Worlds’ Apocalypse Online

A charming adolescent girl was now standing in front of her three disciples.

"Shifu!"

"Shifu!"

"Congratulations, Shifu!"

Qin Xiao Lou, Wan Er, and Qing Rou spoke up in unison.

Xie Dao Ling still had her eyes closed, apparently recalling something.

Time slowly passed.

The presence that Xie Dao Ling exuded gradually grew stronger, but her eyebrows also became more knitted.

She started to perform a divination with her pearly white hands.

------as if she had run into a difficult problem, her fingers were moving increasingly faster, eventually taking out a tortoise shell to aid her efforts.

Qin Xiao Lou suggested: "What is Shifu trying to calculate? Should I help with your divination?"

"No need"

Xie Dao Ling opened her eyes with a grim expression: "If you know about what I'm trying to divine, then you'd all be in danger-------"

She then clasped her hands together into a hand seal and grunted: "Heed!"

As the void of space slightly shifted, wild dark flowers started to bloom all around them.

A mature woman slowly walked on cotton flowers as she arrived in front of Xie Dao Ling.

『 Your Majesty, we've been waiting for you for so long 』the woman said with clear excitement in her voice.

Xie Dao Ling looked at her with a nostalgic expression and asked: "So Li An was your daughter?"

『 She is 』the woman replied.

----she was the Progenitor Demoness.

"Your daughter is currently serving by my disciple's side, do you feel assured?" Xie Dao Ling asked.

『 I do 』the Progenitor Demoness answered.

Xie Dao Ling nodded and continued: "When I entered reincarnation all those years ago, I entrusted you with something, now that I've returned, I want you to report it to me"

The Progenitor Demoness replied: 『 Your Majesty, you only sung us a short children's folk song before you left; you also said that there's no need to keep it a secret, and that I only needed to keep passing it down 』

"Then it seems to be something that only I would understand----- sing it back to me" Xie Dao Ling said.

The Progenitor Demoness paused briefly before singing with a clear voice:

『 The deers call out, eating apples in the field;

We have an honored guest, zithers and bamboo flutes blow;

As clear as moonlight, but when can we meet;

From such worries grow, never to cease 』

Her singing had stopped, but the melody seemed to linger without fading away, almost as if there was more to come.

"Delightful" Qin Xiao Lou praised.

Wan Er and Qing Rou also appeared mesmerized.

But Xie Dao Ling didn't say anything.

She was standing completely still, almost like a wax statue.

For some reason, a hint of sorrow could be seen from her visage.

…

The great tomb.

The depths.

A monster with blades for wings lay behind a dune of sand.

It was Gu Qing Shan.

He was silently observing the array of structures up ahead.

The structures were all created with lapis roof tiles and adorned with highly detailed pillars, done in the style of the Heavenly Palace.

But despite that luxury, they were all constructed out of black brick and engraved with terrifying patterns, which gave them a sense of gloomy maliciousness.

There were so many of these structures that it was impossible to count, they had varying heights but were all built right next to another, which stretched all the way until the end of his vision.

------they formed a relatively complete city!

After observing for a while, Gu Qing Shan muttered: "How strange, was there originally a city within your Phase Realm?"

The Delimitation Divine Sword's voice answered from the void of space next to him:

「 There was, but it used to be empty 」

Gu Qing Shan clicked his tongue: "Then that's very troublesome, it actually built a city here like this; furthermore, as far as I can see, the city is surrounded by a strict array of formations------ we most likely won't be able to enter"

The Delimitation Divine Sword replied: 「 You're mistaken, it didn't construct all of this. In reality, I had actually followed the will of my original wielder and created a Phase Realm inside of my sword hilt. All of these structures and buildings were manifested from pure thought while being indistinguishable from reality 」

"Then, everything here was made using your sword hilt's Thaumaturgy?" Gu Qing Shan asked.

「 Yes, of course it was my Thaumaturgy 」the Delimitation Divine Sword replied.

As soon as it confirmed that, a miraculous fluctuation enveloped him and the divine sword.

------this was something highly familiar to any swordsman of sufficient level.

Wielder recognition!

However, this was still only the initial phase of recognition, which was still far from the complete mutual recognition between the sword and the swordsman.

A few lines of bloody red text appeared in the void of space:

[You've listened to the sword spirit explaining one of its Thaumaturgy]

[Description: This sword is capable of constructing a Phase Realm within its hilt following the wielder's will, manifesting all things from pure thought while being indistinguishable from reality]

[Attention!]

[You've learnt of one of the Delimitation Divine Sword's Thaumaturgies]

[If you hear the explanation of its three other Thaumaturgies, then you will have become its true wielder]

Gu Qing Shan was stunned.

The divine sword was also stunned.

「 "What are you doing!?" 」

They both exclaimed.

「 Why did you ask me about my Thaumaturgy? 」the divine sword angrily questioned.

"I was asking about those structures, not about your Thaumaturgy" Gu Qing Shan loudly refuted.

「 Be more careful, absolutely do not ask me about my Thaumaturgies again! 」the Delimitation Divine Sword sternly scolded him.

"Don't worry, I'll definitely keep that in mind" Gu Qing Shan solemnly replied.

-----I absolutely have to avoid becoming this sword's wielder, otherwise, I will never be able to retrieve the Six Paths Great Mountain sword!

Ignoring this small intermission, Gu Qing Shan and the sword continued to observe the inside of the city.

"How strange" Gu Qing Shan muttered as he observed it.

「 What's the matter? 」the Delimitation Divine Sword asked.

"The decorative patterns and statues inside those structures… it all looks like they were built in the Wraith realm's architecture" Gu Qing Shan commented.

「 Perhaps when the Samsara became shattered, some of the wraiths hid inside my sword hilt, and their leader had taken over control of it 」the Delimitation Divine Sword replied.

"But there isn't a single soul inside the city, what's going on?" Gu Qing Shan asked.

「 I don't know, the entire city can change at their single thought, so you'll have to enter it to know what happened inside 」the Delimitation Divine Sword explained.

Gu Qing Shan fell into thought.