Yama Rising

The paper figure instantly understood why Qin Ye was asking this question.

Having already been in the Nipponese Underworld for over 100 years, Iwasaki Yatarō was naturally aware of the rules there, and he knew just how useful a defensive resource the inter-realm mirrors were to the Nipponese Underworld. It was no exaggeration to say that with the inter-realm mirrors in place, the Nipponese Underworld would be able to contend with 10 times the number of Yin soldiers than in its own military!

However, the system of the inter-realm mirrors was flawed, and the only flaw came in the form of the three yokai of the mortal realm.

They were the only evil ghosts who could enter the Nipponese Underworld without using the inter-realm mirrors, and this was an arrangement that Izanami had to accept due to the special nature of their identities.

After going beyond the shimenawa ropes of the three yokai, one would reach the Chubu region, and a large number of ships was required to take Hell's troops from Chubu to Hokkaido.

Having clarified its own thoughts, the paper figure replied in a respectful voice, "I understand what you want, Your Excellency."

"Oh?" Qin Ye raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. He hadn't attempted to conceal too much. As long as the names of the Iwasaki Family were on the Heavenly Dao scroll, there was no way that they would be able to betray him.

Low-grade Yin spirits were completely oblivious to what Heavenly Dao scrolls and Heavenly Dao vows were. They didn't even know what they had signed. At the very most, they would only be able to sense a vague karmic shift.

The paper figure stepped forward, then said, "The only way to enter the Nipponese Underworld without using the inter-realm mirrors would be to use the shimenawa ropes of the mortal realm's three yokai, so you've made a very good choice here. The three yokai have this privilege as they're all extremely special beings with extraordinary pasts."

He paused momentarily before continuing, "I only know two of the three yokai of the mortal realm, and those two are responsible for the rise of Aokigahara and the Sandanbeki Rock Cliff. As for the Tojinbo Waterfalls, they only have a very minor connection to those two yokai. Firstly, the yokai situated at the Sandanbeki Rock Cliff is Hiruko no Kami."

Hiruko no Kami...

Qin Ye's brows furrowed slightly, but his eyes then immediately lit up.

As King Yanluo, he naturally had to develop a thorough understanding of all of the world's religions, and Hiruko no Kami was an extremely renowned figure in Nipponese legends.

Prior to the rise of Izanagi and Izanami, there were the primitive gods of Takamagahara, but the history of Nipponese mythology began with those two.

According to the legends, Izanagi and Izanami were ordered by the gods of Takamagahara to create a kingdom. Izanagi suggested that they split up, and that when they met up again, the distance that they had covered would be the territory of Nippon. Izanami agreed to this, but as they met, Izanami said, "What a handsome man you are."

Izanagi also said, "What a beautiful woman you are."

It was considered to be an omen of misfortune for the woman to have spoken first, but Izanagi paid that no heed. Not long after that, they gave birth to their first child, and he was called Hiruko.

In Nipponese, the term "Hiruko" referred to infants with incomplete development, and that applied to this Hiruko as well.

He was born as a ball of rotten flesh without any bones or organs. Izanagi felt this to be too misfortunate an omen to ignore, so they abandoned him, and only after that did the legend of Izanagi and Izanami's creation of the human race arise.

"So this Hiruko no Kami..." Qin Ye began.

The paper figure immediately explained, "He is the same Hiruko that was abandoned in Nipponese mythology. After creating humans, the dirt on Izanagi's body formed the Hyakki Yagyō. However, the abandoned Hiruko was also thought of as dirt, and he drifted to a place near the Sandanbeki Rock Cliff, where he was stopped by a rock. From then onward, he harbored boundless resentment toward his own parents, and any living being that entered his territory would die without exception. That area has already transformed into a true domain of ghosts, and in order to hide this controversy, Izanami didn't allow Hiruko no Kami to enter the underworld."

I see... Qin Ye nodded in response as his eyes narrowed slightly.

He was confident that this Hiruko no Kami would be willing to let them through into the Nipponese Underworld. This was the best piece of news he had received since he arrived in Nippon!

The paper figure continued, "Your Excellency, you may think that Hiruko no Kami resents the Nipponese Underworld, but his hatred is nothing compared with what is harbored by the one in Aokigahara! On top of that, Aokigahara in the underworld is a cursed region of the sea that'll devour even Yin spirits, and it's directly connected to the Nippon Sea! No Yin spirits can approach the area unless they're at least at the Anitya Hellguard level, and I think that is the best target for you."

"Oh?" Qin Ye raised an eyebrow with an intrigued expression.

The paper figure asked, "Your Excellency, have you heard of Amanozako?"

Qin Ye shook his head in response. This was a very unfamiliar name to him.

The paper figure explained, "Her full name is Amanozako Himekami, and she is a manifestation of Susanoo-no-Mikoto's rage. She has the body of a human but the head of a beast. Her appearance is extremely hideous, but her powers rival those of Susanoo-no-Mikoto! Susanoo-no-Mikoto also abandoned her as he despised her appearance. On top of that, when the Nipponese Underworld was first founded, Izanami didn't invite Amanozako into the underworld as she didn't want to give Susanoo-no-Mikoto a powerful ally."

Sure enough, this was a world where looks were imperative.

Those who were too hideous didn't even have the right to be retained by their parents!

Qin Ye set that train of thought aside and nodded in response. If he could form a collaborative relationship with those two, then the foundation for the attack on the Nipponese Underworld would already be laid. All that would be left would be to complete the second-generation forbidden arts and the launching technology.

However, he had no plans to approach Amanozako and Hiruko at the moment.

The Mitsubishi Consortium needed time to develop submarines, but Amanozako and Hiruko could open up their pathways into the underworld at any time, so they required no time to prepare. If he were to discuss terms with them now, they would most likely ask for exorbitant compensation, and there was also the possibility that their allegiances could shift over time.

With that, Qin Ye had accomplished everything he had come to Nippon to do. The initial interaction with the Mitsubishi Corporation was a resounding success, and all that was left to do was to find opportunities to begin collaborating in secret.

His body began to vanish as gusts of Yin wind as he declared, "During the Asia-Pacific Economic Development Conference in the underworld in half a year's time, I'll have some good news to present to you."

"Thank you for gracing us with your presence!"

In the blink of an eye, Qin Ye reappeared on a certain street in Tokyo.

As the most developed city in all of Asia, it was an understatement to call Tokyo a city that never slept. However, despite all the bright lights and lavish extravagance, the sorrow of what was once the world's number one city could not be disguised.

During the 1980s, Nippon's GDP was over 70% of Usonia's, and Tokyo also leapfrogged New York to become the undisputed number one city in the world. However, following a financial crisis in the 1990s, everything came crashing down.

However, even now, no other city in Asia had managed to surpass it. The foundation that it had accumulated was far too massive, and many of the things that were in the city now were left behind in the wake of that popped financial bubble.

An example of that was the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, which was right ahead of Qin Ye.

It was once the Tokyo residence of a feudal lord, but it was later renovated into the national garden. It spanned an area of close to 60 hectares, and it was the undisputed number one garden in Tokyo.

The after-effects of the financial crisis could still be seen here. Even though house prices had already dropped to around 50,000 to 60,000 RMB per square kilometer in the non-central parts of Tokyo, which was an absolute bargain compared to house prices in cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, but there were still far too many jobless, homeless people sleeping on the benches in the park at night. In fact, there were a few in front of Qin Ye right at this moment.

He had just purchased a plane ticket for the next day, and he didn't feel like sleeping, so he strolled into the park. He wanted to see what had become of this once-extravagant city that had left the likes of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Seoul in the dust.

The night was extremely peaceful, and the only sounds that could be heard was the occasional car horn, as well as the rustling of the tree branches in the night breeze. Qin Ye slowly strode along the path in the garden, enjoying a rare moment of peace.

There were many stone lampstands from a long-gone era on either side of the path, and some of them were already covered in moss.

Right as Qin Ye was walking past one of the antiquated lamps, an azure flames suddenly appeared within it.

Qin Ye immediately cast his gaze toward that direction.

Immediately thereafter, azure netherfire lit up in all of the lamps that lined the path!

The night breeze turned into a howling gale, causing all of the trees in the park to shriek like countless howling ghosts. Qin Ye's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked around in disbelief.

Who could've discovered me? Since when did Nippon have a Yama-King? Alternatively, could it be a coincidence?

Right at this moment, a strong gust of wind arose behind him as if it had torn open this space before blowing directly toward him from behind.

Whoever it was, they hadn't concealed their Yin energy at all, and Qin Ye was just about to retaliate when his expression changed ever so slightly.

This attack wasn't imbued with any Yin energy, it was just a pure attack!

It was extremely fast, so much so that sonic booms were erupting through the air, and the assailant was clearly a veteran of the battlefield, but this was nowhere near enough to pose a threat to Qin Ye.

Qin Ye didn't even turn around as he reached behind himself, catching the tip of the oncoming spear between his fingers with unerring accuracy before turning around with eyes that were filled with killing intent.

No matter who it was, they couldn't be allowed to live after discovering him!

However, right as he caught sight of his assailant, his pupils immediately contracted slightly.

It was an acquaintance, one that he had never thought that he would meet here!

"Am I not even worthy of having you face my attack head-on now?" A familiar male voice rang out from behind Qin Ye.

Qin Ye turned around with an incredulous expression. A young man was standing behind him, looking directly at him with a complex smile on his face.

His features were quite ordinary, not handsome nor hideous, and he was wearing a kimono. There was no one around him, and he was holding a three-meter-long spear, with a tip that was a meter in length on its own.

This was the renowned Nipponese spear, Tonbokiri!

"Honda Tadakatsu..." Qin Ye's long hair was flapping behind him in the Yin wind like a pair of crow's wings. "How did you find me?"