Chapter 506: Hungry Ghost Festival (3)

Perhaps he might have been caught off guard at our first meeting, but he’s undoubtedly extended me an olive branch at our second meeting. But I’ve failed to seize it properly!

He kowtowed so hard that there were even cracks on the ground, “This sinner… deserves nothing but death! I’ve transgressed against the authority of Hell! But… on account for the fact that this great sinner may still be useful to Hell, please be merciful to me! I’m willing to do anything for Hell!”

“Yes.”

“Yes.” The daolord responded with the utmost respect and caution, “Shadow Replica is a concept derived from Cui Jue’s Law of Yin-Yang Coaction, and it refers to the phenomenon that whatever appears in the netherworld would most certainly appear in the mortal realm.”

Qin Ye froze.

An intense sensation of fear surged from his spine and filled every fiber of his being, because it finally dawned on him the implications of what he had failed to realize.

Come to think of it… The implications are indescribably immense! No wonder it’s called one of the two great laws of the netherworld!

“So… Ashmound City… is located right beneath Martial City!”

A wave of chill instantly filled his heart.

He had failed to consider how the Yin spirits in the mortal realm were going to enter the netherworld.

Tonight is going to be the night of a thousand ghosts! What’s the mortal realm government going to do? How will it affect Hell?

“My Lord?” Having received no response from Qin Ye again, the daolord of the asura prompted him cautiously. Qin Ye’s eyes flickered wildly, and he immediately responded, “I’ll have Lady Arakshasa show you around for a bit. You may return in an hour and a half.”

Qin Ye watched the daolord’s figure vanish around the corner of the city walls, before clenching his fist tightly and slamming it against the city wall.

His heart was in a mess right now.

We’re talking about hundreds of thousands of Yin spirits lining up on the national highway. What’s the mortal realm going to do about that? How will this affect the negotiations I’ve got lined up with the mortal realm?

This is far worse than even the implementation of Hell’s new currency!

He refused to admit it. He simply refused to admit that this was a result of the dereliction of his own duties!

Who else is there… who else is there?!

“That’s right… Lush Garden Acres in the mortal realm… That must be where Hell’s gate is located! The Yin energy pouring out from within should have alerted me to that fact! We’re talking about the energy of 20 million Yin spirits after all! The allure of such land of milk and honey is most certainly going to draw a multitude of Yin spirits towards it…” Qin Ye shut his eyes in agony and sighed wistfully. The signs were all there, yet he simply didn’t think to address his mind to it.

“I’ve definitely got to head towards the mortal realm. That’s something I’ve got to do as the King Yanluo of Hell. Incidentally, this is also the best way of increasing Hell’s population size. That said… how could I possibly leave the daolord of the asura here unattended?!”

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

“Granted, I can ask Harken to keep an eye out for him, but… that’s about all the Harken can do! It’s currently still severely wounded, and it’s not able to return to Hell. If I allow the daolord of the asura to wander about freely, he’d most probably discover what’s truly going on in Hell. And to that end, he doesn’t simply represent himself, because he’s undoubtedly still in contact with the two other daolords - it’s three Abyssal Prefects we’re talking about! These are the three largest rebel forces that are currently hindering Hell’s reclamation of the rest of the Cathayan underworld!”

“I’ll need full control over where he can go, and where he can’t; what he can see, and what he can’t! Nobody knows the intricacies of such an operation better than I. But… how am I supposed to do that when I’ve got to head straight back to the mortal realm right now!!!”

At times like this, the ones he could trust were naturally only those closest to him.

“Immediately mobilize all troops… We’re deploying to the mortal realm right now!” Qin Ye spoke with great urgency as he grabbed Wang Chenghao’s hands, “Have the generals rally the troops! As soon as they’re ready, have them assemble outside the city walls!”

“Just get it done!” Qin Ye bellowed back, before shaking his head with resignation, “My intentions have been far too obvious thus far. And now that the daolord is here, I daresay that he’s watching every single one of my moves closely. At a time like this, there’s simply no way I can publicly make an announcement to notify everyone of the exigent situation that has just arisen! The Hungry Ghost Festival… The perfect start to the Hungry Ghost Festival must go on! I can’t let the citizens panic at this moment!”

They were like invisible threads of silk, weaving around and all over Qin Ye’s body, so much so that he suddenly felt bound and restrained. The events this night felt much too coincidental, almost as though it were all scripted and designed to trap him in an inextricable mire.

“Hang on.” Qin Ye added, “Make it a point to notify the Black Armored Troops first. They’re the most adept force Hell has when it comes to resisting an onslaught of Yin spirits! We’re going to see an influx of Yin spirits tonight. I’m afraid that something terrible is going to happen if we leave the mortal realm completely unguarded. This is a situation that we’ve never experienced before! We’ve got to be prepared for anything!”

……………………………………………….

“As a Yanluo, you’re clothed with duties and responsibilities, and everything has its causes and effects. Well… I’d ask that you have a good taste of the karma which you’ve sown for yourself…”

“This is your duty. The King Yanluo of Hell has to shoulder the heavy burden of billions of Yin spirits while keeping things in balance.”

Bit by bit, everything was slowly coming together to set the stage for the climax. Arthis respectfully got down to a knee, “Mr Lord… Regrettably… I’m afraid that we’ll lose hundreds of thousands of Yin spirits tonight.”

“Historically, Hell has always deployed a multitude of troops to stand guard against any exigencies in the mortal realm. The same situation must be taking place in the City of Salvation right now, but I’m not too concerned because there’s Oda Nobunaga taking charge there. Conversely, given the sheer size and magnitude of Ashmound City, the gates of Hell that will be appearing in the mortal realm around these parts is going to be absolutely extraordinary. Furthermore, the mortal realm must already be aware that something is brewing on the horizon. The Yin spirits of the entire Eastmount Province must be heading over right now. In fact, the allure of Hell’s gate might even be affecting the Yin spirits of Breakwaters Province. After all… we’re talking about the fragrant allure of the Book of Life and Death.”

“But that’s on him.” The Harken interjected, “I’ve tried to explain to him Cui Jue’s Law of Yin-Yang Coaction, but he left in the middle, clearly disinterested in all this. I didn’t even get the chance to tell him about the changes that would affect him. But if he’s not interested in listening, I’m not going to waste my efforts on him.”

“He needs a year, but do we really have that luxury of time?! There’s a multitude of things to be done! Do you know that I was initially hesitant to even assist him with his idea of the amusement park. If not for the fact that it concerned the lives of 20 million Yin spirits, do you really think I’d have relented in the end?!”

“One must always pay the price for their own wrongdoing. That’s how this world has always been.” It stared into the skies in the distance, “Look… It’s already begun. The jaunt of a thousand ghosts in Eastmount Province. What a rare sight to behold…”