Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 497 The Emperor's Sword

"Hehehe, you little rascals, you really know how to flatter me to get through this." Zhuge Liang's eyebrows relaxed, and he smiled kindly.

“We’re telling the truth,” the three women said in unison.

With three beautiful young women praising him together, which old man wouldn't be confused? Zhuge Liang laughed heartily and said, "Regardless of whether it's true or not, thank you all for clearing up my mind."

"Can we pass now?" Ayao asked bluntly.

"Yes, that's fine." Zhuge Liang nodded with a smile.

"Thank you, Prime Minister. Goodbye, Prime Minister." The crowd immediately bowed and took their leave without delay.

"You still say it's not just to pass the test?" Zhuge Liang laughed and scolded, "Wait a minute."

"Does the Prime Minister have any further instructions?" Everyone stopped and looked at Zhuge Liang with some trepidation.

“Young lady, you and your sword are quite extraordinary.” Zhuge Liang looked at A Yao.

"What's so special about it?" Ayao asked.

"You are the Heavenly Maiden Ba, and your sword is the Emperor's Sword." Zhuge Liang, who could be called 'Little Zhuge,' was quite knowledgeable. "However, you haven't fully awakened yet, and the Emperor's Sword only has its core; it's not yet in its complete form."

"Who is the Heavenly Maiden, and what is the Heavenly Sword?" Fa Xiu's thirst for knowledge was always strong.

“In ancient times, a celestial maiden presented a divine sword to the Yellow Emperor, helping him to defeat Chiyou,” Chen Lingzhi replied.

“That’s right.” Zhuge Liang nodded and said, “But to find the true dragon emperor who will end the chaos, we need Yinglong to be born. Without Yinglong, how can we find the emperor of this era? Having the emperor’s sword is useless.”

“We have Yinglong now, and that’s what we need to save,” Chen Lingzhi said. “A Yuan awakened the true form of Yinglong before he sacrificed himself, which is why he was able to retain a sliver of hope.”

"I see," Zhuge Liang said with sudden realization. "If I had told you earlier that you bear the heavy responsibility of saving the world, I wouldn't have troubled you with my own inner conflicts."

"It's alright, it's alright, we don't blame the Prime Minister," everyone quickly said with a smile.

"Alright then, I'll lend you a hand. This Emperor's Sword only has the sword core; it's missing the blade. This crude sword shell won't do. If you don't mind, I'll make the blade myself," Zhuge Liang said solemnly.

"The Prime Minister also knows how to forge swords?" Fa Xiu exclaimed in surprise. "What a multi-talented man!"

"What do I know about sword forging?" Zhuge Liang rolled his eyes at him and said calmly, "I mean, use myself as the sword's body, understand?"

“With a sword made of the sea-bridged beams, the Emperor’s Sword truly deserves its name. But then, wouldn’t you disappear completely?” Chen Lingzhi said softly.

“Yes, your old resentment has been resolved. With the position of Prime Minister, you can easily cultivate into a ghost immortal and roam the world freely like me, wouldn’t that be great?” Su Xiaoxiao sincerely suggested.

"No, meeting you is fate, allowing me to do my last bit of strength for China." Zhuge Liang said resolutely, "Compared to my own carefree life, I would rather see the revival of China."

He then solemnly instructed everyone, "Remember to tell Yinglong that he must choose a wise ruler for China and restore the glory of the Han Dynasty!"

"Prime Minister..." The crowd wanted to dissuade him, but Zhuge Liang froze them, leaving them speechless and unable to move.

"If you live to see the day when China is reborn, do not forget to burn incense and tell him."

After saying that, he transformed into a golden rainbow and plunged into the sword, instantly shattering the outer shell of the Ziwei Sword.

Once the shattered sword sheath had completely fallen off and the blinding golden light had subsided, everyone could finally see the sword's true form. Its blade shimmered with a faint, purplish-gold light, and ancient seal script was inscribed along its spine. Chen Lingzhi could read it: the front side read "承运御极" (Cheng Yun Yu Ji), and the back side read "乾元镇世" (Qian Yuan Zhen Shi).

Crimson silk draped the hilt of the sword, with three bronze rings hanging from its end, each engraved with the name of one of the three emperors. A black bird carrying a pearl adorned the hilt, its sharp feather lines displaying imperial majesty!

The Ziwei Sword finally became the true Emperor's Sword.

"Thank you, Prime Minister, for bestowing upon us the sword. We will certainly not fail in our mission." The group bowed three times to the Emperor's Sword before sheathing it and descending White Emperor Mountain.
As soon as everyone returned to the ship, the fish-dragon reappeared.

Before he could even open his mouth, Fa Xiu laughed and said, "Impressive, impressive."

"Impressive, you've even managed to answer first." Yu Long chuckled sheepishly. "But you guys are really impressive, managing to persuade Prime Minister Zhuge to sacrifice himself."

“Prime Minister Zhuge sacrificed himself voluntarily.” Su Xiaoxiao shook her head; she couldn’t take the blame for this.

"That was for your sake too," Yu Long said.

"The Prime Minister sacrificed himself for China, not for us," Chen Lingzhi said solemnly.

"Sigh, how can there still be such fools? I've lived for hundreds of years and never seen one. It seems my cultivation level is indeed insufficient; no wonder I can never transform into a dragon." The fish-dragon sighed, extending its fins to point ahead at the city hidden in the darkness.

"Once we disembark at the dock ahead and enter the Gates of Hell, we'll be in Fengdu City. I can't accompany you any longer."

"Thank you for reminding us along the way. We don't owe anyone any favors. Is there anything we can help you with?" Chen Lingzhi asked.

"Please don't fish for me anymore." Yulong shook his head.

Chen Lingzhi remained silent for a moment before nodding and saying, "I will pass on the message for you."

"Thank you so much." Yulong thanked them repeatedly, then waved his fins at everyone and said, "Thank you for taking me back to my hometown. Now I can finally reunite with my wife and children."

Then everyone remembered that he had introduced himself at the beginning as the water god of Qutang Gorge, who had been driven out of the Three Gorges and could not return home...

After parting ways with Yulong, the little monk couldn't help but whisper to Chen Lingzhi, "Sister, who are you going to tell this to?"

Chen Lingzhi smiled faintly: "Isn't this something you've wanted to ask me for a long time?"

"Is it the one who looks just like you?" the little monk asked in a voice only the two of them could hear.

“Yes, the Three Gorges is the hometown of the Ten Witches,” Chen Lingzhi nodded.

"So what's your relationship with that person? And why do you two look so alike?" The little monk decided to get to the bottom of it: "You weren't possessed by a deity like Sister Nan, were you?"

"No. I'm only occasionally allowed to use his body, but I have no idea what he does," Chen Lingzhi said frankly.

“You’d better not know…” A-Yao said upon hearing this.

"Why?" Chen Lingzhi was instead intrigued and frowned as she asked, "Could it be that He used my body to do something heinous?"

"I already told you, you'd better not know," Ayao said, refusing to reveal anything.

"I hate people who only say half of what they mean." Chen Lingzhi could only pout helplessly and temporarily suppress her question.

The small boat hadn't gone far when the previously clear sky suddenly darkened. Not the kind of darkness that comes with dense clouds, but the blackness of night...

"This is the Ghost King's Underworld Realm, where there is never daylight." Chen Lingzhi composed herself and introduced the place to everyone. "Here, even Wu Yang cannot challenge the Ghost King, so if a dragon comes, it has to coil up, and if a tiger comes, it has to lie down."

"..." Although she didn't mention a word about herself, or even look at herself, Ayao always felt that she was being mocked.

"However, this Fengdu City looks much smaller than Dreamland." Fa Xiu surveyed the gloomy city ahead and said, "Does this mean that the Dream God is still more powerful?"

“You can’t say that,” Chen Lingzhi shook his head and said, “Fengdu City is only the above-ground part of the Ghost Kingdom. There are eighteen levels of hell below, and that’s the main part of the Ghost Kingdom.”

(End of this chapter)