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Chapter 78: Isolating the Heavens and Earth
Chapter 78: Isolating the Heavens and Earth
The Sacred Arsenal was a place that housed the divine armaments of nations.
In the thirty-six kingdoms of the Central Plains, there were thirty-six such armaments, and thus, thirty-six Sacred Arsenals.
For the royal families of these kingdoms, offering sacrifices to these divine weapons was of greater importance than even ancestral worship or paying homage to past emperors.
It was only due to Lin Yuan's autocratic rule in the Great Yan Dynasty and his resilience against pressure from the court that he had managed to delay these sacrifices for five to six decades.
Even so, the annual living sacrifices sent to the Sacred Arsenal had not diminished in the slightest.
Lin Yuan turned a blind eye to this practice.
While the succession of the throne might not interest these divine armaments, a reduction in the number of living sacrifices certainly would.
Should they dare to lessen the offerings, it would undoubtedly attract the attention of the divine armaments.
And when that happened, the armaments would awaken and actively seek out their sacrifices.
The consequences of such an event would be dire for the Great Yan Dynasty.
After all, the number of sacrifices required by an awakened armament would far surpass that needed during its slumber.
Therefore— Until he possessed sufficient strength to suppress the divine armaments, maintaining the status quo and buying more time to grow stronger was the wisest choice.
At least this way, Lin Yuan could retain control and choose the moment to strike.
Now, for instance, presented an opportunity that Lin Yuan deemed favorable.
He could use the sacrifice ceremony to lure out the divine armament and strike while it was 'feeding'.
"Divine Armaments," Lin Yuan murmured.
After he agreed to the sacrifice, the Minister of Rites and many other officials hurried to prepare the various rituals required for the ceremony.
Meanwhile, Lin Yuan returned to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, contemplating the matter of the 'divine armaments'.
Having decided to take action against them, he was confident in his ability to succeed.
By perusing the memories of numerous 'evil armaments', Lin Yuan had gained a profound understanding of the thirty-six divine armaments.
Setting aside their combat prowess for now, Lin Yuan was certain he was no weaker than any single armament.
What he needed to be cautious about was the armaments' last resort.
Integration with the Heavens and Earth.
Whether divine or evil, these armaments were, in essence, external manifestations of the fundamental rules of the Heavens and Earth.
As external manifestations, they could, in times of necessity, reintegrate back into the Heavens and Earth.
The evil armaments, with their shattered cores, could no longer return to the Heavens and Earth.
But the divine armaments were different.
If they so chose, they could seamlessly merge with the Heavens and Earth.
In such a state, even if Lin Yuan were a hundred or a thousand times stronger, he would be powerless unless he could destroy the very Heavens and Earth themselves.
Of course, unless it was an absolute last resort and they had no other option, the divine armaments would not choose to return to the Heavens and Earth.
For in doing so, their individual consciousness would be washed away by the consciousness of the Heavens and Earth.
In simpler terms, they would be 'formatted'.
Even if they emerged from the Heavens and Earth centuries later, they would not be the same armaments.
Their inner consciousness would have been replaced.
However...
Since Lin Yuan had decided to take action, he would not stand idly by and watch them return to the Heavens and Earth.
One of his primary objectives in striking now was to suppress the divine armaments and comprehend the fundamental rules they embodied.
Over the decades, the essence of the rules within the countless evil armament fragments had greatly benefited Lin Yuan.
And these were just fragments, mere shards of the divine armaments.
If he could study a complete divine armament, how much greater would the benefit be?
It would, at the very least, propel him to the fourth tier.
Not just any ordinary fourth tier, but one rooted in the essence of the rules themselves.
"Since the divine armaments can integrate with the Heavens and Earth..."
"...I shall directly isolate the Heavens and Earth."
Lin Yuan's gaze was calm and resolute.
In the eight decades since his arrival in this world, Lin Yuan had studied countless evil armament fragments, and with his heaven-defying comprehension talent, he had devised a secret technique to isolate the Heavens and Earth.
Using eighty-one evil armaments as a core, he could completely seal off a designated area.
In other words, isolating it from the Heavens and Earth.
However, this so-called 'seal' was temporary.
The Heavens and Earth possessed a restorative ability, and with Lin Yuan's current means, he could only maintain the seal for an hour at most.
Thus, he could isolate the Heavens and Earth for an hour.
The Great Yan Emperor's impending visit to the Sacred Arsenal to offer sacrifices to the divine armaments became the top priority in the court.
Naturally, with a sacrifice, there would be an abundance of offerings prepared.
And for the divine armaments, the offerings were living humans, vibrant with qi and blood, and preferably cultivators.
Since Lin Yuan's ascension to the throne, while he had not reduced the number of sacrifices, he had ensured that the living offerings were primarily those condemned to death or heavy punishment.
If the numbers were still insufficient, they would be supplemented by volunteers from the common folk.
As long as one willingly became an offering, their parents, children, and other relatives would be cared for by the court.
The elderly would be provided for by the Great Yan Dynasty, and the younger generations would be given priority in education, politics, and military service.
This policy once sparked controversy in the court, with many ministers believing it unnecessary to let those commoners officiate the rituals for the divine armaments; it was their honor.
After all, implementing such a policy would undoubtedly strain the national treasury.
But under Lin Yuan's assertive rule, this policy was nevertheless enforced.
The process of sacrificing to the divine armaments was extremely intricate.
It took the ministers half a day to prepare before they could commence the final ritual.
As the emperor, Lin Yuan led the way, heading towards the central underground chamber of the ancestral land.
Several hours later...
Lin Yuan's gaze turned profound as he looked towards the center of the altar.
In his perception, a vast and majestic aura, akin to the might of mountains and seas, almost surged forth.
This aura was fierce and majestic, sharp and overpowering, surpassing that of any evil armament Lin Yuan had ever encountered.
Even the 'Heaven-Splitting Axe', with its ninety percent completeness, paled in comparison to this overwhelming presence.
For eight millennia, those evil armaments had stagnated in their progress.
But the thirty-six divine armaments had continuously devoured the essence, blood, and souls of countless beings, slowly but steadily growing stronger. Over the passage of eight thousand years, like a dripping stone that eventually penetrates the hardest rock, their strength had naturally surpassed what it was initially.
Not to mention, these thirty-six divine armaments were already the strongest among the hundred armaments that had fiercely battled each other eight millennia ago.
"Sun and Moon Spear,"
A hint of surprise flashed across Lin Yuan's face.
The Great Yan Dynasty's national treasure, the Sun and Moon Spear, was one of the most adept offensive divine armaments among the thirty-six.
During that battle of divine armaments eight millennia ago, the Sun and Moon Spear had pierced through no less than seven or eight other armaments, earning its fearsome reputation.
"Alright."
"All of you, leave."
"I have words to speak with the divine armament."
Lin Yuan sensed that the Sun and Moon Spear was about to emerge to consume the sacrificial offerings.
He immediately turned back to face the ministers and members of the royal family.
"Yes."
"Then we shall take our leave."
The crowd was already feeling a bit breathless, After all, as the aura of the Sun and Moon Spear gradually permeated the area, ordinary people would find it difficult to withstand such an overwhelming presence akin to the very heavens and earth.
Lin Yuan's reasoning was also quite sufficient.
The Great Yan royal family was chosen by the divine armaments as their 'spokesperson'.
And as the emperor, with the highest status in the royal family, it was only natural for Lin Yuan to be left alone with the divine armament.
Soon...
Aside from Lin Yuan...
Everyone else respectfully withdrew.
In that moment, the vast and spacious altar was left with only Lin Yuan and the living sacrificial offerings kneeling in the distance.
The living offerings for this sacrifice were convicts gathered from various places.
To ensure the smooth progress of the ritual, these convicts had already been rendered unconscious.
Lin Yuan stood in place, quietly awaiting the emergence of the divine armament.
At that moment, Lin Yuan's aura was carefully restrained, making it impossible for even a divine armament to sense anything amiss.
Otherwise, given the strength of Lin Yuan's physical body and essence, the Sun and Moon Spear would have likely gone berserk by now, instead of acting in such a 'leisurely' manner.
Rumble...
Under Lin Yuan's watchful gaze, a hundred-zhang long dragon with the sun and moon revolving around it slowly flew out.
"Dragon?"
Lin Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly.
Not a dragon.
The so-called 'divine dragon' was merely a phantasm created by the aura of the divine armament.
Lin Yuan saw that at the core of the 'dragon' phantasm, a hazy long spear hung suspended.
The divine armament, the Sun and Moon Spear.
Lin Yuan's expression turned slightly solemn.
This wasn't the first time he had seen a divine armament.
While perusing the memories of those 'evil armaments', he had come across numerous divine armaments.
He had even witnessed many scenes of the Sun and Moon Spear piercing through its targets.
But those scenes were just that—scenes.
Compared to the actual Sun and Moon Spear before him, they were like fireflies trying to rival the moon's radiance.
"Hiss!"
The Sun and Moon Spear trembled slightly.
The hundred-zhang long dragon phantasm opened its massive maw and gently inhaled in the direction of the sacrificial offerings.
Instantly...
A large amount of essence, vitality, and souls were devoured by the dragon.
"Not bad offerings this time."
The Sun and Moon Spear emitted a formidable spiritual fluctuation, evidently somewhat satisfied.
"Are you the new emperor?"
The Sun and Moon Spear seemed to sense something and once again released a spiritual fluctuation.
"Indeed."
Lin Yuan nodded.
"Since that's the case..."
The Sun and Moon Spear's spear shaft wobbled.
A mysterious aura descended.
Each emperor, during the period of sacrificing to the divine armaments, would be imprinted with a mark by the divine armament.
It served as both a deterrent and a restriction.
The reason Lin Yuan had not performed the muscle and marrow cleansing ritual on the previous emperor was due to his concern about this divine armament imprint.
"Wait a moment."
Upon seeing this, Lin Yuan immediately spoke up.
As Lin Yuan uttered the word 'wait', he lifted his right foot and took a step forward.
By the time he finished saying 'wait', his right foot landed, and the area within the altar was instantly isolated from the surrounding heavens and earth.
(End of Chapter)
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