Where had these Yama-Kings come from?
There wasn't a single Yama-King among the 73 immortals! It was as if those four Yama-Kings had sprung up out of nowhere! Could this be the true objective that the inner demon had taken such a massive risk to try and achieve?
In exchange for four Yama-Kings, it was indeed worth the risk.
The inner demon was a menace to the entire Cathayan Underworld. A terrorist could sow dissension and chaos in an entire nation, but there was no way that they would be able to completely destroy a nation.
In the worst-case scenario, the Cathayan Underworld would have to shrink its territory to around 80% of its full territory, then split it up into several regions, each of which would be personally overseen by a Yama-King. Even the inner demon wouldn't dare to directly face hundreds of thousands of Yin soldiers who were enhanced by the Wumu military formation, and with the three divine artifacts at their disposal, the Yama-Kings could provide reinforcements to any area at any time.
However, if the inner demon had powerful allies in the form of several Yama-Kings, then the situation would be completely different.
With such a formidable force at its disposal, it really would be able to threaten the reign of Hell!
"Everyone, adopt your posts! Let's get moving!" After delivering that final instruction, Qin Ye vanished from the room as a gust of Yin wind.
Everyone in the hall immediately rose to their feet, and after extending parting bows toward the Yama-Kings, they quickly departed. Thus, only three Yama-Kings were left in the room.
After a long while, the Harken sighed, "Our King Yanluo has truly grown and matured."
They had witnessed the entire process of Qin Ye's journey, and it was exactly because of this that they were even more incredulous.
"Indeed," Arthis agreed. "The current situation is extremely perilous and complex, yet his thoughts are very clear, and he's restraining his own emotions very well... I truly didn't think that he would be able to reach this point."
She paused here as her brows furrowed slightly. "However, I don't understand his decision."
She had only been a Yama-King for a short time, so it made sense that she wasn't able to trace the thought process of other Yama-Kings. The Harken was aware of this, and it patiently explained, "The Yin Yang Mezzanines are closing... If you were the inner demon, what would you do?"
Before Arthis had a chance to reply, it continued, "If I were the inner demon, I would station all of the Yama-Kings under my command beside the Yin Yang Mezzanines so they can kill anyone that comes through! It knows that even if we haven't taken notice of Yuncheng, the closing Yin Yang Mezzanines would've definitely aroused our suspicion, and we would undoubtedly send people to investigate. In other words, the period of time prior to the closing of the Yin Yang Mezzanines would be when they're on their highest alert. If we go up now, no matter how well we conceal ourselves, there's a very good chance that we'll be discovered. On top of that, during the closing of a Yin Yang Mezzanine, there will be violent clashes of true energy and Yin energy, which would not be pleasant even for a Yama-King to endure. After forcing our way through that, we would have to face the inner demon's Yama-Kings in battle, and the outcomes would most likely be far from desirable. Hence, if we want to enter Yuncheng right now, then there's only one way to do so. Yanluo Qin didn't explicitly state the method, but it's one that all Yama-Kings should be able to think of as no one is more familiar with Yama-Kings than Yama-Kings themselves."
A contemplative look appeared on Arthis's face as she mused, "Are you saying that the best way to proceed would be to enter the mortal realm through Yin Yang Mezzanines in other cities, then use some form of transport to travel to Yuncheng?"
Zhao Yun nodded in response, and her brows furrowed tightly as she continued, "But that would take at least three hours, and that's not taking into account all types of potential unforeseen delays. Will we really be able to make it in time?"
"That's why Yanluo Qin looked at Yuncheng's Book of Life and Death just now," Zhao Yun explained.
"We need to stall for time," the Harken chimed in in a cold voice. "We have to hope that the mortal realm can offer us ample support, and that the trap of East Lake Province can also be used on Yuncheng."
Arthis was finally enlightened upon hearing this.
At this point, there was no way to enter Yuncheng from the Cathayan Underworld. The inner demon had already taken a huge risk to prevent entry into Yuncheng, and it was most likely going to leave the city soon.
Following its departure, the entire trail would run cold. This was a being above the Yama-King level with several Yama-Kings in accompaniment, and if they wanted to hide, it would be next to impossible to find them.
There was no way for Hell to prevent the closing of the Yin Yang Mezzanines, but the mortal realm had a chance of being able to do this!
As long as they could set a good trap, then Qin Ye would have enough time to find an opportunity to enter Yuncheng!
Zhao Yun opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it in the end.
He suspected that Qin Ye had another hidden plan, but this plan was too risky, and he didn't dare to articulate it.
At this moment, all of Hell's Yama-Kings were gathered in the underworld directly beneath Yuncheng.
Thus, if a suitable opportunity were to present itself, this mission could change from a scouting mission to a hit job at any time!
After witnessing the demise of Safesoul City, even they were all filled with vengeful fury toward the inner demon, let alone Qin Ye himself. With that in mind, there was a very good chance that Qin Ye would cast aside his low-risk philosophy to carry out a highly risky hit job against the inner demon.
He took a deep breath and refrained from sharing this possibility as he cast a concerned gaze outside.
Please be careful... If something happens to you, even the second King Yanluo won't be able to make it back in time...
……………………………………
"Useless!" Rao Guanghui slammed a folder onto the table, and his hands were trembling so much from rage that he was unable to even pull a cigarette out of the box.
He hurled the box of cigarettes away in a frustrated manner, then pointed at the middle-aged man standing in front of him before letting loose a torrent of abuse. "You call yourself an inspector?! If these files hadn't been thrust right into our faces, you would've continued to have been kept completely in the dark, wouldn't you?"
He picked up the folder before slamming it viciously down onto the table again. "Just the mayor of Yuncheng alone has embezzled at least hundreds of millions! What do you have to say for yourself as the inspector?! Are you blind or just stupid?! Are you too busy looking at the coal mines to see anything else?! Why is the government still paying you if you're going to be such an incompetent idiot?!"
The middle-aged man didn't even dare to raise his head, and his face was completely flushed as he said, "Your criticism is valid... We'll be sure to change our ways..."
His job was a very difficult one. No more than 20 minutes ago, the city god of Yanjing had arrived at the Special Investigations Department in person to submit files detailing the corruption of the mayor of Yuncheng, Bai Liangping. Upon seeing the submitted information, the middle-aged man had almost passed out from shock and horror.
The mayor of a city wasn't a particularly high-ranking official in a national context, but Bai Liangping had embezzled hundreds of millions! Just the Mount Tianmu project alone had netted him astronomical sums, and that wasn't even taking into account everything else.
However, there wasn't much he could've done. Working as a disciplinary committee inspector was a grueling and thankless job, and they were always short-staffed. How were they supposed to know that the mayor of a city would dare to be so bold and brazen?
As he continued to endure insults from Director Rao, he wanted nothing more than to drag out the secretary of Yuncheng to give him a vicious beating.
The secretary's job was supposed to be to ensure that the mayor was doing the right thing, yet someone else was being blamed for his incompetence!
Director Rao was so enraged that he burst into laughter. "You're going to change your ways now? After all of the damage has already been done, only now are you going to change your ways?! Get out of my sight and tell Director Zheng to come and see me!"
The middle-aged man was more than happy to leave, and soon, Zheng Shuguo entered the room.
"Take a seat." Director Rao had finally composed himself sufficiently to be able to light a cigarette. "You've seen the report. We're working with a very tight timeframe, and something big is most likely going to happen in Yuncheng. Tell me what you think."
Zheng Shuguo was silent for a moment before heaving a faint sigh. "Sacrifices must be made for rewards to be had."
Director Rao took a meaningful look at him, but didn't say anything.
It was due to their oversight that the inner demon had managed to escape, and now, Hell was asking for their cooperation.
What did this entail? It meant that they had to do nothing!
They couldn't evacuate the city's citizens, they couldn't get the Special Investigation Department involved, and everything had to remain the way it had always been!
Not only that, but they had to set a trap within the next few hours and hope that the inner demon would fall into it!
Even though Hell had guaranteed that it would do its best to avoid casualties, there was a good chance that large masses of Yuncheng citizens would perish, and that was what Zheng Shuguo had meant by sacrifices.
Rao Guanghui rose to his feet before pacing around his desk. This was the most difficult decision he had ever had to make during the decades he had spent as a politician.
However, a decision had to be made nonetheless, and he quickly made his choice. He opened a drawer, then pulled out a file before handing it over to Zheng Shuguo.
"Currently, there are people from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection overseeing the case involving Bai Liangping and the Mount Tianmu project," he said with a wry smile. "They haven't completely failed in their duty. At the very least, they've realized that there's something wrong with Mayor Bai."
A serious look appeared on his face as he continued, "We must establish a link with them as quickly as possible. In order to keep Bai Liangping on the hook, the people from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection have only negotiated with him the past half a year, but no agreements have been signed. Today... "
He gritted his teeth as he concluded, "I'm going to give him a massive present!"
Zheng Shuguo picked up the file before taking a look, then almost immediately drew a sharp breath.
It was an investment of 1.2 billion USD to purchase his business! This really was a massive present!
"This is the best that we can do at the moment. It isn't a massive sum, but it definitely won't arouse any suspicions. Through this, I hope to be able to lure in the inner demon and make up for our past failure, which allowed it to escape."
Zheng Shuguo pursed his lips tightly as he closed the file, then said, "I'll get that arranged right away!"
Right as Zheng Shuguo was about to leave, Director Rao suddenly added, "I need an answer from you within six hours."
The Yin Yang Mezzanines were going to close in 12 hours, so six hours was all that they could afford to spend on this.
This was the sincerity of the mortal realm.
……………………………………
Beside a dark trench in Ruicheng County of Yuncheng City, a man turned to the Many-faced God with a puzzled expression as he asked, "Are you still not going to leave?"
This place was called Heilonggou, and it was part of the outskirts of Ruicheng County. It had received this name because not only did this trench not have any flora or fauna around it, it was situated very close to a lush forest, but the closer one came to the trench, the more bleak and desolate the landscape became.
Furthermore, the entire trench had no bottom in sight, and its walls were pitch-black, as if it had been burned in the past. [Heilonggou directly translates into Black Dragon Trench.]
There was a place that no one visited under normal circumstances.
Above the trench was a muscular man who was over two meters tall, and he was standing in mid-air. Extremely dense Yin energy was surging out of his body, and one profound Yin rune after another was flying into the trench like shooting stars, while rumbling echoes rang out incessantly.
"Heh... He wants to leave, but this is too good an opportunity to pass up, so he can't help but stay." The man had a scar that resembled a writing centipede, extending all the way from the left corner of his forehead to the right corner of his lips, and it was particularly gruesome to look at whenever he smiled. "It'll take over 10 hours to close the Yin Yang Mezzanines, and true energy and Yin energy will be constantly clashing during the first three hours. No one wants to take the risk to come up and see what's happening during those three hours."
A faint smile appeared on Mr. Zhao's face as he said, "I'm on Hell's blacklist, so I have to be careful."
"What a joke Hell is!" the muscular man scoffed. "They're just descendants of a traitor. You're only here because too many darkfeathers have come here, and you're worried that Hell has a way to track you. Hence, you want to see if more darkfeathers will come through once the true energy and Yin energy subsides in order to verify your suspicions, isn't that right?"
Mr. Zhao sighed, "We can afford to stay here for three more hours. After all, the souls of the four of you have already been restored, and we're not far away from reviving your king. If possible, I really don't want to leave at such a crucial juncture."
"Caution is the best policy," the muscular man said in an indifferent voice. "If I were you, I would get as far away from this place as possible. After all, no matter how sound a plan seems, there's always a possibility for unforeseen changes."
"Indeed..." Mr. Zhao looked up at the sky as he mused, "I didn't think he would come so quickly... Is that Taoist Master Zhang from Mount Longhu? That imposter came to us? Does he have a death wish?"
The muscular man took a glance in the same direction, then lowered his head in a disinterested manner as he continued to control his own Yin energy. "Be careful. He's here with the Heavenly Teacher Seal, and he's not alone. It looks like all of the high-ranking members of the Zhengyi Dao are here... What did you do? Did you dig up Wang Chongyang's grave?"
"I didn't go that far, but there are going to have to be some new graves erected very soon," Mr. Zhao said with a cold smile, then vanished as a gust of Yin wind.
Where had these Yama-Kings come from?
There wasn't a single Yama-King among the 73 immortals! It was as if those four Yama-Kings had sprung up out of nowhere! Could this be the true objective that the inner demon had taken such a massive risk to try and achieve?
In exchange for four Yama-Kings, it was indeed worth the risk.
The inner demon was a menace to the entire Cathayan Underworld. A terrorist could sow dissension and chaos in an entire nation, but there was no way that they would be able to completely destroy a nation.
In the worst-case scenario, the Cathayan Underworld would have to shrink its territory to around 80% of its full territory, then split it up into several regions, each of which would be personally overseen by a Yama-King. Even the inner demon wouldn't dare to directly face hundreds of thousands of Yin soldiers who were enhanced by the Wumu military formation, and with the three divine artifacts at their disposal, the Yama-Kings could provide reinforcements to any area at any time.
However, if the inner demon had powerful allies in the form of several Yama-Kings, then the situation would be completely different.
With such a formidable force at its disposal, it really would be able to threaten the reign of Hell!
"Everyone, adopt your posts! Let's get moving!" After delivering that final instruction, Qin Ye vanished from the room as a gust of Yin wind.
Everyone in the hall immediately rose to their feet, and after extending parting bows toward the Yama-Kings, they quickly departed. Thus, only three Yama-Kings were left in the room.
After a long while, the Harken sighed, "Our King Yanluo has truly grown and matured."
They had witnessed the entire process of Qin Ye's journey, and it was exactly because of this that they were even more incredulous.
"Indeed," Arthis agreed. "The current situation is extremely perilous and complex, yet his thoughts are very clear, and he's restraining his own emotions very well... I truly didn't think that he would be able to reach this point."
She paused here as her brows furrowed slightly. "However, I don't understand his decision."
She had only been a Yama-King for a short time, so it made sense that she wasn't able to trace the thought process of other Yama-Kings. The Harken was aware of this, and it patiently explained, "The Yin Yang Mezzanines are closing... If you were the inner demon, what would you do?"
Before Arthis had a chance to reply, it continued, "If I were the inner demon, I would station all of the Yama-Kings under my command beside the Yin Yang Mezzanines so they can kill anyone that comes through! It knows that even if we haven't taken notice of Yuncheng, the closing Yin Yang Mezzanines would've definitely aroused our suspicion, and we would undoubtedly send people to investigate. In other words, the period of time prior to the closing of the Yin Yang Mezzanines would be when they're on their highest alert. If we go up now, no matter how well we conceal ourselves, there's a very good chance that we'll be discovered. On top of that, during the closing of a Yin Yang Mezzanine, there will be violent clashes of true energy and Yin energy, which would not be pleasant even for a Yama-King to endure. After forcing our way through that, we would have to face the inner demon's Yama-Kings in battle, and the outcomes would most likely be far from desirable. Hence, if we want to enter Yuncheng right now, then there's only one way to do so. Yanluo Qin didn't explicitly state the method, but it's one that all Yama-Kings should be able to think of as no one is more familiar with Yama-Kings than Yama-Kings themselves."
A contemplative look appeared on Arthis's face as she mused, "Are you saying that the best way to proceed would be to enter the mortal realm through Yin Yang Mezzanines in other cities, then use some form of transport to travel to Yuncheng?"
Zhao Yun nodded in response, and her brows furrowed tightly as she continued, "But that would take at least three hours, and that's not taking into account all types of potential unforeseen delays. Will we really be able to make it in time?"
"That's why Yanluo Qin looked at Yuncheng's Book of Life and Death just now," Zhao Yun explained.
"We need to stall for time," the Harken chimed in in a cold voice. "We have to hope that the mortal realm can offer us ample support, and that the trap of East Lake Province can also be used on Yuncheng."
Arthis was finally enlightened upon hearing this.
At this point, there was no way to enter Yuncheng from the Cathayan Underworld. The inner demon had already taken a huge risk to prevent entry into Yuncheng, and it was most likely going to leave the city soon.
Following its departure, the entire trail would run cold. This was a being above the Yama-King level with several Yama-Kings in accompaniment, and if they wanted to hide, it would be next to impossible to find them.
There was no way for Hell to prevent the closing of the Yin Yang Mezzanines, but the mortal realm had a chance of being able to do this!
As long as they could set a good trap, then Qin Ye would have enough time to find an opportunity to enter Yuncheng!
Zhao Yun opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it in the end.
He suspected that Qin Ye had another hidden plan, but this plan was too risky, and he didn't dare to articulate it.
At this moment, all of Hell's Yama-Kings were gathered in the underworld directly beneath Yuncheng.
Thus, if a suitable opportunity were to present itself, this mission could change from a scouting mission to a hit job at any time!
After witnessing the demise of Safesoul City, even they were all filled with vengeful fury toward the inner demon, let alone Qin Ye himself. With that in mind, there was a very good chance that Qin Ye would cast aside his low-risk philosophy to carry out a highly risky hit job against the inner demon.
He took a deep breath and refrained from sharing this possibility as he cast a concerned gaze outside.
Please be careful... If something happens to you, even the second King Yanluo won't be able to make it back in time...
……………………………………
"Useless!" Rao Guanghui slammed a folder onto the table, and his hands were trembling so much from rage that he was unable to even pull a cigarette out of the box.
He hurled the box of cigarettes away in a frustrated manner, then pointed at the middle-aged man standing in front of him before letting loose a torrent of abuse. "You call yourself an inspector?! If these files hadn't been thrust right into our faces, you would've continued to have been kept completely in the dark, wouldn't you?"
He picked up the folder before slamming it viciously down onto the table again. "Just the mayor of Yuncheng alone has embezzled at least hundreds of millions! What do you have to say for yourself as the inspector?! Are you blind or just stupid?! Are you too busy looking at the coal mines to see anything else?! Why is the government still paying you if you're going to be such an incompetent idiot?!"
The middle-aged man didn't even dare to raise his head, and his face was completely flushed as he said, "Your criticism is valid... We'll be sure to change our ways..."
His job was a very difficult one. No more than 20 minutes ago, the city god of Yanjing had arrived at the Special Investigations Department in person to submit files detailing the corruption of the mayor of Yuncheng, Bai Liangping. Upon seeing the submitted information, the middle-aged man had almost passed out from shock and horror.
The mayor of a city wasn't a particularly high-ranking official in a national context, but Bai Liangping had embezzled hundreds of millions! Just the Mount Tianmu project alone had netted him astronomical sums, and that wasn't even taking into account everything else.
However, there wasn't much he could've done. Working as a disciplinary committee inspector was a grueling and thankless job, and they were always short-staffed. How were they supposed to know that the mayor of a city would dare to be so bold and brazen?
As he continued to endure insults from Director Rao, he wanted nothing more than to drag out the secretary of Yuncheng to give him a vicious beating.
The secretary's job was supposed to be to ensure that the mayor was doing the right thing, yet someone else was being blamed for his incompetence!
Director Rao was so enraged that he burst into laughter. "You're going to change your ways now? After all of the damage has already been done, only now are you going to change your ways?! Get out of my sight and tell Director Zheng to come and see me!"
The middle-aged man was more than happy to leave, and soon, Zheng Shuguo entered the room.
"Take a seat." Director Rao had finally composed himself sufficiently to be able to light a cigarette. "You've seen the report. We're working with a very tight timeframe, and something big is most likely going to happen in Yuncheng. Tell me what you think."
Zheng Shuguo was silent for a moment before heaving a faint sigh. "Sacrifices must be made for rewards to be had."
Director Rao took a meaningful look at him, but didn't say anything.
It was due to their oversight that the inner demon had managed to escape, and now, Hell was asking for their cooperation.
What did this entail? It meant that they had to do nothing!
They couldn't evacuate the city's citizens, they couldn't get the Special Investigation Department involved, and everything had to remain the way it had always been!
Not only that, but they had to set a trap within the next few hours and hope that the inner demon would fall into it!
Even though Hell had guaranteed that it would do its best to avoid casualties, there was a good chance that large masses of Yuncheng citizens would perish, and that was what Zheng Shuguo had meant by sacrifices.
Rao Guanghui rose to his feet before pacing around his desk. This was the most difficult decision he had ever had to make during the decades he had spent as a politician.
However, a decision had to be made nonetheless, and he quickly made his choice. He opened a drawer, then pulled out a file before handing it over to Zheng Shuguo.
"Currently, there are people from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection overseeing the case involving Bai Liangping and the Mount Tianmu project," he said with a wry smile. "They haven't completely failed in their duty. At the very least, they've realized that there's something wrong with Mayor Bai."
A serious look appeared on his face as he continued, "We must establish a link with them as quickly as possible. In order to keep Bai Liangping on the hook, the people from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection have only negotiated with him the past half a year, but no agreements have been signed. Today... "
He gritted his teeth as he concluded, "I'm going to give him a massive present!"
Zheng Shuguo picked up the file before taking a look, then almost immediately drew a sharp breath.
It was an investment of 1.2 billion USD to purchase his business! This really was a massive present!
"This is the best that we can do at the moment. It isn't a massive sum, but it definitely won't arouse any suspicions. Through this, I hope to be able to lure in the inner demon and make up for our past failure, which allowed it to escape."
Zheng Shuguo pursed his lips tightly as he closed the file, then said, "I'll get that arranged right away!"
Right as Zheng Shuguo was about to leave, Director Rao suddenly added, "I need an answer from you within six hours."
The Yin Yang Mezzanines were going to close in 12 hours, so six hours was all that they could afford to spend on this.
This was the sincerity of the mortal realm.
……………………………………
Beside a dark trench in Ruicheng County of Yuncheng City, a man turned to the Many-faced God with a puzzled expression as he asked, "Are you still not going to leave?"
This place was called Heilonggou, and it was part of the outskirts of Ruicheng County. It had received this name because not only did this trench not have any flora or fauna around it, it was situated very close to a lush forest, but the closer one came to the trench, the more bleak and desolate the landscape became.
Furthermore, the entire trench had no bottom in sight, and its walls were pitch-black, as if it had been burned in the past. [Heilonggou directly translates into Black Dragon Trench.]
There was a place that no one visited under normal circumstances.
Above the trench was a muscular man who was over two meters tall, and he was standing in mid-air. Extremely dense Yin energy was surging out of his body, and one profound Yin rune after another was flying into the trench like shooting stars, while rumbling echoes rang out incessantly.
"Heh... He wants to leave, but this is too good an opportunity to pass up, so he can't help but stay." The man had a scar that resembled a writing centipede, extending all the way from the left corner of his forehead to the right corner of his lips, and it was particularly gruesome to look at whenever he smiled. "It'll take over 10 hours to close the Yin Yang Mezzanines, and true energy and Yin energy will be constantly clashing during the first three hours. No one wants to take the risk to come up and see what's happening during those three hours."
A faint smile appeared on Mr. Zhao's face as he said, "I'm on Hell's blacklist, so I have to be careful."
"What a joke Hell is!" the muscular man scoffed. "They're just descendants of a traitor. You're only here because too many darkfeathers have come here, and you're worried that Hell has a way to track you. Hence, you want to see if more darkfeathers will come through once the true energy and Yin energy subsides in order to verify your suspicions, isn't that right?"
Mr. Zhao sighed, "We can afford to stay here for three more hours. After all, the souls of the four of you have already been restored, and we're not far away from reviving your king. If possible, I really don't want to leave at such a crucial juncture."
"Caution is the best policy," the muscular man said in an indifferent voice. "If I were you, I would get as far away from this place as possible. After all, no matter how sound a plan seems, there's always a possibility for unforeseen changes."
"Indeed..." Mr. Zhao looked up at the sky as he mused, "I didn't think he would come so quickly... Is that Taoist Master Zhang from Mount Longhu? That imposter came to us? Does he have a death wish?"
The muscular man took a glance in the same direction, then lowered his head in a disinterested manner as he continued to control his own Yin energy. "Be careful. He's here with the Heavenly Teacher Seal, and he's not alone. It looks like all of the high-ranking members of the Zhengyi Dao are here... What did you do? Did you dig up Wang Chongyang's grave?"
"I didn't go that far, but there are going to have to be some new graves erected very soon," Mr. Zhao said with a cold smile, then vanished as a gust of Yin wind.
