Yama Rising

This was a tactic that Usonia had been using for many years in the mortal realm, and it was as shameless as it was effective.

Back when Qin Ye was alive, he had wondered why the Cathayan Underworld wasn't a more dominant force on the international stage when it held so much of Usonia's national debt.

Only after dabbling in international affairs himself did he realize that on the world stage, the debtors had far more leverage than the creditors.

In frank terms, national debt was essentially equivalent to blank cheques. If the debtor refused to pay, then the creditor really couldn't do anything. Usonia didn't dare to print more USD as it was trying to control inflation, and that resulted in insufficient USD circulating in the international currency market to satisfy demand. Without sufficient reserves of USD, then they would be able to purchase Usonian technology and other Usonian exports, and this was the exact tactic that Qin Ye was currently employing.

What was even more harrowing was the thought of how depleted every nation's dragon jade reserves had become during the Cathayan Underworld's century-long seclusion.

Didn't anyone even have enough dragon jade to pay off the patent fees for the first 10 years?

This was why the strategy that Qin Ye was adopting was so shocking to everyone!

Essentially, Qin Ye was only stopping just short of blatantly telling everyone that he wanted to be the ruler of this world!

"What a truly stunning maneuver…" The nameless god of death heaved a long sigh before leaning back in his chair and falling silent.

Izanami was staring blankly at Qin Ye, and an overwhelming sense of regret suddenly welled up in her heart, regret over her decision to stand with the three pillars.

The ones who were most astonished of all were the 10 consortium chairmen.

Archbishop Antonio stared at Qin Ye for a long while before heaving a forlorn sigh. "What a young, yet ruthless leader."

"Indeed… When he declared that all transactions related to the new energy resource were going to be settled with dragon jade, goosebumps rose up over my entire body," Faizal Eben Abdullah Aziz, the chairman of the Abbasid Consortium, agreed. "I didn't anticipate his ambitions to be so vast! Antonio, have you thought about why he raised the first three proposals?"

"Of course," Archbishop Antonio replied through gritted teeth. "Out of those three, only the first one really matters, while the other two only act as smokescreens! It is the duty of the International Monetary Fund to oversee the international currency market, and those who are found guilty of trying to create a currency monopoly will be fined to the tune of hundreds of billions, even as high as trillions! I'm sure no underworld would be able to handle such dire consequences! If the Cathayan Underworld dared to take 100% of the patent fees and connect the new energy resource solely to the dragon jade, then that would definitely be viewed as an attempt to create a currency monopoly. However, they've chosen to only take 50% instead, and that places the situation in a gray area that's not so easy to adjudge. They're willing to sacrifice 50% of the patents precisely because they want to connect the dragon jade to the new energy resource without drawing the ire of the IMF. They're advancing slowly and steadily toward becoming the premier powerhouse of the world, rather than being overly ambitious and risking catastrophic consequences."

He shuddered as he continued, "Perkins really has let out a monster this time, one that has never been seen in history! The underworld has never experienced a currency crisis or a revolution brought on by an energy resource, and the Cathayan Underworld is taking advantage of this to anchor their currency and create a positive trade loop! They're trying to use the power of the entire world to nurture the Cathayan Underworld! Within the next decade alone, the Cathayan Underworld will experience a meteoric rise, I can't even begin to imagine their growth 20, 30, 50, 100 years down the line! They have their eyes set firmly on the ultimate prize of becoming the world's premier powerhouse, and no one can stop them…"

No one could've imagined that the Cathayan Underworld had already developed a new energy resource, only to keep it a secret for years and only reveal it after extensive ancillary facilities had already been constructed!

Everything that the Cathayan Underworld was doing had never been seen before, and they weren't affording the rest of the world any time to react. There were no relevant laws in this area, so there was no way to sanction them through international regulations!

As such, they were essentially able to do whatever they wanted!

Right at this moment, a burst of Yin energy swept through the entire hall, and Yin energy was surging like a tsunami around Yamaraja as he rose to his feet. He was only one step away from transcending beyond the Yama-King level, and his immense aura was causing the entire building to buzz audibly. Countless vengeful spirits converged toward him from all directions as if they were being siphoned toward him, forming a terrifying sea of souls that encompassed the entire hall.

"Yanluo Qin, we cannot permit the anchoring of any currency in the underworld! The three pillars will do anything necessary to protect the freedom of the currency market!"

His voice was like rumbling thunder, and it swept up such fierce Yin wind that all of the death gods present were forced to their feet with expressions of alarm and fear.

All pretenses of geniality had been cast aside…

In the face of such an important subject, there was no way that the three pillars could continue to stand by idly and watch as Qin Ye did as he pleased.

Yamaraja was more powerful than Qin Ye, and the Yin wind being swept up by his Yin energy was causing Qin Ye's robes to flap incessantly, but Qin Ye remained completely unfazed as he cast a cold gaze toward Yamaraja. "Are you threatening violence on our Cathayan Underworld's territory?"

Anubis also rose to his found, and boundless infernal sand seeped through the ground underfoot. All of a sudden, an enormous volume of sand rose up from down below like a reverse waterfall, inundating the entire hall.

"The four pillars should be leading the world toward freedom and improvement, not trying to create a global autocracy!" He slowly rose up into the air as he said in a cold voice, "Please rethink your decision, Yanluo Qin. You are provoking the entire international currency market through your actions!"

Qin Ye stood like a resolute pillar amid the fierce Yin wind as he replied, "Am I really provoking the international currency market, or am I only threatening the autocracy of the three pillars? What's wrong with anchoring the dragon jade? That would make it convenient for countless small underworlds to purchase the new energy resource, thereby making it truly accessible to the entire world! Seeing as you no longer wish to act civilized, then don't blame me for responding in kind."

As soon as his voice trailed, a burst of incredibly powerful Yin energy crashed down from the roof of the pagoda, completely quelling the Yin energy of the three pillars!

Zhao Yun was standing on the tiles on the rooftop of the pagoda with the bright moon above his head and his Courage of Dragons Silver Spear shimmering with a silver light in his hand.

If a battle were to break out, he would be able to enter the fray within a second.

At the same time, tens of thousands of Yin soldiers Ashmound, Yanjing, and the three eastern provinces would immediately converge to surround the Kraken Fortress, ensuring that none of the death gods present managed to escape!

Zhao Yun was making no effort to restrain his Yin energy at all, and it was causing the entire pagoda to tremble incessantly. All of a sudden, all of the vengeful spirits, infernal sand, and dark clouds of Yin energy began to fade away like snow melting under the scorching sun.

Shit!

The ruler death gods of the three pillars quickly exchanged a furious glance. In the heat of the moment, they had forgotten about Zhao Yun!

Yamaraja reluctantly withdrew his Yin energy before casting a resentful glance up toward the rooftop. He felt as if he had returned to several centuries ago, reliving the era where the second King Yanluo had done as he pleased, while the rest of the world could only look on helplessly.

Why was it that he was gone, but the Cathayan Underworld still had a being above the Yama-King level? How was this fair?!

The ruler gods of the three pillars sat back down as they withdrew their Yin energy, and Thanatos wore an expression of fury and indignation as he spat through gritted teeth, "Violence can't solve any problems."

"Is that so?" Qin Ye cast a cold gaze toward them as he replied, "I think unreasonable threats of violence should be met with violence! You just threatened the Cathayan Underworld's King Yanluo on the Cathayan Underworld's territory! Who do you think you are?! If anyone dares to provoke the Cathayan Underworld from now on, the Cathayan Underworld will immediately prepare to declare war on them, regardless of which underworld you are!"

He leaned forward like a prowling tiger as he lowered his voice in a menacing manner. "If you think I'm joking, then feel free to try me! Now then, if you want to listen, then sit down. Otherwise, the door is right behind you, and you're free to go at any time!"

Translation: "Sit down and listen, or piss off!"

Of course, in politics, the wording had to be more mellow, and his words were already extremely sharp. This was a situation that could only take place in the underworld, where a power system existed. In the mortal realm, the politicians were even more tactful with their wording.

Deathly silence ensued.

All of the death gods turned their attention toward the representatives of the three pillars, then snuck furtive glances at Qin Ye. In that instant, all of them were struck by the feeling that they had just witnessed the maturation of a fierce tiger.

The ruler death gods of the three pillars were in an extremely difficult situation. They definitely didn't want a war with the Cathayan Underworld, but if they were to back down now, it would be the equivalent of accepting a slap to the face without any retaliation!

They were beings who stood at the top of this world! Never had they been humiliated like this before!

Amid the awkward and tense standoff, Perkins finally broke the silence. "There's no need to get so worked up, everyone. Once again, let me remind everyone that Yanluo Qin is only stating his intentions. Let us continue."

The ruler death gods of the three pillars were struck by the urge to slap this dirty rat into oblivion!

If sufficient resistance couldn't be raised against these stated intentions, then they would be finalized as terms for the agreements to be signed in the future, so they couldn't afford to let things slide here!

Perkins gritted his teeth before continuing, "Connecting the new energy resource to a single currency is beneficial for trade and settlements. This is an area that our GTO is responsible for, and if all of the world's nations use their currencies to purchase the new energy resource, that would result in an immense workload for our GTO. Please put yourselves in our shoes and consider our position. After all, we weren't able to apply for funding over this past century…"

The ruler death gods of the three pillars were furious, but didn't know what to say.

The second King Yanluo was basically an international bully, but he was also very generous and righteous. The funding for the world organizations was provided by all nations, with the four pillars providing more than other nations, and it was very difficult to secure.

The funding would definitely be provided, but the amount and timing of the funds to be delivered were always hotly contested subjects.

During the past few centuries, the Cathayan Underworld has given its share with minimal fuss, but the three pillars had constantly been trying to delay and reduce their payments. Now, their stinginess was coming back to bite them in the backside!

The point that Perkins had made about insufficient funding infuriated them to the point that they were almost throwing up blood, but if they wanted to defuse the situation, then they couldn't continue to raise objections.

"Also…" Perkins still wasn't finished, and he cast a wary gaze toward the representatives of the three pillars as he continued, "The other underworlds still haven't spoken yet. Even if the three pillars object to these proposals, everything will have to come down to a vote."

Thanatos took a deep breath before turning to look behind him.

All of the underworld representatives, including those from insignificant underworlds like Giltine from the Lithuanian Underworld, Anko from the Celtic Underworld, and the death gods from the Red Moon Federation, all looked away to avoid meeting his gaze.

Don't look at us! Our netherworldly citizens are all dying for a new energy resource to emerge! We don't care about the international currency market or the power balance of the world, we want convenience and tangible benefits! If you ask me, connecting the dragon jade to the new energy resource sounds very convenient and beneficial…