Chapter 634: Yuhuang Temple

That voice sounds familiar…

Qin Ye smiled and turned around, “It hasn’t been that long since our last encounter at Martial City. Have you already forgotten about me?”

Dead silence.

What’s he doing here?

The Hungry Ghost Festival was just a few months ago, and yet he’s already an Abyssal Prefect now? Just how blessed by the gods is he supposed to be?! Words can’t even describe how outrageously quick this cultivation speed is!!!

Zhou Xianlong was the first one to return to his senses. However, the first thing that he did was not respond to Qin Ye, but instead to shut the door behind him.

There was a muffled sound. Mo Changhao turned to look at him with his lips slightly agape, but said nothing afterwards.

They’d already agreed to part ways and cut off all ties with each other, and yet his first reaction was still to shut the door behind him.

“How thoughtful.” Qin Ye responded softly as he continued to stroke the Harken.

Zhou Xianlong simply looked at Qin Ye with a complex gaze in his eyes.

However, there were also traces of reluctance, resentment, anger, and a whole host of other emotions, all of which culminated in a single statement, “How have you been?”

Had I turned a blind eye back then, would the Cathay have finally seen the emergence of a fourth Abyssal Prefect in their battle against the netherworld?

Another period of silence.

“No, you would have.” Qin Ye immediately rebutted, “What the mortal realm seeks is stability and unity. Even if I revealed the fact that I represent Hell, you would still have done the same, simply because… the mortal realm cannot tolerate the existence of anyone else in the team with hidden agendas. You would never tolerate the existence of potential variables, including Emissaries of Hell that you don’t have any control over!”

Zhou Xianlong and Mo Changhao grew silent, while Qin Ye continued, “The only way out is… if I hadn’t joined the Special Investigations Department to begin with, but to interact directly with you in my capacity as an Emissary of Hell back then. That way, you’d probably be more willing to trust me. Ironic, isn’t it?”

Qin Ye chuckled bitterly.

Back when he first joined the Special Investigations Department, how could he possibly have known that things would come to this? How weak had he been back then? He was merely a Soul Hunter when the Daolord of the Beast had set him in his sights because of the shard of King Yanluo’s Seal he was carrying. Where could he possibly have hidden if not for the safest place then that was the Special Investigations Department?

It was only after he became an Abyssal Prefect that he truly understood how terrifying such an existence was.

A bird in hand was worth two in the bush. This was the reason for which the Special Investigations Department had acted on their suspicions against him on several occasions. Fortunately, they had only acted, and not eliminated. After all, that was reserved for a situation where things escalated beyond their bottom line.

The coldness in Qin Ye’s voice filled Zhou Xianlong’s heart with dejection. After a long period of silence, he nodded softly, “Understood.”

“By the way…” Just as they were about to open the door to the main hall, Qin Ye suddenly spoke up once more, “I’ve got some good news to share with you.”

Eastmount Province was currently in the process of building cities and connecting infrastructures. This was fundamentally different from Insignia Province. After all, Insignia Province was where the core of the new Hell was located, and their earlier expansion meant that they now had the entire province under their command. There was no need to venture out into the wilderness for pioneering works, including taming or quashing monarch beasts and establishing safe passageways.

“Hell will be unifying the Cathayan Underworld over the next few decades. And to this end, we’ll be starting off with the coastal regions here. Don’t you think you should count your lucky stars?”

Qin Ye continued, “Hell had previously broached the idea of trade with the mortal realm during an encounter back in Valley County a little while ago. I’ll be personally presiding over the terms of the trade. Since you’re here, why don’t you take a message for me and save me a wasted trip?”

The liberation of Insignia Province and Eastmount Province… This is great news!!

“I’d like to bring forward the negotiations.”

“Will there be anyone else?”

Mo Changhao took a deep breath, “That’s fine. You can tell me what you’re interested in, and I’ll relay your message to the big boss, and have him personally escalate your request to the central government!”

Then, he smiled, “Rest assured, there’s no limit to what we can take back in Hell.”

“Alright.” With that, the two men finally took their leave.

“No.” Mo Changhao remained firm, “Everyone has their own circumstances. Take the president of Usonia for instance. He’s always been treating Cathay as foe, and we’ve always found him to be in the wrong. But, in the eyes of his own citizens, he’s the one who’s acting reasonably.”

“Besides, all we’ll have to do now is to report back in a timely fashion.”

“We live with no regrets.” He put the pedal to the metal, “As for who’s right and who’s wrong, let’s leave these questions to be assessed by our future generations.”

………………………………………..

It was now nothing more than a farmland with a small well located to the side. Qin Ye had ascertained with Yuanzhi that this was indeed where historians confirmed the original Yuhuang Temple used to stand.

“Kiddo, you’re still a little bit too young. I’m willing to bet that if Lee Jung-sook were in your shoes, she wouldn’t even have second thoughts in doing what you’ve just done. Neither of you were in the wrong. It’s all a matter of your duties and obligations. Besides, time is the best medicine that can heal all wounds. Everyone is treading on thin ice right now, particularly when the lives of millions of people rest on their shoulders. It’s understandable how they would act this way…”

“Come, take a look and see if there’s anything wrong with this place?”

Endure… There’s no use getting upset over such trivial provocations… The Harken sniffed around a little while, and then frowned after a minute.

“No?” Qin Ye froze, “That’s unlikely.”

Qin Ye nodded, and then began to pace about with his hands behind his back, “It shouldn’t be this way. Everything points to there being something hidden in this place. They would never bother hiding something in the existing Longxing Temple given the human traffic in that place. Concealing it in what is now a farmland is the best option. Besides… you didn’t sense anything out of the ordinary back in the existing Longxing Temple.”

This was a treasure vault that had practically been served up to Hell on a silver platter.

But what exactly is it?

1. This is a plan established in 2008 to recognize and recruit international experts.