Yama Rising

Izanami's smile stiffened slightly upon seeing this.

The Nipponese Underworld was a very awkward underworld on the international stage.

It wouldn't be entirely accurate to call it weak and incapable as it had survived for so many years in such close proximity to the Cathayan Underworld.

However, it couldn't be referred to as a powerful underworld, either, as it didn't have even a single Yama-King, and it only had two Abyssal Prefects. If it weren't for the existence of Minakanushi, even the Russian Underworld would be bullying the Nipponese Underworld as it pleased.

In this situation, Izanami was clearly the host, yet Hela and Jörmungandr didn't even bother to look at her. Only after they had greeted Qin Ye did they turn to her with indifferent expressions and express half-hearted gratitude toward the Nipponese Underworld's welcome.

This was the reality of international affairs. Beneath all the expensive suits and facades of geniality, all of these politicians were uncouth and ruthless individuals. If the representatives of an insignificant nation were to visit the united nations, they would be guaranteed to receive the worst lodging and food, and they would also be exempt from all important activities.

This was an unspoken chain of contempt, and it had been around ever since the beginning of human existence. Due to the existence of the cultivation system, the chain of contempt was even more pronounced in the underworld.

There were no actual insults being thrown around, but it was enough to infuriate one to the point of tearing their hair out in frustration.

Izanami made the wise decision to get out of the way. In the face of two Yama-Kings, she had no advantage to speak of. In fact, the two death gods were clearly aware that she had defected to the side of the three pillars, so they were already doing her a favor by not displaying any more contempt and animosity.

The doors of another carriage were slowly opened by a deathly pale hand, and two figures emerged from within.

The one on the left resembled a queen from ancient times, but she had a head of venomous snakes rather than hair, and her eyes were burning with purple netherfire. Furthermore, she was like a walking Yin Yang as the left side of her body was white, while the right side was of a pure black color.

It was said that half of Death Goddess Hela's body was completely rotten.

Thus, the two ugliest death goddesses in all myths and legends had appeared in Nara, and this was why Izanami couldn't understand why Hela insisted on treating her like this.

We're both ugly bitches, shouldn't we be sticking together and looking out for each other? Sure, I'm a little weak, but do you really need to look down on me so much? 

Hela was wearing a pure black dress that was entirely woven from feathers. There was a warm smile on her face, and she picked up the hem of her dress as she made her way over to Qin Ye, completely ignoring all of the Prefect-level death gods around them

She then picked up Qin Ye's hand and gave it a gentle kiss right in front of everyone's astonished eyes, then said in a gentle voice, "I'm very pleased to meet you."

"Likewise," Qin Ye replied with a smile as he gently withdrew his hand. He could sense that a clear stir had run through the crowd upon seeing this, and he repressed the urge to wipe the back of his hand on his robes as he said, "I think this is not our first time meeting each other, I recall our first meeting taking place during my inauguration ceremony."

Hela faltered slightly upon hearing this, then chuckled, "Please forgive me for my terrible memory."

At the same time, she heaved a massive internal sigh of relief.

The Cathayan Underworld had accepted their gesture of friendliness! This was most definitely a development that was worthy of celebration!

She picked up the hem of her dress as she extended a respectful curtsey with impeccable etiquette, then continued, "This is World Serpent Jörmungandr. He's always in seclusion, so he hasn't met many people in the past. However, he came out of the primordial void, Ginnungagap, on this occasion just to congratulate the Cathayan Underworld for making its return to the international stage."

Jörmungandr was an extremely thin man who was around three meters tall, and he was wearing a long robe that was made from fine silk and feathers. He fell to one knee as he also picked up Qin Ye's hand before giving it a kiss. "I'm very honored to meet you, esteemed ruler of the Cathayan Underworld. Please allow me to offer my most heartfelt congratulations on uniting the nation."

The two were clearly making a great effort to express their friendly intentions toward the Cathayan Underworld.

"Thank you," Qin Ye replied with a smile. "You must be tired after making the long journey here."

Hela smiled as she replied, "The journey wasn't too grueling. For dukes like us, it was nothing more than the blink of an eye. I heard that Nara is an extremely beautiful and scenic city. Have you had a chance to appreciate its beauty yet, Yanluo Qin?"

It was clear that Hela didn't want to wait even a single moment before commencing negotiations.

Indeed, there were only three and a half days left until the commencement of the conference, so there really was no time to waste.

"I have not. It would be rather bland to make the trip all on my own, would you two be interested in accompanying me?"

"We would be very interested! Please pardon our intrusion then, Yanluo Qin."

Izanami hadn't said anything this entire time, but her smile hadn't wavered in the slightest. She parted the death gods present to open up a path for Qin Ye's trio, then extended a respectful curtesy as she said, "It is an honor for our city to be hosting such esteemed death gods as yourselves. However, this is your first time here in Nara, do you require a tour guide to help you explore the city? The city of Nara was founded in 239 AD by Queen Himiko, and it has stood for close to 2,000 years. With so much history and so many sights to see, a tour guide would significantly enhance the sightseeing experience."

Jörmungandr took a calm glance at her before replying, "There's no need for that."

"When the mood is right, everywhere is a sight to see. A tour guide would only prove to be a hindrance that'll ruin the mood," Qin Ye chimed in in agreement.

"I see." Izanami extended a slight bow before stepping aside.

"After you." Qin Ye made an inviting hand gesture.

"Thank you, Yanluo Qin." Hela and Jörmungandr smiled as they made their way through the crowd.

Qin Ye trailed along behind them, and right as they were about to depart, he finally turned around to see the expressions of all of the death gods present.

All of these death gods were wily old foxes that had lived for hundreds of years, and their expressions betrayed no emotions whatsoever.

However, as a Yama-King, Qin Ye could clearly sense that they were nowhere near as calm as they looked on the inside.

Of course, upon sensing his Yin energy dispersing through the crowd, all of the death gods faltered slightly, and immediately thereafter, Qin Ye was no longer able to sense the fluctuations in their Yin energy.

An ambiguous smile appeared on his face, and he departed with the two death gods.

All of the death gods looked on with complex expressions until they disappeared from everyone's field of view, following which the gathered death gods began to depart.

"What does this mean?" Death God Antee of the Red Moon Federation was pacing back and forth in the courtyard of his pavilion with tightly furrowed brows. "Since when did the five nations of Northern Europa develop such close ties with the Cathayan Underworld? The Cathayan Underworld has isolated itself from the rest of the world for the past century, yet they seemed so familiar with one another. Could it be that the Cathayan Underworld has maintained contact with certain underworlds throughout the course of their century-long absence?"

That was a terrifying notion to consider!

"There's a very good chance of that..." Kuwal mused with a grim expression. "If that really is the case, then it's still impossible to determine who the final victor is going to be! We have to proceed with the utmost caution! This is a clash between the four pillars, no one will know the final outcome until all of the votes are counted."

He turned to stare intently at the other three death gods as he continued, "We can't afford to make the wrong choice here."

The death gods of the Red Moon Federation weren't the only ones who had forged temporary alliances, the same thing applies to many of the death gods of the smaller underworlds.

Something clearly wasn't right.

For the first few days, the Cathayan Underworld had offered no resistance whatsoever, yet starting from a day ago, it had launched a counterattack. Even though it hadn't made many moves, every move that it had made had been extremely effective! 

Beside a certain waterfall, two death gods dismissed their servants, and the one on the left said in a grim voice, "I heard that Yanluo Qin flipped the tables as early as during their welcome banquet, and that was followed by the divine descent earlier today. That was the only known death god to have survived after withstanding a forbidden art head-on, and he's clearly in full support of the Cathayan Underworld. Now, two of the Northern Europa Alliance's death gods have arrived, and they've jumped on the same bandwagon."

The death god on the right was a slightly chubby individual, and he opened his mouth to reveal a set of sharp fangs as he replied, "Don't agree to anything for now. What we have to do is watch and wait. A clash of this level is going to decide the direction that the world takes for the next century or maybe even the next centuries, and just a single misstep could spell disaster for small underworlds like ours. I'm sure that both sides will reveal all of their trump cards before the final vote takes place, and we just have to defect toward the side with the greater chances of securing victory. They're not going to actively recruit us as they have to maintain their basic dignity as the four pillars, so all we can do is wait."

He sighed before continuing, "These last three and a half days are undoubtedly going to be extremely spectacular, and if you ask me, I feel like the Cathayan Underworld is most likely going to strike first."

After enduring all of the provocation in silence for the past three days, was the Cathayan Underworld finally going to set this conference alight?

The death god on the left remained silent and merely nodded in response with a contemplative expression.

………………………………………………

Qin Ye didn't know how many death gods were going to be swayed by or even change their stances based on what had happened today.

All he knew was that he had set up his cannon, and once the shot was fired, there would be no looking back. Perhaps the other underworlds were under the impression that his opposition hadn't done anything yet, but in reality, he had been placed under immense pressure from the moment he set foot in Nara.

However, he was able to withstand the suffocating pressure and turn the tables in his favor.

Next, it was time for him to seize control!

The three death gods did some sightseeing and engaged in some useless small talk before Jörmungandr finally cut to the case as he sighed, "It's a pity that all of Nara's cultural relics are in the mortal realm."

They were currently situated in a dense forest, and there were countless places where darkfeathers could hide.

"Then how about we go to the mortal realm to take a look?" Qin Ye suggested with a smile.

"Oh? Looks like great minds think alike, Mr. Qin," Hela chuckled. "Should we notify the Nipponese government before we go?"

"There's no need for that," Jörmungandr said as he licked his own lips with his forked tongue. "I'll get my servants to notify the government half an hour after we leave."

The three death gods exchanged a smile.

Even though all three of them felt like cats on a hot tin roof, they had to repress their urgency and maintain a final shred of restraint.

In the blink of an eye, the trio's souls had escaped from their bodies and passed through Nippon's brittle underworld to reach the mortal realm.

As soon as they appeared, Jörmungandr said in a grim voice, "Mr. Qin, there are people plotting against you."

They had appeared beside a creek in a forest, and it was a very peaceful and scenic location. Qin Ye snapped off a young branch from a nearby tree as he replied, "I am aware of that."

Hela was concerned that he didn't know just how serious the situation was, and she said in an urgent voice, "There are at least two, maybe even all three pillars out for your blood this time! During this past century, they've already grown accustomed to ruling over the world. Yamaraja, Anubis, and Thanatos are like a trio of sly wolves that are covering for each other as they do as they please on the international stage! Having dominated the world scene for so many years, there's no way they would want to see you return to your former position!"

Everyone knows that already, there's no need for you to tell me that... 

Qin Ye took a nonchalant glance at them and said, "If this is all you want to say, then we could've just stayed in the underworld."

Indeed, there was no need to come to the mortal realm just to point out the obvious.

Jörmungandr exchanged a glance, and they wanted to say something, but decided against it.

Qin Ye made no effort to try and rush them.

Zhao Yun was watching from nearby, so there was no way that any harm could befall him.

They had already intentionally displayed their inferiority to the Cathayan Underworld in front of so many death gods and gone out of their way to invite Qin Ye here, so they had to be determined to make a move.

After a long while, Hela took a deep breath, and a determined look appeared in her eyes as she said, "We've prepared 10 agreements."

"Oh?" Qin Ye raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

Jörmungandr continued where she left off. "These agreements include a range of subjects such as establishing comprehensive trade relations, facilitating visits between nations without the need for visas, and many more. In exchange, we only have one request..."

He gritted his teeth before continuing, "We implore the Cathayan Underworld to forge an official strategic partnership with the five nations of Northern Europa!"