Yama Rising

"Charge!" An earth-shattering roar rang out across the third level, and in the instant that Hell's army rushed into the level, they immediately inundated the entire space like a tsunami, charging forward as quickly as they could without any hesitation.

The third level of the Myriad Soul Pagoda was a boundless sea of fire, with a lone winged Yin spirit standing in mid-air. The Yin spirit was holding a staff, and its skin was as dry as tree bark, while several strands of white hair trailed down from its otherwise bald head.

This was Insanity of the four ominous stars.

"Gongjin!" Ban Chao yelled as he charged at the forefront of Hell's army. The sound of pounding war drums was echoing throughout the entire level, while countless flags were waving in the air.

All of a sudden, the formation of the army underwent an abrupt change. The heavy cavalry units swapped places with the footsoldiers, and a series of large shields were raised before being pushed forward like a moving wall.

At the same time, white light erupted from beneath the feet of all of the Yin soldiers before injecting itself into the wall of shields, upon which the shields began to glow with dazzling radiance, as if they were divine weapons.

This was the Wumu Xuanwu Shield Array!

At the exact same moment, Zhou Yu rose up into the sky from the back of his steed, then roared, "Karmic Fire Legion, fire!"

With that command, over 100,000 arrows were fired at once.

The arrows were like a plague of locusts, and Zhou Yu took a deep breath that seemed to stretch on forever, causing his entire body to swell up. In the next instant, he exhaled violently, releasing a wave of scorching fire that swept over a massive area.

As a result, all of the arrows that had been fired were instantly set alight, and crimson light illuminated the entire sky as the arrows rained down upon the army of demonic ghostly immortals like a meteor shower, sending scorching heat and dazzling radiance surging down from above.

Rumble!!

Arrows clashed as Yin energy exploded violently, sweeping up fearsome soundwaves and shockwaves that erupted in all directions. It was as if heaven and earth had been tipped on their heads, or as if magma were erupting out of the sky!

Under the bright red sky, the two formidable armies endured the soundwaves and shockwaves as they clashed viciously.

The battle instantly reached white-hot intensity, and netherfire was rising up into the sky with each passing second. However, right at this moment, a sharp howl suddenly rang out, threatening to tear the entire sky apart.

Countless blades of wind were hurtling down from above!

"Die!" Insanity screeched as he spread his wings, releasing countless blades of wind that shot fort in all directions. They were being dominated! Even though they were doing their best to acclimate themselves to this battlefield as quickly as possible, it was certainly not so simple to adjust to a disparity of several thousand years of battle experience in just an hour.

However, even so, he was confident that they would be able to last over an hour as long as he joined the battle!

The blades of wind swept over the ground, and Chang Yuchun immediately dodged to the side in an incredibly agile manner, despite his burly frame. A trench that was 10 meters deep was sliced into the ground, and several Yin soldiers who weren't able to evade in time were instantly reduced to netherfire amid anguished cries.

However, the rest of the Yin soldiers were taking evasive measures in a very organized fashion.

They parted layer upon layer, as if they were already prepared for this. High up in the sky, Insanity shuddered slightly as he caught sight of a silver figure with a flowing red cape behind the Yin soldiers.

It was Ghost King Zhao Yun!

He stood like an immovable mountain with his Courage of Dragons Silver Spear shining as bright as the moon, and in this instant, he resembled a deity that had descended from Heaven. Yin energy was condensing all around him, forming a projection of a Buddha behind him!

It was an inky-black Buddha, and right at this moment, Zhao Yun slowly opened his eyes to meet Insanity's gaze.

His eyes were completely emotionless, as still and tranquil as a picturesque lake.

An indescribable sense of horror suddenly welled up in Insanity's heart, and he immediately screeched as he rushed back frantically without any hesitation.

Zhao Yun didn't give chase. Instead, he began to chant an incantation.

Bursts of radiance began to rise up all around him, filling the third level with dazzling golden lotus flowers.

Boom!

As soon as Zhao Yun completed his incantation, his body shot forth like lightning as he rushed forward at an inexplicable speed.

It was impossible to trace him as he flew through the air.

In the blink of an eye, all of the golden lotus flowers in the entire space wilted, and a clear phoenix cry rang out across the heavens.

By the time he reappeared, Zhao Yun was already right behind Insanity. Insanity's wings were spread wide open, and his eyes were filled with incredulity as he exclaimed, "What kind of spear technique is this?"

As soon as his voice trailed off, his body abruptly exploded into a shower of rain that fell from above.

"It's not something you'll be able to understand," Zhao Yun said in a casual voice, then abruptly vanished on the spot, charging toward the army of demonic ghostly immortals down below.

With each step that he took, an enemy life was claimed.

"Go!" Qin Ye yelled, and the army split up once again. 100,000 of the remaining 200,000 troops were left behind, and the final 100,000 Yin soldiers advanced toward the bronze gate up ahead.

This was the final level, and once they scaled it, they would reach the inner demon!

However, right as the army split up into three groups, a shrill voice that was full of resentment rang out across the entire level. "No one is getting through unless I'm dead!"

Immediately thereafter, the blood that was raining down from the sky converged once again to reform Insanity's body. However, before he had a chance to complete his reformation, another spear strike pierced directly through his head, destroying his body once again.

On this occasion, the rain of blood formed by Insanity's body dispersed even further, and at the same time, countless authoritative voices rang out in unison. "Those who retreat will be killed on the spot! No one is getting past here unless I'm dead!"

One Insanity after another quickly took form within the rain of blood, and they were all roaring with all their might, supporting the army of demonic ghostly immortals to ensure that their formation remained unbroken. In doing so, the morale of the army of demonic ghostly immortals was significantly boosted, and they were beginning to push back Hell's army!

Zhao Yun faltered slightly upon seeing this, following which a hint of respect surfaced in his eyes, and he turned to Qin Ye as he said, "Please go on ahead, Your Excellency."

Qin Ye nodded in response, then transformed into a gust of Yin wind, wasting no time as he led the final 100,000 Yin soldiers directly toward the bronze gate.

He knew that beings above the Yama-King level were powerful enough to easily defeat Yama-Kings, but even for them, killing a Yama-King was no simple task.

Upon reaching the Yama-King level, one's life force would undergo a fundamental evolution. If the Yama-King didn't want to be killed, then there was a chance that they would be able to escape.

In this situation, Insanity definitely had a chance to flee. However, he was choosing to burn through his own life force to guard this level.

If things were to continue like this, he would be "killed" over and over again until he became a natural spirit with no consciousness whatsoever, and his cultivation rank would also plummet. In fact, he would be lucky if he could retain an Infernal Judge cultivation rank.

However, that was what he had chosen to do, despite the fact that he was facing an opponent, against whom he was completely powerless.

Ever since the beginning of this battle, retreat had never been an option.

If retreat were an option, there wouldn't have been so many casualties in this battle already.

There was no point lamenting over the lost lives, and Qin Ye rushed toward the bronze gate leading to the final level without any hesitation.

The remaining army of 100,000 rumbled along behind him like a ferocious wave, fulfilling their final duty.

Meanwhile, on the third level, Zhao Yun continued to slay Insanity over and over again.

……………………………………………………

In the instant that Hell's army reached the fourth level, Resentment, who was situated at the center of the fourth level, was given a nasty surprise.

The enemy had arrived far sooner than anticipated!

It had only taken them no more than two hours and 35 minutes to reach the fourth level!

The weight on his shoulders instantly became significantly heavier. However, there was no time for him to hesitate. The sound of a series of long horns rang out, and at the same time, around a dozen flags were raised up into the sky!

All of the generals of the army and the 12 envoys declared their presence one after another, then charged toward what could quite possibly be the final battle of their lives.

Despite the formidable opponent they were facing, no one paused even for an instant, and Hell's army advanced with unstoppable might and ferocious killing intent, charging toward the top of the pagoda!

Resentment took a deep breath, following which his body expanded drastically.

His clothes were torn to shreds layer upon layer, and his Yin energy erupted into the heavens as he roared, "Charge!"

It was the most primitive of roars to kick off the most direct of battles. At this point, both sides had already pulled out all the stops, and no one was going to back down!

A spear plunged into the body of a demonic ghostly immortal, which screeched as it stumbled back in retreat, but even as it did so, the long saber in its hand decapitated around a dozen Yin soldiers.

Another demonic ghostly immortal laid waste to several dozen Yin soldiers with a single attack, but before it had a chance to celebrate, it was punched full of holes by a storm of arrows.

This was truly a gruesome slaughterhouse.

"Go, Your Excellency!" Qin Hui urged.

Su Daji also wore an urgent expression as she yelled, "Your Excellency, you're so close! Hurry!"

Qin Ye gritted his teeth tightly. Even though he had experienced battles in the past, he couldn't help but be stunned by just how brutal this one was.

Retreat wasn't an option for either side, and both armies were like starving wolves that could only quench their hunger with the blood of the enemy.

He wanted to commit all of these faces firmly into his memory, but in the end, he took a deep breath before casting a determined gaze toward the bronze gate on the fourth level.

His troops were already doing everything in their power, and he certainly couldn't squander their efforts.

The best way to repay them would be to rush to the top as quickly as he could!

With that in mind, Qin Ye released his Yin energy with all his might, instantly reaching his maximal speed as he charged toward the bronze gate.

Inner demon, it's about time that we met again!

In the instant that he set off, Resentment immediately detected what he was doing. However, before Resentment had a chance to do anything, a flurry of flags rose up among Hell's army, following which bursts of interchanging black and white light erupted into the sky. Countless skeletal hounds pounced toward him with no regard for their own safety, and they were accompanied by hungry ghosts that were in a blind frenzy to devour everything in their path.

Amid the chaos, a rumbling thunderclap rang out up above, and several demonic ghostly immortals were sent flying back hundreds of meters. A giant palm formed by bright red flesh and white bones had emerged, and that was what was responsible for forcing back the demonic ghostly immortals.

Hundreds of meters up in the sky, dense Yin clouds had gathered, and a pair of crimson eyeballs lit up as Su Daji's cackling echoed throughout the heavens. "Who dares to face me?"

On the other side of the battlefield, countless skeletal hounds exploded violently, forming a vast skeletal vortex around an antiquated headless corpse in an official's suit from the Song Dynasty who was holding his own head. "Hehe, when it comes to the number of people killed, no one on this battlefield can match me!"

Resentment's killing intent had reached a peak, and he licked his own lips in a bloodthirsty manner. "I'm going to kill every single one of you!"

He couldn't catch up to that Yama-King, but he certainly wasn't going to allow these ants to live!

He cast a grim gaze up above.

Many-faced God, our forces have already been fully deployed into this battle, and even if we all die here, we'll have no regrets if our king is resurrected. However, if you dare to disappoint us, even if our souls enter the six paths of reincarnation, we'll drag you down with us!