Yama Rising

"Within the next half a year, our Cathayan Underworld will be issuing letters of invitation to all of the major enterprises of the aforementioned five nations. Of course, enterprises can put their own names forward as well. In the end, our Cathayan Underworld will conduct an evaluation on all of the candidate enterprises, and each nation will have one to two enterprises that'll receive the construction and development rights of the base stations."

After that, Qin Ye extended a slight bow before returning to his seat.

As an opening report to clarify the Cathayan Underworld's plans, half an hour was already sufficient. As for the remaining finer details, they would be discussed during the minor conferences and one-to-one discussions between underworlds. Qin Ye had brought along sufficient professional personnel to take care of those procedures.

He cast a surreptitious gaze toward Izanami once again. She was wearing a slightly reserved smile, and it seemed that she was wary of something.

Qin Ye was certain that Izanami would take the bait after providing such alluring terms.

Initiating war against the Nipponese Underworld definitely wasn't as simple as just sending Yama-Kings to conquer the nation.

In order to facilitate the invasion, he needed all types of reasons, and it was exactly because of this that he needed to consider the state of the world. At the very least, he had to silence the underworlds as much as possible, and these concessions were what he was using to keep everyone quiet.

This was also the first step to stripping away the Nipponese Underworld's defenses prior to initiating the war.

There were all types of expenses required for an invasion, and those expenses really could add up. As an example, in the mortal realm, Usonia's economy had been heavily affected during its war efforts, even though it was only fighting the Middle East, and Qin Ye definitely didn't want to replicate that.

"What an inspiring speech! The generosity of the Cathayan Underworld is truly admirable!" As the host, Yamaraja returned to the lectern. "Next, it will be the Hindustani Underworld's turn to deliver an address. Without further ado, I will express my opinions on the Asian-Pacific economy..."

Yamaraja's address was also quite spectacular, but with the bombshell that the Cathayan Underworld had dropped earlier, the ruler death gods of the Asian underworlds were barely able to focus.

They were all looking at Qin Ye, eagerly awaiting the end of the conference so that they could immediately extend requests to meet Qin Ye in person.

Soon, another two and a half hours passed by, and all of the representatives had delivered their addresses on behalf of their nations. As soon as the conclusion of the morning meeting was declared, all of the ruler death gods of the Asian underworlds immediately rushed toward Qin Ye.

"Yanluo Qin." Izanami hurried over to Qin Ye's side with a smile. "I am truly in awe and admiration of the Cathayan Underworld's generosity. Would you be able to spare some time out of your busy schedule for me? It would be a great honor for me if I could have lunch with you, Yanluo Qin."

Qin Ye turned to her with a smile and replied, "I'm also very happy to plan out the economic blueprint of Asia with the Nipponese Underworld. The Nipponese Underworld is undoubtedly an indispensable part of the Asian economy. However, I think this discussion should take place between the major companies and organizations of our two nations, rather than our governments. Only then will the trade barriers truly be done away with, wouldn't you agree?"

Izanami's expression stiffened ever so slightly upon hearing this, but she quickly regained her composure as she smiled and replied, "That does make sense. What a pity. I hope to be able to speak with you again soon, Yanluo Qin."

Izanami extended a bow with impeccable etiquette, then departed with Daitengu.

As soon as she turned around, a cold look immediately appeared on her face.

She wasn't bothered by Qin Ye's rejection of her invitation. In reality, that was the expected outcome. After all, the Nipponese Underworld had acted as the spearhead for the three pillars for so long, and these things were not forgiven so easily.

What really frustrated her was that what Qin Ye was doing essentially completely kept out the demons and gods of the Nipponese Underworld!

He had explicitly chosen the daimyos to work with, and the Cathayan Underworld controlled the entire assessment process, which meant that only the daimyos would be granted the base station construction rights! Her intention was to invite Qin Ye to lunch so that she could try and convince Qin Ye to include the demons and gods in the deal as well, but he had turned her down decisively.

"There's no need to be too upset," Daitengu said. "The Cathayan Underworld is clearly trying to exacerbate the conflict between the two major domestic factions of our nation, but just as you said, we've been abandoned and left out to dry by the three pillars. As a small nation, we have to learn to survive within the cracks. The three pillars have abandoned us, so our top priority right now is to mend our relationship with the Cathayan Underworld. Even if the demons and gods aren't involved, it's still a good thing that we can establish a connection with the Cathayan Underworld through the daimyos. Isn't that the exact same reason you implemented that policy a while back, allowing tourists from the Cathayan Underworld to visit our Nipponese Underworld without visas? Some compromises must be made, we can't always expect perfect outcomes."

Izanami heaved a faint sigh. "Looks like I was a little too greedy. Let's go. Get Ashikaga Yoshiaki to keep a close eye on the kampakus, I don't want to see the daimyos become too powerful."

"Understood."

……………………………………

Among the Asian-Pacific underworlds, all of them aside from the Hindustani Underworld wanted to speak with Qin Ye in person. However, the Cathayan Underworld hadn't invited any ruler death gods. Instead, they had invited the ministries of commerce of those nations.

The first ones to enter the conference hall were the three kampakus of the Nipponese Underworld, and everyone was forced to see them through new eyes.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Hōjō Tokimune, and Honda Tadakatsu had no attention to spare for all of the envious eyes focused on them. For them, the discussion that was coming up was one that would decide their fates.

The four of them made their way uneasily into the conference hall, upon which they immediately heaved a long sigh of relief.

Qin Ye was present in person.

"Yanluo Qin." Hōjō Tokimune stepped forward and extended a deep bow as he said in a trembling voice, "On behalf of the daimyos, we express our sincerest gratitude for your assistance! The daimyos will forever be the most loyal followers of the Cathayan Underworld in the Nipponese Underworld!"

"Take a seat." Qin Ye smiled as he made an inviting hand gesture, and four daimyos did as they were told. Qin Ye then waved a hand through the air, releasing countless Yin runes, and said, "I don't like to waste time going around in circles. What could be so important that the three most influential daimyos in Nipponese history have decided to contact me? And why were you being so subtle with what you were trying to say?"

He really did understand!

All of the daimyos heaved another internal sigh of relief. They had already guessed that Qin Ye had understood what they were trying to convey, but they were still quite relieved to hear it confirmed.

"We wish to seek help from the Cathayan Underworld." Hōjō Tokimune cut straight to the chase. It was clear that they had done their homework, so they were aware that Qin Ye didn't like to waste time with unnecessary small talk. "We are willing to offer everything we have in return!"

Qin Ye raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, and he released a hint of his Yin energy, filling the entire hall with a menacing atmosphere, which caused the three daimyos to involuntarily sit up straighter.

With a wave of his hand, Qin Ye summoned four parchment scrolls to himself, then said in an implacable voice, "Sign it or get out."

Those are Heavenly Dao vows!

The netherfire in the eyes of three daimyos flickered slightly as they stared at Qin Ye.

After a full minute of silence, Honda Tadakatsu imparted his soulfire onto the scroll in front of him.

"What are you all still hesitating for?" he asked as he slammed his Heavenly Dao vow onto the table. "Are you going to just pass up this opportunity? We've been oppressed and suffocated for several centuries! All of us were heroes in the mortal realm! Are you really willing to continue living like this?"

Toyotomi Hideyoshi's facial muscles spasmed slightly as he gritted his teeth, then also imparted his soulfire onto his scroll.

Qin Ye wasn't surprised by their decisions at all.

Strictly speaking, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu were sworn enemies. After all, Toyotomi Hideyoshi had been fighting on the front lines with Daehan, while Tokugawa Ieyasu had conserved his forces and seized power for himself. The fact that the two of them were willing to sit at the same table for the same cause was already a clear indication of just how important this opportunity was to them.

After Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu and Hōjō Tokimune also signed their Heavenly Dao vows one after another.

"Good." Qin Ye put the four scrolls away, then turned to the four underworld emissaries with a bright and piercing gaze. "Let me ask you this: are you opposed to serving a new ruler death god?"

As soon as his voice trailed off, the four underworld emissaries stood up in unison to stare at Qin Ye with stunned expressions.

Never did they think that this was the type of help Qin Ye would be seeking from them!

The Cathayan Underworld was going to initiate a war to conquer the Nipponese Underworld!

Countless emotions were surging through their hearts, and they instinctively wanted to refuse, but they couldn't bring themselves to do so.

If they missed out on this opportunity, there would be nothing left for them...

Furthermore, it wasn't like the Cathayan Underworld wouldn't be able to conquer the Nipponese Underworld without their help.

If they were to refuse, then many issues would arise.

Given the current state of the Nipponese Underworld, they would definitely have to go into battle, and there was a very good chance that they would be used as cannon fodder. If they refused to act as cannon fodder, then Izanami would kill them before the war even began. If they were to step onto the battlefield, then they would be enemies of the Cathayan Underworld. The outcome of the war was clear, so they would be downright idiotic if they chose to refuse this offer and become enemies with their future master.

The entire hall instantly fell deathly silent. This was too important a decision, so much so that they didn't dare to say anything. Only after a long while did Tokugawa Ieyasu find his voice again. "Once the Cathayan Underworld conquers the Nipponese Underworld, does that mean that the Nipponese Underworld would cease to exist?"

He didn't even state the outcome in a hypothetical sense as the outcome was far too clear.

"No, I won't erase any civilizations," Qin Ye replied. "The Nipponese Underworld will still be allowed to develop independently, while our Cathayan Underworld will only offer political guidance. This arrangement will last a span of 300 years. Firstly, I can guarantee the preservation of the daimyo system. I'll have to tell you this sooner or later anyway, so I may as well reveal this to you now: the future ruler of the Nipponese Underworld will be Oda Nobunaga, so he'll definitely stand up for the rights of the daimyos."

The room fell silent yet again.

However, it was clear that this statement had had an impact on the four underworld emissaries.

Their differences from back in the mortal realm had already been set aside after their deaths. Not many people still held onto their grudges from their living days even after their deaths. Instead, most of them chose to band together as they were from the same era. Thus, having Oda Nobunaga in power would be far better than being ruled over by Izanami.

"Also, your statuses and fiefs will not be changed, whereas the system of demons and gods will be completely eradicated."

The native death gods couldn't be allowed to continue to exist once a nation was conquered!