Yama Rising

Chapter 525: Paper Flower Boat

The title was written in striking red ink - Land.

“Li Yun: Lord of Zhoufang County, Martial City. Identity: Forestry Administrator of the Zhoufang County.”

“Zhao Liang: Lord of Whitecloud County, Martial City. Identity: Medical doctor operating out of Whitecloud County Hospital.”

Qin Ye looked up and took a deep breath. If memory served him well, there were incidentally over a thousand counties across all of Cathay.

“Is exactly the one that you’re thinking of.” The Second King Yanluo smiled, “The mortal realm is the foundation of all three realms. Both Heaven and Hell are premised on the foundation of the mortal realm. Anything that occurs in the mortal realm would have to be immediately reported to the two upper realms, especially if it be a massive upheaval. This is because… the mortal realm is the weakest realm among the three realms.”

“Why not resolve the problems plaguing Cathay?” The Second King Yanluo finished his question for him, “Have you ever seen the heavenly realm resolve the problems of the mortal realm of its own volition?”

He looked Qin Ye in the eye, “You must remember that the existence of gods and deities are built upon myths, legends and faith. This is the true foundation of all things. Such beliefs transcend the rise and fall of a city or even a civilization. So long as faith exists, so will gods and deities.”

“No, it’s just a casual remark on my part.” The Second King Yanluo chuckled, “It’s good to learn from one’s mistakes, but as far as this is concerned, it’s fine to keep it on the backburner for now. After all, the three realms are separate and distinct from one another. All you’ll have to do is to mind your own business. They’d… naturally come knocking on your door.”

Qin Ye stared at the Second King Yanluo. I’m not afraid of ghosts knocking on my door, but as far as gods and deities are concerned, I’m really not that certain…

“There exist many things across the three realms that cannot be resolved through the efforts of a single realm. Interoperation is a necessity. There are names of approximately 1,400 people written on this scroll, all of whom act as the eyes of Heaven as far as the mortal realm is concerned. They are otherwise known as the Lords of the Land. They have a divine appointment, but no divine abilities. If you liken the heavenly courts to the courts of the mortal realm, the Lords of the Lands would be no more than the smallest officials possible - almost akin to pawns on a chess board. Even then, they are the only line of contact between Heaven and Hell. So long as you have need, you may call upon the Lords of the Land.”

“One thing to note is that you can currently only summon the Lords of the Lands in the mortal realm. That said, once you regain control of King Yanluo’s Seal, they would sense the resumption of order and annually provide you updates on the affairs of the mortal realm and Heaven. Beyond that, you’d even be able to activate King Yanluo’s Seal if you have need for them, and the Lords of the Lands would at once rush straight to the netherworld to answer your summons. Incidentally, each and every Lord of the Land is equivalent to a Soul Hunter.”

Two words were written in striking red ink right after the 1,400 or so names.

And then, everything below was blank.

The Second King Yanluo responded slowly, “The City Gods are the only officials that Hell are able to appoint within the mortal realm. To better understand their function, it would be important to understand Hell’s system of governance as a whole. Hell employs a central governance system that operates top-down like a pyramid. It is differentiated by regions, starting from counties, then cities, provinces, districts, with the central government sitting at the very top. Every county is divided into two portions, namely the Orderly Desk, and the City God. The Orderly Desk is in charge of their territory in Hell, while the City God is in charge of the mortal realm. As far as the City God is concerned, its function is to monitor the emergence of any powerful evil ghosts, keep track of the mortality rate, keep an eye out for any foreign emissaries, ensure that the rifts between the mortal realm and Hell ar intact, ensure that no Yin beasts escape from Limbo into the mortal realm, and so on and so forth.”

Qin Ye suddenly raised his hand and looked intently at the Second King Yanluo, “If memory serves me well, Ksitigarbha… had only whisked off the officials in Hell when he gained ascension, right?”

“Then… what about the 1,400 or so City Gods in the mortal realm?!”

The Second King Yanluo smiled faintly, “About that… You’ll find out soon enough.”

At once, Qin Ye had the urge of stamping his foot straight into the face of the Second King Yanluo for his annoying response. But, on second thought, he held himself back.

He turned his attention back to the issue at hand and slowly began to wrap up the scroll, “So, how should I go about appointing City Gods moving forward?”

Is tonight… finally coming to its close?

Henceforth, I shall shoulder my responsibilities as the King Yanluo of Hell.

There were times when a man would be filled with passion and ambition. But it faded away as quickly as it came, and Qin Ye chuckled with a bitter smile on his face.

Lee Jung-sook, as well as the hundreds and thousands of innocent Yin spirits were gone without a trace. Qin Ye would always remember this Hungry Ghost Festival as one of the greatest sources of regret in his life.

Perhaps… life is made perfect because it is built on the foundation of regret… The bright gleam in his eyes gradually faded away. At once, he waved his hand and summoned the Book of Life and Death. Brilliant light erupted from within, and a split second later, a creature almost two-meters tall appeared in the imperial hall.

“You…” His teeth chattered wildly. But just as he was about to go on, he felt his heart suddenly awash with a frigid chill, and he immediately collapsed onto his knees.

Black Yaksha… The mere sight of this Nipponese Yin spirit caused a deep resentment to flare up in Qin Ye’s heart, and yet he did nothing more than reveal a soft smile on his face, “Raise your head.”

And there’s also Lord Harken… A Yama-King and a King Yanluo… Even his bones were shaking uncontrollably. The pressure was so immense that he was practically on the verge of collapse.

Thud!

This is… the Imperial Palace…

I can only hope that our actions don’t implicate Yomi-no-Kuni… Otherwise, the use of Immortal Sanction will cause the entire world to tremble, and Yomi-no-Kuni… might cease to exist altogether…

It’s a good thing that the Third King Yanluo is willing to grant me an audience. There… there’s still hope yet!

Just then, he heard a cold chuckle, “You’re Black Yaksha.”

“I’m a stain in the eyes of Your Excellency! I deserve nothing but death!!” Black Yaksha kowtowed resoundingly once more. In fact, he slammed his head against the ground so hard that his head cracked slightly, and Yin energy spilt out from within.

Your actions have also caused the demographic dividends that Hell was supposed to reap at the end of the Hungry Ghost Festival to go up in smoke. Hundreds of thousands of Yin spirits have perished as a result of your actions! You’ve caused my meticulous plans to kickstart the Hungry Ghost Festival celebrations with a bang to become the laughingstock of the town!

“You knew full well that your actions would attract the death penalty, and yet you still dare intrude upon the sanctity of the Hungry Ghost Festival?! What gall does Izanami have?!!” Qin Ye’s murderous intent skyrocketed, and he slammed his fist hard onto the table. Black Yaksha shuddered and begged for mercy at once, “Your Excellency, this has nothing to do with Yomi-no-Kuni! Everything… everything was a result of my own wilful actions! I… I deserve nothing but death!”

“May the esteemed Hell have mercy on us!”

Qin Ye licked his lips and glanced at the Harken, “What’s the most painful death sentence that Hell is capable of?”

“Your Excellency.” The Harken bowed respectfully, “Under the current circumstances, the sky lantern punishment would be the most painful death sentence. But… there once existed another kind of death sentence known as the paper flower boat.”