Yama Rising

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Inside the valley, one white shockwave spread through the air after another, and each one was more powerful than the previous one.

The clouds in the sky were scattered, and violent tremors ran through the earth. The echo from the walls of the valley made it sound as if a mountain god were banging on their drum with reckless abandon, and the clouds and mist at the bottom of the valley were completely eradicated. The light of day had been absent from this place for a very long time, yet it was now welcoming a dazzling explosion of light. Earth-shattering booms rang out in all directions as the surrounding mountains collapsed, unable to withstand the force of such a terrifying explosion.

Countless loose rocks came rolling down while dust and shrapnel erupted up into the sky. The devastating explosion continued for what seemed like an eternity, and when the mountains finally stopped swaying, the entire terrain had already been completely transformed.

The ground was riddled with pits and trenches, and several mountains had been completely toppled. Countless trees had been felled, and their branches could be seen poking out stoically from the cracks between the fallen rocks. The entire area had turned deathly silent.

Within the deathly silence, a white shadow that was around the size of a human head flew out before suddenly plunging toward the valley down below.

The valley was extremely deep, and its bottom was a vast expanse of boundless darkness. It was impossible to see the original appearance of the valley as it had been completely transformed by the explosion. The white shadow flew over the fallen rocks, which stretched for several hundred meters, and after a careful examination lasting a span of around 20 minutes, it finally let loose an elated cry.

He's dead! That abhorrent human is finally dead! How could he not be dead after that explosion? 

The red complexion of its body faded as it returned to its pristine white form, yet it didn't fly back up. Instead, it continued to fly along the bottom of the valley, and after flying over the fallen rocks for a long while, it finally found a small gap up ahead.

The gap was only small in the context of the entire valley. In reality, it was around half a meter wide and three meters tall, so the white cicada was able to fly through it with ease.

On the other side stood a stone cabin!

Inside the stone cabin was a stone table, stone chairs, and a stone dressing table. It seemed that this was a place where a woman would've once lived, but a thick layer of dust had settled over everything.

The stone cabin was around five to six meters in radius, and at its center was a box.

The box very much resembled a coffin that was standing upright, except it was far wider than a normal coffin. It was around five meters wide and three meters tall, and extremely intricate designs clearly in the style of the Qin and Han Dynasties were engraved onto its surface. At the center of this box was a round hole.

The white cicada flew directly toward the hole, and its body clicked into place in the hole. It was a perfect fit! Immediately thereafter, the door of the box slowly swung open, and a woman in a palatial dress emerged from within.

No, this wasn't a woman, it was a wooden puppet! One that had been crafted from a human body!

The flesh, bones, and skin of the body still hadn't decayed after all this time, and her neck, wrists, and other joints displayed clear signs of mechanical assembly. There were also no eyeballs in her eye sockets, and after walking about two meters out of the box, the woman extended a slight bow toward the air in front of her before falling completely still like a true puppet.

Three seconds later, melodious music played by a zither rang out from within the box, and as it did so, the woman suddenly sprang into action again, whipping out her long sleeves with a flourish as she began to twirl on the spot.

Her dress flapped elegantly around her, making her resemble a peony in full bloom.

This was a music box constructed with the body of a human!

Inside the belly of the giant turtle was a mythical immortal mountain, and on the mountain was a music box that could be opened by a cicada to reveal a wooden puppet crafted from a human body... The music was very pleasant and melodious, but the scene itself was extremely unsettling.

"This is 'The Courting Phoenix'." Right at this moment, a raspy voice rang out. "It's been a long time since I heard this song..."

The wooden puppet drew to an abrupt halt, and the white cicada on the box instantly turned a bright red color. Its rapidly flapping wings gave off a faint buzzing sound, which was accompanied by the low screeches that it was emitting. However, it seemed to be unable to extricate itself from the box, and it could only screech and flap its wings to express its fury.

Someone else had made their way into the stone cabin!

The screeching from the white cicada grew louder and louder, but as long as "The Courting Phoenix" didn't draw to a close, it would be unable to free itself from the music box. However, it didn't need to struggle any longer as someone else was about to release it from the box. A hand gently laid itself onto the cicada's back.

A hint of horror surfaced in the white cicada's tiny eyes, and right behind it, layers of darkness dissipated to reveal a charred black hand with scraps of burnt fabric still clinging to it. Immediately thereafter, all of the darkness faded, and Qin Ye was revealed in an extremely sorry state.

He didn't die, but he certainly wasn't in prime condition, either. Most of his clothes had been charred black, and the openings of all his orifices were caked in dried blood. His intricately woven Yama-King robes had been torn to shreds by the violent explosion, and even his golden crown had gone missing, leaving his hair completely disheveled and frazzled.

He smiled at the white cicada.

"Malfurion Stormrage." As soon as he opened his mouth, blood immediately came gushing out, and he was overcome by a violent fit of coughing that lasted close to 20 seconds before he finally took a deep breath and continued in a hoarse voice, "It looks like I am the winner of this battle of Mount Hyjal. Archimonde wasn't as smart as I am. In the face of so many oncoming faeries, he refused to retreat and paid the price for it. In contrast, my wise and brilliant self was able to survive. Do you play World of Warcraft as well? I must say, this scene that you orchestrated is very similar to a certain part of the game. Oh, I forgot that you're unable to reply..." [1]

As soon as his voice trailed off, he abruptly tightened his grip, and veins began to bulge on his arms as he dug his fingers viciously into the white cicada's body.

"Now then, it's time for me to destroy Azeroth!" [2]

He pulled back his arm forcefully, and the white cicada was wrenched out of the music box. It could be seen even with the naked eye that there were traces of blood on its bright red body, and in the instant that it was pulled out of the music box, the wooden puppet let loose an anguished shriek before collapsing to the ground.

The bones of the puppet pierced through its skin and tore it to shreds as the pungent odor of decay wafted through the air. The mechanical pieces inside the puppets, such as screws and blocks of wood, clattered all over the floor. At the same time, the white cicada began to screech desperately as it tried to turn around with all its might.

Instead of crushing the white cicada between his fingers, Qin Ye heaved a faint sigh and slowly injected his Yin energy into the cicada's body. "Qi Nü, one of the 10 divine insects in Cathayan legends, possessing human emotions and able to understand the human language, but is unable to speak it... It is truly regrettable that I was unable to immediately identify you the first time we met. Then again, who could've possibly anticipated that there would be another divine creature outside of Gui Xu here?"

The same applied to the sun and the earth. Who could've imagined that they would both be celestial bodies that had featured in legends?

He sat down heavily onto one of the stone chairs, and his legs felt impossibly heavy. He was supporting himself with one hand pressed against the stone table, and he was panting heavily.

There was a burning pain inside his chest and stomach cavities, and even taking a single breath felt like a monumental task. It was very clear to him that his organs had most definitely been severely wounded, and he was extremely fortunate not to have perished or been disabled by the explosion.

That was truly a close call. Only in the final second before those white cicadas self-detonated was he struck by a sense of extreme peril, peril that could spell doom even for a Yama-King! Initially, he had no idea what type of insect those cicadas were, but after facing such a major crisis, he finally figured out the answer.

"It's said that Qi Nü was once a human noblewoman, but she suffered an unjust death and lost a part of her three souls and seven spirits. As a result, her body mutated into a cicada." He was still panting heavily, but he didn't pause even for a second as he continued, "That body is your body, right? You've been using that body for over 2,000 years, haven't you? As for the reason you became Qi Nü, it's because your husband crafted you into this wooden puppet, isn't that right, wife of Xu Fu?"

The white cicada shuddered slightly upon hearing this before suddenly falling silent.

Unbeknownst to the white cicada, Qin Ye was very relieved to see its reaction, and his spare hand balled up into a tight fist, but he maintained a calm and carefree facade as he continued, "As the most powerful cultivator in Cathayan history, he deprived you of several of your souls and spirits, reducing you to this incomplete existence. What does he gain from doing this?"

He seemed to be speaking to himself at this point as he leaned back against the chair. "He did this because you can awaken Gui Xu... The destination that Xu Fu stumbled upon on his final voyage was Yingzhou. I don't know whether Gui Xu was already dead at the time, but my guess is that it was. Xu Fu transformed Gui Xu into an immortal ship, but he had to leave behind someone whom he could place his absolute trust in to man this ship in his absence."

He gently closed his eyes as he continued, "And the most trustworthy people are always the dead. Qi Nü... Your name doesn't feature in Cathay's historical records, but the fact that you're here means that Xu Fu brought you with him during his voyage."

Qin Ye's voice was as alluring as that of a demon as he mused, "He also knew that the voyage to search for the immortal mountains was nothing more than a wild goose chase, and that the emperor wouldn't have spared you if he hadn't taken you with him. It's only a pity that he had a change of heart...

Qin Ye heaved a forlorn sigh as he spoke, and the white cicada stiffened slightly upon hearing this.

Complex human emotions appeared in its eyes. Indeed, Xu Fu's initial intentions had been pure, but he had a change of heart at some point...

Qin Ye's words were causing something to stir deep inside her scattered memories.

"By a stroke of complete blind fortune, you failed to find Penglai, which was said to be home to the elixir of immortality, but you stumbled upon Yingzhou instead. It was from that point that your loving marriage slowly disintegrated, and the two of you gradually turned on each other. Having consumed the Taisui fungus, Xu Fu would've been more aware than anyone of just how fickle human nature is," Qin Ye sighed in a forlorn voice. "He consumed the elixir of immortality that was meant for the emperor, if word of this were to spread, he would be hunted to all corners of the world! Thus, he became extremely paranoid, and over time, his paranoia became so great that even you weren't sufficiently trustworthy in his eyes, which is why he transformed you into Qi Nü. He took away a part of your three souls and seven spirits, leaving behind only the memories that he wanted you to retain. Thus, you became the key to activating Gui Xu. I can see that you're beginning to tremble, have you thought of something?"

Qin Ye gently stroked the white cicada's back, and the cicada was indeed trembling violently, but it didn't unleash any attacks. "You must be wondering how I figured out all of this, right?"

He had guessed right!

When used effectively, words were far more piercing than even the sharpest of blades.

His words had pierced directly into Qi Nü's soul, and he seemed to have been very relaxed and carefree throughout this process, but in reality, he had been constantly gauging Qi Nü's reaction.

In the instant that he realized what Mirage City truly was, a seemingly ridiculous thought had taken shape in his mind.

It was a very long shot, but if he were to succeed, then the demise of the Peach Blossom Spring wouldn't be far away!

The divine beast, Gui Xu, the immortal mountain within Gui Xu's belly, and now Qi Nü... All of these leads were interconnected to form a compelling case, and all that was missing was evidence.

He repressed the excitement in his own heart as he continued to peel back the layers. "It's actually very simple. From the instant you descended into the cave and brought about the awakening of Gui Xu, I theorized that you were the key to awakening Gui Xu, or at least you have the power to awaken Gui Xu. Upon making the realization that you are Qi Nü, I was able to extrapolate how you had become like this based on my understanding of Xu Fu's personality. When you think about it like that, it isn't very difficult at all to connect the dots. Mirage City is currently one of his most important cities, but controlling Mirage City isn't important, the key is controlling Gui Xu. Thus, he thought of you. Who can he trust more than the person who was once most intimate with him? In particular, now that you've been reduced to this state and have retained only the memories that he wants you to retain, you would be the perfect tool to use for this purpose."

Qi Nü had fallen completely still at this point.

However, not only was Qin Ye not disappointed to see this, his heartbeat was beginning to accelerate. Putting himself in Qi Nü's shoes, he could sense that Qi Nü hadn't fallen still as he had said something wrong. Instead, he had hit the nail right on the head, and as a result, she was overcome by despair and resignation.

She was resigned to the fact that the one closest to her had betrayed her, and she was in despair over the hollow existence she had led over the past 2,000 years.

"However, Xu Fu failed to account for one thing," Qin Ye continued in a voice that was full of allure. "You didn't eat the Taisui fungus, so your soul has been recorded in Hell. If you give me what I want, I can find the parts of your three souls and seven spirits that Xu Fu deprived from you and restore your soul to its original perfect form. That is not a difficult task for me at all, so how about we strike a deal?"

Qi Nü began to tremble violently once again amid a burst of loud buzzing, seemingly conflicted over her missing memories and this duty that had been placed upon her.

Qi Nü seemed to be an insect, but she wasn't an insect.

She possessed the intelligence and thought process of a human, and the only thing that she couldn't do was speak. After such a long time, she had to have already sensed that there was something wrong with her memories.

Perhaps she should've already suspected Xu Fu a long time ago, but she didn't dare to think about that.

In her memories, they were so loving and intimate with one another, how could he possibly have betrayed her?

After a long while, Qi Nü reluctantly crawled over the table, using her insect legs to clear away the dust on the table, writing out a line of text in the process.

"I'm no match for him?" Qin Ye nodded in response after seeing the message. "Indeed, he is an advanced Yama-King, the most powerful human cultivator that has ever existed. Even compared with Brother Zhao's unfathomable cultivation rank, he is only one step away. However..."

A cold smile appeared on his face as he continued, "He's still no match for the entire Cathayan Underworld! In the past, we failed to discover this Peach Blossom Spring, but now that I've found it, the Cathayan Underworld will stomp it into the dirt!"

I did it! His expression remained calm, but his heart rate had spiked through the roof.

After identifying this white cicada as the divine insect, Qi Nü, many of the leads in his mind had been connected. Yes, there was no evidence to support all of this, but it was most definitely worth a try to bait out the evidence he needed!

What would he receive in return if he were to succeed? He would receive the betrayal of the one closest to Xu Fu!

Having also lived for over 2,000 years, she had witnessed the emergence of the elixir of immortality, and she had witnessed Xu Fu transforming all of his subordinates into mindless zombies for his own benefit. She knew all of Xu Fu's most closely guarded secrets, including his weaknesses, his desires, what he was afraid of... This was a massive advantage to have!

Furthermore, he had also obtained Gui Xu!

Of course, Gui Xu was already long dead at this point, but it was the only divine beast ship in the three realms that had been crafted by Xu Fu over the course of 2,000 years!

If he could truly obtain it and use it to guard the sea near the rift in the Array of the Nine Gods, no one would dare to venture to the array to investigate!

It was extremely fortunate that he had succeeded, but it still wasn't time to count his eggs quite yet.

He repressed the elation in his heart and refocused on the task at hand. Right now, his top priority was to take Qi Nü back to Hell.

After that, he would be able to slowly peel back the layers and reveal the truth behind the Peach Blossom Spring.

"I'll take you back to Hell and help you recover your lost souls and spirits. However, in return, you have to take us to the Peach Blossom Spring and tell me all the secrets surrounding The Mirage. At the same time, you'll be assigned the role of helmsman of The Mirage and work for Hell for all of eternity, what do you think?"

Dead silence.

Five minutes later, Qi Nü kowtowed onto the table before writing out another message as quickly as she could.

"Xu Fu's final trump card is hidden on the roof of the shrine. It contains the location of all of the light towers in the mortal coil that he's hidden all over the world, and details on all of his ties with different countries. I gathered these things bit by bit over time, and if you can help me recover my soul, I'll tell you the true purpose of the light towers in the mortal coil, as well as the only way to find the Peach Blossom Spring! Trust me, the Peach Blossom Spring truly exists! However, you can't find it through conventional means. Aside from Xu Fu, I'm the only one in this world who knows how!"

Qin Ye nodded in response.

As expected, Qi Nü was far from an idiot. If she hadn't begun suspecting Xu Fu long ago, she wouldn't have collected all of this information.

After taking a part of one's three souls and seven spirits, they would no longer be whole. Even if their memories were stitched together as seamlessly as possible, there would still inevitably be traces of tampering left behind.

Even the most beautiful of false memories were ultimately still just lies.

[1] [These are all World of Warcraft References. I'm not sure how they relate to one another as I'm not familiar with WoW lore, perhaps someone who's played the game could enlighten everyone in the comments.]

[2] [This is another WoW reference.]