Yama Rising

“Infernal Judge?” Black Yaksha gasped. He’d never expected to be so lucky as to run into an Infernal Judge as soon as they got to Hell’s gate.

It was the perfect target. Infernal Judges were by no means the bottom of the hierarchy in Hell, and there was no way that Judges wouldn’t be in the slightest bit unaware of the reasons for a change in dynasty. That said, they weren’t considered the top officials of Hell either. Hell might not necessarily react swiftly even if an Infernal Judge were captured from them.

Most of all… the perfect opportunity for their operations had presented itself right before their very eyes!

Black Yaksha and Crow Tengu could sense the existence of thousands of Yin soldiers scattered throughout the entire city, yet not a single one of them was by the Infernal Judge’s side right now!

“Crow Tengu… Black Yaksha…” Arthis looked at them with great disbelief as she drew a deep breath, “How dare you trespass on the territories of Hell?!! You seek death!”

Her infuriated cry was like a massive boulder that shattered the otherwise tranquil surface of a lake. At once, a massive wave surged in the wake of her cry!

Whoosh! At once, the bodies of the two Nipponese emissaries flickered softly, and they promptly transformed into two streams of nethergale that scattered to the left and the right. Their intention was clear - to flank Qin Ye on both sides and cut off any path of retreat. Simultaneously, a massive wave of Yin energy erupted from Arthis’ body and swiftly converged around her, and she soon revealed her Rakshasa form with three heads and six arms. The Heavenly Wheel in her hand began to spin rapidly at once.

“Hah!!!” Yin energy erupted once more as she unleashed the might of the Dance of the Heavenly Wheel. Two brilliant rings of light burst forth from the wheel like deadly blades, carving deep cracks in the ground wherever it passed. Even the trees in the vicinity were sliced into pieces with immaculate, clean cuts. Likewise, the buildings and street lights around instantly collapsed to the ground in a cloud of dust and debris.

Just as the two rings of light were about to reach the two streams of nethergale, the air suddenly trembled, and the sound of clashing iron and clanging metal suddenly erupted from out of nowhere. Then, without any warning, there was a mighty explosion that sent a dense cloud of Yin energy scattering everywhere. A split second later, a figure rushed straight out of the cloud of Yin energy like a bullet. The air was filled with endless shrieks and moans of countless ghosts, while the air was instantly filled with countless white feathers. As soon as he appeared, the figure rushed straight towards Qin Ye without any hesitation.

Arthis’ eyes turned bloodshot. She promptly turned towards Qin Ye, intending to rush to his aid. However, she stopped after a single step, and instead drew upon every bit of Yin energy in her body.

The imposing figure in the sky did nothing to conceal its boundless murderous intent. It was clear to Arthis that every move she was making was being watched by the figure in the sky. If she rushed straight over to Qin Ye’s side right now, not only would she be unable to rescue him, she might very well be drawn into the fray as well.

The two Nipponese emissaries knew full well the stakes in these operations. They had to move swiftly and decisively, and there was simply no room for reservation!

SSS!!! The figure in the sky unleashed a terrifying howl that seemed to be backed by the power of a thousand ghosts. Then, with a low drone, it hurtled down towards Qin Ye like a meteorite bearing the shadow of death!

Arthis gasped deeply. With a grave expression, her hands flew into action, forming a series of hand seals as quickly as she could. And then, there was an earth-shattering bang.

BOOM!!!!

Everything on the streets in a twenty meter radius completely disintegrated. The trees, buildings and street lamps which had earlier been sliced into pieces by Arthis were crumbled to dust in an instant, before being sent scattering away in a shockwave of dust and debris several meters tall.

Crow Tengu slowly rose from the center of the shockwave with Yin energy billowing from all seven apertures. The ground underneath his feet was covered in a web of cracks. Meanwhile, Arthis had vanished from where she was.

Even then, his eyes were hardly relaxed at all. Crow Tengu’s golden pupils darted here and there, scanning his surroundings vigilantly, while his body was hunched and poised to strike. Just then, the shadow beneath his feet suddenly shifted, stretching tens of meters in an instant, before rising from the ground and lurching straight towards Crow Tengu’s jugulars.

Judge versus Judge. Neither was in the room to spare any punches. An unbelievable battle was taking place in an unfathomable location. Darkness surrounded them on all sides, and formed the perfect platform for the flourishing action.

Clang clang clang!! The sound of clashing iron resonated incessantly as the two mighty ghosts traded blows. As soon as he detected the opening strike of the shadow on the ground, Crow Tengu concealed his entire being with his glorious winds, repelling every single attack with a soft clang. Five seconds later, with a furious whistle, Crow Tengu opened his wings abruptly, unleashing a shockwave of Yin energy that swept thousands of meters in all directions. Meanwhile, a five-meter tall monster rose from the darkness that was earlier concealed by the feathers.

“Hoo…” He still bore the appearance of Crow Tengu, save that he now had six arms and two faces on his head - one on the front, and one on the back. He cracked his neck with menacing clacks, “Hoo… It’s been a while since I’ve had such a good time…”

Before he could even finish, the shadows around him promptly converged into a massive ball that was hundreds of meters in circumference. Within moments, blood-red cracks appeared on the ball of shadow, followed by the appearance of bloodshot eyes that were all trained onto Crow Tengu.

It was dreadful and frightening, no different from the unknown creatures prowling about in the deepest abysses of Hell.

“You’re getting desperate, aren’t you?” Crow Tengu’s feathers ruffled up, and his claws dug deeper into the ground below. A split second later, his entire body erupted into netherflames, and he swiftly rushed towards the ball of shadow like a terrifying meteor!

Crackle, crackle, snap!! Everywhere he went, the air in the surroundings crackled and snapped. At the same time, the air in front of Crow Tengu distorted wildly, almost as though he were a human-sized nuclear bomb!

Meanwhile, Arthis spread her arms almost as though she were embracing a blood moon. At once, a scarlet light erupted from the bloodshot eyes, pouring forth in all directions like a tide of blood washing straight into the oceans!

“Zeroth Style - Deepest Night!”

………………………………………………………

Crack! Rumble! The ground was instantly covered with deep gullies and grooves in the wake of the mighty Judge-class strikes. A ferocious nethergale swept through the air, sending Qin Ye’s garments scattering wildly everywhere. Yet the only thing in Qin Ye’s eyes right now was the horrific figure that was enshrouded in Yin energy in the distance.

Black Yaksha.

What might… What terrifying might… Qin Ye’s heart thumped wildly, almost as though a heavy hand was weighing heavily on it. This was the second time in his life he had witnessed a Yin spirit as strong as this.

Liu Yu aside, perhaps not even Zhou Yu, Ma Fubo and the other envoys of Hell would be a match for the Nipponese emissary standing right before his eyes!

I can’t let myself get caught… Because a fate worse than death would await me as long as I’m captured… There wasn’t the slightest bit of hesitation in his heart right now. With a shrill whistle, Qin Ye leapt up 30 meters into the sky, while the faux Judgment Pen and the faux Book of Life and Death appeared in his hands.

Then, just as he was about to launch a preemptive strike against Black Yaksha, he was suddenly dismayed to find that his opponent was no longer standing right where he was!

At once, his mind blared with warning signs. Without hesitation, he immediately transformed his Judgment Pen into a spear, while the Book of Life and Death crumbled into pieces, before reforming as a majestic black armor that adhered to his own body.

He swung his spear back with all his might. The air roared with the sound of sonic booms. Unfortunately, he didn’t feel the tactile sensation of striking something. Instead, he only felt the tip of his spear being depressed slightly. He turned around at once, motioning to retract his lance, only to witness a sight that caused his heart to sink.

Black Yaksha was standing right atop the tip of his spear, almost as though it were a blade of grass without the slightest bit of weight at all. That said… his entire body had completely cracked open!

Countless human faces, including those of men and women, old and young alike, rushed out from these cracks. Meanwhile, hundreds of hands rushed out from the cracks on his back just like a thousand handed goddess of mercy.

The monster’s black hair was woven into a bamboo basket, in which Lee Jung-sook was being carried. That said, she didn’t make a single peep of sound, almost as though she had fainted completely.

“Come… with us…” The faces emerging from the body cried out with twisted expressions, “Do you agree, or do you not?!!”

“Get lost!!!” Qin Ye responded with an incensed cry. It wasn’t a cry of passion, but one of abject terror that flustered him completely. With his cathartic roar, he retracted his spear and motioned to stab at the terrifying monster once more. But just as he was about to do so, he suddenly felt an immensely cold sensation appear right in front of his heart.

Without hesitation, he forcibly stopped his attack and bowed back as he retreated. Meanwhile, his Zhong Kui hat shattered into pieces as dozens of hands swept past where he was just an instant ago.

Had he not dodged when he did, he would most certainly have been caught at the waist.

How powerful… He’s far more powerful than I’d expected him to be!

But before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, over a thousand spots of black light appeared right in front of his eyes. At some point, sharp black claws had emerged from the hands behind Black Yaksha’s back, and all of them were lurching straight for Qin Ye’s vitals!

He’s trying to reduce my being to nothing more than a soul before forcibly capturing me… Qin Ye finally understood what Black Yaksha was trying to do. With gritted teeth, Qin Ye unleashed a flurry of attacks to repel Black Yaksha claws of darkness.

Since there was no room for retreat, then there was no longer any reason to contemplate retreat altogether. If he refused to confront Black Yaksha any longer, he would undoubtedly be reduced to nothing more than a soul in an instant.

Clang clang clang!!! Qin Ye parried a series of strikes. Unfortunately, he wasn’t a Yin spirit adept at combat. After just ten seconds, he backed off with a muffled groan. Countless cracks had already begun to appear in his armor formed by the Book of Life and Death, while his breastplate was already on the verge of breaking down.

A trickle of blood flowed down from the corner of his lips. Qin Ye’s fingers trembled softly. He was barely able to maintain his grip over the lance any longer. Even then, he could see that Black Yaksha was still rushing straight up towards him like lightning.

I can’t allow things to drag on any longer!

Black Yaksha knew full well that he had to strike swiftly like a bolt of lightning. After all, Cathayan soil wasn’t a place where they could continue to do as they will.

“Damn it… And just when I’d instructed the daolord of the asura to back off as well! Otherwise… do you really think you’d be able to act so arrogantly in front of me right now?!” Qin Ye glared intently at Black Yaksha. Needless to say, this monster had opened his eyes to a whole new level of oppressiveness, combat experience and techniques altogether! The only thing Qin Ye could do right now was to fight for his own life!

Black Yaksha moved incredibly quickly. In an instant, Black Yaksha closed the gap between them and appeared right in front of Qin Ye’s eyes once more!

Time seemed to freeze in that very instant.

Qin Ye could see every single ghost that was emerging from the cracks on Black Yaksha’s body staring avariciously at him.

It was as though a wave of stifling silence and terror had just washed over his body.

In fact, he could even see Black Yaksha’s lips curl up slightly with a wry smile as he mouthed the word - Gotcha.

His heart screamed in terror and fear. An electrifying sensation filled every fiber of his being. His clothes were blown back by the gust of wind that came together with Black Yaksha’s swift approach. Right now, he was only half a meter away from Qin Ye, and already stretching his claws out towards Qin Ye’s jugular!

The claws swept over like a bolt of lightning, swift and incisive. But… just as it was one centimeter away from Qin Ye’s throat, it suddenly froze!

“What’s this…” Black Yaksha turned around, only to see a plump man dressed in ancient armor standing right behind him with a large sac beneath his throat and his mouth wide open!

His mouth was like a black hole, sucking everything around towards him, be it trees, buildings, bricks or tiles. The Yin energy being drawn into his mouth even transformed into a terrifying vortex that actually forcibly dragged Black Yaksha back to himself. Black Yaksha’s claw was only a hair’s breadth away from Qin Ye, yet that distance felt like the distance between the heavens and the earth right now.

Voyage of Ten Thousand Ghosts - Spatial Spirit!

“Damn it!!” Black Yaksha cried out with a shrill voice. The hair behind his back instantly lashed out at the spatial spirit, reducing him to wisps of Yin energy in an instant. But before he could even turn around, he suddenly realized that… there was another Yin spirit dressed in ancient armor standing on his other side. And the other Yin spirit opened his mouth wide as soon as the spatial spirit vanished!

SSSS!!!

The vicinity was instantly consumed by a silent scream. The street lights that were still intact immediately keeled over, while the tarmac on the streets cracked wildly! The glass windows of thousands of homes shattered in unison, sending glass flying everywhere. Black Yaksha screamed loudly and stumbled back slightly.

He was now certain of one thing.

This Infernal Judge… is by no means just any other Infernal Judge of Hell!

Otherwise, there’s simply no way he would be granted the protection of this many special Yin spirits!