"Congratulations, my Lord!" Before Qin Ye had a chance to finish his train of thought, a pair of magpies began to chirp by his ears.

Su Daji was ecstatic to have averted the crisis of certain execution, and she extended a deep bow as she said, "My heart was in knots during your absence, my Lord, and I was beginning to fear the worst. Thank heavens..."

She pulled out her handkerchief to dab at the non-existent tears at the corners of her eyes, and her voice began to choke up as she continued, "You are blessed by heaven and earth and destined to live a long and magnificent life. Even in the sea, you are blessed by the gods of the depths, and I now know that I was wrong to have ever doubted your safety."

Right at this moment, a forlorn sigh rang out beside her. Su Daji faltered slightly as she concealed her eyes behind her handkerchief, then cast a vicious gaze toward Qin Hui.

What are you planning, you old piece of scum?!

"Please forgive me for not coming to your aid sooner, your Excellency." Qin Hui extended a deep bow in a graceful manner as he said, "Su Daji wanted to adopt her true form and dive into the sea to search for you, but I dissuaded her from doing so. Please forgive me, your Excellency."

Hmm?!

Su Daji continued to pretend to wipe away her tears as she stared at Qin Hui with a bewildered expression. It would already be a miracle if this old bastard didn't try to backstab her, yet not only was he not doing that, he was speaking in her favor!

Qin Hui heaved a faint sigh before continuing, "As we all know, you are the one chosen by the heavens and are blessed by all the realms, so there was no way any harm would befall you. In contrast, Su Daji was a panicked mess, and it was quite unbefitting of a figure of her status."

So this is where you stab me in the back!

Su Daji was so enraged that she almost swallowed her handkerchief.

Qin Hui didn't even look at Su Daji, and he put on an awestruck expression as his voice spiked up a few octaves. "However, even I failed to foresee that you would be so fortunate as to have obtained such an astounding treasure!"

He heaved a faint sigh before continuing, "I am truly unable to fathom your greatness, your Excellency..."

Silence.

Several seconds later, Qin Ye approached him with a smile and asked, "If you're unable to fathom it, then why force yourself?"

... That doesn't seem like the right response...

Qin Hui cleared his throat before replying in an earnest voice, "Regardless, I'll be sure to do everything in my power to fulfill my duty as an Emissary of Hell."

A slightly mocking smile appeared on Qin Ye's face, and as he looked up, he could already see five or six groups of netherflames converging toward this place from different directions.

"Is this the high sea?" Qin Ye asked.

Qin Hui was feeling very dismayed, having realized that his boot-licking had failed spectacularly, but he still maintained a respectful smile as he replied, "It is."

Qin Ye nodded in response. "I don't want any other underworlds to know about what happened today, do you understand?"

Qin Hui faltered slightly upon hearing this before replying in a low voice, "But my Lord, these are emissaries from the underworlds of Russia, Nippon, and even Hindustan. Otherwise, there's no way they would've been able to arrive here so quickly. If all of them disappear at once... it'll be very difficult to explain."

Qin Ye appraised him with a half-smile, and several seconds later, said, "You know, you only display your most genuine self when you're plotting against someone."

Qin Hui could only smile and bow in response.

Is he saying that my boot-licking is too contrived?

"The Cathayan Underworld doesn't need to explain anything to anyone," Qin Ye said in a calm voice as his Yin energy enshrouded the entirety of Gui Xu. "It's exactly because they're underworld emissaries in the mortal realm that they're easy to get rid of. The underworlds will have only sensed the Yin energy fluctuations in the high sea, but they still don't know what's going on yet, so this is the best time to strike."

As soon as his voice trailed off, he swept a hand through the air, and he and Gui Xu both vanished from the surface of the sea.

"If you can't keep this a secret, then don't even bother coming back."

"Yes, my Lord! Your wisdom and foresight are truly unmatched!" Qin Ye's body completely dissipated into Yin wind as Qin Hui extended a final piece of flattery.

Following Qin Ye's departure, Qin Hui stood up straight again, and his brows furrowed slightly.

He had thought that his boot-licking just now had been brilliant and innovative, yet it had completely missed the mark, and this brought up a very important question in his mind...

Is my boot-licking outdated?

There was no creativity, and he was being left behind by the passage of time. He was like an old man stubbornly singing songs from the 80s to present-day teenagers. Could it be that Qin Ye had grown sick of his flattery?

It's time I worked on improving my skills!

………………………………………………

BOOM!! A resounding boom rang out, and countless Yin soldiers looked on as a massive black shadow crashed violently into the sea in the underworld outside Ashmound Port, filling the entire port.

Splash... Sea water came falling down like heavy rain, and as the giant beast in the sea was revealed, cries of surprise rang out from all directions. Meanwhile, Zhao Yun had already risen to his feet on the top floor of the customs building.

After close to 20 seconds had passed, the palaces and spires on the back of the giant beast were finally revealed, and only then did he heave a sigh of relief before turning to the man beside him. "Did Yanluo Qin go to the outer sea?"

"That's right," the man replied with a respectful nod.

Zhao Yun's eyes were as sharp as those of a hawk as he said, "I'm sure other underworlds would've gotten wind of this. Mr. Qian, you were an elite member of the Special Investigations Department in the mortal realm, what do you think of this?"

Qian Duolai was completely expressionless as he replied, "We need to seize the initiative when it comes to the subsequent developments. After all, the emergence of such a massive creature from the sea is enough to make international headlines, and we'll have to silence some foreign underworld emissaries in order to keep this secret."

Qian Duolai slowly swept his gaze over Gui Xu. It was like the most intricately crafted instrument, and his gaze paused at the opening on the back of Gui Xu's shell before he continued, "What is this thing useful for? Where was it before this? Who built it? What kind of technology was involved in its construction? What purpose does it serve? Those will all be questions that other underworlds will be trying to answer. In their eyes, this thing will undoubtedly be a threat to all nations in the Hindustani Ocean and the Pacific Ocean."

Zhao Yun replied in an indifferent voice, "During these past few years, the darkfeathers of the Cathayan Underworld were transferred from Li Jixi's command to yours, and they've experienced remarkable growth. Send them out to all of the major Asian underworlds and gather all of the information you can until the next meeting for the conference on the non-proliferation of forbidden arts. That conference will be the true acid test for the Cathayan Underworld, and we have to start preparing for it right now."

"Yes," Qian Duolai replied with a nod after giving Zhao Yun a meaningful look.

A faint smile appeared on Zhao Yun's face. "Are you surprised by my change in demeanor when I'm not facing Yanluo Qin?"

"I wouldn't dare to judge matters like that."

"Well, you already have, haven't you? In any case, it's not a big deal," Zhao Yun chuckled in response.

In the face of Qin Ye, Zhao Yun was always respectful, humble, polite, and gentle, only when he was away from Qin Ye would he display the sharp and ruthless side to himself.

After a brief pause, Zhao Yun continued, "Yanluo Qin has only recently been inaugurated, and as his subordinate, it's important to ensure that I don't outshine him."

Qian Duolai's expression changed ever so slightly upon hearing this, and he instantly understood Zhao Yun's intentions.

How were the officials of the Cathayan Underworld supposed to take the new King Yanluos seriously if Zhao Yun was constantly outdoing him?

In the long term, the consequences of this would be catastrophic. Right as Qian Duolai was about to nod in response, a voice suddenly rang out in the pavilion. "Truth be told, I didn't kill all of the underworld emissaries who had witnessed this event just to hide the emergence of Gui Xu."

The smile on Zhao Yun's face instantly became slightly more bashful. If an analogy had to be made, then it was as if he had transformed from a sly old fox into a loyal puppy. He clasped his fist in a respectful salute and said, "Congratulations on your victory, my Lord."

Qin Ye waved a dismissive hand before making his way over to the window in an excited manner. With a flick of his finger, the entire room was sealed off, and his voice was slightly hoarse from excessive excitement. He accepted the tea being offered to him by Qian Duolai, and after taking a quick sip, he said in an urgent voice, "General Zhao, guess what's in there?"

Zhao Yun's brows furrowed slightly, and after hesitating for a few seconds, he guessed, "A treasure trove?"

"That's right! It's a treasure trove that contains the future!"

Qin Ye slammed his teacup so hard down onto the table that tea spilled everywhere, but he paid no heed to that as he grabbed onto Zhao Yun's hand in a tight grip. "There's a mechanical city inside that thing!"

A mechanical city?

Zhao Yun was a little perplexed to hear this, but his eyes then abruptly lit up, and even he couldn't help but draw a sharp breath.

He was an extremely powerful individual, the number one Emissary of Hell beneath the second King Yanluo, but even he couldn't usher in a new era.

New eras were always born off the back of extremely significant historical events, examples of this in the mortal realm include the second world war and the industrial revolution. These were events significant enough to affect the entire world and alter the landscape of the next generation.

This was not something that a Yama-King could bring about, it was something that had to be created by countless Yin spirits with the right catalyst, and all Yin spirits, even the most ordinary ones, knew that whoever could control a new energy resource would be the owner of the next era!

Thus, he was instantly able to read between the lines and see what Qin Ye was saying. How was it possible that a gargantuan creature such as Gui Xu was able to be powered by mechanical parts?

It required some type of driving force, some type of energy resource, one that was brand new and completely unheard of!

All of the underworlds were pursuing such a thing, and now, it was present in the Cathayan Underworld!

Zhao Yun felt as if he could already see the black flags of the Qin Dyasty spread across the entire world, and his ears were beginning to ring. He felt as if he could see the previous era, where the Cathayan Underworld had been the undisputed premier force in the underworld. He reflexively tightened his grip, and as his mind raced, he quickly realized what could've brought about something like this. "Xu Fu?"

"That's right!" Qin Ye gulped as he raised his head to look at Gui Xu, which had filled the entirety of Ashmound Port. In his eyes, Gui Xu was like a mountain of gold. He said in a trembling voice, "He managed to do it, but the project is incomplete. By my estimate, it's only a third of the way complete. At the very least, that's how it is to the underworld. As for the rest..."

"We'll do the rest!" Zhao Yun was so excited that the netherfire in his eyes flickered violently. "I'll gather all of our experts tomorrow to work on this project with full dedication!"

This was something that could decide the fate of the Cathayan Underworld, it was far more significant than even the conquering of Outer Mongolia!

"There's no hurry." Qin Ye took a deep breath to calm himself down before continuing, "First, we need to capture Xu Fu. After that, we need to set up the relevant departments and establish designated research laboratories. We also have to find out what materials are needed and whether we have to import some of the materials, as well as special mechanical parts."

A hint of realization surfaced in Zhao Yun's eyes upon hearing this. "Do we do this during the next conference for the treaty on the non-proliferation of forbidden arts?"

Qin Ye nodded in response. "When the time comes, there will definitely be many nations looking to attack us. We need to nullify all the pressure and establish trade connections with these nations again, thereby importing all of these things without them noticing that something is amiss. Regardless of whether imports are actually required or not, we have to pave the way first."

He then turned and licked his lips as he continued, "Of course, before that, I'm taking Xu Fu's life!"

It was already April, so there was only just over a month left until the conference for the treaty on the non-proliferation of forbidden arts, which was being held in June in Nippon.

This was not just a conference for the signing of a treaty, it was also a platform. All underworlds were desperately trying to expand their networks, particularly the Cathayan Underworld, whose network had completely dried out during its century of isolation.

The Cathayan Underworld was re-emerging on the world stage, and it had to re-establish some ties. Xu Fu had completed the project in a laboratory in the west, so were there special materials that the Cathayan Underworld would have to import from the western underworlds? These were all things that had to be considered, and this conference was the perfect opportunity!

Of course, prior to that, all of the relevant preparations had to be made, such as the eradication of the Peach Blossom Spring.

Xu Fu had to be dug out from the cracks of history no matter what. His importance wasn't just limited to the Peach Blossom Spring anymore, he was also holding the key to the future, and this key had to be held by the Cathayan Underworld!

It was one of the most important assets to the Cathayan Underworld's resurgence. Even if Xu Fu were to perish, his soul had to fall into Hell's grasp!

"Summon Arakshasa! I'll be traveling to the six paths of reincarnation in an hour, get her to prepare the databank for my visit."