Yama Rising

Amanozako abruptly raised her head to stare at Qin Ye with shock in her eyes, but she then quickly lowered her head again.

This was quite a revelation, but it wasn't actually unexpected.

After all, why else would the ruler of one of the four pillars have come in person to seek her out?

Amanozako was silent for a long while before adopting the dogeza pose again. "Your Excellency, may I ask what you plan to do with Susanoo-no-Mikoto?"

Qin Ye replied in an indifferent voice, "Once an underworld is conquered, all of the original gods that are worshiped there must be dealt with, including him and Izanami."

A thought then suddenly occurred to him, and he continued, "I can't execute him as there would be too much pressure from the rest of the world, and even I don't have the right to execute a death god who's been around for over 1,000 years."

As soon as his voice trailed off, Amanozako kowtowed once again as she said in a cold voice, "If possible, please leave him to me!"

"That's not out of the question," Qin Ye replied with a smile.

Amanozako stood up and took a deep breath, then said, "Please tell me what you need me to do, Your Excellency."

Qin Ye waved a hand through the air, and a map of Nippon that was formed entirely by Yin energy appeared in mid-air. Qin Ye pointed at the area between Shizuoka and Yamanashi and said, "This is where Mount Fuji is. Mount Fuji is not far away from Tokyo, but it's not a coastal prefecture. When the time comes, I need you to transport around 200,000 Yin soldiers to the coastline as quickly as possible."

A contemplative look appeared on Amanozako's face as she said, "Tokyo is situated at Tokyo Bay, and even though it's not as important in the underworld as it is in the mortal realm, it's still one of the Nipponese Underworld's most important cities, so it's very heavily guarded."

"I'm asking you whether you can do it or not," Qin Ye said in an indifferent voice.

Amanozako gritted her teeth before replying, "It'll be difficult. Tokyo is part of Chubu, which is guarded in person by Izanami, as well as four powerful daimyos..."

All of a sudden, her voice trailed off, and she raised her head to stare at Qin Ye with a stunned expression as if a thought had just occurred to her.

He was proposing traveling by sea from Mount Fuji, so he would've definitely considered the possibility of being intercepted by Izanami and the daimyos. The only power in Chubu capable of opposing Izanami and the demons and gods were the daimyos, so if Qin Ye wanted to transport his troops through Chubu without being detected, the only way would be to recruit the help of the daimyos.

Did this mean that the Cathayan Underworld had already swayed the daimyos over to its side?

A series of complex emotions immediately welled up in her heart. When she first found out that Qin Ye was planning to invade the Nipponese Underworld, she had thought that perhaps the Nipponese Underworld would be able to put up a struggle with the help of the rest of the world. Only now did she realize just how hopeless the situation actually was.

If she dared to stand up for the Nipponese Underworld, then she would be destined to be crushed along with it.

Thus, she suddenly stopped what she was saying and changed the subject in a subtle manner. "Once you enter the Nipponese Underworld through Aokigahara's shimenawa, you'll encounter a river. I call it the Higan River, and from there, you can go directly to the Kanagawa coastline."

She stole a glance at Qin Ye as she continued, "However, you'll have to pass through the territories of the two daimyos, Mōri Terumoto, and Kobayakawa Takakage."

Qin Ye nodded in response. "That's not an area of concern. Anything else?"

I knew it! He really has recruited the daimyos already!

Never had Amanozako felt the Nipponese Underworld to be in such severe peril before. She gulped nervously, then continued, "Yue Fei's soul is situated in the Meiji Jingu of Tokyo."

A hint of elation flashed through Qin Ye's eyes upon hearing this.

He was striking at the Nipponese Underworld not just for its geographic location and international status, but also for Yue Fei's soul!

Everyone knew that Yue Fei's soul was in the Nipponese Underworld, and the Nipponese Underworld had never denied this, but even the daimyos didn't know where it was hidden. After all, this was Izanami's greatest secret.

"I guess it makes sense that you know this, considering you're the daughter of Susanoo-no-Mikoto," Qin Ye said. "Can you tell me the specific details?"

"Yes." Amanozako kowtowed before continuing, "The Meiji Shingu is the largest Shinto shrine in Chubu. At the very center of the Meiji Shingu is the largest shrine gate in the Nipponese Underworld, and I recall that I heard by chance that that is where Yue Fei's soul is."

Amanozako didn't know anything beyond that, but this was already enough information.

Qin Ye's body began to disintegrate into Yin wind as he said, "The daimyos can be trusted. Given your status, it would be very easy for you to come into contact with their representatives, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Make sure to keep in close contact with them and pay attention to the international state of affairs. Once the war begins, we won't be able to communicate through letters."

Even after he vanished on the spot, Amanozako didn't dare to get up, and only after waiting for half a minute did she finally rise up from the ground.

There was a conflicted look in her eyes. She didn't want to die, but nor did she detest the Nipponese Underworld as much as the daimyos did. At the end of the day, she still belonged to the faction of demons and gods.

After a long while, a mocking look appeared on her face as she slowly made her way back to the shimenawa. "To think that they view themselves as so high and mighty, but in reality, they can easily be brought down by those who are truly powerful."

……………………………………………………

Time passed by like flowing water, and another two years went by in a flash.

During the past two years, the military equipment of the Cathayan Underworld had received another boost. With the deposit issued by the second King Yanluo, a massive batch of precious resources had appeared in the Cathayan Underworld.

Formosa, Nipponese Underworld Embassy.

Kawashima Takuma set his coffee cup lazily down onto his timber desk, then swiveled around on his chair to enjoy the sunlight pouring in through the window, letting loose a moan of pleasure as he did so.

The world was as peaceful as the surface of a still lake, and it was a fantastic time to be alive.

After working for 15 years here, he would be able to return to the cabinet. He had only secured this role after staving off countless competitors.

At this point, he had already been serving in this role for seven years, developing an extensive network during that time. Furthermore, Formosa was a very good place with mild weather, an abundance of delicious cuisines, restaurants from all different countries, and a great hospitality industry. As the world's largest first-generation energy resource transaction settlement site, this place had been transformed into a globalized city.

From his perspective, he could see countless antiquated Cathayan-style buildings that resembled undulating black waves, interspersed through which were resplendent Buddhist temples, pristine, white mosques, and extravagant churches. Anyone who visited the island would be stunned by its beauty and luxury.

Right at this moment, the sound of door-knocking rang out, and he casually said, "Come in..."

The door was opened, and a secretary rushed into the room before immediately extending a deep bow. "Mr. Kawashima, the Formosa municipal government is requesting us to go to the first port right away."

"Alright." Kawashima Takuma slowly rose to his feet, then adjusted his suit before putting it on and making his way outside.

He wasn't worried at all.

He was responsible for mediating conflicts between the Cathayan Underworld and the Nipponese Underworld, but there were never any major conflicts in such peaceful times.

He got into a beast-drawn carriage, and it quickly arrived at the first port. However, as soon as he emerged from the corridor, he noticed that the situation... wasn't quite right.

There was a ship docked in front of the port. It was a purely metallic ship that was enormous, constructed in a style much like the warships of the Ming Dynasty. However, the flags on the ship were from the Nipponese Underworld.

There were people of all ethnicities currently gathered on the port, locked in spirited discussion with one another, and the governor and administrative commissioner of the province of Formosa were also present.

What's going on here?

Kawashima Takuma hurried over to them before extending a respectful bow. "Governor Cao, Commissioner Zhou, we meet again."

However, the response he received was a cold harrumph, following which Governor Cao asked in a cold voice, "Is this a ship from your nation, Envoy Kawashima?"

Kawashima Takuma took a look at it before nodding in response.

In reality, he didn't know whether it was or not. He had files on all of the ships that arrived at this port, and he definitely couldn't examine them one by one. However, even though he didn't know for sure, he couldn't think of any other reason why the ship would be carrying the flags of the Nipponese Underworld.

"Good," Commissioner Zhou said in a cold voice. "Nipponese soldiers in excess of 1,000 have trespassed on our territory! What is the meaning of this?! Is this a declaration of war against our Cathayan Underworld?!"

What?!

The calm look on Kawashima Takuma's face instantly gave way to shock. This was such an astonishing turn of events that he was temporarily at a loss for how to respond.

The Nipponese Underworld is provoking Everburn? The Nipponese Underworld has sent soldiers to invade the Cathayan Underworld? Have they gone insane?! Why would they do that?!

"There must've been a mistake, Commissioner Zhou!" Thinking back to his careless admission that this was a Nipponese ship, his soul was trembling, and he immediately said in a frantic voice, "That's definitely impossible! Our two nations have such a strong relationship with one another, there's no way we would do something like that!"

"Are you saying that I'm in the wrong?! How dare you!" Commissioner Zhou Kun snapped in a furious voice.

As soon as his voice trailed off, he made a grabbing motion, and a light screen appeared in mid-air, depicting the deck of the metal ship, which was littered with Nipponese armor and military uniforms!

The scene was extremely chaotic, as if a battle had just taken place, and an overwhelming sense of foreboding immediately welled up in Kawashima Takuma's heart.

Before he had a chance to say anything, Commissioner Zhou declared, "The Nipponese Underworld's Yin soldiers have trespassed on the territory of the Cathayan Underworld, and that is equivalent to an act of war! Guards, detain him right away!"

Cries of alarm rang out from all directions as all of the bystanders turned to Zhou Kun with stunned expressions.

An act of war? From the Nipponese Underworld? How is that possible?!

It was also quite astonishing that they were detaining the envoy of the Nipponese Underworld based on this piece of scant evidence alone.

Were they not afraid of having to bear the consequences?

Before Kawashima Takuma had a chance to say anything, a group of Yin soldiers rushed toward him before pinning him to the ground.

"Please have mercy! There must've been a mistake!" Kawashima Takuma finally returned to his senses as he screamed with all his might. "There has to have been a misunderstanding! There's no way that the Nipponese Underworld would declare war on the Cathayan Underworld!"

"Then how do you explain those soldiers?" Governor Cao Gui asked with intense killing intent in his eyes.

"Those aren't soldiers of the Nipponese Underworld!" Kawashima Takuma was absolutely frantic at this point. "There's no way that's possible! The Nipponese Underworld wouldn't do something so stupid!"

As soon as his voice trailed off, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

Why was this scene so familiar?

On the 18th of September, 1931, the Nipponese army tossed over a body, proclaiming that a Nipponese soldier had been killed by Cathayans. After that...

That was the 9.18 Incident, and these events were extremely similar to what had happened back then!

It was clear that the Nipponese Underworld was being set up, and he frantically raised his head as he screamed, "I request an examination of the soldiers on the ship! They're definitely not soldiers of the Nipponese Underworld!"

"Ridiculous!" Cao Gui scoffed. "Due to the urgency of the situation, I've already eradicated all of the Nipponese troops on the ship!"

At this point, Kawashima Takuma's teeth were chattering from horror.

At this point, it was virtually set in stone that soldiers of the Nipponese Underworld had invaded the Cathayan Underworld.

All of the soldiers had been eradicated, so the Cathayan Underworld could claim whatever it wanted!

This was like the Cathayan version of the 9.18 Incident!

What are they going to do?! Could it be that they're going to start a war?!