Yama Rising

"The world is balanced."

Inside the room, Qin Ye had his hands clasped behind his back as he analyzed, "International politics is a very complex yet self-regulating system. For example, why doesn't Usonia in the mortal realm use its nuclear weapons to threaten other countries to extort benefits? Why does it lure allies to its side by offering certain benefits? Some might ask what's the point in even having nuclear weapons if you're not going to use them. After all, the yearly maintenance fees alone for those weapons amount to quite a lofty sum. However, firstly, no one can handle the consequences of a nuclear war, and secondly, this is a final trump card used for intimidation purposes, and it's not one that necessarily has to be used."

He turned to Zhao Yun and continued, "You're just like a nuclear bomb. If they hadn't used Yin energy to repress Minister Qin, your actions would've been seen as breaking the rules. It would be the equivalent of a country using its nuclear bombs first. Even if that country could win this one time, no other nation would dare to work with them in the future. Who would dare to make deals with a nation that was so trigger-happy with their nuclear bombs? That would be far too much risk for any reasonable individual to be willing to take on. If we were to do that, we would only be shunned and ostracized by the entire world, and that's the main reason you can't involve yourself in battles carelessly."

Zhao Yun had his arms crossed as he stood in a corner, and he nodded in response. "I understand."

He cast his gaze toward Qin Changxin, who was slightly out of breath, and continued, "If I hadn't sensed the unrest in their Yin energy, I wouldn't have taken the opportunity to ruin their press conference. We've been absent for over a century and it's not right for us to be so domineering and aggressive. Instead, it would be far more beneficial for us to be more amicable toward the other underworlds."

Qin Ye's eyes narrowed slightly as he mused, "Even though we've managed to weather the storm on this occasion, they will definitely be launching more obstacles at us during the next few days, and there's no way we can do this every time. If only the second King Yanluo were also here..."

"Your Excellency," Qin Changxin urged in a ragged voice, "We can't count on the second King Yanluo. The second King Yanluo is even more powerful than a nuclear bomb, and if he were to get involved, the other nations would be even more fearful of us, particularly when he's no longer even the reigning King Yanluo. Are we really going to use the second King Yanluo to force all of the nations to submit to us? That would only sow a seed of resentment and distrust among others! If we were to do that, I guarantee that we will be attacked by the entire world within 50 years, and they'll even use forbidden arts against us!"

Even during its heyday, the Cathayan Underworld wouldn't have been able to withstand such an assault.

There were countless similarities between the politics of the underworld and the mortal realm, and it was why the powerful nations of the mortal realm didn't dare to threaten others with nuclear weapons.

Anyone who dared to do that would be breaking the rules, and one madman in the form of Hitler was already enough; no one wanted to see another deranged leader emerge in the world.

"Of course I'm aware of that," Qin Ye sighed in a forlorn manner. "Setting aside the fact that we can't afford to turn the entire world against us, the fact of the matter is that I am the current King Yanluo! I finally understand why the second King Yanluo decided not to come with us. If he were to feature in our representative team, who would be the true leader of the Cathayan Underworld? This is the first time I've emerged on the world stage as King Yanluo, and the second King Yanluo's emergence would completely sweep my authority and reputation to the ground. Hence, he was decisive in not coming with us. Only by resolving this issue myself will the entire world truly realize that the Cathayan Underworld really has undergone a political transition, and that I, Qin Ye, am the third ruler of Hell."

Zhao Yun's brows were tightly furrowed as he asked, "What do we do now?"

"We wait," Qin Ye replied in a calm voice. "The Alkebulan Underworlds most likely won't be able to make it to Nara in time, but no one would dare to intercept the representatives of the new continent! The conference will commence in three and a half days, and the new continent's representatives will be here in three more days at most! When that time comes, the final showdown will truly begin."

He didn't know whether the new continent would agree to help him. In fact, even up to this point, he still couldn't figure out exactly what the turning point that the second King Yanluo had been referring to was. After all, there was no way that Mictlantecutli and Mictetikasiwa would agree to lend him their unreserved support just for a Heavenmend Rock.

However, this was undoubtedly going to be their final trump card.

This would be an explosive turn of events, and even with the terrible reputation of Mictlantecutli and Mictetikasiwa, their intervention would be able to swing things significantly in the Cathayan Underworld's favor. As for exactly how many votes they would be able to sway and whether it would be enough for the Cathayan Underworld to secure over half the votes, that would be up to the heavens to decide. The politics of the world stage weren't like domestic politics, and even he wasn't 100% confident.

He suddenly cast his gaze toward Zhao Yun, and a faint smile appeared on his face as he said, "Also, what you just said has inspired me to think of something."

Zhao Yun: ???

An excited look surfaced in Qin Ye's eyes, and his mouth was slightly parched as he continued, "I've figured out what we can offer to the rulers of the new continent in exchange for their assistance! I finally know what the second King Yanluo was hinting at..."

………………………………………………

An expensive china teacup shattered into pieces, but it was still nowhere near enough to vent Erinys's fury. She was trembling with rage, and her beautiful facial features were twisted to an almost unrecognizable extent.

Never had she been so badly humiliated before!

The utopia alliance had only just emerged, yet she had immediately received a vicious slap to the face in front of the entire world. Furthermore, the utopia alliance was to blame for instigating the incident, so she couldn't even complain!

All of the Cathayan Underworld's trump cards had already been sealed shut, and the three pillars had already gained the absolute upper hand, yet the Cathayan Underworld had chosen this inopportune time to strike back.

She was certain that the Cathayan Underworld had planned this all in advance!

"There's no need to be so enraged," Archimedes said as he calmly sipped on some tea. "The true victor will be the one who gets the last laugh, and only the winners are recorded in the history books. While it's indeed true that our press conference didn't achieve the intended effect due to Ghost King Zhao's intervention, the name and influence of the utopia have already begun to spread. There's no way that a single nation can stop the advancement of the utopia, and none of the death gods who have managed to survive to this point are idiots. As long as they think carefully about the situation, they'll realize that the Cathayan Underworld is still as aggressive and domineering as ever, but they still haven't devised effective countermeasures against our plan. They may have ruined our press conference, but we are the ones who have scored the moral victory, and all of the death gods will be smart enough to realize this."

Erinys finally exhaled as she combed her own long golden locks, which had become slightly disheveled during her fit of rage. "We've already controlled the situation at the Strait of Tsushima. Not only is the Heavenly Snake Fleet there, the Despair of the Death God is also present. There's no way they could've anticipated that only the Golden Fleet out of the three pillars' naval fleets has arrived at Nara, while the other two fleets are all intercepting the Cathayan Underworld's most effective allies. Indeed, only the winners are recorded in the history books. As long as the final outcome doesn't change, a bit of humiliation is nothing."

A warm smile appeared on Archimedes's face. "Thank the gods that your anger hasn't robbed you of your sense of reason."

Erinys also smiled as she replied, "Don't forget that I'm one of the gods that you're thanking. I've already issued an order to initiate the Aries Plan."

Her smile faded as she gnashed her teeth together with a furious expression. "Zhao Yun was nothing more than a mere mortal during his lifetime, how dare he embarrass me like this? He wants to go by the rules, right? In that case, let's see how he plans to turn the tables while still acting within the constraints of the rules! Without their most effective allies, they won't be able to execute their plan, so it doesn't matter what trump cards they're hiding up their sleeves!"

A serious look also appeared on Archimedes's face as he said, "Most importantly, according to the rules of the Coalition of Underworlds, all patents without sound theoretical frameworks and successful examples of implementation won't be acknowledged, and the same applies in the mortal realm as well. This is the most important thing we have on our side in terms of shutting down any comeback potential they may have. The only alternative possibility is that this new energy resource has something to do with, or is an extension of an existing piece of technology! As long as we don't allow them to find a way around this rule, they won't be able to do anything."

Erinys nodded in response, and after a long silence, she finally asked, "The second King Yanluo isn't going to make a sudden appearance, is he?"

Archimedes was in the process of taking a sip of tea, and he immediately burst into a fit of violent coughing upon hearing this. His brows then furrowed slightly in contemplation for a moment before a smile reappeared on his face. "I'm sure he won't. He's already handed over the reins, and if he were to appear now, he would be slapping the third King Yanluo in the face. If he were to intervene, where would that place Yanluo Qin? How would the world be able to take the current King Yanluo seriously? This is the first time the third King Yanluo and his entourage have appeared on the world stage, and there's no way that the second King Yanluo will step in to undermine his authority. Come to think of it, I actually want him to come. If he does, the resulting chaos will be very much detrimental to the Cathayan Underworld."

"Good..." A menacing smile appeared on Erinys's face as she said, "I'm going to officially initiate the Aries Plan in an hour. If he wants to follow the rules, then we'll do just that!"

……………………………………

A peaceful night passed by, but on the next morning, the entirety of Nara was swept up into a frenzy once again.

The utopia alliance was holding a press conference in the morning, during which details pertaining to the patents of 11 nations were going to be discussed. After that, a signing ceremony was going to be held for the abolition of all patent barriers, and this ceremony was going to be available to public spectators throughout its entire duration.

At the same time, three of the utopia's Duke-level death gods were going to gather together for an in-depth discussion in military technology that same afternoon, and later at night, the signing ceremony for the utopia alliance's comprehensive strategic collaborative partnership agreement was going to be held. As was the case for the signing ceremony for the abolition of all patent barriers, this ceremony was also going to be available to public spectators throughout its entire duration.

The next morning, a conference was going to be held during which the utopia alliance discussed trade barriers and national protection policies. At noon, the agreement drafted during the aforementioned conference was going to be signed, with the signing ceremony available to public spectators throughout its entire duration.

That same afternoon, the utopia's coastline pearl chain plan was going to be implemented, and later at night...

One conference and signing ceremony after another was arranged back-to-back, and all of them were being held by the utopia!

In the blink of an eye, the utopia had already earned itself a resounding reputation. It was a brand new superpower that was going to become the premier force in the world, and it entailed comprehensive collaboration between many nations in all fields ranging from the financial sector to the military sphere. The scale and openness of this alliance were truly astounding to everyone.

No one doubted its future in the slightest, and in particular, the small nations included in the alliance were eagerly waiting for everything to be finalized.

This was a ticket to ultra-rapid development for them, and it was also the precursor for worldwide prosperity!

However, no one had explicitly expressed any clear interest in it yet.

All of the death gods who had managed to survive to this point were wily and cautious enough to know that they had to wait for the Cathayan Underworld to make its move and to only make their decisions at the last possible moment.

"What the hell is the Cathayan Underworld still waiting for?!" Hela almost tore her newspaper to shreds. "We placed so much trust in them and bet everything on them! Why have they still not made a move? Do they not even have any backup plans? Is this all that the third KingYanluo of the Cathayan Underworld is capable of? This is preposterous! Are they even aware of how hard it's going to be for them to return to the four pillars if they miss this opportunity to re-establish themselves?"

However, no matter how agitated she was, she didn't dare to confront the Cathayan Underworld.

There was no alternative for them other than to cling onto the ship that was the Cathayan Underworld, regardless of whether it was a sinking ship or not.

The tsunami was already raging in full force, and once it inundated the Cathayan Underworld and the Northern Europa underworlds, it was going to sweep through the entire world.

Countless pairs of eyes were watching the pavilion where the Cathayan Underworld's representative team was staying. Those who wished to join the utopia were waiting for the Cathayan Underworld's final trump cards, while those who didn't want to join were praying that the Cathayan Underworld would be able to pull off a miracle.

One day passed by, then two, but the Cathayan Underworld's representative team remained completely silent.

After three days of inactivity from the Cathayan Underworld, Kuwal, the leader of the Red Moon Federation, heaved a long sigh. "Is this the end of the Cathayan Underworld?"

"As expected, no one can stand at the top forever."

Antee's lips were tightly pursed as she said, "There are only 12 hours left until the commencement of the conference, are they really not going to at least put up a fight? This is the Cathayan Underworld we're talking about, one of the four pillars!"

Indeed, there were only 12 hours left.

Once the conference commenced in 12 hours, there would be no going back for either side, and it would be a fight to the death.

"Your Excellency!" Qin Changxin quickly rushed into the room amid the oppressive silence and reported, "They've arrived! Death gods Ah Puch, Xolotl, Supay, and the new continent's supervising ambassador have arrived at Osaka!"

They've finally arrived... Qin Ye's heart skipped a beat as he asked in a serious voice, "Have they been intercepted at all?"

"Just as you predicted, no one has intercepted them! No one could've anticipated that we would be able to convince the new continent to stand with us!"

"Good." Qin Ye took a deep breath and closed his eyes, then called out, "Servants, I need to change."

Regardless of what the final outcome was, this would be the final showdown.

He had already done everything in his power, and it was up to the heavens to decide the outcome now.