Yama Rising

A gust of Yin wind swept into the room, and Zhao Yun, who was in the process of assessing documents, looked up with a smile as he said, "You don't seem to be in a very good mood, Your Excellency."

Qin Ye picked up his teacup before taking a massive gulp, then exhaled before taking a seat. "Arthis and I had a difference in opinion."

"Did you ask the panel of advisors?"

Qin Ye shook his head in response. The panel of advisors excelled more at making nationwide strategic changes. As for how to lure in, trap, and kill an extremely powerful individual, there wasn't much counsel they could offer.

"There's no way to ward off its attacks." He gave Zhao Yun a recount of what had happened, then heaved a forlorn sigh. "This is an invisible opponent, and if we lash out recklessly, our Cathayan Underworld could face an even more calamitous disaster that could shake the foundation of our entire nation. This is not the time to be recklessly using brute force."

"Are you scared?" Zhao Yun asked as he raised an eyebrow.

Even though the Cathayan Underworld had an authoritarian political system, just like Cathay in the mortal realm, parties didn't play much of a role in the underworld, where there was a clear power system. Furthermore, there wasn't as much emphasis placed on the political hierarchy, either. Otherwise, in the mortal realm, there was no way that Zhao Yun would've asked something like that.

"Scared?" That accusation seemed to have hit a sore spot with Qin Ye, and a cold smile appeared on his face as he said, "Were the nameless god of death and the ruler death gods of the three pillars a lesser threat than the inner demon? Was I ever scared of facing them? Don't make me laugh!"

In his haste to deny this notion, he didn't notice the contemplative look on Zhao Yun's face.

The tip of Zhao Yun's pen was roaming over the paper in front of him, but he wasn't actually writing anything, and his brows furrowed ever so slightly as he asked, "What do you plan to do from here?"

"Negotiate."

Zhao Yun's eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing this, but he didn't say anything.

Qin Ye closed his eyes before heaving a long sigh. "We'll negotiate, and only when that doesn't work will we turn to force. We are no longer fighting for ourselves here, the fate of the entire nation is on the line."

In the past, he was able to think about nothing other than himself, but with his current status, any decision made by him could impact countless Yin spirits.

There were many Yin spirits in the Cathayan Underworld, but they definitely weren't expendable cannon fodder. Furthermore, the Cathayan Underworld couldn't afford to lose everything that had been built up the past dozen or so years.

For this, he was willing to set aside the hatred that he harbored toward the inner demon for abducting his grandfather's soul. He was even willing to stoop down to meet and negotiate with the inner demon, all because of his responsibilities as King Yanluo.

Zhao Yun pursed his lips, and his voice was as calm as ever as he asked, "If the negotiations fall through, how do we go about using force?"

A sharp look appeared in Qin Ye's eyes upon hearing this, and he replied, "I'll meet the inner demon in person. Through these attacks, it's extending a warning to us, as well as trying to shatter our confidence. I will tell it that its efforts are futile! If Hell wants to track it down, nothing will be able to stop us! In the face of an opponent like this, we either leave it alone, or kill it with a single strike. However, I still haven't found a way to effectively target it."

It wasn't that he didn't want to kill the inner demon, this was simply not the right time to strike.

Zhao Yun didn't say anything, and Qin Ye continued, "So long as my grandfather's soul is held by the inner demon, only one of us will be able to survive in the end. The more it meddles with the Cathayan Underworld, the more it tells me that it's definitely not in its peak condition! The Heavenly Dao told me that fusing with my grandfather's soul won't be a fast process for the inner demon. As such, it's doing all of this to stall for time so that we won't be able to find it. Alternatively, perhaps it also wants me to seek it out."

Both sides had their own qualms and concerns, so it was best not to strike until everyone had returned to their peak condition.

By lashing out at the Cathayan Underworld, the inner demon was flexing its figurative muscles, telling Qin Ye that it had the ability to strike at Hell.

What Qin Ye had seen in the funeral home was also a reflection of the inner demon's attitude. It had intentionally left behind some traces for him to follow, encouraging him to continue his investigation.

There were many similar situations that had taken place in history. When there were two opposing sides, but neither side could conquer the other, pacts or treaties were often erected. Of course, it was often the case that those treaties and pacts weren't followed through to the very end.

The inner demon was waiting to be completely fused with Qin Zhongguo's soul, while Qin Ye had the entire Cathayan Underworld behind him. Both sides had sufficient resources for a long and drawn-out battle of attrition, and that was why Qin Ye felt like he would be able to negotiate with the inner demon.

The room was completely silent, and only after a long while did Zhao Yun finally set down his pen. "What if the negotiations succeed?"

In other words, when were they going to strike at the inner demon?

At the moment, the inner demon had the upper hand, and its existence was like a blade that was constantly resting on the Cathayan Underworld's neck. Its unique properties meant that Hell would forever be on the back foot.

Thus, were they going to retaliate or continue to remain passive?

"We'll definitely strike at it someday, but we have to wait for now," Qin Ye replied in an implacable voice. "We can't afford to strike until we're absolutely sure of our victory. Otherwise, if we allow it to get away, the consequences will be catastrophic."

Zhao Yun heaved an internal sigh of relief upon hearing this, and he smiled as he said, "I will forever support your decisions, Yanluo Qin."

Qin Ye nodded in response, then turned to Zhao Yun with a suspicious expression. "Hold on a minute."

Before Zhao Yun had a chance to say anything, he rose to his feet with a cold smile. "I see what's going on now... You're on Arakshasa's side! Don't try to deny it! If you were on my side, then you would've supported my decision from the beginning!"

He turned and placed his hands onto the desk, looking straight into Zhao Yun's eyes with a piercing gaze. "Are you worried that I'll be too indecisive and allow the inner demon to become too powerful, or are you worried that I'll be too cowardly and completely conform to the inner demon's wishes?"

Zhao Yun averted his gaze as he replied, "I didn't say that."

"But you were thinking it!" Qin Ye countered. "You're constantly asking me for my solution, and only when I told you that the inner demon had to die did you declare that you were always going to support my decision. In your eyes, complying with the inner demon's wishes for a period of time is a wise strategy, and that is what sets you apart from Arakshasa. After all, you've already been a Yama-King for several thousand years, and you're used to looking at problems from the position of a Yama-King. However, you definitely wouldn't support the decision to bow to an enemy, even if that enemy has lived for as long as this world and is even older than Hell itself, isn't that right?"

He didn't give Zhao Yun the opportunity to skirt around the question. Instead, he immediately continued, "Hypothetically speaking, if I had decided to split my territory with the inner demon and grant it the mortal realm, what would you have done."

Zhao Yun wasn't one to lie, and after a long silence, he finally replied, "I would've protested your decision, regardless of the punishment handed down to me."

Qin Ye harrumphed coldly, then exhaled before sitting back down onto the sofa as if nothing had ever happened. He gently drummed his fingers against the armrest of his chair, then suddenly asked, "I must stand out like a sore thumb when compared with the style of the old Hell, right, Brother Zhao?"

Zhao Yun immediately rose to his feet before shaking his head in response. "You're overthinking things, Your Excellency. The style of the old Hell was actually only established during the reign of the second King Yanluo. However, with his unmatched powers, there was no one in the Cathayan Underworld who dared to go against him. As such, we became the undisputed most powerful nation in the underworld, but at the same time, our foreign affairs and foreign trade were suffering significantly. All of the world organizations were also wary of us, and that was far from ideal. In terms of political styles, I much prefer yours. You can be both passive or aggressive depending on the situation, and your timing is exceptional. However, the mantra of all past King Yanluos has always been that the Cathayan Underworld will never lower its head to anyone. Our new Hell must continue to uphold this mantra, particularly in such a chaotic world. Our invasion of the Nipponese Underworld will begin in a few years, and when that time comes, not only will we face fierce resistance from the Nipponese Underworld itself, the three pillars will also be sure to get involved, as well as the world organizations. After that, we have to deal with the crisis of the new continent. Without this aggressive and unyielding stance, our Cathayan Underworld won't be able to maintain its place on the international stage, and that's why I was a little concerned."

If a nation were to lower its head once, then it would be prone to doing so over and over again.

The examples set by Cathay in the Song and Qing Dynasties were an extremely painful reminder of this.

Qin Ye rose to his feet with a smile, then said, "Rest assured, I may be passive at times, but out of all of the people whom I've seriously targeted, no one has lived to this point! For the next step of the plan, I'll have to trouble the Harken."

Zhao Yun was rather taken aback to hear this. "Where are you going now, Your Excellency? At the moment, you're the one most well-versed with the unique properties of the inner demon, how are you going to face it? Also, your direct supervision is required for the development of both the second-generation forbidden arts and the space exploration project..."

"I'll be going to meet the inner demon," Qin Ye replied. "Just now, I thought of something that I can use to my advantage."

Liu Qing knew a name, and it was Ye Xianguo.

Why did she know this name?

The name had most likely been unintentionally revealed to her, but there was no need for the inner demon to reveal that name to her. IT had been so cautious that it had completely isolated Liu Qing from the rest of the world. Given that Ye Xianguo was an Anitya Hellguard, there was a massive power disparity between the two, so there was no way that Liu Qing would've had the courage to actively ask for Ye Xianguo's name.

Thus, it was most likely the case that Ye Xianguo had told her his name himself with the goal of having her remember it.

After that, she had been left in that funeral home for three years, and her sole purpose was to lure out Qin Ye before revealing that name to him.

This was the second reason why Qin Ye believed that the inner demon would be willing to negotiate with him.

Upon learning Ye Xianguo's name, the first thing that he thought of was the infamous Lin Family Mansion incident.

There was a very good chance that the inner demon was waiting for him there!

"I'll have to get you to accompany me, General Zhao."

Zhao Yun immediately cupped his fist in a salute before asking, "When do we set off?"

"In three days," Qin Ye replied. "We may have to clash with the inner demon there. In that case, it would be a battle involving two beings above the Yama-King level and an advanced Yama-King. If there are any living humans in the area, they'll definitely be killed if such a battle were to break out. Hence, I'll have to inform the Cathayan authorities in advance."

"Yes!"

………………………………………………..

Time passed by very quickly, and close to an entire day flew by in the blink of an eye.

Light was just beginning to appear in the sky, yet the government building of the capital city was already brightly lit. There were figures wearing Special Investigations Department emblems entering and exiting the building, and among them were at least two Infernal Judges!

This city was the financial heart of Cathay, and there were two Infernal Judges who were permanently stationed in this city's Special Investigations Department branch.

A series of cars were parked at the entrance, and one high-ranking official after another from the Special Investigations Department emerged from the cars with grim expressions, then made their way silently into the building, while their secretaries hurriedly followed along behind them.

"What's going on?" Several assistants quickly rushed along, and one of them said in a low voice, "Director Shao received an urgent call at 5 AM, and he immediately got out of bed to travel to the capital city. I don't know what the call was about, but I've never seen him look so serious."

"I don't know, either," the assistant beside him replied with a shake of his head. "Did you notice that high-ranking officials from the military and the government are also present? Just now, I saw General Liang and Mayor Ma..."