Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 501 Reignition
The Hall of Yama.

After hearing what the tabby cat said, the Ghost King nodded slightly and said, "That's natural. Although there are fools who dare to call themselves emperors after occupying a state or a prefecture, they have all become a joke."

"So what you should do now is first elevate yourself to the strength of a God-King, and then think about how to be crowned," the tabby cat earnestly instructed.

"How easy is that?" The Ghost King shook his head and sighed, "My divine fire and Wu Yang's can be used interchangeably, which is why we fought to the death. After fighting and fighting, all the usable divine fire in the world was concentrated on the two of us, and neither of us could do anything to the other."

After a pause, He sighed and said, "Even if we kill the opponent and consume His divine core, we still won't be able to raise our strength to the level of a God-King."

“That’s right, you can’t become one now, and neither can He, because one piece of the puzzle is still missing.” The tabby cat nodded and said, “It requires the gathering of the divine cores of three ancient gods to condense into a Primordial Chaos.”

The Ghost King sighed, "Now there are only two ancient gods in the world. What can we do?"

"I can help you create another one, and one who is an ancient god with shared authority," the tabby cat said leisurely.

The Ghost King's eyes lit up, and he immediately understood, asking, "Your disciple?"

He said with disappointment, "He's just a demigod, a far cry from an ancient god."

"It's all up to human effort. There's nothing I can do if you don't believe me." The tabby cat shrugged again.

"..." The Ghost King said in a muffled voice, "It's not a matter of whether he believes it or not, it's that he's not strong enough, understand? It's a big question whether he can even get past the hurdle of becoming a god!"

“Then help him step over it,” the tabby cat said in a deep voice.

"Should I help him?"

"Could it be me? I'm just a cat..."

"Where am I supposed to find a miracle for him?" the Ghost King said speechlessly.

"Does it count if one person breaks through all eighteen levels of hell?" the tabby cat asked quietly.

"I...you!" Upon hearing this, the Ghost King nearly went berserk, cursing, "I knew you'd turn yourself in; you weren't up to anything!"

"I'm just making a suggestion; it's up to you whether you do it or not," the tabby cat said innocently.

"My underworld is just like Wu Yang's dreamland. It is not only the culmination of decades of hard work, but also a part of my body. Once destroyed, it cannot be rebuilt!" the Ghost King said, breaking his guard.

"So destroying it is what would be considered a miracle!" The tabby cat stared intently at the Ghost King and said, "It all depends on whether you want to be an ancient god for life, or risk everything and become the God King!"

"Hiss..." The Ghost King was caught in a dilemma, and frost appeared in the palace.

~~
Outside the Hall of the King of Hell.

The crowd huddled together, staring intently at the brass lamp.

The lamp wick, made of yarrow and imbued with the essence of Pangu, was lit by the dragon pearl and ignited with a purple-gold flame.

That was the color of Ren Yuan's divine fire, but the flame was extremely weak, as if a gust of wind could extinguish it, which frightened everyone so much that they dared not breathe.

“No, his very essence has been damaged by the Dream God. Even if we burn out the wick, we still won’t be able to wake him up!” Chen Lingzhi said gravely.

"What should we do?!" Ayao exclaimed anxiously upon hearing this.

"Don't rush, what am I here for?" At this moment, Xiao Yuhuan said calmly, "All of you, step aside." "Princess, what do you want to do?" Faxiu asked hurriedly.

"My supernatural powers can bring withered trees back to life." Xiao Yuhuan patted her prominent chest and said in a deep voice, "I will repair A Yuan's essence!"

"My third brother is a demigod! Are you out of your mind?!" Fa Xiu was startled.

"This princess is no ordinary person either!" Xiao Yuhuan declared proudly, "I am the reincarnation of the Goddess of Spring!"

"Ah, my apologies." Fa Xiu quickly put her hands together and stopped trying to persuade her.

Everyone hurriedly stepped back, and they saw Xiao Yuhuan's wide sleeves move without wind, revealing her snow-white arms. She steadily aimed her hands at the resurrection lamp, and with a soft opening of her lips, she recited obscure yet magical verses.

In an instant, a misty life force, like a gushing spring, flowed down her slender arm and continuously poured into the faint purple-gold divine fire.

In the Five Elements, Wood (乙) generates Fire (丙). This life force, carrying the essence of growing plants, nourishes the tiny flame.

After a long while, the small flame flickered and seemed to grow slightly stronger. But this change was still a drop in the ocean and did nothing to extinguish it.

Seeing this, Xiao Yuhuan gritted her teeth, and the azure aura around her grew even stronger, gradually forming a crystal-clear azure cocoon that enveloped her entire body.

Through the cocoon, one could see her delicate body trembling slightly, as if she were enduring immense pain. Xiao Yuhuan, however, stubbornly pushed herself to the limit, gradually intensifying the flames. Her resilient demeanor was vastly different from her usual self, making her all the more moving.

Under Xiao Yuhuan's constant encouragement, the flames gradually grew stronger, from the size of a bean to the size of a fist, and the brightness was completely different!

Suddenly, a loud bang shook the roof tiles of the Yama King's Palace, causing everyone's eardrums to ache! The divine fire within the Soul-Returning Lamp finally broke free of its restraints, burning fiercely like a beast awakening!
A burst of intense light erupted instantly, stripping away all color from the world with overwhelming force, leaving only blinding black and white. The light was so dazzling that no one could look directly at it; it felt as if their very souls were being burned!
They instinctively raised their hands to shield their eyes, but their eyes still stung and they couldn't see for a moment.

Only when the light gradually faded did everyone regain their sight. Ayao was frantic, desperately searching everywhere. But Ren Yuan was nowhere to be seen. Even the purple-gold divine fire that had once carried their hope had vanished like a bubble…

Ayao's heart sank to the bottom instantly, and she was at a loss, not knowing what to do.

Just then, the blue silkworm cocoon that was encasing Xiao Yuhuan suddenly transformed into countless colorful butterflies, fluttering into the sky.

Upon closer inspection, everyone realized that Xiao Yuhuan, who was eighteen or nineteen years old, had also disappeared. In her place was a child of seven or eight years old, but the features of the child still resembled those of Princess Yongkang.

Her delicate, beautiful face was etched with exhaustion, and she was on the verge of fainting. Chen Lingzhi quickly caught her and channeled his spiritual energy to help her recover.

After a long while, Xiao Yuhuan's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes, immediately asking weakly, "How is it? Was the person saved?"

The group looked at each other, unsure how to respond.

"Did I waste ten years of my youth and still not save him?" Xiao Yuhuan said in a childish tone, but with a sense of vicissitude.

Everyone remained silent, and the atmosphere became deathly still.

At this moment, A Yao bit her lip, grasped Xiao Yu Huan's small hand, and whispered, "Thank you, Princess. I feel that A Yuan has been resurrected, but I don't know where he has gone."

"Right? Then let's wait and see." Xiao Yuhuan couldn't tell if she was comforting her or if she really had a feeling, but she could only choose to believe her.

Everyone looked up at the pitch-black sky, and couldn't help but wonder: 'If A-Yuan really did come back to life, where would he go?'

(End of this chapter)