Yama Rising

“Help…” He called out with a hoarse voice. The bloodshot eyes staring straight at him caused the hairs on Ye Xingchen’s spine to stand on end. But before he could even finish speaking, the figure abruptly spoke, “So delicious…”

“The people of Cathay… look pretty decent as well…”

His heart stopped right in that instant.

A frigid chill ran down his back.

He had been exposed to such unclean things ever since he was young, so he knew that… the evil ghost was already right behind him - one simple turn of his head, and he would be face to face with it.

Obviously, he had been taught how to deal with such Yin spirits since young. But when it finally came down to it proper, he suddenly discovered that he simply couldn’t muster the courage or strength to use his saber at all.

T...t-t-t-t… An intense fear swept across his entire being, and his teeth began to chatter uncontrollably. However, what he didn’t expect was for two hands to suddenly run down his waist, enter his underwear and play gently with it.

“You’re not too bad… I’d like to borrow something for my use…” A soft giggle echoed behind him.

A wave of unspeakable pleasure caused his eyes to go a little bit out of focus as a voice that was like honey continued to caress his ears, “I wouldn’t dare to kill you… Killing someone in this place would be far too conspicuous. That said, why don’t you lend me some of your Yang energy so that I can continue hiding properly in this place?”

It feels so good… Ye Xingchen’s pelvis went numb, and he felt something kiss his lips before his eyes went dark. Then, he completely passed out.

……………………………………………..

Downstairs, Zhou Xianlong was fuming mad.

“Take a look at yourselves!” More than a hundred students of the Faculty of Combat, male and female alike, showed up downstairs with their clothes in a mess and their hair all disheveled.[1]

Majority of the students didn’t have their buttons done up properly. Some didn’t even wear their shoes; some were holding onto their trousers with both hands; some didn’t wear socks; some even stuffed their feet into their shoes in such a haste that they were wearing them more like slippers… Their appearances essentially spelt complete and utter chaos.

The only silver lining that pleased Zhou Xianlong was the five instructors who stood stoically behind him. All five of them had been the first to report in, and their appearances were completely in order to boot.

“The Faculty of Combat is the first port of call when it comes to dealing with Yin spirits! Do you think ghosts are going to give you any time for rest?! Think about it, what if a ghost had appeared earlier? If a Yin spirit took advantage of your deep slumber and took possession of your body, what are you going to do?”

His thundering voice was incredibly clear, and it silenced the entire assembly of students. All of them hung their heads low, and their faces were incredibly flushed as they couldn’t help but curse silently in their hearts - Which idiot was it who came up with such an idiotic idea?!

What made them feel most ashamed was the fact that the dorm rooms for the entire academy were located just behind them. The lights to the rooms of other faculties were well lit, and they were obviously watching the commotion with an ugly expression on their faces. The sounds of their laughter were akin to whips that continuously lashed the backs of the students of the Faculty of Combat.

Yet, Zhou Xianlong didn’t care at all. Infernal Judges no longer had any need for sleep, and he simply continued to bellow, “I dare guarantee that if there was a sneak attack earlier, one in ten of you would not survive it.”

“You’ve all come from some of the largest, most well-reputed hidden sects in the country. Some of you even tread the three main daos in the nation. Is this how your elders have taught you? Where have all their teachings over the past decade gone? Does your vigilance and alertness vanish as soon as an intervening event occurs?”

“The First Academy of Cultivators isn’t a place for fun and games. The academy’s purpose is to turn each and every one of you into elites in your own rights. Don’t you want to become part of the core forces of each of your sects and clans? Isn’t that the hope that your masters had when they sent you all the way here to enroll in this college? And don’t give me the excuse that you’re young and inexperienced. Instructor S9527 here might not even be as old as some of you here, and yet he’s already someone who is able to single handedly breach nine hunting zones in the span of a single night! And all of these hunting zones are Operative-class hunting zones to boot! I dare say that all of you have been living too easy a life thus far!”

“Cultivation isn’t simply practising martial arts and memorizing scriptures. Cultivation is something that you continue to refine as you constantly push yourself to the edge of life-and-death experiences. If you continue to hold the mentality you have right now, you might wish to truly consider going home before it’s too late. This is only the first emergency drill. I hereby declare that if something like this happens again, ten student credits will be deducted. If it happens a third time, I’d cordially invite you to leave.”

“It simply means that you’re not fit for this path.”

Nobody spoke up. The freshmen’s eyes were filled with resentment, humiliation and indignation, and yet all of them continued to hang their heads low like obsequious quails.

“Mm?” Just then, Qin Ye’s gaze shifted abruptly.

They were currently facing the dormitory building of the Faculty of Combat. Yet, just a moment ago… he suddenly sensed a trace amount of Yin energy.

It was incredibly light, and so fleeting that it seemed almost as if it had never appeared before.

“Illusion?” He doubted his senses. This was the City of Salvation - the bastion of Cathay’s fight against the forces of the netherworld. Furthermore, there was a Judge, Hellguards, and over two-hundred S-class Soul Hunters. What Yin spirit would have the audacity to break into a place such as this?

Besides…

He glanced at Zhou Xianlong who appeared just as unwavering and impassioned as ever. It was apparent that Zhou Xianlong hadn’t reacted to it like he did.

Even a Judge couldn’t sense it?

This must be an illusion, right?

Then, just one second later, he noticed a window silently shut in the direction from where he had detected the trace amount of Yin energy.

He furrowed his brows and glanced at Zhou Xianlong again - Is this really an illusion?

Zhou Xianlong’s voice had softened by now. He knew the universal truths of the stick and the carrot, so he continued with a far more amiable voice, “Naturally, this is all attributable to the fact that you guys are simply inexperienced in this area. You can treat this as a reminder. In the upcoming two years, you will be learning a wealth of things from these instructors here, including how to deal with unexpected situations; and how to properly tense up your spirits. Believe in the academy. When you leave this place, even the roughest of scrap iron would have been forged into the hardest of steel…”

“Immediately inform the Judge!” Just then, a harsh whisper sounded in Qin Ye’s ears with great imperative, “There’s… something unclean here!”

It was Arthis.

He didn’t even bother considering how Arthis had managed to do this. He trusted Arthis. Without much further consideration, he promptly took a step forward to Zhou Xianlong and whispered something into his ear. Zhou Xianlong’s gaze flickered, and he quickly swept his gaze across all of the students around.

“One hundred and fifty-seven… fifty-eight… there are one hundred and fifty-nine people in the entire faculty. We’re short one.” His expression remained just as it was as he exclaimed with a deep, domineering voice, “Instructor Su, watch over them. They shall remain standing here for half an hour as punishment. Let’s go check inside the building.”

Follow me. As he walked past Qin Ye, he gave Qin Ye a knowing look. Qin Ye immediately followed him sensibly.

“Are you certain?” Zhou Xianlong asked somberly as soon as they entered the building. Qin Ye nodded softly, before shaking his head and frowning, “I can’t be absolutely certain, but… we’re one short, and I seem to have detected trace amounts of Yin energy earlier…”

Zhou Xianlong rushed upstairs together with Qin Ye, “Report its location. And tell me what stage of cultivation that trace amount of Yin energy belongs to.”

Qin Ye’s brows creased even more intently, “Third floor, room 315… As for the Yin energy, I can’t be sure. It was incredibly peculiar, almost as though… it was completely out of sync with the rest of the world…”

What he didn’t realize was that just a few minutes ago, Arthis was just playing her video games when she suddenly paused abruptly. Even Ming Shiyin flew up by her side almost simultaneously.

Two seconds later, Arthis shot to her feet, and her eyes turned bloodshot. In that instant, it was as though she had already scanned every last corner within the First Academy of Cultivators. Seconds later, she demanded, “Lord Ming, unleash your abilities!”

Without any further prompting, a pure black luster glowed on the surface of the Mirror of Eminence, and images of the countless dorm rooms in the entire compound flickered by quickly. Finally, it stopped at room 315.

A snow-white figure appeared right there in the mirror. The figure was buried underneath a man, as though she were fervently sucking on something. The image was extremely lewd, and the man was even convulsing slightly from time to time.

But before the mirror could get a better view of the figure, the figure appeared to have keenly sensed the mirror’s surveillance as well. With a violent scream, a golden light blossomed from its chest, and it vanished into thin air in an instant.

“It actually managed to escape from my surveillance?” A line of words appeared on the Mirror of Eminence’s surface, “Is that… the complete instrument of the Mother of Yin Artifacts?”

“What gall…” The clothes on Arthis’ body began to flutter on its own, “Do you think there’s no one left in Cathay’s Hell?!”

Ka-ka-ka-ka-ka… The surrounding air began to solidify, while the ground began to burn with eerie netherfire as though it had a life of its own. Ming Shiyin immediately exclaimed in horror with a hastily scrawled line of text, “What are you doing! Stay your hand!! Are you insane?! This is the First Academy of Cultivators! There’s an Infernal Judge in this place! If you reveal yourself right now, that kid will almost certainly be relegated to the depths of Hell for the rest of eternity! Then, the entire plan to rebuild Hell to its former glory will be completely ruined! Bloody Hell, can’t you just think this through?!”

Arthis shut her eyes and took several deep breaths before the intense frigidity in the surrounding air finally faded away. She glared frigidly in the direction of room 315 and muttered hoarsely, “It’s come too quickly… But why? Why would they suddenly appear right here in this place?”

“I don’t know.” The mirror revealed another line of text, almost as though it had a pessimistic outlook on the situation, “I only know that… even the three daolords weren’t able to prevent their incursion. Cathay… is like a sieve that allows all types of riff-raff and rabble through. Even trash like this dares step foot in here…”

“Well, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and notify your dear little baby!”

And that was when Arthis transmitted the message to Qin Ye and informed him about the situation.

Just then, the door to room 315 opened with a loud bang. Zhou Xianlong was the first to arrive at the scene. With the door wide open, he shot straight into the room with dazzling white true energy engulfing his body in a Thor-like fashion.

“This is…” Qin Ye followed closely behind, but the sight of the scene caused him to reel with shock.

Ye Xingchen was lying on the ground with nothing but a pair of underpants on. His body was still convulsing and twitching, while his underpants were slightly moist. Zhou Xianlong scanned the surroundings and chuckled coldly, “Devouring Yang.”

“This student’s Yang origin has been consumed. Wrap him up tightly with the blanket. The mysterious entity didn’t intend to kill him. Otherwise, it would have devoured all of his Yang energy by now. He won’t remember a thing tomorrow.”

As Qin Ye carried Ye Xingchen back to his bed, Zhou Xianlong slowly made his way to the center of the room. His seven apertures were billowing with corporeal white mist congealed from thick and dense true energy. He looked almost like a god descending from the heavens right now.

“What gall you have…” He spoke without missing a beat, “I’ll give you five seconds. Come out right now, and I’ll let you die a quick and painless death.”

No response.

Qin Ye leaned close to the bed. He could tell that Zhou Xianlong was on the brink of a massive eruption right now.

Causing an incident in the First Academy of Cultivators was no different than slapping them right in their faces.

.

“Four, three, two, one… very well.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a violent wave of true energy erupted from his body. It was difficult to describe just what this technique was. Nevertheless, and in just an instant, the entire First Academy of Cultivators felt as though a pair of eyes were mysteriously and inexorably staring straight at them from nowhere.

“All Seeing Eye.” Back in Qin Ye’s room, Arthis looked at the wild, chaotic fluctuations of energy and murmured to herself, “It’s no use. These things… can only be dealt with by Hell alone. Even Prefect-class human cultivators won’t be able to see these things…”

“After all, they… rank among the most unclean things of all Yin spirits out there… I didn’t want to tell the little brat about these things before, but who could’ve thought that they would have such gall to sneak right into the heart of the academy?”

1. I’ve noticed that chapter 149 states that there are only 40+ students in the Faculty of Combat, while the author states that there are 100+ students. I guess we can proceed on the assumption that it’s over hundred, and perhaps Qin Ye was only expecting approximately 40+ students who would be matriculating during his shift.