Yama Rising

Following that, they swiftly got down to their knees and shouted at the top of their voices as well, “Glory to the new King Yanluo of Hell!”

Qin Ye stole a glance at the Second King Yanluo, before promptly retracting his gaze and taking in the heavenly realms once more.

This was the praise of the Three Realms!

Qin Ye nodded.

And this world beyond was so gorgeous and vibrant that he couldn’t help but be filled with excitement and eager anticipation!

Thanks, but nobody asked. Please get lost.

“Hang on… Why does your calculation of two months seem to be so vastly different from mine?” Qin Ye couldn’t help but complain, “It’s nearly been half a year since you’ve been freeloading off Hell!”

The Second King Yanluo poured himself a cup of tea and raised his brows quizzically, “Didn’t I mention?”

Damn you and your loophole… Qin Ye crossed his legs and sat down. Then, he poured himself a cup of tea and looked up at the Second King Yanluo, “Speaking of which, Brother Xu, what exactly did you do to make the celestial beings so mad at you? I can sense their joy and delight at finally ridding themselves of your existence…”

Qin Ye took hold of the scroll, and discovered that… there was nothing on it.

These events were all recorded clearly in chapters, and each chapter was signed off with a name.

As the chapters wore on, the names and titles of the gods endorsing their names only increased. Qin Ye mulled deeply over the names written on the scroll. In fact, towards the end of the scroll, it revealed the esteemed name of the venerable Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

The latest records of the script of death incident was even signed off with the name of the Yellow Emperor. And then, the black scroll ended there.

“This is an examination.” Qin Ye took a deep breath and looked up at the Second King Yanluo, “When did it begin? And did these examinations only just end?”

“The name of this scroll is called the Records of the Divine Witnesses. It’s only when the master of a realm takes over under extremely special circumstances that this test will appear. The scroll is formed by the Heavenly Dao itself, and endorsed only by the great immortals in the Heavenly Realm. This would include the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, the Jade Emperor, as well as yours truly. Everything you’ve done thus far has been done under the scrutiny of these esteemed individuals.”

“The throne of a master of one of the Three Realms isn’t something that you can take on callously. Every move you make will affect the balance of the Three Realms. I’ve mentioned before that everything is a test. Do you think it had only begun when you first met me? Do you think that I’ve got nothing better to do with my life?”

“And if that happens, the Mythic Palace of Reflections will cease to exist. Ashmound City will disappear, and even the new Hell as it currently stands will vanish into nothingness. The Book of Life and Death will be lost to the next successor once more. Everything… will have to start all over again.”

“All of the tests have officially ended.”

Qin Ye stared at the Second King Yanluo with great consternation.

To think that these great celestial beings were able to condone my behaviour all this while… No wonder they’re often hailed to be beings of great mercy and patience…

The Second King Yanluo tapped the scroll. At once, a screen of light projected above the scroll, and the images wound back to the very beginning, when Qin Ye first encountered the Special Investigations Department.

That must have been… AC285, right?

Whoosh… Before Qin Ye could react in shock, he found the screen zipping straight into the hotel where he managed to purge the evil ghost that had been haunting the Wang Clan.

His eyes were filled with a murky white colour, almost as though they were imbued with the ability of seeing everything. Then, as soon as Qin Ye returned after purging the evil ghost on the roof, he immediately set down his head and shut his eyes, almost as though he had never been awake before.

Every incident had been witnessed by an invisible figure. A being of light had remained hidden in the shadows, watching him furtively and observing his actions over the last two years.

Qin Ye’s jaws dropped slightly, and he shook his head with great disbelief, “But--...”

“Granted, the Three Realms should never intermingle. But what happens when a sudden and dramatic change occurs in one realm? Shouldn’t the other two realms immediately render assistance? Relay such urgent messages through the Lords of the Land? Who are they supposed to be relaying the message to? Who’s supposed to make the call? And how are the realms supposed to cooperate?”

Qin Ye coughed dryly. He truly didn’t suspect a thing…

It suddenly dawned on Qin Ye that there was still much to be learnt.

“It’s simple. Every realm has countless exotic treasures.” The Second King Yanluo sipped his tea placidly, “The mortal realm has mountains and swamps which conceal divine treasures and materials. The heavenly realm is blessed with treasures that promote longevity and even grant immortality. While Hell… contains treasures that reverse the flow of Yin and Yang!”

Qin Ye blinked his eyes vacantly, “Legend of the White Snake? Was that the immortal grass that they were talking about?”

“I recall several hundred years ago, Bai Suzhen and Xiao Qing ventured into Hell to steal immortal grass. They were originally sentenced to death. However, the entire Snake Clan rallied the support of their relatives, the Dragon Clan, and petitioned against the death sentence by organizing a sit-in outside Heaven’s Gate that lasted one full year, and that eventually led to an uprising… Well, let me give you another example that is closer to your heart. For instance, what if a man commits a crime in Usonia, and the first thing that the Judge considers isn’t the severity of his crime, but the skin colour of the man? Don’t you think that would trigger a movement for equality and against racism?”

The Second King Yanluo went on, “And as for potential gains…”

Qin Ye’s eyes brightened at once, “There’s also a Yanluo-like existence in the mortal realm?”

The Second King Yanluo retracted his smile as he went on somberly, “The Equal to Heaven, Benevolent and Sacred Great Emperor of the Eastern Summit Mount Tai; the Charge of Heaven, Bright and Sacred Great Emperor of the Southern Summit Mount Heng; the Peak of Heaven, Lofty and Sacred Great Emperor of the Central Summit Mount Song; the Treasure of Heaven, Prudent and Sacred Great Emperor of the Western Summit Mount Hua; and the Peace of Heaven, Mysterious and Sacred Great Emperor of the Northern Summit Mount Heng. These are the five gods who preside over all matters in the mortal realm. Sooner or later, you’ll have the opportunity to meet them.”

Qin Ye coughed dryly, “How could I even think of doing something like that… Besides, what exactly are they in charge of?”

His words ended there abruptly.

Damn it! It feels like I was just on the verge of learning why Heaven is so delighted to get rid of the Second King Yanluo! I mean, how could they let someone like him continue in a position of power? What kind of example would he set for his successors?

Hang on… Aren’t I his successor?!

1. These are the white snake spirit and green snake spirit respectively in the Legend of the White Snake.