Chapter 670: Ten Yama Kings (1/2)

Zhaoqing suddenly disappeared, like she’d never been there, as soon as the demon god gave voice to his shock. Liu Chen whirled around frantically, but saw nothing but a man in cyan robes—Yin Qingran.

……

Kaboom!

Hell trembled as its laws blared. The Tome of Life and Death materialized and took a position in the sky, radiating black light down onto the ground.

Legions of akasha ghosts wailed in terror as ten giant palaces loomed out of the void and descended upon the patch of civilization in hell, coming down for a firm landing.

Boom!

Great ripples oscillated from the ten palaces and destroyed the roaming legions of invaders. Yuying, Feinie, Aoxue, Xuanxi, Huangqing, Su Xiaoxiao, Cangyin, Xingzi, Luli, and Zhaoqing all manifested replicas and sent them into the giant palaces.

The Ten Halls.

Earth’s myths regarding hell contained mentions of the Yama Kings of the Ten Halls, and the ten Envoys of Samsara precisely filled those spots! Now that they’d taken their positions, a connate cultivation method emerged in their consciousness: the Invincible Yama Method!

With the evolution of hell, the ten envoys were now Lu Yun’s Yama Kings, and a true kingdom of the netherworld was beginning to take shape!

“The kingdom of the netherworld sits upon the eighteen levels of hell to keep them in check. It rules over the realm of the dead, while the Yama Kings of the Ten Halls are its overseers!

“According to the myths of Earth, the true master of hell is the Heavenly Taiyin, also known as the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak, He Who is Equal to Heaven. Is that the case in this world, and was that being a great emperor of the human race?” Lu Yun lowered his head and fell into deep thought.

There was nothing else for him to do at the moment but quietly watch hell evolve, like he were an outsider completely removed from the proceedings. However, he could clearly feel his strength in hell—in his kingdom—growing stronger and stronger.

“Was the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak in charge of hell back in the era of human dao? If the Yama Kings of the Ten Halls are real, then what does that make me? Someone like the great emperor? But… based on what the myths say, his control over hell seems inferior to mine.” While in a trance, Lu Yun acquired information about the great emperor from the Tome of Life and Death, including his combat arts and techniques.

Though they were incredibly powerful, they still belonged to a great emperor who had lost, and subsequently been killed in, the battle of Emperors Fall—in other words, a loser. Lu Yun might reference them and extract the essence from the dross, but he wouldn’t view them as treasures that shouldn’t be tampered with. Otherwise, he would only retread the fallen emperor’s path!

His was a path of bold advancement and progress.

The Method of Life and Death and the Invincible Yama Method were two cultivation methods provided by the Tome of Life and Death. They were connate methods tailor-made for their owners, rather than something passed down from the past.

Rumble!

Hell continued trembling as its kingdom took shape, and the netherworld as Lu Yun had known it all along collected into one single layer and moved beneath that kingdom, forming a prison-like minor world and the first of seventeen other faint worlds.

“Eighteen levels of hell? To be in charge of all the reincarnations of the multiverse and pass judgment based on one’s karma?” Lu Yun looked down at the Karmic Tree manifesting above his palm.

Now he understood from where the Karmic Tree derived its name. It would enable him to establish the wheel of reincarnation, determine good from evil, and pass judgment over life and death!

“No!” Lu Yun’s eyes shone with resolution. “All living souls are free. The cycle of life and death mustn’t be controlled by a single individual!”