Yama Rising

Zhao Yun sat on top of a stone platform within the ruins of the Martyr’s Shrine, while his hands rested on an empty scabbard located right in front of him. The parts of the scabbard that touched the ground left traces of complex arrangements of Yin Talismans on the ground, almost as though the scabbard was an otherworldly existence.

Darkness shrouded the entire mountaintop, and everything was as still as the silence before the storm. Countless pairs of eyes lay hidden in the shadows below, staring intently at the Martyr’s Shrine with a ferocious gleam in their eyes.

“The sons and daughters of the great Tengri are brave warriors, and they respect brave warriors like them. If you’re willing to defect and submit to me, I’m willing to swear on the name of the great Tengri that I’ll never purge your soul! In fact, I’ll see to it that your name spreads far and wide beyond the limits of this country!”

Zhao Yun smiled.

“I don’t.”

“You’re no longer an emperor. And now that you’re dead and belong to the netherworld, you need to fall in line in accordance with the order that is already in place! Everything that slips through the cracks of Hell’s grasp will fall under my jurisdiction and purview! By Hell’s Dictum, all rabble shall disperse! Do you think I’m playing games here?”

His voice was like thunder, and yet not a single word was transmitted beyond the four walls of the Martyr’s Shrine, almost as though these words were intended only for the ears of Temujin’s soul.

After a long time, the voice of the alter ego sounded once more, “Is there anyone who doesn’t wish to leave his mark in history? I can do it, and so can you. But look at that wide-eyed, guileless kid out there. Do you really think he will be able to make your name known throughout all generations?”

“Very well.” The voice of the alter ego remained just as calm and placid as ever, “I, Temujin, have spent my life in conquest, and the whole of Eurasia had at one point trembled wherever I pointed my blade, but the ones who remember these conquests of mine are now few and far between. My cavalry, God’s Whip, approaches. I sincerely hope that when their hooves trample all over what remains of your formation array that you’ll still be able to smile just like you are now.”

“Good luck.”

The air burned with intense frigidity, and the tension was so thick it could be cut with a knife. Their exchange was short and uninspired, but both egos knew that it was going to be the final words that they were going to exchange with each other.

And that was the last probe of intentions.

The soul of Tengri could wait no longer for another wandering Yama-King to fall into their grasp like this.

The Yuan Emperors and Imperial Preceptors were likewise just as eager as ever before to recover the lands that were long lost to them!

The sea of darkness was now stirring and bubbling, almost as though signifying that things had finally reached its boiling point.

A handful of pale-faced cultivators stood around Qin Ye, shrinking back slightly as they asked with a tremor in their voices, “D-do we really have to participate in this?” Each of them held a red talisman scribbled with black words and complicated patterns in their hands.

But unfortunately, a battle of this scale was something well outside of their expectations. At the very least, none of them would have expected to participate in such a horrific battle, not even in their wildest dreams!

“But--...”

He wasn’t in the mood to encourage the survivors right now. Thus, he said nothing more, and simply turned to gaze into the fog.

There was a period of silence, followed by the cries of countless crows that rushed right up into the skies. The rolling fog below stirred like the sloshing waves of the ocean, almost as though schools of piranha were stirring anxiously, waiting to tear at the survivors on the mountaintop!

The drum beats of the mountain gods!

It sounded far away.

That said, it was endless.

At first, it started out slow and rhythmic. But just five seconds later, the soft pattering of hooves burgeoned into the terrifying rumble caused by a stampede of war horses!

Nor was there any shouting or sounds of clashing iron.

RUMBLE!!! If one were to say that the earlier pattering of hooves was no more than the sloshing of the waves, then the deafening rumble right now would be no different from a terrifying tsunami that was crashing straight onto a small island in the middle of an ocean! The rumble was accompanied by an intense eruption of murderous intent that filled the air with dank bloodthirstiness. Meanwhile, the Yin energy in the surroundings stirred wildly, swirling into a massive whirlpool spanning 10,000 meters from end to end that surrounded the mountaintops!

Qin Ye slowly raised his hands. His existence right now was like the glimmer of light amidst the all-consuming darkness.

Shit!!! The survivors immediately bit down onto their lips and ran desperately to the positions they had all been assigned. At once, they bit through the skin of their fingertips and smeared the talismans with their blood.

Boom!!! The eruption of light was accompanied with a deafening blast that instantly consumed the drone of the hooves around them. Meanwhile, the roiling sea of Yin energy around them stirred with countless ripples - a clear sign that the Golden Horde cavalry was charging bravely approaching the mountaintop without any fear of death.

Here they come… here they come!

200 meters!

At once, the survivors bit down on their fingers and smeared another dash of blood onto the talismans in their hand, causing a brilliant white light to erupt from the talisman once more. Immediately, a series of dazzling runic symbols emerged from the talismans like glimmering vines, intertwining together until they all formed the illusory image of Laozi riding a bull.

Whoosh!!! The illusory image of Laozi immediately rode his bull westwards. As he did, he abruptly opened his eyes, took a deep breath and blew gently. At once, the rolling fog that surrounded the entire mountain peak vanished at once, revealing everything originally hidden in the void.

Countless cavalrymen!

Furthermore, with the fog now out of the way, they could now easily see that there were complicated symbols of Tengrism gleaming under the feet of each of the cavalrymen. Furthermore, there were a total of 15 banners embroidered with the emblems of dragons, each of which represented an emperor of the Yuan Dynasty. Qin Ye promptly surveyed his surroundings, only to realize that each of the Yuan Emperors were Infernal Judges, and that there were even two other Abyssal Prefects hidden in their midst.

At this very moment, the armies of the Yuan Dynasty were charging straight into a thin curtain of light that appeared to be wearing out. The runic symbols of Yin Talismans on the curtain of light were all flickering weakly, almost as though they were on their dying breaths. What’s more...

Broadly speaking, the horse’s head peak contained three layers of defenses.

Them!

BOOM!!! It didn’t take more than five minutes before what remained of the curtain of light shattered completely, disintegrating into countless golden butterflies that promptly scattered into the surroundings. At once, the invaders charged forward like a rising tide, bringing with them an intense wave of murderous intent that battered the mountaintop.

Time seemed to come to a complete standstill.

Yin energy flourished all around them. And then, for the very first time, the Mongol soldiers cried out with great fervor, breaking the silence.

Charge!

Strike like thunder, and move silently like a stream. The Golden Horde rushed up from below, only to find themselves standing face to face with only one man.

This was a Prefect’s Prestige of the Luminary.

Whoosh… At once, a series of silhouettes appeared right behind him, including a peculiar Yin spirit with his mouth as large as a gaping black hole, a series of zombies, a young teenager with blood pouring out of his seven apertures, as well as… an ink-black toddler.

“Here.”

“Yes!!!”

Brother Zhao, did you hear that?

Back in the Martyr’s Shrine. A pair of tightly shut eyes suddenly opened wide.

“Changshan Zhao Zilong.” Zhao Yun slowly picked up the scabbard on the ground, “Great Khan, care for a duel?!”

1. Laozi is traditionally known as the founder of philosophical Taoism.