Yama Rising

It was at best a passing remark, and he didn’t expect to get a positive response. Surprisingly, the female ghost kowtowed immediately, “My lord, I have.”

Sensing the sudden change in Qin Ye’s attitude, the female ghost took the next few moments to gather her thoughts and sort through her memories before finally responding, “My lord… the twelve envoys… used to be existences that the daolord was most jealous of.”

“Because… they’ve been attacking the armies of the daolord… Furthermore, I can’t speak of other envoys, but I’ve personally been a part of the conflict with Liu Jinu at the Yalu River. Not only did they attack us, they even… sealed off the route to Hanyang. The daolord has on several occasions attempted to make contact with the Nipponese Hell, but all of his efforts were thwarted by Liu Jinu.”

Qin Ye’s eyes gleamed like fire. It was almost as though something had just occurred to him… something… that would make the imperial court meeting at the end of the year far more meaningful than anyone could ever imagine.

He caught a glimpse of the big picture!

“Here.” Murai Sadakatsu immediately came in from outside the wooden hoarding and half-knelt to the ground. His response was gruff. He was obviously trying to learn the language of the land.

“Yes.”

He would never have issued an invitation to the twelve envoys if he hadn’t managed to secure the Book of Life and Death earlier. After all, the human heart was unpredictable, and it was even more so as far as ghosts were concerned. The effluxion of time might very well have whittled away at the loyalty of even the staunchest of followers of the old Hell. He couldn’t even be certain of the allegiance of someone like Yang Jiye right now.

However--...

Thus, the temptation of the potential reward far outweighed the risks involved.

Which one of the twelve envoys weren’t famous historical figures in their own right? The new Hell was currently deprived of talents, and their existences were far more valuable than any potential trade routes!

Just then, Arthis arrived like the rushing wind, and the female ghost was so startled that she nearly screamed out loud. Arthis glanced placidly at her, “The daolord’s subject?”

Murai Sadakatsu had already shifted another seat in for Arthis’ arrival. After she took her seat, Qin Ye lifted his chin and muttered with indifference, “Continue.”

“In fact, the daolord had already planned to turn Skytribute City into a nest of ten thousand captive ghosts from the onset…” Qin Ye promptly interjected before she could finish, “Why? The old Hell wouldn’t have collapsed too long ago. How could he have the gall to do such a thing?”

“The debilitative effects of opposing energies are mutual. Therefore, ever since the great collapse of the old Hell, many Yin spirits who remain inactive naturally dissipate after some time, without ever transforming into a grievous spirit. Only those with true grievances or deep set attachments to the world would truly transform into ghosts. They would be imbued with spiritual awareness, and they would naturally possess the ability to cultivate with Yin energy. However, regardless of how strong they are or how strong they become, these ghosts would invariably still be subject to the slow, debilitative effect of the omnipresent Yang energy of the mortal realm. So long as they remain in the mortal realm, they would vanish in due course.”

“One, by devouring blood and flesh.”

“This also forms the foundation of your premise in your earlier paper, that the quickest way for ghosts to advance is to devour their own kind. The daolord of the three eastern provinces is an old ghost who has lived for over a thousand years. He naturally knows that he can’t just sit around and wait for death to happen to him. Transforming a locality into a nest of ten thousand captive ghosts and making it the land of the dead is the only way to reverse the effects of the constant debilitation from the Yang energy around. In this regard, one needs to be at least an Infernal Judge if he were to artificially form a nest of ten thousand captive ghosts. Wait a minute…”

The female ghost dared not lift her head one bit, and she nodded desperately.

The female ghost replied fearfully, “My lady… The truth of the matter is that many of the Yin spirits under the daolord’s command did begin to show signs of dissipation just forty years ago. That was exactly when the daolord began to harbour thoughts of establishing a nest of ten thousand captive ghosts. I wonder if you’ve heard of the grave-breaching incident in Mount Tai Development of Skytribute City?”

“Yes! Yes!” The female ghost was so startled that her voice began to crack, “Mount Tai Development is located on a plot of land that used to be a mass grave. Just forty years ago, all the residents living on the ground floor heard something stirring below. It started soft and discreet, but slowly grew louder and louder. It sounded almost as though there were countless people wailing and whimpering in the middle of the night. Finally, they engaged an engineering team to dig down below, right past the foundation, before they finally realized… there was a hundred-man grave located right below…”

Her pale face appeared to be cramping as she continued with a tremor in her voice, “If you look through the case files of the Special Investigations Department, you’ll discover… records of a large-scale supernatural event occurring at Lucky City at the end of that very same year. I believe it should have been classified as an A-grade incident or higher. That night… tens of thousands of netherflames suddenly lit up across the Tumen River. The residents of Lucky City were reported to have heard the sound of thousands of galloping horses and the clamor of war drums. In fact, the cultivators and ordinary humans who possess the Yin Yang Eyes personally witnessed thousands upon thousands of Yin soldiers rushing across the Tumen River and charging straight into Skytribute City.”

Qin Ye raised his hand, and the female ghost paused for a moment. Qin Ye turned to Arthis, “Rus doesn’t have an underworld?”

“But there are garrisons in the region.” Arthis continued with a somber expression, “Like I mentioned before, one of the prerequisites for the existence of an underworld is the existence of an accompanying faith, religion, myth or legend. That would crystallize and perfect the office of the god of their underworld. Rus doesn’t have this because their faith largely lies in Orthodox Christianity, one of the three main schools of Christianity. Thus, the garrison there is known as the Holy Judgment Crusaders. They operate under the banner of a god of the underworld whose name isn’t known to us. But you should never underestimate them, because they are incredibly powerful.”

Arthis nodded, “That’s right… It has no name, but the strength of their forces comes close to that of the old Hell. The reference to its existence comes from the gospel of Matthew, and it is simply known as the god of death. It has no name. It is known to wear a black cloak and carry a scythe, but nobody knows its name since time immemorial. It doesn’t reach out or communicate with the outside world either--... Ah! I get it! So that’s how it is!”

“Yama King?” Qin Ye gasped. Izanami is only an Abyssal Prefect, and yet the god of the underworld of Rus is actually a Yama King?

She collected her thoughts and continued, “The other underworlds aren’t certain what exactly happened to Hell, so they’re not willing to take on the risk of harbouring the daolord as a defector of Hell. Thus, he turned to the next best option… which is none other than Liu Jinu! But what’s most unexpected is how Liu Jinu would actually go back on his word!”

Nevertheless, he had a hunch that the answer to this question of his could potentially change the manner in which negotiations are to be carried out in the imperial court meeting at the end of the year!

“More importantly… have you ever considered the territorial map of the world?”

That’s right… That’s it! That’s exactly it!

His mind was suddenly filled with great clarity of thoughts, “Furthermore, none of the twelve envoys know exactly what happened to the old Hell, and none dare to act on speculations either. Thus, they most certainly wouldn’t let it slide when a Prefect-level ghost attempts to establish a nest of ten thousand captive ghosts right in front of their doorsteps. After all, if Hell were still in existence, they would undoubtedly be stripped of their fiefdoms and executed summarily for their negligence! That was why Emperor Wu of Song sent troops against the daolord of the asura back then!”

“Of course there is!” Qin Ye shot to his feet, “Oh foolish mecha valkyrie… do you even realize the importance of our discussions right now?”

1. A river that borders China and Korea.

2. Reference to what Qin Ye called her back in Chapter 276/277.