Chapter 520: Duty (4)

Nobody knew what Fate had in store for them. There could be pain, yet there could also be pleasure. It was a series of unexpected encounters. Qin Ye had never expected Lee Jung-sook to be crying out to her for help in the darkest moment of her life. He hadn’t expected Black Yaksha to still have yet another ace hidden up his sleeves. And most of all, he hadn’t expected to encounter the folks of the Special Investigations Department in these far-flung parts.

What do I do?

Save Lee Jung-sook, and they’ll likely recognize who I am. Forsake her… Qin Ye gnashed his teeth. He knew full well that Lee Jung-sook wouldn’t die for good, but he still wouldn’t be able to live it down.

Lee Jung-sook wouldn’t die because she was a lady who had consumed the taisui fungus. However, that didn’t change the fact that she had once risked her life to save Qin Ye, and he was now in the position to do the same for her. If he didn’t act upon his principles right now, this would undoubtedly be a decision that would eat away at his soul from the inside for eons to come.

Don’t say a word. So long as I don’t say a word, nobody would be able to recognize who I am. I’ll dispose of Black Yaksha as quickly as I can, and then take Lee Jung-sook and depart from this place. At best, I’ll just resign from the Special Investigations Department tomorrow…

“Who are you?” The female voice asked with great caution, “There’s nothing I don’t know about high-ranking Emissaries of Hell, but I’ve never heard of you before.”

He found himself suddenly filled with complex emotions. In the past, he would have run at the earliest signs of trouble like this. But now… he was actually brandishing his spear and charging valiantly towards the enemy in front of him!

Perhaps I have. But perhaps this is also why people say hard times make a strong man.

Whoosh! A scarlet figure plunged straight down from the sky.

Insanely quick.

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Black Yaksha had spun rapidly on the spot before the spear could strike him, and then exploded into a cloud of Yin energy that quickly sank deep into the ground.

There was a soft, foreboding rustle, almost like a death knell in the wee hours of the morning. Within moments the shadows in a thousand meter-radius poured towards the cloud of Yin energy and transformed into a ten-meter large vortex.

Both had their own reasons for not dragging things out, and they were clearly letting their actions do the talking.

Yin energy and netherflames poured out in all directions at once, sweeping away the cloud of Yin energy that was concealing Qin Ye’s appearances, only to reveal the fact that the spear in his hand had now taken the bizarre shape of a scythe. Apart from that, there were spirit streamers all around him and even a necklace of human bones. The clashing Yin energy caused his illusory form to flicker wildly. His clothes and garments appeared to be sublimating, as though steam were rising straight into the sky. Within moments, the sublimating Yin energy transformed into countless birds that twittered loudly as they fluttered around him.

Absolute darkness. And without any warning.

The eye had vertical pupils, and the glistening surface reflected the image of a lady in black kimono. An entire field of red spider lilies bloomed all around her.

Just then, the massive eye vanished as suddenly as it had appeared. But that all lasted only for a split second, before countless scarlet eyes began opening up in the vast canopy of darkness around!

It was just like being lost in an eternal river of darkness!

Zhou Xianlong and Mo Changhao gasped in horror. Mo Changhao clasped his hands together, causing a scarlet talisman in his hands to promptly transform into a white armored barrier. At once, an endless barrage of sound struck the surface of the barrier, causing copious amounts of true energy to fade away into the darkness.

CRASH!! Within ten seconds, the entire barrier shattered with a resounding crash. At once, the investigators within were thrown everywhere, and the terrifying rainstorm of Yin energy soon rushed straight towards them!

That said, his efforts appeared to be worthless.

“The witching hour is before us. Let Black Yaksha go, and I give you my word that he will never set foot in Cathay ever again! I’ll even give you a huge gift at the end of this year!”

Qin Ye smiled.

“Your death… would be the best guarantee to that promise.”

“Only death…” Qin Ye gritted his teeth as he mustered every bit of strength in his body to plunge the scythe that much deeper, “Would quell the fury in my heart…”

It was the Harken’s scale.

5.00 a.m. The witching hour.

Five?

What is he getting at?

The tide of Yin energy rose and fell like a roaring dragon weaving through the tight spaces in the city. Then, one by one, the lanterns carried by the Yin spirits in the city began to get snuffed out.

“What’s this…” His mind was filled with a bad premonition. Without missing a beat, the Harken’s voice boomed in his head once more, “Hell’s Gate can only be opened or closed by you or the representative that you’ve clothed with the authority of Hell. As things stand, you don’t possess the capacity to confer such authority on Yin spirits. Therefore… you’ll have to personally see to the closure of Hell’s gate.”

“Then these Yin spirits that have been exposed to the purest Yin energy of Hell would remain in the mortal realm, where all of them would slowly but surely develop spiritual intelligence. All of them.” The Harken paused, “We’re talking about approximately 300,000 to 400,000 Yin spirits. There’s been an instance in history that Hell’s gate wasn’t closed properly. In just six short months, that city was transformed into a city of the dead on earth.”

Qin Ye took a deep breath and stared at the eye with deep murderous intent. The kimono-garbed lady in the eye turned to look at Qin Ye once more, “Give me Lee Jung-sook and Black Yaksha, and I’ll leave at once! I won’t stand in the way of your duties!”

“Conversely, if you don’t agree to these terms… then I’m not going to let you leave this place!”

“Aren’t you afraid that I’ll have my way by force?”

“You should know full well that you aren’t able to purge me!”