Yama Rising

Whoosh! Hell’s Records appeared no different from a black hole, engulfing the golden light with great speed. Qin Ye watched on in amazement, at least until he discovered that…

The merit numbers on Hell’s Records were also soaring!

Just then, a voice echoed in his mind.

“First instance of thwarting an incident that could potentially unsettle the balance of international powers since the founding of the new Hell. Merit points: +500,000.”

“First instance of recovering sovereign territory since the founding of the new Hell. Merit points: +4,000,000.”

“Confronting a Yama-King as an Abyssal Prefect and making him dance in the palm of your hands. Merit points: +200,000.”

“Establishing a channel of commerce, resolving an international dispute, and establishing the first comprehensive international trade agreement through both land and sea. Merit points: +500,000.”

The list went on. Dozens of seconds later, he turned his attention back to Hell’s Record, only to discover the merit points now reflected: “15,220,000 / 150,000,000.”

I’ve gained 8 million more merit points!

Very good… I’m now approximately a tenth of the way there…

He blinked and rubbed his chin pensively.

Doesn’t that mean that… participating in international affairs gets me even more merit points than if I continued to only deal with domestic affairs?

Then, what will the unification of Hell count for? Would I be able to bridge the gap and become a Yama-King immediately?

However, he knew that this wasn’t the time to be considering such matters. The golden light had vanished completely, and Hell’s Records had finally snapped shut and entered his chest once more.

Simultaneously, the ethereal projection of Tengri in the skies shattered completely. However, this wasn’t the end. The remaining clouds of Yin energy around the Tengri projection suddenly stirred into action, converging rapidly where the Tengri projection had just been located. Then, 10 minutes later, another massive statue appeared once again in place of the Tengri projection.

BOOM!!! As soon as it did, there was a great eruption in the sky, and shockwaves visible to the naked eye immediately rippled across the lands. At once, the entire skies cleared up of all clouds and mist, and the only thing that remained standing was the majestic, colossal statue that stood in the vault of the skies. It was a spectacular sight!

“Is that… me?” Qin Ye stared in amazement at the spectacle. The Harken responded, “That’s right…”

“You’ve taken back the Mongol Empire and extinguished the system of divinity and faith here. Moving forward, few would believe in Tengrism, and all that remains of their faith would soon collapse completely, thereby becoming a thing of the past. It is regrettable that Tengrism just wasn’t strong enough. If it had been one of the three systems of mythology of the New World that had been extinguished like this, it would immediately make waves throughout the entire netherworld.”

After some time, the Harken jumped onto Qin Ye’s shoulders and patted the back of Qin Ye’s head with his tail, “Well done. From now on, the Yamas of the Ten Palaces would become the gods of the Mongol Empire.”

“From now on, only Hell is qualified to reap the souls generated in these lands, and only Hell is qualified to set up a forward base to receive the souls of the dead here in the Mongol Underworld. The stories of Hell, and the mentions of your name, will soon emerge across the historical artifacts here, as well as in their records, and in other means through which their citizens can understand.”

“The poetry, songs and plays will soon lean closer towards the legends told in Hell. The evil ghosts and spirits here will soon develop the same habits as those often seen in Hell. For instance, if one dies in red garments, he would die bearing great resentment. For further instance, the demonic hour and the witching hour would also form part of the supernatural beliefs here in the Mongol Empire…”

“Everything that happened in the netherworld would affect the mortal realm. You should be proud of yourself, truly.”

“You’ve done what the mortal realm has been unable to achieve for centuries on end, and that is to reopen discussions on territorial grounds and regain sovereignty over a lost land. The weight of these actions is probably second only to the First King Yanluo’s achievement of unifying and founding Hell.”

It looks like the Second King Yanluo’s efforts haven’t been in vain… The Harken gazed deep into the skies - Second King Yanluo, I’m not sure where you might be gambling away your wealth right now, but do you see this? Your gamble has paid off.

Your successor seems to be doing great.

At least, he’s doing far better than expected. I’m slowly gaining confidence in Hell’s future…

Black Mamba was unaware of the contemplations of the Harken’s heart.

He was simply staring at the vault of the skies in great consternation. Furthermore, the Harken had spoken with an incredibly soft voice that couldn’t be heard by Black Mamba at all. That said, Black Mamba had his own thoughts of what was happening right now.

This is the statue of Prefect Qin…

Doesn’t that mean that he’s essentially gained the approval of the Heavenly Dao?

Why else would his statue appear?

This must be a confirmation that he’s getting infinitely close to the position as the successor to the throne!

No! I’m afraid he probably hadn’t been completely forthcoming with the truth. He wasn't simply lagging behind the prevailing leader by a single test. He’s probably also one of the strongest contenders for that supreme position in Hell!

100 more years… Perhaps we might really come face to face with him on the international arena in a completely different capacity in 100 years’ time!

The mere thought of such prospects caused Black Mamba’s heart to skip a beat.

Why did he agree to help Prefect Qin in the first place?

It was precisely because he was looking to draw close to Hell in Hell’s greatest time of need!

It seems like I’ll need to put in extra effort at this rate…

Qin Ye continued staring blankly at the sky for some time, before finally retracting his gaze and picking up the Harken, “Let’s go.”

Then, he turned to Black Mamba and nodded briefly, “I will remember how you’ve treated us with kindness this time.”

“Unfortunately, there are still a number of loose ends to tie up, and it’s not convenient for Hell to have guests right now. We’ll make up for this toast some time in the near future.”

With that, he turned to leave. But, just then, he heard Black Mamba cough lightly from behind, “Prefect Qin…”

Qin Ye stopped immediately. For some strange reason, he could sense a trace of flattery in Black Mamba’s voice. Was it all an illusion?

“It seems that I might have made a mistake here.” Black Mamba smiled warmly, “The list that I’d handed to you earlier is only the first edition. This is something that I’ve just noticed. Let’s do it this way. As soon as I return to my underworld, I’ll have someone send up the second edition to Hell.”

“Very well…” Qin Ye frowned softly - How can you make a mistake with something so important? How could you be a chieftain like this?

“See you then.” Black Mamba heaved a sigh of relief as he received the ‘first-edition’ list and bowed respectfully. But this time, it was clear that he wasn’t only bowing to the Harken, but also Qin Ye.

“The next time we meet, I sincerely hope that you would already be seated high on that throne.”

With that, he transformed into the cloud of Yin energy and vanished without a trace.

It’s finally over…

Qin Ye rubbed his temples and heaved a sigh of relief. Likewise, he, too, vanished without a trace.

Now, there’s just one final thing to deal with.

I’ll resolve this, return to Hell, rally the forces, and then begin our march for unification of Hell!

It’s almost time to sound the war horns!

……………………………………………………

“Extraordinary mirage!” Qin Ye read aloud the news headline on his cellphone that was reporting specifically on the bizarre celestial phenomenon seen right above Khuree.

There were a dozen or so photographs appended to the article.

Over the last few days, the celestial spectacle witnessed in Khuree had sent ripples across the mortal realm. Not only did it stir the hearts of astronomers and other enthusiasts within the Mongol Empire, the fever and passion of such sightings even spread throughout Cathay! Most of the comments were to the tune of… “Amazing! Is this a celestial phenomenon, or a sign of change for Earth?” “Manifestation of Buddha? What could have triggered something like that?” “A once-in-a-century spectacle has descended upon the lands of Cathay!”

Naturally, there were also a number of comments that sought to ride the viral post to promote their own agendas.

A man spoke just as Qin Ye switched off his phone. It was an old man dressed in traditional Mongolian garments. He stood right before Qin Ye and explained in broken Cathayan, “Sir, we’re here.”

Qin Ye nodded as he surveyed his surroundings.

They were in the wilderness. The Gobi Desert to be more precise. It was aptly named the Gobi Altai Province for the Altai Mountains that bound the desert within. They were currently located at a frontier town within the Gobi Altai Province, and it wasn’t even close to any roads around.

There was an ancient city wall located right before him that appeared to have been standing for centuries on end. Unfortunately, the walls also appeared to have been weathered greatly by the elements, and only approximately 200 meters of it remained. From the remnants, one could vaguely make out that the walls once used to be square in shape. Furthermore, Qin Ye could vaguely make out where the city gates would once have been located.

A squarish stone abutment lay beyond the ruins of these walls. Apart from that, there was nothing else.

Qin Ye tipped the guide with 200 RMB and sent him off, before squatting down and feeling the ground inch by inch.

“Actually, there’s no need.” The Harken climbed onto Qin Ye’s back and peered over his shoulders, “If this is really Genghis Khan’s Tomb, it would be fraught with dangers, and there’s no need to be wasting our time over here. Moreover, the nameless god of death was likely merely casting a bait. There isn’t sufficient evidence to go on. What’s most important is still in the hands of the Argosian Underworld.”

“I know.” Qin Ye touched the surface of the ground with his slender fingers, before frowning slightly, “Historically, the tomb of the emperor of the Yuan Dynasty has never been discovered. But this has all got to do with their customs. According to Mongol customs, they would hollow out incense wood in the shape of a human being, and then close it up, wrap everything with gold inlaid with gemstones and jade three times around. Then, they would bury it in the ground and trample the ground flat with horses and camels, before sprinkling horse’s blood all over it. One year later, the grass would sprout up and grow all around it, and nobody would be able to tell where exactly the tomb is located.”

He sighed softly and got up to his feet, “I can’t feel it, but the Russian Underworld’s records points us to this exact location.

Zhenhai City.

A military stronghold of the Yuan Dynasty in the 13th century. It was a city that had existed over 700 years ago, and according to the archaeologists and written records, this was a city that was constructed by Genghis Khan himself.

The Harken leapt down and began to sniff as it walked along the ground, “But what you’re describing is only true of Mongol nobility. Nobody even knows what the tomb of a Mongol emperor looks like. And to that end, the Russian Underworld is even less likely to know about these things than we are. After all, the records of the Yuan Dynasty are rather lacking, and even the scholars aren’t able to agree on certain things such as the official burial requirements of the time. My guess is that… they might well  have found something, but it’s nothing more than a high spec tomb that is different from others.”

“This is why I’m here to take a closer look.” Qin Ye took off his sunglasses, “If it’s nothing, then we won’t investigate any further. This is on the way back anyway.”

The Harken fell deep into thought.

Isn’t this just a pretext for you to evade your official duties back in Hell? Aren’t you just trying to take a few days off to revel in your private leisure?

Do I need to tie you up to your desk before you’ll finally embrace the mountain of work that’s waiting for you back in Hell? Yes… that seems like a feasible idea!

“Strange… I don’t detect any Yin energy at all.” The Harken looked up in bewilderment after several minutes, “This shouldn’t be the case. If Genghis Khan’s soul is located here, then no matter how discreet it is, we should still be able to sense something. It’s a pity that the investigation records were taken away by Aristotle. I’m afraid that it’s currently still with him in the Alkebulan Underworlds right now.”

“Then, let’s wait.” Qin Ye entered the car that they had hired nearby, “Didn’t we learn that midnight is when the barrier between the mortal realm and the netherworld is the weakest? That’s no more than a few hours away.”

Time flew by in the blink of an eye, and the cellphone was the best source of a time sink during this period of time. Thus, when the Harken finally switched off Qin Ye’s phone, he immediately revealed an expression of great displeasure.

It’s been no more than a few hours!

Can’t you let a Yama-King enjoy his phone time?

If you’re going to be such a downer, how am I supposed to find the motivation and energy to complete the rest of my tasks!

“It’s begun.” The Harken couldn’t be bothered with Qin Ye’s childish response, and it simply raised its chin to the ancient ruins. Qin Ye glanced over once, and his expressions turned somber.

The moonlight shone down like a veil of light, washing over the Gobi and bringing an eerie sense of stillness and sobriety to these ruins of over 700 years.

Then, right under the baptism of moonlight, the bricks on the central abutment actually began to emit a hint of pitch-black lustre!

“Yin energy?” Qin Ye’s eyes glistened, and he immediately got out of his car once more, “But, how is that possible? I’ve tried touching it during the day. Even if the sun is at its peak, it’s still impossible not to have sensed anything…”

“It’s not just Yin energy…” Just then, the Harken raised its paw and held Qin Ye back, “Stay back.”

Qin Ye sensibly kept his distance from the danger.

At the very least, he knew full well that anything that could stir the Harken’s vigilance was something that he couldn’t afford to contend with.

“I’d never expected to see something like this here…” The Harken remarked as it circled around the stone platform several times. Then, it sighed softly, “Hey, kiddo, do you know what this is?”

Then, without waiting for Qin Ye’s response, it continued, “Emblem of the Sixfold Ghost Kings… This bears the mark of the Sixfold Ghost Kings, etched with Yin Talismans drawn up by a Yama-class existence.”