Yama Rising

Qin Ye was curious.

Why couldn’t the script of death be discovered by anyone?

Why did the Second King Yanluo warn him about the function concerning all masters of their underworlds, including the King Yanluo of Hell?

All of the answers were contained in the single scroll hovering in front of his very eyes.

However, he promptly shook off these thoughts from his mind. No… Now isn’t the time to be thinking about these things. Rumyantsev should be knocking on our door at any--... Hang on a minute!

Qin Ye blinked vacantly for a moment, and then began to recount the events that had just passed - Wouldn’t it already have been over six minutes since I’d entered Room 402?

Where’s Rumyantsev?

“Looks like I was right about something…” Seconds later, a smile crept up the corner of his lips, and he looked up above him, “If you haven’t arrived by now, then, chances are, you’re probably not coming.”

These operations could be said to be 99% successfully complete. Part of his success was attributable to luck, but more than that, it was largely success forged through sheer hard work, determination and willpower. All that remained was to close off these operations perfectly.

That said, closure wasn’t a simple thing. It included the harvest of faith, as well as… extraction from Daehan.

This was something that Wang Chenghao and Oda Nobutada had never asked about. Naturally, Qin Ye had never talked about how he planned to leave Daehan after these operations.

This was because… he was hedging his bet on something.

He slowly stretched out his limbs - The fact that the Second King Yanluo would of his own initiative contact me and tell me about the special Yin spirits means that he’s been watching me all this while. And since that is the case, I refuse to believe that he will watch with his own two eyes as his successor perishes here in Daehan. After all, I would think that I’ve earned myself to have exceeded his expectations in this so-called learning journey of his. There’s simply no need to concern myself over the return journey at all. Neither Liu Yu nor Rumyantsev have managed to make it here. Second King Yanluo… have you finally made your move? Is this the reward for obtaining a 100 marks on this little test of yours?

He took a deep breath and sorted out the thoughts in his mind before turning back to the scroll that was suspended in the air. This was the greatest reward in his trip to Daehan!

This was the script of death - the words thoughtfully penned down by a master of a major underworld. It was as close as it got to picking the mind of a supreme being of an entire underworld!

His fingers trembled slightly as he slowly reached for the scroll.

And then, right when he made contact with the scroll, his mind suddenly spun wildly, and he discovered to his surprise… that he was no longer located in the substratum of Gonjiam Asylum!

Instead, he had entered a pitch-black passageway, through which he was slowly ascending higher and higher! Meanwhile, the garments on his body slowly faded away and transformed into the garments of an official which he had never seen before!

It was gorgeous.

Within moments, he was clad in lacquered black robes so masterfully embroidered with the Torch Dragon that it appeared almost life-like.

A crown of jade beads rested on his head, while a belt made of unknown material fastened his robes together. A golden longsword hung by the side of his waist. All in all, he looked far more glorious and authoritative than any Infernal Judge of Hell!

“This is my spiritual body… No, rather, I should say that it is my consciousness.” He touched his body in bewilderment, only to have his hand run straight through his chest. Then, he slowly ran his finger across the crown on his head, “Are these… my imperial garbs?”

“Did my consciousness… link up with an unknown entity as soon as I made contact with the script of death?”

Just then, he jerked his head up abruptly, only to realize that a glorious golden cathedral had appeared right before him!

It was built with Russian architecture, with concise colours and a calm tone. It was light and gorgeous, delicate and exquisite. The decorative reliefs were tall and slender, and tastefully asymmetrical. Huge mirrors were placed everywhere, and everything was forged from gold or carved from ivory. The entire cathedral appeared bright and warm, and yet still exuded a sense of luxury and opulence.

However, the two massive candles lit at the entrance to the cathedral were clearly supported by a candlestick made out of human bones!

This was a palace of an underworld!

Whoosh… Qin Ye’s consciousness flew straight into the interior of the cathedral, where he finally saw for the very first time exactly whose consciousness his own had been linked to.

The interior was nothing like that of a cathedral. Rather, it looked more akin to a magnificent palace, full of ancient European sculptures and grand chandeliers. A skeleton band was playing marvelous pieces, whilst over a dozen pairs of evil ghosts were dancing elegantly on the dance floor in the centre of the room. There were even waiters wearing tuxedos and wigs distributing goblets to the evil ghosts standing around the room.

However, Qin Ye could hardly be bothered about such revelry at this moment. His eyes immediately looked beyond all of this, right to the back of the room where there was a throne located right underneath a sculpture of the crucifixion. That said… it was a reverse crucifixion. The statue was upside-down!

A man dressed in luxurious robes and wearing a splendorous crown sat atop the throne, looking right back at Qin Ye in the eye.

He appeared to be a human.

However, Qin Ye knew better. After all, the overbearing pressure of the man’s Yin energy couldn’t be masked in any way. His subconsciousness told him that this man was without a doubt a Yama-class existence! In their terms, he would be referred to none other than an Archduke - the highest authority in the Russian Underworld!

There was no other way to describe such an existence.

When Qin Ye first saw that man, the only thought that came to mind was that he was terrifying, and yet full of grace at the same time.

Needless to say, he already knew the man’s identity.

Tsar Arturo!

He was seated right in front of him, and yet he couldn’t even see his features. It was almost as though time and space appeared to warp around Tsar Arturo himself. That said… what he did see was Tsar Arturo’s real name!

Arturo Alexander Vladimir.

Moreover, even though not a single other part of his body could be seen with any clarity, the one part that he could see was Tsar Arturo’s palms. And in that moment, his palms slowly began to turn black, decay, and then finally… reveal a cross shaped mark in each hand!

Yet this mark appeared incredibly natural, almost as though… he had been born that way.

Arturo also paused in some measure of consternation and glanced at his own hand. Then, he abruptly snapped his head up and looked at Qin Ye, before rising to his feet with a loud bang!

CRACK… In that instant, it appeared almost as though the void around him wasn’t able to bear the weight of his movements, and cracks slowly began to surface in the air, almost as though everything was made of glass. Then, as the pieces of shattered “glass” slowly crumbled and fell to the ground, so did Qin Ye’s surroundings vanish right before his very eyes. Everything grew dark and became a blur for a split second, before Qin Ye finally regained clarity of sight again.

Qin Ye glanced around. He was still at the substratum of Gonjiam Asylum. Rumyantsev and Liu Yu still hadn’t arrived. That said, his hand was now already wrapped tightly around the scroll. Even though the words on it were written in Russian, every bit of the contents had clearly already appeared in his mind.

A series of images appeared in his mind, almost as though he had personally experienced and witnessed everything. Yet, what was most bizarre was the fact that…

He had now gained certain other pieces of information.

Black Fortress, headquarters of the Russian Underworld’s KGB? Headcount… defenses… nominal roll… address… located 54 meters deep beneath the red coral underwater cave below the northernmost island of Rus known as Severny Island? There’s an 18-meter large rift that sits beneath that?

Severny Island? Isn’t that a site used by Rus for nuclear weapons testing? The Black Fortress sits underneath that? Russian Underworld’s KGB headquarters… Hang on a minute…

Qin Ye massaged his temples - These are invaluable intelligence concerning the Russian Underworld!

To think that I’ll actually learn of the location of their underworldly KGB’s headquarters by simply reading the script of death!

Is this to say that… so long as I obtain their script of death, I would have inadvertently encroached upon the authority and function of a foreign underworld, and thereby learn of some of the top secrets hidden by their underworld? This… no wonder… no wonder the Russian Underworld guards the script of death with such fervor and jealousy!

Cold sweat beaded up on his forehead.

There were still other pieces of invaluable intelligence that he had just gained access to, but he didn’t have the luxury of time to delve into these things for now. After all, the weight of such information was far too immense for such occasions!

These were potentially hidden trump cards that he could play in moments of crises! And even if he didn’t, the fact that such sensitive and crucial information was in the hands of a foreign underworld would undoubtedly still place a huge burden on the Russian Underworld!

Do they know exactly what intelligence I’ve gained?

If not, the uncertainty would be yet another source of leverage that I can capitalize on!

As for when I should play these hidden cards… I’ve got a few ideas.

“Say… I hear that the Russian Underworld intends to form a strategic alliance with the forces of Hell?”

“Did you also mention dividing the Mongol Empire equally?”

There’s no better opportunity than this!

Just as Qin Ye was about to go on to consider the next few pieces of intelligence he’d gained, he suddenly paused.

Whoosh… A golden light flourished from his chest, and Hell’s Records flew out and began to write frantically.

Name: Qin Ye (Nickname - Dogballs)

Place of Origin: Liu Er Mound Village, Gazi Gully, Tang An County, Qingguang City

Family Members: Grandfather (deceased), Parents (deceased)

Date of Birth: 1 October 1938

Everything else below was blank.

Rumble… Just then, the entire ground trembled as if an invisible source of energy were rushing over from every corner of the Daehan Peninsula!

A second later, words began to get imprinted onto Hell’s Records in calligraphic strokes.

“Merit Points have been awarded as follows.”

“Maintaining the dignity of the patriarchate; keeping peace and stability within the vassal state; and establishing international prestige for the very first time - Merit Points awarded: 1,000,000.”

One million?!

Qin Ye’s eyes lit up.

The international arena is truly far more rewarding than the domestic stage!

To think that I would instantly be awarded a million merit points! Given the 400,000 merit points from before, I would be almost a third of the way to the 5 million merit points required to break through to the ranks of an Abyssal Prefect!

His mind stirred with great excitement. Moreover… Hell’s Record wasn’t quite done just yet!

“Interfering with the authority of other gods of death; espionage against the Russian Underworld giving rise to top secret intelligence - Merit Points awarded: 600,000!” [1]

600,000… Doesn’t this mean I have 2 million merit points now?! I’m almost halfway there!!! Qin Ye immediately felt goosebumps creeping up all over his skin, and he stared intently at Hell’s Records.

Don’t stop! Please continue!!!

Although the Second King Yanluo had already briefly mentioned in passing that as soon as he successfully completed this “learning journey” of his, he would immediately break through the ranks of an Infernal Judge and become an Abyssal Prefect, hearsay was completely different from seeing it happen with his own two eyes! The joy and excitement of being part of such a process was absolutely indescribable!

And this was especially when the merits were all set out line by line in front of his very own eyes, with a full breakdown of the merit points awarded for each item. His heart was overflowing with pure bliss and elation.

Black words slowly began to surface on Hell’s Records once more. The third item - “Completion of the tests for the succession to the throne - Merit Points: 3,000,000.”

3 million?!

The impact of these words was like when a cataclysmic meteor struck the earth. At once, he completely obviated from his mind all considerations pertaining to what the so-called tests were all about. The numbers spelling out three million was simply too striking to his eyes.

That makes… a grand total of 5 million merit points.

In other words… I’m… going to be an Abyssal Prefect?

Seriously?

What was once nothing more than lofty ambition has now actually been attained? Doesn’t that mean that the last hurdle to cross in the realm of my cultivation is none other than the final rank of Yama-King?

At once, his heart was filled with complex emotions, ranging from joy, to excitement, to anticipation, and validation. Countless feelings blended together like a long, stirring river. Finally, he sighed softly.

“Abyssal Prefect, huh…”

“That’s an entity to be held in high-regard internationally, no matter how you look at it…”

“Who would’ve thought that I’d actually be able to come so far in just a short span of two years’ time…”

He had changed a lot; lost a lot; and learned a lot. The regrets of his past were all washed away, and his heart was full of satisfaction.

BOOM!!!

Just then, the Yin energy in the surroundings suddenly undulated wildly. It swirled madly, buffeting wildly against Qin Ye’s clothes even as a shocking white light began to glow from various spaces in the room.

The living dead in the surroundings appeared to know what was going on, and every single one of them began to shrink back into the darkness of the shadows around, cowering in fear. Countless scarlet eyes stared intently at Qin Ye with awe and reverence.

The white glow slowly transformed into countless balls of white light, almost as though innumerable miniature suns were suspended in the air. There were at least a hundred thousand of them, and yet more were still appearing!

They came through the walls of the room, and bubbled up from the surface of the ground. In fact, it was almost as though they were rushing over from every part of the Daehan Peninsula!

“What’s this…” He gently stretched out his hand and touched one of the balls of light floating in the air. At once, an image surfaced in his mind.

It was a family.

A very ordinary family.

It was an image of a couple kneeling in front of a prayer tablet, offering an incense in prayer. A monochromatic photograph of the deceased was adhered to the prayer tablet, and a line of text was etched at the base below.

“Kim Eun-joo, deceased victim of the MV Sewol tragedy.”

Qin Ye touched another ball of light. This time, it was the image of an elderly woman resting beside the photograph of a middle-aged man located on her bedside table.

“Yoo In-hyuk, deceased victim of the Train to Pusan incident.”

“Bae Jae-jung, deceased victim of the shipwreck 12 years ago.” “Jung Sang-kyung, deceased victim of the mass poisoning incident 20 years ago.” “Shin Eun-chae, lost in the mass suicide incident 8 years ago.” “Im Jae-hwan, protester of the Choi Soon-sil debacle.” “Lee Rae-won, police superintendent of the Choi Soon-sil protests.” …

And the list goes on.

These were all victims of Choi Tae-min’s sins.

And now… they have all become Qin Ye’s blessings as they rushed straight over and converged on Qin Ye’s location!

Whoosh! At once, the darkest depths of the Gonjiam Asylum substratum was filled with intense white light!

1. The math didn’t quite add up on the author’s works, so I tweaked it slightly.