Yama Rising

Thus, he listened intently.

Qin Ye nodded. The sword was likely the medium that Hell had designed for Immortal Sanction, just like how nuclear warheads in the mortal realm were carried through missiles and rockets. Sure, they might look different, but the idea of using a medium to deliver the devastating attack was quite the same.

Qin Ye massaged his temples. It sounded no different from a bomb that will be ignited as soon as the fuse burns down into its core. That said, the fuse or fuel around it that triggers the explosion would also add to the effect of the explosion, giving rise to a more splendid, powerful effect.

Nuclear fusion is the synthesis of two atomic nuclei of a small mass into that of a larger nucleus. On the other hand, nuclear fission entails a radioactive decay that involves the split of atomic nuclei into two smaller nuclei. Both are processes that can release a huge amount of energy, although nuclear fusion admittedly releases more energy. However, the technology employed by the mortal realm in their development of nuclear weapons lies in nuclear fission. That said, the Harken’s description of Forbidden Arts sounded more akin to nuclear fusion.

Unfortunately, the Harken didn’t understand what he was saying, “I don’t understand what you mean. But, going back to what happened in the past, the Argosian Underworld had only created one instance of the Forbidden Art at their disposal. This was why they eventually bowed back and relented under the pressure of the alliance of the three top underworlds to release the technology behind their Forbidden Art.”

“Main sequence stars?” Qin Ye mulled over these words. Before the burden of re-establishing Hell fell on his shoulders, he spent a good part of his time reading books and absorbing any knowledge he could.

The Harken shook its head, “I don’t get what you’re saying, but the most important thing you’ll have to do right now is to decide whether this is an endeavour that you wish to channel your resources into.”

The Harken gazed deep into Qin Ye’s eyes, “For now, we can only work with how terrifying a second generation Forbidden Art is potentially going to be. Even if you have in your possession the first generation Forbidden Art, its presence may well be overshadowed by the stronger second generation Forbidden Arts, so much so that it may no longer constitute a proper threat or deterrence. And if that happens, Hell might very well lose its standing as one of the P4 on the Federation of Underworlds.”

“Top-grade Spirit-Quenching Jade. These were one of the specialty products of the old Fengdu Necropolis. Its function was to expel all impurities and leave only Yin Talismans within the body of the sword. There are six other similar purifying instruments located in the hilt of the sword alone. The price of this little piece of jade alone is worth more than Ashmound City itself!”

Qin Ye’s jaws dropped slightly, and his expressions stiffened. He most certainly understood what this meant.

Everything requires ghostpower. Furthemore… Ashmound doesn’t have any specialty produce right now!

How the hell am I supposed to get my hands on such things?

Exploration!

How many people would that take? How much would it strain them, both financially and in terms of materials and resources? But on the other hand, could he really afford to dally too long?

Everything was primed and ready for the launch of the research. After all, they didn’t need the presence of more than a dozen or so Yin spirits to commence their research and development of the project. Unfortunately, the sourcing and gathering of materials was a long drawn process that would exhaust an incredible amount of resources and materials. The wait was going to be excruciating and painful, and impatience was never a good thing for a newly appointed leader as he was!

To make matters worse, they weren’t even looking at the first generation Forbidden Art, but a second generation Forbidden Art…

“What do you plan to do?” The Harken asked for a second time. Qin Ye finally stopped pacing around and sighed softly, “Study!”

The Harken nodded, “Actually, I’ve got another suggestion.”

“Heaven’s Gate.” The Harken continued, “The Gates of Heaven should open in five years’ time. There may be certain things that Hell doesn’t have, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that Heaven wouldn’t have it either.”

But the Harken swiftly doused Qin Ye with cold water before he could even jump for joy, “Don’t get ahead of yourself. What you have to note is that Heaven is a place that functions entirely on spiritual energy. Even if there might be treasures that are compatible with Yin energy, there definitely wouldn’t be many of them. The prices would also be commensurately high. What do you plan to exchange them with?”

There’s simply nothing in Hell right now. You may as well tell me to sell my ass to them…

“To study!!!” Qin Ye barked back, before finally vanishing into thin air.

Time passed by quickly, and five days passed in the blink of an eye. Qin Ye holed himself up in his room, carefully poring through the multitudinous scrolls laid out in front of him.

“Divergence… Unique casting material harvested from the bones of the Spirit of Divergence, the second on the list of special Yin spirits…” Qin Ye furrowed his brows in distress.

The more he read, the more he felt a throbbing headache. At this rate, he would need far more than a research team adept in the field of Yin Talismanology. He would need the assistance of countless experts to look into biology, minerals, and the environment in general!

Qin Ye suddenly paused.

He frowned for a moment as he mulled over it. And then, he suddenly shot to his feet.

Doesn’t this mean that the Russian Underworld has also begun to dabble in the Forbidden Arts?! Qin Ye’s mind churned with thoughts, and cold sweat began to emerge from his forehead.

It wouldn’t change the fact that Hell would effectively be surrounded on all sides, with the Aegyptian Underworld on the left, the Russian Underworld above, and the Hindustani Underworld below us. The situation would be horrendous!

“No… but if they’re indeed developing Forbidden Arts, why would they disclose the presence of Resentment Crystals to me?”

“Damn, and I only gave Rumyantsev a non-committal answer back then. I should have rebuked him harshly, just like how the old Hell would! Damn it! My knowledge is far too lacking… Who would’ve thought that Rumyantsev still had a card hidden up his sleeves?”

Qin Ye took a deep breath and shut his eyes - The international arena is truly far more complex than I’d anticipated. There’s always more than meets the eye! Had I not seen this scroll, I’m afraid I would have made a huge mistake just a few months later!

After all, how can Hell watch on silently as the Russian Underworld takes steps to develop Forbidden Arts?!