Yama Rising

Without waiting for a response, Qin Ye promptly began drawing in the air with Yin energy.

He drew a series of stickmen in front of a square, which ostensibly represented a building.

Ryu Changmin had never witnessed Qin Ye’s “prowess” in the field of artistic expression, and he couldn’t help but gulp nervously. Perhaps the only ones who could match Qin Ye’s abilities in this regard would be kindergarteners. Ryu Changmin cursed in his heart, but he simply didn’t know where to go about expressing these thoughts of his. Fortunately, Wang One Tail soon exclaimed, “Is this… pictionary?”

Endure…

Qin Ye rolled his eyes and continued to draw in the air, vaguely depicting a long road leading to the building. And then, he drew a few more people holding swords and shields in their hands.

Wang Chenghao squinted his eyes, and then immediately burst into song, “My left hand holds the earth, and my right hand holds up the sky. From my palm erupts lightning that arcs everywhere…” [1]

It was only when Qin Ye shot Wang Chenghao a deadly glare that he promptly clammed up with a dry cough.

Take a deep breath. Don’t explode now… Qin Ye fervently repressed the boiling rage in his heart as he continued to draw a massive space right underneath the square building.

Wang Chenghao’s expressions soon turned ugly, “Hang on there, Brother Qin… I was able to help you out there earlier, but what am I supposed to do with that huge cess pool down there? I can’t find the right song to express these drawings of yours…”

“Shut up!” Oda Nobutada immediately exploded with what everything else was thinking in their hearts, “How is it that everything you say feels like an insult to my intelligence? Are the brains of youngsters these days so incredibly stunted? Back in our time, if anyone acted like you did, they would have been disemboweled a long time ago!”

QIn Ye promptly pointed to the building and men he drew in the air, “This is the Ashes of Love…”

Abrupt silence.

Inhale, exhale. Endure…

Damn you for poisoning my mind with those things!!!

“This is Gonjiam Asylum.” He tapped on the image and casually glared at Wang One Tail. Then, he pointed to the path that extended out of the building, and then finally to the few people bearing swords and shields, “This is us.”

“......” Everyone grew silent.

It was hard to listen to these explanations any further.

Fortunately, Qin Ye was thick-skinned. Ignoring the ugly expressions all around, he went on, “The current situation is that the MV Sewol has already vanished for 60 minutes, and Gonjiam Asylum…”

He tapped on the square box and continued with a deepened voice, “What do you think the situation there is like right now?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” One Tail frowned, “The army would have assembled by now, waiting for us to rush over. Didn’t Richard instigate the MV Sewol to move more quickly so that we wouldn’t have the time to prepare to face tens of thousands of troops waiting for us over there?”

Qin Ye shook his head with gleaming eyes, almost as though he were a calm chess grandmaster plotting his next move, “Think about it. The MV Sewol’s destination would have been to enter through that door. With Richard around, everything would be within their control, and it would be no different from maneuvering a cruise ship and docking it properly. However, now that Richard’s out of the picture, and the MV Sewol is under our command and control, how do you think I should have it dock instead? Put differently, what’s the best way for us to make the port call to give us the greatest edge?”

At once, everyone’s eyes gleamed brightly.

A ship can dock, but likewise… it can be like the Titanic and crash into an iceberg!

Oda Nobutada gasped in amazement, “Brilliant! Given the tonnage of the MV Sewol, crashing it straight into the Gate of the Dead at full speed would definitely cause a huge tremor! Are you suggesting that we’ll seize the opportunity in the ensuing chaos to slip into Gonjiam Asylum?”

But after some thought, he promptly shook his head, “No… but that wouldn’t work. According to what you’ve just said, both Rumyantsev and Liu Yu would also be present. How could they allow the MV Sewol to crash straight into the Gate of the Dead? Aren’t you… underestimating the abilities of an Abyssal Prefect a little too much?”

Qin Ye smiled viciously as he began to connect the swordsmen and shieldbearers on the path with a wisp of Yin energy, “Of course I wouldn’t underestimate an Abyssal Prefect. In fact, the Abyssal Prefect’s presence is exactly why I have serious doubts that the MV Sewol would even be able to ram through the Gate of the Dead. Besides, I believe that I know far better than any of you here just how terrifying an Abyssal Prefect can be.”

“Then, what exactly are you planning--...”

Qin Ye promptly interjected, “But what if… at the most crucial moments, we all jump off the ship to divert Rumyantsev’s attention?”

“Rumyantsev might not be the only Abyssal Prefect present. Then, there’s still Liu Yu, the strongest Infernal Judge across the history of Cathay, together with tens of thousands of his Yin soldiers. I wouldn’t be in the slightest bit surprised if they could block the MV Sewol at all. But… if we show up, do you think they would choose to block us, or the MV Sewol?”

Wang One Tail nodded affirmatively, “They’ll definitely choose us. The MV Sewol might be a big ship, but we’re living, breathing nuclear weapons!!”

Qin Ye nearly choked.

How can you even claim to be a living nuclear weapon?! You’re at best a walking meat (beeep) machine!

“Us.” “Us.” “They’ll pick us.” Everyone else came to the same assessment.

Qin Ye smile deepened. At once, he drew a rectangle in the air, depicting the MV Sewol and sent it crashing into Gonjiam Asylum and breaching its defences!

“With Fate in our hands, they will definitely choose to direct all of their forces to us. After all, Rumyantsev knows full well what Fate represents, so… doing this would most certainly give us the opportunity to send the MV Sewol slamming straight through the Gate of the Dead!”

“But that alone isn’t enough! It’s not ruthless enough! It’s not powerful enough to completely obviate the Russian Underworld and the Hanyang Underworld from all other considerations!!”

“I don’t know how large the cavern below is, but it’s definitely got to be large if it were to hold over a million living dead. And to this end, we’ll absolutely need the MV Sewol to plunge straight through the Gate of the Dead and crash at the bottom, regardless of how deep it might be! We’ll need to get the MV Sewol as close to Choi Tae-min’s coffin as possible!!”

At once, the drawing revealed the rectangle crashing straight through the several layers of boxes below, before finally arriving at the vast space below and landing right next to another small rectangle representing the coffin.

However, Oda Nobutada clearly couldn’t understand what Qin Ye was getting at, “Lord Qin, what do you mean? I understand that it might be difficult for us to intercept Liu Yu’s harvest of faith. After all, while a short delay on the MV Sewol’s journey could easily be explained away by variables that can arise, we’re talking about a delay of over 60 minutes now! Although we’ve succeeded in our mutiny, the plan to infiltrate their midst has already completely failed!”

“There’s no longer any hope of intercepting Liu Yu’s harvest of faith. And according to your plan, that would still leave us surrounded by Yin soldiers! My Lord… you have to look at the bigger picture! Your safety is of paramount importance!”

The success of the Hanyang Underworld was nothing compared to Qin Ye’s personal safety.

“No… Perhaps… this plan might just work out…” Just then, a soft voice interrupted their thoughts.

Ryu Changmin looked up and stared at Qin Ye with great disbelief, “How on earth did you think up something like that?”

Then, just as everyone glanced over with a bewilderment written all over their faces, Ryu Changmin continued hoarsely, “There’s one fundamental premise that your plan is built upon, and that is… I have to be present.”

“I have to be there, because... the MV Sewol will charge straight for the Gonjiam Asylum through the dimensional rift between the mortal realm and the netherworld, and we will need someone to forcibly knock it out from this dimensional rift…”

Ryu Changmin’s voice trembled. He even began to break out in cold sweat because of how whimsical the idea was, “When that happens, I will be able to seize the exact location of its dimensional rift, and immediately teleport over like a ferocious predator!!”

“That way, there would be no need to fight the massive army on the ground… All we’d have to do would be to duke it out with Choi Tae-min and the throng of mindless living dead below!!”

“In other words, the MV Sewol has suddenly become our greatest source of strength in our time of need!”

Qin Ye licked his lips and nodded with approbation.

That’s right. He was already prepared to give up intercepting Liu Yu’s harvest of faith. After all, there were just too many variables involved for such efforts to be worth his time. Ryu Changmin’s sudden appearance had given rise to a fatal delay in the execution of his earlier plans. But after hearing more about the distinct unique abilities of his, Qin Ye suddenly discovered that…

This wasn’t the end of the road! In fact, it was the emergence of radiant hope!

The path to infiltration had closed, but the option to barging right through the doors of their plans had now burst wide open. And if one thought more about it…

Since when had Hell ever needed to resort to infiltration for its purposes?

The Second King Yanluo, Arthis and even the Harken would never condone such petty actions.

Nobody said another word as Ryu Changmin proceeded to reveal his unique abilities to everyone else around. Moments later, everyone turned their eyes right back to Qin Ye with shocked and incredulous expressions. It was also clear that their breaths had grown slightly ragged, and that they were completely mind-blown by what they had seen.

It’s possible… It’s actually reasonably possible!

At the very least, there were theoretically no issues with this plan as it stood right now!

All it took was five men, and yet the perfect leverage of their abilities completely opened a world of possibilities to them! Everyone had a role to play in these plans.

Seconds later, Oda Nobutada declared loudly, “Plausible!”

He stood up at once and cupped his hands respectfully, “Lord Qin, please allow me to take on the most dangerous task possible!”

Wang One Tail immediately stood up and cupped his hands respectfully as well, “Lord Qin, please allow me to take on the safest task possible!”

“I want Choi Tae-min’s life!” Ryu Changmin barked through gritted teeth and with palpable bloodlust.

Special Yin Spirit No. 5 versus Special Yin Spirit No. 7. It was going to be a vicious battle, but the lower number was most certainly going to come out triumphant at the end.

“I’ll shred him to pieces!” Kwon Kyung-ho’s voice trembled.

The emergence of hope also caused the grievances triggered by the script of death to erupt like a mighty volcano.

They were all waiting for the light of dawn in the unending darkness, and Qin Ye had brought exactly that.

Everyone was completely convinced of the plan, just as much as Qin Ye himself was. It wasn’t a superfluous thought to stop the MV Sewol right next to Choi Tae-min’s coffin either. After all, this was the only way Choi Tae-min could be reunited with the rest of his body and be complete. It was only when he was complete that he could be slain and purged… and it was only when he was slain and purged that Qin Ye would finally be able to reap the reward of merit and faith!

Just then, Qin Ye glanced out and suddenly smiled, “The most dangerous task?”

“Who could attract more attention than the renowned Zhong Kui himself? I assure you that 99% of all attention would be on me, especially when it comes to Liu Yu. Hehe… I’m afraid he must hate me so much that he can’t wait to flay me alive and crush every bone in my body, don’t you think?”

With that, he promptly retracted his smile and boomed authoritatively, “Oda Nobutada, heed my command!”

“Yes, sir!”

“You are responsible for knocking the MV Sewol out of the dimensional rift at the appropriate time. Any questions?”

“I swear on my soul that I will do my best!”

“One Tail, heed my command!”

“Y-y-y-y-yes, sir!”

Unfortunately, Qin Ye didn’t give him any room to shrink back to. He looked Wang Chenghao straight in the eye, “You’re responsible for operating and maneuvering the MV Sewol. No matter what happens, you absolutely have to make it stop right next to Choi Tae-min’s coffin! Nothing can go wrong, do you understand?!”

Wang Chenghao shut his eyes and took a deep breath. Then with gritted teeth, he mustered every bit of courage in his body and barked back, “Understood!! If anything happens to you, there’s no way I would be able to live either! We live and die together!”

Qin Ye coughed softly, “... And remember never to will everything to the Red Cross Foundation. I should be the named beneficiary instead…”

“You still remember this shit?!”

Then, Qin Ye turned his head to look at Kwon Kyung-ho and Ryu Changmin, “You two… are with me. The three of us will bear the brunt of the firepower. Ryu Changmin, I want you to know that our success in these operations lies in three factors. Firstly, we need to resist the frontal attacks, and we absolutely cannot break formation. Secondly, the other two are responsible for positioning the MV Sewol and ensuring when it’s dragged out of the dimensional rift. Thirdly… it’s you!”

“As soon as you detect the disturbance and fluctuations in the dimensional rift, you must immediately link up with it and teleport us straight there! I can’t guarantee that we’ll be able to hold out for too long under the sustained attacks by an enraged Liu Yu and a genuine Abyssal prefect…”

Holy shit… Can I give myself two tight slaps across the cheeks right now?!

If only I could revert back to my old self. This is an Abyssal Prefect we’re talking about! How am I even considering resisting his attacks? I should just scramble and run!

Damn… To think I’ve got such dangerous thoughts and perspectives these days…

Qin Ye shook his head, concluding that the Second King Yanluo must have somehow brainwashed him and altered his mind. Seconds later, he looked up and glanced around once more, “Everyone… godspeed ahead.”

“Whether drawing the attacks of the Russian and Hanyang Forces, or the millions of undead below, none of the tasks are easy. We’ve got a good shot at this.”

“But… if you die before I can even activate Fate, then all I can say is that your death would have been in vain.”

In that moment, the entire script of death had finally come full circle and returned to the very source and purpose for which it was created.

1. This is a reference to Sa Dingding’s Ashes of Love. https://youtu.be/AbiMe64zeGM