Yama Rising

No response.

Qin Ye appraised the imperial palace in a casual manner, and even though he couldn't see Dong Zhuo, he could sense a menacing gaze being directed toward him from within the palace. Their eyes met, and even the air temperature seemed to have suddenly spiked.

Countless Yin Soldiers were gathered in front of the imperial palace; this was Dong Zhuo's personal army, and they occupied an area with a radius in excess of 10 kilometers. However, West Capital City claimed that it had an army of over a million troops, but there most likely weren't even 300,000 soldiers present right now.

The army hadn't experienced any true battles, they had no official administration behind them, no righteous purpose, and no discipline. Thus, in a clash between a regular army, most of the soldiers had chosen to flee and hide.

Inside the imperial palace, around a dozen evil ghosts were gathered around Dong Zhuo, looking out at the scenes unfolding outside with panic in their eyes. They wanted to scream and yell, but they could only repress that urge as they thought back to how Dong Zhuo had lashed out at those Anitya Hellguards.

They didn't dare to run, and there was nowhere for them to run away to; this place was their final safe haven. According to the policy that the army of Hell had adopted on the way here, there was no way that they would be spared, considering that they had all devoured blood food in the past. Otherwise, who would be willing to serve under such a despotic ruler?

One tentative glance after another was aimed at Dong Zhuo, and only after a full five minutes did Dong Zhuo gnash his teeth together as he said with a cold smile, "I didn't think that a little rat that was forced to scurry away from the Assassins of the Underworld several years ago would be standing before me today and putting on such a high and mighty display. It seems that without any powerful figures in power, even little rats are able to rise to power."

"How dare you!" Even before Qin Ye had a chance to say anything, Qin Hui and Su Daji had already flared up with rage. In particular, Su Daji was extremely enraged by Dong Zhuo's words, and she gently flapped her fan as she said in a cold voice, "Kneel down before you speak! How dare you speak to Lord Qin with such brazen insolence? Lord Qin is a King Yanluo that has passed the trial of the past two generations; who do you think you are to be speaking like that to him?"

"What an insolent dog you are!" Qin Hui chimed in in a cold voice, "The war of unification is a crusade that abides by the natural order; how dare you stand in its way? Master Qin has worked arduously and planned painstakingly, preparing for three years before finally harvesting the fruits of his efforts! To be in his presence alone is a much greater honor than what you deserve!"

Su Daji turned to Qin Hui with a dumbstruck expression. Such impressive boot-licking! I still have a lot to learn!

How dare they! These two shameless bastards are still competing to suck up to that little rat even at a time like this... They were clearly looking down on him! Dong Zhuo was so enraged that the flames of wrath were about to erupt out of the top of his head! He forcibly repressed the intense killing intent he felt toward these two former allies, choosing to ignore them as he turned his attention to Qin Ye. "How about we make a deal, Mr. Qin?"

"Oh? Does this deal involve your surrender?" Qin Ye asked in a bone-chilling voice, "Aside from that, I'm not willing to consider any other deal! Daolord Dong, surely you're not naive enough to believe that I would let you go or grant you your own territory to govern?"

Dong Zhuo glowered viciously at Qin Ye as he asked, "Then... what if I hand over the fragments of King Yanluo's Seal in my possession?"

Rather than give a reply, Qin Ye merely waved a hand and loudly declared, "By Hell’s Dictum, all rabble shall disperse!!"

Immediately thereafter, a flood of blood converged toward the imperial palace from all directions, making it resemble a lone island in a turbulent sea!

"Attack!" Dong Zhuo's furious voice rang out from within the palace. In the face of Hell's scorching aggression, a battle was unavoidable. The army of West Capital City immediately picked up their spears and gritted their teeth as they charged toward the opposing army.

The two massive armies clashed, and in the instant they did so, time seemed to have fallen completely still for an instant. However, what came next was obviously a completely one-sided drubbing.

At the forefront, the cavaliers of Hell were like unstoppable black spears, dispersing the enemy foot soldiers up ahead like a wave that had just struck an immovable rock. Countless Yin spirits were violently flung up into the air by the force of the impact before crashing heavily back down onto the ground. The cavaliers were like the sharp fangs of a wolf, viciously tearing open a wound, allowing the footsoldiers behind them to charge into the enemy's ranks.

From the west, countless hellhounds, and all Yin Soldiers that dared to oppose them were met by an abyss of death as the hellhounds charged forward ferociously without any regard for their own safety.

If one hellhound wasn't enough, then it would be joined by one more, two more, even three or four more! Boundless netherflames were left behind in the wake of this terrifying beast tide.

From the south, innumerable hungry ghosts rushed into the ranks of the Yin Soldiers before commencing a violent killing spree. They were like rats that had fallen into a barrel of oil, devouring Yin Soldiers to their hearts' content. Theirs was the most gorey and horrific corner. Countless hungry ghosts were gnawing at the spiritual bodies of the Yin Soldiers in a nightmarish scene that struck terror into the hearts of all the other Yin Soldiers.

The clash had barely started, and Dong Zhuo's army was already on the verge of collapse.

The soldiers had no battle intent, and the commanders had no courage. The disparity between a ragtag unofficial army and a battle-hardened regular army was put on full display here. In addition to that, the army of Hell was fighting for a noble purpose and a huge number of their enemies had already been wiped out by the previous rounds of attacks. As a result, the one-sided thrashing that ensued couldn't even be referred to as a battle.

One soldier began to run, then two began to flee, and in the span of less than 20 minutes, Dong Zhuo's army was retreating collectively like a massive wave.

"Execute all those who dare to retreat!!"

"Hold them back! I'm telling you to hold them back!!"

"Don't believe their lies! They don't represent Hell! Lord Dong says that no Hell currently exists!"

"Do you really think you can get away? Do you really think they'll let you go? Your only option is to fight!!"

The evil ghosts accompanying Dong Zhuo in the palace were frantically yelling with all their might, but all to no avail. The number of fleeing soldiers climbed further and further, and they were like an avalanche that was snowballing down a slope, expanding exponentially by the second!

Whoosh! A sword pierced through the chest of a fleeing Yin spirit, and the Yin Soldier disintegrated into netherflames amid an anguished howl. The sword was being wielded by a military commander, and the veins on his forehead were bulging as he roared with all his might, "Fight back! You've all benefited from Lord Dong's good grace, yet now, you want to run?! Anyone who dares to retreat..."

Before he had a chance to finish, a spear plunged through his chest, and the army of Hell swept past like a howling black tornado, advancing directly toward the imperial palace. Along the way, countless Yin Soldiers of West Capital City laid down the weapons and knelt down onto the ground, raising their hands high above their heads as they frantically yelled their intention to surrender. In the span of less than an hour, Dong Zhuo's army had been forced back to within a kilometer away from his palace.

"What do we do, Lord Dong?!"

"You have to do something, Lord Dong!"

"Didn't you say that you had a final trump card? We... We don't want to die!"

Inside the imperial palace, Dong Zhuo was staring at the screen before him with seething eyes, and the evil ghosts around him finally couldn't repress their fear any longer as they wailed in anguish and horror.

However, he didn't do anything.

No words could describe the magnitude of the loss that his army had suffered, and his mind was currently completely blank.

Why is this happening? Who am I? Where am I? Who am I being attacked by? It... It shouldn't be like this! There's no way that Hell should've been able to bridge the gap between us in these short few years! How has Hell already developed to the point that it's able to crush my army? Where did I go wrong? 

"Your Excellency!" A beautiful woman in modern attire suddenly rushed into the room before throwing her arms around his legs. "Run! If you don't run now, it'll be too late!"

Dong Zhuo finally snapped out of his enraged stupor, and he cast his gaze toward the beauty at his feet as he gently clasped her cheeks between his fingers. "Are you scared?"

"We... We're no match for them, My Lord!" The netherfire in the woman's eyes was flashing erratically as she sobbed, "If we don't run now, we won't be able to get away!"

Crack! Before she had a chance to finish,the woman's head had already been completely twisted around, and she collapsed limply onto the ground. Dong Zhuo didn't even take a glance at her as he abruptly rose to his feet. He looked at the devastating scene unfolding outside and listened to the war cries and anguished wails, and a sense of grief at the passing of his empire welled up in his heart.

This was most likely what the fall of an empire looked like.

It's time to put an end to all of this... 

"My Lord, the western inner city gate has been breached!!"

"My Lord, the southern inner city gate has been breached!!"

"My Lord, the rebels have already reached Xuanwu Gate, and General Cheng is requesting reinforcements!"

One messenger bird after another flew into the palace, heralding the final act of this battle. Dong Zhuo remained completely still, and only after a full five minutes had passed did he look up at the ceiling as the flab on his face began to tremble. 

"Hell... Curse you, Hell!!!"

With that thunderous roar, the bracelet in his hand suddenly shattered, then combined together before flying directly upward, crashing through the ceiling amid an earth-shattering boom as it rose up into the sky.

Whoosh... Golden light illuminated heaven and earth, basking the entire province in its scintillating radiance. It was as if a scorching sun were rising in the perpetually dark sky. Purplish-golden light rose up layer upon layer like fine pieces of veil, and imbued within these veils of light was an indescribable sense of boundless heavenly might.

Those are fragments of King Yanluo's Seal!

Thump thump! In that instant, all of the remaining Yin Soldiers on the battlefield fell involuntarily to their knees. Even the front legs of the cavaliers' steeds buckled as they collapsed onto the ground. Qin Hui and Su Daji screamed as they fled into the shadows, trembling uncontrollably. Regardless of how hungry and ferocious their hungry ghosts and hellhounds were, they had also been forced flat against the ground and were trembling uncontrollably just the same.

The paramount divine artifact of Hell transcended above all else.

At the same time, a series of dull thumps rang out from Qin Ye's chest, and he couldn't hold back his King Yanluo's Seal any longer as it instantly flew up into the sky, only to immediately fall into someone else's grasp.

It was Zhao Yun.

"What is he doing?" Qin Ye looked up at the King Yanluo's Seal in the sky with tightly furrowed brows, and even he felt as if his circulation had ceased. He felt like a mortal witnessing a god of creation, and an indescribable sense of reverence and wholehearted veneration began to well up in his heart.

Zhao Yun's eyes narrowed slightly as he said, "Creation-grade divine artifacts are born from nature, and they possess an ability far above the level of forbidden arts known as 'Divine Creation'. In the history of Hell, these divine artifacts are known as heaven-splitting artifacts, and once their full power is unleashed, they'll be capable of destroying heaven and earth. I'm assuming that power is the very thing he's trying to harness."

Qin Ye involuntarily stepped back behind Zhao Yun's tall and broad figure before clearing his throat in a slightly awkward manner. "You can withstand this, right?"

Zhao Yun smiled, and replied, "All arts are formed by Yin Talismans, and only a complete set of Yin Talismans can allow one to unleash an art's full power. Right now, Dong Zhuo's attack is like a machine that's missing two parts; it's no longer fully functional. The power of an incomplete King Yanluo's Seal and that of a complete seal are completely incomparable, so you can rest assured."

"Abyssal Prefect Qin!" Right at this moment, Dong Zhuo's furious voice rang out across the entire sky. "Take your people and piss off! From now on, our territories will be divided by the Yellow River; you'll rule over the north while I'll govern the south. I'll give you the three provinces near the Pearl River Delta, leaving me with only the southwestern region! I promise that I'll never encroach upon your territory, and if I break my vow, may I be blighted by lightning tribulations of the Heavenly Dao and erased from the face of this land!! In addition to that, I swear upon my soul that I'll never oppose Hell again!"

As soon as his voice trailed off, the heavens trembled for a moment, as if some unfathomable entity had sensed his vow.

The Heavenly Dao had responded.

A vow sworn upon one's soul had to be approved by the Heavenly Dao, just like the vow sworn when Qin Ye had first met Arthis.

The raucous battlefield instantly fell deathly silent, and moments later, Qin Ye chuckled, "You're swearing a vow to me? Do you think I give a damn?"

Inside the imperial palace, the netherfire in Dong Zhuo's eyes abruptly contracted. What insolence! Thinking back, everyone had to refer to me as Taishi! I was standing at the very pinnacle of this world, yet now, I'm at the mercy of a little rat, someone who was only a mere ant a few years ago...

"Fine! Then let's all die together!" At the height of his fury, he licked his lips in a bloodthirsty manner before making a grabbing motion with his right hand.

In response, boundless purple light immediately erupted in the sky like a scintillating sun, illuminating the entire earth.