Yama Rising

In the sky above, an indistinct female figure appeared within the radiant golden light.

At the same time, countless golden lotus flowers also emerged in the air across the entire plaza before slowly blooming. Strangely enough, regardless of which angle one appraised the female figure from, it always felt as if she were looking directly at them.

In response to the ethereal voice, Zhao Yun cupped his fist in a salute and replied, "It is I, Sixfold Ghost King Zhao Yun, serving under the third King Yanluo, and I hereby request you to approve the reconstruction of the six paths of reincarnation."

Qin Ye raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

To his surprise, Zhao Yun wasn't acting very respectfully toward the Goddess Earth Mother. Instead, he was treating her like an equal, as if they were discussing official matters on a level playing field. Technically, wasn't this the manifestation of a deity? It was quite surprising to him that this was the attitude Zhao Yun was displaying to an ancient goddess like the Goddess Earth Mother.

Su Daji seemed to have noticed his befuddlement, and she put on a warm smile as she explained in a gentle voice, "My Lord, Hell and Heaven each have their own duties. Hell has things that it must report to Heaven, and Heaven also has many things that require the approval of Hell. Back when I was serving under Her Highness Nüwa, I learned that Hell and Heaven are a pair of planes, and the Jade Emperor is equivalent in rank to the King Yanluo. Strictly speaking, General Zhao's rank is slightly above that of the Goddess Earth Mother, so there's naturally no need for him to regard her with overt respect. However, the previous rendition of the six paths of reincarnation was formed by the Goddess Earth Mother's body after she ascended to Heaven, so she retains the right to approve or deny the reconstruction of the six paths. Currently, we are asking for her approval. My Lord, I have some understanding of the affairs in Heaven, and I would be honored to serve you with this knowledge in the future."

Qin Hui maintained an amicable smile as he stood off to the side, but he was throwing a full-on profanity-laden tantrum internally.

Dammit, she beat me again! I really can't relax even for a single instant! 

He stroked his own beard to disguise his own ignorance toward Heaven, and he was already racking his brains for something that he could use to compete with Su Daji.

In the sky above, the Goddess Earth Mother gave a slight nod, and her voice was like the strike of a gong, ringing out in everyone's minds. "Over a century ago, Hell collapsed, and currently, the cycle of Yin and Yang is in complete turmoil. The third King Yanluo is doing a great deed by restoring balance to Yin and Yang and supporting the nation with his efforts. Equilibrium in all three realms is the ultimate goal we should be constantly striving toward. If the third King Yanluo wishes to restore the cycle of reincarnation, then he has my blessings to go ahead without any qualms."

After that, the golden figure disintegrated into countless specks of golden light that dissipated through the air.

Was the Goddess Earth Mother... complimenting me just now? 

Qin Ye was like a rat that had found a piece of cheese, and the corners of his lips involuntarily turned upward as he put on a pleased yet reserved smile.

What a capable and pleasant subordinate the Goddess Earth Mother would make!

Right now, I'm sorely lacking in talented individuals like this, who can extend compliments subtly while speaking only the truth. In contrast, Su Daji and Qin Hui's boot-licking tactics are far too clumsy and primitive. Their tactics may have worked thousands of years ago, but it's clear as day that they're putting on a show to gain my favor. 

However, he didn't have any time to revel in self-satisfaction as he discovered that something was amiss.

He wasn't the only one, everyone else had also noticed that something was happening.

The specks of golden light that the projection of the Goddess Earth Mother wasn't naturally dispersing through the air. Instead, they were expanding in all directions like a golden cloud. Initially, Qin Ye didn't notice anything, but soon, he discovered that these specks of golden light were arranging themselves into the same formation as the constellation of the 108 Stars of Destiny.

In the blink of an eye, the golden light had already drifted across the entire city, encompassing the whole area of Lotus City, which was close to 900 square kilometers. Beneath the dark clouds, it was as if countless golden stars were descending from above.

It's begun... 

Everyone had fallen silent. All of the chatter and conversation that had been going on before had given way to silent anticipation.

Finally, the six paths of reincarnation were going to be reinstated, and one of the Sixfold Ghost Kings was overseeing the process in person. There were most likely even countless gods in Heaven looking on with bated breath, let alone those in Hell.

Boom!! The specks of golden light landed on the ground, and even though they were only tiny specks of light, they smashed straight through the ground!

At the same time, Zhao Yun picked up his Courage of Dragons Silver Spear before abruptly plunging it toward the Divine Bronze Tree!

ROAR!!! In the next instant, the entirety of Lotus City trembled in the face of an earth-shattering roar that erupted straight from the depths of the abyss.

However, before the roar had even concluded, 108 specks of golden light suddenly erupted from the ground, then flew straight up into the heavens amid a string of resounding booms. Throughout the entirety of Lotus City, everyone's field of view had been completely transformed into a world of golden radiance.

Qin Ye's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked up into the sky. It was as if the sun were crashing down to earth, making it impossible to see anything clearly. Only after close to 20 minutes had passed did he slowly reopen his eyes, and by the time the dust settled, he couldn't help but draw a sharp breath.

The entire imperial palace had vanished!

They were currently standing on a golden pillar that was countless kilometers tall. The pillar seemed to have been forged from pure gold, and abstract characters and all primitive artworks of all types of living beings were inscribed all over its surface. Furthermore, the pillar wasn't a perfect cylinder. Instead, it consisted of countless sets of remains piled up on one another!

The golden carcasses were hanging off the pillar with their arms spread diagonally upward like Jesus on the cross, and their bodies were fused as one with the pillar. Each carcass was hundreds of meters in size, some of which had three eyes, some had bone spikes all over their bodies, some had three heads and six arms... However, regardless of what form the carcasses took on, each of them had a fiery red metal chain extending through their skeletal mouths.

It was clear that they had all passed away countless years ago, but even now, just the mere sight of them could evoke within one an overwhelming sense of asphyxiation.

"Are these ancient fiendcelestials?" Qin Ye stared at the golden pillars with a stunned expression. He could only see the top halves of the pillars as the bottom halves were inundated by boundless flames.

These were pure Karmic flames, and the 108 pillars seemed to have formed a prison around the fire. Outside of the pillars were layers upon layers of dark clouds. There were twisted faces constantly taking shape within the surging Yin energy before vanishing amid anguished howls, presenting a chilling sight to behold.

At the center of the 108 golden pillars was a lotus flower formed by Karmic fire. The lotus flower bloomed layer after layer before igniting and wilting. The fiery lotus flower was extremely dazzling to behold, and there was someone standing at its center.

It was Ghost Monarch Zhao Yun.

At this moment, he was completely different from his normal self. The only colors left on his entire body were black and white, and he didn't even seem like an actual person. His hair had grown to over 10 meters in length and was flapping wildly in the wind, completely concealing his face. His upper body was pitch-black, and that gradually transitioned into pure white on his lower body, as if he were an envoy of both Yin and Yang. The Courage of Dragons Silver Spear in his grasp had also transformed into a skeletal spear that was over three meters long.

Standing within the scorching flames, he was like the reincarnation of a war god.

"Yu Kiang." He pointed the tip of his spear toward the center of the fiery vortex. "Why are you still struggling? Becoming the foundation for Hell's six paths of reincarnation is the only way for you to survive. The Heavenly Dao has already changed, and it's no longer the same era where devils and gods freely roamed the land. In this current era, your revival will only spell disaster for the world. There is no place for you in Heaven, Hell, or the mortal realm. Only here will you be provided a place to survive, so don't push your luck any further."

There was no response.

Qin Ye was staring intently into the Karmic fire vortex. Within the boundless vortex, a burst of terrifying power was becoming more and more fearsome and pronounced. Right at this moment, Zhao Yun's voice suddenly rang out beside his ears. "Prepare your souls and wait for my instruction."

Qin Ye nodded with a grim expression. In the next instant, a streak of scarlet light abruptly erupted out of the center of the vortex before hurtling directly toward Zhao Yun amid a thunderous roar of fury, only to be met by a dazzling spear projection that resembled a shooting star.

BOOM!! 

It was as if the entirety of heaven and earth were trembling and quaking.

It was impossible to see both sides' attacks, nor what exactly it was that was attacking Zhao Yun. Zhao Yun looked on with a calm expression and said, "In that case, you leave me with no choice."

In the instant that his voice trailed off, his Courage of Dragons Silver Spear transformed into a stark white dragon that plunged itself directly into the center of the Karmic fire vortex, and a blood-curdling howl immediately rang out.

Boom! With this thunderous howl, the fiery vortex erupted over 1,000 meters upward. Qin Ye felt as if he could see a spear plunged squarely into the top of Yu Kiang's head at the bottom of the vortex.

"Release them!" Almost at the exact same moment, Zhao Yun's voice rang out beside Qin Ye's ears, and he immediately made a grabbing motion without any hesitation, upon which the souls of Black Yaksha, Dong Zhuo, and Bu Wantian appeared in his grasp.

The three ghosts faltered slightly as if they were surprised to have been released, and Black Yaksha was first to react as he howled in a hoarse voice. "Y... Your Excellency!! Please spare me! I'm willing to serve as your most loyal subordinate..."

Before he had a chance to finish, Dong Zhuo's screams shook the heavens as his soul writhed and struggled desperately. "This is the foundation of the six paths of reincarnation! What are you going to do to me?! Stop! Stop!! I don't want to go down there! Arrrrgh!"

Qin Ye completely ignored them as he flicked a finger through the air, and the three souls were sent flying toward the Karmic flames with horrified expressions.

"Do you not know the meaning of retribution?" Qin Ye's face was illuminated by the light of the flames, and he looked on at the three horrified souls with a calm expression. "Do you think you deserve to live after what you've done?"

Bu Wantian was the last to realize what was going on, and he began to howl like a madman. "No! No!! You can't do this to me! I don't want to die!! I'm going to live for all of eternity! I am the most regal being in this world!! Spare me! Please spare me! We are the same type of people! How can you treat me in the same way as you're treating these maggots?!"

The screams gradually faded, and as soon as Qin Ye released the souls in his grasp, Zhao Yun also did the same thing, releasing three other souls toward the foundation of the six paths of reincarnation.

During Qin Ye's visit to the Huang Clan's earthen building, Zhao Yun and the Harken had also traveled to other forsaken lands, and in addition to the souls of Dong Zhuo and Black Yaksha, they had already assembled all six irredeemably heinous souls.

The souls entered the flames, but there was no reaction whatsoever.

However, in the next instant, six different shades of red suddenly emerged from within the dazzling sea of fire!

From scarlet on the very bottom to reddish-golden on the very top, there were six clear layers. The flames erupted to over 1,000 meters upward, and Yin energy converged from all directions, forming a fiery mountain that was a blend of red and black!

The mountain of flames was several kilometers tall and took up an area of close to 1,000 square kilometers. It couldn't even be described as a marvelous spectacle anymore. Instead, it was like a divine miracle.

Right as the six-tiered mountain of flames took shape, another thunderous roar of fury rang out from the center of the fiery vortex, following which a burning hand emerged. The hand extended to several kilometers in length, pointing directly up at Zhao Yun in the sky.

"I am Yu Kiang, an ancient god! You think you have what it takes to seal me away?!"

The giant hand was extremely formidable, like a wyrm charging out of the sea, but it drew to a halt around 10 meters away from Zhao Yun, where it began to tremble lightly.

"You're wrong." Zhao Yun raised a hand as he declared, "I'm not the one sealing you away. Instead, it's the Heavenly Dao, the order of the three realms, the implacable will of Yin and Yang. Regardless of who you are, so long as you continue to live under the Heavenly Dao, you can only resign yourself to your fate."

He gently pressed his palm downward as he spoke, and 108 resounding booms rang out as 108 fiery chains shot out of the golden pillars, plunging directly into the sea of fire down below.