Yama Rising

Ship deck. Everyone was silent.

The salty sea breeze carried a waft of bitter resentment with it, while the faint twinkling of constellations in the sky cast a gloomy, silvery sheen over the seas. The entire scene was hardly soft and tranquil. Instead, it could only be described as austere and foreboding.

“What terrifyingly evil resentment…” One of the foreign cultivators gasped, “This is by far the most terrifying gathering of Yin energy I’ve seen in my entire life...”

To their eyes, the billowing cloud of Yin energy was no different from a horrific rift that had opened up over the sea, letting loose the throngs of grievance-bearing souls that wailing and whimpered as they drifted towards them.

It was no different from a living hell.

The air was tense and stifling, almost as though it was clawing at their hearts. That cultivator was just about to withdraw his gaze to calm himself down when he suddenly froze, and then quickly did a double take at the end of the horizon.

And he wasn’t the only one. In fact, almost all of the cultivators looked over at the exact same time, because they had suddenly heard a gentle rushing sound in the distance.

But the Soul Hunters knew better. In fact, they knew full well that the source of the sound was hardly gentle. Rather, it could even be said to be deadly.

As they watched on in horror, the part of the sea in the horizon slowly began to rise and fall. At first, its amplitude was small. But as time passed, it slowly increased, until finally at approximately ten minutes later, the amplitude of the waves over the surface of the sea had increased to well over ten meters, and it was currently charging straight towards the cruise liner!

“This is a…” One of the cultivators gasped and shuddered, “It’s a… tsunami? A tsunami!!!”

Needless to say, everyone knew at once what kind of danger they were facing.

Whoooooosh! As soon as the giant wave gathered momentum, it would only get higher and higher, and faster and faster.

Height - five meters… ten meters… twenty meters… twenty-five meters!

Distance to cruise liner - five thousand meters… four thousand meters… three thousand meters… two thousand meters!

And then, it finally entered the one thousand meters range!

Gulp… One of the cultivators gulped nervously. This was a fifty-meters tall tsunami that was no more than one kilometer away from them right now!

The wave that was approaching them appeared no different from a giant dam of seawater that was quickly approaching them with a great rushing sound so loud that it even began to agitate the waters about them with bubbles and frothing. The huge cruise ship was completely dwarfed by its presence, and it appeared no different from a leaf bobbing helplessly in tumultuous waters. As the tsunami approached them, the undulations that they experienced on the ship only grew wilder and wilder, so much so that those who were on board the luxury cruise liner even began to wonder whether the ship’s integrity would soon give way.

“My… god…” The tycoons and bodyguards who were hiding in their bedrooms couldn’t help but gasp in horror and cover their mouths to stifle their screams. This was nothing like what they had ever seen before.

After all, it was only when one stood next to an oncoming gargantuan tsunami that they would finally realize how puny and insignificant an existence Man was.

It was only when one stood face to face with the insurmountable majesty of nature that one could finally appreciate the magnificence of the creations of the world.

And right now, the sky was completely blotted out, nor was there any land in sight. There was simply a wall of seawater that only appeared to be growing taller and taller by the minute, overshadowing and extinguishing the pride of men in just an instant.

Five hundred meters… four hundred and seventy meters… four hundred and sixty meters… The huge waves extended high into the sky. This was an unusual phenomenon, even next to all of the other tsunamis that had wreaked destruction in the world in the past. The cultivators drew a breath of cold air. But before they could begin to operate the true energy in their bodies in preparation for the crashing wave, they suddenly saw a pair of jade-green flames ignite in the wave.

They were so massive that they practically resembled an immolating star in the waters. Furthermore, the clumps of flames were blazing right in the middle of the tsunami, as though peering menacingly at them through a thin layer of seawater.

Nishino Mio hid in her bedroom, covering her mouth in horror and retreating a few steps backwards. She couldn’t help but shake her head in despondence. The incredulous sight had caused her to break out in cold sweat and her hair to stand on end.

Something’s in the waters…

“Mighty God on high…” She shut her eyes and prayed in a shaky voice.

RUMBLE!!!

The people in the cruise liner appeared as small and insignificant as ants in the face of such an indomitable force. Notwithstanding that, the group of people on the deck of the ship suddenly erupted with a brilliant gold lustre.

“Everyone… what are we still waiting for?!” Two Hindustani monks were the first to react to the shocking developments, and they immediately yelled out at the top of their voices, “King Peacock!” “Sky Serpent King!”

They were both dressed in earthy yellow robes that masked their faces. Their appearances looked unremarkable, yet an emblem on their chests bore the symbol of a striking golden eye.

This was the emblem of Sarnath. They were among the core disciples of one of the four major lands of Buddhist pilgrimages in Hindustan.

“Seal of Raja Vidya!”

In an instant, a hundred and eight screens of golden light completely surrounded the entire ship, forming an illusory image of a snake coiling around a peacock.

These were two of the divine creatures in the Hindu mythology, the Mayura Peacock and the Naga. They roared ferociously as they appeared to tumble and struggle against each other, yet their actions served to stabilize the cruise liner that had been tossed about by the impending tsunami.

“Everyone…” The robes of the two Hindustani Soul Hunters fluttered wildly. Their cloaks had already been tossed up, revealing their monk robes underneath. The tsunami was only three hundred meters away, and yet a shower and splatter of salty seawater had already begun to rain down on them like a prelude of what was to come. The monks were instantly soaked through. Yet, they continued to clasp their palms together fervently, gritting their teeth with bloodshot eyes, “Help! Us! Now!”

The tsunami was only three hundred meters away.

Clack clack… The golden screens of light were emitting soft clacking sounds as innumerable illusory Sanskrit words glowed on its surface, before promptly turning into white lotus flowers that quickly faded away. Yet, no matter how exuberant the golden light was, they were still up against an unstoppable force of nature, and their efforts were clearly worth no more than a drop in the ocean. In fact, what was most terrifying right now was the fact that they could already hear soft gulping sounds emitting from the heart of the tsunami.

It was the sound of evil ghosts who were gulping avariciously as they fervently suppressed their desire for blood and flesh.

There are ghosts incoming…

A majestic tsunami had risen out of the sea in the middle of the night, carrying with it a multitude of vicious ghosts that lurked in its depths. And all of them were eyeing a single target.

Pfft! The force of the tsunami was so strong that blood immediately began to flow from their seven apertures as soon as they cried out for help. Just then, a soft voice called out, and a green lotus flower drifted out silently.

“Path of righteousness, Sublimation of the Golden Core.” The voice was still and soft, yet it seemed to be imbued with a majestic source of energy that allowed it to cut right through the thunderous roar of the raging winds and waters around. A moment later, the green lotus began to breed and multiply. One became two, and then three… In an instant, that single green lotus had transformed into a sea of lotus that appeared right before the golden screen.

“Wind of the Peachwood.” Another soft voice called out just before the sea of lotus fully blossomed, and a peachwood tree enshrouded with true energy suddenly emerged on the surface of the sea. A system of branches spread out quickly, and leaves and flowers emerged in an instant. Within moments, the system of branches had quickly affixed themselves to the sea of lotuses to create a peachwood curtain of lotus flowers.

The first salvo of techniques quickly triggered a multitude of defensive techniques from the rest of the cultivators standing on the deck of the ship. Bright bursts of light erupted from various parts of the deck like glittering gemstones. Ancient scripture rose into the air and danced in the sky as they promptly transformed into a chain of scripture that bound and blessed the entire vessel. A golden cross also rose into the air, branding the cruise ship with innumerable english words.

Clatter clatter… The ferocious, rushing nethergale was no different to a prelude of death. The tsunami was presently only two hundred meters away from them! Another old man bearing a lotus flower in hand gritted his teeth as he grasped his hands together, “Fuse!”

Simultaneously, another old lady with disheveled hair made a vicious expression on her face as she bellowed with all her might, “Fuse!!”

“Fusion!” “Combine!” “Together!!!”

They were spoken with different words, and in different languages, yet they were all tacitly unified in their intention right now. Each and every single one of the cultivators on the deck of the cruise unleashed their defensive techniques with a great flourish of true energy, and a brilliant light shone everywhere within the cruise ship. Within moments, a golden, eggshell-like barrier formed around the cruise ship, filled with countless different words and symbols that appeared on its surface, floating and drifting about ceaselessly.

This was the combined effort of over thirty Soul Hunters in an attempt to beat back the evil ghosts that were charging straight towards them.

Thump, thump…

Nobody spoke a single word as they fixed their minds on maintaining their techniques. Their gazes were transfixed on the incoming tsunami. Fifty meters… thirty meters… twenty meters…

Ten meters!

The entire cruise ship was already rocking back and forth uncontrollably by now. The colossal wave blotted out all sources of light, casting a deep, foreboding shadow over the comparatively insignificant cruise ship below. And then, the sheer destructive force of the tsunami crashed down.

Time appeared to freeze in that one single moment.

All of the cultivators stared at the crashing wave with bleary eyes. And then, the two massive flames in the tsunami that appeared like eyes suddenly exploded!

In that instant, dark silhouettes could be seen darting about within the tsunami itself. The clumps of netherflames weren’t the eyes of a behemoth! Rather, they were formed by the gathering of innumerable smaller ghosts!

Specifically, they were skeletons.

Skeletons that were dressed in ancient Nipponese shrine uniforms replete with a tall hat. Furthermore, each of them had long flowing hair despite the fact that they were mere skeletons at this point in time. Clumps of blazing green netherflames were located where their eye sockets were, and right as the tsunami was about to crash down on the cruise ship, they all turned in unison to stare down at the human beings on board.

This was a gaze of death.

The skeletons were laughing at the impending demise of the puny human beings.

BOOM!!!

A second later, an immeasurable amount of water crashed straight down onto the cruise liner, and the entire world went silent for the cultivators.

The cultivators only heard a soft ringing sound at the moment of impact. And then, there was nothing.

It was as though they had been transported to a soundless world in an instant. They watched helplessly as they drifted away from the cruise liner with an unimaginable posture. The defensive formation arrays that they had set up were crumbling so quickly that they could even see cracks appearing in the space within the formation array.

Everything was completely silent. The sheer destructive force of the tsunami was dizzying. It was almost as though mother nature had been intent on disintegrating and reducing everything back to earth, where they had come from.

…………………………………………………………..

Clatter clatter… They felt a soft tremble as they stood at the heart of the temple. A scarlet hue splashed across the dark canopy of the skies. A slight smell of burning drifting through the air.

“You’d better pick up the pace.” Oda Nobunaga prompted with a hoarse voice. He was armed to the teeth and mounted on his war horse. His katana ran across the surface of the ground somewhat agitatedly.

Two thousand five hundred Umamawari horse guards formed up in ranks as they surrounded the entrance to Honnoji. On the other hand, Qin Ye was crouching on the ground in his Hell’s Emissary state, with one hand on the ground and his white hair fluttering everywhere. His entire forehead was already percolating in cold sweat.

What was most peculiar about his action was the fact that the ground his hand was touching appeared no different from the surface of the lake. Rings of ripples spread out from around his hand, releasing countless Sanskrit words into the sky as they did.

At the same time, the ripples only grew larger and wider as time went on. These ripples would eventually spread throughout the entire Honnoji, and once all of the seals were finally removed, the notorious Demon King of the Sixth Heaven would once again emerge on the surface of the mortal realm!

“Do you think I’m deliberately trying to slow things down?” Qin Ye gritted his teeth, “The person who had sealed you in is incredibly strong. This unsealing technique was personally taught to me by an Infernal Judge. Speaking of which… what’s going on outside?”

He looked up at the source of the tremors around. On the other hand, Oda Nobunaga’s eyes only narrowed, “It seems like Azai Nagamasa can’t keep it in any longer…”

“Boy, I’m serious about picking up the pace. I dare say that he hasn’t even mobilized any one of the great generals under his charge right now. The first salvo is usually only a warning to all. And once the dust has finally settled on the warning, that’s when all hell will truly break loose.”

“Perhaps you Cathayans see Nippon’s forces with some measure of dismissiveness. But even so, you can’t deny the fact that we have our fair share of great generals and formidable forces as well. And given our history with each other, I dare say that Azai Nagamasa would never confront me alone. He is most certainly accompanied by only the strongest of forces during the Nipponese Warring States era. If you don’t hurry, you best be prepared to return to no more than a boatload of bodies.”

Qin Ye froze, “He would even go so far as to ignore the Blessings of Virtue?”

Oda Nobunaga smirked, “All of that doesn’t really matter so much when a person harbours a death wish in its heart, does it? Besides, his only goal right now is to slay me at any costs. So, let me ask you, why would he care a thing about the Blessings of Virtue?”