Chapter 333: Divine Eye Reappears

The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace said with a half-smile, "The Saint Master is certainly not modest."

Qin Mu was somewhat puzzled. He felt he had been very modest and practical, only claiming second place and never daring to claim first, certainly not boasting. How could that not be considered modesty?

Shan Youxin, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works and the Master of the Heavenly Works Hall of the Heavenly Devil Cult, possessed artifact refining skills that were already among the best in the world. Even other sects with highly skilled artificers couldn't surpass him by much.

Yet, Shan Youxin was significantly inferior to Qin Mu. Qin Mu believed he was not as skilled as the mute, so claiming second place was both humble and realistic. Grandfather Ma had taught him to be neither arrogant nor self-effacing, and he truly adhered to this teaching.

To others, however, a mere boy claiming to be the second greatest artificer in the world was astonishing. Even more startling was that this same boy also believed himself to be the second greatest divine physician.

After a moment's thought, Qin Mu compiled a list of necessary materials and handed it to the Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace. "These are roughly the materials needed to forge such a cannon platform," he explained. "If it's not enough, I'll request more from you."

The Imperial Preceptor took the list, studied it for a moment, and then slowly remarked, "Is the Saint Master intending to deplete the national treasury?"

"Why do you say that, Imperial Preceptor?" Qin Mu asked, surprised.

"The profound gold and profound copper on your list are acceptable; even if a lot is used, a few mines could supply them. But where am I supposed to acquire this divine gold and divine material?"

The Imperial Preceptor tapped the list, his eyes earnest. "Is the Master planning to embezzle treasures from the national treasury? If so, there will be a place for you at the execution grounds."

"Imperial Preceptor," Qin Mu countered, "the item you want to create is for slaying gods, not just a sect's treasure designed to kill a few masters! And speaking of which, you reminded me of something I almost forgot: the disciples of my Heavenly Saint Cult are helping with the refining, and their wages must be paid."

Qin Mu considered this, then added wages to the list, along with the several supervisory factories he would need and the names of a few first-rank imperial officials.

"To forge this divine cannon, I'll also need the world's most skilled arithmetic experts, ideally high-ranking figures from the Dao Sect!"

Qin Mu wrote "Dao Sect" on the list. "Every component of this divine cannon requires extreme precision, and the calculations are enormous," he explained. "Imperial College scholars would likely take centuries to complete them, and errors would still be inevitable. Dao Sect experts are masters of calculations; they must be enlisted."

The Imperial Preceptor's expression shifted slightly; he felt the list was truly burdensome.

He realized that even with the full might of the nation, they might only be able to construct a single such divine cannon.

The most challenging task was inviting the Dao Sect experts. The old Dao Master had once nearly assassinated Emperor Yanfeng and then rallied the former Crown Prince Ling Yuxia in a rebellion, almost seizing the throne. After the rebellion was suppressed, Emperor Yanfeng and Crown Prince Ling Yushu severely cracked down on the Dao Sect, leading to deep animosity between them.

Persuading the Dao Sect's experts to offer their assistance would be extremely difficult.

However, this divine cannon had to be built; otherwise, there would be no means to resist the next natural disaster.

He himself had not yet recovered to his peak state, and no one knew when the next natural disaster would strike.

"The national treasury is depleted; we don't have that much wealth."

"Can the Saint Master offer a discount?" the Imperial Preceptor tentatively asked.

Qin Mu pondered for a moment, then smiled. "After the Golden Palace of Loulan was conquered, Imperial Preceptor, you promised me a hundred treasures. I can use my own funds to pay the cult members' wages as an advance."

The Imperial Preceptor was about to bargain, but Qin Mu chuckled, "Heavenly King, I'm contributing my own labor and effort without asking for wages. Inviting the world's second greatest artificer to take action comes at a significant cost! Furthermore, I am the Heavenly Saint Master!"

The Imperial Preceptor sighed. "I shouldn't have agreed to let you be the Heavenly King of the Heavenly Saint Cult. Now I'm tied hand and foot and can't bargain. I'll need to report this matter to the Emperor for his decision. Over the years, the Eternal Peace Empire has annexed various countries and destroyed many sects, so there are indeed some divine gold and divine materials stored in the national treasury, but they require the Emperor's personal approval. Wait about ten days, and the Emperor's decree will be issued."

Qin Mu turned to help refine the Divine Heaven Rings. He wasn't concerned about the divine gold and divine materials, as he didn't find them particularly precious. He had used a substantial amount of such materials when forging his own Sword Pellet, all sourced from the Heavenly Devil Cult's treasury. In fact, he had deposited various sect-protecting treasures he possessed into the cult's treasury.

He worked alongside the Ministry of Works and the scholars of the Imperial College to refine the Divine Heaven Rings. Their speed was remarkable, embodying the principle that swiftness is crucial in warfare. Even just the refinement of over seventeen thousand Divine Heaven Rings was a monumental undertaking.

The Divine Heaven Rings connect to the True Yuan Cannon's formation patterns, allowing them to confine the True Yuan beam to the center of the barrel, preventing it from touching the bore. This concentrates the beam to the thickness of a bowl's mouth, which in turn prevents the bore from overheating, eliminating both profound gold fatigue and thermal degradation.

The True Yuan Cannon's beam, originally as thick as a bucket, was now reduced to the size of a bowl's mouth. Although the attack area became smaller, the range significantly increased. Furthermore, cannons could now be fired at will without fear of backfire, transforming the towering ships entirely into aerial battleships.

In reality, the Divine Heaven Rings did not offer the most significant improvement to the True Yuan Cannon. Among the Nine Heavens Eye Opening Techniques, the Divine Heaven Eye was merely the most fundamental pupil technique; the other eight techniques were far more potent.

The most powerful was the ninth level, the Blazing Heaven Eye.

However, the Divine Heaven Eye's formation patterns were the simplest to learn, easiest to refine, and required the fewest materials. For this reason, Qin Mu only taught those present the Divine Heaven Eye formation patterns.

If they were to use the Blazing Heaven Eye, even Qin Mu couldn't refine a single Blazing Heaven Ring in ten days to half a month; its formation patterns were far too complex. While using the Blazing Heaven Ring would likely condense the True Yuan beam into a light ray thinner than a needle, greatly increasing its range, the energy required to activate the True Yuan Cannon would also be immense, likely beyond the national treasury's capacity.

"If we could refine Blazing Heaven Rings, condensing light into threads to form a killing array, it would be truly invincible. Used to protect a sacred land, it would be utterly impregnable, even against an army of thousands!"

Qin Mu calculated the cost of building such a defensive array and immediately felt dejected. While the Heavenly Saint Cult could afford to construct it, they couldn't afford to operate it, as the medicinal stones required to activate and maintain the formation were exorbitant.

He then had another idea: although the Blazing Heaven Eye wasn't as potent as the Sun-Shooting Divine Eye, the blind man's divine eye employed the Nine Heavens Eye Opening Technique. His divine eye contained the formation patterns of all nine heavens, essentially accumulating their combined power, which was truly terrifying!

"When Grandfather Blind still had his eyes, I wonder if a mere glare from him would have been enough to kill someone?"

Qin Mu couldn't help but ponder this. The blind man was short, always mumbling mysteriously, and brandishing his bamboo staff. It was difficult to imagine how terrifying his gaze must have been when he still had his eyes.

And who was it that gouged out Grandfather Blind's divine eyes?

The Divine Spear of that era possessed such terrifying divine eyes; who could have taken them and reduced such a god-like figure to this current state?

"The Dao Sect? Great Thunderclap Temple? Li Tianxing? Or perhaps Little Jade Capital?"

As Qin Mu pondered, he suddenly recalled the young man named Xu Shenghua, and a thought flickered in his mind: "Could it be from that place called 'Heaven' where Xu Shenghua came from?"

The blind man was known as the Divine Spear, but his most powerful asset was his divine eyes, which were gouged out.

The Butcher, known as the Heavenly Blade, once ascended to the heavens. It's rumored that deities appeared and severed him at the waist.

The Village Chief, known as the Sword God, had his four limbs severed by swords.

Was there some connection among these events?

The Cripple, a divine thief, had his legs severed by the Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace during a palace heist; his situation differed from the Blind Man and the Butcher. The Mute's tongue was cut off by an unknown assailant, and without the Mute speaking, no one knew the full story.

The Apothecary had cut off his own face to sever emotional attachments. The Deaf Man had deafened his own ears, regretting his indifference to worldly affairs. Granny Si's inner demon was Li Tianxing, with master and disciple clashing over divine beauty. Grandfather Ma had severed his own arm to repay his teacher's kindness. These incidents seemed unrelated.

Only the Butcher and the Village Chief seemed to share a common cause for their disabilities.

However, the identity of the person who gouged out the blind man's eyes remained unknown.

"Where could Grandfather Blind's divine eyes be now?"

Qin Mu stared blankly for a moment, then abruptly shook his head, casting the thought aside. He mused, "Based on the True Yuan Cannon's principle, I could use the Nine Heavens Eye Opening Technique to create a pupil-based divine art. Grandfather Blind only taught me the pupil technique, not a divine art, but I can create one myself! Once I master the divine eye, I'd like to see who dares to gouge out my eyes!"

He acted on the thought instantly, activating the Overlord Body Three Elixir Technique, then drawing upon the Seven Chapters of Creation from the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture. He then propelled the Creation Human King Art and Creation Earth Origin Art, causing roaring vital qi and fiery power to instantly gather in his eyes.

Layer upon layer of formation patterns condensed in his pupils, revealing the Azure Heaven Eye. As the technique activated, two fiery beams shot forth.

Fiery light blazed in Qin Mu's eyes, intensifying with each moment. His gaze focused on the cannon platform before him, slicing it into three distinct pieces!

Everyone on the ship looked over. Qin Mu quickly retracted his gaze, dissipating the formation patterns in his eyes, and chuckled, "Don't panic, everyone. I think this cannon platform is ruined; we might as well melt it down and re-forge it."

The astonishment on everyone's faces remained. Qin Mu's heart pounded wildly, and he clenched his fists. "The divine eye is truly formidable," he thought, "a mere glare could be lethal..."

The Cripple and the Village Chief sat together, basking in the sun outside the City Lord's Mansion. Upon seeing those two beams of light, they shook their heads. "That boy Mu'er is fooling around again," the Cripple remarked. "Isn't he afraid of burning his own eyes out? Blind's heart is too generous, teaching him such dangerous things."

The Village Chief squinted. "How powerful the Blind Man's divine eye truly is can be glimpsed from Mu'er," he said. "The one who gouged out his eyes was no ordinary individual. If that person could take his eyes, it's not unlikely someone might also desire your legs."

The Cripple's body trembled slightly. He looked at the Village Chief and whispered, "Are you saying someone wants to gather all items that have reached the divine realm? What would they want these things for?"

"To assemble a god."

The Village Chief sighed. "I'm not the only one from my era still alive," he said. "You might encounter such a person."

The Cripple shrank back. "I'm a coward, don't scare me," he mumbled. "Can't I just run away?"

The Village Chief looked at Qin Mu on the ship and whispered, "I hope I can remove some obstacles for Mu'er to help him grow, but I don't know if I'll live that long... Mu'er is still too naive; it would be better if he were a little more cunning..."

In the Golden Palace of Loulan, powerful corporeal bodies sat in various shrines around Ban Gongcuo. Each employed shamanic divine arts, continuously bombarding an ancient book floating in the center, attempting to break its seals.

These ancient books were precisely the ones he had plundered from the Qin-Han Treasure Ship.

*Boom!*

A loud bang resounded, and the seals on the ancient book finally broke. Unable to contain his excitement, Ban Gongcuo rushed forward to open it. His face immediately turned ashen, and he threw the book onto the ground. "It's the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture again!" he exclaimed. "Is this god who came from Wuyou Township from the Heavenly Devil Cult?"

Ancient books were already scattered around him on the floor, and now only one remained unopened.

He composed himself, then exerted his utmost to activate his past-life body, opening the final scripture.

Ban Gongcuo turned the first page, and instantly, a burst of golden light erupted, illuminating the sacred hall.