Yama Rising

This was a spacious conference hall.

The styles of ancient Cathay and modern Cathay were perfectly balanced in the hall, creating a unique and harmonious clash of complex and simplistic beauty.

On the screens were drawn ink paintings of mountains and rivers, and the entire hall was surrounded by different screens, bonsai plants, and palatial lanterns. There were four doors leading in and out of the conference hall, and bodyguards were already standing outside those doors.

Among the people seated in the hall, not only were there several provincial-level officials, even the deputy prime minister was present.

There was a conference table that was five meters in length, with three people seated on either side of it. Qin Ye was seated first to the right on the table, with Zhao Yun seated on his left. At the head of the table sat an elderly man with a thin and long face, and a head of snowy white hair. He always wore a smile on his face, and he made a regular appearance on all of the news channels of Cathay.

This man was Zhao Xiangyun, the deputy prime minister who had been a politician for over 40 years. He had climbed all the way to the top from very humble beginnings as a village committee secretary, and his political achievements were many and illustrious.

However, the perpetually smiling Deputy Prime Minister Zhao didn't have so much as a hint of a smile on his face at the moment. A long head of ash had already accumulated on the cigarette that he was holding, and he was absentmindedly fiddling with his teacup in silence.

It wasn't that he didn't want to say anything, he was simply too stunned to know what to say. Stability had only been restored to Cathay for less than 20 years. Once again, Cathay was on the right track, and everything was developing nicely, yet the news that Qin Ye had just presented was putting everything under threat again.

Only after close to 20 seconds did Zhao Xiangyun begin to speak. "So what you're saying is, a cultivator above the Yama-King level has officially declared war on Hell, and its foundation lies in the mortal realm?"

He really didn't want to hear an affirmative answer to this question, and at the same time, he was also subtly expressing his displeasure toward Qin Ye as the ruler of Hell.

Having endured the decade of supernatural disasters, he was naturally aware of just how horrific those times had been. The general public was still extremely sensitive to these matters, so if he were to release any news of this, the entire nation would erupt into a panic once again, and that would severely undermine the stability of the nation.

Also, what on earth was Hell doing?

There were the supernatural disasters not long ago, during which the three eastern provinces and the Pearl Delta had been reduced to hellish lairs for a pair of Abyssal Prefects, and now, there was a being above the Yama-King level!

Why were there suddenly so many catastrophes now that the new administration of Hell was in power?

Qin Ye could naturally sense Zhao Xiangyun's displeasure, but he wasn't annoyed by this at all. "Deputy Prime Minister, I should remind you that the mortal realm and the underworld are interconnected, and one cannot exist without the other. Over the coming years, we'll definitely be meeting again."

You're not happy? I'm pissed off as well! The excessive desires of everyone in the mortal realm, coupled with the severely lacking power system, has created the perfect environment for the inner demon to grow more powerful!

Indeed, Cathay had a population in excess of 1.4 billion. If each of them even had a single desire, the inner demon would be able to easily transcend beyond the Yama-King level without even cultivating.

Hell was doing the mortal realm a massive favor by proceeding to try and take care of this massive threat to Cathay, so Qin Ye certainly wasn't going to take such an attitude from Zhao Xiangyun.

Also, Zhao Xiangyun was already a very old man, while Qin Ye was the ruler of death in Cathay...

This wasn't a threat at all, it was just something to think about.

Zhao Xiangyun shook his head with a dismayed expression, then finally tapped his cigarette against the edge of the ashtray to dislodge the log of ash that had accumulated at the front of the cigarette. He then turned his gaze toward everyone else seated at the table as he said, "Let's discuss the matter at hand. Everyone in attendance is an expert in the supernatural realm, so please feel free to speak your mind."

An elderly man was the first to speak. "Firstly, there have been records of the inner demon made by the Divine Protectors of Cathay."

Qin Ye immediately turned toward the elderly man with an intrigued expression upon hearing this.

Among the three most powerful beings in Cathay, two of them were in attendance, namely the old monk and Sword Master Xuanyuan. Aside from Qin Ye, Zhao Yun, Zhao Xiangyun, and those two, there were three other people seated at the table, one of which was Zheng Shuguo. Thus, there were two people that Qin Ye didn't recognize, and the elderly man who had spoken was one of them. He had a slightly portly frame and a balding head, and from the emblem on his chest, one could see that he was from the SRC.

Qin Ye was quite surprised that the mortal realm had records of the inner demon.

Hell most likely had records of the inner demon as well, but they would've already been devoured by the Blight Vermin. Thus, he had thought that he wouldn't be able to gather any information on the inner demon, and he was very surprised to hear that this was not the case.

The elderly man turned to Qin Ye before making a self-introduction. "I am the director of the SRC's National Research and Development Agency, Xu Lin. As far back as the Han Dynasty, the Divine Protectors of Cathay have made records of a Yin spirit that possesses no form, and seems to both be real and illusory at the same time. According to those records, anyone who is lacking in Yang energy and experiencing excessively powerful emotions will come under the scrutiny of Yin spirit. The earliest record comes from Zhang Daoling. The original text has already been lost, but it's said that he was granted three treasures by the heavens, namely the seal, the sword, and the talisman. He was ecstatic because of this, and he immediately sensed that an invisible eye seemed to have locked onto him. The ecstacy in his heart grew stronger and stronger, and he immediately realized that something was wrong. Thus, he went into seclusion for 49 days, after which he was finally able to sever his inner demons. Thus, the Yin spirit became known as the inner demon."

He paused momentarily before continuing, "According to Li Chunfeng, a Divine Protector from the Tang Dynasty, he was once overtaken by a mysterious force, and if Yuan Tiangang hadn't given him a shove at the time, he would've been lost indefinitely. He attributed this to what he referred to as the inner demon, and that was when the term was first officially introduced into the records of the Divine Protectors of the nation. After that, there were more records of the inner demon in the Song, Yuan, and Ming Dynasties, but those records couldn't be connected, and no one has seen the inner demon's true form. On top of that, it strikes without any warning or precursor. Everyone who has been overtaken by it found themselves lost before they even realized what was happening. Of course, these are only official records made by some of the most powerful cultivators in history, and the inner demon seemed to specifically target them as well. What I want to draw everyone's attention to is the fact that it doesn't select negative emotions. Instead, it chooses violent and powerful emotions, which means that the stronger one's desires and obsessions are, the more likely they'll be targeted by the inner demon. These are all of the records that we have pertaining to the inner demon, I hope they can be of assistance to you."

Qin Ye nodded in response as his brows furrowed tightly.

According to those records, even as far back as several thousand years ago, the inner demon had already dared to target Zhang Daoling, one of the most powerful cultivators in the world at the time. With its untraceable nature, there wasn't any risk in its possession attempts. If it failed, then it would just leave, and no one would be able to track it down. If it succeeded, then it would benefit immensely, so it was essentially a high-reward, no-risk situation.

What was even more terrifying to think about was just how many people in Cathay had been possessed by it throughout the course of history?

Unless he could gather all of those people, there would be no way to capture the inner demon. However, setting aside how they would even go about doing that, if they were to commence that operation, it would be a clear sign to the inner demon that it was being targeted.

Zhao Yun seemed to have gleaned his thoughts, and he said, "If we can track down the current host of the inner demon, Hell has an art that is capable of capturing it."

"Oh?"

Zhao Yun explained, "Don't forget that the Harken's title is the Nine Dissimilitude!"

Qin Ye's eyes immediately lit up upon hearing this, and he recalled the etymology of the Harken as explained to him by Arthis in the past.

As quoted by Arthis: "The horn on its head represents the rule of law. A single word distinguishes between conviction and acquittal. Its dragon body represents auspiciousness. Its tiger head represents wisdom; its dog ears represent auditory acuity; its lion tail represents patience; and its Qilin feet represent all-rounded stability and an emphasis on good virtues. In Hell, any Yin spirits that are unable to be sentenced for whatever reason will invariably be sent to it. The esteemed creature need only lay down on the ground and listen closely, and it would immediately be able to perceive the Yin spirit’s entire life. If the Yin spirit has been evil, it will immediately be stabbed to death with its powerful horn. This esteemed creature is also well known across the mortal realm, and it is said to be synonymous with spiritual energy, divine energy, fortune, wealth, motivation, luck, vitality, strength, and courage. Thus, it’s also called the God of Nine Energies.”"

It was a completely opposite being to the inner demon!

Zhao Yun continued, "The Harken's ultimate technique is known as the Purgatory of Nine Energies, and it's capable of purifying even the most heinous of beings. Even the soul of someone like Dong Zhou would emerge pure and virtuous again after spending 49 days in the Purgatory of Nine Energies. However, that's only one of the technique's abilities. In addition to that, it also acts as a spatial prison! Upon entering it, no one would be able to come out before the 49 days had passed by, even if the Harken were to perish during this time."

Qin Ye was very surprised to hear this. Never did he think that the Harken had such a powerful technique up its sleeve!

Wasn't it supposed to just be a pet dog?

"That's all well and good, but how do we definitively track down the inner demon?" Sword Master Xuanyuan asked. "How can we be sure that the inner demon will still be in the same place once the Harken arrives on the scene?"

Everyone fell silent again.

This was a problem with seemingly no solution.

Several minutes later, Qin Ye finally broke the silence. "This isn't an impossible task. Perhaps we can think about this from another angle. What if we already know where it will go in advance?"

Zhao Xiangyun's expression changed slightly upon hearing this. "You're suggesting we set a trap and lure it in?"

Everyone at the table immediately raised their heads upon hearing this.

No one said anything, but countless thoughts were racing through their minds, and they knew what was being implied here.

The inner demon was indeed completely untraceable, but by nature, there was no way that it would give up on a soul with extremely strong desires, especially if that soul belonged to someone of a lofty status.

Thus, they could set a trap for it, and if it were to take the bait, it would be met by an ambush from the Harken. With the spatial prison and 49 days to work with, Zhao Yun, Arthis, the Harken, and Qin Ye would gang up on it, wearing it down until it perished!

"If we need someone of a lofty status to tempt it, will the second-in-command of a province suffice?" Zhao Xiangyun asked before taking a sip of tea?

Of course!

There were no more than 100 governors and provincial party committee secretaries in the entirety of Cathay, which placed them in an extremely exclusive club considering this was a nation with a population in excess of 1.4 billion. Among that massive population, there were very few individuals who could match the influence of those figures.

Why would the inner demon want to target those people? That was because their actions and orders would warp the desires of an entire province!

For example, if they were to implement an increase in food prices, that would be met with dismay from the entire population of the province, which numbered in the tens, maybe even hundreds of millions! That would be an excellent source of sustenance for the inner demon, so how could it not be tempted by such a prospect?

Thus, according to historical records, it had always targeted extremely lofty and influential figures, such as Zhang Daoling and Yuan Tiangang.

Having said that, this was still just a concept, and it wasn't guaranteed to work. In the face of an untraceable opponent like the inner demon, they were only going to get one opportunity.

This was a being above the Yama-King level that had lived for thousands of years. It had been in existence before all of the death gods came about, and it could be said to be the second true god of this world, behind only the Heavenly Dao. An old monster like that definitely wasn't going to fall for the same trick twice, so they had to make the first time count.

"I need proof." Due to this concept, he had thought of another possibility.

"I have some ways to verify this, but I need some time. During this time, I want the Cathayan government to do three things for me."

"I'm listening."