Chapter 189: Aftermath

And then, he grew taciturn. Even though Arthis had already finished her account of her exchange with Zhou Xianlong, neither of them spoke for a long time.

The mortal realm had indeed suffered too much. Everything had been single handedly caused by the fact that the old Hell had been playing with fire. Any government in Cathay’s shoes right now would naturally prioritize stability over anything else.

At least, any sacrifice would be better than offering up the lives of their own citizens.

A living Emissary of Hell? Come, don’t mind us. We’re just going to stick a few probes into your body to understand your existence a little bit better…

“You’ve got a dangerous look in your eyes, lady…” He gulped nervously as he began to retreat, only to find his back against the wall within moments, “Calm down… stay calm! Whatever it is that you’re thinking to do, please reconsider!”

“... This isn’t anything to complain about. In fact, I’d even add that you’re just getting a taster of what kind of aesthetics the citizens of Hell go by!”

Qin Ye blinked vacantly for several seconds before he gave her a contrived response, “Ah…”

Qin Ye continued to roll up his tongue, and noticed that his tongue felt as dry as a wooden block. He hardly felt any sensation from it even though it was undoubtedly an appendage from his body. He responded casually, “How do we do that?”

Then, she swung her palm.

But before he could even finish speaking, the powerful palmstrike struck Qin Ye squarely on his body.

“What’s this?” He gasped and looked at his hands, and then he examined his body.

The sturdiness of my body appears to have gone up several notches? My body can actually withstand the attack of a final boss like Arthis?

“Ahh…” His spirits instantly calmed down. Then, he adjusted his robes and elegantly smoothened his sideburns before hooking his finger at arthis with a beckoning gesture, “Again.”

Silence.

“Is that so?” She grinned dangerously. Then, she took a deep breath, and her hair suddenly fluttered wildly and rushed towards Qin Ye!

“Wait a minute… Let’s talk things through calmly… Holy shit! You’re coming at me for real!”

But just as he braced himself for an ensuing period of bondage and punishment, a number of soft clinks resounded just a short distance from his body.

No pain?

It was a thin film that was formed out of thick, condensed Yin energy. In fact, it was so dark and dense that it actually prevented Arthis’ hair from reaching his body.

“Prestige of the Luminary.” Arthis nodded as she recalled her dark hair like a receding tide, “All entities with abilities weaker than a Hellguard won’t be able to hurt you at all. It is a type of manifestation of your authority, and all Emissaries at the rank of Hellguard and beyond are able to project it outwardly. We call it the embodiment of the spirit. As long as you keep it up, you will be able to travel through the mortal realm in broad daylight despite being in your emissary state. You’ll also be able to enter Hell in the day.”

𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Qin Ye poked at the black shell around his body curiously. Again, and again. Arthis continued with an ashen expression, “The difference between a Hellguard and a Hunter is like night and day… Pay attention!”

Arthis drew a deep breath - The future King Yanluo is starting to resemble a hyperactive husky more and more? Somebody tell me - is it a crime to put it down?

Qin Ye furrowed his brows and waved his hands, summoning Hell’s Records right away. Yet as soon as he flipped it open, his eyes widened so much that they almost fell out of its sockets.

Place of Origin: Liu Er Mound Village, Gazi Gully, Tang An County, Qingguang City

Date of Birth: 1 October 1938

He rubbed his eyes.

“Ah, that scared me there. And to think that I was under the impression… So… it’s actually 200,000 merit points.” He sighed wistfully and shut Hell’s Records. Then, he stared intently into Arthis’ eyes.

Three seconds later, Qin Ye sent Hell’s Records flying with a powerful kick, “Bloody hell, this shitty… #%#(%*$&#)%(^!!!”

Arthis nodded deeply.

That’s the reaction I was looking for.

Several seconds later, Hell’s Records flapped back like a graceful butterfly. Qin Ye glared viciously at it and gritted his teeth, “Tell me, how the hell did you become a judge? Two hundred thousand… Do you think this novel is going to continue for an entire lifetime? And that’s only for a promotion to the intermediate Anitya Hellguard for goodness sakes!”

“Haha… I’m asking about right now!”

Qin Ye grew exasperated, “Are you kidding? Are you trying to ask me to instigate the fourth world war?!”

Qin Ye blinked vacantly, and then muttered dryly, “Don’t tell me that… you’re actually seriously hinting that I should… take down the underworld of the Middle East?”

The first thing that came to Qin Ye’s mind was the terrifying Echoing Worm that he first saw back there. He gulped nervously, “Can I not go?”

When you put it that way…

Qin Ye probed, “Then… you don’t know either?”

She then looked intently at Qin Ye, “Now that you’re a Hellguard, the ghosts that you’ll be facing would by no means be as simple as the Yin spirits from hunting zones. There are stronger existences that lurk in the shadows of the hunting zones in every city. You may be able to rest easy in the City of Salvation, but a multitude of Yin spirits that flood the rest of Cathay will greet you as soon as you depart from its borders. Be prepared.”

The ‘Father of all Peaks’ Khan Tengri Peak.

The Khan Tengri Peak was also known as Khan Tengri. Its name means king of all kings. Glaciers cover its peak all year round, and ice and snow collapses from its peak from time to time. Naturally, not a single soul dared to trek to the peak.

There shouldn’t be any animals flying at such altitudes. However, several small birds cried out as they flew into the cave, straight through the entrance until they entered the cavern with the icy lake. Then, as soon as they arrived, a dark hand shrouded with Yin energy instantly reached out from the darkness and grabbed hold of all the birds at the same time.

Jade-green netherfire burned atop piles of dried bones within copper braziers. Long banners of cloth embroidered with fine patterns hung all around the caverns like flags, while several Yin spirits dressed in neat Arabian garments and wielding their spears and shields stood upright at their posts. The nethergale roared past the throne of white bones set in the middle of the cavern.

The robins hovered about helplessly over her palm. She gazed at them with a stoic expression. Then, several seconds later, she sighed and crushed them all.

“There’s no need…” The broodmother replied, “They’re all dead… There are still emissaries alive in Cathay. Perhaps… the council of elders have slipped up in their investigations.”

“Prepare to withdraw our troops. We can’t afford to invade Cathay whilst its great barrier is still active. Enemies lay southwest of us. There’s no longer any reason for us to remain here.”

1. This is actually a reference to one of the famous scenes in Ip Man where he declared he wanted to fight ten.

2. One of the longest ruling Ming Dynasty emperors who reigned for 48 years from 1572-1620. The middle era from 1582-1600 saw three great wars that he dealt with successfully. This was probably what Arthis was referring to.

3. What about the third world war?!