Yama Rising

Arcs of blue electricity surged over the massive blade, and balls of light that resembled stars slowly lit up in a profound pattern on the surface of the sword. They were like bright celestial bodies in a storm of lightning.

Bursts of Yin energy converged toward the blade to ignite the dazzling stars, and there were around 17 stars in total on the entire sword. However, each one of them was extremely slow to light up, and right as the fifth star was ignited, the surrounding Yin energy abruptly shuddered before completely fading.

"What a pity," Qin Ye sighed as he turned around. Looks like we still have a long way to go.

This was the mold for the second-generation forbidden art.

It had been crafted in the form of a claymore, and its production cost was in the tens of billions. It had only just been completed, yet only in theory was it able to contain a second-generation forbidden art. Unfortunately, during this first experiment, it was only able to gather Yin energy in five of its nodes.

Unless all 17 nodes could light up at once, the second-generation forbidden art couldn't be completed. Furthermore, the subsequent molds would potentially have to undergo massive changes in order to light up all 17 nodes, so at the very most, only a quarter of the project was complete.

No one was surprised by this, and Lu Ban was completely unfazed. It would be extremely abnormal if they succeeded right away.

The surrounding recorders were quickly taking notes, and Lu Ban strolled along beside Qin Ye as he said, "We estimate that we'll be able to complete 10 nodes within a year. This projection is thanks, in large part, to the cooperation of Ghost King Zhao, whose understanding of advanced Yin runes is near unrivaled in this world. However, subsequent required injection of funds is going to be a big problem..."

"Just do what you need to do," Qin Ye instructed without any hesitation. "As long as the costs are necessary, I'll ensure that they're met."

Right at this moment, Wang Chenghao quickly made his way over to them. "Your Excellency, the panel of advisors have submitted their plan of action against the Nipponese Underworld."

Qin Ye took a deep breath upon hearing this, then asked, "Where are they right now?"

"They've already arrived at the Yin Mountains," Wang Chenghao replied as the two of them quickly departed. "The main decision-makers behind the plan were Director Qin Changxin and the top academicians of the panel of advisors. From this day forth, the panel of advisors will be split up into two groups, one of which will go to the Yin Mountains Research Institute, while the other will go to the Sword Coral Research Institute, and that'll allow them to constantly monitor the progress of the two projects."

All wartime strategies had to be decided based on real-world circumstances, and second-generation forbidden arts and the means by which to launch the forbidden arts were imperative for the plan to succeed. Thus, these two pieces of technology formed the core of this strategy.

Qin Ye nodded in response, then quickly passed through a long corridor with excitement in his heart before arriving in front of a large door.

The door was opened, and Qin Ye stepped into the room beyond before giving everyone inside a casual nod. "Take a seat, everyone."

Beyond the door was a spacious conference hall, within which around a dozen underworld emissaries had already gathered. After taking a seat, Qin Ye wasted no time in getting to the main topic at hand. "Let's begin. Who's going to be presenting the plan to me?"

Qin Changxin rose to his feet. Having worked with Qin Ye for over 20 years, he knew that Qin Ye wasn't one to waste time with formalities.

He cupped his fist in a salute toward everyone in the hall, then began his report. "With the information that Liu Yu provided three months ago, we were able to develop a clear understanding of the Nipponese Underworld. At the moment, what we know is that the core of the Nipponese Underworld is split up into three levels, the Dream Caverns, the Blood Maggot Abyss, and the Inner Heavens. According to what I've seen and heard in the past, the entirety of the Nipponese Underworld is situated underground, and its entrance resembles a volcano. Yin spirits are taken to volcanic crater by underworld emissaries before jumping in, and the Dream Caverns refer to the stretch from the volcanic crater to underground. The Blood Maggot Abyss is where Izanami's entire body was consumed by maggots, while the Inner Heavens are a highland constructed beneath the ground to replicate Takamagahara. Its highest point is Izanami's resting quarters, Amano-Iwato."

Everyone present, including Qin Ye, was listening intently in silence. Meanwhile, Qin Changxin's voice continued to echo throughout the conference hall. "According to Liu Yu's records, the Nipponese Underworld hasn't explored Limbo. As we all know, there are Prefect-level monarch beasts residing in Limbo, so it would be too dangerous for third-rate underworlds to explore. In contrast, our Cathayan Underworld is able to access the mortal realm through Yin Yang Mezzanines that pass directly through Limbo. The Nipponese Underworld does not have the power to protect those passageways, so they employed a different method."

He set his chair aside before taking a few steps backward, then began to draw a design in the air with his hand. Soon, the image of a massive mirror that was completely formed by Yin energy took shape in mid-air.

It was a stone mirror with a mirror surface at the center, which was surrounded by a stone frame. The material of the frame had been carved into the form of Izanami and Susanoo-no-Mikoto, and the carvings were holding the mirror with their hands.

"This is an inter-realm mirror," Qin Changxin introduced in a serious voice. "There are over 1,000 of these mirrors in the Nipponese Underworld, and they can connect the underworld to the mortal realm, so this is how their underworld emissaries traverse between the two realms. The final destinations that these mirrors lead to are the areas beyond the shimenawa ropes of the major Shinto shrines."

Qin Ye raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. "Are you saying that there are only around 1,000 openings through which the Nipponese Underworld can deploy its troops?"

"That's correct."

"How big are these mirrors?"

"They're around 20 meters wide and 15 meters tall."

Qin Ye nodded in response. This meant that at the very most, the mirrors could only allow rows of 20 Yin soldiers to pass through, which would equate to a maximum of 20,000 troops deployed at a time.

In the face of Hell's army enhanced by the Wumu military formation, an army of 20,000 would be nothing more than cannon fodder!

All of a sudden, one of the other decision-making academicians interjected, "Your Excellency, this is not an arrangement that the Nipponese Underworld chose voluntarily. Do you still recall the time when the seven underworld joined forces to attack our Cathayan Underworld?"

Qin Ye nodded in response, and the academician continued, "Back then, the army of the Russian Underworld was stationed at the Nipponese Underworld, which was also involved in the war. However, as we all know, they never set foot into our Cathayan Underworld in the end. Seeing as they failed, they had to accept a punishment, and that punishment was for the Nipponese Underworld to rid itself of all avenues through which it could mobilize troops on a large scale. Even now, the Nipponese Underworld still doesn't dare to go against this order that's been enforced upon them. On top of that, this is not just a matter of 20,000 troops. While it's true that they can only deploy 20,000 troops at a time, and that's nowhere near enough to combat our army, the important thing to realize is that those 20,000 troops will be distributed throughout all of the Nipponese Underworld. In other words, if we focus our attack on a single place, we won't even be facing 20,000 troops."

I see...

Qin Changxin continued, "This is plan A, which involves attacking from the mortal realm."

"Is there something wrong with that?" Qin Ye asked.

Qin Changxin didn't give a direct reply. Instead, he said, "Following this plan would create a problem. The Nipponese Underworld is very much aware of its limitations, so it intentionally made its inter-realm mirrors quite small, thereby making their nation more difficult to invade and easier to defend. Thus, the same restrictions apply to us in that we can also deploy 20,000 troops into their borders at a time."

It was unknown whether the Amatsukami would participate in the war, but there was a very high likelihood that they would. In any case, the main opposition that they would have to face would still be from the Kunitsukami. The Nipponese Underworld could deploy 20,000 troops at a time, but this was referring to deployment from the underworld to the mortal realm, while the same limitation applied to the Cathayan Underworld.

Thus, the 20,000 troops of Hell's army would have to face the four million Kunitsukami, and no matter how weak those Kunitsukami were, victory was still all but assured for them.

Qin Ye stroked his own chin in a contemplative silence for a long while before asking, "What's plan B?"

"Plan B involves attacking from the underworld. We enter Hokkaido from the Strait of Tsushima, locking down the coastline of Hokkaido while the Hanyang Underworld also deploys its troops to intercept the Nipponese Underworld's army from the other side, thereby forcing them into a showdown with us in Kansai or Chugoku. Once that happens, we'll be able to wipe them out in one fell swoop with a forbidden art!"

"What are the limitations of that plan?"

"The issue here is that the Nipponese Underworld has always been extremely cautious when it comes to the Strait of Tsushima. They're constantly monitoring the area, so we wouldn't be able to mobilize our army without their detection. As soon as they discover our intention to attack Hokkaido, they'll be able to choose to engage us in naval warfare in the Sea of Nippon. What makes things even more troublesome is the Nipponese Underworld's national protective array, Divine Wind."

Qin Ye's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this.

Just the name of this array alone spelled trouble.

Many years ago, the Mongolian Empire almost conquered Nippon, but their entire army was forced back into retreat by none other than a gust of wind. All of the Nipponese people thanked the heavens for this miracle, referring to it as the Divine Wind.

Taking back Yue Fei from the Nipponese Underworld was one thing, but there was also the other objective, which was for the Nipponese Underworld to flex its muscles to the entire world. Deploying Yama-Kings alone wouldn't be enough. All of the other three pillars had access to top-tier military formations, which would allow them to stall a Yama-King for a short time with just tens of thousands of Yin soldiers. Thus, Yama-Kings on their own wouldn't be able to produce a sufficiently intimidatory effect.

What they had to display was a brand new way of war that was unique to the Cathayan Underworld.

The intention was to shock the entire world with a moment similar to when the atomic bombs were dropped in the second world war.

Only then would they be able to ensure that the Array of the Nine Gods could be safely withdrawn without the three pillars constantly raring to make a move against the Cathayan Underworld. They would constantly remember that plotting against the Cathayan Underworld could lead to devastating consequences.

With the Divine Wind Array at their disposal, the Nipponese Underworld would definitely choose the Nipponese Sea as their battleground. Even if they didn't react right away, they should at least be able to intercept the Cathayan Underworld's army near Hokkaido, and that would not be ideal.

If they couldn't even take down a third-rate underworld like the Nipponese Underworld with speed and ease, then that would be like a slap to the face for the Cathayan Underworld.

"Looks like neither plan A nor plan B are viable. Is there a plan C?"

Qin Changxin replied, "No, but we do have a combination plan. Firstly, we deploy troops from the Hanyang Underworld to pressure the Nipponese Underworld from the Shikoku region, making it appear as if we're going to launch a direct attack there..."

Before he had a chance to finish, Qin Ye's eyes lit up as he said, "So you're saying we distract them in the underworld while taking down the three unmonitored shimenawa ropes in the mortal realm before using those to enter Hokkaido. After that, we advance our army from both sides to force the enemy to the center, is that correct?"

Before Qin Changxin had a chance to reply, Qin Ye continued, "In doing so, we'll definitely be able to corner the Nipponese Underworld's army into a final showdown, but during the process, they'll vacate a lot of territory, which we'll have to conquer. However, if we do that, our forces will be weakened as we don't have that many troops to spare."

Qin Changxin nodded in response. "That's right, which is why we still need to do one more thing, which is to find puppets for our Cathayan Underworld!"