status, and appearance all match Cai Li’s. Most preciously, his feelings for Cai Li are both admiration and gratitude, his heart is so sincere that it is impossible not to be moved.”

“Not only you and I, the Pure Land and the Six Divine Kingdoms, and even all the people in the world, will think he is the most suitable person for Cai Li.”

“Except… Cai Li herself.”

Hua Fucheng’s voice was slightly hoarse:

“Whether it’s suitable or not is relatively less important. Do you know… what will happen if the matter between Cai Li and Yun Che is revealed?”

Hua Qingying didn’t speak.

“Dian Luohou’s personality is as hard as a rock, as violent as fire, and he values loyalty above all else. He will do what he promises, even if it costs his life. And others’ promises to him… are equally inviolable.”

“Especially such a humiliation to his Sen Luo Divine Son… a humiliation to his Sen Luo Divine Kingdom.”

“Therefore,”

Hua Qingying said:

“For your daughter, what will you do?”

Hua Fucheng stood up, his seemingly calm face was hard to read:

“Now, I should go see this boy.”

“It’s not the time.”

Hua Qingying stopped him, slowly walking out of the Sword Pavilion, leaving only a light sound carrying the chill of a sword:

“Tomorrow, when you’ve calmed down enough, I will bring him to see you.”

**Translation Notes:**

* **Hua Fucheng (画浮沉):** A major character, likely a powerful figure in the Zhetian Divine Kingdom, possibly a supreme-ruler Venerable (神尊 – shénzūn) as the chapter title suggests. He is fiercely protective of his daughter, Hua Cai Li.
* **Hua Qingying (画清影):** Another significant character, seemingly a powerful sword cultivator (剑仙 – jiànxiān) and possibly a close relative of Hua Fucheng. She seems to have a complex relationship with Hua Fucheng and a significant role in the events unfolding.
* **Hua Cai Li (画彩璃):** Hua Fucheng’s daughter, a central figure in the plot. She is involved in a romantic relationship with Yun Che.
* **Yun Che (云澈):** The male protagonist, involved with Hua Cai Li. He possesses Light Profound Energy (光明玄力 – guāngmíng xuánlì), a rare and powerful ability.
* **Xuan (玄):** Refers to the cultivation system or energy in this world.
* **supreme-ruler Sovereign (神主 – shénzhǔ):** A level of cultivation strength.
* **True supreme-ruler (真神 – zhēnshén):** An even higher level of cultivation strength than supreme-ruler Sovereign.
* **Zhetian Divine Kingdom (折天神国 – zhetiān shén guó):** The name of the supreme kingdom where the story takes place.
* **Qiulong (虬龙):** A type of dragon, its blood is described as having a powerful aphrodisiac effect.
* **Light Profound Energy (光明玄力):** A type of profound energy associated with light and purity. Its possession is significant and often implies a special destiny or background.
* **Dian Jiu Zhi (殿九知):** A character mentioned as a potential husband for Hua Cai Li, likely a powerful and suitable match in terms of status and background. The conflict lies in Hua Cai Li’s feelings for Yun Che.
* **Dian Luohou (殿罗喉):** Likely a powerful figure, possibly related to Dian Jiu Zhi, and someone whose opinion and actions are important to the plot.

**Alternative Translations:**

Some phrases could be translated differently depending on the desired nuance. For example, “痴女 (chī nǚ)” could be translated as “madwoman,” “lunatic,” or “woman driven mad by lust,” each carrying slightly different connotations. The choice depends on the overall tone and style desired for the translation. Similarly, some descriptive phrases could be adjusted for a more flowing or impactful English rendering.