Chapter 1375: Hand That Blots The Sky

He had found the way to repair the Heavens’ Eye. He had an item that would restore its strength.

That item was the Earthly Sovereign Bell.

Right now, a bronze bell was suspended above the Heavens’ Eye. From top to bottom, dark yellow light was pouring into the Heavens’ Eye like a waterfall.

The mirror surface of the Heavens’ Eye rippled like a lake and emitted colorful haloes as this process continued. The cracks were healing at a visible rate as well.

The Earthly Sovereign Bell was unwilling to allow the Heavens’ Eye to absorb its power without resistance, of course. It kept shaking, chiming, and emitting its profound light to combat against the offending Strange Artifact, but they were instantly stopped and annihilated by the ripples and haloes emitted by the Heavens’ Eye. Forget breaking free, none of the commotion the Earthly Sovereign Bell had caused could transmit beyond the restrictions.

Right now, the Earthly Sovereign Bell was no different from a fish on the chopping board. It could do nothing as the cook sliced and diced it into pieces.

“As expected of the Earthly Sovereign Bell!” On the Heavens’ Eye Tower, Emperor Jing Run was watching the healing cracks and restoring power of the Heavens’ Eye with a pleased look.

Close. The day of salvation was close. At this rate, it would take another day or two at most before the Earthly Sovereign Bell was completely tapped out, and the Heavens’ Eye was back to full power. Even if it wasn’t enough, it should still be back to eighty or ninety percent power and be strong enough to secure Chu’s Will of the Empire and resolve their internal crisis.

This wasn’t the greatest benefit it would derive from absorbing the Earthly Sovereign Bell’s power though. The Earthly Sovereign Bell was a natural ultimate treasure and a creation of fate and nature. Its innate foundation was far, far greater than the Heavens’ Eye. When the Heavens’ Eye had consumed its power of fate and stolen its roots of nature, it would surely advance to a higher level. Given enough time, there was a chance it could evolve into an ultimate treasure of the Heavenly Way just like the ancient Earth Sovereign Bell, if not better.

When the time came, who under the heavens could match him? Who in the four seas could stop him?

He would surely grow strong enough to wipe out Yan, Wei and Qi singlehandedly. He would dominate the four seas and the frontiers and unite all land under the heavens. He would cement an achievement that would be praised for a thousand autumns and create a prosperous world for ten thousand years to come.

“Hahaha...”

Emperor Jing Run could not withhold a hearty laugh when he thought until now. When the time came, he would become an emperor of the ages and the king of ten millennia. His fame and glory would rival that of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. Who would dare to criticize him after that? Who would dare to say he was right or wrong?

Unfortunately for him, he did not even manage to finish laughing when a sun suddenly appeared in the sky.

It was daytime, so there was already a sun in the sky. But now, a second sun had appeared out of nowhere to cast its divine light onto the entire realm.

Emperor Jing Run wasn’t the only one who saw this. Everyone in the imperial capital saw this as well.

The next moment, they saw the second sun descending down on the capital city.

The sun kept growing bigger and increasingly piercing. It looked as if it was descending toward the ground at an incredible speed.

This spectacle stunned everyone as a matter of course. No one knew what to do.

Eyes stormy, Emperor Jing Run was the only one who responded to the sudden descent. He slowly raised his right hand with his palm facing toward the sky and clenched.

When Emperor Jing Run clenched his fingers, space collapsed, and the light that filled heaven and earth was pushed back to the center. It was as if some sort of invisible yet great power was compressing the light back into the sun.

Eventually, an obvious layer of emptiness and void appeared around the sun. At the same time, five fingers appeared above the heavens, and a palm took form below the second sun.

The hand spanned from one end of the sky to another. From the ground, it looked like the universe itself.

Sitting at the center of the palm, the second sun looked as tiny as a firefly.

The sun was big, but how could it hope to be bigger than the universe?

The sun was bright, but how could it hope to outshine the cosmos?

The next moment, the heavens shook, and the five fingers slowly closed around the sun like the bars of a cage. It looked like the hand was planning to trap the sun or worse, crush it.

Just how great was the hand to ensnare the sun like nothing?

Right before the hand would grab and rip the sun from the sky, a river appeared out of nowhere.

The river looked mighty and majestic. It boasted huge waves and flowing water that seemed like it could run forever. It manifested mountains, rivers, and the land and conjured smoke, fire and humans around it. It was a symbol of the power of humanity.

The river was racing straight toward the gigantic hand that looked as big as the universe itself. The next moment, it passed through it.

The five fingers broke away from the palm at once. The palm itself was split at the center.

Not a moment too soon, the sun unleashed its dazzling rays once more and burned the hand into ashes.

At the same time, standing on the Heavens’ Eye Tower, a muffled groan escaped Emperor Jing Run’s lips as his raised arm fell limply beside him. His right hand looked scorched black, and there was a bone deep wound at the center of his palm. Faint gold blood was dripping from the wound.

“Are you alright, Your Holiness?”

It was at this moment five silhouettes raced out from various corners of the imperial capital and appeared around the Heavens’ Eye Tower.

The one boasting a noble, extraordinary appearance was the Pacification King of Chu, Chu Xunxian.

The old man sporting a refined, Confucian appearance was the Senior Grand Secretary of the Grand Secretariat of Chu, Wan Bainian.

The heroic, mighty-looking man in silver armor was the Strategist-Generalissimo of Chu, Li Chengzhong.

The white-haired man wearing a blue shirt and boasting an immense aura was the Grand Chief of the Pacification Bureau of Chu, Yao Tianyi.

And finally, the pale-faced man with a feminine appearance and aura was the Seal-holding Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial of Chu, Zhou Dongchao.

These five people possessed their own separate identities, positions, and statuses. However, they were the five most influential people in Chu besides Emperor Jing Run himself.

The Pacification King Chu Qianxian was the representative of the imperial clan of Chu.

The Senior Grand Secretary Wan Bainian was the chief of the literary officials of Chu.

The Strategist-Generalissimo Li Chengzhong was the champion of the army of Chu.

The Grand Chief Yao Tianyi was the protector god of the people of Chu.

And the Seal-holding Director Zhou Dongchao was the ancestor of the inner palace of Chu.

The five men formed a protective circle around Emperor Jing Run after they appeared, each of them guarding a direction. Their auras stirred the sky and shook the firmament.

“I am fine!” Emperor Jing Run said slowly and emotionlessly.

At the same time, the sun and river in the sky had descended to eye level.

It was only now the people realized that the sun wasn’t really the sun. It was a mirror.

The river wasn’t really a river either. It was a sword.

The mirror was golden bright in color and covered in complex and mysterious patterns. They formed images of the sun, moon and stars; and celestials, gods and Buddhas. Overflowing with the power of the Heavenly Way, it looked regal and dignified.

The sword looked old and square. Mountain, river, and all things were engraved on one side of the sword, and farmers, fishermen, rachers, and all other occupations were engraved on the other. It brimmed with the power of the Human Way.

“The Clear Sky Mirror...”

“The Xuanyuan Sword...”

Emperor Jing Run stared at the two sacred artifacts in the sky with cold eyes. His gaze was dark and stormy like an ocean being ravaged by the fiercest storm, deadly and world-ending. His expression was flat, calm, and confident though. He stared at the objects above him like they were nothing more but dead leaves and dry branches.

“Cease now, Emperor Jing Run!”

The next moment, a dignified voice boomed from the sky.

A silhouette stepped out of the Clear Sky Mirror.

Another silhouette appeared above the Xuanyuan Sword.

The silhouette stepping out of the Clear Sky Mirror was wearing a golden imperial robe, a tall crown, and a wide belt. Dragons and phoenixes danced around him, and a sea of auspicious clouds supported his feet. His power was all-encompassing like the monarch of the heavens themselves.

The silhouette above the Xuanyuan Sword was wearing coarse fabric and hemp garments. He was using a green branch to tie his hair, and wearing a pair of shoes weaved from dry grass. His appearance was perfectly average, but his aura was grand, infinite, and seemingly capable of illuminating eternity.