Whoosh… It didn’t take more than five seconds for the gentle breeze to grow into a powerful gale that caused everyone’s clothes to flutter wildly. The surrounding Yin spirits immediately looked up in shock, but most were promptly told off by their supervisors and asked to continue with their work.
It was almost as though a rift had opened up in the space above the platform, and sounds of wailing and ghastly cries filled the entire vicinity. Dozens of seconds later, the Yin energy around rushed straight towards the center of the platform, and two new Yin spirits promptly materialized on it.
It was none other than Li Jixi and Wang Chenghao.
Qin Ye was smiling, but he soon did a double take and promptly smacked his head, “Hang on… Someone like that can actually be considered a special Yin spirit?!”
He pointed his finger directly at Wang Chenghao. Arthis responded placidly, “All cultivators are considered special Yin spirits. They can be considered in the same vein as the spirits with red-coloured names, but you can say that they are at the very least at the baseline of special Yin spirits… How much hatred do you have against him?”
“This dumbass died without naming me a beneficiary of his estate! We’re talking about tens of millions!”
Arthis’ eyes instantly gleamed coldly, and she barked with a deep voice, “Su Dongxue, banish him to a life of hard labour!”
However, there was no response.
Stunned, Qin Ye and Arthis turned around to look at where Su Dongxue had last been seen, only to discover that… there was nothing. When they turned back, they quickly realized that… Wang Chenghao’s body was already wrapped and bound by a humanoid object that appeared to be dressed like an office lady.
“Hey there, handsome…” Su Dongxue spoke huskily as she ran her finger gently across Wang Chenghao’s chin, completely oblivious to the situation around her, “Would you care to let me know if you’ve got a boyfriend?”
Wang Chenghao shook his head desperately in fear.
“How about a girlfriend?”
He still shook his head.
Su Dongxue smiled sweetly and caressed his chest, before raising her eyebrows in astonishment, “Oh? What thick pectoral muscles… Eh, Mr Handsome, you’ve actually got six-pack abs too… and your waist… Whew… Lord Qin, could you kindly betroth him to your humble servant over here?”
Lord Qin?
These words instantly stirred the hearts of both Wang Chenghao and Li Jixi, causing them to raise their heads at the same time. A split second later, a hand picked up Su Dongxue from where she was and sent her flying into the distance, while Qin Ye promptly appeared right in front of their eyes.
“Brother Qin…” “It’s you!”
Two voices cried out at the exact same time. Qin Ye smiled faintly, and then bowed gently and politely, “Hello there.”
“Welcome to my realm, otherwise known as Hell.”
Silence.
Their jaws dropped. Notwithstanding the fact that Li Jixi was professionally trained to keep his emotions to himself, he couldn’t help but open his mouth wide at the stunning revelation as he glanced around his new surroundings.
The dark canopy of the sky was peppered with red and green clumps of drifting netherflame. Yin energy filled the lands, and yet they didn’t feel a single trace of discomfort. Instead, it almost felt as though they were like fish returning to water… This was clearly not a sight that would be seen in the mortal realm.
They could see that everyone around had their feet hovering one inch above the ground. Some walked along the roads, while others drifted. Every Yin spirit appeared to be busy with something, and there wasn’t a single person idling about.
There were dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of people dressed in old-fashioned black robes and tall hats, and they looked no different from a government official of the past. Then, as they looked up and into the distance, their eyes were immediately greeted with a sheet of silvery white leaves, all of which stemmed from a single tree that spanned an entire region of ten square kilometers!
This can’t be the mortal realm… It’s absolutely impossible.
Qin Ye didn’t interrupt them. Instead, he simply lowered his head and whispered to Su Dongxue as she arrived back beside Qin Ye, “Help me say hi to Mr Gu, and tell him that I might send someone his way shortly.”
Su Dongxue reluctantly departed. Incidentally, that was when Li Jixi and Wang Chenghao finally turned back to face Qin Ye. It was obvious that they had a multitude of questions on their lips, but they simply didn’t know where to get started.
“Let’s take a walk.” Qin Ye placed his hands behind his back and led the way. Li Jixi was just about to say something when a sudden sensation of extreme danger surged in his heart. He turned around, only to notice the seemingly harmless gamer girl staring at him.
Arthis didn’t use her silicone body when she was in Hell. Instead, she took her anthropomorphic form, and her fluttering black hair exuded such dense Yin energy that caused Li Jixi to gasp in horror, “Judge… Infernal Judge of Hell?!”
Arthis didn’t pay him any heed. Instead, she turned around gracefully and followed in Qin Ye’s footsteps.
That said, she didn’t walk alongside him. Rather, she followed slightly behind him.
Li Jixi gasped. What’s going on… An Infernal Judge is actually following obediently behind a mere Anitya Hellguard? W-where’s the logic in all that?!
No… No!
That’s not even the main point!
The crux of the matter is this – if Hell is around, why aren’t they doing anything about the things in the mortal realm? And who exactly is Qin Ye?
Only souls can enter Hell, so why did he have a fleshly body back in the mortal realm?
That’s right… that must be it! He must be a man who straddles both realms. Given the situation back in the mortal realm, he must’ve known that he would end up being dissected by the SRC if his true nature were disclosed. Therefore, he did everything he could to conceal his true identity…
His thoughts continued to bounce back and forth as they followed stiffly behind Qin Ye and Arthis. Everything around them simply passed them by without registering in their minds. Just then, Qin Ye’s voice called out amidst the silence, “Gentlemen, first and foremost, let me reintroduce myself. I am the new King Yanluo of Hell.”
Boom!
This mind-blowing news came like a bolt out of the blue. If everything before had sent Li Jixi into a stupor of bewilderment, then the present news was simply so startling that Li Jixi jolted right back to his senses.
“King Yanluo? You’re King Yanluo?! How is that possible?!” “Insolence!!”
Arthis turned around and glared at him with a vicious stare. Her hair fluttered menacingly behind her, “Just because His Majesty is speaking to you nicely doesn’t mean you can respond to him as though you are an equal. Who do you think you are? What basis do you have to question his appointment as King Yanluo?”
Li Jixi grew taciturn as he continued to stare at Qin Ye with astonishment. His mouth was slightly agape, while his eyes were wide open. This news was simply too startling! He simply couldn’t draw the link between Qin Ye and King Yanluo in his mind. One was a mythical existence that lorded over an entire realm, while the other was merely one of the many instructors back in the Academy of Cultivators. There was simply a great disjunct in their identities! They were light years apart!
Even Wang Chenghao’s jaws dropped, almost as though he had been thunderstruck a second time.
Qin Ye chuckled, “Is it really that shocking? Or… are you dissatisfied?”
A tide of Yin energy erupted from his body in an instant, and it was ostensibly filled with a murderous intent.
Li Jixi trembled all over and jolted back to his senses. Cold sweat promptly rolled off his forehead, “I wouldn’t dare… It’s just that… this news had come too suddenly and unexpectedly… I would never have imagined that King Yanluo had been right by my side all this while…”
“That was the correct answer.” Qin Ye smiled faintly, “Otherwise, you would have already been reduced to wisps of Yin energy by now.”
Wang Chenghao gulped nervously.
Different… Qin Ye is different from how he is back in the mortal realm… But, that’s not entirely true either. I’ve seen this side of him before!
He had once seen this side of him back in Clear Creek County, in their very first encounter with an Assassin of the Underworld.
Is this Brother Qin’s real face?
Qin Ye paid no heed to them, and he continued with a calm, cool voice, “It was a sheer matter of fate that I became the King Yanluo of Hell. Li Jixi, the only reason why you’re still alive right now is because you’ve dedicated your life to a pursuit of justice and truth. I would have done the same if I were you as well. But, you need to understand something…”
His voice grew frigid and cold, and the Yin energy in the air shook violently, “You’re already dead now, and you’re part of my kingdom! You would do well to spare no thoughts for your former masters of the mortal realm moving forward. All Cathayan Yin spirits can only have one master, and that is me, Qin Ye. Do you understand?!!”
Li Jixi pursed his lips tightly and grew taciturn. Arthis’ eyes gleamed brightly, while Wang Chenghao stared at Qin Ye with disbelief as he subconsciously retreated a few steps. Then, as Arthis’ hair began to scatter menacingly once more, Li Jixi finally muttered hoarsely, “Qin… Lord Qin, I have a few questions, and I hope that you can indulge me for a moment.”
Qin Ye gazed deeply into his eyes, “Let me make this clear – I’m not acceding to your abrupt request because of your value to Hell. We have a multitude of talents in Hell, including Oda Nobunaga of Nippon, and the esteemed academician Gu Qing. The only reason why I’m granting you this one-off indulgence is simply because we once cross paths in life. Notwithstanding the fact that you once used to be an opponent of mine, there aren’t many familiar faces in Hell.”
Li Jixi took several deep breaths, and his voice grew far softer than before. He bowed respectfully, “Understood.”
Qin Ye nodded, “Then, please ask your questions.”
Li Jixi spoke with a deep voice, “My lord… I’d like to know what the purpose of the new Hell is? Why isn’t Hell doing anything even though the mortal realm runs amok with chaos?”
Qin Ye raised his eyebrows quizzically, “Anything else?”
“Apart from that, does Your Majesty know which entity it is wreaking havoc throughout the three eastern provinces? Why would they suddenly trigger the uprising of Yin spirits? Tens of millions of people have been left homeless because of this incident! My lord, you’ve seen the situation in New Hale City, haven’t you? Aren’t you… going to do a thing about it?”
“There’s no need to push me so hard.” Qin Ye chuckled bitterly, “Firstly, I can reassure you that Hell’s objective is in line with that of the mortal realm. We, too, desire order and balance between the Yin and the Yang. As for why Hell isn’t doing anything right now… the answer is simple, the elites of the old Hell are no longer around due to a cataclysmic event that occurred in Hell. It’s not that we don’t want to make a move. Rather, it’s simply because we don’t possess the capacity to make a difference anymore.”
“As for the three eastern provinces…” He paused for a moment, “The cataclysmic event has not only whisked away all of the elites of the old Hell, it has even left unattended the three daolords that used to be trapped in the recesses of Hell. These are three existences who are in the realms of Abyssal Prefects, namely, the daolords of the path of the beast, the path of the hungry ghost, and the path of the asura. The three eastern provinces, Pearl River Delta, and the three provinces of Cloudriver, Rich, and Westriver are their base of operations. I know that western Cathay is occupied by the daolord of the beast, but I’m not too sure about the one presiding over the three eastern provinces. As for the uprising of Yin spirits… Just a little while ago, we not only seized Oda Nobunaga’s soul for Hell, we even retrieved the long lost divine artifact known as the Book of Life and Death. Do you think they wouldn’t react in fear when they detected that?”
Li Jixi nodded, and bowed deeply to Qin Ye, “No further questions. I am very much obliged to Lord Qin for the guidance. Cultivator Li Jixi, henceforth pledges to serve Hell with every fiber of his being!”
He’s switched allegiances fairly quickly, hasn’t he… Qin Ye nodded with approbation. Unlike what he had expressly stated earlier, Li Jixi was undoubtedly a talent through and through. Of the entire population of Cathay of over a billion people, there were only 10 million cultivators. And yet, of these 10 million cultivators, there were only 108 earmarked to be part of the Albatross. Such talent would be completely wasted if not conscripted into Oda Nobunaga’s team of trainers.
And what field of sub-discipline would he be granted oversight of?
Naturally, it would be for the training of darkfeathers! He was practically born to be a darkfeather! With him acting as an instructor and trainer, Hell would soon have spies ready at its disposal! After all, the fact that Li Jixi was able to track him down in spite of the scrappy bits of information he was given was simply astonishing!
“I want you to head to the army and get warmed up to the environment. I’m sure you’ll find it familiar in no time. Arti, take him directly to Oda Nobunaga.”
Li Jixi didn’t have any objections, and promptly left with Arthis. Then, Qin Ye finally turned around and smiled coldly at Wang Chenghao.
It was a terrifying smile, so vicious that it left Wang Chenghao drenched in cold sweat in an instant.
“About that… Brother Qin… that gaze in your eyes… is unsettling…” Wang Chenghao’s spirits tensed up, and he glanced about nervously even as he desperately pleaded with Qin Ye.
“Unsettling?! I’ll show you unsettling! Remember this pair of eyes, cause that’s the last thing you’re going to see!” Qin Ye raised his leg and sent Wang Chenghao flying back with a powerful kick. And then, he leapt into the air, mounted his body and started to grab Wang Chenghao by the neck and punch him in the face, “I was kind enough to send you to the afterlife, yet you didn’t even reward me with a bowl of soup?! And you have the gall to say that my eyes are unsettling right now?!”
Bloody hell…
Wang Chenghao screamed tragically, “No, stop… Since when did I not think about you?!”
“Think about me?!” Qin-pauper-Ye twisted Wang Chenghao’s ears ferociously and continued to stare at him with a vicious expression on his face, “I was holding you back then, and yet your heart actually drifted to the Red Cross Foundation?! Eh?!!”
