Yama Rising

Chapter 303: The First Great Expansion of Hell (2)

Qin Ye’s first instinct was to mitigate the situation, “Don’t be angry, dear, it hurts your liver. We didn’t have a choice either…”

“My lord.” Arthis bowed respectfully, “Former Judge of the Province of the Great Heavens, Arakshasa. Together with me is the third King Yanluo of Hell. We’ve come today to pay our respects to you.”

Strong… His entire body was instantly engulfed in a marrow-piercing chill that spread from his heart. Cold sweat poured out of his forehead and trickled down the sides of his cheeks. And the stronger his opponent was, the more he could sense the insurmountable chasm that separated them. He felt no different from a baby in front of the Harken right now.

After a protracted pause, the Harken finally spoke again, “Third King Yanluo of Hell…” And then, before Qin Ye could even respond, an all-consuming murderous intent suddenly surged from below like a rising tsunami that swept across the skies!

“Who in the world allowed a mere human being to call himself the third King Yanluo of Hell?!”

“You just wait… As soon as I rouse from my deep slumber proper… I’ll let you know the consequences of founding your own kingdom… The Eighteen Abysses of Punishment is insufficient for your transgressions… I’ll personally see to it that you’re afflicted with a sky lantern punishment and banished to the boundless sea of souls, where you’ll light the way for the ferryman for the rest of all eternity…”

Krrr… The Harken dug its claws deep into the ground, leaving several deep grooves in its wake. Its voice was trembling with intense rage, “I’m not going to sit still and listen to all this bullshit…”

“Otherwise what?” Arthis bowed gently, “The Book of Life and Death is already in our hands. You won’t be able to touch a hair on our body before you recover fully. Besides, Lord Harken, you’d do well to note that we’ve not linked Hell to you for our own personal gain…”

“But you’re different! Regardless of what has been said, you’re still the future King Yanluo of Hell! It has to speak with you as an equal! To do otherwise would be to besmirch its own name and reputation as a divine beast of Hell!”

Qin Ye shook his head fervently - Who the hell wants to talk to a monster like that?! How could a conversation like that ever possibly be a pleasant one?! Seriously, it would’ve been a far better idea to have headed home to check on that stew of mine…

Silence.

Then, several seconds later, Qin Ye waved his hand feebly at the Harken, and a drop of sweat trickled down the side of his cheeks, “Hi. My… my…”

Qin Ye gulped nervously, “My… mynameisqinye…”

Arthis looked up to the heavens in despair, while Qin Ye drew heavy breaths as he scrambled to lay his hand on the shard of King Yanluo’s Seal once again. Just then, there was a loud sound, and his heart suddenly sank.

Too familiar. It was none other than the sound of the Harken’s reverse scale.

“Huu… Haa….” It breathed heavily, and then burst into an uproarious laughter, “King Yanluo… HAHAHA! KING YANLUO!!”

As soon as it said that, Arthis screamed at the top of her voice and took on her true form in an instant. The massive head of a woman hung suspended in the sky with thousands of strands of hair dancing about wildly like venomous snakes. Tens of thousands spots of netherflames drifted about both her and Qin Ye, shielding them and protecting them within.

The flattering smile on Qin Ye’s face suddenly subsided, and he simply stared intently at the Harken.

“You’re a nobody! You’re just a mere human being that has stumbled upon the opportunity to take the throne by an incredible stroke of luck, so how dare you talk terms and conditions with me?!”

These were the Harken’s true thoughts.

On what basis?! On what grounds?!

Furthermore… how dare this puny ant-like existence team up with a trifling little Infernal Judge to take advantage of my injuries and seize my Yin energy?!

But the meddlesome man was as insignificant as a speck of dust in its eyes. Thus, it refused to even acknowledge his existence!

“Ahh…” Qin Ye rubbed his nose and coughed dryly, “About that… well… if you’re not happy about it, then why don’t I simply… resign?”

It wasn’t even looking at Qin Ye any longer. Instead, it turned to Arthis and continued, “Cough… haa--... The so-called third King Yanluo of Hell, huh? Cough cough… I’ll do you a favour and give you a way out - decouple the new Hell from my existence, and I’ll spare your lives…”

The Harken smiled.

A split second later, an upturned scale shot out like lightning.

It was so fast that Qin Ye couldn’t even react instinctively to the imminent danger that had arisen. Instead, he simply felt a violent wind rush past him, followed quickly by Arthis’ shrill shriek from right behind him. Everything happened in just the blink of an eye.

“Cough cough cough…” The Harken’s wounds began to bleed with golden blood once more. Then, gritting its teeth, it painstakingly clambered to its feet. Its entire body was so large that even the simple act of getting up caused a massive nethergale to sweep violently about them, sending a sea of ash and dust scattering around chaotically.

Dong… There was a muffled sound, and the Harken’s towering body that was hundreds of meters tall stopped right in front of Qin Ye. A pair of golden eyes stared emotionlessly at him. Tension filled the air, so much so that everything appeared to freeze at that very instant.

It cast another fleeting glance at Qin Ye, “Considering the fact that you’ve got some merit to your name as well, I’ll give you a county to play king on your own. That way, you can stay out of the upper echelons of Hell and cease to be an eyesore for the rest of eternity.”

Not to the Harken, but to the realms of the new Hell that hung overhead. And then, he shut his eyes.

The future King Yanluo of Hell.

So why should he listen to the accusations of someone who hadn’t even invested the slightest bit in the new Hell?

As though she sensed something amiss, Arthis promptly called out, “Qin--...”

Without missing a beat, he continued, “Then, what does that make you?”

“You’re a divine beast of Hell. Right now, the mortal realm is in chaos, and the three daolords are scourging the earth. The twelve envoys harbour ill intentions against the new Hell. We’re desperately trying to establish a footing for ourselves, while you… not only are you shirking your responsibilities as one of highest powers of the old Hell, you’re even attempting to obstruct the new Hell in every way you can!”

It had never expected a mere human being that it could easily squash with a single finger to castigate it with such a tone of voice.

“You’re no King Yanluo… Nobody is going to recognize a coward like you! Do you really think I dare not kill you, right here, right now?!”