Yama Rising

7.25 p.m. The fifth floor of the Fenglai Hotel suddenly erupted with a dense ring of pitch black light.

Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! All of the supernatural perimeters that had been set up in the neighbouring cities were completely and utterly devastated in just an instant.

The authority of an Infernal Judge extends to the far reaches of an entire province!

“This is… an Infernal Judge… a Judge?! A surviving Judge?! Does this mean that the gates of Hell are open once more?! The gates of Hell have opened again!!” In Rivergorge City, the lady in red who had been combing her hair in front of a mirror let out a shrill shriek, transformed into a gust of Yin energy and hid under her bed, cowering in fear.

“A Judge… it’s really a Judge! Is Hell… back in charge again?” In Santong City, a coffin lay that was originally half open at the bottom of a reservoir was immediately shut from within by a pale, white-haired skeleton.

As long as they were survivors of Hell’s great collapse, any mention of Hell or its Emissaries would immediately strike fear into their hearts.

Meanwhile, at the epicenter of the entire incident, all of the cultivators in Clear Creek County found themselves completely stunned by the situation.

Zhang Fengzi rushed out of his hotel like a madman. He was almost certain that there was something going on in Clear Creek County that had completely eluded them. Something incredibly significant was taking place!

“What the hell… is this…”

The heavens and Hell were dancing in tandem. Flashes of lightning weaved in and out of the converging Yin energy that culminated in a majestic vortex in the sky. The hundreds of troops stationed in the hospital were completely flabbergasted at the shocking phenomenon they were witnessing. None of them could find it within themselves to attribute this to natural causes.

Whooooooosh… The netherwind billowed, causing the black robes of a man standing in the midst of all the soldiers to flutter wildly. After being seized by the phenomenon for several seconds, the man hurriedly retrieved a compass like a madman and scrutinized it carefully.

“How is this possible!!” He stared aghast at the compass. Then, seconds later, almost as though he had recalled something of extreme importance, he dashed straight out of the hospital. Unfortunately, he was immediately rendered speechless as soon as he witnessed the incredible scene outside.

In another part of Clear Creek County, a young Taoist priest was standing in front of a store on the Ethnic Minority Street, haggling over the price of an item.

His voice suddenly drifted off before he could finish speaking.

No response.

The shopkeeper was staring at the sky with a vacant expression on his face.

What’s going on with the sky?

“Daofathers above…” The two men stood under the imposing shadows of the roiling black clouds with their mouths slightly agape. They shook their heads from side to side, yet their minds drew a complete blank.

“Wife! Come over here. What is that thing?!” “A 3D projection? My god. That resolution is far too unbelievable, isn’t it?!” “Brother! You’ve got to come see this! The gods have descended!”

In fact, the woman appeared almost akin to a sculpture that held up the skies. Three thousand strands of green-coloured threads danced in the air behind her head, spanning thousands and thousands of meters across the sky where black clouds continued to roil menacingly. She had extremely beautiful features, with sharp, striking eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes, and vermillion red cherry lips. She wore a colourful silken robe, and held in her hands a massive umbrella congealed out of the dark clouds in the sky. The umbrella even sported a faint design of magpies declaring the gaiety of spring.

The fingernails on her hands were painted a deep jet-black in colour. She appeared to be holding what looked like a massive brush with one hand, and a form of book or manuscript on the other hand. If one looked closely enough, the title of the book in her hands would immediately send any person’s heart racing with astonishment - The Book of Life and Death.

Truth be told, the silhouette combined so many clashing elements that it was somewhat ridiculous.

The towering silhouette stood there silently as the rolling clouds continued to sweep past her. Then, gradually, her clothes, features, hair and umbrella began to fade away and become ethereal.

Meanwhile, all of the ghosts in Clear Creek County fell down to the ground and paid their respects to her. For as long as the imposing figure stood tall in the sky, not a single spirit dared to lift its head at all.

Boom!!!

Just then--

Meanwhile, in the guesthouse, Zhang Fengzi had finally regained consciousness and he hurriedly bellowed at the top of his voice, “Men!!”

His command had been superfluous.

Meanwhile, in the Fenglai Hotel, the door to the hotel’s elevators opened, and Qin Ye gasped for breath as he stumbled out.

The puppet master was unable to move under the immense oppressive weight of her domineering display, while all of the restrictive seals had also been shattered to pieces simultaneously. That said… he knew that if he didn’t leave right away, and instead dallied for another three minutes more, he would have missed his only opportunity at escape!

What kind of impact would it do to an already nerve-wracked nation?

The true top brass of the Special Investigations Department?

Qin Ye could be considered fortunate to have encountered That Amorous Affair right from the start of his journey as an Emissary of Hell. However, this was almost immediately completely negated by his great misfortune in encountering the puppet master next.

“But… where do we go from here?” He grimaced as he opened the door to the hotel and walked out into the darkened streets of night. Nobody was around right now. This was the advantage of a country-wide curfew.

In other words, he was unable to channel the Yin energy from the shard of King Yanluo’s Seal into his own body and leave using its accompanying abilities.

“Damn it…” He clutched at the burning pain in his chest as he glanced about his surroundings. Oncoming sirens could already be heard in the distance. Mustering all the strength he could, he began running away from the hotel. Unfortunately, his speed was no different from that of a turtle.

After all, a driving license these days was tantamount to a photograph ID, and he didn’t dare to register for one at all!

Wang Chenghao ran over to Qin Ye and helped Qin Ye board his car. Then, Wang Chenghao hopped onto the driver’s seat and immediately drove off.

“Is… is it finally over?” Wang Chenghao asked with a shaky voice as he continued to drive into the distance. At the same time, he kept stealing glances at Qin Ye.

Nobody spoke for the next few minutes. As the car continued to speed away from the Fenglai Hotel, they noticed wave after wave of police cars and army trucks carrying armed soldiers pouring towards the Fenglai Hotel in every direction. All of them were speeding to boot.

“Nothing…” Wang Chenghao bit down on his lower lips. Several seconds later, he muttered hesitantly, “You… are completely different from the Qin Ye I know… You were completely different today…”

“There’s not a single person with only one personality out there.”

Granny Meng had been spot on in her assessment of Qin Ye’s personality. She was certain that Qin Ye’s cowardice and desire to stay alive was the moving force that had birthed his habit of putting on pretences. Yet her intuition nevertheless told her that he was the right man for the job.

Wang Chenghao nodded, before forcibly changing the subject. With a somewhat drifty voice, he pleaded, “Shall… shall we head back to my place?”

Qin Ye closed his eyes and deliberated for a moment, before finally shaking his head.

“We can’t stay any longer in Clear Creek County.” Qin Ye opened his eyes and declared resolutely, “We’re graduating soon anyway… I have to be elsewhere. And I have to leave right now.”

“There’s no need…”

“I-I don’t think I’ll dare to live on my own in the near future. Stay with me, please… even if it’s just across the street from me! I’ll make arrangements for you regardless of where you want to go! But… right now… I’m really afraid to leave your side. And… and after witnessing so much with my own two eyes, do you really think I can still live like a normal person?”

“You… you can just speak your mind!”

“Take me to a certain place… right now.” Qin Ye shut his eyes once more to recover his spirits, “This is the only shot we’re getting at this… Clear Creek County… I’m afraid that this place is going to be under the government’s strictest of surveillance measures for the next decade.”