Yama Rising

Izanami raised her head slightly to look behind Qin Ye, and as her gaze swept over Qin Changxin, it settled onto him for several seconds before moving away, then finally lingered on Zhao Yun.

Shortly thereafter, she withdrew her gaze as she smiled and bowed. "Welcome, Yanluo Qin. You are the first of the four pillars' leaders to have arrived. Please come in."

A derisive smile appeared on Qin Ye's face.

From this point onward, this was going to be a movie set featuring a pair of exceptional actors. There was no set script, everything would have to be done spontaneously and on an impromptu basis, thereby requiring him to think on his feet. Furthermore, Izanami had already displayed her intentions.

The Nipponese Underworld had been trying to test the Cathayan Underworld time and time again, and none of the underworld emissaries they had sent into the territory of the Cathayan Underworld had managed to return. There was no way that the Nipponese Underworld would've dared to do this without anyone standing behind them.

It wasn't important who exactly was supporting them, what was important was that the underworld in question would definitely also be in attendance during this conference. In fact, perhaps their representatives had already arrived. There was no way that she didn't know about this assassination attempt in advance. How could she not be aware of a Yama-King freely roaming through her territory?

However, she hadn't even mentioned it.

It was clear that she wanted to gauge the Cathayan Underworld's reaction through this incident. She was essentially saying "yes, I did attempt to assassinate you. You want to sanction me for this? Fine. In that case, you'll have to deploy your troops, which means that you'll have to deactivate your array!"

For example, they could seal off all of the Nipponese Underworld's sea trade routes to place economic sanctions upon them. They could even deploy their army to practice drills in the territorial sea of the Nipponese Underworld. Qin Ye's hands were tied in this matter because he represented one of the four pillars, and such blatant provocation couldn't be allowed without a response!

If the Cathayan Underworld didn't do anything, then it would no longer be fit to continue as one of the four pillars. There had to be countless pairs of eyes focused on this interaction, and if the Cathayan Underworld were to not take action, that would be a sign to all of the people watching from the shadows that they could do as they pleased to the Cathayan Underworld.

However, Qin Ye couldn't be the one to say this.

He was King Yanluo, and if he had to sanction the Nipponese Underworld in person, then he would be punching far below his expected weight class.

Qin Ye didn't know if anyone from his entourage had thought of all of this yet, but thankfully, a cold voice rang out beside him to raise the matter in his stead. "Madam Izanami, have you forgotten something?"

Izanami turned toward the figure who had spoken with a puzzled expression. "What are you referring to?"

Qin Changxin strode forward with a cold expression, speaking in fluent Cathayan as he said, "On the way to Nara, a Yama-King dared to stage an assassination attempt on Yanluo Qin! How do you explain that?!"

Before Izanami had a chance to reply, a cold smile appeared on Qin Changxin's face as he continued, "It is a great honor for your nation that the venue for such an important international conference was set in Nara, yet you don't seem to be taking this honor seriously at all! Our King Yanluo had virtually no sooner arrived on your territory before he was attacked by a Yama-King! What are your intentions here? Are you preparing to gather all of the world's leaders in the Nipponese Underworld, then kill them one after another? Have you forgotten the status of the Nipponese Underworld on the world stage? Do you not owe us an explanation for this?"

Izanami looked up with a surprised expression upon hearing this. "Is that true?"

The carriage carriers immediately fell to their knees and replied in respectful voices, "It is."

Izanami covered her own mouth with her deathly pale hand, seemingly completely astonished by this revelation. Only after several seconds had passed did she abruptly fall to her knees before kowtowing to the ground. "Esteemed King Yanluo, I had no idea that such a thing had happened! I'll initiate an exhaustive investigation right away! However..."

She paused momentarily before concluding, "There are currently no Yama-Kings on this island aside from yourself."

Qin Ye's smile grew even more pronounced upon hearing this. It seemed that during the Cathayan Underworld's century-long absence, the Nipponese Underworld had already forgotten who its master was.

If something like this had happened 100 years ago, there was no way that Izanami would've dared to deny all of this. Instead, she would've already rushed out to meet Qin Ye and raised the matter herself even before Qin Ye had a chance to do so.

This was a clear indication of the stance that the Nipponese Underworld had decided to adopt.

Was she actually going to investigate?

This was an underworld that had dared to use a Yama-King as an assassin. Even if it weren't one of the four pillars, it had to have been an extremely powerful underworld. If she were to actually investigate the matter, it would be no different from starting a war.

However, if she didn't investigate, then the Cathayan Underworld certainly wasn't going to just swallow this bitter pill without a fuss.

Furthermore, through this incident, they would be able to assess the way that the new King Yanluo of the Cathayan Underworld liked to do things. It was killing multiple birds with one stone, and it was a very sound strategy.

"General Zhao." Qin Ye finally broke his silence.

"I'm here," Zhao Yun immediately replied as she cupped his fist in a salute.

Qin Ye was speaking to Zhao Yun, but his gaze remained focused directly on Izanami as he said, "Investigate. I give you the right to immediately execute the perpetrator as soon as you track them down. After that, their Yin soul will be displayed outside Tōdai-ji as an example to everyone."

After that, he passed by Izanami and strode directly into Tōdai-ji.

Only after Qin Ye had passed her did Izanami stand up straight again, and a faint smile appeared on her blood-red lips, but she kept her head bowed to conceal her expression. Only after the entire representative team of the Cathayan Underworld had entered the temple did she raise her head again.

She remained silent as she got into her own carriage.

The carriage was lavish and gorgeous with a completely gold-plated frame and pure gold wind chimes hanging from its four corners. The body of the carriage was also constructed from precious natural wood, and beautiful designs were embroidered onto its surface.

The wind chimes rang as the carriage sped away, traveling toward the national highway once again. As the ruler of the host nation, she had to welcome all of the arriving death gods. As for the representative team from the Cathayan Underworld, they would be arranged places to stay by her subordinates.

Only after the carriage had traveled over a kilometer away did a raspy voice ring out within the carriage. "You did very well."

The carriage was very large with a radius of five to six meters. It was like a moving room, and the entire floor was covered in soft tatami mats, while the interior was extremely intricately designed. There was an ornament katana and a scenic painting hanging from the walls, and a figure wearing a long black cloak was occupying the main seat. Meanwhile, Izanami was kneeling in front of the figure in an extremely respectful manner.

She extended a slight bow before taking a seat beside the tea table with her legs tucked beneath her, then reached out to grab an ornate teapot with her deathly pale hand. She poured out a cup of clear tea, then offered it to the cloaked figure in an elegant manner as she said, "Ghost King Zhao has been put on the case."

"That's to be expected," the figure replied in a calm voice as he accepted the teacup. "We didn't list Menes as part of our representative team, and after that assassination attempt, he has already left the Nipponese Underworld. No matter how powerful Ghost King Zhao is, there's no way he would be able to track down someone who's no longer even in the country."

The space beneath the dark figure's cloak was like a black hole, and the teacup that Izanami offered to him was completely engulfed in darkness, seemingly having faded out of existence.

By the time the teacup re-emerged, it was already empty. Izanami filled the cup before offering it up once again, but the figure didn't accept it this time. Instead, he asked in a hoarse voice, "So what do you think they're going to do next? Are they going to sanction the Nipponese Underworld?"

"Perhaps," Izanami replied with a smile. "In that case, the Nipponese Underworld is going to suffer massive damages."

"That's not a concern. The rulers of the Nipponese and Aegyptian Underworlds will be signing a Yin rune sharing agreement tomorrow, and that'll be more than enough as compensation." Wisps of Yin energy seeped out from beneath the black cloak as the figure continued, "If they really do kick up a big fuss, then they'll only be making a fool out of themselves, and it wouldn't do anything. How are they going to save face after they realize that they won't be able to track down the perpetrator? I'm very much looking forward to seeing what steps they take next."

The cloaked figure finally accepted the teacup before downing its contents in one go, and a single bright red eye lit up beneath the cloak's hood, staring directly at Izanami. "They're going to be taking revenge, but we don't know how. Regardless of what they do, you have to be able to withstand the pressure. Only then will we be able to see their trump cards and gauge their current state. Remember this: you must stick to the story that there is no Yama-King in the Nipponese Underworld at all costs. If they can't find Menes, then all they'll be able to do is target the Nipponese Underworld. You will be the subject of their wrath, and if you can withstand all of the pressure they exert upon you, then their reputation will naturally be swept to the ground."

The eye abruptly disappeared, and the figure began to chuckle. "Hehe, it would be quite a sight to see the Cathayan Underworld's reputation be swept to the ground right after its re-emergence from its century-long absence. All that the underworlds look at is power, we can only get the other underworlds to vote against them if we can progressively minimize the Cathayan Underworld's voice on the international stage and bring them down from their pedestal."

………………………………………………….

After entering through the gates of Tōdai-ji, one would be greeted by the sight of a scarlet forest.

At the center of the forest was a path paved by bluestone, and on either side of the path were lit palatial lanterns that were around half a meter tall. Every single lantern had a stone statue of a different evil ghost as its base. There was a sea of red leaves here, and it could be seen that at the very deepest part of this sea of red stood a majestic pavilion.

There were emissaries from the Nipponese Underworld standing beside the path at all times, and in the instant that Qin Ye entered through the gates, all of them immediately fell to their knees as they greeted, "Welcome, esteemed representative team of the Cathayan Underworld!"

This was a signal telling all of the people who had already arrived that the representatives of the Cathayan Underworld were here, and presumably, invitation letters from all of the other underworlds would be arriving soon.

The path wasn't very long, and soon, they reached the pavilion, where an Infernal Judge was already waiting for them. For the Nipponese Underworld, this Infernal Judge was already a provincial-level official, and the fact that such a significant official was here welcoming guests was a sign of how serious the Nipponese Underworld was taking this conference.

However, there was no one else here aside from him.

"Please come with me." The Yin spirit led the representative team toward the pavilion with a respectful smile.

Zu Chongzhi took a quick glance at his surroundings before asking in a seemingly casual manner, "How many underworlds have already arrived?"

"10, esteemed representative," the Yin spirit replied with a smile. "The detailed list of names has already been placed in your room alongside all letters of invitation that have been submitted to the Cathayan Underworld. On top of that, we will be holding a welcome banquet for the Cathayan Underworld in six hours, and we would be greatly honored if you could attend. Ah, we've arrived."

The pavilion was very large, and it actually consisted of four interconnected pavilions. Qin Ye was standing in front of the entrance to one of those pavilions, and there was only one room on the top floor.

The room was very spacious with an area in excess of 300 square meters, and before Qin Ye had even arrived upstairs, the servants had already fallen to their knees before kowtowing onto the ground. "こんにちは, いらっしゃいませ!(Hello and welcome!)"

This was a pair of child servants, one male and one female, wearing attire customarily worn by ancient Nipponese nobility, and before Qin Ye had even set foot on the first floor, the little girl rushed over to him before bending down to untie his shoes. Meanwhile, the little boy made his way behind Qin Ye to help him take off his dragon robe.

Everyone else had already been allocated to the lower levels on the way here.

"Do you need to take a bath, Your Excellency?" The sliding door had cherry blossoms and a bright moon drawn on its surface, and it was gently opened to the sound of wind chimes. The smell of violet incense wafted toward Qin Ye, instantly relaxing his tightly wound mind just a little.

Qin Ye waved a dismissive hand to gesture for the two servants to give him some privacy, then began to inspect the room.

The room was very large, and the decor was ordinary yet lavish.

It didn't seem to be special in any way, but it was very comfortable and well-designed. The cabinets and drawers were positioned perfectly within reach, and all of the potted plants made the massive room appear less empty. The top floor was complete with a living room, a bathroom, a silent cultivation room, everything that one would need, and it was clear that this was treatment reserved only for Yama-Kings.

Qin Ye opened the window to look out at the bright moon in the sky, and he casually picked up the teapot to find that the tea was at just the right temperature.

From this vantage point, he was able to see the entire city.

"So it's already begun..." He poured himself a cup of tea as a cold smile appeared on his face. "Not a single underworld has arrived to welcome the arrival of the Cathayan Underworld's representative team... A storm is truly coming..."

This would've been impossible 100 years ago, and this was also why Zu Chongzhi had asked about how many underworlds had already arrived.

This was one of the four pillars' representative team, yet no one was here to greet them, and it was a blatant slap to the face!

"Looks like this conference is going to be even more perilous than I thought..."