Yama Rising

Qin Ye picked up his teacup before lifting its lid, and the refreshing scent of tea instantly flowed into his nostrils. He lowered his head to take a sip, concealing the sharp look in his eyes as he did so.

Never did he think that the mortal realm would be so determined that they would be willing to toss out a provincial governor in order to set this trap.

This wasn't just as simple as tossing someone out. Li Xingjian deserved this fate for his crimes, but in order to set up this trap, they had to allow him to continue to accept bribes and become more and more corrupt. In the process, he was undoubtedly going to affect the policy decision-making of the entire province, which meant that the population of that entire province was involved in this plot, and it was quite a bold decision to make.

Once again, the advantages of an authoritarian political system rose to the fore here.

With the central government intentionally allowing Li Xingjian to do as he pleased, there would be a much higher chance of the inner demon falling for the trap! All they had to do was keep constant surveillance on Li Xingjian, and once the inner demon decided to strike, the Harken would immediately arrive to trap it!

Thus, Hell would be able to face off against the inner demon without any distractions.

"Alright, then I'll be counting on you," Qin Ye said with a smile as he set down his teacup.

Rao Guanghui heaved an internal sigh of relief upon hearing this, then stood up and extended a hand forward as he said, "Looking forward to collaborating with you."

"Likewise." Thus, another handshake concluded the meeting.

……………………………………………………

Qin Ye slowly emerged in a room amid a gust of Yin wind.

This was a very spacious room that was around 300 to 400 square meters in area, and it was separated into sections by several massive screens. A few plants in gold-plated pots were placed artfully in the corners of the hall, giving it a clean and simplistic, yet also decadent and refined look.

The entire hall was brightly lit by the palatial lanterns powered by the new energy resource, and in the instant that Qin Ye appeared, all of the surrounding underworld emissaries immediately bowed in unison. "Welcome, Yanluo Qin!"

Qin Ye smiled as he nodded toward the middle-aged Yin spirit at the forefront of the group. "No need for formalities. Thank you for your hard work, everyone."

"Yes!"

The four Yin spirits at the front stood up straight again, following which the Yin spirits behind them did the same. The two Yin spirits at the forefront were middle-aged individuals wearing purple official robes, and they stepped forward before extending another deep bow toward Qin Ye in unison.

"Administrative Commissioner Liu Qiankun of Taixing Province pays his respects to Yanluo Qin!"

"Governor Mu Shun of Taixing Province pays his respects to Yanluo Qin!"

Qin Ye gave a nod of acknowledgment, before waving a hand, then sat down onto the main seat. All of the other officials also sat down one after another, then immediately opened their notepads.

Computers hadn't been developed yet, so paper notepads were still in use. However, things like cameras, video cameras, and recorders had already appeared. In the past, the secretaries and assistants had to frantically record everything that took place during meetings using pen and paper, but they were able to use video cameras and microphones now, while image capture crystals had been replaced by cameras.

As the video cameras were switched on, the entire hall quickly fell silent. All of the high-ranking officials of Taixing Province present were eagerly awaiting the commencement of the meeting. Taixing Province was one of the Cathayan Underworld's inland provinces, and even though it corresponded with Shanxi Province of the mortal realm, it wasn't blessed with the rich ore and mineral resources that Shanxi Province had. Thus, it rarely ever had anything to say during work report meetings, and it never caught the attention of Hell's leaders.

However, just a few hours ago, the high-ranking officials of the province received a call from the new energy resource phones, informing them that Qin Ye and the three other Yama-Kings were going to be arriving soon, and they were so elated by this news that they didn't even know what to do with themselves!

They didn't know why these important figures were visiting their province, but if they could leave a positive impression on them, then that would do wonders for their political careers!

Amid the silence, Qin Ye took a sip of tea, then said, "I'm sure everyone has already seen the emergency documents sent out a week ago."

A week ago, Everburn had begun implementing measures to defend against the inner demon, which included distributing information about the inner demon's special properties to all provinces. Of course, only officials of the governor level were aware that they were dealing with the inner demon. As for all of the netherworldly citizens and Yin soldiers across the nation, they were only under the impression that they had to deal with potential natural disasters.

This was the advantage of the lack of information freedom in authoritarian nations. If information were free to circulate, then everyone would become aware of the demise of Safesoul City, and that would spread panic across the entire nation. Countless netherworldly citizens would move to places that they thought were safe, and that would result in severe overpopulation of all of the nation's major cities.

All of the elation in the hearts of the underworld emissaries present instantly faded upon hearing this. Liu Qiankun suddenly realized that this visit from King Yanluo wasn't necessarily a good thing, and a sense of foreboding welled up in his heart as he gulped nervously. "Your Excellency, could it be…"

He couldn't bring himself to continue. Qin Ye wore a grim expression as silence descended upon the entire hall again, and several seconds later, Qin Ye informed, "10 hours ago, Safesoul City on the western border was destroyed."

A string of stunned gasps rang out, following which everyone looked up with incredulous expressions.

This was a city with a population of tens of thousands, yet it was gone just like that?

Liu Qiankun was holding his pen so tightly that it was on the verge of snapping, and a chill ran down his spine as this piece of news fully sank. However, before he had a chance to ask any questions, the next piece of news allowed him to heave a sigh of relief.

"There won't be another attack."

However, before he even had a chance to finish his sigh of relief, what Qin Ye had to say next had them on the edge of their seats again. "However, the inner demon is currently lingering in Shanxi Province in the mortal realm, which corresponds with Taixing Province. We are unsure of its exact location."

In just a short few seconds, all of the underworld emissaries present had been put on an emotional rollercoaster.

Were they afraid? Of course they were! This was an invisible enemy, and the fear for their province's safety was compounded by the fear of the unknown.

At the same time, they knew that this was the time to profess their loyalty and determination. The capital city of Taixing Province was Eternahell City, which had tens of thousands of Yin soldiers, and they were confident that they would at least be able to put up a fight if the inner demon dared to strike at them!

Only an idiot would pass up this opportunity to make a good impression, and all of the underworld emissaries present instantly began to profess their resolve. "Rest assured, Yanluo Qin. If the inner demon dares to come, then we'll guard the province with our lives! So long as we still draw breath, the province will not be allowed to fall!"

Qin Ye nodded with a pleased expression. He knew that if the inner demon were to attack, Eternahell City wouldn't be able to resist at all, but the fighting spirit was something that he really liked to see.

If these officials didn't even have the resolve to resist, then the city would truly be doomed.

"From this day forth, Eternahell City is to go on the highest level of alert," he ordered. "Also, deploy all of Eternahell City's best darkfeathers. Prior to the inner deon's departure from this place, I want to know everything that it does, and even if it does leave, you must track it at all costs, understood?"

"Yes!"

……………………………………

Time flew by in a flash, and in the blink of an eye, it had already been a month.

In his office, Qin Ye was holding two reports while reading them in silence.

"You two take a look as well." Several minutes later, he pushed the reports toward Zhao Yun and Arthis, and both of them quickly read through the reports.

Several more minutes passed by before Zhao Yun put down the reports with tightly furrowed brows. "This is very strange. The first report came from a week ago, stating that the darkfeathers have confirmed that the inner demon and the 73 immortals are all lurking in the city of Yuncheng."

Zhao Yun swept a hand through the air, and a map appeared in mid-air. He then pointed his finger at a certain point in Shanxi Province as he continued, "This should be the last report sent out by the darkfeathers, and within three minutes of the report being sent out, the Yin energy of the darkfeathers completely vanished, which means that they've already been discovered by the inner demon. However, this second report was sent a week after that one, and its contents confirm that the inner demon is still in Yuncheng. At the same time, this was also the last report sent out by that group of darkfeathers. Yesterday, all of the darkfeathers returned, but over 10 were sent out, and only five returned. After a month of investigation, they discovered these two reports…"

He lowered his head in contemplation for a moment, then continued, "All of the darkfeathers have undergone special training and have been refined by the three divine artifacts, so their Yin energy is undetectable. The fact that so many of them have met their demise indicates that firstly, the inner demon has more spies in Yuncheng than we imagined. Secondly…"

He paused momentarily as he turned to Qin Ye with a grim expression. "And this is what I'm most perplexed about. As soon as the first darkfeathers, it should've been on high alert. Even though we made it seem like our darkfeathers are scouring the entire nation, it should've left Yuncheng immediately. After all, its biggest advantage is its untraceable nature. It would be reasonable to think that it's waiting for the return of the 73 immortals, but the 73 immortals already returned a week ago, so why hasn't it left yet?"

What was keeping it tethered to Yuncheng?

We can't send any more darkfeathers to Yuncheng…

This was the first time that Hell had seized the initiative in this battle against the inner demon by tracking it down, at the cost of eight top-tier darkfeathers. If they were to send more darkfeathers to Yuncheng, even if the inner demon were under the impression that it hadn't already been discovered, sending more darkfeathers to Yuncheng would definitely tip it off.

If this trail were to run cold, then it would be next to impossible to track down the inner demon again. In fact, there was a good chance that the inner demon had already grown suspicious, but had only chosen to stay out of necessity for some reason.

They couldn't just allow it to escape!

Qin Ye stood up while gently massaging his beaded bracelet, and he stared at the map for a long while before finally deciding, "I'm going to make a trip to Yuncheng myself."

"Your Excellency!" Zhao Yun immediately raised his head, yet before he could say anything, Qin Ye brushed off his objections with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"The inner demon is unique in that it can detect other beings through their emotions and desires, rather than having to rely on Yin energy like other Yin spirits. However, I've passed the trial of inner demons, obtaining the origin runes of emotions and desires, and with the three divine artifacts to conceal my Yin energy, there's no way it'll be able to notice me."

"But…"

"Brother Zhao." Qin Ye turned to him with an earnest expression as he said, "As King Yanluo, I must take on responsibilities fitting of my position. I'm the only one in Hell who can do this, so it should be up to me."

He really has changed…

Arthis had remained silent this entire time, but she was very much impressed and gratified. This was not something that the past cowardly Qin Ye wouldn't have ever said.

Zhao Yun still seemed to want to say something, but he decided against it in the end.

The 73 immortals had already returned, yet the inner demon still remained in Yuncheng, even though it was at risk of being discovered. Granted, even if it were tracked down, it could still flee extremely quickly, but why would it tempt fate like this?

Was there something in Yuncheng that was so valuable to the inner demon that it was willing to risk being tracked down by Hell?

Someone had to go to make sense of the situation, and as King Yanluo, Qin Ye owed a duty to the entire Cathayan Underworld.

"Please look after yourself, Your Excellency," Zhao Yun said as he extended a deep bow.

After that, he stood up straight again, and his voice rang out across the entire city as he ordered, "All officials of the governor level, gather at the first meeting hall right away!"

Qin Ye could go, but there was no way that Hell would allow its King Yanluo to venture into such a perilous situation alone.

Even if he had to face off against the inner demon on his own, there had to be an army following him!