Yama Rising

A beast-drawn carriage was racing along the street, heading directly toward the Hanyang Underworld.

Soon, it arrived in front of a huge city with a city wall that was 50 meters tall, on either side of which were sheer cliffs. The words "White Deer Pass" were inscribed on a plaque at the top of the city wall in free-flowing text, and there were countless searchlights in front of the wall, illuminating an area with a radius of several hundred meters in front of the city. At the same time, the top of the city wall was being patrolled by rows of heavily armed Yin soldiers.

White Deer Pass was constructed during the 10th year of Qin Ye's reign as part of Hell's 20-year-long infrastructure construction boom. Upon leaving White Deer Pass, one would arrive outside the borders of the Cathayan Underworld to reach the Daehan Peninsula.

This beast-drawn carriage was very understated in appearance, but the internal decor was extremely lavish, and it was being drawn by Anitya Hellguard level Yin beasts. There was a total of four such beasts drawing the carriage, and it was racing along as fast as a train all the way from Everburn to Hanyang.

After an examination at the city gate, the carriage was allowed to travel into the city, and the curtain was gently lifted before quickly falling again.

Zhou Yu was seated in the carriage behind the curtain, looking out at this border city with an intrigued expression. He wasn't the only one in the carriage. Instead, he was also accompanied by a middle-aged man and a young man, both of whom were in antiquated attire.

"Commander, we're about to reach Hanyang soon... Are we just going to leave like this?" the young man suddenly urged.

"What do you want to see happen?" Zhou Yu asked. "Do you want us to take more of our former subordinates with us?"

The young man pursed his lips with indignation as he replied, "At the very least, you should've brought the elite guards that you trained at the Laos Underworld with you. We all know how much time and effort you spent training them over the years."

Zhou Yu shook his head as he chuckled, "At the time, what Yanluo Qin said was that I can state any request to Governor Qin, but did you really think he was serious?"

Before the young man had a chance to reply, Zhou Yu immediately continued, "No, that was a warning, telling me that Governor Qin was watching my every move! Qin Hui has displayed his character over and over again throughout the course of history. He's nothing more than a weasel, and all weasels share a particular personality trait, which is that they become obedient lapdogs in the face of powerful rulers, because he knows where his power comes from. If I were to try and take any of my past troops with me, I'm willing to bet that Governor Qin would immediately report me to Everburn, or perhaps even execute me on the spot before reporting what he had done. He may be a weasel, but he's also an Abyssal Prefect. Even though Yanluo has already opened our shackles, it'll still take me close to a century at least to become an Abyssal Prefect."

He cast his gaze out the window as he continued, "Yanluo Qin has already made it very clear what he wants to me do. I've been sent to Hanyang to train the navy, so it'll naturally also fall upon me to build large, seaworthy ships. I have to develop the entire shipbuilding industry, then conscript soldiers and train them to be elite naval warriors. If I can't even extrapolate all of that, then I don't deserve to be sent to Hanyang."

"My apologies, I allowed my emotions to get the better of me," the young man sighed.

This was an extremely precious opportunity, and they were terrified of not living up to Qin Ye's expectations.

"I can't help but feel like Yanluo Qin is planning a big move." The middle-aged man finally broke his silence. "What do you think Yanluo Qin's intentions are, Gongjin?"

In other words, why had he suddenly decided to use the 12 envoys, and why had he chosen to send Zhou Yu to Hanyang?

Zhou Yu shook his head in silence, offering no reply.

He was no idiot. In fact, among the 12 envoys, he was the one who kept most up to date with current affairs, and he had an inkling of what Qin Ye wanted to do, but he didn't dare to be certain.

Could it be that he wants to take down the Nipponese Underworld? But this is no longer the era of chaos and war in the underworld, this is an era of peace in the wake of the establishment of the Coalition of Underworlds! Can the Cathayan Underworld really afford to initiate a war with the intention of wiping out an entire nation at a time like this? Does it really have the power to take down the Nipponese Underworld? The Nipponese Underworld may be lacking in top-end power, but it's been standing for thousands of years, and its creation-grade divine artifacts are definitely no joke...

Zhou Yu could only lament his unwise decision to try and take advantage of the fall of the old Hell. Otherwise, he would've still been in the central circle of power and been privy to this information.

Yang Jiye and Yu Qian definitely knew Qin Ye's plans, but there was no way that they were going to tell him. However...

A faint smile appeared on his face as a sharp look surfaced in his eyes.

If Qin Ye really did want a navy so that he could wage war against the Nipponse Underworld, then he was going to give him an invincible navy!

If his assumptions were correct, then this would be his chance to make a resurgence!

………………………………………………..

Mortal realm, Nippon, Tokyo, Chuo City, Akashicho, Map of 9.

This was a triangular building situated among a cluster of tall skyscrapers. On the outside, its appearance was quite understated, but everyone who lived nearby knew that on the internet, this place was known was Nippon's number one hospital, St. Luke's International Hospital.

This private hospital had a history of over 100 years, and it was constructed by Rudolf Teusler. The interior of the hospital didn't look as if it belonged in a hospital at all, with beige walls and decor, and a pronounced minimalist Nipponese style. All of the rooms were constructed extremely well, and all of the beds were multi-purpose mattresses that could also double as sickbeds.

There was a brightly lit room on the top floor constructed in an extremely lavish Europa style, with replicas of famous artworks hanging on the walls, and the carpet on the floor was so soft that it felt like stepping on clouds. As an extremely thoughtful design element that prevented patients from having direct artificial light shone down upon them, all of the light fixtures were hidden in inconspicuous places, yet the room didn't feel dim at all.

This was the most luxurious ward in the entirety of St. Luke's International Hospital. The ward couldn't be reserved with money alone, and the patients that it housed were always either extremely wealthy or of exceedingly high status.

This was where Iwasaki Kyouya was staying.

He was at an extremely advanced age of 92. The average life expectancy in Nippon was very high, so he wasn't an uncommon case. However, it was very remarkable that he still hadn't gone senile at this age and still retained the ability to take care of business matters.

However, that was all in the past.

Iwasaki Kyouya's face was riddled with liver spots, and he was looking up at the ceiling through slightly murky eyes. His face had become far more wizened than when Qin Ye last saw him. He was wearing an oxygen mask, and a woman in expensive clothing was holding his hand, dabbing at her non-existent tears, surrounded by their children and grandchildren.

A derisive sneer appeared on his face beneath the oxygen mask. Would there still be so many people here if it weren't for his massive estate that was waiting to be inherited?

During the first half of the year, he suffered a fall, and all of the symptoms of his advanced age overcame him at once. All of the suppressed illnesses and the feebleness brought on by organ deterioration were combining to drag him closer and closer to the abyss of death.

He cast his gaze toward his adopted son, Iwasaki Ichiro. This was his driver, and he wasn't a prominent figure in the family, but he always appeared when his adopted father needed him most.

Just you watch... My will is going to give all of you a nasty surprise! I'm not so senile that I'm unable to distinguish who has my best interests at heart and who only has eyes for my money. Don't think that you'll get the last laugh even when I'm dead!

He closed his eyes with a smile on his face.

Time passed by very quickly, and not many more people came to visit him in his ward. All of his children and grandchildren were busy fighting over his inheritance, and it was clear to all of them that he really wasn't going to make it this time.

Soon, the only one left by his bedside was Iwasaki Ichiro.

His illness was very simple: it was organ deterioration. It was an illness born from old age, and it was terminal. Even St. Luke's International Hospital couldn't help him, all they could ensure was that he would live out the rest of his few days in relative comfort.

Ever since he moved into the hospital, he had been more energetic. After all, all he did was lie on a bed every day. After dinner earlier in the day, he took a short nap, and he couldn't fall asleep, even though it was already midnight.

He turned to Iwasaki Ichiro before scribbling the words "I want to go out for a walk" onto the palm of his hand with his finger.

Iwasaki Ichiro shook his head in response. "It's too windy outside, but we can stand by the window and take a look outside."

Iwasaki Kyouya nodded in response.

Right as Iwasaki Ichiro was about to help him out of bed, all of hte light fixtures in the room suddenly flashed momentarily before being snuffed out in unison.

A cautious gleam flashed through Iwasaki Ichiro's eyes as he reflexively pulled out a gun and positioned himself in front of the bed. At the same time, a youthful voice rang out from within the darkness. "Long time no see, Mr. Iwasaki. So you've reached the end of your lifespan as well... How unfortunate."

A wistful tone crept into the voice as it spoke.

Iwasaki Kyouya brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this.

He could swear that he had heard this voice before, but he couldn't remember where...

He gently tugged on Iwasaki Ichiro's sleeve, trying to tell him not to shoot, but he was unable to speak due to his condition.

"Don't shoot." All of a sudden, his raspy voice rang out, and he was momentarily stunned by the sound of his own voice before looking down at his own body with an incredulous expression.

In this instant, he felt as if he had returned to the peak of his powers!

His energy and bodily condition had all returned to same state as back in his thirties, and he immediately tore off the oxygen mask before taking several deep breaths of fresh air in succession.

"May I ask which esteemed guest has come to visit me?" His chest was heaving violently as he swept an intense gaze around the room, and in the next instant, all of the lights in the room lit up in unison, revealing a person seated on the sofa.

It was a young man, and he waved at Iwasaki Kyouya with a smile.

Iwasaki Kyouya's brows furrowed slightly as he stared intently at the young man, and a few seconds later, he drew a sharp breath as a memory from over 20 years ago surfaced in his mind.

"Mr. Qin?" He took a deep breath before extending a deep bow. "Can you... save me?"

"I'm afraid I can't," Qin Ye sighed. "You only had a month left to live, and all I can do is allow you to live in this state for two weeks. No one is able to break the cycle of the Heavenly Dao."

Iwasaki Kyouya heaved a disappointed sigh upon hearing this, but his eyes soon lit up again.

Being able to live for two weeks in this state was already beyond his wildest dreams!

If he had a choice, he definitely wouldn't want to die the slow and tortured death that he was inevitably heading toward.

"My apologies, I was too greedy," he said with a smile. "Ichiro, tell my lawyers to come and see me tomorrow afternoon! Also, making a booking at Minokichi Honten Takeshigerou! I have important matters to discuss with Mr. Qin."

Minokichi Honten Takeshigerou was the best kaiseki-ryōri restaurant in Tokyo, and it was also a business under the Mitsubishi Corporation.

Iwasaki Ichiro immediately rushed over to help Iwasaki Kyouya put on his clothes, only to be pushed aside by the latter. He couldn't remember the last time his body had felt this good!

"Would you do me the honor of dining with me, Mr. Qin?" he asked as he extended another deep bow toward Qin Ye.

"Of course," Qin Ye replied with a smile. "I came here today to see off an old friend, and also to discuss some matters that'll come up after your death. I'm referring to after you enter the underworld."

An enlightened look appeared on Iwasaki Kyouya's face as he said, "Please come with me."