Yama Rising

The hall was completely silent for several seconds before taking the box, then took a deep breath and opened it.

They were finally about to find out who their extraterrestrial opponents were.

With the box sitting on the table in front of them, the ruler death gods of the three pillars were already envisioning what their enemies would look like. However, in the instant that the box was opened, a giant clown's head sprang out amid a sharp scream, and at the same time, the word "Surprise!" was spelled out in large crimson text in mid-air.

"!!!" Thanatos was so frightened that he sprang to his feet as if he had been electrocuted. Anubis and Yamaraja were also greatly alarmed, and the Yin energy of the three advanced Yama-Kings instantly surged through the entire hall in a violent wave, only to subside again after a few seconds.

Thanatos had a hand clasped over his own chest, which was heaving violently, and he turned to Qin Ye with an enraged expression. "That wasn't funny at all, Yanluo Qin."

"Yanluo Qin, you are the youngest of the four pillars' ruler death gods," Anubis said as he turned to glare at Qin Ye. "Please act in accordance with your status."

Qin Ye was completely unfazed as he sipped on his tea. "Oh? Why is something like that in there? I've never opened this box before."

The furious look on Thanatos's face became even more pronounced upon hearing this, and Yin energy was beginning to swirl around him again. "Are you insulting our intelligence?"

"This box was given to me by the second King Yanluo."

The Yin energy instantly faded, and Thanatos no longer seemed to be angry anymore.

His enraged expression was instantly replaced by the warmest of smiles, and he returned to his seat before removing the clown's head from the box with a resigned sigh. "As usual, the second King Yanluo has a unique yet tasteful sense of humor."

"It's been a long time since I've been surprised like that," Anubis also chimed in with a smile. "As ruler death gods, we're constantly under immense pressure, so it's great for us to be pranked every once and a while for relaxation and our mental wellbeing. What a thoughtful present this is from the second King Yanluo."

Qin Ye made an inviting hand gesture as a fake smile appeared on his face.

With an injection of Yin energy, the light screen depicting the starry sky appeared once again, and as the second King Yanluo's voice rang out, all of the death gods listened intently.

The message that Qin Ye had heard earlier was delivered once again, and only after a full 20 minutes had passed did the light screen gradually fade, upon which the conference hall fell silent again.

The ruler death gods of the three pillars had all fallen into deep thought, and after a long while, Yamaraja asked, "What do you suggest?"

Qin Ye rose to his feet in response. It had already been half a month since he had seen the canter underworld, and during this time, the Cathayan Underworld's panel of advisors had already provided their answer. Thus, he was far better prepared than the ruler death gods of the three pillars, who had only just seen this message.

"We only have 100 years. After that, we are going to face a devastating war. If I were a death god of the canter underworld, I would definitely choose to initiate this war in Earth's underworld."

All of the death gods nodded in response.

This was very normal. War was undoubtedly going to cause widespread damage, so if the battlefield could be set as the enemy's plane, then that damage would only be inflicted upon them, while one's own plane would remain unharmed, allowing them to constantly send more reinforcements to join in on the war.

"Hence, the first thing that we have to do is burst through the canter underworld's blockade. I'm not sure if all of you noticed that rhomboid fortress. That is perhaps their space fortress, and if that's the case, then they're already beginning to prepare for this war! When the time comes, we'll inevitably have to face attacks from their planar siege weapons. Just the four pillars alone won't be enough to defend the underworld. We must protect every single inch of our territory with everything in our power!"

Just because the four pillars could defend themselves didn't mean that the other underworlds would be able to do the same. If an underworld were to be conquered, then that would become a target for the enemy to descend, and the battlefield would well and truly become Earth's underworld!

"So?" Thanatos's brows furrowed slightly. Everyone understood what had to be done, but that didn't make the task any easier.

Even if they were willing to share all of their Yin runology and cultivation expertise to the rest of the world, how much would they be able to develop in just 100 years?

"So, it's time for us to truly fulfill our duties as the four pillars!" Qin Ye rose to his feet, and among the ruler death gods of the four pillars, he wasn't particularly tall, but he was standing like a mountain at this moment. Even the other three ruler death gods were sensing an unprecedented aura from their younger counterpart.

The aura stemmed from the determination to sweep aside all opposition in the universe, and to usher in a brand new era!

Qin Ye pressed his palms against the surface of the table as he looked around like a prowling tiger. "I genuinely hope that you can all support me in this cause. We only have 100 years left, and during this time, the enemy plane is doing everything in its power to prepare for the upcoming war. This is not something that we can hide from the world for any longer!"

Before any of the other three ruler death gods had a chance to say anything, he continued, "Not only can we not hide this any longer, we have to make it public knowledge! I'm not talking about only revealing the existence of the world's gate, I'm talking about making all information publicly available, including information pertaining to advanced technologies, arts, and even forbidden arts!"

No one said anything, but no one turned down this proposal, either.

The ruler death gods of the three pillars weren't idiots. They all knew that if they could break through the canter underworld and venture into space, a brand new world would be opened up to them.

At that point, things like technology, Yin runes, and resources would no longer be important. All of the underworlds could explore different directions, and all of the civilizations could welcome brand new developments, perhaps even leading to the rise of more death gods!

As one plane was conquered after another and assimilated into Earth's culture, the rise of brand new myths and legends would be inevitable. In the 1,000 years after that, there would most likely be a massive increase in the number of death gods in all civilizations!

"Is the information reliable?" Yamaraja asked.

"We've all heard it just now, so why should there be any doubts?"

"What do you propose?"

Qin Ye took a deep breath, then made a grabbing motion to conjure up a stack of documents out of mid-air, which he sent flying into the hands of the three ruler death gods with a wave of his hand.

The three ruler death gods began to read through the documents, and Thanatos's eyes narrowed slightly as he mused, "The Genesis plan? What an ambitious name."

A faint smile appeared on Qin Ye's face. "Regardless of whether we succeed or fail, our plane will be born anew, so I think the name is very apt."

No one rebuked this statement, and the trio of ruler death gods began to carefully read through the plan. The more they read, the brighter their eyes became, and on several occasions, they were unable to stop themselves from gasping at what they were seeing. Only after a full hour had passed did they close the documents, only to close their eyes in unison as if they were still reeling from what they had just read.

"That was truly unexpected." Thanatos was the first one to open his eyes, and he turned to Qin Ye with an intense gaze. "This is a project the magnitude of which the underworld has never seen. If it succeeds and we win, then your achievements will at least be able to match those of the first King Yanluo!"

For any nation, the founder's achievements could never be surpassed by their successors, but the ruler death gods of the three pillars felt like an exception could be made here.

"However, your Cathayan Underworld is still the main beneficiary of this plan," Anubis remarked. "If we do as you say, then the Cathayan Underworld will be able to replenish its losses with the entire world's resources, and you'll be able to return to your former glory in the next century. How will we stand to benefit from that?"

Qin Ye looked directly into his eyes and replied, "I don't think there's any need for us to continue bickering and competing with one another in this plane."

His words weren't very flattering, but they were definitely reasonable.

"The outside world is infinitely large. How many times have we bickered and quarreled over who gets to secure more interests on this small planet? Are you not embarrassed when you think back to all of that? If we can venture out into space, there will be peace between us for at least the next several thousand years. In fact, we could even become the closest of allies and advance toward the eternal corridor together. If my plan succeeds, nothing will be beyond our reach. As the initiator of this plan, why can't we benefit the most from it? Don't forget that the enemy plane has three beings above the Yama-King level. Our Cathayan Underworld can take care of one on our own, but what can you do?"

Before they had a chance to say anything, Qin Ye continued, "Also, this plan isn't just beneficial for our Cathayan Underworld. Firstly, this plan must be jointly announced by our four pillars for it to have sufficient impact. In other words, the influence of the four of us will be elevated to the max within our respective religions! If we manage to break through the shackles and advance into space, a lengthy era of colonization will follow. Do you want more ruler death gods to appear in the future to potentially undermine our positions in our respective religions? As we colonize more and more planes and get further and further away from Earth, that will inevitably happen, but as long as we can maintain our influence, there's no way anyone would be able to outstrip us."

For example, as more and more planes were conquered and Taoism was spread to other planes, unpredictable changes would undoubtedly arise. Some planes would worship one death god, while other planes would worship another. This was very normal. It was just like how in Buddhism, some people believed in the Boddhisattva, some worshiped the Tathāgata, and some revered the Maitreya-nātha.

This was controllable on Earth due to its limited size, but what about in space?

Only by ensuring that they would remain as the sole paramount deity of their respective religions could they ensure that they wouldn't be replaced. Otherwise, they would follow the same fate as Mictlantecutli and Mictetikasiwa.

After 10 more minutes of silence, Yamaraja said, "This is an extremely important matter, so I need time to think about it. I'll be returning to the Mahabodhi Temple right away, and I'll give you an answer in half a month. Also, what are we going to do with Usonia? There's no way that mad couple in Usonia would be willing to speak to us like this, and there's no one on the new continent capable of overtaking them. During the attack of the canter underworld, they're going to be a volatile factor."

In response to this concern, a faint smile appeared on Qin Ye's face as he said, "How about you leave that to me? I'll go convince those two, and I'm 90% confident that I'll be successful in that endeavor. This will also be a gesture of good faith from me."

The other three ruler death gods exchanged a glance before accepting this arrangement and rising to their feet.

"Rest assured, we all understand the significance of this proposal, and we'll be sure to consider it carefully."