Yama Rising

Countless journalists had already formed a watertight barricade around what remained of the Heavenly Radiance Hall, and their image capture crystals were flashing incessantly.

A pristine and soft red carpet had been temporarily laid down here, and a makeshift stage had been set up at the center of the area, at the foot of which were placed dozens of tables and chairs, arranged in a neat and orderly fashion.

It was looking a little crude and primitive, but the flags of the Cathayan Underworld, the Northern Europa Alliance, the Alkebulan Underworlds, and the new continent were flapping in the wind in the background, and with those flags present, it was clear that something very important was about to take place here.

There were no seats for the journalists, but that did nothing to stifle the scorching flames burning in their hearts.

The events that had just unfolded here were completely unprecedented! For the very first time, advanced death gods had clashed during an international conference, rendering an already submitted vote invalid, following which the Cathayan Underworld had immediately declared that they were holding an international press conference!

Any single one of these events was already unprecedented during past international underworld conferences, and the fact that all of them had taken place at the same conference was a clear indication of things to come.

There were no armies and fortresses here, but it was clear to everyone that this was a battlefield.

Every word that was spoken and every gesture that was made, these were the weapons that the two sides were using against one another. At this point, most of the trump cards had already been revealed, and it was now well and truly into the endgame.

Both sides were vying to make the killing blow. During the meeting that had just been ruined, the utopia alliance had already claimed half the votes. If the Cathayan Underworld's press conference couldn't convince most of the underworlds to vote for them, then the Cathayan Underworld would remain the loser of this clash.

A new era was about to dawn upon the underworld, and the thrill of being able to bear witness to such a monumental occasion was making their skin crawl. However, all of the journalists remained silent as right at the foot of the stage, despite the crude setting, all of the tables and chairs were occupied by the representative teams of every underworld without any vacant seats!

The outcome of this epic power struggle was finally about to be decided, and none of the death gods wanted to be absent from such a momentous occasion.

Death God Antee looked around at the serious looks on all of the faces of the death gods around him, and only after a long while did he withdraw his gaze as he heaved a faint sigh. "Even throughout the past 3,000 years, I'm not sure there would've been many occasions as significant as this one. Even though my role in all of this is extremely minimal, I still can't help but feel as if my soul is on fire."

A series of figures were standing on the main stage with Qin Ye in his black dragon robe standing at the very center. Standing to his right and to his left were Zhao Yun, Hela, Jörmungandr, Mythic Spirit Black Mamba, Mythic Spirit Sunbird, and Mictlantecutli and Mictetikasiwa. Nipponese servants were quickly setting up the venue, and shortly thereafter, following the melodious sound of a horn being blown, all of the servants departed, and complete silence descended over the entire makeshift press conference venue.

However, with the tension and anticipation hanging in the air, the silence was absolutely deafening.

Finally, Qin Ye broke the suspense by commencing his address. "I'm very happy to see everyone gathered here today."

As soon as his voice trailed off, image capture crystals began to flash rapidly all around him, and only after three full minutes had passed did the flashes subside.

Qin Ye wanted to put on a smile, but was unable to in the end. This was the final showdown. Both sides had already exhausted all of their ammunition, and this was going to decide the final outcome of the power struggle.

With that in mind, he was simply unable to arrange his own expression into a smile.

I'm still lacking in experience and composure... 

He continued, "During the past several thousand years, the underworld has constantly been on a path of advancement and reform. First, there was the distant feudal era where gods freely roamed the lands, and from there, all of the underworlds gradually took shape. Following a period that was ravaged by war and unrest, we have finally reached a period of peace. We've always been striving for improvement, advancing from ancient hunter-gatherer societies to the glorious civilizations that we have today. Throughout all of history, the rate of development of the underworld has roughly matched that of the mortal realm, but around 200 years ago, the mortal realm experienced a massive technological leap, while the underworld has struggled to keep up and was slowly left further and further behind. Mr. Archimedes once said that the next era will be one decided by a new energy resource, and I agree with this. I also think that a new energy resource is the key to the future, and we've never given up on our pursuit of this key. On this day, our allies and I will open the gate to this brand new era together."

At the very front of the venue, Hypnos turned to Archimedes and asked in a low voice, "Is it possible that they've actually managed to develop a new energy resource?"

Archimedes shook his head in response with an assured expression. "That's not possible. If they have, then they wouldn't have had to allow themselves to be placed in such a vulnerable position. It looks to me like their energy resource project will be implemented in conjunction with the Alkebulan Underworlds. I think that there's a very good chance that they've established a partnership of the highest level of intimacy with the Alkebulan Underworlds, which is why they had to wait until the Alkebulan Underworlds arrived before they could hold this press conference. However, they were on the brink of having their status as one of the four pillars revoked. If they really had developed a new energy resource, even in the absence of the Alkebulan Underworlds, all they had to do was provide a feasible demonstration of their new energy resource in action, and most of the underworlds on our side would've defected over to them."

Indeed, the emergence of a new energy resource would be enough to completely change the entire world and render countless patents redundant!

Archimedes continued with a confident smile, "There's no way that the Cathayan Underworld would've passed up such an opportunity, so you can rest assured. According to international regulations, projects without supporting prototypes and research statistics will not be acknowledged and awarded patents, and that rule alone will be enough to foil any chances they have of making a comeback."

A proud look then appeared on his face as he stroked his own beard. "In addition to that, I'm confident that the research and development prowess of the Cathayan Underworld could not outstrip that of our Argosian Underworld's round table."

Right at this moment, Qin Ye cast his gaze toward the three pillars, whose representatives were looking right back at him, and sparks seemed to be flying where their eyes met.

A renewed sense of apprehension swept through the entire venue, and all of the Yin spirits unconsciously sat up a bit straighter as Qin Ye announced in a calm voice, "Now, we are going to display the rough content of the Zhu Rong plan. Firstly, I can tell everyone with absolute certainty that the Zhu Rong plan involves a new energy resource, and it's one that can already be used. This energy resource was developed by the Cathayan Underworld after over a century of painstaking effort, and all that's left is to promote it to the entire world!"

Countless shocked gasps rang out as all of the death gods and journalists frantically exchanged bewildered glances.

The Cathayan Underworld had confirmed once again that it really had developed a new energy resource!

Kuwal unconsciously tightened his grip around his armrests. Any underworld that controlled a new energy resource would undoubtedly be the ruler of the next era, and the Cathayan Underworld had already announced it twice! One could argue that the first instance was nothing more than a desperate lie told by them in order to stave off the three pillars, but Qin Ye had just officially announced this once again, so could this really be true?

This was the Cathayan Underworld, an underworld that had never lied on the world stage! Having said that, this was the most vulnerable it had looked for over 3,000 years. Would that be enough to convince them to resort to deception?

Everyone's breathing began to accelerate, and all eyes were staring intently at Qin Ye, but no one uttered a single word.

They were all waiting for decisive evidence.

If the Cathayan Underworld really developed a new energy resource, then the utopia alliance and the three pillars could all piss off as far as everyone was concerned! This would be a development that could stir the entire world up into a wild frenzy!

"I know that everyone has a lot of questions, so in order to assuage everyone's doubts, I specifically captured some footage with an image capture crystal for this occasion." 

He made a grabbing motion as he spoke, and an image capture crystal appeared in his grasp. He injected his Yin energy into the crystal, and a light screen instantly appeared above him.

The scene depicted a port, and within the port was a massive Yin beast.

It was Gui Xu!

At that moment in time, Gui Xu's shell had split open, and the segments were being supported by countless mechanical arms, while the circuits inside its body were lighting up one after another.

Qin Ye wasn't watching the footage. Instead, he was staring intently at all of the death gods present, watching as their eyes and mouths sprang wide open in astonishment. Despite everyone's stunned reactions, he was still feeling quite uneasy.

While it was true that this was a new energy resource, the scene was depicting the moments right before Gui Xu's self-detonation.

This was a transition that a stable energy resource was making toward an unstable state, and he wasn't sure if this would be enough to fool an underworld-leading expert like Archimedes.

However, this was the best piece of evidence that he had, and it was pivotal to his case.

A death god rose to his feet, and his hands were trembling as he stared at the screen while shaking his head as if he were in a trance. "This is manmade light, just like the man-made lights in the mortal realm!"

His voice was very quiet, but he certainly wasn't the only one present to be astonished.

Kuwal had risen to his feet, Anko had stood up, and Mythic Spirit Black Mamba and Mythic Spirit Sunbird had both risen their heads, wearing expressions that made them look as if they had seen a ghost. Even Hela, Jörmungandr, Mictlantecutli, and Mictetikasiwa were looking on with incredulous expressions.

Wait a minute, wasn't this supposed to be a joke? Didn't you say the new energy resource was only a bluff? Wasn't this only supposed to be a condition on which we formed our alliance? You're telling me now that all of this is real?! You really did develop a new energy resource?! 

With so many death gods present, there would be no way to fool everyone and convince them that this was man-made light if it were actually light generated by Yin energy. Even Archimedes had sprung to his feet in astonishment and was staring at the screen with disbelief etched on his face.

After over 3,000 years, an energy resource had finally been unveiled in Nara!

The key to a new era had finally been developed!

In this instant, everyone was silent and basking in the gravity of the moment.

The Cathayan Underworld had displayed its cards, and it was a royal flush!

Having striven and hoped for this for so long, no one wanted to look away from this monumental scene, and everyone's eyes were focused intently on the light screen.

They watched as the giant turtle's shell slowly opened up, supported by one mechanical arm after another. They watched as the complex circuits and indicator lights slowly lit up within the giant turtle, transforming the sea into a radiant galaxy of stars. This would not have been a very astonishing sight at all in the mortal realm, but in the underworld, it was so stunning that none of the rulers of the underworlds could utter a single word.

"How is this possible?" Hypnos was feeling his own vision fading into black, but the image was still extremely clearly etched onto his mind. He had also risen to his feet, and he swayed unsteadily on the spot as if he were about to pass out.

The Cathayan Underworld hadn't been lying! It really did have a new energy resource!

He instantly understood why the Cathayan Underworld had been so quiet and subdued, their lack of action stemmed from absolute confidence! With this new energy resource in its grasp, there was no way that its rights could be encroached upon, and it would certainly be impossible to boot them out of the four pillars!

All of the passivity and vulnerability they had displayed had been nothing more than an act, and it was all building up to this moment! With this final reveal, the Cathayan Underworld's KIng Yanluo would be able to easily identify who were his allies and who were his enemies. And to think that he had looked down on him all this time, regarding him as nothing more than a hotheaded idiot who would lead the Cathayan Underworld to ruin...

He turned toward Archimedes in a wooden manner. "Didn't you say that this was impossible?"

Archimedes didn't say anything, but he was trembling uncontrollably, and his mind had gone completely blank.

The Cathayan Underworld really did manage to develop a new energy resource, and they did it ahead of me! How is this possible?!

Yamaraja was also stunned into complete silence, and in this instant, he was even struck by the urge to betray the utopia alliance.

The Cathayan Underworld had always had a border conflict with the Hindustani Underworld, so the latter was undoubtedly going to be the most heavily impacted party!

In a few years' time, the Hindustani Underworld would only be able to look on as the Cathayan Underworld enjoyed the new energy resource on the other side of the border while his own nation remained stuck in the dark ages. If that were to happen, he would be completely denounced by his own people and subordinates!

Would the Hindustani Underworld be able to invent a new energy resource in the next decade? Clearly not!

Following a brief period of complete silence, an explosive commotion instantly erupted, and the light shining from the countless image capture crystals could already outshine the light of the stars as all of the journalists frantically captured as many snippets of the unfolding footage as they could.

"It really is a new energy resource!!"

"Lord Qin, when was this new energy resource developed, and which Yin rune researcher was it developed by? What is its name?" 

"Lord Qin, may I ask how this new energy resource works and what led to its discovery?"

"Lord Qin, when is the patent for this new energy resource going to be released? Is it already complete at this stage?"

"Get out of the way! You're blocking my image capture crystal! Hey!!"

It was as if everyone had suddenly gone insane!

There was no way that journalists would be permitted to ask such questions in such a high-profile international conference, but none of the journalists were able to control themselves!

In the face of such a momentous revelation, all of the rules could go to hell!