Yama Rising

Arthis snapped her finger lightly as she spoke. In an instant, just like a dragon channelling a water spout, the box of Yin spirit stones immediately transformed into an obsidian hurricane that grew larger and larger, sending a dense wave of mist billowing all around! As the hurricane spun quicker, the black mist spread more and more. Five minutes later, the entire Hell’s Gate appeared as though it had been covered by a dense black veil that extended high up, obscuring the sky as far as the eyes could see. It was almost as though it melded completely into the dark clouds in the sky.

This scene was like an alarm bell that startled the Yin spirits around. They gasped in unison, and their mind immediately cleared up as they reflexively retreated, leaving a wide berth between them and Hell’s Gate.

Arthis glanced at them with contempt in her eyes, before pressing down abruptly with her hand. The entire Hell’s Gate trembled as the dark, dense mist sunk slightly, and then everything exploded!

Clatter clatter!

The dazzling Yin spirit stones scattered across the skies like stars, while the dark mist loomed over them like a vast canopy that spanned a radius of a thousands of meters across. The Yin spirit stones that numbered well above ten thousand sparkled amidst the darkness ever so elegantly, like constellations splashed across the deep night sky. Its mesmerizing glimmer peeked through the dense layers of fog, filling all who looked upon the sight with a deep sense of profundity. In fact, it was akin to gazing upon the milky way in the darkest of nights.

“Sss…” “My god…” The Yin spirits standing around came reeled in awe at the majestic sight. Then, three seconds later, they came to their senses completely and began scattering like an ebbing tide.

The older residents of Hell were already clinging onto the trees nearby in abject fear, while the fresh residents trembled and huddled together for a sense of security.

Even the glass magnate Huang Liangchuan hid behind the tree. When first he saw the sight unfold before his eyes, he couldn’t help but gulp nervously and break out in cold sweat.

This was the true strength of Hell!

Awe and might that surpassed the human imagination. And all who dared challenge Hell’s authority… like Tiger Gao, were practically as insignificant as an ant.

Huang Liangchuan couldn’t help but recall that time when he forgot his manners in front of the seemingly young King Yanluo, and he shuddered uncontrollably as he pulled out a silken handkerchief and wiped off the non-existent sweat on his forehead.

“Docile… I’ve got to be a docile subject…”

“It would be far too easy for him to erase us from Hell if he so desired…”

Qin Ye’s gaze glossed over the awestruck Yin spirits and landed on the darkness enshrouding Hell’s Gate. He silently clenched his fists, and then released them again as he asked placidly, “Channel the energy from the Yin spirit stones using one’s own Yin energy? What comes next?”

“The soul induction platform has to be constructed at a location where the concentration of Yin energy is the highest…” Arthis squinted as she surveyed the vast skies that were filled with Yin energy, “In the past, we would’ve required the construction companies of hell to put up a landmark, lay the foundation, and then allow it to be infused with voluminous Yin energy before it finally forms the soul induction platform.”

Qin Ye blinked quizzically, “In the past?”

“That’s right… this is something to do with the construction companies, and this isn’t my area of expertise. However, the fact that I didn’t have oversight of these matters… doesn’t necessarily mean that nobody had sight of these matters.”

She bowed deeply, “Lord Ming, it’s your turn to display your skills now.”

“Bloody hell… you guys still remember my existence?!” With a furious bellow, Ming Shiyin transformed into a bright stream of light that rushed straight out and onto the roof of the building with a great crash.

In the next second, boundless light erupted from the top of the roof, piercing the darkness like a glorious, radiant sun. Even the gleaming Yin spirit stones faded into obscurity in the face of the incredible explosion of luminosity.

Light.

This was light that was unprecedented in the deep darkness of Hell. It flooded the lands completely, so much so that even the Yin spirits who were located farthest away from Hell’s Gate were all staring at the dazzling sun with great astonishment.

Everyone looked up in the direction of Hell’s Gate with palpable shock, whether it be the Yin spirits operating the excavator at the edge of the construction site three kilometers away from Hell’s Gate, or the other Yin spirits who couldn’t be bothered with the affairs of Hell and were just chatting amongst themselves. Even the new residents of Hell who were closely tracking any developments in Hell’s Gate shot to their feet as soon as the dazzling explosion of light burst forth from the roof.

Ten… a hundred… a thousand… ten thousand… until finally, well over ten thousand Yin spirits looked straight at Hell’s Gate in awe and amazement!

Meanwhile, just as Ming Shiyin flew up to the roof of the building, thousands of beams of white light suddenly erupted from within the previously greying mirror in a splendorous display. Simultaneously, its body quickly grew taller and larger. Within a few seconds, it transformed completely into a huge mirror that was ten meters tall and four meters wide!

Then, in the midst of the shock of countless Yin spirits who were watching with bated breaths, the brilliant light that penetrated every corner of Hell began to condense and withdraw its reaches from the five square kilometers of Hell to a space that was merely one kilometers across in diameter. And just as the light diminished, the Yin spirits collectively turned their heads to look towards the edge of Hell.

Huang Liangchuan, Song Ming, Qian Tianyi, Hu Feng… regardless of whether they used to be a tycoon in their previous life, or whether they were presently a division head of Yin Construction, every single Yin spirit gasped aloud, and their pupils shrank. Those who had never witnessed Qin Ye’s display of authority when he murdered hundreds of Yin spirits with a single blow even widened their eyes as they stared at the outrageous, incredible sight. This was something that was out of their wildest imaginations in their previous lives.

It was simply unfathomable!

It was like something straight out of an action movie!

Who in the world are this man and this woman?!

“This is…” “Oh my god… what in heaven’s name is this?!” “Is this Hell’s true strength?!”

Wisps of pure black Yin energy began to extend from the edges of Hell and pour straight into the Mirror of Eminence like a thunder of dragons rushing straight back to the vast oceans. Over ten thousand Yin spirits stared awestruck at the sight, completely tongue-tied. They were amazed by the canopy of Yin energy that hung from the sky, obscured the moon and even swayed the stars. And one split-second later, all of the Yin energy began to rush straight into the mirror!

Whoosh… The mirror shuddered slightly, and ripples appeared on its surface as though a rock had landed in still lakewaters. Finally, the mirror revealed the topological image of the present Hell on its surface, including the expressions of every single Yin spirit around, down to the minutest details.

It was as though the mirror reflected the majesty of the world, whether joy or laughter or sorrow, or even life and death.

Dead silence.

Seconds later, Su Dongxue got down on one knee. Following that, the seven division heads of Yin Construction followed suit, followed immediately by the hundreds of Death Inquisitors standing behind. Having noticed what everyone else was doing, the knees of the new residents of Hell immediately went limp, and they too knelt down. In the end, like a massive tidal wave that radiated out from Hell, everyone outside of Hell’s Gate collapsed to their knees within moments.

And none dared to raise their heads at all.

Su Dongxue had something she wanted to say, and yet was unable to find the right words to express her thoughts. Seconds later, she simply found herself crying out almost reflexively, “We wish long life and prosperity to our lord, King Yanluo! Long live the king!”

The effect of community meant that her cry was immediately echoed by the hundred thousand Yin spirits that were all kneeling outside of Hell’s Gate in unison, “We wish long life and prosperity to our lord, King Yanluo! Long live the king!”

Awe.

This was the most fundamental display of awe they knew.

Qin Ye held his arms behind his back and nodded slowly to everyone outside. There was no need for words. Distance begets awe and respect. Instead, he turned and whispered softly to Arthis, “This blabbermouth… can actually command a moment of such awe and respect?”

“At any rate, it was the prized possession of Justice Bao back in the day. Regardless of how large Hell was back then, not a single thing goes unnoticed by the mirror. You haven’t personally witnessed the moment when the authority of the complete King Yanluo’s Seal was displayed for all to see… not a single soul in all nine million six hundred thousand square kilometers of the old Hell wasn’t on bent knees back then. Even the souls trapped in the Eighteen Abysses of Punishment and the six paths of reincarnation dared not lift their heads…” Arthis gazed at the Mirror of Eminence as she exclaimed with great emotion, “Let it go. This might be the only time that idiot gets to enjoy such glory like this. It should enjoy it while it lasts…”

She paused, and then cupped her hands respectfully, “Lord Ming, please unleash the mirror.”

The Mirror of Eminence trembled lightly as soon as she finished speaking, and a bright, misty beam of light immediately shone down from the mirror like a dazzling eye as it quickly swept across the entire five square kilometers of Hell.

Whoosh… Wherever it passed, the Yin energy immediately vanished, almost as though it were completely vaporized. The present Hell wasn’t large, and it didn’t take more than ten minutes before the mirror paused at one particular location.

Huang Liangchuan was standing right in the center of where the beam of light paused, and he immediately pointed to himself with great bewilderment. One second later, Arthis sent him flying with a merciless slap.

“... You need to exercise good virtue. Look at how unruly you are right now. How do you expect to get married in the future if you keep behaving like that?” Qin Ye nagged at Arthis as he got dragged to the beam of light by her.

“Why would I need to get married?” Arthis stared at Qin Ye with ridicule in her eyes, “The good-looking men of Hell are all ripe for my picking. Unless…”

She glanced at Qin Ye with a stern gaze, “You’re thinking of vying over them as well?”

No…

I wouldn’t dare… I wouldn’t want to… Just do as you please…

Their conversation had just taken a turn for the queer, and Qin Ye knew better than to keep his mouth shut. Incidentally, they arrived at where the beam of light paused almost exactly as Qin Ye sealed off his trap.

Arthis raised her hand and made a pressing motion. With a loud bang, the entire ground instantly collapsed. Yet, what was beneath the surface of the ground was completely different from the other locations they had excavated so far!

It was water.

No… not water. Rather, it was pure, dense Yin energy. In fact, it was so thick and pure that it had already liquefied and turned into a puddle of ink-black water that was approximately ten meters wide. The puddle bubbled and gurgled, while steam billowed incessantly from its surface.

“Materialization of Yin energy. Materialization occurs when the Yin energy in a single location exceeds a critical concentration.” She explained kindly as she made a grabbing motion. Instantly, the entire Hell trembled, and the constellation of Yin spirit stones and its surrounding Yin energy suddenly rumbled and poured straight towards the liquefied Yin energy like a violent torrent!

Whoosh! With every Yin spirit stone that entered the liquefied Yin energy, the Yin steam roiled with greater vigor and intensity. More and more, thicker and thicker, until finally… a pitch-black pillar of dense smoke began to condense and form amidst a wailing nethergale! It was as though the illusory outline of a structure had begun to emerge.

Qin Ye was completely flabbergasted, “Are you saying that… these special buildings don’t require Yin Construction’s involvement at all?”

“Naturally.” Arthis turned back to stare at him as though he were a retard, “How are you supposed to build these structures if you don’t have any guidance from any treatises or textbooks on netherworld architecture? Do you know where each rune is supposed to go? Do you know how they function? Granny Meng’s topological map only informs you of the uses of each type of building. So are you expecting the mortal realm to draw up the architectural plans for their construction?”

“... Why didn’t you tell me earlier?!”

“If I told you earlier, would you be willing to slave--… I mean selflessly contribute to the reconstruction efforts of Hell? Why don’t you have any sense of conscious realization about these things at all?”

“Screw that… go fight them if you’re really that good! You don’t even have buy-back![1]” Qin Ye barked with indignation.

Arthis snorted, ostensibly displeased by the fact that she was getting her hands dirty with the menial task at hand. She undoubtedly coveted the seat of King Yanluo’s throne. However, that was on condition that everything was already stable and in good order, and that she would be able to enjoy the glory and prosperity of Hell as soon as she took the throne. Pioneering an entirely new kingdom from scratch… was something that she would hardly mind passing up on.

In some ways, the partnership of the two was a complete joke - both were incomparably lazy and unmotivated.

The torrent of Yin spirit stones didn’t last long. As soon as all of the Yin spirit stones entered the pool of liquefied Yin energy, it immediately emitted a soft humming sound. The black mist in the surroundings slowly dissipated, and in its wake, a tall structure appeared right atop where the puddle previously was.

It was approximately five meters tall and ten meters wide, surrounded all around by memorial arches bearing words and writings that Qin Ye couldn’t understand. The snow-white soul-induction streamers wrapped around the arches fluttered wildly with the wind. A limestone platform sat in the midst of the memorial arches. This platform had scarlet runic symbols all over it, and the symbols gradually brightened and dimmed in unison, almost as though the lights were breathing.

The platform was raised approximately two meters off the ground, and two sets of stairs ran down either side of the platform. These stairs were exquisitely carved with life-like designs of the xiezhi unicorn and the Harken along the handrails. Two pieces of darkwood coffin boards decorated with soul-induction streamers rose stoically from the ground at each location where the stairs met the platform.

The darkwood coffin boards had a vertical couplet written on them.

All spirits and souls of the vast expanses, shall return to the boundless heavens and the depths of Hell.[2]

And the horizontal component read - Soul Induction Platform!

1. These are standard MOBA references. Qin Ye is reacting here like how a player would rage in game.

2. This was loosely interpreted from the meaning of the couplet. This couplet was actually based off the taoist concept of 三魂七魄, which refers to the three immortal souls and seven mortal forms in taoism which contrasts the spiritual and carnal side of Man.