Yama Rising

Qin Ye's chest was rising and falling heavily. He had thought that his killing intent toward Xu Fu had already reached a pinnacle once he learned about Xu Fu's treachery and treasonous acts. After learning the fact that Xu Fu had managed to invent an energy resource that could be used across the two realms, his intent to kill Xu Fu had even subsided a little.

This system wasn't perfect, but it was the first of its kind, and even though there was still a lot left to be done, this was already enough for a conscious ruler like Qin Ye to begin weighing up his options.

However, his killing intent toward Xu Fu was now fiercer than ever before, and it was like a volcanic eruption that couldn't be repressed no matter what.

Only now could he truly experience the fury of a ruler when someone tried to threaten his cities and his people.

Only now did he realize that some things couldn't be forgiven or compromised no matter what.

He swept a hand through the air, and the gate immediately swung shut. He then closed his eyes and worked to control his own breathing for several seconds. Only then did he reopen his eyes, and immediately thereafter, a golden scale flew up into the air, sending golden ripples surging in all directions, as if he were summoning something out of space.

Countless golden runes appeared all over the scale. This was none other than the scale that had been left to them by the Plumed Serpent God in the Alkebulan Underworld!

The scale began to revolve in mid-air as if it were searching for the right direction. One minute passed, then two, and Qin Ye was desperately trying to remain calm in this race against time. Right upon reaching the five-minute mark, tremors suddenly ran through the surrounding area in all directions.

BOOM!!

Light illuminated the entire room as if a fountain of radiance had appeared, or as if the gates of heaven had been opened. Boundless Yin energy converged in a frenzy in front of Qin Ye, and an indistinct shadow began to appear within it. A burst of Yama-King level Yin energy came crashing down from the heavens, forming an illusory figure within the warped light.

This was divine descent!

The Yin energy surged and churned before finally forming the sinister serpentine face of Quetzalcoatl, the Plumed Serpent God, and Qin Ye immediately heaved an internal sigh of relief upon seeing this.

There were still around 37 minutes left, and he repressed the urgency in his heart as he put on a calm and placid facade, observing the Plumed Serpent God as if he had only contacted him for a casual conversation.

As soon as it appeared, the head of the Plumed Serpent God immediately turned its vertical golden pupils toward Qin Ye with an expectant look on its face, "Abyssal Prefect Qin, do you have the blood of a divinity..."

Before it even completed its sentence, it suddenly let loose a loud shriek, and its sharp voice caused even the surrounding space to tremble. Its vertical pupils abruptly contracted drastically, and it stared at Qin Ye with an incredulous expression as he stuttered, "Y... You've become a Yama-King?!"

Qin Ye had no time to waste with idle chatter, and he gave a clipped response. "That's right, you're looking at the third King Yanluo of the Cathayan Underworld."

Dead silence.

In that instant, the entire space descended into complete silence, and the Plumed Serpent God was struggling to process what he had just heard. Qin Ye's words reverberated through his mind over and over again.

Cathayan Underworld... Third King Yanluo...

He did it! He actually did it! I made the right gamble after all!

His long journey for revenge, the divine battle from over 1,000 years ago... There was still a chance for him to survive and perhaps even exact his vengeance!

"I am truly amazed..." Even the Plumed Serpent God couldn't help but be completely stunned by this revelation, and after staring at Qin Ye for a full 10 seconds, he finally continued, "Please allow me to offer you my sincerest congratulations on behalf of the Alkebulan and Usonian Underworlds. From this day forth, all of the death gods of the Alkebulan Underworld will fight for you. You can trust them wholeheartedly, and you can also trust me when I say that the Alkebulan Underworld will be the Cathayan Underworld's most resolute ally!"

A slight disdainful sneer appeared on Qin Ye's face. If this were the Cathayan Underworld of the past, there was no way that it would've had to recruit the Alkebulan Underworld as an ally. Someone like the Plumed Serpent God could make offerings year after year in an attempt to establish ties with the Cathayan Underworld and be denied every time, but now...

"I've already obtained the blood of a divinity"

The Plumed Serpent God's eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing this. "So you agree?"

He was already reflexively being more confrontational. This confrontational attitude wasn't directed toward Qin Ye, but instead, toward the member of the four pillars that Qin Ye represented.

"I'm open to considering the proposal, but why should the Cathayan Underworld establish ties with the Alkebulan Underworld? We're situated a world apart, and I don't think the Alkebulan Underworld can bring us any benefits. What do you have to offer? A few extra votes during international underworld conferences?" Qin Ye was doing his best to speak in a slow and unhurried manner, but his nails were already digging so hard into his palms that they were close to drawing blood.

The countdown timer of mass destruction was constantly ticking down in his mind, but regardless of how urgent the situation was, he had to keep the initiative.

The Plumed Serpent God was no simpleton.

It was extremely frail right now, but it had survived a forbidden art, and after that, it had combated the Heavenly Dao for several centuries without being devoured, and that was already extremely remarkable.

Furthermore, he was the mastermind behind the entirety of the Alkebluan Underworld, as well as the key for the Cathayan Underworld to establish ties with another continent. Unless he absolutely had to, Qin Ye definitely didn't want to burn this bridge. However, not burning a bridge was one thing, but during the lengthy period in which the Cathayan Underworld was going to continue to develop, they would undoubtedly have frequent contact with one another, so who was going to hold the initiative during these instances?

The Plumed Serpent God had no choice.

However, if he could tell that the Cathayan Underworld also had no choice and that they both needed something from one another, then they would be standing on equal terms, and that was something that Qin Ye definitely didn't want to see.

"So what do you want us to do?" the Plumed Serpent God asked, "My divine descent can't last for much longer, so please keep things short and concise."

"I heard that you have a brother called Xolotl," Qin Ye said, and he was still speaking in a deliberately unhurried manner. "How is the bond between the two of you?"

The Plumed Serpent God chuckled upon hearing this. "There are no brothers among death gods, we only share close bonds with those who best serve our interests. Having said that, I'm sure he'd be very shocked if he knew that I was still alive..."

Qin Ye continued, "In that case, can you reveal to him that you're not dead and promise him a favor, would he be willing to deploy his forces for you?"

The Plumed Serpent God's eyes had already narrowed into thin slits, and a faint light was glowing within them. There was no need for explanations in a conversation between intelligent individuals, and around 10 seconds later, he asked, "What would you possibly need him to deploy his troops for?"

"A Yama-King has stolen a divine artifact of Hell and fled. He's probably already made it to the Nipponese Sea and is about to enter the Pacific Ocean, so we must stop him," Qin Ye replied with a smile. "In the wake of a political transition, there will always be some brazen individuals who come out of the woodwork."

I see...

The Plumed Serpent God flicked out his forked tongue and licked his own scaly mouth incessantly. As expected, the political transition of the Cathayan Underworld wasn't a peaceful one, and it was no wonder that he was agreeing to a collaboration. However, no matter how tumultuous the political transition had been, this was still a member of the four pillars that he was dealing with here.

Perhaps he could try and probe out more details and be a bit firmer in his own attitude, but this wasn't the right time to do that. After all, the blood of a divinity was still being held by Hell.

Having lived for so many years, the Plumed Serpent God had seen everything there was to be seen in this world, and in that instant, countless thoughts flashed through his mind. Shortly thereafter, a humanized smile appeared on his serpentine face, and he said, "Yanluo Qin, the circumstances on the new continent are far more complex than you can imagine. Mictlantecutli and Mictetikasiwa are ruling over the new continent, and there aren't many death gods left. After all, with the advent of colonization in the mortal realm, the local faith has been dealt a heavy blow. Countless followers have been killed or injured, and Mictlantecutli and Mictetikasiwa are in no better condition than I am. However, have you thought about the mindsets of the death gods below them?"

Shit! It's already been 20 minutes!

Qin Ye was on the verge of erupting into a thunderous fury, but he had to hold all that back for just a while longer.

If he was going to strike, then he was going to make it count and not let anyone escape.

A hint of realization flashed through his eyes upon hearing this, and he asked, "Are you referring to a potential coup?"

"That's right." The Plumed Serpent God smile widened even further. "Just wait and see. I'm willing to bet that if another world war were to take place between the underworlds, it would definitely take place following the deaths of Mictlantecutli and Mictetikasiwa! The new continent is like a piece of delectable meat that's just waiting to be claimed, who wouldn't want to grab it? In addition to that, the local faith has almost completely vanished! The circumstances have made the continent a defenseless fruit that’s ripe for the picking! The only problem is that no one dares to make a move for now. Mictlantecutli and Mictetikasiwa are on the brink of death, and they're dancing on the edge of insanity, making them willing to do anything and cast aside all inhibitions. Thus, it's only natural that no one dares to provoke them now. If you want Xolotl to deploy his troops to directly face a Yama-King holding a divine artifact, I won't be enough to convince him on my own. I..."

"You also want a promise from the Cathayan Underworld, right?" Qin Ye interjected. "Right now, the new continent is in an extremely tumultuous state, and all of the death gods are waiting to take the places of Mictlantecutli and Mictetikasiwa, so of course Xolotl wouldn't be willing to help you at a sensitive time like this. However, what if you promise to help him and promise that he'll receive the assistance of the Cathayan Underworld as well?"

A cold smile appeared on the Plumed Serpent God's face. "I'm sure he'll be tempted by a promise from one of the four pillars."

Good...

Perhaps it was due to the urgency of the situation, but Qin Ye's mind was racing at an unprecedented speed, and he had already thought even further ahead. It would still take several centuries before Mictlantecutli and Mictetikasiwa truly perished, and during this time, no one would dare to make a move on the new continent and risk invoking the wrath of those two nutcases. Once the two of them passed away, the new continent would have no ruler, and the entire world would definitely be swept up into a frenzy.

The Cathayan Underworld would definitely be involved, its status simply didn't allow it to remain on the sidelines.

It seemed that the Cathayan Underworld was compromising here by agreeing to help Xolotl in the future, but in reality, it paved the way for the Cathayan Underworld to lay a claim on the new continent in the future.

"Alright, you have my word," Qin Ye said as he looked straight into the Plumed Serpent God's eyes. "Once Mictlantecutli and Mictetikasiwa pass away, the Cathayan Underworld will lend its unreserved assistance to Xolotl to help him become the new ruler. You can pass that onto him word for word."

"Fantastic!" The Plumed Serpent God burst into laughter upon hearing this, and Qin Ye swept a hand through the air, sending a ball of bright red light flying toward him.

The Plumed Serpent God immediately opened his mouth and devoured the ball of light.

The blood of a divinity... This day has finally come...

The Plumed Serpent God closed his eyes, and his massive serpentine head was trembling as he carefully savored the immense power imbued within the drop of blood. Only after a long while did he reopen his eyes, and he said, "I like dealing with people who keep their promises. Rest assured, I'll be sure to do the same."

"Just remember this," Qin Ye said as he stared intently into his eyes. "Stop that Yama-King at all costs! You only have half an hour. Seeing as you've bound yourself to the Heavenly Dao, I'm sure you have a way to accomplish this."

The Plumed Serpent God made an ambiguous expression before vanishing as a gust of Yin wind.

Only after the Plumed Serpent God had already departed for 30 seconds did Qin Ye finally move again, and he almost collapsed back onto the pillar behind him. At this point, his back was already drenched in cold sweat.

He wasn't physically tired, but playing these mind games under such a high-pressure situation made him feel as if his brain were about to explode. Furthermore, the countdown timer to mass destruction hadn't stopped. He felt as if he could hear an actual countdown timer ticking down click by click, and every single click was like a dagger that was driven into his heart.

There were only less than 30 minutes left, and he wanted nothing more than to rush to Ashmound to assess the situation there, but he still couldn't do that yet.

He had to wait.

Xu Fu had revealed that Gui Xu was going to explode in Ashmound in an hour, thereby indirectly implying that there was something in Qi Nü's memories that could allow him to prevent the departure of the Peach Blossom Spring within an hour. Thus, no matter how concerned he was for Ashmound, he had to stay here to oversee proceedings.

Nothing was perfect in this world. So long as it existed, traces of it had to have been left behind.

Right at this moment, the gate abruptly swung open, and Arthis rushed toward him at full speed as a gust of Yin wind.

"How did it go?"

"Qi Nü has awakened," Arthis replied in a grim voice. "The key lies in the Huang Clan's earthen building in Fujian Province! Ignite the light tower in the mortal coil, and the Peach Blossom Spring will reveal itself from the cracks of history! I'll tell you the exact details on the way there. A total of 7,000 Yin soldiers from the Hell Guardian Legion are already on their way to the Huang Clan's earthen building. Meanwhile, Su Daji will lead the Hungry Ghost Legion and Qin Hui will lead the Asura Legion to Xolotl's Screen! Please make haste, Yanluo Qin!"

Qin Ye took a deep breath to brace himself for the chaotic whirlwind of activity that was sure to follow.

The outcome was going to be decided soon!

There were still 27 minutes left.