Yama Rising

There was no response to his alarmed cries, and he swept a hand through the air to conjure up a Yin energy screen, which acted as a mirror through which he could check his own reflection.

Indeed, he had grown up. He had grown from a youth with slight traces of childlike features into a young man. He was handsome and gallant, and upon fully developing, there was an extra sense of authority and regal prestige to his facial features. Clad in his golden nine-dragon robe with a golden dragon crown on his head, a white jade belt with golden strands around his waist, and a small seal hanging from the belt, he truly fit the description of Jia Baoyu in "Dream of the Red Chamber": His face bore the complexion of the full moon with cheeks the color of delicate spring flowers. His chin looked as if it had been chiseled out of stone, and his brows were like artistic masterpieces, while his eyes rippled like a clear spring. [1]

Oh my lord, look at this handsome devil! Come at me, Local Bully, let's see who's most handsome now! In the looks department, I ain't scared of anyone! 

However, this wasn't the time to be admiring himself, and he swept a hand through the air to erase the Yin energy screen. He then swept his gaze across everyone present before suddenly raising an arm and pointing his index finger in Qin Hui and Su Daji's direction.

The two daolords were rather perplexed by this gesture, and they exchanged a befuddled glance.

In the next instant, Qin Ye flicked his index finger through the air, and an earth-shattering boom instantly rang out.

An explosive boom erupted in the air to the left of the two daolords, and a hole that was several dozen meters in size immediately took shape.

The fierce winds swept up by the power of the finger flick were making Qin Hui and Su Daji's robes flap violently around them, and Qin Hui's mouth was gaped open as he lowered his head with a stunned expression to appraise the hole in the ground. The attack had arrived far too quickly for him to even follow with his eyes, and it was only the flick of a finger, yet it was already capable of such destructive power.

If the two daolords were capable of sweating, then they would already be drenched in cold sweat. Even so, their souls were trembling. They didn't know whether this was an intimidation or warning tactic from Qin Ye, or if it was just a simple test of power, but that wasn't important.

In the instant that the space beside them was shattered, the two of them had already reflexively bowed down and kowtowed to the ground. "Yanluo Qin's might is truly unmatched! Congratulations, my Lord!"

So this is the power of a Yama-King... Qin Ye slowly withdrew his finger before turning to Zhao Yun. "How long has it been?"

"It's been three days, my Lord."

"Three days..." Qin Ye nodded in response before closing his eyes. In an instant, he felt as if his soul had risen up into the sky, reaching a lofty vantage point that allowed him to see the entire nation, while he was the ruler of the land, looking down at his own territory.

So this is what it feels like... He was slightly overcome by emotion as he looked down with a smile. In this instant, not only had he progressed to the Yama-King level, he had finally attained power befitting his status as King Yanluo. He had always wanted to see what it felt like to see the entire nation at will like Zhao Yun could, and after scaling to the summit of this mountain, he discovered that it was an extremely wonderful feeling.

He took a deep breath before declaring in an authoritative voice, "I am the third King Yanluo of Hell, Qin Ye."

His voice was like rumbling thunder, audible throughout the entire land spanning an area in excess of ten million square kilometers.

All of the Yin spirits looked up at the sky with astonished expressions, and they discovered that the night that had prevailed for three whole days was slowly receding!

The voice in the heavens was as implacable as it was authoritative, and it resounded in every corner of the Cathayan Underworld. Regardless of whether it was the netherworldly citizens living in the cities, the evil ghosts roaming the wilderness, or the Yin beasts hiding from the Emissaries of Hell, all of them raised their heads to listen to Qin Ye's holy decree in this instant.

"I am the ruler of the Cathayan Underworld. I arrived here during a time of turmoil in a fractured nation. I was once just an ordinary citizen, but thanks to the blessings of the Heavenly Dao, I was able to rise up through the ranks, unite the nation, and deliver peace to the land. On this day, in the seventh month of the sixth year of my rule, I have ascended to become a Yama-King, the first new Yama-King of the Qin Dynasty. I am currently situated in Lotus City, while my capital is established in Everburn. Let this be known to the entire nation."

This was an announcement that had already been prepared well in advance, and it referenced the inauguration edict of the Hongwu Emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang. However, this was an extremely abbreviated version of that edict. After all, his inauguration had already passed, and this was only an announcement declaring his breakthrough.

In Everburn, Oda Nobunaga closed his eyes as he took a deep breath, then extended a deep bow to 90 degrees. Even though no one could see him, he was still bowing in earnest. "It is truly wonderful news to hear of your breakthrough, my Lord. I offer you and the Cathayan Underworld my most heartfelt congratulations!"

He was alone in his office, so no one could see what he was doing, but in this instant, over 100,000 Emissaries of Hell across the entirety of the Cathayan Underworld were emulating his gesture as they yelled in unison, "Congratulations on your breakthrough, Yanluo Qin! The entire nation will rise in celebration for the arrival of the Cathayan Underworld's first new Yama-King!"

The first Yama-King of the third coming of Hell was no different from the first nuclear bomb of Cathay in the mortal realm! It was truly an occasion worthy of celebration across the entire nation!

However, he still wasn't finished yet.

Amid the raucous commotion that had rung out across the entire nation, Qin Ye's voice rang out again. "Ever since my inauguration, I feel as if I've performed my duties to an adequate standard, but it was only with everyone's help that I was able to make this breakthrough today. As a Yama-King, I'm able to grant promotions to all ranks below the Yama-King level. Arakshasa, heed my call."

All of the Emissaries of Hell immediately began to listen intently upon hearing this.

The education system hadn't been established yet, so the power system of the underworld and the concept of cultivation still wasn't common knowledge among netherworldly citizens. However, all of the Emissaries of Hell knew about this, and in addition to that, they knew that in order to secure leadership roles, power was the paramount factor taken into consideration. The Emissaries of Hell had to lead from the front, so if they were to encounter powerful evil ghosts, the leaders would have to step up, and cowering was not an option.

However, most Emissaries of Hell were only Netherworld Operatives. No, in actuality, most of them weren't even at that level yet. In contrast, Arakshasa was already an Infernal Judge, so what promotion was she going to receive? What promotion could she receive?

In this instant, all of the Emissaries of Hell had fallen completely silent and were listening intently.

In the next instant, countless Yin energy screens appeared all over the Cathayan Underworld, and the majestic six paths of reincarnation were presented before the netherworldly citizens for the very first time.

"My god..."

"What is that? A mountain of fire?"

"That's so badass!"

Amid the raucous commotion, Qin Ye was hovering in mid-air, and the pages of Hell's Record were flipping rapidly in front of his chest as he continued, "Arakshasa will be temporarily stripped of her role as minister of foreign affairs and instated as the warden of the six paths of reincarnation, taking over the 100,000-strong Hell Guardian Army. At the same time, she will be awarded the title of Soul Vanquishing Abyssal Prefect."

"Yes!"

Immediately following Arthis's response, boundless Yin energy surged into her body, forming a gigantic Yin energy cocoon. Even through the screens, all of the Yin spirits could sense that her Yin energy was spiking in a frenzy.

All Yin spirits had an instinctive desire for cultivation progression, and all of the Emissaries of Hell were extremely envious to see this.

So this is her promotion? She gets to go up an entire major rank?! 

"I suppose this is the benefit of being one of Lord Qin's earliest subordinates." In a certain city, a municipal magistrate looked on with envy, and he was clenching his fists so tightly within the sleeves of his blue robes that veins were bulging on the backs of his hands. "From Infernal Judge to Abyssal Prefect is an extremely lengthy journey, yet she's received a free one-way ticket to the final destination!"

The warden of the six paths of reincarnation was an extremely important role, one that countless Emissaries of Hell would die for! Yes, it didn't sound as important as the minister of foreign affairs, but currently, the Cathayan Underworld was shut off from the rest of the world, so the department of foreign exchange only existed in name, while the warden of the six paths of reincarnation held immense practical power! In fact, when it came to power and influence, this role outstripped even the minister of foreign affairs!

The six paths of reincarnation were destined to be independent from all of the underworld's departments, and regardless of whether you were an Emissary of Hell or one of the countless netherworldly citizens of the underworld, everyone had to be on good terms with the warden of the six paths of reincarnation!

Envy was something that could often reveal one's true character, and there were many comments bearing different attitudes being thrown around among all the Emissaries of Hell.

"How is she special in any way aside from the fact that she was one of Lord Qin's first subordinates?"

"If we had met Lord Qin earlier, she would be a complete nobody!"

"I'm going to be brutally honest here, I can do everything that she's capable of, and everything that she can't do or wouldn't dare to do, I'm also capable of doing!"

"... Is that really supposed to be a compliment to yourself?"

However, Arthis wasn't the only one to receive this honor.

"Oda Nobunaga, heed my call."

"I'm here, my Lord!"

The image of Oda Nobunaga far away in the North Yin Pavillion appeared on the Yin energy screens.

Qin Ye smiled and said, "Abyssal Prefects are high-grade Emissaries of Hell. Even with Hell's Record at my disposal, I can only instate two Abyssal Prefects per 200 years."

"I understand." Oda Nobunaga's heart was filled with scorching yearning and anticipation, but his expression remained as calm as ever. 

Back in Honnoji in the Obsidian Heaven’s Eye Bowl, the two of them had sat and spoken as equals, yet now, he was serving as Qin Ye's subordinate and was about to receive a breakthrough at his behest.

All of a sudden, he was overcome by a series of emotions.

"I promised you that I would conquer Amano-Iwato one day, and I never go back on my word."

In this instant, even the ruthless Oda Nobunaga felt a surge of warmth flow through his heart, and he was prepared to lay down his life for Qin Ye.

He knew that the Nipponese Underworld was far too insignificant compared with the Cathayan Underworld, and the two simply weren't on the same level when it came to power. Thus, in order to secure vengeance, his only hope was to pledge his loyalty to the Cathayan Underworld. However, never did he think that the Cathayan Underworld would be in such terrible condition.

In the short span of just six years, it had progressed to this stage. In its current form, the Cathayan Underworld would have a decent chance at conquering the Nipponese Underworld. In fact, if Zhao Yun were to feature in the battle, then it would be a definite victory for the Cathayan Underworld. However, what the Cathayan Underworld wanted was a crushing and overwhelming victory, not a grueling victory during which countless sacrifices had to be made.

Thus, the Cathayan Underworld had never mentioned this matter.

He had once thought that Qin Ye had already forgotten about this, and as his subordinate, Oda Nobunaga didn't dare to ask. However, Qin Ye was now telling him that the Cathayan Underworld hadn't forgotten, and that it fully intended to conquer Amano-Iwato someday!

Just this alone was enough to bring tears to his eyes.

"I wouldn't dare to make such a selfish demand! The development of the Cathayan Underworld should be prioritized above all else. My Lord..." Oda Nobunaga extended a respectful bow as he said, "The dairokuten maou of Nippon is already dead. Right now, there is only Oda Nobunaga, Emissary of Hell. I... have a request that I would like to make."

"Go ahead."

Oda Nobunaga took a deep breath before requesting, "Please grant me your surname, my Lord! From now on, there will be no Oda Family in this world. From this day forth, I will be an Emissary of Hell and an Emissary of Hell only!"

Qin Ye nodded in response. "I would be honored. After all, we've been through so much together these past few years."

He paused momentarily before declaring, "Oda Nobunaga will be granted the title of Sun Conquering Abyssal Prefect and the surname of Qin. From now on, Oda Nobunaga will be Qin Changxin, and Oda Nobutada will be Qin Xinzhong. At the same time, Qin Xinzhong will be granted the title of Sunset Infernal Judge." [2]

"Subordinate Qin Changxin thanks Lord Qin for his blessings!"

As soon as his voice trailed off, a streak of Yin energy surged through the air as countless Emissaries of Hell looked on with envious expressions from all over the nation. The streak of Yin energy instantly sped over a vast distance, traveling from Lotus City to the top of the North Yin Pavilion.

It resembled a black dragon as it hurtled through the air before crashing down from above, sending violent shockwaves erupting in all directions. At the same time, Qin Changxin's Yin energy erupted up into the clouds in all directions as everyone bore witness to his ascent to the rank of Abyssal Prefects!

New Hell's Legacy: On the 18th day of the fifth month of the sixth year since the new Hell's establishment, the third King Yanluo, Qin Ye, officially became a Yama-King, becoming the first new Yama-King of the Qin Dynasty. This was an extremely impactful event in the history of the new Cathayan Underworld.

New Hell's Legacy: On the 18th day of the fifth month of the sixth year since the new Hell's establishment, one of the founding heroes of the new Hell, Arakshasa, was awarded the title of Soul Vanquishing Abyssal Prefect and the role of warden of the six paths of reincarnation. She would go on to become the Yama-King of the ninth palace, known as the Monarch of Reincarnation. Another one of the nation's founding heroes, Qin Changxin (originally Oda Nobunaga, but was granted the Qin surname on this day), was awarded the title of Sun Conquering Abyssal Prefect. He would go on to become the Yama-King of the 10th palace, known as the Monarch of Conquest. He would oversee the areas of national defense and international warfare, and this would be the beginning of his journey to conquering the Nipponese Underworld, Amano-Iwato. 

[1] [Dream of the Red Chamber is an extremely renowned Chinese novel, and is one of China's Four Great Classical Novels. Jia Baoyu is the main character of the novel and is said to be extremely handsome.]

[2] [As some of you may know, there is a type of Japanese characters known as kanji, which is essentially adapted from the Chinese language. Hence, Chinese and kanji share many characters that are pronounced differently. In the cases of Oda Nobunaga and Oda Nobutada, the kanji characters for Nobunaga and Nobutada are pronounced as Changxin and Xinzhong, respectively. Given that they have pledged themselves to the Cathayan Underworld here and taken on a Cathayan (Chinese) surname, I feel like it's appropriate to convert their names into Chinese as well. Also, Qin Nobunaga and Qin Nobutada sound extremely weird LOL.]