Yama Rising

As soon as her voice trailed off, Qin Ye immediately rushed into the center of the fiery lotus flower as a gust of Yin wind.

Whoosh... Waves of fire quickly receded around him as if he had just passed through a thin red veil, and after a short span of only around five seconds, he was already staring at his surroundings with an astonished expression. Only after the flames around him had begun revolving once again did Zhao Yun's voice ring out beside his ears. "My Lord?"

Qin Ye looked up as if he had just awoken from a dream, and he observed the fantastical universe around him with an entranced expression. "Is this what the evolutionary process of the six paths of reincarnation looks like, General Zhao?"

Zhao Yun was also completely captivated, and only after a long while did he shake his head in response. "I've never seen it before, either. However, I would think that the inclusion of a creation-grade divine artifact has only made for an even more spectacular sight."

Right in front of them, there were countless opened gates amid the flames like stars in the sky.

These gates had all been born from the insubstantial flames, and each gate was around 10 meters tall. It was very chaotic and disorderly, but there was a sense of grand and magnificent beauty about it. It was like looking up into the sky on a starry night, and one couldn't help but be struck by a sense of insignificance.

It was impossible to count just how many gates there were. They reached straight up into the heavens, and all of them were in an ancient Cathayan style.

"Astonishing, isn't it?" Right at this moment, Arthis's voice rang out, and she slowly strode forward as she said, "I was even more stunned than the two of you when I first saw this. I've already sent scouts through every gate, and they've reported back to me, informing me that each gate was connected to a space, all of which were of different sizes and were completely independent of one another. This is something completely different from the previous six paths of reincarnation."

She gently swept a hand through the air, and the gate that was closest to her slowly swung open. Immediately thereafter, a burst of scorching green netherflames erupted out.

It was like opening a steamer and getting blasted by a face full of steam. Only after a full 10 seconds had passed did the eruption of netherfire finally subside, and what laid beyond the gate was revealed to be nothing but complete darkness. A gust of Yin wind swept forth, and the trio had already stepped through the gate in an eager fashion.

They found themselves in a very spacious area.

It was roughly 50 meters in size, and there seemed to be a light source overhead, illuminating the center of the space an eerie green color. The surrounding area seemed to be situated within space itself, and black and white were circulating and alternating incessantly, intermingling with one another, forming a vast cloud dome that resembled a giant upside-down bowl.

"The evolution doesn't seem to be complete yet," Arthis said as she pointed at the 10 giant pillars around them, which were completely enveloped in flames, making it impossible to glean their true appearance. The pillars spanned the entire height of this space, and directly in front of them was a karmic fireball that was around five to six meters in size, revolving incessantly like a miniature version of Pangu creating the heavens.

"Space, eh?" Zhao Yun's brows furrowed slightly as he mused, "Every creation-grade divine artifact has its own unique properties, this is something that I've told you about before, my Lord."

He inspected his surroundings with an awestruck expression and continued, "Every single one of these rooms is unique, and this relates to the laws of space. Is this the unique property of this divine artifact?"

"Can you sense your soul here?" Qin Ye asked as he turned his head toward Qi Nü, who was perched on his shoulder.

Qi Nü nodded vigorously in response. "I can, and after entering this place, the sense of connection I feel has become even more potent!"

Qin Ye nodded in response and paid no further heed to the marvelous spectacle around him. Regardless of how the six paths of reincarnation turned out, he had to wait until the evolutionary process was complete first. Right now, the most important thing was to find out Xu Fu's hiding place!

Zhao Yun and Arthis retreated a few steps to give Qin Ye some space, and Qin Ye took a deep breath before making a grabbing motion.

BOOM!! 

Almost at the exact same moment, a violent boom akin to a rumbling thunderclap rang out in the sky above the entire Cathayan Underworld. Immediately thereafter, day transitioned into night, but after only three seconds, everything returned to normal, and the netherworldly citizens didn't even get a chance to panic.

The Book of Life and Death was simulating the sun and the moon, and now that King Yanluo was using the Book of Life and Death, it was only natural that heaven and earth would display a response. At the same time, a massive golden book had already appeared in front of Qin Ye within the six paths of reincarnation in Lotus City.

In the instant that it appeared, Qi Nü's entire body began to tremble slightly.

She could sense that what she was missing was right inside the book. However, even though this book was just a projection, she still didn't dare to look directly at it. If it weren't for the fact that she was perched on King Yanluo's shoulder, her soul would've most likely already been eradicated by now.

"Name, date of birth, birthplace," Qin Ye said in a calm voice.

Due to her excessive excitement and the immense pressure she was feeling, Qi Nü's voice was trembling as she replied, "My name is Ji Chun, and I was born in Hantan City during the 18th year of the reign of the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty."

"The 13th year of the reign of the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty, so that's 204 BC..." The pages of the Book of Life and Death began to rapidly turn on their own at Qin Ye's behest. What was quite strange was that instead of words being revealed on the pages of the Book of Life and Death, one image after another began to appear, as if history were rapidly reversing.

"During the 28th year of the reign of the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty, you accompanied Xu Fu on his final voyage... That means you were 15 years old at the very most when you married Xu Fu, right?"

Qi Nü nodded in response.

Qin Ye didn't say anything. 15-year-old brides weren't rare in history. In fact, they were extremely common, and at the time, Xu Fu had to have at least been over 40. The fact that he was willing to subject his young bride to such a cruel fate for over 2,000 years was further testament to his cruelty and ruthlessness.

All of a sudden, the Book of Life and Death trembled slightly, and a line of black text emerged from the book as Yin energy before forming a pair of balls of light several seconds later.

Qi Nü's entire body was trembling. These were the things that she was missing, and they were right in front of her!

She could even sense the unrest and yearning within those two parts of her soul!

"Your Excellency..." Qi Nü was completely tensed up as she implored in a voice that was on the verge of sobs, "Please grant them to me! From this day forth, my life will be yours!"

However, Qin Ye merely swept a hand through the air to send the two balls of light drifting further away, and only then did he muse, "I can see that you have been deprived of the parts of your soul that govern your intelligence, memories, and sentience."

"Yes..." Qi Nü was struggling to repress the tumultuous emotions in her heart as she implored once again, "Please, your Excellency..."

"You're severely underestimating Xu Fu," Qin Ye continued in an unhurried manner. "Even the likes of Bu Wantian, whom he only met once, had restrictions placed upon him, let alone someone like you, who knows more of his secrets than anyone else. To be honest, I'm quite surprised that he didn't kill you, it looks like there's some shred of humanity left in him after all..."

Qin Ye chuckled as he suddenly made a grabbing motion.

Controlling a soul was an easy task for the King Yanluo, and it looked as if this grab would be enough to crush the souls, but in reality, if there were no issues, these souls would return to Qi Nü's body. Even if an issue were to arise, this was Hell.

With the Book of Life and Death, Ghost Monarch Zhao Yun, and the warden of the six paths of reincarnation, Arakshasa, present, even a Yama-King wouldn't be able to stop them from restoring one's soul!

The air abruptly fell still, and a giant hand formed by Yin energy enveloped the pair of balls of light. In the next instant, a string of cracks suddenly rang out from within Qi Nü's soul!

In the corner, Zhao Yun's hands were clasped behind his back, and his eyes abruptly sprang open as his hands balled up into fists and slowly fell to either side of him. At the same time, countless specks of netherfire had already lit up in Arakshasa's black hair, which was rising like the tide.

There was some other type of power present... 

Souls were supposed to be completely pure and uncorrupted by karma, yet there was some other type of power intermingled here!

"It's true energy," Qin Ye remarked as a cold smile appeared on his face, and he abruptly tightened his grip. His robes immediately rose up around him, and a resounding boom rang out as a talisman exploded within the grasp of the giant Yin energy hand like a scintillating sun.

Bursts of white light pierced through the Yin energy hand, illuminating the entire surrounding area. 

It was self-detonation!

The restrictions planted in Bu Wantian's soul allowed Xu Fu to be immediately alerted if someone were trying to examine Bu Wantian's memories, but that was because Bu Wantian didn't know where he was. However, Qi Nü was aware of his location, and as a result, he had placed a self-detonation restriction in her soul!

Right as the white light erupted into the heavens, bursts of black light began to erupt out of the Book of Life and Death. The white light immediately began to melt like ice and snow, but it didn't dissipate. Instead, it combined together with Qin Ye's Yin energy to form a strange black and white vortex.

The area had fallen completely silent, and two Yama-Kings and an Abyssal Prefect were staring intently at the vortex. It didn't fade, nor did it expand, and after close to 20 seconds, the vortex finally settled. Its surface slowly rippled like the surface of a lake, and the face of a man was revealed. 

It was none other than Xu Fu's face, which Qin Ye had seen in Bu Wantian's memories!

"We finally meet, Mr. Xu," Qin Ye said with a faint smile as he clasped his hands behind his back. "As expected, there was no way that someone like you would leave a potential threat like Qi Nü alive. Don't try to play dumb, I know you can hear me."

Several seconds later, Xu Fu also smiled within the image and replied, "May I ask if you're a Yama-King or the King Yanluo?"

"How are you so sure that I'm one of those?"

Within the Yin energy screen, Xu Fu was currently situated in a pavilion surrounded by beautiful scenery, and he picked up a fine china teacup in a carefree manner before taking a sip. "Qi Nü was captured, and I can sense that something has also happened to Gui Xu. I can't think of any possibility other than one that involves intervention from a Yama-King. Seeing as Hell was responsible for this, there's no way you wouldn't have detected my true energy. Are you telling me that you would get an Abyssal Prefect to face the most powerful cultivator in the mortal realm?"

He wore a warm smile as if he were greeting an old friend, and he set down his teacup in a casual manner as he continued, "Are you not afraid that I would kill any Emissary of Hell below the Yama-King level?"

"You wouldn't dare," Qin Ye countered with a smile.

"Indeed, I wouldn't dare," Xu Fu replied in a calm voice as he stroked his own beard. "How about we strike a deal with each other? I can give you Gui Xu, and from this day forth, I'll leave the territorial sea of Asia and never return."

Qin Ye chuckled in response. "Unfortunately for you, you have no right to be negotiating terms with Hell."

Xu Fu also chuckled upon hearing this. "If this were the Hell of the past, then I would indeed be unworthy. The Peach Blossom Spring was nowhere near enough of a threat for the second King Yanluo to take seriously. However..."

He rustled a sleeve, and a golden hand fan appeared in his grasp. The guards of the fan were gold-plated, while the leaves were made from silk, and the ribs were crafted from white jade. "I don't have the courage to test Hell, but some things cannot be hidden."

He's about to lay down his cards. 

Qin Ye knew that this was Xu Fu's biggest trump card.

Why had he established that trade route? He had done so to ensure that this route remained open.

As long as it did, that would mean that the rift in the array hadn't been discovered. Even Qin Ye had only just been made aware of this, and it was something that Xu Fu was banking on to grant himself safety.

Qin Ye observed Xu Fu with a meaningful expression and remained silent for a long while.

"I have no intention of staging a rebellion." Xu Fu stood up in an elegant manner and gently fanned himself. However, right as he was about to continue, his expression abruptly changed drastically, and he cast an incredulous gaze toward Zhao Yun.

Zhao Yun also finally cast his gaze toward Xu Fu, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

It was a very calm smile, yet even through the screen, Xu Fu could feel all of the fine hairs on the back of his neck standing up on end. He felt as if he were being sized up by an apex predator, and before he even had a chance to react, Zhao Yun had already crossed through realms to reach him!

"You..." Before he had a chance to say anything, a thin line had already appeared on his neck, and immediately thereafter, his head was sent flying up into mid-air as blood splattered in all directions.

His black hair became messy and disheveled during the fall of his head, and there was still an astonished look on his face. Only now did he understand why Qin Ye seemed so calm and assured.

This was a game of chess between Yama-Kings, a clash between the dead and the living dead, and he was a step behind!

Who could've thought that there would be someone in the Cathayan Underworld capable of tearing through space and crossing through realms?

Hell was truly a lion's den, and it was serious in hunting him down!

In that instant, he felt as if his heart had been plunged into a glacial pit, and his vision had turned completely dark.