novel against the - Chapter 2096

Chapter 2096: The supreme-ruler Emperor Who Hates the World

“Absolute control over life and death can indeed bring about a certain kind of ‘absolute’ loyalty,” Yun Che commented. “But successful rulers never resort to such methods. Because this approach only yields forced loyalty, but will forever lose true devotion.”

“Therefore,” Yun Che’s face showed curiosity, “what exactly happened to Shen Wu Yan Ye¹ that made her, a supreme-ruler Emperor of a supreme realm, so extreme?”

Meng Jian Xi² was taken aback, surprised that Yun Che didn’t know. She then explained in detail, “The supreme-ruler Emperor Wu Ming’s³ real name is Shen Wu Xi Hua⁴. Although she came from a side branch of the Shen Wu lineage, she possessed the highest profound way talent of that generation. It is said that in that era, she was second only to the Sword Immortal Hua Qing Ying⁵.”

“Father supreme-ruler once said that if she hadn’t had only a seven-level supreme grace⁶, unable to compare with the Sword Immortal who held the status of supreme-rulerdess at that time, she would definitely have been recognized as one of the two most exceptional women of that era.”

This evaluation, in that era, was naturally shockingly high. After all, the current supreme-ruler Emperors were all defeated by Hua Qing Ying’s sword back then.

“Precisely because of Shen Wu Xi Hua’s exceptionally high profound way talent, she was naturally chosen as the Divine Son’s consort.”

Meng Jian Xi paused, pondered for a moment, and then said, “The Eternal Night Divine Son’s name at that time seemed to be Shen Wu Xue Yan⁷… I haven’t experienced that era, so it’s hard to know the details. Father supreme-ruler has always been reluctant to mention the Eternal Night Divine Realm.”

“I only know… Shen Wu Xi Hua was deeply in love with Shen Wu Xue Yan. She gave almost all the resources she had to him. And back then, Shen Wu Xue Yan’s breakthrough in the Divine Extinction Realm⁸ stagnated for five Jia Zi⁹. During these five short Jia Zi, the supreme-ruler Emperor Wu Ming… uh, I should say Shen Wu Xi Hua, in order to find the heterogenous abyssal crystal¹⁰ that could help him break through the bottleneck of Divine Extinction, entered the Mist Sea¹¹ seventy-seven times alone. Every time she returned, she was covered in wounds, but without any regrets.”

“Finally, on her seventy-seventh attempt, after single-handedly hunting a Divine Extinction abyssal beast of the same realm as herself, she found the heterogenous abyssal crystal that Shen Wu Xue Yan needed most from its corpse… It was the second year after that, Shen Wu Xue Yan successfully broke through to the Divine Extinction Realm, causing the entire Eternal Night Divine Realm to celebrate.”

“When Father supreme-ruler mentioned this, he let out a long sigh.” Meng Jian Xi imitated Meng Kong Chan’s appearance at the time, sighing softly, and then recounted his words in a similar tone, “Her infatuation at that time moved everyone who knew about it… except for Shen Wu Xue Yan.”

“So, Shen Wu Xue Yan, who was the Divine Son at the time, changed his heart?” Yun Che had already guessed the general idea.

“It’s not so much a change of heart, but rather that Shen Wu Xue Yan never loved Shen Wu Xi Hua,” Meng Jian Xi said. “These were also the original words Father supreme-ruler said when he mentioned it.”

“It is said that less than ten years after Shen Wu Xue Yan successfully broke through to the Divine Extinction Realm, he announced that he would marry the Divine Son’s consort… and that consort was not Shen Wu Xi Hua.”

Yun Che interjected, “His newly proclaimed Divine Son’s consort, I imagine, hadn’t reached the Divine Extinction Realm, had a gentle and yielding temperament, might even be a bit timid and shy, accustomed to relying on others.”

Meng Jian Xi immediately nodded, “That’s right. So, Brother Yuan has also heard about what happened back then?”

“Not really,” Yun Che said. “From your description, before Shen Wu Xue Yan had achieved the breakthrough to the Divine Extinction Realm, Shen Wu Xi Hua could already kill a Divine Extinction abyssal beast of the same realm. For the sake of her beloved, Shen Wu Xi Hua could give everything, could brave the Mist Sea and death for him, her temperament could be described as resolute, decisive… even ruthless.”

“In other words, Shen Wu Xi Hua far surpassed Shen Wu Xue Yan in talent, cultivation, temperament, will, and ability to act. Shen Wu Xue Yan’s only advantages were his birth and supreme grace. Some men would be extremely grateful for this, content and happy, but there are also men who would feel suffocated and lost… especially men in high positions.”

“And the fact that she entered the Mist Sea seventy-seven times for him, finally helping him achieve half-supreme-ruler status, was widely known. Others would praise it as a beautiful story, but for Shen Wu Xue Yan, who was the Divine Son, he would either be deeply grateful and secretly swear to never betray her, or he would regard it as a humiliation, rejecting it like… Obviously, he was the latter.”

“Therefore, his newly chosen Divine Son’s consort must be the opposite of Shen Wu Xi Hua in every aspect, someone who would rely on him in every way, a woman who would make him feel protective at first glance. Hmm, probably the kind I just described.”

“I see,” Meng Jian Xi nodded in understanding. “The truth is indeed as Brother Yuan said. Shen Wu Xue Yan’s newly chosen Divine Son’s consort came from an even more remote side branch. In terms of birth alone, becoming the Divine Son’s consort could only be said to be extremely勉强¹².”

“So…” Yun Che said, “How did Shen Wu Xi Hua react?”

Meng Jian Xi narrated, “It is said… she had an emotional breakdown and cried… and Shen Wu Xue Yan remained unmoved. The supreme-ruler Emperor at the time, fearing that she would do something that would lose face, even drove her away. After that, Shen Wu Xi Hua accepted the matter, remaining as infatuated with Shen Wu Xue Yan as before, still willing to do anything for him, and even treating the new Divine Son’s consort extremely well… She said that she could not be his wife, not be his concubine, but only asked Shen Wu Xue Yan not to push her away.”

*What a terrifying woman…* Yun Che thought to himself.

But immediately, Li Suo’s¹³ voice, unable to hold back, echoed in his soul sea, “For women, *you* are the truly terrifying one.”

Yun Che was speechless for a moment.

“Shen Wu Xue Yan also knew he was in the wrong. Although he didn’t want Shen Wu Xi Hua as his Divine Son’s consort, he treated her much better. In addition, Shen Wu Xi Hua never changed, her infatuation seemingly without any flaws. In a sense, she became the person Shen Wu Xue Yan and the supreme-ruler Emperor trusted the most.”

Yun Che didn’t need to hear the rest, and said directly, “So in the end, Shen Wu Xi Hua seized the Divine Origin¹⁴ when Shen Wu Xue Yan was accepting the True supreme-ruler’s inheritance¹⁵?”

“Yes,” Meng Jian Xi sighed deeply. “At that time, Shen Wu Xi Hua was the most powerful and trusted guardian by Shen Wu Xue Yan’s side. When he accepted the True supreme-ruler’s inheritance, Shen Wu Xi Hua was also chosen as the core protector. Presumably, in their eyes, Shen Wu Xi Hua had been in love with Shen Wu Xue Yan since childhood, and could disregard her life countless times for him, not wanting any status. She was the person in this world least likely to hurt or betray him.”

Yun Che sneered inwardly… *When you have deeply hurt someone, you can only accept their hatred, but never accept their kindness, whether it’s true or false.*

“Probably no one outside the Eternal Night Divine Realm knows what exactly happened during that inheritance ceremony. Only the final result is known… Shen Wu Xi Hua seized the Divine Origin and the inheritance artifact, and then forcibly infused the Divine Origin into herself.”

“Father supreme-ruler guessed that her original intention was to ruin Shen Wu Xue Yan’s inheritance ceremony, letting her blood become his eternal shadow. But… the Divine Origin didn’t take her life. Instead, it unexpectedly merged with her, who only had a seven-level supreme grace, but it also led to a sharp decrease in her lifespan and permanent loss of vision.”

“Not long after, Shen Wu Xi Hua became the supreme-ruler Emperor, changed the name of the realm to the Eternal Night Divine Realm, and changed her own name to Shen Wu Yan Ye.”

Even though the Divine Origin had just been inherited and was far from being fully merged in the initial stage, no one in the Eternal Night Divine Realm could suppress Shen Wu Xi Hua at that time… After all, that was the power of a True supreme-ruler

“I imagine Shen Wu Xue Yan’s fate was quite miserable?” Yun Che said, not without sympathy.

“Very miserable,” Meng Jian Xi said. “It is said that Shen Wu Xue Yan’s direct relatives were either killed or crippled. In terms of the result alone, being crippled was worse than death… Because during Shen Wu Yan Ye’s reign, she declared that all men within the supreme realm were lowly slaves. No matter what high position they once held, they would have no dignity after that.”

“And they couldn’t even escape. As long as they had Divine Extinction Realm cultivation, they would be implanted with the Eternal Night Death Seal¹⁶. If they dared to resist or escape, they would suffer a fate worse than death.”

*She was once hurt to the point of her heart being torn apart by a man, so she hates all men in the world.*

*She once gritted her teeth and hid her heart, and in the end, she dealt a fatal blow to the person who trusted her the most. Therefore, she never believes in loyalty.*

*Her temperament has long been twisted by extreme hatred. And forcibly bearing the power of a True supreme-ruler may have further intensified this distortion. Making the supreme-ruler Emperor Wu Ming of this Eternal Night Divine Realm a terrifying existence with an extremely violent temperament.*

From this point of view, unlike other supreme realms, becoming the supreme-rulerdess of this Eternal Night Divine Realm is definitely not a fortunate thing.

Yun Che thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Do you think that Shen Wu Xue Yan might still be alive?”

Meng Jian Xi pondered for a moment and replied, “Thousands of years ago, it was rumored that he was dead, and that his bones were crushed and scattered, leaving no complete corpse. But… I think he’s still alive.”

“It is said that the deeper the love, the more intense the hate. If Shen Wu Xue Yan were truly dead, Shen Wu Yan Ye’s extreme love or extreme hate would have no anchor. Therefore, I am more inclined to believe that Shen Wu Yan Ye did not kill him, but instead cut off his possibility of suicide, desperately maintaining his life, making him live well, and constantly torturing him.”

“Hmm,” Yun Che nodded. “Same as I thought. So, sometimes, women can be much more terrifying than men when they are ruthless.”

For a moment, he couldn’t help but think of Hua Cai Li¹⁷.

His expression slightly paused, and he continued, “Since Shen Wu Yan Ye hates men so much, she probably wouldn’t take many male consorts. So how is the inheritance of the Eternal Night Divine Realm passed on?”

Hua Cai Li had said that accepting the True supreme-ruler’s inheritance required sufficient supreme grace and at least Divine Extinction Realm cultivation, as well as corresponding bloodline.

Unless it was the Nine Profound Exquisite Body¹⁸.

Meng Jian Xi replied, “The supreme-ruler Emperor Wu Ming has indeed never taken any male consorts, and she doesn’t even allow any men to get close to her. As for the inheritor of this generation, it was searched extensively from the Shen Wu lineage. The former supreme-rulerdess, Shen Wu Qing¹⁹, was found from the orthodox Shen Wu lineage, with innate eight-level supreme grace. Shortly after she was born, she was directly brought to Shen Wu Yan Ye’s side.”

“Shen Wu Qing was always well-behaved, silent, and rarely appeared in public. But later, she violated a huge taboo of the supreme-ruler Emperor Wu Ming… She had a secret affair with Pan Bu Wang²⁰, the former Divine Son of the Owl Butterfly Divine Realm²¹. After that, Shen Wu Qing was imprisoned.”

“While Shen Wu Qing was imprisoned, the supreme-ruler Emperor Wu Ming found a second supreme-rulerdess, who is the current Eternal Night supreme-rulerdess, Shen Wu Yi²². It is said that Shen Wu Yi came from a very remote branch of the Shen Wu lineage, but as to which branch specifically, there is still no accurate information. After Shen Wu Yi appeared, the supreme-ruler Emperor Wu Ming immediately announced the abolishment of Shen Wu Qing’s title as supreme-rulerdess.”

Yun Che said, “To abolish Shen Wu Qing so decisively, it seems that this Shen Wu Yi should have nine-level supreme grace… at least.”

“I think so too. After that… just last year, news came from the Eternal Night Divine Realm that Shen Wu Qing was executed for violating a taboo, and the executioner was the new supreme-rulerdess, Shen Wu Yi.”

Speaking of this, Meng Jian Xi couldn’t help but sigh, “Shen Wu Qing and Pan Bu Wang, one supreme-rulerdess was abolished, one Divine Son was abolished, one was cruelly executed, and one fell into the abyss of despair, resorting to sinking into dreams, thankfully driven out by Brother Yuan… They are truly a pair of star-crossed lovers.”

“Regarding Shen Wu Yi, is there really no other information?” Yun Che asked.

Meng Jian Xi thought for a moment, “There is a strange rumor, but it’s definitely false.”

“Tell me.”

Meng Jian Xi said, “The rumor claims that when Shen Wu Yi first arrived under the supreme-ruler Emperor Wu Ming, she was only at the peak of the Divine Master Realm²³. And now… in just twenty years, her cultivation has already reached the fifth level of the Divine Extinction Realm.”

Yun Che: “…”

Meng Jian Xi shook her head with a smile, “This is, of course, impossible. As the Nine Lights Divine Son Hall knows, crossing the seven levels of the Divine Extinction Realm in two thousand four hundred years is already the undisputed number one Divine Son in the current world.”

“In the previous era, the Sword Immortal Hua Qing Ying went straight from the Divine Extinction Realm to the Divine Extreme Realm²⁴ in just a thousand years, which shocked even the Pure Land, and even gave her the highest evaluation of ‘If anyone in this world can achieve True supreme-ruler with a mortal body, it would only be Hua Qing Ying’.”

“Twenty years from the peak of the Divine Master Realm to the middle of the Divine Extinction Realm…”

Meng Jian Xi also felt that every word she uttered was extremely absurd, “How could such a monster exist in the world? I don’t know where this absurd rumor came from, and it was actually accepted by the Profound Sky Palace²⁵.”

Yun Che pondered for a long time, then suddenly changed the subject, “Has the Profound Sky Palace been involved with the Dragon Clan²⁶?”

Meng Jian Xi’s heart was filled with doubt, but she didn’t ask much, and answered directly, “The erosion of the Yuan Chen²⁷ on the beast clans is far greater than on the human race. The Dragon Clan has exhausted all its efforts to survive until now without being exterminated, and it definitely has no time to care about other things, so there is very little attention paid to information from that side.”

Yun Che said, “There is a Dragon Queen²⁸ in the Dragon Clan, do you have any impression?”

“Dragon Queen?” Meng Jian Xi frowned in thought, then suddenly realized, “Could the person Brother Yuan is referring to be the ‘Scar-faced Dragon Girl’ Long Xi²⁹? I happened to know that this Dragon Girl once revealed herself using the name ‘Dragon Queen’.”

“Scar-faced Dragon Girl…” Yun Che lowered his gaze and took a slight breath.

Translation Notes:

1. Shen Wu Yan Ye: The name of the supreme-ruler Emperor Wu Ming. “Yan Ye” implies “Eternal Night.”
2. Meng Jian Xi: Name of a character, likely a female given the context.
3. Wu Ming: Title of the supreme-ruler Emperor, meaning “Nameless” or “Without Light.”
4. Shen Wu Xi Hua: The supreme-ruler Emperor’s birth name.
5. Hua Qing Ying: Name of a legendary Sword Immortal.
6. Divine Grace: A measure of innate supreme power or potential.
7. Shen Wu Xue Yan: Name of the former Eternal Night Divine Son.
8. Divine Extinction Realm: A high level of cultivation in this world’s power system.
9. Jia Zi: A cycle of 60 years in the traditional Chinese calendar.
10. Heterogenous Abyssal Crystal: A rare and powerful crystal used for cultivation.
11. Mist Sea: A dangerous and mysterious location.
12. 勉强 (miǎn qiǎng): Means “barely adequate” or “forced.” In this context, it implies that the new consort’s status was not high enough to be considered a suitable match for the Divine Son.
13. Li Suo: Likely the name of a female character residing within Yun Che’s mind.
14. Divine Origin: The source of a supreme-ruler’s power.
15. True supreme-ruler’s Inheritance: The process of inheriting the power and mantle of a True supreme-ruler
16. Eternal Night Death Seal: A powerful seal that controls and restricts those who bear it.
17. Hua Cai Li: Another female character, likely related to Hua Qing Ying.
18. Nine Profound Exquisite Body: A special and powerful physique.
19. Shen Wu Qing: The former supreme-rulerdess of the Eternal Night Divine Realm.
20. Pan Bu Wang: The former Divine Son of the Owl Butterfly Divine Realm.
21. Owl Butterfly Divine Realm: The name of another supreme realm.
22. Shen Wu Yi: The current supreme-rulerdess of the Eternal Night Divine Realm.
23. Divine Master Realm: A level of cultivation below the Divine Extinction Realm.
24. Divine Extreme Realm: A level of cultivation above the Divine Extinction Realm.
25. Profound Sky Palace: A powerful organization or sect.
26. Dragon Clan: A powerful race of dragons.
27. Yuan Chen: Likely a corrupting force or entity.
28. Dragon Queen: A title of leadership within the Dragon Clan.
29. Long Xi: Name of the “Scar-faced Dragon Girl,” also known as the Dragon Queen.