Yama Rising

Right as this thought sprang into his mind, bright golden light erupted from his chest, and Hell's Record flew out before quickly spreading itself open, following which a line of free-flowing text instantly appeared on its pages.

For unifying the nation, you have received seventy million merit points.

Name: Qin Ye (Nickname - Dogballs)

Place of Origin: Liu Er Mound Village, Gazi Gully, Tang An County, Qingguang City

Family Members: Grandfather (deceased), Parents (deceased)

Date of Birth: 1 October 1938

Current merit points...

Dead silence.

Qin Ye blinked in disbelief before grabbing Hell's Record and staring at it in a dumbfounded manner. His breathing was becoming heavier and heavier as he counted, "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight... nine!"

It really was a nine-figure number!

Thirty million! All I need are the final thirty million merit points! In contrast with the seemingly impossible task of earning 150 million merit points in exchange for the Yama-King rank, thirty million was practically nothing!

However, how was he supposed to earn those final thirty million points?

Just as his excitement was beginning to die down, the pages of Hell's Record began to move once again!

This was something that had never happened before!

Whoosh... Hell's Record opened up to another completely blank page before beginning to tremble violently.

The entire book was trembling as if it were calling out to something. Both Qin Ye and Zhao Yun were rather startled to see this, and the latter immediately dragged Qin Ye several meters away with a wary look on his face.

In the next instant, Fate flew out of Qin Ye's sleeve before inscribing a string of elegant characters onto the pages of Hell's Record.

"What's going on?" Qin Ye asked in a dumbstruck manner.

Zhao Yun shook his head in response. "Everything related to the Yanluo is strictly confidential and can only be passed down verbally from one King Yanluo to another. Did the second King Yanluo not tell you about this?"

He didn't! 

Qin Ye was completely befuddled. Brother Xu had never mentioned the possibility of Fate writing on the pages of Hell's Record. He made his way over to Hell's Record to take a look, and he was quite dismayed by what he saw.

"It was by an enormous stroke of luck that Hell was united. The map of the Cathayan Underworld is complete once again, but it hasn't fulfilled the duties of Hell. Instead, it has only fulfilled half of Hell's duties. Hell is a transfer hub, one where someone can remain forever. Countless Yin spirits enter the Underworld from the mortal realm. After that, they'll pass through the 18 abysses of punishment to atone for the sins they committed during their lifetimes. Then comes the six paths of reincarnation, where the good deeds they've committed will be weighed up against their sins, following which they'll return to the mortal realm. This is the true purpose of Hell.”

This was indeed Hell's duty and the purpose of its existence. It was a very accurate description, and Qin Ye nodded in agreement.

"This was originally going to be a very lengthy process. The Goddess Earth Mother transformed into the six paths of reincarnation, forming its foundation. In order to reconstruct the six paths, the complete remains or bloodline of an ancient god were necessary. However, it's far too difficult to gather the complete remains of an ancient god in the present day, but who could've anticipated the god worshipped by the Three Star Mound, Yu Kiang, would be hiding in the ruins of their civilization? And who could've predicted that a series of strange transformations would've taken place between Yu Kiang and the Holy Grail? What's even more unexpected is that a year later, Yanluo Qin embarked alone on a journey to the forsaken land to seek out a divine artifact..."

Slap! Qin Ye violently slapped the book shut, and he felt as if his eyes were playing tricks on him.

Several seconds later, he carefully opened the book again.

"Yanluo Qin embarked alone on a journey to the forsaken land to seek out a divine artifact..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Qin Ye almost hurled the book away in bewilderment. Why? Why did he have to embark on some accursed journey alone? Wasn't it much better to live like a coward in Everburn? Why did he have to make things so difficult for himself?

Aren't you overestimating my capabilities? 

However, Fate completely ignored him as it continued to write its story, which was quickly becoming a very long tale. Zhao Yun looked on with a contemplative expression and murmured to himself, "The forsaken land, eh?"

Qin Ye forcibly repressed the urge to roll his eyes as he asked through gritted teeth, "Do you know of this place?"

Zhao Yun was silent for a long while before finally replying, "My Lord, it's been far too long since the Cathayan Underworld has made its voice heard on the international stage, and I'm not sure how many Underworlds even recall our existence. In order to step onto that highest stage, an Underworld must have at least a Yama-King among its ranks. Otherwise, it wouldn't have any speaking rights on the international political stage. The most important thing now is to found a nation and spread the news of unification. In doing so, we'll be giving all of the netherworldly citizens a greater sense of belonging. The second order of business would be for you to ascend to the Yama-King level, and this..."

Zhao Yun pointed at Hell's Record as he concluded, "Is most likely the only way for you to become a Yama-King."

Zhao Yun's words provided some comfort to Qin Ye, and he was finally able to repress the urge to tear the book to shreds as he asked, "Why do you say that?"

"The forsaken land is a place that has never been blessed by the presence of an ancient god. Generally speaking, places like this will be extremely perilous. In those places, Yin spirits are trapped, so there will definitely be evil ghosts among them with rankings in the single digits!"

Qin Ye raised an eyebrow as Zhao Yun continued, "I'm not very familiar with the forsaken land as Emissaries of Hell aren't permitted to enter that place. However, I've heard that it's a paradise for evil ghosts and the Yin spirit empire of the mortal realm. Evil ghosts naturally arise in the area, and they're extremely malicious. However..."

Qin Ye clasped his hands behind his back and looked up at the roof of the cave as he murmured to himself, "However, those evil ghosts are the most suitable candidates to become the guardian Yin spirits of the six paths of reincarnation, right? Just like Dong Zhuo, Su Daji, and Qin Hui, right?"

"Your wisdom is unmatched, My Lord," Zhao Yun replied as he cupped his fist in a respectful gesture. "The body of an ancient god can only act as a vessel for the six paths of reincarnation, while those six heinous souls will act as their engines. Once the six paths of reincarnation are reconstructed, the laws of Hell will be reinstated, as will the cycle of reincarnation, and the Heavenly Dao will be whole again. Once that happens, it'll be time for your grand inauguration!"

And this is most likely where the final thirty million merit points are going to come from! 

Silence.

Only after a long while did Qin Ye give a reluctant nod as he sighed, "Let's go back for now."

They had already been down here for several hours, so everyone else was most likely growing anxious. On top of that, there were still too many things that he had to do.

He had to prepare to found a nation, to move the capital city, to set a national flag, an era name, a national flower, and many other things. It would take several months to complete all of these necessary tasks. Furthermore, Yu Kiang was here in the Westriver Province, and seeing as the Chalice of Preiddeu Annwn couldn't be moved, the six paths of reincarnation would have to be reconstructed in the Westriver Province. Thus, the Westriver Province could no longer be considered as a normal province.

It was going to be the harshest of jails, the abyss of sin, and the final site of reincarnation.

All of this required the issuance of relevant orders.

They returned the same way they had come, and Arthis and the others were already waiting outside. As soon as Qin Ye emerged, Su Daji immediately approached him and said in a seductive voice, "There's no need to exhaust yourself like this, My Lord; I'd be more than happy to share some of the burden on your shoulders. It is the greatest honor for me to be able to serve you, Your Excellency."

Qin Ye completely ignored this shameless boot-licker and turned to Arthis with a smile. "Are you interested in becoming the warden of the six paths of reincarnation?"

Su Daji's voice abruptly cut off, and she turned to Arthis with a stunned expression, while Qin Hui's eyes also widened with shock.

The warden of the six paths of reincarnation... The fact that Arthis was being offered this title made them so envious that they were about to go insane!

Being subjected to four of the six paths of reincarnation, namely the path of the beast, the path of the asura, the path of the hungry ghost, and the path of the abyss, was a fate far worse than death, and the warden was essentially a god to all those who entered the six paths. It was no exaggeration to say that the line of family members visiting those in the six paths day and night could fuel the economy of an entire city! The warden would be drowned under HLs offered by visitors every single day!

Those who wanted to enter the path of man and path of gods and be born to good parents would gladly offer up centuries worth of savings. Even then, they would still have to line up for centuries more.

This was the most lucrative job imaginable, and it was also one that granted a lofty status and an immense amount of administrative power!

The six paths of reincarnation were directly connected to the past Hell's Imperial Court of Judicial Review and the Department of Prudence, but at the same time, it was independent of those two departments.

We're both women; why is she getting so much more than me? Su Daji was so envious that she could burst into tears, and Qin Hui's face had also become completely scrunched up. Who wouldn't want a job like this?

However, they didn't dare to say anything!

They had only been following the King Yanluo for a short time, and they knew that they were in no position to demand such an important role...

Arthis faltered slightly before turning to Zhao Yun with a gentle expression. "I'll go wherever Brother Yun goes; my position isn't important to me."

"Hah? What did you just call him? Call him that again, I dare you!" Qin Ye had been thoroughly disgusted by this two-faced woman.

"What's wrong with me calling him Brother Yun? No one else is saying anything, so how about you shut your damn mouth?!" When facing Dogballs, her attitude underwent a complete shift, and she wasn't holding back at all.

Yes yes yes... There's no issue at all... Whatever makes you happy... 

Su Daji had her head lowered to her chest, but she was rolling her eyes so hard that they were about to fly up into the sky! Love is completely worthless, you idiot! You're being offered the position of warden of the largest jail in the entire nation, the largest central soul hub... If you don't want the job, I'd gladly take it from you! No, I have to maintain my composure... 

What little remained of her rational thinking ability allowed her to repress her urge to scream. Sure enough, Qin Ye didn't even bother to ask her or Qin Hui. "See? I think you're very suitable for the job. The cold and forbidding display that you put on is very much reminiscent of my past self. You can come and tell me whenever you decide to accept the position, but it has to be before the official founding of the nation."

Everyone suddenly fell silent upon hearing this.

Founding of the nation... Those words were enough to make all of the Yin spirits present tremble with excitement, and the netherfire in their eyes began to dance sporadically.

They were serving under the ruler of this united nation!

Oda Nobunaga and Oda Nobutada were the most excited ones among them. Qin Ye had promised them that once he became powerful enough, he would grant them Nippon!

With the current power held by the Cathayan Underworld, conquering Amano-Iwato would only be a matter of time!

He really hadn't been joking when he declared that his army would march toward Amano-Iwato within 20 years!

What Su Daji and Qin Hui were excited about was that seeing as they had become subordinates to the ruler of the nation, surely their past history would be well and truly behind them.

They had atoned for their sins for thousands of years; was it finally time for them to be able to live like normal netherworldly citizens?

"Congratulations, My Lord! No, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! This is wonderful news for all of the netherworldly citizens across this entire world!" Excessive excitement and yearning brought both Qin Hui and Su Daji to their knees, and they were on the verge of tears.

They had been waiting for this day for far, far too long.

"There are still many things to be taken care of, so I'll be counting on all of you," Qin Ye said with a smile, "I'll leave behind an army of 5,000 to strengthen our hold on the three provinces, while the rest of the army will return to the capital."

Third Era of Hell, Year 7 Month 4, the third King Yanluo, Qin Ye, united the nation before leading his army to the capital. It was decided that Everburn City would become the new capital, and during the next month, preparations for a move commenced.

It was also during the return of the army of Hell that a report bearing news of Hell's unification was sent to the mortal realm.

Unbeknownst to everyone, there was currently a series of convoys rapidly approaching the borders of the Cathayan Underworld from all directions.

At the Rich Province on the Cathayan border, a badge with complex Yin runes inscribed on its surface was pressed against an array, and moments later, a gap opened up on the array, immediately following which a convoy rushed in with frenzy.

No conversation took place throughout the entire process, and only after a full three hours had passed did a trembling hand slowly raise the curtain on one of the carriages. A cloaked head then cast its gaze out into the wilderness.

"There's not a single shred of Yin energy here... The Yin energy of the Daolord of the Beast has disappeared, and most of the Yin spirits have also disappeared... Hell has finally made its move! Could it be that the tremors I felt at Laos University really did stem from the clash between Hell and the Daolord of the Beast? Judging from these scenes, it appears that Hell has secured the final victory! How is that possible? No more than a few years ago, the King Yanluo himself had to attend to us in person! How has Hell managed to conquer the distant land of the Westriver Province in such a short time?!"