Chapter 490: Wily Old Fox

Qin Ye glanced at the daolord of the asura with displeasure. Had this been Wang One Tail, he would’ve lain prostrate on the ground by now…

After some moments, the daolord of the asura sighed wistfully and then hung his head low, “Are you willing to guarantee this?”

But the devil is always in the details…

The daolord of the asura lowered his head, and the netherflames in his eyes flickered wildly. He remained silent for the longest time.

At least, he wasn’t so next to the modern day Yin spirits who averaged only 50 years of age.

Does Yanluo Qin intend to build the six paths of reincarnation on my soul or not?!

I can make an oath like that?!

𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

What the hell is that? Why hasn’t anyone told me about something like this? Why didn’t the Lord of Darkriver mention anything about this before? Is his ignorance because he was too weak?

The daolord of the asura didn’t rush him either. Instead, he simply waited patiently for Qin Ye’s response while Qin Ye wracked his mind for an appropriate response.

The abruptness of their meeting was bound to trip them up at some point or another. If he responded with ignorance, then that might lead to suspicions that he was merely putting on a farce. In the worst case scenario, the daolord might even come to suspect that he wasn’t authorized by the master of the Yama-class Yin artifact to employ the functions of the spear tip freely, and that he had only brought it along as a form of deterrence. And if things came to that, would an artifact used for mere deterrence actually be able to impede the advances of an Abyssal Prefect?

He knew full well that he hadn’t done anything deserving of any respect in the daolord’s eyes. His first impressions in his earliest meeting with the daolord had been dismal after all. Instead, what the daolord respected right now was merely the presence of the Courage of Dragons Silver Spear’s gleaming tip.

It was a simple question, and it would arouse suspicions if Qin Ye took too long for his response.

But before the daolord of the asura could even heave a sigh of relief, Qin Ye went on, “But not now.”

A brainwave struck Qin Ye, and he responded with a crafty smile on his face, “Because I’m still not the official King Yanluo of Hell. I’ll let the Harken speak with you in this regard.”

Wait a minute… What the hell are you talking about?!

Did I miss something?

But… what made matters worse was the fact that there was no room for discussion in this regard.

One man had been desperately probing at Hell’s bottom line, and even to some measure of success when he managed to elicit the confirmation from the other. Yet, by some strange twist, the compromise didn’t come cheap, because it was soon followed by a horrific switch-and-bait technique. At once, the negotiations appeared to be at an impasse.

The ultimatum is coming… The daolord of the asura nodded respectfully, and Qin Ye continued. “Firstly, go back to the three eastern provinces where you came from. Secondly, bring me Kong Mo’s head on a silver platter. Fail to achieve these things, and your next meeting wouldn’t be with me.”

As expected… The daolord of the asura narrowed his eyes, “Kong Mo is still in possession of a rather terrifying Yin artifact. And if I were to kill him, I’d still have to get through the Yin soldiers around him. This is by no means an easy process. We’re talking about the Confucian Family, one of the top gentries of the old Hell. Do you know how deep their resources run? What if - and I mean hypothetically speaking - I pay such a huge price to take him down, yet Hell goes back on its word and refuses to pardon my sins? What am I supposed to do then?”

“If you don’t return to the three eastern provinces right away, I can assure you that the next Emissary of Hell you meet will be none other than the Harken itself. Hell might be shorthanded, but you’re just an Abyssal Prefect. There’s nothing indisposable about you.”

Whoosh!

A terrifying murderous intent erupted from within, almost as though the abysses of Hell were baring its fangs, ready to devour the entire mortal realm. At once, an electrifying sensation of fear surged straight from the depths of Qin Ye’s heart and into every fiber of his being.

As they locked eyes with each other, the Yin energy underneath Qin Ye’s skin writhed uncontrollably, as though they were being forcibly extracted from within his body. The carriage was instantly filled with a tense silence, so much so that every thump of his heart could be heard in his ears.

He might have heard about the might of an Abyssal Prefect, but experiencing it first-hand was quite something else altogether!

“Hell’s imperial edict cannot be retracted.” He sighed wistfully as he got to his feet, “One year.”

You need that long? Qin Ye’s eyes quivered for a moment, before realization dawned on him.

“I’ll eagerly await the news of your victory.” Qin Ye straightened up his body and began to make his way out of the carriage, “Bring me Kong Mo’s soulfire, and Hell will hold up to the terms of this official edict.”

Shk… Qin Ye lifted the veil of the carriage and disembarked from it. It was only then that he noticed how his entire back was already soaked through with cold sweat.

His mind was already at its limits, and he was pleased to call it a day.

It was a casual glance.

The surface of the table was slightly damp.

The daolord ran his finger gently across it, before placing it right before his nose and taking a whiff. Then, he glanced in the direction that Qin Ye had departed.

Cold sweat.

He was finally able to think freely after Qin Ye had left, and a vital observation immediately popped up in his mind, and that was the fact that Qin Ye’s position was premised on the facts that the Harken was still around, and Hell was still in existence!

“I’d asked the Nipponese spirit if someone had managed to obtain the Book of Life and Death, and I was told that Cathay had reclaimed it. But more importantly… why did the Book of Life and Death appear in the Strait of Tsushima?”

“Does this mean that… he’s messing with me?”

Qin Ye was startled.

The daolord had his hands gathered in his sleeves, and his body was suspended in the air. If he had a heart right now, it would most certainly be thumping right out of his chest.

“Yes.” Wisps of Yin energy peeked out of his teeth as he continued, “Yanluo Qin, I wonder if you’ve heard of the technique known as Auxiliary Heart Transmission?”

“I’ve dabbled a little with these techniques. So long as I take possession of the body of a person who has recently passed on, I’d be able to tread the path to Hell vicariously through the soul of the one who had perished. It doesn’t require much; all it takes is a little bit of my soulfire. Do you remember the time I encountered you when you were back at the hospital? It just so happened that a soul had passed by back then, and I happened to catch a glimpse.”

“Nothing.” Qin Hui cupped his hands respectfully, yet did nothing to conceal the ferocious glint in his eye. He gazed intently at Qin Ye and continued with a hoarse voice, “Would Yanluo Qin be so kind as to indulge this little one here with another look at the new Hell? I recall that my conviction was sealed by Lord Harken back then, so you can also consider us… old friends.”

Is he onto me?!