Yama Rising

Chapter 669: A Familiar Face

Black Mamba was also standing by his side. Qin Ye finally heaved a sigh of relief, “What’s next?”

Qin Ye nodded, and then quipped curiously, “Why did the rules of the game change towards the end?”

Qin Ye frowned. The results were indeed baffling.

It was impossible. So on what basis could it judge the veracity of Qin Ye’s words?

And if the Plumed Serpent God could achieve something like that, then he would probably be an entity in the same league as the Second King Yanluo himself. Naturally, such a powerful entity would never have been wounded so seriously by Forbidden Arts.

“He has never told us what happened before. However, records of the title ‘Plumed Serpent God’ was in fact first discovered in the Central Usonian region, otherwise known as the New World of the Earth. That’s a land that is rich in resources, and for all intents and purposes unified as far as its underworlds are concerned. They’re ruled by three systems of beliefs, under the Aztec, Incan and Mayan Mythologies. These three powers are now living in harmony. We had once speculated that the Plumed Serpent God was the loser of the tussle among the various mythologies of the Usonian region, and it was for that reason that he decided to come here to the Alkebulan Continent.”

Black Mamba’s attitude was changing.

This must be in some way related to the disclosure of my identity as a successor to the throne.

“Afterwards, legend had it that the Plumed Serpent God had in fact departed from Ancient Ghana, manifesting in other forms as he appeared in other tribes, instigating the birth of Mythic Spirit after Mythic Spirit. However, nobody has seen his true appearances.”

“There’s no need to speak with such formalities around me.” Black Mamba smiled genially, “I wasn’t aware that you were a successor to the throne before. But now that your identity has finally come into light, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t treat each other as equals.”

Yama-Kings were living legends of the netherworld. How many civilizations, legends and myths had there been since the start of time? There were no more than a hundred subsisting belief systems remaining, just over 20 underworlds, and a hundred or so Yama-Kings. They were entities that stood at the top of the food chain. And yet, a creature at the top of the food chain was willing to bow down and stand beside an Abyssal Prefect merely because of his identity as the successor to the throne of another underworld.

Black Mamba continued, “Unfortunately not, because every time it instigates the birth of another Mythic Spirit, it does so through the use of oracles that echo directly in one’s mind. Speaking of which, was the change of regime also triggered by an oracle delivered by the Second King Yanluo?”

The boat sailed quickly through the river, shuttling between the realms of the Yin and the realms of the Yang. Meanwhile, the fish in the waters, regardless of predator or prey, would all retreat madly to the side.

Qin Ye turned to Black Mamba and nodded softly with a smile, “And they’re probably dealing with the sixth trial as we speak.”

Black Mamba didn’t say another word. Over the last 20 days of their interactions, he had already changed his assessment of Prefect Qin from childishness, to maturity, and then to that of complete astonishment. It was a magnificent transformation that could even be described as a metamorphosis.

Who would’ve thought that this lonesome traveler from Hell is actually one of the stronger contenders for succession to Hell’s throne?

And as for his identity, there was naturally nothing suspicious about it. Otherwise, the Plumed Serpent God would never have made its appearance in the divine inquisition and forced him to disclose his own identity. Furthermore, there was no reason to doubt the Plumed Serpent God’s assessment of the veracity of his words.

And to that end, how could Qin Ye pass up the opportunity to lay the groundwork for their future interactions?

“Are you in a hurry to return?” Black Mamba turned and asked casually.

“It’s a pity.” Black Mamba sighed, “And here I was, thinking of personally showing you some of the sights and sounds around the Black Mamba Underworld.”

To have a Yama-King take him around the Alkebulan Underworlds to eat, drink and be merry, with all expenses to be covered by public funds - what more could he ask for?

You don’t know how close you are to the truth… and that is 250 years in all…

Time passed quickly, and six more days passed in the blink of an eye. Then, at noon of the sixth day, he suddenly heard a knock at the door.

The main body of the carriage was also carved with intricate patterns, most of which were related to the sun, the birds and other animals of the Alkebulan Continent. As soon as Qin Ye stepped out of his door, the carriage doors opened, and several Yin spirits stepped out at once.

“Mr Qin.” Babulu took the lead and smiled at him. However, his smile appeared somewhat stiff, “The divine oracle is about to be given. Lord Mythic Spirit has tasked me to invite you to the Grand Hall of the Ancestors to receive the divine oracle.”

But before Qin Ye could even say a word, a lady sporting braided hair and wearing golden neck rings and bracelets, and dressed in bright, vibrant clothes, smiled and offered an animal skin bag to Qin Ye, “Prefect Qin. I am Antika, a Minister of the Lioness Tribe. This is a token of our goodwill to pave the way for our first meeting. I hope we get along well in future.”

Then, before Qin Ye could even say another word, the attendants of the Black Mamba Underworld immediately walked right up to receive the bags of gifts contained in animal skin on his behalf.

And he wasn’t the only one who was tasked to do so by his Mythic Spirit. In fact, almost every other tribe had seen it fit to send their ministers to greet Prefect Qin with a “token gift”.

Since when did Yama-Kings have to stoop so low to give a lowly Abyssal Prefect token gifts like that?!

There was a pack of ministers crowding around the main door right now. Meanwhile, Babulu couldn’t help but develop the urge to kick every other minister outside Qin Ye’s villa to death!

As the next chieftain of the Black Mamba Underworld, Black Mamba had told him everything that was permissible. And as soon as he learnt that Prefect Qin was in the running as the successor to the throne of Hell, he immediately thought to invite Qin Ye to the heart of the Black Mamba Underworld for a wonderful banquet and feast. Unfortunately, Black Mamba promptly dissuaded him from doing so. After all, everything had to be done in moderation. They didn’t need to pull out all the stops. Instead, all they needed to do was to do better than the other underworlds around.

“Prefect Qin, I’m an Elder of the Seena Tribe. Please accept this humble token gift of ours.” “Prefect Qin, I’m a Minister of the Wasp Tribe. Please accept this special produce of our tribe. This is unique to the world, and a cherished product of ours. We invite you to humble accept it.” “Minister of the Zawa Tribe. Please accept these token gifts.”

Come again?

You gave me the cold shoulder yesterday, and then suddenly shower me with gifts today?