Yama Rising

The Plumed Serpent God nodded softly, “320 AD. The Aegyptian Underworld sent troops marching out in a bloody battle for the expansion of their territory, even mobilizing their Scales of Eternal Justice to imbue their half-dog, half-men Yin soldiers with ever greater might as they marched across the Red Sea. This war lasted for 55 years. The Jewish and Christian Underworld fought hard, even calling upon their forces littered across Europa to aid them with a counteroffensive. But unfortunately, the holy city of Salem eventually fell to the relentless assault of the Aegyptian forces, led personally by Anubis and his pharaohs. And thus, the war was concluded.”

The threads of information in Qin Ye’s mind were slowly coming together. 315 AD was when Galahad lifted the Holy Grail in the city of Salem. 5 years later, the Aegyptian forces marched out of their underworld. Ideally, they would have chosen to march for the weakest underworld around, that was the Alkebulan Underworlds, but instead, they chose to go straight towards the lair of the Christians in the Middle East. Was this just a coincidence?

Cause and effect… Qin Ye sighed softly. Death gods had to be cunning and scheming if they were to survive the ferocious tussle between the netherworlds.

“That’s exactly right.” The Plumed Serpent God licked his lips, “And it is here that we continue the story of the Holy Grail…”

“Are you certain?” Zhao Yun’s eyes gleamed as he asked with a gruff voice.

Qin Ye picked up where he left off, “It can only be in the mortal realm.”

Zhao Yun raised his brows, and Qin Ye immediately turned back with a cold voice, “It just so happens that something earth-shattering happened in 378 AD, just three years later.”

“The Roman Empire can be said to have been just as strong as Cathay at its peak. At that time, a group of Goths living in Dacia, known as the Visigoths, received permission from the Roman emperor to settle with his people on the south bank of the Danube. They were an oppressed group to begin with, and when famine broke out, and they received no aid from the Roman Empire, they started a great riot. This was 376 AD.”

He paused for a breath, and then went on, “In 395 AD, Theodosius I was succeeded by his two sons, Arcadius in the east, and Honorius in the west. The western capital was located in Milan. From that time forward, the eastern empire generally came to be known as the Eastern Roman Empire, or the Byzantine Empire.”

“Yin and Yang cannot intersect.” Qin Ye responded without any hesitation, “After confirming that the Holy Grail wasn’t in the netherworld, Anubis knew he could only turn back to the mortal realm. However, he couldn’t reach directly into the mortal realm to conduct his investigations, so he had no choice but to indirectly orchestrate a series of coincidences so that the eastern and western courts of the Roman Empire would remain divided. Honorius would likely belong to the faction that answered directly to Anubis. From then on, Honorius would have focused his efforts on the Middle East and begun his search for the whereabouts of the Holy Grail.”

An incredible thought welled up in Qin Ye’s heart, and he immediately looked up at the Plumed Serpent God with great consternation. However, he didn’t pursue this line of thought. Instead, he immediately sought clarification, “Were there still interactions between the east and the west during the chaotic period of transition between dynasties?”

“There was, and it wasn’t unsubstantial at that.” Zhao Yun answered, “These events have all been recorded in our historical records. The various dynasties in Cathay at that time all had extensive interactions with the west, especially the Former Qin and the Northern Wei. In fact, these trade routes were one of the main sources of their income.”

Qin Ye frowned slightly. Meanwhile, Zhao Yun responded with a deep voice, “The last emperor of the Former Liang?”

Zhao Yun immediately continued, “In 327 AD, during the second year of Xianhe of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, he captured Dunhuang County. Then in the fourth year of Xianhe of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, he officially established Gaochang County where Dunhuang County used to be located. Thereafter, in 345 AD, he conquered Yanqi… and… these places all happen to be entrances to the Silk Road?”

Zhao Yun’s drew a deep breath, “Are you suggesting--...”

The Holy Grail!

The Holy Grail… the Chalice of Preiddeu Annwn… is actually in Cathay!

300 AD. The Knights of the Round Table travelled to the Middle East in search of the Holy Grail.

320 AD. Anubis sent his forces marching out of the Aegyptian Underworld, taking the holy cities of the Middle Eastern Underworld and razing them to the ground in search of the Holy Grail, and yet to no avail. Thus, he deduced that the Holy Grail was still in the mortal realm, and he began to indirectly orchestrate a series of events that caused the division of the Roman Empire into the eastern and western courts. Honorius, a faithful of Anubis, received guidance from his god of death to search through the Middle East.

That said, Cathay was rife with turmoil at that time, and it so happened that the first country that came into contact with the Chalice was the Former Liang of the Sixteen Kingdoms. Perhaps those who were transporting the cup didn’t know the value of the Chalice, or perhaps they knew but were desperately seeking shelter from the faithfuls of Anubis. Whatever the case was, it still somehow found its way into Zhang Jun’s possession!

Qin Ye couldn’t help but exclaim in shock and awe - No wonder the western forces weren’t able to locate the Holy Grail no matter how much they tried searching for it. It was actually in Cathay all along! But… Cathay was just as chaotic back then. This was a period of time when war was rife, and territories and possessions changed hands frequently. If nobody knew of its value back then, would it even be possible to trace its location right now?

And the rest was history.

“Where is it now?” Qin Ye asked placidly.

Not at all…

One. Fu Jian’s tomb. If Zhang Tianxi had offered up this chalice as a curio when he surrendered to Fu Jian, then it is entirely possible that it would be located in West Shan Province’s Salt City. After all, an emperor would generally be buried with his treasured possessions.

Three. If he didn’t pass it on to anyone, then it would likely have been buried together with Zhang Tianxi in his own tomb.

“My Lord, there’s no need to feel too concerned about that.” Zhao Yun’s voice sounded somewhat muffled from excitement, “Don’t forget that there’s always the Laws of Yin Yang Coaction. There’s bound to be anomalies near the vicinity of the tomb of a great person, and these anomalies might even affect the mortal realm. In fact, these changes may even be beyond our imaginations! What we need to do right now is to unify the Cathayan Underworld as soon as possible! And only then will we be able to turn our eye to the invaluable Holy Grail!”

“Therefore, Yanluo Qin, please unify the nation as soon as possible! There’s no time to lose! Don’t forget, Dusk City and Salt City are both not far away from the Daolord of the Beast…”

1.