Yama Rising

There are actually traces of a Yama-class Yin spirit here in this place? And an Emissary of Hell at that? Otherwise, how could we possibly see the mark of the Sixfold Ghost Kings in this place?

Qin Ye walked up behind the Harken, “Don’t you find it strange?”

The Harken shook its head, “Have you forgotten? You can’t sense the Yin energy of this place at all. Besides…”

“This is a game originally invented by the Second King Yanluo when he was bored out of his mind. Arrange the six stone slabs according to the surnames of various clans, and the seal will automatically open. This is a game that had only been circulated among the Yama-class Yin spirits of Hell, and not even the Abyssal Prefects were aware of such indulgences…”

“Well, it’s not as though we didn’t have other forms of entertainment…” The Harken coughed lightly, “For instance, there was Blood Mahjong, Big 2, and a couple of other games. But my personal favourite is still 3 Cards Poker.”

Was this really what the ruling class in Hell was like in the past?

“Was Lord Ksitigarbha also a part of this? Doesn’t this contravene his own set of principles and rules?”

“It trains one to keep a straight mind and thoughts in the midst of great ups and downs. Lord Ksitigarbha is using superficial gambling to cultivate a perfect Buddhist heart! What do you know… Whatever. Hurry up and get in!”

“Jump down.” The Harken responded affirmatively.

There were 10 seconds of silence, followed by a soft thud.

The Harken frowned and nudged him aside, before peeking down into the darkness below, “That’s not right…”

Was that all a lie?

“That’s right. Given the urgency of the situation back then, Aristotle simply didn’t have the time nor opportunity to tell them to leave. If they’re not down there, they would probably be hanging around the vicinity, waiting for Aristotle’s return. But we’ve been acting without concealing our movements or actions at all, yet not a single soldier of the Argosian Underworld has shown up.”

“The Ghost King’s Seal is a technique that manifests in various different iterations, and any Yama-King employing this seal would therefore take particular care to commit the exact iteration of the seal to memory. Then, it leaves the creator of these seals to revisit them every hundred years to maintain the strength of the seal. The Argosian Underworld might only have been able to gain entry because these seals haven’t been maintained for the last hundred years. So… could they perhaps still be trapped or lost inside?” The Harken mused aloud.

“I’ll go down first to take a look around. Wait here.” With that, the Harken transformed into a cloud of Yin energy and dove straight into the pit.

Without hesitation, Qin Ye leapt in after the Harken. And as soon as he did, the entrance to the pit immediately closed up.

There was a large gathering of Yin spirits below!

It was a passage.

The passage was at least five meters wide and three meters high. Furthermore, it appeared to keep running deeper and deeper into the substratum of the earth.

It was odd. It was incredibly odd. There were even countless streamers of scriptures written in the Mongol language also hung from the ceiling of the passage. Everything here was supposed to be several hundred years old. The stallion sculptures, the reliefs on the ground and the walls and the grooves that brought light to the passage could all be explained, but nothing could explain how the streamers of scriptures appeared almost brand new!

Nobody said a word. The Harken promptly leapt up onto Qin Ye’s shoulders, and he proceeded to walk ahead slowly as he surveyed his surroundings.

As he walked along the passageway, the reliefs on both sides of the passageway slowly changed to depict the image of a glorious city of the Song Dynasty. That said, the etchings on the ground continued to depict elements of Tengrism. He paused for a moment. But the Harken beat him to it before he could even speak his mind, “What’s written on these streamers of scriptures is the Sutra of the Fundamental Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. I’m all too familiar with these scriptures. They’re used to transcend spirits of the dead.”

He stroked the wall, “These are all made of obsidian.”

“Obsidian is naturally occurring volcanic glass formed when volcanic lava cools rapidly. There’s only one place in Cathay that produces obsidian, and that’s the Province of Bod. However…”

“But there’s more.” He knocked gently on the walls, “Have you noticed the temperature around these parts? It’s already close to zero degrees.”

“The mortal realm and the netherworld should never intersect with each other.” Qin Ye straightened his body and continued coldly, “I can tell that the temperature around these parts is incredibly cold. That means that a large number of Yin artifacts must have been used to construct this tomb so as to counteract the heat of the earth’s core. And if that is indeed the case, then this tomb mustn’t have been built by the living.”

“Bury a large number of people, and then refine them into the living dead using a special technique. This way, it wouldn’t contravene the rule of non-intersection between the mortal realm and the netherworld. That said, this tomb is clearly constructed in the mortal realm. Therefore, when the time comes, the living would effectively be buried in a coffin used in the underworld. This is the only way to explain everything that we see. And if this is indeed the case, then the owner of this tomb would have to be of incredibly high status while he was still alive.”

There wasn’t this much obsidian available for construction back in the mortal realm.

“There’s more.” Qin Ye looked up, and then pointed to the ground, “Look here. We see the Sutra of the Fundamental Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva dangling on streamers of scriptures overhead, and that belongs to Buddhism. But on the ground, we see reliefs of Tengrism. These are two different religions. How can they possibly be reconciled?”

The tomb was filled with oddities everywhere. Qin Ye and the Harken ran along the long passageway, taking in the sights around them while they kept their thoughts to themselves.

And the passage had yet to come to an end!

It was another sculpture.

“Interesting.” Qin Ye ran up to the sculpture and took a good look around it as he tutted to himself, “Buddhism, Taoism, and Tengrism, all at the same time. Who is this who bears such mixed beliefs?”

Qin Ye paused for a moment, and then turned back to the Harken, “Are you messing with me?”

Xixia’s Seven True Taoists.

“Stop confusing yourself with these cultivation novels and their references!” The Harken barked back in rage, “Qiu Chuji is known to be an ascetic living in Xixia. The words Xixia’s Seven True Taoists is a reference to both the Xixia region and the Seven True Taoists of the North. It can only mean him.”

Who made this tomb?

“Perhaps… the person buried here simply doesn’t care too much about these things?” The Harken licked its lips, “I’m getting more and more interested in the identity of the owner of this tomb. Speaking of which, this should be a milestone.”

“A monument to mark the first 100 kilometers, huh… Well, if my guess is right, the next such monument we might see could very well be a monk.”

However, the Harken simply transformed into a nethergale that rushed forward along the passage again, “Let’s keep going.”

And as expected, the statue was exactly that of a monk!

Qin Ye’s lips parted slightly as he turned to the Harken. Without missing a beat, the Harken exclaimed, “Alas…”

“This is a depiction of the Great Debate between Buddhism and Taoism!”

“And that’s the fact that there must be someone buried here, someone known as Drogon Chogyal.”

The Harken gave Qin Ye an oblique glance, “That might not be a familiar name to you, but he often goes by another name that might possibly ring a bell in your mind.”

“The Imperial Preceptor, Phagpa.”

1. Tibet.