Yan Capital. Inside a spacious conference room. Several old men watched intently with great astonishment. Lei Jun was present as well.
A one-meter large screen formed from Yin energy swirled about at the end of the conference room, playing a familiar song from it.
“My dearest motherland, you are the ocean that sends refreshing waves to the shores of my heart. The song in my heart…” It was a song that was familiar to all of them – so familiar that even the old men couldn’t help but exchange awkward glances with each other. That said, the sight of countless Yin spirits belting out the song in chorus was simply astonishing – more so than anything they had ever witnessed in their lifetimes.
It was a live projection that was transmitted through Hell’s own means, and they could see everything with pristine clarity, including how the gathering of Yin spirits were all singing at the top of their voices!
A majestic flag of Cathay fluttered gloriously behind Qin Ye. After hearing Qin Ye’s words to the citizens of Hell, the old men suddenly felt… that there wasn’t the slightest bit of incongruity with the image Qin Ye was portraying of Hell.
Hell wasn’t bleak and hopeless in the slightest. In fact, they weren’t even shocked by what they were seeing of Hell right now.
Why?
Everything was clearly different from the mortal realm. The Yin spirits didn’t have shadows and drifted along the ground with netherflames flourishing from the depths of their eyes. So why did they get the sensing that it was… hardly any different from the mortal realm?
Was it all a farce?
“Are they… trying to show goodwill to the mortal realm?” One of the old men suddenly exclaimed.
“No. They have no reason to show any goodwill to the mortal realm in the first place.” Lei Jun was likewise moved by the sight as he pointed to the projection screen, “This is a large city filled with over ten million Yin spirits. It might well even be the capital of Hell. Take a look at the city walls. Every turret is armed with ballistae and archers, and they even have some ancient mechanical devices which appear to be defensive structures. The ones patrolling the walls are also clearly Yin soldiers. This means that Hell can easily mobilize hundreds of thousands of Yin soldiers at once, if they so desire.”
“Don’t forget that Yin soldiers are existences that can remain hidden to us mortals. Should he wish to lay waste to the mortal realm, then… I’m afraid that there will be hardly anything we can do about it. Organized groups of Yin spirits are far more terrifying than rogue evil ghosts after all. You know full well what I’m talking about.”
Nobody said a word.
After a long time, the old man sitting in the center of the room finally spoke up, “This is all genuine.”
“He’s doing so of his own volition. We’ve seen all kinds of people in our time, and I find that… he’s not faking anything. As Director Lei has mentioned earlier, there’s no reason for him to be doing so either.”
His gaze softened up slightly, and he turned to the red flag flying high in the sky. In that instant, he felt somewhat… close to them, almost as though they were kindred spirits.
Yin and Yang are but two sides of the same coin… There’s no better way to express such a concept.
It looks like… Hell isn’t a bad place. Perhaps I might even be able to live well after I pass on…
“So, I think it’s for the best that we take a good look at what they plan to show us – Hell’s true might.”
Just then, Zhao Yun thundered, “Welcome to Heaven’s End Pavilion.”
He raised his hand slowly, and a line of words appeared on the screen, almost like subtitles in modern films.
“Sixfold Ghost King, Zhao Zilong.”
Zhao Yun!
The eyes of the old men flickered wildly. They’d heard of his existence before, but seeing it with their own eyes is quite something else.
Everyone turned to the Yin energy measuring instrument – That must be his Yin energy reading, isn’t it? One of the Sixfold Ghost Kings… exactly how powerful is he? How does he measure up against the legendary Yama-Kings of Hell?
This was what they truly desired to see.
Copious amounts of Yin energy were already converging in Zhao Yun’s hands. Lei Jun nodded, and one of the attendants in the room immediately brought over the Yin measuring instrument and explained softly, “This is Divine Might I, the Yin energy measuring instrument with the greatest capacity for measurements we have.”
Lei Jun nodded, and dismissed him summarily. Nobody was in the mood for banal chatter at this point in time. And then, the numbers began to show up.
Back in the image, Zhao Yun waved his hand gently. At once, copious amounts of wood, stone, pillars, desks, glass, carved doors and windows, statues, and other furniture began to pour out of his hand like a powerful tsunami.
“10 million… 15 million… 20 million… 30 million… 40 million?!” The old men around Lei Jun cried out in unison. They hadn’t expected numbers as high as this!
The numbers had shot up way too quickly, breaching the realms of an Abyssal Prefect far too easily. And yet… it wasn’t even showing any signs of slowing down!
Is he a Yama-King?
That… that shouldn’t be unexpected either!
Zhao Yun naturally wasn’t aware of the thoughts in their minds right now. Instead, under the watchful gazes of all Yin spirits around, items and objects continued to pour out of his hand, assembling themselves in the air. The pieces of stones were the ones that first assembled themselves, forming a majestic staircase a thousand meters wide that led hundreds of meters up into the sky. Both sides of the staircase were adorned with carved fences that were exquisite, to say the least.
“Is he… actually going to construct a pavilion in the skies?!” An old lady gasped, “Director Lei… can you do something like that?”
Lei Jun shook his head with a bitter smile, “I’m not at that level yet… Sure, the cultivation of Yin energy and true energy may be similar, but I can at best assemble a pavilion from the ground. Assembling something like that in the air, and even on such a scale, requires an almost perversely meticulous control of Yin energy…”
Whoosh… As the pavilion slowly took shape, the number on the Yin energy reader continued to tick higher and higher. At this point, it was already showing 400 million Yin on the reader. And yet, it was still going up!
Beep, beep, beep!!! Suddenly the Yin energy measuring instrument began to beep loudly with flashing red lights, and then it shut itself down.
Dead silence.
“Unbelievable.” Lei Jun looked up with an incomparably profound expression in his eyes. Shock, disbelief, relief, and also… longing.
He was astounded at the might of a Yama-class entity. He was filled with disbelief at Zhao Yun’s precision and mastery over Yin energy. He was relieved that Zhao Yun was on their side as an Emissary of Hell. And more than anything, he longed for the moment that they could finally put the entire supernatural outbreak behind them!
“Everyone.” He stood up, suppressing the intense excitement in his heart, “I can say with the utmost certainty that there’s no Yin spirit in our lands that can possibly be a match for this man right here!”
“I get it now… I finally understand! Hell isn’t trying to show us their strength. They’re simply telling us that… They’re ready!”
Pin drop silence. The entire conference room was filled with the sounds of ragged breaths.
Everyone’s eyes turned slightly red, and one of the old men pursed his lips and cleared his throat, “Ready… for what?”
Lei Jun’s chest heaved and fell with every breath that he took, “He’s preparing… to march for the rest of Cathay!”
“They’re ready to retake the rest of the nation! Everyone!!”
His voice trembled slightly, “Over the last ten years of supernatural outbreak, how many people have we seen pass on in the shadows with each night that passed? But now… the end is nigh!”
“As long as they make a move; as long as Hell sends its troops marching across the rest of Cathay, they’ll most certainly be able to purge the nation of all evil ghosts over the next couple of years or so!”
……………………………………………….
Hell was naturally unaware of the excitement brewing back in the mortal realm. That said, Ashmound City couldn’t be said to be in any less excitement!
The Yin spirits watched with their lips agape as the godly existence began to assemble everything in the air like building blocks. Under the watchful gaze of millions of eyes, a hue pavilion towering high into the sky, replete with 30 storeys that were at least 10 meters tall each, slowly took place.
It was huge.
Terrifyingly so. In fact, it wasn’t even an exaggeration to say that it was comparable with the size of Ashmound City itself! The thousand-meter wide steps were nothing more than a drop in the ocean next to the size of the towering Heaven’s End Pavilion.
Likewise, the men in the mortal realm stared aghast at the sight.
Meanwhile, the female ghosts in Hell stared with bright gleams in their eyes.
Is this Heaven’s End?
This… this has to be an ultra-sized mall isn’t it? Isn’t it?!
It couldn’t be helped. All ladies tend to enjoy a shopping spree every once in a while, and that was why most ladies enjoyed their traipses to the mall, especially the largest ones where there was a great variety of things to be seen and experienced.
Back in the mortal realm, it wasn’t uncommon to see women patronizing these ultra-sized malls that were often hailed as a shopping paradise. But who would’ve thought that even after death, they would be granted that very same opportunity?
They were practically on cloud nine.
Look at the beautifully carved fretwork windows.
Look at the gold-accented porcelain vases adorned with beautiful golden lotuses within.
Look at the vintage tables and chairs that are so beautiful that they make you cry! Look at the ancient, lofty building that appears no different from a towering mountain!
Whoosh… The finishing touches were added. A majestic plaque dozens of meters tall was etched with the words “Heaven’s End Pavilion” in calligraphic strokes, painted in scarlet and accented in gold. Spider lily petals continued to fall from the sky like confetti celebrating the grand opening, while crimson lanterns swayed from side to side under the lofty eaves of the pavilion.
“AHHHHH!!!!” The female ghosts of Ashmound City shrieked at the top of their voices. Everyone fully understood in that very moment that the Great Sale was now truly open!
How cruel!
How could you tempt us with the allure of a shopping paradise like that?!
You know full well that we’ll definitely take the bait!
The netherflames in the eyes of these female ghosts immediately flourished with great vigor, and they promptly jostled their way through the crowds, leaving their male counterparts far behind. In a flash, a throng of ghosts surrounded the steps that led up to the entrance of Heaven’s End Pavilion. That said, the door didn’t open immediately.
“Open up!! You built this thing in front of our eyes for a reason! Open up!!!” “Are you afraid that we don’t have enough spending power? I didn’t spend a single cent I earned over this last year, all for this moment!! This is my destiny!” “My god… I’d never thought that I would one day be given the chance to do window shopping once more! I’m so happy I could die right now… Ah, but I’m already dead…”
The netherflames in their eyes were blazing at least a meter high by now. But even then, Zhao Yun simply boomed back with a placid voice, “These doors will open in an hour’s time. Please line up properly and wait for your turn.”
With that, Qin Ye, Zhao Yun and the Harken vanished from their spot and appeared right back within the top floor of the city tower. It was only then that Zhao Yun sincerely cupped his hands towards Qin Ye, “Yanluo Qin… is truly masterful.”
“Who would’ve thought that you would be able to unite the hearts of all Yin spirit with one simple event, tying everyone together using the flag of Cathay. That’s truly a masterstroke!”
Qin Ye glanced back at the ebullience of Hell, and then shook his head.
“Brother Zhao, I didn’t employ any trickery this time.”
The night wind swept by, gently tousling Qin Ye’s robes as he revealed a faint smile, “All I’ve done is to draw out the innermost desires in their hearts.”
One hour.
That was incidentally when sea trade would officially open as well.
It was the same moment when Hell would finally allow the Alkebulan fleet and the Russian flotilla into Ashmound Port. This was truly a historical moment worth celebrating!
“Go in peace, and leave things here to me.” The Harken lay down placidly in the city tower overlooking the entire Ashmound City, “Tonight, anyone who dares spoil these grand festivities will have to do so over my dead body!”
………………………………………………..
Overcast skies. Brilliant fireworks could be seen erupting all over Ashmound City in the distance. Meanwhile, the foreign emissaries leaned on the railings on the deck of their ships, gazing blankly in the direction of Ashmound City.
Ivantov was also there. However, he wasn’t drinking his vodka any longer. Instead, he had now donned his aristocratic robes, and he couldn’t help but pull out his golden pocket watch from time to time for a glance.
It’s already the 17th…
According to the missives that we’ve received, Hell has confirmed that they will be opening their borders to us tonight. But… where are they?
Are they afraid of the Pyotr? Is that why they haven’t dared to open their borders just yet?
He snorted coldly and shook his head with a mind to return to his cabin. But, just then, a brilliant light suddenly blossomed in the distance, followed by a loud rumble and surging waves.
Whoosh!!! His clothes fluttered wildly in the sudden gale. He froze for a second, and then turned back abruptly, only to witness a terrifying sight that caused his heart to skip a beat.
“My god…” He gazed blankly into the distance, “What… what in the world is that monster…”
