National Guardian's Gone and We're Done

”Only today have I finally glimpsed a glimmer of dawn in the darkness and vaguely come to some understanding.”

His Majesty’s tall, imposing, yet solitary and forlorn figure was deeply seared into his mind, as vivid as if it were yesterday.

The cold ridicule Amaterasu was about to utter caught in her throat the moment she heard Xu Fu’s words.

In that instant, she vaguely began to understand the profound meaning behind the words Qin Shi Huang had spoken all those years ago—words that were at once a challenge to the heavens, an expression of heroic ambition,

and a reflection of his deepest feelings.

It was the fearless courage of one who refused to be a puppet of fate, one who dared to challenge destiny itself.

Those few words were like a stone cast into the lake of her heart, sending ripples across the river of time—ripples that lingered on, leaving her spirit unsettled.

”What in the world is that mirror?”

Xia Chengli’s clear, pleasant voice shattered the brief silence.

She extended a slender finger, as white as fine jade,

pointing to the enormous mirror suspended above the Bronze Coffin.

The mirror was like a brilliant moon that had traversed the ages, arriving from a mysterious, ancient world,

emanating a cold, enigmatic radiance.

Runes swirled around the mirror’s edge, shimmering with a strange and mesmerizing glimmer.

These Runes intertwined, outlining a dreamlike Energy Glasses Frame that pulsed with the mysteries of the universe.

A torrent of powerful golden light surged from the mirror’s surface, like a golden wave crashing down.

It poured out ceaselessly,

shining directly onto the surface of the Bronze Coffin with a majestic and domineering force.

Bathed in this golden radiance, the surface of the Bronze Coffin erupted with a dazzling light of its own, shining brilliantly.

Yet, chillingly,

this seemingly brilliant golden light was corrosive.

It was gradually eating away at the surface of the Bronze Coffin.

A silent yet breathtaking struggle was underway, its outcome uncertain.

”That is one of the Three Great Divine Artifacts I control, the Eight-Handed Mirror.”

Amaterasu said.

In the past,

the people of the White-Red Empire held an almost fanatical, deeply devout reverence for mirrors, viewing them as sacred objects capable of ensuring their peace and safety.

They would often wear small, exquisite mirrors on their chests,

believing them to be a Protective Talisman that could ward off all worldly evil. No matter where they went, they felt the protection of a Divine Spirit, allowing them to live in the Mortal World with peace of mind.

Among these, the Eight-Handed Mirror held a position of unparalleled reverence.

As Amaterasu’s sacred object, it was solemnly enshrined within the Ise Shrine—the ancestral shrine of the White-Red Empire.

It was the sole sacred link between the Divine Domain and the Mortal World, bearing the faith and hopes of countless people.

In the folklore of the White-Red Empire, mirrors have always held an extremely high, unshakeable status.

The populace firmly believed that since mirrors could clearly reflect all things and people,

faithfully replicating the myriad states of the world, they must inherently possess mysterious and unfathomable power and Magic Power originating from the Divine Domain.

Consequently, numerous beliefs and legends sprang up surrounding mirrors.

Some were convinced that a mirror could bring a family good fortune and prosperity.

They were also seen as mirrors to the soul, reflecting the good and evil within a person’s heart and leaving no place for hypocrisy or wickedness to hide.

Furthermore, legends claimed they possessed a wondrous Magic Power that could expose the true forms of Demons lurking in the shadows,

foresee matters of life and death, and even grasp the secrets of fate to control the cycle of reincarnation.

For this very reason, a shattered mirror was considered a sign of great misfortune.

It also became custom to never step over a mirror, as if crossing a forbidden chasm;

to do so would offend a Divine Spirit and bring misfortune.

Outside of auspicious occasions, mirrors were to be carefully covered, for fear of disturbing the Divine Spirit within.

Yumizakura stood quietly to the side.

A flash of understanding would occasionally cross her long, bewitching eyes as she pieced together the mysteries of the past.

She recalled how she had searched everywhere after Amaterasu’s mysterious disappearance.

In her search for the White-Red Empire’s Three Great Divine Artifacts,

she had traveled far and wide, exploring every city and back alley, leaving her footprints on every inch of soil.

And yet, every time, she had just missed finding the Divine Artifacts.

She could only grasp at the faintest of clues,

which would then vanish like phantoms.

The traces tantalized her, making her unbearably anxious, yet she was powerless to do anything.

She had been filled with doubt. Why had the Three Great Divine Artifacts vanished as if into thin air, leaving only the faintest of traces but never revealing themselves?

Now, the answer was laid bare before them.

As it turned out, two of the Three Great Divine Artifacts had been hidden within Amaterasu’s own body all this time.

And the last one had been sealed beneath that land by Xu Fu of the Great Xia Empire,

sealed away with him.

The power of the seal was far beyond her own.

That was why she had repeatedly hit a dead end on her long quest, her senses blinded, forever unable to grasp the core of the truth.

”Why is the Bronze Mirror hanging up there, shining straight down on the coffin?”

Xia Chengli, determined to get to the bottom of things, asked another question.

Before Amaterasu could answer, Xu Fu said with a slight frown, ”This Bronze Coffin is also one of the treasures of His Majesty Emperor Qin Shi Huang.

The Emperor’s Qi clinging to it is so dense it’s almost viscous. It’s countless times more powerful than the Qi I once possessed.

An Emperor’s Qi this vast and majestic, capable of suppressing heaven and earth, is not something that can be forced open—not even by Amaterasu, for all her divine abilities.

That is why she has resorted to this plan: to use the mystical power of the Eight-Handed Mirror to slowly wear away the barrier.”