Chapter 135: Flag of the Unquiet Han Soul! Prison!

Whoosh—!

The sound of breaking the void slashes the deathly silence.

A streak of dark violet light pierced the nearly fully closed doorway crack, heading straight for Su Ming's back.

Su Ming didn't turn his head, and his left hand reached back with precise probing.

He steadily grasped that streak of light in his palm.

It was that Han flag.

Su Ming turned his head aside, the corner of his eye catching the doorway crack.

He saw the pair of eyes clear as water, and within them a fleeting complexity!

Clack.

The temple doors shut completely.

All sounds fell silent.

Su Ming slowly turned back.

"Hm?!"

The scene before him made his eyelids twitch.

He stood in a courtyard so vast that its edges could not be seen.

The stone slabs beneath his feet were half overgrown with moss, half soaked in a blood‑red hue.

The ancient cypress that should have towered to block the sun had long since withered, its twisted branches like fierce ghosts reaching toward the heavens.

Hanging from the branches were not dead leaves.

But fragments of tattered cloth inscribed with sorrowful, angry verses.

"The expedition fails before victory, the body dies first; forever heroes' tears fill their collars."

"Since then, forty‑eight thousand years have passed, yet no smoke of humanity reaches the Qin frontier."

The wind passes, the verses flutter, yet they emit not a single sound.

This is the desolation of a hero's final road.

It is the deathly silence of a fallen nation and shattered homes.

Even more, it is the decay of exhausted wisdom and loyalty buried in dust!

Directly ahead in the courtyard, a magnificent hall loomed within shadows.

Above the lintel, the four black‑on‑gold characters of Han Zhao Lie Temple exuded an indescribable bleakness.

The hall doors were tightly shut, and before them a toppled bronze wine goblet stood in quiet.

It is precisely the resting place of Han Zhao Lie Emperor Liu Bei!

"A bit troublesome!"

Su Ming's Eye of Truth activated.

The entire great hall was enveloped by endless gray aura.

Is this the regret of a king?

Or the lament of a brother?

He shook his head.

He couldn't understand.

And he wasn't about to go in directly.

When meeting the king, one must first pay respects to the generals!

Su Ming's gaze slowly shifted from the main hall, looking toward both sides of the path.

On the left, a narrow trail was shrouded in an impenetrable, dense star‑mist.

Under the Eye of Truth, the trail resembled a silver river paved with countless shattered stars.

Etched upon it were innumerable unfathomable hexagrams and formation patterns.

Within the star‑mist, pure white feathers occasionally drifted down.

"Does this mean… to be reduced to ash and smoke?"

Su Ming's eyes flickered.

Earlier, Ling Xi said they had seen a reversed Bagua formation diagram!

So where this trail leads is self‑evident—

Prison!

The crouching dragon gazed at the stars, calculating the world, yet could not divine the fate of the Han court.

It is trapped by the Mandate of Heaven, drawing the earth as a prison!

Su Ming turned his head toward the right.

A sky‑piercing murderous aura dyed the entire path a shocking blood‑red.

It was not mist, but a solidified blood‑colored gale!

In the wind, broken weapons wailed, and trapped beasts roared wildly.

Within the Eye of Truth, the vague silhouettes of two towering divine statues could be seen.

One statue wore a blue robe, its hand gripping a crescent‑blade that constantly shed black, blood‑like tears.

The other, clad in black armor, clenched a twelve‑foot snake spear; its leopard‑head eyes were wide open, glaring at all living beings!

"On the right… is the Gate that Ling Xi mentioned!"

Whoever dares approach, they will kill them!

"How to choose…"

Su Ming gently set the unconscious Red that was on his shoulder down.

In the next instant, the Red pattern dispersed, and the Beast pattern manifested.

The jet‑black dragon‑pattern ground chicken flapped its wings and, affectionately, circled around Su Ming.

Su Ming bent over, patted its head, and retrieved it into the Dimensional‑Reduction Warehouse.

Hm?

At that moment, his gaze fell again onto the Han Flag.

Seems like…

It's different?!

Originally, this was just a mundane craftwork.

But now, on that black flag surface, countless faces of pain and resentment seem to be silently roaring.

Under the Eye of Truth, a vast red aura billowed out from the banner.

Name: Han Soul Unquiet Flag (already merged with Rebellion fragment).

Quality: Legendary (can grow).

Effect One: Rebellion·Han Soul's Grudge! When your attack target is a Traitor, all damage also deals Real Damage!

Effect Two: Rebellion·Fight to the Death! Plant this flag into the ground to create a Hundred Deaths No Regret domain! Within the domain, all allied units gain the Death Battle state! Greatly reduces fear effects, and all attributes increase by 15%!

Effect Three: Rebellion·The Fallen Are Not Killed! Active ability! Consumes all Grudge accumulated within the Hundred Deaths No Regret domain to conduct a Dao judgment on a designated target! If the judgment succeeds, it forcibly strips the target of one ability or one item!

Current Grudge Value: /

Karma Overview: This item was originally a mortal artifact, witnessed the clash of wills spanning a thousand years at the gate of Wuhou Shrine! It bears the overwhelming grudge of one hundred thousand Shu soldiers! It has gleaned a hint of the White Robe General's Dao!

Annotation: In the death battle I looked toward my homeland, but only saw my homeland handing me a knife! Since loyalty has been discarded like a worn shoe, let this boundless hatred become an eternal nightmare for you!

"With the Insight effect empowered, the Eye of Truth can see more, deeper!"

"This flag, absolutely a good thing…"

Su Ming's eyes burned with heat.

Legendary‑grade item, can still be upgraded!

Whether passive effects or active abilities, they are domineering to the extreme.

In duels or team battles, it's a potent weapon!

Especially the 'The Fallen Are Not Killed' judgment ability, it's practically a rule‑level plunder without reason!

This trip to Wuhou Shrine.

Just the first trophy thrown by General Zhao already makes the trip worthwhile.

Su Ming weighed the Han Flag in his hand, gaining a bit more confidence as his gaze wandered.

Left or right?

Prison or Gate?

After a moment of indecision, he still looked toward the path shrouded in star‑mist.

The two on the right still exerted too much pressure and murderous intent toward him!

Matching strength against the Martial Saint and the Ten‑Thousand‑Man Enemy would be self‑inflicted humiliation.

If he rushed in, he'd likely be torn apart by the Azure Dragon Crescent Blade and the Eight‑Foot Snake Spear!

But back to the point.

Competing wits with the ancient Sage of Strategy Zhuge Kongming…

He is unworthy.

But!

Compared to the Gate's absolute murderous intent.

A trapped Prison will always yearn for a breaker, right?

This may be my only chance!

"Hoo!"

Su Ming took a deep breath, no longer hesitating.

To the left.

A few steps forward!

In an instant, everything in his senses was stripped away.

No sound, no light, not even a sense of time passing.

He felt as if he had been cast into absolute void.

Until a sliver of light lit up beneath his feet.

Su Ming looked down.

A vast chessboard made of billions of stars slowly unfolded beneath his feet.

Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, Dui!

He looked up.

Above the Sky Vault, another inverted stellar chessboard hung.

They echoed each other, turning slowly.

Heaven covers, Earth bears, Wind rises, Clouds hang, Dragon flies, Tiger wings, Bird soars, Snake coils!

Eight Formation Diagram!

And his whole being was trapped at the very center of this cosmic board.

"Is this… the Prison?"

Su Ming's expression grew solemn, a caution unlike any before.

Because…

Aside from the Soul Dagger and that Han Soul Unquiet Flag merged with a rebellion fragment…

All connections to everything have been severed!

Here, his every trump card is cut off!

Su Ming instinctively stepped back.

He tried to retreat along the path he had come.

But behind him lay only the same boundless, vast Star Chessboard as ahead.

The road…

is broken!

He had clearly taken only a single step.

Yet it felt as if he had crossed the entire world!

Rumble—!

Suddenly, the inverted hanging star map above his head and the Star Chessboard beneath his feet accelerated sharply, spinning in reverse!

Heaven covers, Earth bears, Wind soars, Clouds hang, Dragon flies, Tiger wings, Bird glides, Snake coils!

Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun, Dui!

Sixteen formation Gates, each embodying the ultimate principles of Heaven and Earth, lit up around him in succession, resonating with one another.

The murderous intent fully manifests!