If not for the fact that there were others around, Qin Ye wouldn’t have let a certain One Tail off the hook.

Qin Ye would have shown him that not even the tailed beasts were invincible existences!

People change and mature over time. If Qin Ye didn’t show any signs of maturity and growth after an event as dramatic as the Hungry Ghost Festival, how could he possibly think of sitting firmly on the throne of Hell for the rest of eternity? He would be the first one to die after the lapse of another hundred years!

Sensing the absence of any murderous intent, Wang Chenghao sighed softly to himself and continued boldly, “But credit where it’s due, the look on your face earlier was pretty damn smart. I guess it’s true when they say that men are the most good looking when they’re serious…”

“Piss off, ugly.” Qin Ye cut him off coldly.

Wang Chenghao nearly coughed up blood. Suppressing the rage in his heart, he frowned back at Qin Ye, “Speaking of which, it’s crazy that you’re able to come up with a plan like that despite the lack of information. That said, have you ever considered how we’re supposed to extricate ourselves from this sea of living dead in the off-chance that if your plans fail? We’re playing with fire over here!”

Qin Ye smiled confidently and turned to Oda Nobutada, “Do you think it’s dangerous as well?”

Oda Nobutada thought for a little while, and then nodded affirmatively.

“By my estimates, there are at least a hundred thousand living dead here in Gijang County. Even with the Peach Blossom Lantern and Fate in hand, there’s no way we’ll be able to stand against the tide of the living dead, as well as Rumyantsev’s forces and Liu Yu’s Yin soldiers.” Oda Nobutada carefully broke things down, “Driven by the desire to establish their own underworld and conceal the secrets surrounding the script of death, they would most certainly be able to take our lives here and now if they so desired!”

To his mind, there was a 50% chance that they would risk straining relations with Hell and go all out against the trio.

Without missing a beat, he continued, “My Lord, I hope you haven’t forgotten that lower-ranking Yin spirits aren’t able to bring out the full effects of higher-ranking Yin artifacts. Lai Junchen was a prime example of this. Had he been able to employ the full power of the Peach Blossom Lantern earlier, our losses back in the Battle of Qufu would have been far greater than what it turned out to be. Moreover, the number of times we’d be able to draw out its power would also be greatly diminished. To this end, you’d recall that Lai Junchen was only able to activate it once, and you…”

He glanced at Qin Ye cautiously, and then chose his words wisely, “Haven’t even tried your hand at it before.”

Qin Ye nodded firmly with approbation, and then responded, “That’s why I’d asked both of you to practice your movements earlier.”

Wang Chenghao: ……

What was all the build-up for?!

Shouldn’t your next statement have been a drop of wisdom in the ocean, revealing that there is in truth no danger with these operations?

Why does everything suddenly hinge on our acting skills and performance?!

Qin Ye began to touch up the blood of the living dead on the faces of the other two, “Never, ever let the cat out of the bag.”

“I can assure you that Liu Yu’s forces are still around. Liu Yu is far more apprehensive of Hell than the Russian Underworld could ever be. It makes sense - after all, traitors would always be most concerned that their betrayal would be discovered, and that their masters would be after their heads.”

“Naturally, we can only expect them to treat us with the utmost ruthlessness - far beyond anything we can expect of the Russian Underworld. Rumyantsev might not dare to stain his hands with the blood of an Infernal Judge of Hell, but so long as we continue to threaten the grand opening of the Hanyang Underworld, Liu Yu’s forces would most certainly not hesitate to squash us like an ant…”

………………………………………………………

Pak!

Liu Yu’s palace, Hanyang Underworld. Liu Yu wore his golden robe with a white jade belt-and-buckle ensemble, topped off with a crown of jade beads. He abruptly got to his feet and slammed a wine glass carved out of bone straight into the ground.

His palace was constructed in the most luxurious manner, and with the most precious of materials. There were walls of gold, coiled dragon pillars, and even a golden well etched with the reliefs of nine majestic dragons. A throne of dragons was situated on a raised platform in the grand hall, while a gold lacquered table was placed right in front of his throne, on which rested a turquoise jade seal.

“And you’re only telling me this now?!” His lips trembled with rage as he barked like the roaring ocean waves, “You’re only telling me now that you’ve detected the infiltration of Emissaries of Hell?!”

“Gijang County is where you first employed the Ouroboros spell! Zhong Kui would have had to travel across the entire Buk District, through the Geumjeong District in order to get to Gijang County! You even allowed him to slip into the Jukseong Dream Cathedral before you finally informed me about their infiltration?! What in the world are you trying to do here?!!”

A figure dressed in a ramrod straight suit and diffusing traces of Yin energy stood right before Liu Yu. A golden sword and shield emblem was pinned right across his chest. If one looked close enough, he would notice that the shield also bore the crest of a golden hammer and sickle on a red star. A little ribbon ran beneath the red star, displaying a series of Russian words.

Anyone familiar with world history would recognize this emblem, because this emblem once represented the supreme power of Rus!

It was the emblem of the KGB!

It was once the most powerful spy organization in the world, bar none! They shone so brightly that even the FBI could do nothing more than bow down to them in submission, at least until they were finally disbanded in 1991, and what remained of them changed their name to the Russian Federal Security Service.

Their agents were truly outstanding. During World War 2, KGB’s renowned Hero of the Soviet Union, Richard Sorge, warned of Adolf Hitler’s plan to attack the Soviet Union. He was even able to furnish the specifics of the attack, right down to the date of the siege. [1]

Do you think that British MI6 is a big deal? How about the Cambridge Five double agents?

How about Hitler’s favourite movie star, Olga Chekhova? What do you know about her? [2]

And what about President Putin?

In Rus, the KGB is known by another name.

The Red Terror.

At one time, they possessed authority to act that was even higher than that conferred upon the central government. Within the KGB, the males were called crows, while the females were called swallows. In death, there was no doubt that they would all be conscripted to become the most outstanding darkfeathers for the underworld.

The man standing in front of Liu Yu was merely a Hellguard-class Yin spirit, but he stood valiantly and without fear before the Infernal Judge Liu Yu.

He bowed elegantly and smiled faintly at Liu Yu, “Our intelligence network might have begun its surveillance activities rather late, but it’s simply inconceivable that you would be caught completely unaware in your homeground.”

His voice deepened as he continued, “Earl Liu, it’s our right to withhold any information from you. This information has merely been disclosed to you out of goodwill. Besides, rather than pointing fingers, shouldn’t you be channeling your mind towards how you can salvage the situation?”

Liu Yu grew taciturn. Even then, he couldn’t help but clench his fists tightly under his royal golden robes.

As the figure of the Hellguard faded away, he left Liu Yu with some parting words, “Marquis Rumyantsev is already heading to Gonjiam Asylum. Ah, that’s right. He’s asked me to specifically inform you that this Infernal Judge carries two high-quality Yin artifacts with him.”

“What are they?” Liu Yu gnashed his teeth.

“Who knows…?” The man chuckled softly, “The Russian Underworld may be strong, but we certainly don’t have as much gall as Earl Liu when it comes to standing tall against one of the four strongest underworlds…”

“Speaking of which, since you’ve already decided to declare independence and found your own underworld, shouldn’t you start speaking with some imperial backbone? Or… do you simply not have the courage to do so? Hahaha…”

With that, the stream of Yin energy vanished into the distance. Liu Yu stood blankly where he was for a long time, before suddenly jerking his head up with an intense, murderous intent brewing in the depths of his eyes.

He turned to the golden pillars, and then glanced at his throne, and then finally raised his hand and gently ran a finger along his crown.

Having done so much… and having been presented with such a prime opportunity… how can I simply call it quits right now?!

Hanyang is only the beginning! My goal? All of Cathay!

The humiliation today shall be repaid double once I claim the Central Plains as mine. Who cares if you’re the Lord of the Danube or not? You weren’t even born when I first called myself an emperor!

“Men!” He flicked his robe and sat on his throne. At once, two Hellguards drifted into the hall.

“My Lord, we await your orders.”

“Mobilize all Yin soldiers right away and tighten the defenses at Gonjiam Asylum!” He boomed authoritatively, “All trespassers are to be killed on sight!”

“Yes!” A Hellguard responded, but then immediately paused, “But, My Lord… we can’t get inside…”

Liu Yu drew a deep breath and shut his eyes.

Such humiliation…

This is my own land, and yet my own men can’t even enter the most important parts?

It was no different from how the Daeian Armed Forces still needed the nod of approval from the Usonian forces!

Endure it… A great man doesn’t pick a fight over trifles… Liu Yu took a deep breath and instructed, “Secure the outer perimeter of Gonjiam Asylum! I want it to be watertight! I expect reports of the slightest movements in the vicinity - even if it’s just a fly! Understand?”

“Yes!”

At once, the two Hellguards transformed into two streams of nethergale and scrambled to their duties. Liu Yu sat on the throne for a while, and then made a grasping motion in the air. A black, iron lance abruptly materialized in his hand. It was mottled and dated, and yet nothing could conceal the aura of ferocity that erupted from within.

Clatter… Moments later, pieces of golden battle armor appeared in the air and began to affix themselves onto Liu Yu’s body.

“It’s been a long time…” He gently ran his finger across the lance as he licked his lips menacingly.

The entire palace was brightly lit, and filled with an atmosphere of vibrancy and excitement.

“Zhong Kui… Do you really think I dare not kill you?”

“When the cat’s away, the mice will play. You should leave now if you know what’s best for you. Once the Hanyang Underworld is properly established, and the trade talks with Yanluo Qin resume, I’ll naturally see to it that I reward you accordingly. But should you dare linger around any longer where your presence isn’t welcome…”

“Then don’t blame me for disregarding our camaraderie of the past!”

Boom! With that, Liu Yu transformed into a majestic nethergale that swept right out of the golden palace. As he charged out, tens of thousands of skeletal war horses and cavalrymen followed his lead and rumbled right after him.

………………………………………..

Dong… dong… Midnight. The toll of bells cut through the dead silence of the night, stirring to life the multitude of living dead in the city.

It was almost as though the tolling bells marked the dawn of another world.

As soon as the bells rang, the living dead in the convenience store looked up in unison and glanced avariciously at the empty city streets outside.

Haa… Ssss… They made hoarse, raspy and guttural sounds from their throats as they slowly and stiffly marched out into the streets. At once, the trio kicked into action and followed suit.

Nobody was kidding around anymore. Each of the trio put on their best performance, doing everything they could to blend into the group of the living dead that was marching out onto the streets.

Wang One Tail was the last to leave. As soon as he walked out of the doors, an intense wave of Yin energy instantly blanketed him. His instincts kicked in at once, and he nearly looked up in astonishment. Fortunately, he managed to keep his reflexes in check, and fervently stiffened his limbs as he continued lumbering out with twisted limbs.

The aura of Yin energy quickly shifted away from him, and only then did he feel his heart palpitating with fear. The Yin energy was clearly filled with bloodlust. Who knows how many humans it had devoured by now? At the very least, he could tell that this was in no way a trifling Yin spirit.

Someone was watching them.

He silently surveyed the surroundings of Gijang County after midnight. The entire county reeked of decay and fetid odor as living corpses with twisted expressions and contorted limbs took to the streets, wandering aimlessly about. It was an incredibly bizarre sight under the pale sheen of the moonlight. The only sounds were the rustling of feet and the involuntary gurgling sounds made by the throats of the living dead. His eyes passed over a few buildings, and then… he suddenly paused.

He saw a shadowy figure mounted on the back of a skeletal horse located at the top of a building. The figure was staring down at them all with blazing netherflames in his eyes, dressed in the all-new Tigerform Battle Armor.

These were regular Yin soldiers of the Hanyang Underworld!

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Sorge

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olga_Chekhova