Yama Rising

Our Yanluo is finally back to normal…

She paused and looked at Qin Ye, before slowly nudging him towards self-enlightenment, “Have you ever considered how the tens of millions of Netherworld Operatives first come to be? And how did Hell groom and nurture them to be who they are? By purging evil ghosts? That’s only possible after they first become an official Emissary of Hell. So, how are they supposed to attain the most basic prerequisites before being appointed an Emissary of Hell?”

… I knew I couldn’t count on an idiot like him!

Qin Ye was bewildered, “Can’t I just confer them the title and be done with it?”

So that’s how it is… Everyone’s eyes met at the same time. Even Wang Chenghao realized the extent of the benefits of having a system like that!

It was practically a hidden gem in the rough!

Calm down… calm down… Qin Ye knew full well that he was once again bursting with excitement at the potential of his great harvest, but he also appreciated that these were matters that needed to be carefully considered, since they would have a great bearing on how Hell was going to develop in the long run. Furthermore… he knew that the greatest priority right now was still to establish the sea port city.

He took some time to verify the full inventory in his treasury right now. There were a total of twenty-three kinds of seeds, including five grains and sixteen kinds of fruits. The last two were undoubtedly specialty produce, namely for the production of tea and tobacco.

He had even begun to daydream about the day when the sea port city was finally opened up, and a portion of the special products in the entire East Continent to be traded at the sea port city would naturally be diverted to the City of Salvation as taxes for Hell. He would be able to obtain all forms of treasures that he so desired! What an inspiring picture that would be!

Just as he was reveling in his reverie, there was suddenly a knock on the door to the treasury.

“It is I, your humble servant. I have with me Lord Yu, Lord Yang, and Lord Zhou. They have been waiting for Your Majesty for some time.” Su Dongxue responded from the other side of the door.

Lord Zhou?

He couldn’t think of anyone else apart from Fire God Zhou Yu.

He snapped his fingers, and the door opened wide. Then, he turned to Wang Chenghao and instructed, “Find someone to clean up the inventory list and file it away. Then, when you’re done, you can shadow Su Dongxue for a period of time and learn a thing or two from her.”

Wang Chenghao was an incredibly handsome man, so how did he suddenly turn into someone who may end up stealing her job? Furthermore, she could tell just how much Qin Ye valued Wang Chenghao in his heart.

Ahh--... men…

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye. Due to the collapse of the clothing industry together with Hell, Qin Ye and his entourage had no choice but to make a formal appearance in their emissary state. This caused him to miss the clothing and costumes industry.

Arthis accompanied him to the annex hall. Yu Qian, Yang Jiye and Zhou Yu were already waiting patiently for him. As soon as Qin Ye arrived, the three men immediately stood up and bowed nearly ninety degrees. And then, they cupped their hands respectfully, “Greetings, King Yanluo.”

Do you intend to remain here, or do you intend to return to your fiefdom?

Yang Jiye sighed, “We would love to stay behind to aid Hell with its redevelopment. But… Licchavi and Felipinas are truly treacherous lands, and we wouldn’t feel at ease unless we’re there to oversee its governance and security.”

Licchavi… it was a small country - an incredibly small one. However, it was sandwiched right between Cathay and Hindustan! In other words, it was the only buffer zone between the two great underworlds!

Qin Ye was bent on such rapid development precisely because if the state of underworldly affairs was anything like that of their mortal realm counterparts, then… it would never be in a state of peace!

He hadn’t said a word of this to anyone. In fact, it wasn’t even the right time to be considering his potential conflicts with the rest of the world. That said, he couldn’t deny the existence of a Sword of Damocles dangling right over his head, and he didn’t know when it would come cleaving down on his neck and deal him a fatal blow!

Yang Jiye’s expressions looked grim and serious, “Shaman Yin spirits.”

Yang Jiye hesitated for a moment, while Yu Qian shook his head, “Lord Yang, it’s best if you say it.”

Yang Jiye hesitated for a few moments, before finally gnashing his teeth, “Death God Ah Puch, Death God Supay, Death God Mictlantecutli, and Death God Masauwu. The darkfeathers under the charge of these gods of deaths are all called Shaman Yin spirits. Ever since twenty years ago, they’ve begun to sneak across the Pacific Ocean, in an attempt to enter Cathay through the East Cathay Sea!”

Qin Ye gasped. To think that there are four death gods coveting the East Continent right now! Fortunately… it looks like Yang Jiye has managed to foil all of their attempts on his own.

“Not many darkfeathers are able to trek across the entire ocean like them.” Yang Jiye continued, “These four are called the Federation of Four Gods, because their territories are all in the same region - they all hail from Central West Continent as well as Usonia.

“Yes.” Yang Jiye took some time to sort through his thoughts, before slowly explaining, “Ah Puch is the god of death of the Mayan underworld, Supay is the god of death of the Incan underworld, Mictlantecutli is the god of death of the Aztec underworld, and Masauwu is the god of death of the Hopi underworld. All of them hail from Usonia, and even though their underworld isn’t large, they’ve still been around for at least a thousand years, and they’re undoubtedly an entity that is strong enough to pose a threat to the new Hell.”

“My lord, it would be wise not to underestimate them.” Yu Qian cupped his hands respectfully, “The civilization of these indigenous people can be traced back all the way to 200 BC. We’re talking about a veritable 2,000 years old underworld. The only silver lining is that the proliferation of their beliefs are slowly dwindling in the mortal realm, and that is the only reason for which their territory isn’t large. Even then, the fact that they have existed for two millennia necessarily means that… their death gods are all Yanluo-class entities!”

Qin Ye’s eyes flickered. He immediately understood what Yu Qian was getting at.

Who was it?

Almost as though he could read Qin Ye’s mind, Yang Jiye continued explaining, “North West Continent is where some of the greatest powers of the underworld are located, including Thanatos and the nameless god of death. The nameless god of death has never participated in any wars. Thus, the only power that can possibly force these native gods to cross the Pacific Ocean can only be the other power residing in Usonia - Thanatos.”

“There’s no need to worry too much for now.” Arthis suddenly interjected, “So long as the Array of the Nine Gods isn’t broken, there’s simply no way for these entities to breach our Cathayan borders.”

Arthis thought for a moment, before sighing wistfully, “I’d thought it best not to tell you these things in the past, since you might grow complacent about building up an army. But given the current circumstances… perhaps it might be best to come clean with the truth.”

So that’s how it is… It was as though the huge boulder that had been pressing on Qin Ye’s heart had finally been lifted. That explains why the other underworlds still haven’t detected anything amiss despite Hell’s great collapse a hundred years ago.

“That’s right.” Yu Qian nodded, “For instance, adopting the same analogy as before, the incense of these four death gods have already gone out. Their presence is almost completely extinct from the human race in the mortal realm. Therefore, even if they are strong, they would still have to find refuge under the umbrellas of more powerful underworlds. Otherwise, if war breaks out, their underworld would be completely exposed to the incursion of enemy forces, and the consequences could be dire.”

“On the other hand, Cathay is the complete converse of these underworlds. The old Hell has collapsed, but the tradition and belief of Hell still runs strong in the hearts of the Cathayans. The Han Cathayans still remain a dominant force in the mortal realm, and the incense that has been burning for thousands of years still continues to burn brightly. In fact, it can continue to sustain the present Hell for the next two hundred years without any problems at all!”

1. Reference first appeared in Chapter 207.

2. Ah Puch is the Mayan God of Death. ; Supay is the Incan God of Death ; Mictlantecutli is the Aztec God of Death ; while Masauwu is the Hopi God of Death

3. Central America.

4. Do note that while the nameless god of death has spread to Russia, I believe the author means that North America (North West Continent) is where their headquarters is located.