Yama Rising

No wonder… No wonder he possesses the ability to manipulate the Scales of Justice to such an extent. If there’s anything in this world that comes even close to omniscience and omnipotence, it would be none other than the Heavenly Dao.

Unfortunately, he’s still not quite an entity synonymous with the Heavenly Dao, and there are still things that he doesn’t know… All of Qin Ye’s doubts and queries had finally been answered.

In that moment of silence, the white mist slowly began to surround them and envelop them altogether. And amidst the white nothingness, the sound of a bell tinkled, almost as though it was calling a wanderer to return home.

With the tinkle of the bell, the white mist began to stir wildly, and swirl rapidly. Within moments, everything began to swirl like a mighty vortex spinning around them both. The Grand Hall appeared no different from a cloud-topped heavenly palace, presenting itself with dreamlike beauty. But just as the white mist came close to Qin Ye, Fate suddenly blossomed with a radiant light, forcing the white mist to retreat at once.

It hesitated, and then swirled about as though at a loss. However, the mist dared not take a single step forward any further.

“The Heavenly Dao is afraid of Fate?” Qin Ye’s eyes widened in consternation.

“To be more precise, it's afraid of the person Fate represents.” The Plumed Serpent God chuckled softly, “Do you think his title as the strongest existence in the history of the Three Realms is simple for show? But even this deterrence isn’t going to last long against the will of the Heavenly Dao. Ever since merging with it, I’ve come to learn of many secrets of the world. For instance, I know that the Three Realms simply wouldn’t allow humans of the level of the Second King Yanluo of Hell to exist.”

“I’d personally sensed his departure from the Three Realms, and the Heavenly Dao must naturally know that for a fact as well. Therefore, I know full well that time isn’t on our side. Alright, back to the point. This is the state that I’m in right now - I’m in the process of being devoured by the Heavenly Dao. However, that’s a process that will take time, and before it is complete, I’ll still remain a sentient being with a will of my own. That said… I can last no more than three to four hundred years like this.”

He was clearly getting to the heart of his request. Thus, Qin Ye egged him on, “What do you want of us?”

“Help me!” The Plumed Serpent God’s voice trembled, “Help me get out from the Heavenly Dao! I can wait! The Yama-Kings of the Ten Palaces, Sixfold Ghost Kings, Lord Ksitigarbha, the Harken, and the Third King Yanluo of Hell! That’s 19 Yama-class entities! Even the Heavenly Dao would have no choice but to give up on devouring me! And so long as you become the next King Yanluo of Hell, you’ll naturally know of the way to communicate with the Heavenly Dao!”

How unfortunate… I’m afraid you might have some misconceptions about the new Hell…

Qin Ye stared at Quetzalcoatl intently, “So what’s in it for us?”

Quetzalcoatl didn’t reply verbally. Instead, he simply took a deep breath and lifted his neck. At once, a faint golden light shot out with psychedelic light and flew straight into Qin Ye’s hands.

“Didn’t you want this?” He licked his lips with a profound gaze in his eyes, “Take it with you. With this, you’ll be able to give any orders to the Mythic Spirits you so desire. After all, the Mythic Spirits of the Alkebulan Underworlds would never be able to deny my orders.”

The divine oracle!

Qin Ye immediately clasped his fingers around the object radiating golden light in his hand. It was a golden scale. This was the true form of the divine oracle!

The Plumed Serpent God knew everything that was happening in the Alkebulan Underworlds. So long as he refused, nobody could ever obtain the divine oracle. However, it was also clear that the Plumed Serpent God was desperate.

Had this been any other time, Qin Ye could almost guarantee that the Plumed Serpent God would never have handed it over that readily. But now, he was even offering up the divine oracle without asking Qin Ye to make a commitment to him.

It was clearly an act of desperation.

And don’t be fooled by his calm expressions. This all stemmed from the fact that a Mythic Spirit was doing its best to maintain its honor.

Qin Ye glanced at the golden scale in his hand, “Unlimited usage?”

He could see for himself that the Plumed Serpent God still had several other pieces of golden scales hidden right under his neck.

“One-time use.”

“That’s it?”

The Plumed Serpent God gazed deeply at Qin Ye, before finally responding hoarsely, “This would have a direct impact on your potential succession. Don’t you think you’re being a little bit too greedy?”

Qin Ye smiled, “And if I don’t become the next King Yanluo of Hell, how am I supposed to convince the Yama-Kings of the Ten Palaces and the Sixfold Ghost Kings on your behalf?”

He bowed slightly, almost with a respectful posture, but he promptly narrowed his eyes, “Or are you suggesting that… you’d sooner be prepared to tell another person about the tragic situation that you’re in right now?”

Then, without missing a beat, he continued, “Speaking of which, you haven’t even told the Mythic Spirits of the Alkebulan Underworlds about this. Who are you going to relay such a message to? The Incan Underworld’s god of death who’s on the verge of death? Or the Aztec gods who had once abandoned you?”

“Or do you really think you’ve got the luxury of time to sit around, waiting for the next time a representative of the P4 underworlds appears in the Black Mamba Underworld in person? And would you even dare say these things to them? I daresay that you wouldn’t… In fact, your best bet is to tell someone like me, a potential successor to the throne of one of the P4 underworlds. This is the only way you can potentially gain some goodwill for yourself in the hope that you can be rescued from the hellfire of the Heavenly Dao. And that’s not to mention the fact that I currently represent one of the more powerful underworlds, even among the P4 underworlds…”

The Plumed Serpent God didn’t say a word as he listened to Qin Ye state his piece.

Qin Ye straightened up and then gazed Quetzalcoatl straight in the eye, “You’re making a gamble here, and so am I. You’re betting on your goodwill, and that his slight measure of goodwill you’ve extended to me will make a sufficient impression on me such that I take action to repay your kindness when I finally ascend the throne. On the other hand, I’m gambling on whether I can even make it all the way to the top. That said, the only difference here is that I’ve got options, and you don’t.”

“And since you don’t have any way out of this tight spot, why don’t you be a little bit more forthcoming? With all due respect… you’re not in a very good spot right now.”

The Plumed Serpent God grew taciturn.

As Qin Ye spoke, the white mist swirled madly around them. Almost as though it was stirring with newfound determination, the mist quickly congealed into six Cathayan fans that were approximately five meters each. Complex runes of Yin Talismans were scattered all over their surface, and it appeared no different to the initiation module of the second generation Forbidden Art that Qin Ye had seen.

“I guess the Heavenly Dao is trying to tell us that it is the most powerful among all of the underworlds, huh…” Qin Ye chuckled.

However, the Plumed Serpent God couldn’t find it within himself to chuckle along with Qin Ye. He remained completely silent even as the six fans flew up behind him, transforming into a massive umbrella that sought to envelop him from behind!

The underside of the umbrella was adorned with countless embroidered eyes, each of which appeared to reflect the silhouette of the Plumed Serpent God. Just then, the white mist flowing all around them suddenly began to rush towards the umbrella, almost as though it was a mighty black hole that was sucking up every bit of the Heavenly Dao’s power in this world.

“It takes the shape of the most powerful underworld.” The Plumed Serpent God finally spoke up. Even then, he didn’t even seem in the slightest bit flustered. His tail had already been reduced to mist and haze that quickly vanished into the heart of the umbrella. However, his eyes continued to gleam brightly as he smiled at Qin Ye, “If an Abyssal Prefect had even dared to speak to me like this a few hundred years ago, I’m afraid he would already have ended up in my belly by now.”

Qin Ye smiled back faintly and nodded gently, “That’s right. Unfortunately, it’s precisely because you’d first set your sights on me that I’d been filled with the courage to tread on such thin ice.”

Whoosh… A third of the Plumed Serpent God’s figure had vanished by now. He sighed softly, “I know where the treasure trove of the Aztec mythology is located. They’ve only vanished over the last few centuries. If I tell you its location, you can head over right away and seize control of the entire collection of treasures that have been accrued over several thousands of years!”

However, Qin Ye shook his head with a bright glint in his eyes, devoid of even the slightest measure of humility that he had previously put up, “Lord Plumed Serpent God… You should be fully aware of what I’m asking for. 400 years is far too long. I don’t have that kind of patience. Moreover, what do the treasures of a fallen mythological underworld even mean to a future King Yanluo of Hell?”

A whole lot, if you ask me…

“Besides, don’t you think that such an offer of yours lacks far too much sincerity?”

The Plumed Serpent God finally sighed wistfully, “Actually… if you have a good relationship with the Harken, you can just ask him just what these treasures represent. But, forget it. I really don’t have any more time.”

As he spoke, his figure was suddenly sucked right into the heart of the umbrella, and it trembled slightly, before vanishing with a dazzling display of Yin Talismans.

The surrounding white mist slowly receded at once. It was only then that Qin Ye looked down once more, only to notice three other golden scales sitting right at his feet. He shook his head, “Tsk. How stingy…”

The Plumed Serpent God had at some point also left him a message on the ground - If you need to speak with me again, please come to this place with one of my scales and call out my true name, Kukulkan.

“What?! There’s still a catch?!” Qin Ye was completely incensed - Bloody hell… How can you only give me four pieces of your golden scales for a task as tall as this? And to think that I even have to keep one reserved to call upon your name in future?! You must be kidding me!

He cussed and swore in his heart, but he still proceeded to pick up the scales on the ground with undeniable speed. It was only when he finally had the scales in his hands that he promptly threw his head into the sky and began to laugh boisterously.

It’s finally over…

I’ve encountered many hiccups along the way, but the end result is even better than I could ever have hoped for!

After all, Qin Ye had gained far more in the matters of his perspective of world affairs!

He had gained four pieces of the golden scales that represented divine oracles. These were artifacts that he could expend in order to command the entire Alkebulan Underworld to do his bidding! Naturally, there were limits to the commands he could issue. For instance, he would never be able to command them to attack the Aegyptian Underworld. However… he could still gain much by commanding them to open their doors to partnership with Hell!

As to the exact terms of their partnership, he would naturally have to return to discuss the specifics with the elite think-tanks operating out of Hell right now.

“Besides… there’s the parting message that he’s left me with. What exactly does the Harken know?” He rubbed the scales in his hand carefully. However, he wasn’t given the luxury of time to consider these matters, because another source of Yama-class Yin energy soon stirred in the Grand Hall of Ancestors.

The molted scales of Black Mamba that were all scattered around had once again transformed into countless black serpents that were converging in the center of the room, melding together into a dark blob of energy. Moments later, Black Mamba stepped out from the heart of the blob, surveyed his surroundings for a moment, before finally turning his gaze right onto Qin Ye.

“You--…” He was just about to speak when he promptly did a double take at the objects that Qin Ye was holding right in his hands.

Four…

He actually obtained four divine oracles?! How gracious is the Plumed Serpent God to an outsider like him?! I’ve never seen the appearance of so many divine oracles in my entire life!

What in the world happened?!

He wanted to ask about what transpired, but found himself completely unable to do so. The oracles in Qin Ye’s hand caused his heart to stir with a primal sense of reverence and respect. His knees immediately went weak, and he half-knelt to the ground and cried out in a deep voice, “Your humble servant, Black Mamba Mythic Spirit, is at your service!”

Silence. Black Mamba remained in his reverential posture, while Qin Ye remained silent. Instead, he simply ran his finger across the cold scales in his hands and sighed with great emotion.

Over the last month, he’d gone from having only a sliver of hope, to making last-ditch efforts at mending the potentially devastating loopholes in his case, to securing himself an unexpected partnership with the Black Mamba. Thereafter, he stood up against the Scales of Justice in the divine inquisition, and he finally held… the key to put a final punctuation to this chapter of his story.

Whoosh… One of the scales flew right up to Black Mamba, and Qin Ye’s voice boomed in his ear, “Black Mamba Mythic Spirit, receive this oracle.”

“Yes!” Black Mamba was still in a half-kneeling position, but his head was bowed so low that it almost touched the ground. Qin Ye’s voice rumbled so loudly that the entire Grand Hall felt as though it was shaking.

“Effective immediately, you shall bear the authority of the Plumed Serpent God and travel across Alkebulan to contact the Mythic Spirits situated in the Golden Rhino Tribe, the Sunbird Tribe, the Lioness Tribe, the Emerald Wolf Tribe, the Seema Tribe, the Hornets Tribe, the Zawa Tribe, the Ntuga Tribe, the Blazing Ice Tribe, the Giant Molten Tribe, the Hyena Tribe, the Zanga Tribe, and the Vidala Tribe, as well as the Abyssal prefects of other tribes. All are to be on standby for mobilization upon Hell’s orders from the turn of the new year.”

“Yes!!”

Black Mamba responded affirmatively, and then proceeded to ask with some measure of apprehension, “Sir… wouldn’t sending 13 Mythic Spirits and over twenty Abyssal Prefects… make the Alkebulan Underworlds a little bit empty?”

“This is the divine oracle.” Qin Ye looked Black Mamba straight in the eyes, “Or are you trying to disobey Lord Quetzalcoatl’s orders?!”

“I dare not!”

“Remember.” Qin Ye continued in a deep voice, “Upon Hell’s command, all forces are to march for Khuree at once, regardless of the costs involved!”

He smiled faintly, “Don’t ever forget the rancor from the incident several hundred years ago. This is… your one and only chance at revenge!”

“As the divine oracle so decrees!!”