Yama Rising

“Just… just one… I--...”

She waved her hand gently. No Yin spirit could stand up against the might of an Abyssal Prefect. But just then, she looked up abruptly at the sky, and then knelt down respectfully, “Your servant Su Daji humbly greets your lordship!”

“Your Excellency, I’m currently located in Fengtian West Railway District, where a nest of a thousand ghosts has been formed. I’m slowly unravelling the effects of the same. My lord, Fengtian will be restored within a month’s time. Meanwhile, Yichun and Bingcheng are also being taken care of by my subordinates. And as soon as I receive reports of any Judge-class Yin spirits, I’ll immediately head over to deal with the situation.”

Su Daji pondered for a moment, “Your humble servant will try her--...”

“The three eastern provinces must be liberated before 1 May. You’re not the only one racing against time here. General Zhao will soon be travelling to the Yangtze Delta and Fulling Province. We’re talking about half of Cathay being liberated at the same time. Su Daji…”

“You know the position that you’re in right now. Prove to me that my decision to keep you around isn’t a bad decision… that is, if you don’t wish to join Crow Tengu and the others at the six paths of reincarnation.”

The screen of light went out. On the other side, Su Daji stood up at once, drew and deep breath, and then Yin energy erupted from her body like thousands of poisonous vipers slithering out of their nest, burrowing into every corner of Fengtian.

But if anyone dares come between me and my survival, I’m going to take it personally!

Time passed quickly. Both Hell and the mortal realm were eagerly anticipating the upcoming meeting, and both sides were making their final preparations as they dashed to the finish line. And before they knew it, 1 May arrived.

It was an annex hall. But since the seating capacity wasn’t too high, everyone here would at least be 50 years of age and above. They all wore a serious expression on their faces, and they glanced at the door expectantly from time to time.

Then, as soon as the clock struck midnight, the lights in the entire hall suddenly flickered, and that was soon followed by the convergence of a terrifying nethergale. Lei Jun and about a dozen other Infernal Judges standing guard at the sides of the hall immediately glanced around vigilantly, ready to strike at the moment’s notice. Then, seconds later, the Yin energy swirled together like a powerful vortex, from which Qin Ye’s figure slowly stepped out.

One man?

Qin Ye didn’t speak immediately. Instead, he surveyed his surroundings and took in the grand sight. The national insignia hung gloriously at the back of the hall, and just its presence alone weakened Qin Ye’s energy by almost half. Meanwhile, both sides of the hall were lined with the national flag.

He was slightly moved. After all, the Assembly Hall was a place used only when either Yan Capital or Cathay received international envoys or guests. Who would’ve thought that Hell would be granted such honour as well?

These are all people that I’ve once seen on television and sincerely looked up to…

“It is an honour to finally meet you.” He clenched his fist and placed it across his chest as he bowed deeply to the room, “You may all be wondering why Hell has only sent me, and only an Abyssal Prefect at that, and not a Yama-King.”

A thin old man smiled faintly, “I’ve read the records of the Divine Protectors, and there have been records of their interaction with Hell as well.”

The top brass exchanged glances, and then the president nodded slightly and made a gesture of invitation, “Well, then… please.”

Meanwhile, Qin Ye’s heart was also filled with complex emotions. The journey thus far hadn’t been easy.

And then, there were a couple of other times when he had crossed their paths, but those weren’t too important. All he knew was that they had on several occasions attempted to probe deeper at Hell’s might and strength, and yet Qin Ye had done everything he could to conceal as much as he could. Then, the turning point came during the Hungry Ghost Festival.

From there, he stepped into the realms of an Abyssal Prefect, personally travelled across the lands, recovering Pearl River Delta, shocking the Daolord of the Asura, before slowly but surely reclaiming the land that had been lost to Hell. As time wore on, the alert status of the coastal regions slowly turned from red to orange, and then to yellow. But even then, Hell chose not to call for negotiations, but instead went on to reclaim Valley County, Pearlriver, and even resolve the supernatural incidents at the Yin Mountains. Finally, as all of these threads came together, it finally culminated in the negotiations today!

He closed his eyes and adjusted the thoughts in his heart. Then, he finally looked up, “I believe you already have an idea about the situation in Hell after our last meeting. But just so we’re all on the same page, I’ll say it again. A hundred years ago, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva fulfilled the Great Vow and gained ascension, causing Hell to be emptied out. Granny Meng found me and entrusted me with a shard of King Yanluo’s Seal, and I suddenly found myself shouldering the weight of Hell’s revivification. From there, I’ve come to build something out of nothing, and it’s finally time to enter into talks with the mortal realm about the tall task of restoration of Hell.”

Lei Jun’s fingers quivered for a moment, and then he calmed down once more.

Neither side was wrong. It was all just a misalignment in their positions.

The president nodded slightly, “Our interests weren’t aligned, and we had no choice either. It is great that Prefect Qin understands the situation, and has helped us to set things into better perspectives.”

Everyone straightened up slightly. Qin Ye drew a deep breath, and then began to explain, “Hell currently has two cities under its charge, Ashmound City and Everburn City, which sits on Martial City and the City of Salvation respectively. Of these, Ashmound City has a population size of 20 million, while Everburn City has a population size of 3 million. Two months ago, we issued a conscription order, and 180,000 troops have been recruited thus far.”

He paused for a moment, and yet not a single person made a single peep of sound.

But even then, Qin Ye knew that they had to be astounded in their hearts. They were just repressing their emotions for the purposes of the negotiations. Needless to say, their placidity created a peculiar sensation of depth and profundity in the air.

After all, the world stage was next on the cards after the unification of the underworld, and it would serve him well to learn from the leaders of the mortal realm, especially since… he didn’t have the same kind of “persuasiveness” of the Second King Yanluo.

His eyes gleamed brightly, “Nobody can stand in the way of our unification of the Cathayan Underworld!”

“Because of the Heavenly Dao.” Qin Ye pointed up, “Perhaps you might find this statement rather nebulous, but I can swear it upon the name of Hell that everything I’ve said thus far is absolutely true, regardless of how incredulous it might seem.”

He paused for a moment, “We have no choice but to plug the gap with Yin soldiers.”

They still had a Yama-King, and a Yama-King could still act without being rejected by the Heavenly Dao. Unfortunately for the mortal realm, they didn’t have Yama-Kings, and they weren’t able to verify whether Qin Ye was telling the truth or not.

It was a cold position to take, but it was all a matter of national interests at the end of it all.

“Five years.” Qin Ye responded decisively, “And possibly even sooner! Currently, the only remaining stronghold that stands in our way belongs to the Daolord of the Beast, located in the southwest. But he’s just an Abyssal Prefect. This means that liberation of those provinces isn’t going to be so much of an issue, as it is going to be just a matter of time!”

“Impossible. It takes more than a hundred years or two for the development of a Yama-class entity. Besides, Cathay isn’t going through any period of war right now, and there’s barely enough blood food to go around among the evil ghosts right now. Sure, we might encounter other organized forces along the way, but they would never be able to stand against the army of Hell!”

“Surrender and submit, or fight and die!”