Yama Rising

Beep beep beep! In the mortal realm, the numbers on all of the Yin energy detection devices in the Special Investigations Department settled in unison, and everyone was staring intently at the screens.

150,000,000... This is Yama-King level Yin energy! 

"150,000,000..." A white-haired researcher finally broke the silence in a trembling voice. "This is the first time Yama-King level Yin energy has been recorded in history, this is truly a moment to be remembered..."

"Who is it?" Lei Jun asked in an urgent voice, "Contact Hell right away to check who it was that made the breakthrough..."

"Director!" Right at this moment, the door was violently flung open, and a young investigator rushed into the room while panting heavily. "We've just received news from Hell in one of our Yin Yang Communication Centers. Five minutes ago, Yanluo Qin made a breakthrough to the Yama-King level, and the six paths of reincarnation were rebuilt! In a week from now, Hell will be sending emissaries to touch base with the mortal realm!"

So it really was him... Lei Jun faltered slightly before a relieved smile appeared on his face.

No, what I should be saying is, as expected, it really was him... 

A wave of relief immediately washed over him. The King Yanluo had attained power befitting of his status, and the cycle of reincarnation had been restored. From now on, supernatural disasters would no longer be a cause for concern. Only now could they confidently say that supernatural disasters were a thing of the past.

It's finally all over... The immense relief and joy he was experiencing was making him a little giddy, and an involuntary smile appeared on his face. "Send someone to contact the city gods and present a congratulatory present on behalf of our mortal realm."

"Yes!"

………………………………………………….

In the underworld, the night that had prevailed for three days finally faded, and the entire underworld was in a state of ecstatic celebration.

"Lord Qin has progressed to the Yama-King level!" This monumental event was being discussed in all corners of the nation. All of the Cathayan Underworld's netherworldly citizens had experienced the process in person, having witnessed for themselves the astonishing phenomenon brought on by a breakthrough to the Yama-King level. The older Yin spirits were amazed to have witnessed something they had only heard of in legends, while the younger Yin spirits felt as if they had entered a fantasy film, and they were so excited that their netherflames were on the verge of jumping out of their bodies!

"So it was a Yama-King level breakthrough, I was wondering why the esteemed Harken issued that order a few days ago."

"Now that the Qin Dynasty has its first new Yama-King, will the Yama-Kings of the 10 Palaces appear one after another?"

"Let's wait and see. Hell's Weekly Paper is definitely going to be issuing a detailed report on this. I'm really curious to see how we managed to get to this point."

This is the underworld, a completely different world for the dead, a world that belongs to us! 

Everyone on the streets and alleys was spiritedly discussing the phenomenon that they had just witnessed. Only the occasional old Yin spirits that had been in the underworld ever since Hell had been in the City of Salvation were unimpressed and scoffed at the newer Yin spirits.

This is nothing! You haven't even witnessed the conquest of Ashmound. That was truly an event that altered the course of history in the entire Cathayan Underworld and was an epic spectacle to behold! These Yin spirits from the past century or so really are far too easily excited... 

As the subject of everyone's discussions, Qin Ye paid no heed to all of this. He had more important things that he had to do.

"According to General Zhao, only the framework of the six paths of reincarnation has been set up, and it's only able to just barely function. In order for it to be truly complete, it'll have to absorb Yin energy for at least a decade. Once that process is over, it'll most likely become even larger than it is now, and the entire Lotus City will have to undergo another round of planning to allow for the expansion of the six paths of reincarnation, as well as the outer defensive circle and to facilitate the headquarters of the soul prison."

On a plot of empty land, Qin Ye was surrounded by Qin Hui, Qin Changxin, Su Daji, Arthis, and Zhao Yun, and outside of this core circle were several hundred troops from the Hell Guardian Legion. Yin energy was seeping out of Qin Ye's fingertip as he slowly wrote a message in the air: "Messenger birds have already been sent to the first, third, and sixth divisions of Yin Construction, instructing them to gather urgently at Lotus City. Arakshasa will be fully responsible for overseeing the work of Yin Construction, as well as all other duties involved in this process."

"Yes."

Qin Ye exhaled as he swept a hand through the air, and the message that he had inscribed in mid-air was wiped away. He then turned to everyone else with a serious expression and said, "I can delegate these matters to others and not oversee them in person, but right now, my priority is to find the Judgment Pen. Three days ago, General Zhao and I took a trip to the seabed, where we discovered a giant Yin Yang Mezzanine, which we deduced had to have been smashed open by the Judgment Pen. That Yin Yang Mezzanine is large enough to allow that giant beast to pass through, and an emissary of the Nipponese Underworld has already been sighted on the back of that sea beast."

The leads seemed to be very scattered and messy, but all of the Emissaries of the Hell present were extremely sharp, and Arthis's eyes immediately narrowed slightly upon hearing this. "So you're saying someone is collaborating with another realm and has seen something that they shouldn't?"

"That's right," Qin Ye replied in a cold voice.

"What do you plan to do?"

Qin Ye was silent for a few seconds before replying, "I plan to kill everyone involved. The Harken will stand on guard at the rift in the array, and General Zhao is currently unable to leave the Cathayan Underworld, so I am the only one who can address this matter, and I would only dare to do so after reaching the Yama-King level. I have to ensure that I'm able to protect myself under all circumstances. The rift in the array is strictly confidential information that must absolutely not be leaked! If one person knows about it, then I'll silence them. If an entire nation knows about it, then I'll eradicate that nation! We can't afford to leave anyone who knows about this alive!"

The bone-chilling killing intent emanating from Qin Ye felt like daggers on the skin of all of the Emissaries of Hell present. Su Daji extended a slight bow as she said, "My Lord, I am willing to follow you wherever you go! The 30,000 troops of my Hungry Ghost Legion will always be at your service!"

Qin Hui knew that this was a fantastic opportunity for them to improve the impression that Qin Ye had of them, and he immediately chimed in, "Your Excellency, I would also be honored to go with you! I would like nothing more than to be the blade that you wield so that you don't have to dirty your precious hands!"

Qin Ye didn't immediately give a reply.

The rift in the array, the Judgment Pen... These were all extremely sensitive subjects, and anyone who knew about them had to die! However, firstly, he had to figure out who exactly it was that was standing on the back of the giant beast.

It wasn't that he hadn't considered the possibility that the giant beast was carrying the Peach Blossom Spring on its back. It simply made too much sense to be ignored as a possibility. Hiding in Limbo, there was no way that it could be discovered, and the buildings on the giant beast's back were also constructed in the same Qin and Han Dynasty style. However, this was also the possibility that he dreaded the most.

That giant beast would've been free to roam through the realms for potentially the past century, and there was a very good chance that the Judgment Pen had already fallen into the hands of the Peach Blossom Spring. It was already established that there was a Yama-King level cultivator in the Peach Blossom Spring, and since then, an emissary of the Nipponese Underworld has also emerged. The connotations behind this were enough to send chills running down Qin Ye's spine!

However, there still wasn't sufficient evidence. It made sense as a theory, but it couldn't be verified yet, and in reality, Qin Ye was hoping above all else that this theory was somehow false.

Furthermore, the other area of concern was whether the Nipponese Underworld was aware of all of this.

One of the Nipponese Underworld's three ghostly deities had appeared on that sea beast's back, which meant that they had emerged from the Yin Yang Mezzanine. Having been so close to the rift in the Array of the Nine Gods, did that Otakemaru manage to see it? If he had, then had he reported it to the Nipponese Underworld? Was Izanami aware of this? Perhaps this was why they had been constantly probing the Cathayan Underworld?

Thinking back through these past six years, the Nipponese Underworld was the nation that had raised the most challenges against the Cathayan Underworld. First, there was the incident concerning the foreign underworld emissary at the Academy of Cultivators. After that came the events in the Obsidian Heaven’s Eye Bowl, followed by the chaotic scenes of the Hungry Ghost Festival, and finally concluding with the emergence of that mirage city. Weren't these incidents taking place a little too frequently for it to be a coincidence?

Qin Ye's hands balled up into tight fists within his sleeves. For the very first time, a sense of intense killing intent welled up in his heart toward the Nipponese Underworld and the death goddess, Izanami of Amano-Iwato.

These matters were significant enough to decide the fate of the entire Cathayan Underworld, so he was inclined to adopt a guilty until proven innocent attitude.

"Mr. Qin, Ms. Su." After several minutes of deep thought, he turned to the pair of daolords with a smile and asked, "Are you prepared to do your part for the Cathayan Underworld?"

"My Lord!" Qin Hui and Su Daji hurriedly fell to their knees before kowtowing over and over again. "Heaven and earth can bear witness to our loyalty toward the Cathayan Underworld! We've always been waiting for an opportunity to make a contribution to Hell! Please give us an opportunity to redeem ourselves, my Lord! We've abandoned our heinous pasts and are now fully dedicated to the Cathayan Underworld!"

Qin Ye didn't immediately reply, and the two daolords were clenching their fists so tightly that their nails were leaving deep imprints on their palms. After what seemed like an eternity, they finally heard a reply that was like heavenly music to their ears.

"I will be descending to the seabed in the mortal realm in a submarine tomorrow. Qin Hui, you will be tasked with protecting the left side of the submarine with 5,000 troops from the Asura Legion, while Su Daji will be responsible for protecting the submarine's right side with 5,000 troops from the Hungry Ghost Legion."

"Yes!!" The pair of daolords were immensely relieved to hear this.

The feeling hadn't been all that pronounced back when Qin Ye had only been an Abyssal Prefect, but right now, they truly felt as if they were kneeling in front of an insurmountable mountain. Qin Ye hadn't made any direct threats to them through his words, but their souls were still trembling in fear.

"Also..." Qin Ye paused momentarily before turning to Zhao Yun. "General Zhao, do you have any disguise technique that can make them completely unrecognizable and even mask their auras as Emissaries of Hell? In addition to that, your services will most likely be required to assist them in reaching the seabed."

Zhao Yun appraised Qin Ye with a meaningful expression, and after a long while, he gave a pleased nod. "Leave it to me, my Lord."

"Then that will be all for now. I'll travel to the mortal realm, and at noon tomorrow, the Hungry Ghost Legion and the Asura Legion will also enter the mortal realm through the Yin Yang Mezzanine.."

With that, Qin Ye departed as his body dissipated into a gust of Yin wind, leaving everyone else behind. Qin Hui and Su Daji were well aware of their position, and they remained on their knees until everyone left before finally rising to their feet and heaving long sighs of relief.

After a long silence, Qin Hui's brows furrowed slightly as he said, "Lord Qin wants to disguise us, and General Zhao's attitude is a little strange. What do you think all of this means?"

"It's very simple." Su Daji narrowed her eyes as she cast her gaze toward the golden pillars. She licked her lips with a hint of bloodlust in her eyes as she said, "Regardless of what or who we discover tomorrow, they must die. Otherwise, why do you think Lord Qin ordered us to bring along troops from our respective legions? As a ruler, he can't allow anyone to be aware of the fact that the Array of the Nine Gods is damaged. Otherwise, endless trouble will follow. On this occasion, it was that emissary of the Nipponese Underworld. Next time, it could very well be the death gods of foreign underworlds. Anyone who's possibly aware of this secret must be killed, but currently, the Cathayan Underworld doesn't want to start any conflicts with other underworlds, so we have to disguise ourselves to create the false impression that they were attacked by a horde of evil ghosts. There are many similar incidents in history, are there not?"

Qin Hui gulped slightly upon hearing this. "What if we discover that giant sea beast?"

Su Daji replied in a cold voice, "Then it, and all of the people living in the city on its back must die. Regardless of who they are, they will carry this secret to the grave with them."

Qin Hui took a deep breath, and the netherfire in his eyes flickered unsteadily. After a few minutes, he asked, "Do you think other underworlds have already seen the rift in the array?"

"Who knows?" Su Daji replied with a smile. "In any case, if they have seen it, then that would be great news for us. The battlefield is where we truly shine, and we'll get a great opportunity to show off our skills if we have to eradicate other underworlds. Look at all these pathetic nearby underworlds, the two of us alone will be enough to wipe them all out! Only by making sufficient contributions to the Qin Dynasty will Lord Qin's impression of us improve. In all honesty, I'm praying that other underworlds know about this. If you discover anything, make sure you show no mercy. How about this? Let's have a competition to see which one of us can rack up more kills?"

She licked her lips in a bloodthirsty manner as she spoke.

A cold smile appeared on Qin Hui's face as he replied, "Do you think I'll be too scared to take you up on that challenge? I haven't killed any fewer people than you during my lifetime!"