Yama Rising

In the present day, Everburn was a bustling city that was glowing with a resplendent beauty that combined both modern and antiquated elements. There were antiquated buildings lining the streets, but the interior of these buildings was illuminated by electrical lighting. Despite this, the setting was extremely natural, unlike the buildings modeled after ancient buildings in the mortal realm.

At the back of the spacious conference hall was an ancient Cathayan-style screen, and vibrant artwork depicting the 18 abysses of punishment were drawn onto the wooden walls. Palatial lanterns constructed in the shape of dragon heads illuminated the entire hall, and Zhou Yu was looking out at the city through a window, feeling a myriad of emotions at once.

Has Everburn already become this prosperous?

It still couldn't compare with the Fengdu of old, but in the span of less than 20 years, it had already far surpassed his Laos Underworld.

The 12 envoys were seated around a conference table behind him, and just as Zhou Yu had anticipated, not even a single one of the 12 envoys was absent.

A gust of Yin wind swept over him, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

The 12 envoys were once the most powerful Infernal Judges below Abyssal Prefects. In fact, they had once been Abyssal Prefects, but had been forced to regress back into Infernal Judges.

All of them were vastly renowned characters in history with spine-tingling legends attributed to their names.

They weren't lacking in foresight, power, or charisma, and all of them were extremely talented minds in the fields of politics, economics, and military affairs.

None of them wanted to live out a pointless afterlife, then return to the cycle of reincarnation. They wanted to lead a glorious afterlife! They didn't want to return to the cycle of reincarnation, they wanted to bring even more glory to their own names!

Before he knew it, he found himself reminiscing about the past, and only after a long while did he turn back around before taking a seat on his chair. He then cast his gaze toward his past peers, whom he hadn't seen in several years, and a complex look appeared in his eyes. "Have you all been well?"

Even though it had only been five and a half years, the cruel nature of reality had changed them significantly. The most noticeable change was that the irrepressible pride that all of them had harbored was already nowhere to be seen.

"I've been getting by," Gao Changgong replied with a wry smile.

In the history books, he was renowned for his handsome looks, but during the past few years, he had never taken off his bronze demon mask.

"Has anyone been working near Everburn? Have you heard anything about why we've been summoned here? Are we about to be punished for our past actions?"

Right at this moment, a cold harrumph rang out from outside, and Yu Qian and Yang Jiye made their way into the hall together. Yu Qian gave all of them a cold look as he said, "Are you worried now? Are you scared now? Back all of you joined forces to humiliate our King Yanluo, you put on extremely spectacular performances!"

At the time, all of the 12 envoys, with the exception of Yu Qian and Yang Jiye, had tried to bully the new King Yanluo into granting them independence.

No one offered a reply to Yu Qian. Perhaps they were too embarrassed or remorseful, or perhaps there were some other emotions swirling around in their hearts.

Only after a long while did Wang Meng chuckle with a wry smile, "We were all once part of the 12 envoys, is there really a need for you to embarrass us any further?"

Before Yu Qian had a chance to reply, the door was opened once again, following which another voice rang out. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Prime Minister Wang! We've never met before, but I've heard much about you. However, you seem to be a little different from the Prime Minister Wang that I've heard so much about."

Qin Hui and Su Daji made their way into the hall together.

Qin Hui was wearing a black official's suit, while Su Daji was gently flapping a circular fan with a seductive look in her gorgeous eyes.

Compared with the 12 envoys, they had surrendered very quickly.

During these past few years, one of them had been acting as the special advisor of the three eastern provinces, while the other had been acting as the special adviser of the Pearl Delta.

Of course, in light of their past crimes, they were already extremely fortunate to have been in the positions that they were in, and they were constantly walking on eggshells and repenting for their past transgressions. However, the 12 envoys were clearly in a far worse position than they were, and seeing them struck the two with an immense sense of superiority.

"Oh? What differences do you see?" Su Daji covered her mouth with her fan as she feigned a curious expression.

Qin Hui replied, "Legend has it that Prime Minister Wang was the undisputed number one military tactician during the era of the 16 kingdoms. He was said to have carried himself with grace and dignity at all times, but why is it that he's sitting here right now, lamenting his own ill fortune like a homeless dog?"

All of the 12 envoys instantly turned toward him, and a cold smile appeared on Ma Fubo's face as he said, "Back when we were the 12 envoys, you were nothing more than a wretched cur!"

"That was back then, and we're currently in the present." Su Daji sat down onto a chair in an elegant manner while gently fanning herself as she countered, "At the very most, we were only labeled as disloyal subordinates, whereas you were accused of treason!"

A cold look flashed through Ban Dingyuan's eyes as a hint of a smile appeared on his face. "Demonic witch, do you think this sword that I carry is just for show?"

Before he had a chance to say anything else, he suddenly felt his foot being trod on under the table, and he immediately reflexively turned toward the person who had stepped on his foot with an inquisitive gaze.

It was none other than Guo Ziyi.

Guo Ziyi shook his head in Ban Dinguan's direction, then poured himself a cup of tea and began to drink from it as if nothing had happened.

Ban Dingyuan's expression changed slightly upon seeing this, and he instantly understood Guo Ziyi's intentions.

It didn't matter that this was a reunion between officials who had served the old Hell. What was important was that they had all considered treason in the past.

At the time, Qin Ye had only been an Anitya Hellguard, who could've possibly anticipated that he would be able to unite the nation and set it on the path of becoming a dominant force on the world stage in less than 20 years?

If all of these rebellious subordinates were to gather together and act amicably toward one another, what would Qin Ye think upon seeing their interactions?

He would immediately suspect that they were plotting treason once again!

This was why Qin Hui and Su Daji had decided to spark a conflict as soon as they entered the room. Otherwise, they didn't benefit in any way from provoking the 12 envoys. It was clear that they were putting on a show, especially for Yu Qian and Yang Jiye, who were acting as the eyes and ears of their King Yanluo.

With that in mind, Ban Dingyuan heaved a long sigh and didn't say anything further.

Right at this moment, the door was opened once again, and Qin Ye made his way into the hall with the Harken in his arms. Trailing along behind him were Zhao Yun and several other underworld emissaries, and as soon as they entered the hall, the doors and windows were all shut in unison. All of the underworld emissaries present instantly rose to their feet before extending respectful bows. "We pay our respects to Yanluo Qin!"

Qin Ye swept an indifferent gaze over these underworld emissaries.

Back then, the 12 envoys had joined forces to exert pressure on him, and he was only just barely able to weather that storm, but what about now?

A faint smile appeared on his face as he made an inviting hand gesture and said, "Take a seat."

No one dared to sit down.

The pride that they had harbored in the past had already been completely whittled down during the past few years, and all of them knew their place now.

Only after Qin Ye had taken a seat did everyone else finally sit back down.

All of the 12 envoys were quietly sizing up the underworld emissaries who had followed Qin Ye into the hall. If they could identify these underworld emissaries, then they would be able to confirm what the objective for this meeting was, thereby allowing them to mentally prepare themselves for what was about to come.

Zhou Yu was also casting furtive glances at Qin Ye's entourage, yet he had only taken a few glances before he suddenly reflexively sat up straighter.

"What's wrong?" Chang Yuchun, who was seated beside him, furrowed his brows slightly upon seeing this.

Zhou Yu shook his head in response, and several seconds later, he withdrew his gaze as a hint of excitement appeared in his eyes.

"Do you know who they are?" he asked in a low voice.

Chang Yuchun shook his head in response.

Zhou Yu forcibly repressed his own excitement as he took a deep breath, then said, "The one seated second to the left of Yanluo Qin is the director of the Development Research Center of the State Council of the People's Republic of Cathay, Zhang Ting. He served from 2000 to 2017, and he passed away in 2025."

"Is that supposed to be a remarkable occupation?" Chang Yuchun asked.

"Of course it is!" Zhou Yu replied. "How long has it been since you last learned about the mortal realm? In the mortal realm, brains trusts are distributed throughout various organizations. In 2020, there were around 8,209 brains trusts in the entire world, of which Northern Usonia owned close to 2,000 think tanks, Europa owned over 2,200, and Asia owned close to 1,900. Among all nations, Usonia ranked number one with close to 1,900 think tanks, Hindustan was second with 509 think tanks, Cathay was third with 507 think tanks, and the top 10 is rounded out by Brittania, Argentina, Germany, Russia, Franks, Nippon, and Italia."

These were the brightest minds in the world, and also the ones who were able to most accurately analyze the state of the world.

Zhou Yu continued, "The Development Research Center of the State Council of the People's Republic of Cathay is ranked very highly on the world's top 100 think tanks. There's no way that a single person can consider everything. When it comes to national policies, all of them arise through discussions between think tanks and government administrations. They have had an impact throughout all of history, except they were known by different names at different time periods, such as advisors, strategists, etc. Zhang Ting was able to serve as the director of the Development Research Center of the State Council of the People's Republic of Cathay for 17 years, standing firmly through the tumultuous period following the turn of the millennium and choosing the best path forward during the chaos of the global financial crisis. This is sufficient testament to his intelligence and decision-making ability. What do you think a meeting with someone like him present entails?"

Chang Yuchun's eyes immediately lit up upon hearing this.

This entailed that their King Yanluo was giving them an opportunity to participate in the nation's politics!

No, not only was this an opportunity, it was also a test, a test to see if they were wholeheartedly dedicated to serving the new administration, and to see if their ideas could keep up with the current world.

With that in mind, his hands involuntarily balled up into tight fists under the table.

"That's not all," Zhou Yu continued. "That man was the vice-director of the Development Research Center of the State Council of the People's Republic of Cathay, Ye Yun. That man over there was the director of the Cathay Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, Shi Xiangyang. That's the former director of the Cathayan Institute of World Economics and Politics, Tao Guoqiang. That's the former director of the Center for Cathay and Globalization, Li Dongming. In 2020, four of Cathay's think tanks, including the Development Research Center of the State Council of the People's Republic of Cathay, were nominated for the world's most outstanding policy research think tank. Six of Cathay's think tanks, including the Cathay Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, were listed on the rankings for the best think tanks in foreign policy and international affairs. Four of Cathay's think tanks, including the Center for Cathay and Globalization, were listed on the rankings for the best think tanks in international economic policy. These people are all among the cream of the crop, even in those top-tier think tanks, and their judgment of international and domestic conditions are extremely accurate. Do you understand what's going on now?"

Something big was about to happen!

Chang Yuchun also sat up straighter upon hearing this. This was most likely the only opportunity they were going to get to make their voices heard following their five-year banishment, and they were all intent on grabbing this opportunity with both hands!