Yama Rising

All of the living dead in the Huang Clan's earthen building were forced to shield their eyes as boundless silver light rose up into the sky from the foot of the old locust tree, plowing a hole directly through the clouds up above. Layer upon layer of dazzling light erupted forth, lighting up the darkness of the night.

The light tower in the mortal coil had been completely ignited!

Qin Ye closed his eyes and heaved a faint sigh of relief.

He had won in the end...

In this race against time, he was the winner...

In the instant that the light tower in the mortal coil was lit up, he could clearly sense that something in the extremely far distance had heeded his call. All of its power had begun to withdraw frantically, and it was being forced directly toward him.

It was the Peach Blossom Spring!

This meant that Xu Fu hadn't entered the territory of a new continent yet, which indicated that he wasn't under the protection of any other death god!

I've finally caught him...

This place that had been hidden in the cracks of history for over 2,000 years had finally been captured. Fortunately, Qi Nü hadn't lied to him. Now, the Peach Blossom Spring's return to Cathay's seas was inevitable.

"There are no eternal secrets in this world..." Qi Nü stared at the pillar of light with a complex expression before heaving a faint sigh. "In order to avoid the eyes of the world, Xu Fu erased himself from the face of the earth, but in doing so, he made himself a part of the Peach Blossom Spring. It can be said that the two are a singular entity, and the Peach Blossom Spring's return will ensure his return as well. It's all over now..."

Tears began to slide down her cheeks, but there was no sorrow in her voice whatsoever as she sighed, "It's time my 2,000-year-long nightmare drew to a close..."

Qin Ye nodded in response before casting his gaze deep into the night.

It still wasn't quite over yet.

The Peach Blossom Spring was Xu Fu's headquarters, and it had accumulated over 2,000 years of history. There was undoubtedly going to be a lot to process once it arrived.

Ensuring its return was one thing, completely taking over it was something entirely different.

…………………………………………………..

At Xolotl's Screen.

BOOM!! A resounding boom rang out, and sea water rose up to several dozen meters in height before slamming down onto the shore. The sword projection that resembled a crescent moon was slowly fading, and it was as if the entire world had been sliced into two.

Meanwhile, Xu Fu was rushing back in retreat as quickly as he could.

He had to get away as quickly as possible! Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't be bothered by this lineup, but Xolotl's Screen had over 100,000 Yin soldiers, and they were enhanced by the top-tier military array that was Wumu!

If Xolotl were firm in his stance to help the Cathayan Underworld, then there was definitely no chance for him here. What was even more terrifying was that the countdown timer was ticking down ever closer to zero, which meant that the light tower in the mortal coil was about to be lit up at any time.

In the instant that he turned around to flee, a burst of derisive laughter rang out from above the gate. "Sir, this is Xolotl's Screen, the gate to the new continent! Even though Usonia is far from its heyday, it's not somewhere you can just visit and leave as you please."

At full speed, Xu Fu was extraordinarily fast. In just the blink of an eye, he was already close to the entrance of the port, but right at this moment, thousands of scarlet chains suddenly speared down from the top of the giant gate.

The chains were as fast as lightning, and it was impossible to react to them.

The tip of every single chain was a sharp triangle, and they shot forth like lethal harpoons, flashing with extremely complex Yin runes. One of the chains plunged into the sea, sweeping up an enormous wave. However, that was only the beginning. Immediately thereafter, countless chains came plunging down like a torrential storm, sending tsunamis sweeping through the entire port.

"Damn it!" Xu Fu gnashed his teeth together tightly with a furious expression. "To think that a mere nascent Yama-King would dare to attack me! If I weren't in a hurry..."

With a steely look in his eyes, he traversed through the storm of chains like an agile bird, and none of the chains were even able to graze him.

This wasn't the time to be wasting time by taking out his rage and frustration here.

As long as he could rush through this gate, he still had a chance!

The steel fence gate that barred him from the new continent was drawing closer and closer, and the gate was becoming clearer and clearer in his eyes. However, right at this moment, he suddenly ducked down and landed on the surface of the sea, gently treading over the water. Immediately thereafter, hundreds of chains sped over his head, crashing into the gate up ahead with devastating might.

Time seemed to have completely fallen still, and fierce waves surged forth alongside ferocious winds, sweeping up Xu Fu's long hair. He closed his eyes and pursed his lips tightly as he turned around with a sinister smile. "Xolotl, I'm going to..."

Before he had a chance to finish, his pupils contracted drastically.

He discovered that the Yin soldiers of Luzon were fine even after withstanding that sword strike!

Countless scarlet lines of Yin energy had connected the Yin soldiers, and those lines came from the tens of thousands of Eagle Warriors situated above the gate of Xolotl's Screen. According to Xu Fu's knowledge, there were over 100,000 Yin soldiers stationed at this screen, and right now, there were at least 50,000 spear and crossbow-wielding soldiers standing on the walls on either side of the port.

Red Yin energy threads were protruding out of their chests and extending into the backs of the Yin soldiers of Luzon, connecting them together.

This was the most fearsome aspect of a military array, it was able to condense everyone's Yin energy together. Individually, there was no way that these Yin soldiers could've been able to survive that last attack, and no matter how many of them there were, it would've been easy pickings for Xu Fu. However, now that they were joined together, they were a force to be reckoned with, one that could contend with an advanced Yama-King for some time.

Xu Fu's lips were trembling slightly. He knew that Xolotl was serious about keeping him here today.

At this point, Xolotl had no choice. Xu Fu was an advanced Yama-King, and if he were allowed to escape, it would be far too easy for him to establish himself on a new continent. Once he joined the faction of another death god, Xolotl would've made himself an extremely formidable enemy.

Thus, Xu Fu had to die.

With that in mind, Xu Fu lowered his head with a grim expression, and in the next instant, he rose up into the sky. As he did so, the calm look in his eyes returned, and a burst of dazzling light erupted from the sword he was wielding. Immediately thereafter, the entire surrounding area began to warp and twist, and he released his advanced Yama-King level energy without any reservation.

He couldn't afford to be delayed here any longer!

All three sides were determined to succeed. Xu Fu wanted to leave, Xolotl wanted to stop him, and the army of Luzon wanted to capture him. If he were to continue to delay here, death would be the only fate that awaited him. He would either have to force back the enemy, or...

He didn't dare to continue along that train of thought.

"This is your final warning..." His voice rang out like rumbling thunder, and all of the surrounding dark clouds began to revolve around him. "Get out of my way!!"

"Xu Fu!" Yang Jiye watched him with a cold expression as he declared, "If you want to leave, then you'll have to do so over our dead bodies!"

Fine, then die! 

The declaration from Yang Jiye was met by an eruption of absolute darkness.

There was no moon, no stars, nor any light. The entirety of Xolotl's Screen, all of the Yin soldiers, and even the sea and the sky had been plunged into complete darkness.

Within this vast expanse of extreme darkness, a sword projection pierced through the world, radiating dazzling light that illuminated the darkness.

Furthermore, there wasn't just one sword projection, it was quickly followed by a second one, a third one... a 10th one, a 20th one!

Within a span of no more than three seconds, it was as if countless stars were flying through the dark night!

No one could see the angle at which the sword strike had been unleashed, and even Xu Fu himself was concealed within the sword projections. This was the purest of sword strikes, and it was also one that was imbued with extreme power. It had no name, and there was no technique to speak of, it was merely a sword strike unleashed with all of Xu Fu's true energy invested.

In the instant that the attack was unleashed, Xu Fu began to rapidly age and was quickly reduced to a white-haired elderly man, while the surrounding sea was instantly sliced apart.

Countless incredibly deep and irregular trenches were sliced into the seabed, and tsunamis hundreds of meters tall were swept up through the surrounding sea water. This entire area of the sea had been irreparably ravaged by just this single sword strike.

I can't do it... 

Yang Jiye's field of view was entirely filled by dazzling white light, and its devastating power struck horror directly into the depths of his soul.

What a powerful attack... This man is even more powerful than the Yama-Kings of the 10 Palaces! No, there are few who can match him even among the Sixfold Ghost Kings! I definitely won't be able to withstand this attack. 

However, he couldn't afford to retreat now.

In this race against time, every second mattered, and retreating now would put the entire plan into jeopardy.

As a commander, he had to lead by example!

With that in mind, he thrust his spear forward, and it sped through the air like a dragon, leaving trails of Yin energy in its wake. Right behind him, all of the Yin soldiers of Luzon immediately rushed forward without hesitation!

This was their resolve!

However, right at this moment, a burst of golden netherfire suddenly erupted into the heavens from the top of the giant gate, and immediately thereafter, a massive figure emerged from behind the gate.

This was a skeletal giant with a head of inky-black hair that was arranged into a series of small braids, and it wore a crown made from all types of different feathers on its head.

At the center of its deathly pale skull was a deep crater, within which sat an intricately crafted metal eyeball.

The pupil of the eye was golden in color, and there were all types of complex runes engraved around it. Outside of that were all types of animals and plants, and it was as if this giant were a relic that recorded the passage of history.

In the instant that the giant appeared, a burst of inky-black light suddenly erupted out of its lone eyeball, piercing through the extreme darkness and the clouds before parting the heavens, allowing the radiance of the moon and stars to be seen again. Immediately thereafter, it whipped its head to the side rapidly, sending the pillar of black light sweeping through the air to force back the darkness.

This was an all-out clash between Yama-Kings, and in the wake of its power, the surrounding sea that had just subsided was churned up again, raising waves that were several hundred meters tall before crashing down with vicious force. Massive tsunamis took shape before rushing away in all directions, but in the next instant, the skeletal giant suddenly completely stiffened.

An incredulous look appeared in its eye as it looked up at the sky.

Much to its astonishment, Xu Fu was advancing instead of retreating, and his entire body was enveloped in true energy as he crashed down like a shooting star toward Xolotl's Screen.

He knew that there was no time for retreat anymore, but all he had to do was cross over this gate, and he would fall under the protection of the new continent. Once he made it there, even if the light tower in the mortal coil were lit up, he wouldn't be summoned back to Cathay.

In total, he had unleashed two sword strikes, the first of which acted as bait to lure Xolotl into attacking in person. He would then feign vulnerability and pretend as if he were going to flee from the port.

The second sword strike was the true kill-shot.

"You..." The skeletal giant's voice was hoarse and filled with intense disbelief. It had thought that it had sealed off all avenues for advance for Xu Fu, but it had failed to stop him after all!

"I won!" A faint smile appeared on Xu Fu's wizened face. "As for you, you can go and face the wrath of the Cathayan Underworld, hahahaha!"

Xolotl's Screen was hundreds of meters tall and extremely wide, yet Xu Fu had already made it to the top of the city wall. For a Yama-King like him, scaling a height of hundreds of meters was nothing.

"I've never lost even once in the past 2,000 years." He stopped and cast a glance back at the sea behind him.

Farewell, my home. I was committed to making amends, yet... Hmm? 

There were still 10 meters before he could cross over to the other side of the city wall, yet he was unable to advance even a single step further!

He had been completely immobilized in mid-air, and a line had connected itself to his back from some point in the extremely far distance.

"This is... the light tower in the mortal coil..." he murmured in a trembling voice as he stared at the line behind him with a shocked expression.

As soon as his voice trailed off, the thin line dragged him back at an extreme speed, and in the blink of an eye, he had already disappeared from view!