Yama Rising

At the six paths of reincarnation in Lotus City.

Layers upon layers of flames were surging like a vibrant blooming red spider lily or like a pool of bubbling blood at the foot of the 108 golden pillars. The pillars were as tall as the heavens, and their diameters were in excess of 100 meters. Countless ghostly faces were etched on the surfaces of the pillars alongside bound skeletons, and it was as if the pillars were formed by congregations of countless vengeful spirits.

There was a metal chain that was radiating eerie azure light extending out of the pillars every 50 meters, creating a circle that bound all of the 108 golden chains together. From top to bottom, there were dozens of circles created by these azure chains, and following close to a week of burning, the flames at the center of the pillars had already begun to settle down. However, what was strange was that they weren't forming the shape of a lotus flower. Instead, the flames had taken on the shape of a holy grail, which would occasionally transition into the projection of a giant ancient god. Countless vengeful spirits shrieked and surged around the flames before rising up and exploding in mid-air, putting on a sinful fireworks display.

Anyone looking on from down below would be completely awestruck by the astonishing sight of this gigantic construction, which had taken up the entire area of Lotus City. It was indescribably grand and majestic, and only when one stood here could they truly understand what it was like to be witnessing a divine miracle.

Outside of the six paths of reincarnation were countless red spider lilies that thrived and bloomed with each wave of fire. The flowers were so beautiful that they barely seemed real, and they stretched for as far as 10 kilometers in all directions. Outside of the red spider lilies, countless Emissaries of Hell were already conducting examinations on the site, and Gu Qing was among their ranks. During the next two years, a wall that was 50 meters tall would be erected around the six paths of reincarnation, and the entirety of Lotus City was going to become the biggest jail of the Cathayan Underworld.

The area within a radius of 10 kilometers of the wall would be strictly off-limits.

Even now, there were black-armored soldiers of the Hell Guardian Legion constantly patrolling the area in a radius of five kilometers around the six paths of reincarnation under the orders of six prison officers. In total, there were 36 prison deputies, 150 prison supervisors, 500 prison officers, and 34,900 prison guards, all of whom served under the warden, Arakshasa.

Together, they had constructed the most terrifying, the most spectacular, and the most forbidding spectacle in the entire Cathayan Underworld.

Whoosh... A gust of Yin wind swept past, passing over tens of thousands of netherworldly citizens down below before materializing into a pair of humanoid figures in front of the massive six paths of reincarnation.

They were Qin Ye and Zhao Yun.

"We've finally arrived..." More than an hour had passed since Gui Xu had arrived in Ashmound Port, and they had traveled here as quickly as they could.

There wasn't much to be said from here. They had come to the six paths of reincarnation to find the missing souls and spirits of Qi Nü, and once her soul was restored, there would finally be a glimmer of hope in uncovering the mystery of the Peach Blossom Spring.

The man who had hidden in the cracks of history for over 2,000 years, the number one cultivator in history, Emperor Jimmu, Leonardo da Vinci, Nikola Tesla... He was finally about to be brought down!

"This also means that we've grasped onto the key to the next era!" He clenched his fists tightly as he made his way over to the six paths of reincarnation.

Observing the six paths of reincarnation from close quarters, he could see that its flames had taken on the form of a staircase that was revolving upward, layer upon layer. It hadn't even been half a month since the completion of the six paths of reincarnation's construction, so it still hadn't settled into its final form yet. Violent karmic flames were erupting in all directions, and anyone below the Abyssal Prefect level would be instantly reduced to ashes if they were to come within 100 meters of the six paths of reincarnation. Thus, there were no Emissaries of Hell standing on guard duty here.

After taking a moment to calm himself, Qin Ye released a streak of Yin energy straight into the mountain of fire. Zhao Yun also emerged from within a shadow, and several seconds later, a figure appeared roughly 50 meters above him.

It was Arthis, and just a single glance at her was almost enough to make his eyeballs pop out of their sockets!

Arthis's hair had been arranged into a series of braids, and through some method, she had transformed her head into something that was formed solely by black Yin energy. The Yin energy was flailing violently like vicious vipers, but at the very center, one could just barely make out a black lump. Her clothes were pure black in color with green netherfire and human bones revolving around it. Her limbs were nowhere to be seen, and they had also been replaced by Yin energy. Her dress was raised up by the wind, revealing more black Yin energy underneath.

Qin Ye's eyelids were twitching compulsively, and only after a long while did he break his silence. "Is that you, Warden Arthis? You look very nice."

If it weren't for the fact that he was in a hurry, he would order her to recite the complete set of rules enforced upon Emissaries of Hell three times in succession!

"Don't you think this appearance really matches my disposition?" Arakshasa performed an elegant twirl before asking, "Do you need something?"

Qin Ye raised his head to the heavens and heaved a long sigh. "Let's go in first."

A lantern was tossed down from above.

It was an angular bone lantern that was burning with green netherfire, and the light of the flames clearly illuminated Qin Ye's expression, which looked as if he had just eaten a dog turd.

In the face of Qin Ye's resentful gaze, Arthis faltered momentarily before clearing her throat in an awkward manner. "Ahem... Sorry, that was completely out of habit..."

She then snapped her fingers, and the flames immediately transformed into a gate that was slowly opened. Only then did Zhao Yun emerge from the shadows before taking a glance at Arthis.

Arthis was instantly rooted to the spot before vanishing like an apparition.

The fiery gates that had just opened up instantly swung shut mere inches away from the tip of Qin Ye's nose. He stared at the closed gate in a bewildered manner, and less than three seconds later, the gate swung open again.

The ghastly wraith formed entirely by black Yin energy was gone.

In its place was an intellectual beauty wearing black-rim glasses and a regal yet seductive expression on a set of gorgeous features. It had to be said that this appearance catered extremely well to popular tastes.

Her height was around 170 centimeters, and her long and straight legs were sheathed in a pair of black pantyhose, enshrouding them in a sense of seductive mystery. Her locks were arranged in a split hairstyle favoring one side over the other to the tune of a 30:70 distribution, and her hair on the right was draped casually over her right shoulder. During the brief three-second span in which the gate had been shut, the ends of her hair had already taken on wavy curls. In addition to that, she was wearing a tight-fitting black suit outside a lace trim white blouse with a low v collar that extended all the way down to her chest, revealing just the right amount of seductive cleavage.

Her rose-red high heels clicked in a rhythmic fashion as she strode along, and even though it was only a short distance of 10 meters before she reached Qin Ye and Zhao Yun, she somehow made it look as if she were a model on a catwalk. Her waist was as supple as a willow branch, and her footsteps resembled a dragonfly lightly tapping the water. It was as if nothing had ever happened before this, and she made her way over to Qin Ye before smiling in a sequence that was completely impeccable, looking as if it had been rehearsed tens of thousands of times. She then extended a slight bow and said, "Warden Arakshasa welcomes Lord Qin and Brother Zhao."

You fucking gave yourself a complete makeover in three seconds?! 

Qin Ye felt as if a mouthful of blood were stuck in his chest alongside a torrent of verbal insults! Meanwhile, Arthis had already stood up straight again before extending an inviting hand gesture. "Please come in, my Lord."

She was referring to "my Lord", but she was staring directly at Zhao Yun the entire time.

However, Zhao Yun completely ignored her and extended a nod toward Qin Ye, who glared at Arthis before making his way through the gate.

The three of them strode through the fiery gates, and even though Qin Ye and Zhao Yun had come here with an urgent matter to attend to, the three of them remained completely silent for some reason. As Arakshasa pulled out her lipstick to freshen up for the third time, Qin Ye finally couldn't help but chuckle, but he disguised it as a cough and mused, "It looks like I made the right choice."

Arthis rolled his eyes at him and couldn't even be bothered to respond. Qin Ye continued in a low voice, "You are the Emissary of Hell that has been with me the longest. You watched me rise up the ranks from the early days in Clear Creek County, but have you noticed that our hearts have grown further and further apart over time?"

Arthis closed her cosmetic case before rolling her eyes again. "Look at the situation we're in! You are now King Yanluo, while I was once your most powerful subordinate, can I embarrass you and fool around like I did in the past? I have to consider your current status! As an emperor, it's inevitable for you to suffer from loneliness. You want to bring up the good days now? It's too late, idiot!"

Qin Ye nodded in response. He was suddenly a little envious of Arthis.

This was a type of compromise. 

In a society, one had to know their place. A cheeky and easy-going King Yanluo would never be taken seriously. As he rose up the ranks and attained more and more power, he had to stamp his authority over the Emissaries of Hell below him. Thus, he had to face reality and compromise, becoming the King Yanluo that the people wanted to see rather than the King Yanluo that he wanted to be.

He had to be professional and cunning, not the easy-going and willful boy he had been back in Clear Creek County.

Arthis, Wang Chenghao, and he had all hidden their true selves and accepted the price of growth. However, Arthis was lucky because she was still able to remain true to herself.

In the six paths of reincarnation, which spanned the area of an entire city, she was free to do as she pleased without having to worry about what anyone else thought of her. In contrast with him, she could be a killer or a commander, and she was sufficiently ruthless, but she couldn't manage a nation. In fact, even putting a province under her command would most likely spell catastrophe, so it was better to put her in the position that suited her the most.

Indeed, even though some distance had opened up between them since both of them had risen up the ranks, there wasn't any barrier between them even now. With that in mind, Qin Ye couldn't help but heave a faint sigh.

"What's wrong with you now?" Arthis asked with a disdainful expression.

"I'm fine," Qin Ye replied, "It's just that whenever I think of the fact that I have such a loving subordinate that's constantly thinking for my sake, I feel truly blessed... I'm so touched that I could cry..."

As expected of Dogballs Qin, even though I was expecting this, I still can't help but feel disgusted...

Arthis shuddered as she hugged her own arms to try and settle down her goosebumps as she declared, "We've arrived."

Directly ahead of them was a raging sea of fire.

There were flames in all directions. Those were karmic flames that were like the flames of creation, and they formed the shape of a lotus flower that was constantly revolving, stirring up this galaxy. Countless specks of netherfire were being stirred up by the revolving waves of fire like shooting stars, presenting a magnificent sight to behold.

Standing before it, one couldn't help but be struck by the sense that they were nothing more than a speck of dust in the universe.

"How truly magnificent..." Qin Ye set aside his train of thought as he observed his surroundings with an awe-struck expression. "But what exactly is going on here?"

It was indeed a marvelous sight to behold, but was also extremely chaotic and erratic, like the universe in its most primitive form. In contrast, the six paths of reincarnation should've been looking a lot more orderly and stable. 

"The six paths of reincarnation are evolving," Zhao Yun explained, "This process requires some time, even though the Goddess Earth Mother has approved its creation and we possess the model of the first six paths of reincarnation. Don't forget that the foundation of our six paths of reincarnation includes a creation-grade divine artifact, so it's impossible to predict what its final form will be and what abilities it'll have."

"Abilities?" Qin Ye's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this.

Zhao Yun nodded in response. "A creation-grade divine artifact is comparable to a living ancient god. The fact that one is being fused into the six paths of reincarnation means that its abilities will also be fused into the six paths, so different abilities will definitely manifest themselves. All of that will begin to display itself over time. Madam Warden, can we use this place now?"

As soon as his voice trailed off, Qin Ye's Dusk Legionnaire opened up silently behind him, and a streak of light rushed out before landing on Qin Ye's shoulder.

Its entire body was trembling as if it were sensing something, and after a long while, it finally said, "I can sense that my soul is in there, mixed up with many other souls!"

You can speak now? 

A hint of surprise flashed through Qin Ye's eyes, but before he had a chance to say anything, Qi Nü continued in an excited voice, "It seems that the closer I get to my soul, the more I'm able to recover my basic functions as a human... Your Excellency, I'll be sure to follow through on my end of the deal once you restore my soul! I'll show you in person how to summon the Peach Blossom Spring! As I said before, there's no way to track it down using conventional means. It exists in the cracks of history, it is a legend, a myth, and it can only be found by a myth!"