Qin Ye cast an intrigued gaze toward the elderly monk. “You can see my power?”
The old monk shook his head with tightly pursed lips. He couldn’t see Qin Ye’s power, but he could feel it, and he felt as if he were facing a boundless abyss!
Qin Ye hadn’t intended to stay here for long, but he was rather intrigued now. He ignored all of the curious eyes around him as he gestured toward the temple and asked, “When was this temple built?”
He made his way toward the temple as he spoke, and the elderly monk immediately followed along behind him as he replied, “Three years ago.”
Qin Ye nodded in response. “Who do you worship?”
“We worship the King Yanluo, Yanluo Qin,” the elderly monk replied. “We’ve actually always been worshiping the former King Yanluo, and we were classified as a Taoist temple, but one day… Let me think how long ago it’s been…”
He paused momentarily to gather his thoughts, then continued, “Roughly five to six years ago, all of the statues of the former King Yanluo across the nation suddenly cracked. In the eyes of normal followers, this isn’t a significant event, but we know that this is a sign that our god has ascended to Heaven. At the same time, all of the Ksitigarbha statues cracked as well…”
He took a careful look at Qin Ye before joining his palms together as he continued, “It was also at that time that the national religion committee held a meeting. Due to certain things that have happened in the past, the Cathayan government has always turned a blind eye to religion, so no outsiders have ever attended meetings held by the religion committee. In fact, only at the most significant of the religion committee’s meetings would there be personnel from the ministry of culture or perhaps the propaganda department present. However, during that meeting three years ago, the directors of both the ministry of culture and the propaganda department were in attendance, and they released a series of items, including unearthed documents, statues, and plaques, among other things. According to the inscriptions on those objects, it was clearly stated that Hell had a new ruler by the surname of Qin. At the same time, both organizations requested hundreds of millions of dollars in funds to renovate all of the temples related to Hell’s King Yanluo. In addition to that, even the information related to Hell’s King Yanluo on all of our search engines and encyclopedias were also amended, and we were also required to actively promote these changes. As a result, everyone came to know of the existence of Yanluo Qin after a few years.”
He hadn’t seen the records of himself that had been unearthed in the mortal realm, but that was clearly his grand script of death. Cathay’s population was in excess of a billion, and given enough time, his faith would be unshakeable.
“What does this Yanluo Qin do?”
“Yanluo Qin oversees life, death, fortune, misfortune, tribulations, illnesses, and karma for the dead. Come to think of it, ever since Yanluo Qin became the ruler of Hell, many people with inner demons have come to offer up incense, and that same night, they would be relayed dreams by underworld emissaries. Regardless of whether they were believers or not, they would all be relayed dreams after offering incense, and those dreams would tell them which path of reincarnation they would be sent to after their deaths. All of those dreams are remembered in perfect detail even after waking up.”
Looks like my Death Inquisitors are quite capable… A faint smile appeared on Qin Ye’s face as he turned to the several men in black jackets who had appeared behind him. “Are you enforcers or investigators from the Special Investigations Department?”
The elderly monk’s expression changed drastically upon hearing this, and even his hands began to tremble as he hurriedly said, “Sir, no, this isn’t…”
Before he had a chance to finish, his vision suddenly blurred, and in the next instant, Qin Ye had already vanished on the spot.
Thud… The elderly monk’s legs gave out from under him as he collapsed to his knees, and the men in black jackets immediately rushed over before inspecting their surroundings with surprised expressions. Only after a long while did they turn toward the elderly monk, who was looking completely shell-shocked and sweating profusely. “Where did he go?”
The elderly monk shook his head in a slack-jawed manner.
……………………………………………………
Kongur Tagh, Kunlun Mountains.
According to legends, this peak was as tall as the heavens, and taking a step up from there would take one straight to the realm of heavenly immortals. It was also said that the Queen Mother of the West resided there along with the elixir of immortality.
Kunlun Mountain had always been shrouded in mystique and mystery, yet the true owner of this place only had a humble shack to live in.
It was a shack constructed from straw, and somehow, even though it was situated on a snowy mountain peak, there was a forest of green bamboo growing around the shack. Right in front of the shack was an elderly man wearing coir fiber clothing and holding a fishing rod in one hand while the other hand was supporting his own chin, making it appear as if he were taking a nap while fishing.
In front of him was a rippling pond that was several dozen meters wide, and its surface was riddled with lotus flowers and lily pads. This was something that shouldn’t have possibly existed on the top of a snowy mountain!
However, what was most eye-catching was a stone plaque protruding out of the water at the center of the pond, pierced into which was a weathered-looking sword.
The elderly fisherman was completely still, and this seemed to be a snapshot frozen in time. However, all of a sudden, the elderly man opened his eyes before sweeping a wary gaze over his surroundings. “Who’s there? We’re not expecting any visitors today, so you must be an uninvited intruder. I’d advise you to show yourself before I force you to do so!”
A figure emerged from the bamboo forest, and it was none other than Qin Ye.
The snow seemed to be incapable of falling on him, and he patted a bamboo tree next to him as he smiled and said, “Sword Master Xuanyuan sure is tasteful to have created this forest on the peak of a snowy mountain. I have to say, it’s quite a nice sight to behold. Are you his disciple? It’s not easy for a human to cultivate to the Infernal Judge level, you’ve done quite well.”
In the instant that Qin Ye revealed himself, the elderly fisherman’s coir fiber clothing immediately began to flap around him, even though there wasn’t any wind. He was watching Qin Ye with an extremely wary expression, and he was hunched over like a tiger ready to pounce on its prey, while thick veins were bulging on his arms.
A drop of cold sweat slid down from his forehead before falling onto the snow on the ground, creating a sizzling sound as if boiling water had been poured onto the snow instead.
As an Infernal Judge, he was already close to becoming a high-grade underworld emissary, and this allowed him to see some things that low-grade underworld emissaries couldn’t. In his eyes, Qin Ye wasn’t a man at all. Instead, he was a walking abyss!
His outward appearance was no different from that of an ordinary young man, but there were several terrifying bursts of Yin energy behind, protecting him as if they were living beings. In the instant that he appeared, all of the true energy on the entire mountain completely vanished, leaving only surging azure Yin energy behind.
“You…”
“There’s no need to be afraid,” Qin Ye said in a soothing voice. “I’m an old acquaintance of your master’s.”
“Indeed, he is.” As soon as his voice trailed off, the door of the straw shack swung open, revealing Sword Master Xuanyuan, whom Qin Ye hadn’t met in several years. He was wearing a Taoist robe, and he extended a deep bow as he said, “Greetings, Yanluo Qin.”
Thud!
As soon as Qin Ye’s identity was revealed, the elderly fisherman collapsed onto all-fours. He wanted to raise his head, but didn’t dare to do so, and could only observe Qin Ye in secret out of the corners of his eyes.
Yanluo Qin? This man is Yanluo Qin, the ruler of Hell?
After this finally sank in, the first thing that the elderly fisherman felt was fear, followed by a sense of gratefulness, grateful for the fact that he was able to meet this legendary figure in the flesh.
“It’s already been several years since you last visited the mortal realm, is there something you have to do on this occasion?” Sword Master Xuanyuan made an inviting gesture, and Qin Ye followed him into the straw shack.
The interior of the shack was also very simple with an eight immortal table and several taishi chairs in one room, while the other room only housed a round futon. Qin Ye made himself at home and sat down on the main seat. There were already two cups of tea sitting on the table.
“In the entirety of Cathay, you’ll only be able to taste this tea here. This is already the best thing I can offer in the way of hospitality, I hope you won’t mind, Yanluo Qin,” Sword Master Xuanyuan said in an earnest manner.
“Of course not,” Qin Ye replied with a smile, then removed the lid of the teacup, and a burst of cold fragrance immediately wafted toward him.
The fragrance was faint yet lingered in the air, and it made him feel as if his soul were being cleansed. He turned to Sword Master Xuanyuan with a surprised expression and praised, “This is some fine tea.”
A period of silence then ensued.
Qin Ye took a sip of tea, and after a brief pause, he finally said, “Long time no see.”
“Indeed, it has been. I’m honored that you still remember me, Yanluo Qin. I’m not going to be tormented for eternity after my death, am I?” Sword Master Xuanyuan replied with a wry smile.
Qin Ye’s smile faded as he put on a serious expression, and he replied, “I understand and can empathize with why you did the things you did. You can relay my message to all of the people who are worrying about this as well.”
He gently drummed his fingers on the surface of the table as a reminiscent look appeared in his eyes, seemingly thinking back to the days he had spent in the mortal realm. “All humans have to have something that they stand for during their lives, and they have to act accordingly. Besides, the situation at the time was quite special. I could’ve been more forthright and transparent, and you didn’t go too far, either. At the very least, I feel like our separation was an amicable one in the end, although it can only just barely count as amicable.”
Sword Master Xuanyuan heaved a faint sigh.
Many people in important positions were regretting what they had done. They regretted not treating Qin Ye better when he was in the mortal realm, and they regretted sending darkfeathers to spy him time and time again. However, they also knew in their hearts that if the same situation repeated itself, they would still make the exact same decisions.
“There’s no need to be hung up over all that, it’s already in the past,” Qin Ye said with a carefree smile. “To answer your question, there is indeed something I came here to do.”
Sword Master Xuanyuan’s pupils contracted slightly upon hearing this, and he asked, “Does it have something to do with the strange occurrences on Kongur Tagh?”
Qin Ye nodded in response, and before he had a chance to say anything, Sword Master Xuanyuan immediately said in an urgent voice, “Is the situation serious? Will we see more supernatural disasters?”
A reassuring smile appeared on Qin Ye’s face as he replied, “There’s no need to be alarmed. The strange happenings on Kongur Tagh are a result of the imminent opening of the gates of Heaven. Several years ago, all three realms witnessed my inauguration, and this time, there’s most likely going to be an acquaintance of mine descending from Heaven.”
Sword Master Xuanyuan heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing this before asking, “Who is it?”
Qin Ye picked up his teacup before taking a sip, and all of a sudden, Sword Master Xuanyuan was struck by the feeling that Qin Ye felt very… indistinct.
Even though it had only been several years since their last meeting, Qin Ye had undergone a drastic transformation since then, and just the mere sight of him was enough to send chills running down Sword Master Xuanyuan’s spine.
The sound of Qin Ye setting down his teacup onto the table jerked Sword Master Xuanyuan out of his train of thought, and Qin Ye replied, “It might be Ksitigarbha.”
Sword Master Xuanyuan immediately drew a sharp breath upon hearing this, and he stared at Qin Ye with an incredulous expression.
“Why do you look so surprised?”
Sword Master Xuanyuan shook his head before making his way over to the back of the room and opening the door.
This straw shack had been built on a lone peak.
Deep within the bamboo forest, at the edge of the lone peak’s cliff, stood a statue of Ksitigarbha!
It was covered in snow, but through the murky and snowy sky, there was a faint ray of light shining down upon Ksitigarbha’s joined palms.
This was a statue that seemed to be as old as time itself. No one knew how long it had been standing for, nor exactly why there was a statue of Ksitigarbha on Kongur Tagh of Kunlun Mountain. At the center of its palms was a lotus flower that was swaying in the wind, even with the naked eye, one could see countless vengeful spirits howling and sobbing around the lotus flower.
Sword Master Xuanyuan’s robes were flapping violently in the howling wind, and he turned toward Qin Ye as he said, “This place has been home to all of my predecessors that bore the title of Sword Master Xuanyuan. However, this statue has been here even before we founded our sect. It hasn’t changed at all in several thousand years, yet around half a month ago, a lotus flower suddenly grew out of the snow that had fallen onto its palm as if something had been awakened.”
