Yama Rising

There had to be a point at which all of this was connected.

Thus far, there were many things that he was currently unable to understand and comprehend, but once he found this common point that connected everything, then it would all make sense to him.

However, he wasn't in a hurry to get to the bottom of things. These incidents undoubtedly concerned some major parties, and he had a feeling that the investigation would be virtually impossible to carry out unless he reached the Yama-King level.

In reality, he had already developed a theory, but he was currently unable to verify it. His theory was that the person standing on the giant beast's back had been spying on the Cathayan Underworld in secret this entire time. However, the sudden return of the Yellow Springs had wounded the giant beast, and in order to avoid the tsunamis, it had no choice but to float to the surface of the sea in the mortal realm. As a result, this led to the discovery of a massive Yin Yang Mezzanine at the bottom of the sea.

Furthermore, this sea beast was very likely to be related to the Peach Blossom Spring.

He hadn't said anything at the time, but he had made some mental notes on the palaces on the sea beast's back. They had been constructed in the style of the Qin and Han Dynasties, and among all of the people he had seen, only the owner of the Peach Blossom Spring had this style. Furthermore, he possessed the power to create this living city.

This was perhaps the rough sequence of events, but there were far too many details that still had to be filled in. They were like scattered pearls of truth, but there weren't enough of them to be strung up into a complete necklace. His mind was racing rapidly as he returned to the crack in the Array of the Nine Gods.

"General Zhao." He returned the Courage of Dragons Silver Spear to Zhao Yun as he said in a grim voice, "You'll have to rebuild the Feral Dog Ridges, the Mount of the Golden Rooster, and the other constructions of the underworld on your own."

Zhao Yun took a deep breath before asking, "Did the Judgment Pen create a Yin Yang Mezzanine? Is it not in the underworld? Do you need the Harken to keep an eye on this place."

Qin Ye nodded in response before turning to the rift behind him with narrowed eyes. "The Yin Yang Mezzanines is the largest one I've ever seen with a radius in excess of 100 kilometers."

Zhao Yun drew a sharp breath upon hearing this and immediately replied, "My Lord, this is an extremely serious matter! This rift has most likely existed for over a century, and during that time, a vast amount of the pure Yin energy of the underworld would've flowed into Limbo, altering the conditions in there! I'm absolutely certain that on the other side of the Yin Yang Mezzanine, all of the most powerful Yin beasts of Limbo must be gathered to benefit from the influx of Yin energy!"

Pure Yin energy presented a lethal temptation to evil ghosts.

A grim look appeared on Zhao Yun's face as he continued, "If we don't take care of this matter quickly, those Yin beasts will become more and more powerful. No one knows what those things will become after devouring the Yin energy of the underworld, and perhaps even the bodies of deceased Yin beasts will be reanimated!"

"Hasn't that already happened?" Qin Ye cast a cold gaze into the dark depths of the sea. "That giant sea beast that appeared in the mortal realm was most likely a product of mutation from absorbing the underworld's Yin energy, and it must also be the king of Limbo. Also, there's something else I'm even more worried about..."

He pursed his lips as he lowered his head and continued, "That giant beast has an owner, and its owner most likely has ties with the Peach Blossom Spring. Has its owner obtained the Judgment Pen? Have they seen this crack in the array?"

Zhao Yun didn't reply.

He didn't even dare to consider such a possibility!

If this really were true, then it would mean that they were facing a combination of a divine artifact and a Yama-King level cultivator leading a power that even the second King Yanluo had been unable to track down... This was most definitely enough to keep Qin Ye up at night.

At this point, it wasn't actually important whether people had seen the crack in the Array of the Nine Gods or who had seen it.

What was important was that all those who knew about this had to die with no exceptions!

"Please make haste, my Lord," Zhao Yun immediately said as he cupped his fist in a salute. "If worse comes to worst, I'll recover the Judgment Pen even if I have to leave this world!"

"That's the last resort," Qin Ye replied. "Let's go for now. An incident of this magnitude is something that those below the Yama-King level can't even hope to touch."

………………………………………………

Cathayan Underworld, Lotus City.

Arthis was stripped of her role as minister of foreign affairs and became the warden of the six paths of reincarnation instead. As a result, she was stationed in Lotus City most of the time, and due to the presence of the Hungry Ghost Legion and Asura Legion, Su Daji and Qin Hui also hadn't left the city.

Qin Hui was seated on a taishi chair as he gently blew into his teacup, and all of the wrinkles on his wizened face were bunched together. "Say... Do you think Lord Qin has forgotten about us?"

Su Daji was rapidly maneuvering a pair of knitting needles, and she faltered slightly upon hearing this. "Surely not... His Excellency left us here so that we can help with the reconstruction of the six paths of reincarnation. Even if he's forgotten about us, he'll eventually recall us when he decides to rebuild the six paths of reincarnation."

The sound of clicking knitting needles rang out again as Su Daji refocused on her knitting. "To be honest, it wouldn't be a bad thing if he's forgotten about us. Have you still not had enough of constantly being on the King Yanluo's mind?"

"That's true," Qin Hui sighed before taking a sip of tea. "Currently, there's no need for him to progress to the Yama-King level as the Harken and Ghost Monarch Zhao can take care of everything for him. Unless the need arises, there really is no incentive for him to progress... Lord Qin!"

All of a sudden, he sprang up like a jack in the box, then slid over to the entrance on his knees before kowtowing heavily onto the ground. "It is the utmost honor for me to be seeing your glorious self! Lord Qin, during your absence, I was like a fish out of water, a seedling desperately waiting for rain to grace the parched earth..."

Clack... The sweater in Su Daji's hands fell onto her lap.

I can't relax even for a single instant! When did this old bastard learn the advanced sliding kneel ability?! 

"No need for formalities." Qin Ye waved a dismissive hand, and Arthis and Zhao Yun made their way into the room behind him. He then sat down on the main seat and asked, "How have things been going in Lotus City recently?"

"Everything's been going well," Arthis replied in a resentful voice. "Aside from the fact that you've cruelly kept a pair of lovebirds apart for so long... It's been a long time since I've seen my dear hubby..."

Zhao Yun almost spilled some tea onto his own leg upon hearing this.

What the hell is dear hubby supposed to be?! Can you give me a detailed explanation?! 

Lovebirds are truly sickening... Qin Ye was shuddering internally, but he asked in a calm voice, "General Zhao, what other preparations need to be made for the rebuilding of the six paths of reincarnation?"

Qin Hui and Su Daji exchanged a glance, but neither of them said anything.

"No more preparations need to be made. The only thing we have to worry about is a final struggle from Yu Kiang. As an ancient god, there's no way it would be willing to be sealed away forever. However..." A cold look appeared on Zhao Yun's face as he declared, "This is no longer its era."

Having hibernated and been crushed under the Chalice of Preiddeu Annwn for so long, what right did it have to reject Hell?

Qin Ye was silent for a moment before speaking again. "Su Daji, Qin Hui.'

Qin Hui smoothed out his clothes before bowing to 90 degrees. "I'm here, my Lord."

Meanwhile, Su Daji fell to her knees and pressed her forehead flat against the ground. "I'm ready to hear your holy decree, Your Excellency!"

Qin Hui turned to Su Daji with a stunned expression.

You're even able to gain an advantage in something like this?! I can't relax even for a single moment! You really are my lifelong rival... 

If it weren't for the urgency of the current situation, Qin Ye would be greatly amused by this pair of bootlickers. As things currently were, he only allowed himself a small smile before immediately reverting back to a serious expression. "We'll commence rebuilding the six paths of reincarnation in 12 hours. The Hungry Ghost Legion will stand on guard in the outer city, while the Asura Legion stays in the inner city, and the Hell Guardian Legion will protect the imperial palace. Everyone must do their jobs and ensure that nothing goes wrong..."

Everyone's hearts jolted upon hearing this, and they cupped their fists in respectful salutes as they replied in unison, "Yes!"

After a brief hesitation, Qin Hui asked in a tentative voice, "My Lord, isn't it a little early to be rebuilding the six paths of reincarnation?"

The Judgment Pen was still nowhere to be found, what was the point in building a six paths of reincarnation that was essentially an empty shell?

Qin Ye smiled and rose to his feet before departing. "I want everyone to be at their posts in 20 minutes. Make sure to complete the tasks assigned to you."

"Yes!"

The hall fell silent again, and Qin Hui took a deep breath before raising his sleeves, upon which countless origami paper cranes immediately flew out. Several seconds later, he turned to Su Daji and said, "Something big must've happened."

Su Daji nodded in agreement with a grim expression. "There has to be something that he can only take care of after reaching the Yama-King level. Otherwise, there's no way he would think to rebuild the six paths of reincarnation now. Also, Daolord Qin, have you noticed that we're still not among the King Yanluo's core circle?"

Qin Hui heaved a long sigh. "Indeed. The Hungry Ghost Legion will be guarding the outer city, while the Asura Legion will be stationed in the inner city. That means that the true core still consists of only the warden and the Hell Guardian Army, while we're still not fully trusted. However, this is a rare opportunity for us, Daolord Su!"

The netherfire in his eyes skipped erratically as he continued, "The fact that Lord Qin is so desperate to reach the Yama-King level means that he's definitely dealing with something extremely tricky. If we can give him a helping hand in this matter, his impression of us will be sure to improve significantly!"

"Indeed... This is a fantastic opportunity for us to erase some of the biases and doubts Lord Qin harbors against us!"

…………………………………………………..

The entirety of Lotus City had become a hub of activity.

Hideous evil ghosts, menacing Asura skeletal dogs, and black-armored soldiers of the Hell Guardian Legion were flooding out of Lotus City. Even though Qin Ye had made the Hungry Ghost Legion responsible for guarding the outer city, the soldiers on the vantage points atop the city walls were all commanders of the Hell Guardian Legion.

Lotus City was the only city where construction of infrastructure hadn't taken place following the war of unification. At this moment, it was truly buzzing with activity. Time quickly passed by, and before everyone knew it, 12 hours had already flown by.

Qin Ye and Zhao Yun were standing inside the imperial palace. The old imperial palace had already been demolished, and all remnants of it had been removed. A Yin breeze blew past, and Zhao Yun's black hair danced wildly around him. He was seated with his legs crossed and his hands resting on his knees, and the Courage of Dragons Silver Spear was standing right in front of him.

As he meditated, one Yin rune after another slowly emerged around him. Each and every Yin rune was extremely complex, and it was as if they were being inscribed by an invisible handle directly onto space. During the past 12 hours, 999 Yin runes had already appeared here.

It was as if an array had been formed, encompassing an area with a radius in excess of a kilometer around him, and roughly 10 meters in front of him was the Divine Bronze Tree. [1]

The sound of a tolling bell rang out, and at the same time, Zhao Yun opened his eyes.

In the distance, Qin Ye and Arthis couldn't help but take several steps backward. The scene was very calm and placid, but it was like the calm before the storm, and the suffocating atmosphere was striking them with a sense of asphyxiation. 

"All things arise from heaven and earth and are manifestations of Yin and Yang. Only through cultivation and transcending countless tribulations can one attain ultimate power," Zhao Yun chanted, and as he did so, the golden Yin runes around him suddenly converged toward him, leaving strands of golden light in their wake. Immediately thereafter, Qin Ye gulped nervously, but discovered that he couldn't hear the sound of himself gulping. He opened his mouth, but it was as if he had been muted, and he found himself unable to utter even a single word.

The wind disappeared, the clouds stopped, and even the sunlight began to ripple. All of the Yin energy in the surrounding area converged toward the top of the imperial palace in a frenzy with the utterance of those words.

The eight birds on the Divine Bronze Tree began to tremble violently as if they could sense something, producing a string of clanging sounds. Meanwhile, light tremors began to run through the entirety of Lotus City.

"Throughout the three realms, the Great Dao reigns supreme."

As Zhao Yun continued to chant, some type of restriction seemed to have been broken in the world, and the sound of shattering glass rang out. All of a sudden, Qin Ye found himself able to speak again, and he immediately asked, "What is this?"

"It's the Imperial Earth Mantra..." Arthis wore an extremely serious expression as she explained, "The mantra is chanted to request the Goddess Earth Mother's soul to return and give us permission to complete the cycle of reincarnation again, thereby restoring balance to Yin and Yang. Listen carefully, this is a once-in-3,000-years event!"

Boom!! As soon as her voice trailed off, countless pillars of light suddenly erupted from the ground below. It was still the dark and gloomy underworld, but a resplendent golden sheen had been cast over it by the pillars of golden light.

Amid the boundless golden radiance, an indistinct figure slowly appeared within the clouds overhead.

"Who has summoned me?"

[1] [Quick reminder that this is the Divine Bronze Tree from the cave where the Yu Kiang and the Chalice of Preiddeu Annwn were found. If you'd like to refresh your memory of that part of the story, please refer back to chapter 757.]