Chapter 159: Above the Myth! Twenty-six Altars!

The entire hall fell into a long, deathly silence.

For a long while.

Liu Bei's hoary, warm, mellow voice only then rose again, faintly.

"Emotional elder brother… only this family…"

"Ha ha… ha ha ha ha!"

The laughter was at first low and suppressed.

Then it grew louder and more unrestrained, shaking the whole temple with a buzzing hum.

The resentment suppressed for a thousand years burst apart in a single day!

Exhilarating!

The laughter ceased.

"Young man."

The voice fell again upon Su Ming.

"My benevolence, in the end, is trapped by emotion."

"Your tyranny also stems from emotion."

The voice paused.

"Remember..."

"What can achieve you can also... destroy you."

The words faded, leaving no sound.

The entire hall returned to tranquility.

Su Ming bowed deeply before the Emperor statue.

This bow concerns neither ruler nor subject, nor strength nor weakness.

It is only for this unique, timeless devotion, willing to betray the world but not betray a brother, the wandering sovereign!

After straightening up, Su Ming's gaze fell on the offering table before the statue.

There, at an unknown time, a yellowed bamboo slip had appeared.

Su Ming stepped forward, reached out, and slowly unfurled it.

On the bamboo slip, lines of iron‑etched, silver‑hook characters came into view.

【Fire scorches seven hundred li of camps, never fully burned, the oath of Peach Garden.】

【In White Emperor City a cry sounds, endless crying, the rites of ruler and subject.】

【Who can recount the ages' deeds and faults? Fortunately a confidant offers three respectful cups!】

【This body lies forever in wind and rain, the soul follows the Han flag to the gods!】

The characters on the bamboo slip read like weeping and pleading.

It is the hero's dirge at the end, and also the wandering sovereign's raucous laugh.

When Su Ming finished reading the last character.

Swish—!

The whole bamboo slip turned into a streak of light, piercing the 【Han Soul Unquiet Flag】!

"Hm?"

Su Ming saw it clearly.

The robust 【Han】 character on the flag surface was flowing with red divine dawn!

【Eye of Truth】【Discern】!

【Name】: Han Soul Unquiet Flag (Ultimate)

【Quality】: Myth (Growable)

…

"Sss!"

Su Ming inhaled a breath of cold air.

This banner, bearing the unresolved grievances of the entire Shu Han,

after drinking the blood of the Rotting divine being and receiving Emperor Zhaolie of Han's final gift…

Finally it completed its metamorphosis!

Stepped into the realm of 【Myth】!

And moreover...

The 【Growable】 entry is still present!

That means...

This banner will truly accompany him all the way, to knock open the gate no one has ever touched!

Above the 【Myth】!

After a while.

Su Ming only then suppressed the surging breath, and the stormy waves in his heart gradually calmed.

"We should leave now!"

He folded the 【Han】 flag, turned, and prepared to depart.

This trip to the Wuhou Shrine yielded far beyond his expectations.

Now.

It's time to meet those impatient flies waiting outside!

At the moment the Rotting Son dissipated, the Bloodline Unity Gu in his body had already reconnected with the Dream Butterfly!

He already knew the situation outside.

But at the instant he turned around…

Creak—!

A faint sound came from the side of the great hall.

Su Ming's gaze tightened as he turned sideways to look.

He saw the previously tightly shut, rustic side gate open by itself.

A dim light seeped out from within.

Su Ming was startled, then immediately understood.

"Liu Huangshu… still has plans?!"

He did not hesitate at all, and stepped inside.

It was a long corridor.

On both sides, stone statues as tall as real people stood silently, vivid in the hazy glow.

Civil Officials and Martial Generals Corridor!

On the left, a row of civil officials.

On the right, a row of martial generals.

Between the brows and eyes of each statue gathered the era's distinctive spirit and brilliance.

Su Ming walked in the middle, his gaze sweeping over each statue.

He instantly recognized the leading statue of the Civil Officials Corridor.

Lean in figure, sharp gaze!

It was the phoenix chick, famed alongside Master Wolong, yet died young—

Pang Tong!

Opposite, the pedestal leading the Martial Generals Corridor was empty.

Only in the center of the pedestal a deep straight spear mark was carved.

There…

It should have been the white‑horse, silver‑spear, ever‑brave undefeated general—

Zhao Yun!

Su Ming's gaze continued backward.

He saw the steadfast‑eyed, iron‑spear‑wielding, regional guardian Zhang Yi.

He saw the stern‑faced, clad in Xiliang battle armor, terrorizing the Qiang and Hu, Ma Chao.

He saw the solemn, living chronicle who witnessed Shu Han's rise and fall, Liao Hua.

And the statue belonging to Grand General Jiang Wei…

Like Zhao Yun's, equally empty.

Only a charred fragment of broken armor remained on the pedestal.

"Where… exactly did they go?!"

Su Ming stared for a long while, a hint of doubt rising in his heart.

Dispersed into the world?!

Doesn't seem so!

He still remembered the scene then—

The leopard‑headed, ring‑eyed Zhang Fei grinned at him, praising him highly.

He said there would be a chance, to invite him for a drink!

"We should meet again…"

Su Ming shook his head and refocused his attention on the statues.

These were not merely cold stone.

They were the Han family's final backbone, the unextinguished beacon.

The golden star disc in Su Ming's pupils lit up, the Eye of Truth operating at its limit!

"Sss!"

The next second, he inhaled a gasp of cold air.

Each statue…

Was a dazzling, Rule‑woven…

Altar!

Twenty‑six statues!

Twenty‑six heroic soul altars!

Altar Number: 263

Connecting Marker: Ji Han Jintu

Karma Overview: AD 263, Shu Han perished! Yet some spirit can transcend life and death, endure the ages! Though they lost once, they won for ten thousand generations!

These twenty‑six altars bore exactly the same number!

263!

The first year of Shu Han's fiery rise, AD 263!

This year, Deng Ai slipped through Yinping, the father‑son Zhuge Zhan fell in battle at Mianzhu, the later sovereign Liu Chan offered Jin City and surrendered to Wei, Jiang Wei's restoration plan failed and he slit his throat amid the chaos!

The Shu Han dynasty, which had existed for forty‑three years, was utterly destroyed.

Heroic Soul Altar·Pang Tong: it contains the concept of "Chain", allowing one to perceive all things' flaws, link Karma, and set a lethal trap!

Heroic Soul Altar·Jiang Wan: it contains the concept of "Comfort Nation", which can steady the Human Heart, solidify the rear, and preserve life in desperate situations!

Heroic Soul Altar·Wang Ping: it contains the concept of "Unparalleled", and the troops it commands are fierce, unafraid of death, especially adept at mountain warfare!

…

Su Ming stared at each altar, utterly speechless.

Is this not the Hall of Civil and Military Officials?

It is clearly a supreme treasure vault that houses the essence of the entire Shu Han era…!

Lord Liu…

He solemnly handed the key to open this vault into his hands!

And at that moment.

A gentle yet infinitely hopeful thought slowly sounded at Su Ming's ear.

"Choose three, inherit their will."

"For my Han family…"

"Fight another era!"