Yama Rising

Up on the second floor. Qin Ye had finally begun to set his heart at ease.

Their hearts are starting to ignite with passion…

Music is a magical thing. It can on its own cause a person’s adrenal glands to fire off like machine guns, stirring and moving a person to action so long as the conditions are right. For instance, with the right choice of songs, a person whose guard isn’t completely directed to the effects of music would invariably be influenced by the music if he had to make a decision soon after. Naturally, the effects were diminished when the opponents were formidable foes with a fierce determination and conviction like the twelve envoys. But that didn’t mean that there was no influence at all! The question was only that of extent. And it was under the effects of such a hidden, concealed blade, that the New Tigerform Battle Armor was slated to make its debut appearance on the market!

“Rodent.” He leaned over and instructed, “Go ensure that those in charge of the New Tigerform Battle Armor are on standby. As soon as the last piece, ‘Go Time’, is over, I want them to be ready for the launch at the moment’s notice!”

“Understood.” Wang Chenghao went off on his duties.

Time passed quickly. In the moments that followed, the feudal officials were bombarded by a structured sequence of deeply emotive pieces. The feudal officials did all they could to maintain a look of indifference on their faces, but a closer inspection would reveal their true emotions in their micro expressions.

One of the most commonly seen micro expressions was the tightening of one’s grip around the armrest. Then, there were those who couldn’t help but shake their legs in rhythm and tempo, while others watched with bated breaths. There were even those whose eyes gleamed brightly with flickering netherflames. Everything told Qin Ye that they were slowly but entering a trance and dancing atop the palm of his hands.

The music that was played easily reminded them of the glories of their past lives.

They were practically intoxicated by the music. Swords abounded like the great battlefields, and they could even hear the distant sound of the horn that signalled the commencement of war. It was a surreal experience. Everyone knew full well that their minds were playing tricks on them, but they couldn’t help but indulge themselves in the revelry of their past lives.

Dozens of minutes were all it took for them to transcend the vast rivers of time and return to their glorious era. It brought them back to the moments in which their hearts were the softest, and also reminded them of the times when their passions burned the brightest. When the last piece, ‘Go Time’, started, everyone immediately knew that it was the last piece on the list. The feudal officials had initially intended to start winding down the burning passion in their hearts when the final piece came on. But…

What kind of a piece was ‘Go Time’?

It was the battle song that was listened to by tens of millions of summoners worldwide!

Was it out of place?

Not at all. Anyone who knew this piece would know that whilst not as epic as ‘Star Sky’ or ‘Victory’, it was more than enough as a closing piece! It was filled with powerful, striking beats and heavy bass that would fire up every cell in one’s body and ignite their weary and worn battle spirit with phoenix fire. It was a declaratory piece that signalled the commencement of battle!

As expected, not a single one of them lost any measure of passion and vigor at all. Instead, their blood boiled even more, flowing with fervor like the robust riffs of the music!

The orchestra played their hearts out, while the conductor moved his entire body forcefully to the impact of each beat. The entire auditorium was instantly sent erupting to a whole new level of passion, flooding their senses with a new wave of energy like they had never felt before!

“Whoo…” Liu Yu’s breaths grew ragged and long. These pieces… are simply beautiful. I--... no, everyone here is practically raring to do battle. The last piece sure didn’t let him down. After all, he didn’t need prosperity. What he wanted was to shine like this for the rest of eternity!

This was the glory that should be accorded to him in the first place!

Gao Changgong, Chang Yuchun, Han Qinhu… and the rest of the feudal officials were staring intently at the stage, drawing deep, long breaths of air as their heart thumped wildly. This battle song… was undoubtedly Qin Ye’s battle song. It was foretelling the arrival of the launch event proper. They had a hunch about what was to come, but they didn’t want the stirring feeling in their hearts to stop.

After all, how could one simply get high like this, and then just leave without any form of closure?

It had to be mentioned that Cathay’s dominance in the East Continent meant that they had never needed to negotiate with others in the region at arms’ length before. Who dared push their limits?

Thus, none of the feudal officials were willing to back down at all.

As soon as ‘Go Time’ ended, the lights in the auditorium immediately went out.

The feudal officials’ cerebral cortexes were buzzing with lingering intoxication as their goosebumps began to recede. The hotbloodedness had slowly begun to subside, causing everyone to finally breathe a soft sigh of relief. Just then, the lights suddenly came on again.

This time, it didn’t shine on the main stage. Instead, it shone directly on the second floor, where Qin Ye was located. He was already standing on the balcony of the second floor.

“Everyone, I hope you found the concert earlier satisfactory.” Without missing a beat, he continued with a faint smile on his face, “But that’s just an appetizer.”

His words meant little to the feudal officials. After all, most if not all of them were still relishing in the magnificent, immersive performance just now. If they could have a chance at a redo, they would most certainly pick it up once more.

That said, the main course was finally going to be served.

Qin Ye secretly drew a deep breath. Oda Nobunaga and Arthis stood right beside him. Half a year of painstaking preparation was all coming together in this one single moment. Success or failure would all be determined in the next few moments that were to come.

“As you all know, the new Hell isn’t well-off financially. In fact, this is an undeniable truth of every single new underworld out there. Therefore, this unworthy Third King Yanluo of Hell has no choice but to auction some things away. Please, have a look.”

The lights flickered softly, redirecting the spotlight onto Zhao Seven, who had already taken to the stage at some point.

“Hmm?” The eyes of Liu Yu, Gao Changgong, Chaghan and some of the other feudal officials immediately lit up. They weren’t even given a chance to catch their breaths. Just as their hearts were thumping wildly and still reeling from the effects of the stirring music, the object for their venting of stress had already appeared!

Weapons!

Armor!

These were two of the things that they valued the most. Since they couldn’t kill anyone right now, there was nothing more satisfying than to vent all their stress on something that could aid them in their adventures in future!

Of course, they weren’t completely overwhelmed - at least, not yet. Their heart was already desperately nodding in agreement that they should let themselves loose and indulge in these temptations. Rationality was the only thing that was holding them back right now.

It was as though a voice whispered in their ear: Just feel how hard your heart is thumping right now! What are you still waiting for? There are neither brothels nor people for you to slaughter, so do you think you’re going to hold your boiling blood back?

Yet another voice whispered: Calm down. You have to calm down! Armaments are a massive expenditure. You have to make sure to only buy the best of the best!

Liu Yu licked his lips. They were parched from over-excitement and stimulation over the course of the music extravaganza earlier. He responded, “That’s more like it. Lord Qin, I’ll take it that this is the armor you’re looking to auction?”

Whoosh… Just then, a line of words appeared on the wall behind the New Tigerform Battle Armor.

Model: New Tigerform

Defensive power: Hellguard-class

Offensive power: Includes bladed weapons

Features: Lightweight - the entire set of armor weighs only ten kilograms. Additionally, the breastplate, spaulders and other joint areas have slots for the insertion of Yin spirit stones. Once embedded, they can amplify one’s Yin energy, and even amplify the effects of battle formations such that 10% less Yin soldiers are required to set up all battle formations.

“What?!” “What is this… this thing?! New Tigerform? Something developed by the new Hell?!” “That’s impossible… how could this be possible?!” “Not even the old Hell was able to achieve something like that!”

It was a short and succinct introduction.

But as soon as they read it, the feudal officials immediately stood up in unison and stared at Zhou Seven with disbelief.

This armor… looked formidable, but armors that were merely good for their looks were dime a dozen. Anyone could make them look majestic, but aesthetics were completely useless on a battlefield. What they needed was practical benefits!

However…

A set of armor that weighed only ten kilograms? And one which possesses Hellguard-class defense?!

This was both the lightest and strongest armor in the history of underworlds! Did the new Hell just break two records at the very same time?

That’s impossible… Although none of them had ever delved into the study of physics and were thus unaware of the correlation between density and weight, their experience with armors had told them it was only logical that heavier armors would offer greater defense, and the converse was true as well. Yet this set of armor appeared to completely redefine this entire paradigm of theirs!

And that didn’t even take into account the terrifying effect of allowing battle formations to be constituted with 10% fewer Yin soldiers! Such an armor was not to be missed!

It had to be said that every single feudal official in the room had only made a name for themselves because they were well-versed in both matters of governance and military endeavours. Thus, as soon as they drew their minds to the potential of such a set of armor, their eyes immediately burned bright with an intense gaze.

Special forces!

Every single feudal official in the room had their own set of special forces under their command. As long as they could equip their special forces with this set of armor, it would be no different from giving tigers wings! Chaghan even thought of equipping his Iron Stupa forces with these armors - if he could really do so, he would be able to turn them into a mobile meat grinder!

Likewise, Yu Qian and Yang Jiye also turned their thoughts to these possibilities as well. Naturally, both men immediately exclaimed, “Your Majesty, please reconsider!” “Something like that can practically be considered a national armament. How could we throw it about like that? We absolutely cannot afford to auction it off!”

Both men practically moved at the same time, sending out a wave of Yin energy that promptly transformed into a claw that sought to push Zhao Seven back behind the curtains. But as soon as they did, ten other sets of Yin energy erupted and collided directly against the two, sending their Yin energy scattering into the surroundings.

“Fellow colleagues…” Yu Qian turned around coldly and stared at the rest with a fiery gaze in the depths of his eyes, “What’s the meaning of this?”

He was intensely anxious.

Each of the feudal officials’ special forces were all famous and unique in their own rights. If they were equipped with something as powerful as this set of armor, would it not be tantamount to equipping an opposing force with a noose with which they could lynch themselves?

“Lord Yu, has King Yanluo Qin said anything about this matter just yet? Is it proper for a eunuch to be speaking before the emperor does?” Gao Changgong was clearly speaking to Yu Qian, yet his gaze remained transfixed on Zhao Seven and the armor he was clothed with. He licked his lips, before turning to Qin Ye and bowing respectfully, “Lord Qin, I wonder how many sets of the New Tigerform you’re selling? And what’s the selling price?”

Buy it!

His first instinct was to purchase these sets of armor!

He found it a little bit strange. After all, he had never been the sort of person to act rashly or on impulse. But now… he would simply love to vent that stirring feeling of vexation on this wonderful purchase. His heart was erupting with emotions, and this fantastic product had come at the perfect time. In fact… it perfectly suited his needs and ideals.

The war songs earlier had caused his heart to boil ferociously. How could he embarrass himself by backing down now? And now that the perfect opportunity had presented itself, what was he still waiting for?

The timing was perfect. It was as though a pillow had appeared just as a man was falling asleep.

Very good… Qin Ye swept his gaze around. He was certain that the feudal officials were going to purchase the New Tigerform. It was the real deal after all. The earlier concert was just to smoothen out the decision-making process, as well as encourage them to loosen their wallets a little.

Even if the price only went up by 10%, it would still be a massive profit!

“Ten thousand sets.” As soon as Qin Ye responded, Yu Qian immediately cried out, “My Lord! Please reconsider!!”

Qin Ye ignored him. Instead, he simply smiled faintly and raised his chin at the stage, whereupon a fat, old man dressed in an ancient Cathayan tunic stepped out.

That man walked out confidently and bowed at everyone, “Your humble servant, Li Shunzhai, greets the esteemed feudal officials.”

“I’ll be presiding over the auctions today. The first order of business is to issue a series of identification for the auctions. All who are interested in making this purchase should send a representative down to center stage. You can come personally as well, if you’d like.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Yu turned and gave his attendant a meaningful look, and his attendant immediately exploded with a blast of Hellguard-class Yin energy and flew onto center stage.

1. Here’s the rest of the songs: 4: Always Mine 5: Final Hour 6: The Mass 7: Go Time (extended version)

2. Summoners is a term used to refer to League of Legend players.