Yama Rising

Boom!!

The scarlet true energy was like a blood mist that condensed just as quickly as it first erupted, forming the figure of a man on the bow of the cruise liner.

“The paths of the Yin and the paths of the Yang should never intersect. Any party in breach of this ironclad rule shall be punished by purgation!” His voice boomed across the surface of the waters like the rumble of thunder. Then, he leapt up lightly, and then slammed down onto the bow of the ship like a meteorite. CRASH! Instantly, the cruise liner that was already sinking into the depths of the seas suddenly floated out once more, almost as though he had counterbalanced a seesaw by that one powerful step. A rain of seawater splattered all around.

Moonless night; bottomless waters and endless darkness.

The colossal shadow darted about quicker and quicker. And then, with two loud splashes, the two massive heads of the sea monster burst out through the surface of the waters, gleaming eerily in the darkness of the night.

The other tycoons presented themselves with similarly ashen expressions. Nobody had expected to see their greatest fears come true this very night.

This is why we’ve spared no expense to hire Soul Hunters for our own protection, right?

Sss!!! A terrifying screech cut through the silence of the night, followed quickly by a great splatter of seawater. A split second later, all four fiery eyes turned to look at the cultivator standing on the bow of the ship.

Then, Kuki Yoshitaka bared his fangs, revealing the grisly remains of human bones within, “But… death approaches.”

“Everyone!!” The cultivator turned around and stared at the remaining twenty or so cultivators who were now standing on the bow of the ship once more. His eyes grew bloodshot as he barked hoarsely, “What’s the first article of the United Nations Coalition of Cultivators?! Have you already forgotten something so fundamental?!”

“Get lost!!!” A furious cry thundered across the waters once more. The abilities of a powerful, evil ghost was qualitatively different from that of ordinary Yin spirits, and the cultivator knew that he no longer had the luxury of time to chide the other cultivators. Thus, he mustered everything he had to dart out of harm’s way in the nick of time. Kuki Yoshitaka’s jaws clamped down on nothing, and it immediately rode its momentum straight back into the sea, sending great waves billowing around it and sending copious amounts of seawater splattering everywhere.

“Do you even remember the source of the luxuries you enjoy on a daily basis?! Do you even know who’s been providing for us all this while?!!”

Segment after segment of the sea serpent’s massive body began to emerge from the surface of the waters at several parts, almost as though they were an endless mountain range emerging from the sea!

Back in the cargo hold, Jingo, Dojin and Master Kamo looked up in unison and exchanged a look of disbelief with each other.

“Do pampus souls even exist in Nippon?”

There was no doubt about it - this would most certainly be one of the great names from the Nipponese Warring States era. Such was the power of an underworld with a history of well over a thousand years. Any powerful evil ghost in their ranks would most certainly have been a great name in the annals of history. This was on a completely different scale from the nascent state of development which Qin Ye’s Hell was presently in.

There were only three Hellguard-class experts on the cruise liner right now, one of whom was presently in an immovable state.

He was currently right in the midst of breaching the formation array that was trapping Oda Nobunaga and his forces. The only way to fight through an encirclement formed by the great generals of the Nipponese Warring States era is with the core forces of the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven. This was their only hope at survival.

It had to be mentioned that even though their teachings were built upon the chanting of sutras, and there were hardly any restrictions on their diets and lifestyles, and hardly any precepts to maintain altogether, the creed of their belief was still terrifyingly firm.

This was the creed of Nipponese Tantric Buddhists.

“Soul Hunters… even if they tap on the potential of their hidden acupoint, they wouldn’t be able to compete with a true, blue Hellguard-class Yin spirit. Moreover, their opponent right now is none other than a corpse of the deadly cicada that is several hundred years old. Even Mount Koya would have no choice but to mobilize its guardian monks to deal with such a great crisis…”

It was incredibly soft.

Their true energy flourished. The Moonlit Night flickered softly, while the illusory image of a fairy could be seen patrolling vigilantly within its domain. Everyone’s expressions instantly grew somber and grave.

Dojin and Jingo had already shot to their feet once more, clutching tightly to their zen staff and evil-subduing pestle respectively as they glanced around warily, “Mr Iwasaki… guard yourself well. I’m afraid we might soon be unable to keep an eye out for you any longer.”

Iwasaki Kyouya shut his eyes and clutched tightly at his chest as he asked with great trembling, “And what are they… trying to do?”

And then, he turned around to give Qin Ye a deep, long gaze, “You’d better hurry. We’re facing the corpse of the deadly cicada in the middle of the sea. There’s no guarantee we’d be able to hold out for too long… Moreover, this is only the first wave of Azai Nagamasa’s forces. I’m most certain that something even more terrifying has yet to appear…”

Master Kamo waved his hands, and ten shikigamis appeared right next to him.

After all, he knew full well that one of the most terrifying battles he had ever encountered in his entire life was soon about to unfold.

Furthermore, Master Kamo understood that the moment that the plumb corpses were able to bore a hole through the hull of the ship… was also the moment when the battle at the Strait of Tsushima heats up into a white hot state.

“How long more till your battle monks arrive?” His voice sounded normal, yet in truth, it was already tense to the extreme.

“They’ll be arriving soon…” Master Kamo ripped apart his garments, revealing the illusory emblem of a Tengu that appeared to be glowing right underneath his skin. He gritted his teeth, “Don’t you worry. The Onmyojis have a lineage that runs deep. We won’t disappoint you!”

Krr… krr… krr… Back in Honnoji. Qin Ye abruptly looked up, and the image of a collapsing world was reflected right in the heart of his gleaming white pupils.

“What’s this?”

A Hellguard has made its move?

Arthis’ incantation is far too ineffective! It’s already been half an hour, and yet there’s not a single sign of success just yet…

“What’s this?” Nohime muttered with surprise. But a split second later, she, Oda Nobunaga, as well as all of the other evil ghosts in the Honnoji realm immediately exploded with a great rush of Yin energy. Within moments, the leaves and branches of the surrounding trees began to wither at a pace that was visible to the naked eye.

Four centuries of longing…

Nippon. I, the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven, have finally arrived!

Akechi Mitsuhide, Azai Nagamasa, and my old rival, Takeda Shingen… I wonder how thrilled you guys will be to finally reunite with me?