Yama Rising

With a command, the army of seventy thousand immediately turned to face the majestic door. Incidentally, the army was lined up neatly on both sides of the door, with a ten-meter aisle running straight down the middle of the army like Moses parting the red sea. Qin Ye took to the front of the army, while Arthis took to the rear. Both Infernal Judges hovered in the air in their Hell’s Emissary state. It was a grand sight. They were a glorious army of magnificent proportions, yet they were still nothing more than a speck compared with the size of the towering door.

The army of Yin spirits looked like they were preparing to challenge the vast world out there. The juxtaposition of the insignificant and small against the boundless reaches of the world filled everyone with sobriety. Not even the rest of the citizens who were witnessing the grand face-off between david and goliath could help but watch with bated breaths.

“I’m starting to feel as though I’m cut out to be a god of the world.” He swept his gaze around the army of tens of thousands that were staring right back at him. His body trembled slightly, and he smiled softly to himself, “Looking back, I truly can’t help but wonder how innocent and naive I used to be just a single year ago. To think that I even have to be a cult leader right now…”

“... Anyhow, I’m absolutely flattered that you think of me that way… Speaking of which… I really need to use the bathroom right now. What do I do?” Qin Ye clamped his legs firmly together, “I can’t help but feel the urge to visit the washroom whenever I’m nervous… I might need to get it checked out--…”

Qin Ye felt a spine-tingling sensation of fear wash through his heart. It didn’t matter whether Arthis was referring to number one or number two…

Just then, a violent tremor echoed out in the distance. It was so startling that it even drove away Qin Ye’s desire to relieve himself. Then, a split second later, a crack opened between the majestic door, revealing a brilliant, dazzling light behind.

“What’s that…” Back in the construction grounds, a Yin spirit raised his head and stared at the door in the sky with great disbelief. Hell only knew three colours, black, white and red. And yet, in that moment when the towering door cracked open, the entire surface of Hell was covered with a soft golden sheen. It was something that they were all familiar with, but which they hadn’t seen for more than a year.

A buzz of chatter instantly swept through the lands like a flood of sound. Even the trees in Hell began to rustle softly, almost as though they were discussing these developments.

“There’s sunlight in Hell?” Qin Ye asked.

There were green skies and warm sunshine all around. Although the ground wasn’t filled with lush, green grass, they could still see that it was filled with pale yellow sand and rocks of all kinds. It wasn’t quite the desolate and barren lands that they had expected. In fact, they could even see all sorts of vegetation thriving outside in those lands.

“There’s only one possibility…” She gnashed her teeth, “Hell’s collapse has caused a complete overhaul of the entire ecological system out there. This is exactly what I’ve alluded to in the past! Everything outside has changed completely.”

Qin Ye gulped nervously, “What about your Arya Sense?”

Qin Ye nodded. An unknown fear quietly spread from the depths of his heart. He lifted his hand slowly, and then swung it down with great determination. At once, a long horn sounded, and war drums beat with great vigor. With a thunderous cry, the entire army of seventy thousand Yin soldiers immediately rushed out into the uncharted world out there like a crashing ride.

Nobody could tell if it was new lands out there to be explored, or simply the Bermuda Triangle that was waiting to swallow up anyone that stepped into its deep abyss.

Just then, someone shouted, “May the new Hell return triumphantly!!”

Meanwhile, the colossal doors had finally opened completely. A sea of light poured in, lighting the way for the onward march of seventy thousand soldiers. With that, Qin Ye and Arthis both stepped out into the new world at the exact same time.

A Judge’s ability to remain afloat in the air had completely vanished here.

“What do you mean?” Qin Ye asked. He could sense something amiss as well. Sunlight, grass, trees, sand and rocks… Everything appeared peaceful, but… it felt almost too peaceful to be true.

They could see mountain ranges in the distance and all sorts of vegetation around. In all likelihood, there would even be water bodies flowing somewhere close by. However, there wasn’t a single trace of sound of nature to be heard. It wasn’t anything like the real world experience at all.

It appeared no different from a beautiful, tranquil facade that was ready to be shattered at any moment, only to reveal the true horrors of the lands beneath.

She paused, and then squinted into the distant sky. There was clearly sunlight in the vicinity, yet she couldn’t see the sun no matter where she looked.

“But if this place is completely sequestered from the effects of the Heavenly Dao, then you can take it that anything that appears would no longer be considered a part of the three realms of the world. This is a concept that is practically inexplicable, and unfathomable, but you’ll know it when you finally see it. Believe me, we’re talking about things that are far more terrifying than the Elder Soul Devourer.”

Buzz!! Even the Yin soldiers on the ground immediately erupted into a soft clamor!

“Silence!!!” Qin Ye bellowed almost reflexively, “What’s there to be afraid of? Hell’s still here. All we need is my permission to enter.”

Qin Ye’s back was covered with cold sweat. None of the other Yin soldiers were any wiser to the fact that Qin Ye had earlier shivered uncontrollably as well. What the hell is going on?! How could the colossal door just vanish like that?! This is truly the stuff of nightmares!

Arthis didn’t respond. Instead, she glanced warily at the edge of the horizon for several more seconds before finally responding, “This is… Hell’s automatic self-defense mechanism.”

“Underworlds would almost certainly be razed to the ground as soon as it’s discovered by these existences. It would be impossible to develop any underworlds like that. Thus, the Heavenly Dao has equipped the underworlds with some self-defense mechanisms. So long as an underworld was weak and small enough, and on condition that there were existences around powerful enough to threaten that underworld’s existence, then that underworld would gain the ability to remain undetected by the more powerful presences around!”

“At the very least, this was true when Hell was just formed.” Arthis sighed as her eyes narrowed slightly, “Moreover, the new Hell had obviously detected something alarming… Come to think of it… I finally understand why we don’t hear any sounds of Yin beasts around here. Our environment here can be considered a proper ecosphere, so why is it still so quiet?”

Why was it so quiet?

If there exists a tiger in the woods, its surroundings would be absolutely silent as well.

Just then, Qin Ye noticed some movement from behind a mountain range. It was a pair of wings.

It was a sight as beautiful as a butterfly breaking out from its chrysalis.

It was a tiger. In that instant that it spread out its wings, a tide of Yin energy that was ostensibly on the verge of breaking through to the ranks of an Abyssal Prefect immediately swept over!

Cooooooooo!!! A crisp chirp caused all of the vegetation in the area to tremble softly. The Yin soldiers raised their weapons nervously. Just then, Yang Yanzhao stood tall in front of the mighty army and roared at the top of his voice, “Shields up! Tighten the formation! Incoming!!”