<h4>Chapter 673: Return</h4>


    Perhaps it was due to the overuse of his brain cells, but Qin Ye felt inexplicably drawn towards Ashmound when he first saw it. He couldn’t wait to return to his abode to get a good rest.


    The next day, Qin Ye pranced into Hell in a sprightly fashion and ced a bag of souvenirs right in front of the Harken, who was seated at his desk, “Wanna take a guess and see what this is?”


    “But that’s only to be expected, given the person who made the trip.” Qin Ye sat down onto his seatzily and looked at his empty teacup in dismay. At once, he cleared his throat, “Assistant Wang!”


    Then don’t you know how to be a little bit more conscious?


    Thud. The Harken set down the document in hand and gave Qin Ye a deadly re. Qin Ye immediately cleared his throat again, “Ahem… Old… Harken?”


    The Harken ignored him and immediately shut its ears away.


    It sneered, “If Hell helps to extricate it from the grasp of the Heavenly Dao, do you really think it makes sense for us to release him right back to where he came from? Besides, release him back? Back to where?”


    Qin Ye frowned and grabbed the Harken’s ears, only to find the Harken biting back and sinking its sharp teeth right into his hands. Qin Ye gasped, “But even if it remains here in Hell… he would still be subject to the same fate as soon as his divine lineage bes a thing of the past, right?”


    WHAT?!


    “Didn’t expect a response like that?: The Harken leapt onto the table and snickered softly, “There are those who were born to pave the way for others. The three gods of death from the New World are all doomed to perish. If Hell was still around, the Second King Yanluo wouldn’t have hesitated in the slightest bit to send them a letter demanding that they submit. Conquering them is just an extension of what the Second King Yanluo would’ve done.”


    “Of course, there’s always the possibility that they would be ambitious and proud, and unwilling to submit, but I’d say that the possibility of this happening is even lower than that of submission.”


    Just like the mortal realm, theherworld, too, was rife with conflict and strife between underworlds. Thergest international rift in the mortal realm right nowy between the two seemingly irreconcble positions taken by Cathay and Usonia, while theherworld… had four superpowers vying for control of theherworld. Many second-rate underworlds were all caught between their deadly tussle, trying desperately to survive. In this world where strength was paramount, conflict was oftentimes synonymous with bloodshed.


    After all, anyone who controls the New World would undoubtedly be propelled straight into the realms of the hegemon among the P4 underworlds. And if Hell could rescue the Plumed Serpent God and have him on their side, Hell would gain for itself one of the most useful allies that it could possibly have in such a tussle!


    Qin Ye grabbed the document with dismay and began to skim through its contents. Within moments, the smile on his face faded away, only to be reced by an icy smirk.


    “31 December. Arxan/Suember Crossing. Midnight.” Qin Ye crushed up the diplomatic document and tossed it right into the bin, “Where is this?”


    Qin Ye began to ry everything that happened during his trip to the Harken. It was only then that the Harken sighed softly, “And then what? What are you going to do when the timees?”


    “Besides, it’s not us who should be thinking about what to do. It’s them.”


    “The best part of the story is never the climax. That’s where one would merely vent their emotions. The real excitement lies in the games both sides are ying leading right up to the climax of the fight. And now that their fate has already been sealed in stone, all that’s left is… to wait and watch the fireworks.”


    “I’ve got to say--...” Just as the Harken was about to go on, Qin Ye promptly rested his head on his hand and sat back haughtily with a wide grin, “How can I not mature after all that’s happened? There’s no need to say more. I understand.”


    “Anyhow, I was going to say that I’ve drunk from that cup of tea.”


    Bloody hell!!!


    ……………………………………………..


    He was in his early forties, and it was a great privilege that he was able to take such a prestigious office at such a tender age. In fact, it was almost as though the stars were aligned in his favour - the previous director had suddenly died due to a heart attack, while the transfer director perished in a car ident just one month after assuming office at the Suember Customs. It was only then that the government finally turned their attention to the group of local officials, and he was therefore fortunate enough to be nominated as the next director.


    “Aren’t you going back yet?” Bayin’s secretary appeared almost used to the regrity of Bayin’s overtime work. It was now 6.30 p.m, and most of the workers in the office had already left for the day. Instead, he continued to work overtime everyday, going through everyone’s projects with close scrutiny. Sometimes, Bayin’s secretary couldn’t help but wonder if Bayin deserved every bit of favour from the heavens.


    His room was silent. It was winter. The further north one was, the earlier the days got dark. Although it was only 6.30 p.m. in the evening, it was already dark as midnight on a regr day.


    His plump face was devoid of any expression of joy at this moment. In fact, the corners of his eyes were twitching gently, and he looked absolutely dejected as he stared gloomily out the window.


    He was the only one left.


    It’s here… It’s here!!!


    “Something terrifying will ur in this ce on the 31st. Over the next half a month, you will witness a surge in the supernatural activities here. Stay away if you want to live.”


    “Hehehe…” A soft cackle echoed coldly through the room. It was ady’s voice. Within moments, ghastly wisps of Yin energy seeped out through the cracks on the floorboards, filling the room with darkness andughter.


    It was because he could see the silhouette of ady dressed like a European servant. Endless Yin energy poured out from the seven apertures of her face as she slowly emerged from the darkness and cackled manically, “It’s not up to you to decide whether you’ve paid off your debt or not. Besides, we’re not asking for much. It doesn’t even threaten you one bit.”


    “Make no mistake about it.” Thedy’s voice responded with great indifference, “This is just a suggestion of mine. Whether you actually take heed or not doesn’t concern us. The only difference it would make would be the resultant number of corpses around these parts. After all… you don’t want to know what happens to a human being that gets exposed to too much Yin energy.”


    In a sh, a pair of cold hands appeared right at Bayin’s neck, causing his entire body to shudder violently. Cold sweat beaded up on his forehead. A split secondter, a raspy voice grated right next to his ear, “If something happens, I hope you’ll be sensible enough not to press the button for special emergencies. What’s the name of the special organization here in the Mongol Empire again? Oh, that’s right, the Eternal Guardians.”


    A lump swelled up in Bayin’s throat, “N-not even the Eternal Guardians can do a thing about the uing incident?”


    “They’re nothing.” The woman cackled softly as her voice gradually faded away, “They’re not even worthy of waiting on the ones who will be arriving shortly… Kekeke…”