Chapter 400 — The Supreme Divine Pupil

Everyone exclaimed in admiration. The Sunherd chieftain stood to one side, not knowing whether to laugh or cry; they had come to this Sun Temple to discuss matters of great import to their clans, and now it had turned into a place for admiring finery.

After the commotion died down, Shen Mu said, "Chief Yu, you may lead your people and remain in the Ruin, or you may come with me to the Jingping Kingdom. When the time is ripe, you can lead a great army back to the Tianyu World. What do you say?

" Yu Zhaoqing pondered for a moment.

"Prince, wait a few days.

I must discuss it with my people before deciding. " Shen Mu nodded, and Yu Zhaoqing went at once to consult her people.

"Chieftain, let us go look at that split sun! " Shen Mu rose and went with the others to the place between the two halves of the sun, where many Sunherds were trying to drag the chains out of the sun that had been split in two. They meant to use the Dawn Ark's chains to fish a new sun out of the Dawn Spring.

Shen Mu had smashed the sun upon the Dawn Ark into two halves, so a new sun had to be fished up to serve as the Ark's source of power; otherwise the Sun Guardian would have his life force drained by that enormous vessel.

Yet the chains were embedded within the sun, and even with the sun split in two, it was very hard to pull them out.

Shen Mu walked into the interior of the huge hemisphere, and saw that within the sun was a vast and complex three-dimensional array structure; only with thousands of arrays activated could this immense metal sphere be transformed into a sun, giving off its terrifying radiance and fire.

Shen Mu had smashed this sun into two halves, so that many of the array structures within had cracked and many components had fallen away. More than a dozen Sunherds had crawled inside the sun and were trying to free the chains, but no matter how much strength they exerted, they could not loosen them.

"Is there anyone here skilled in arrays?

" an elder called out loudly. "These chains are held fast by a dozen or so arrays; the arrays must be opened before the chains can be drawn out.

.

. Prince! " The many Sunherds who had been busy at their work set it down one after another and saluted Shen Mu.

Shen Mu returned the salute and studied the arrays within the sun in detail. The chains that bound the sun pierced in from its surface, and inside there were a dozen or so disc-shaped array gear structures that locked the four chains fast, layer upon layer.

The old chieftain was also examining the structure of these arrays. The rune marks on the array components were exceedingly complex, dazzling his eyes, and he shook his head.

"Among our Sunherd clan there is no master of arrays; we cannot unravel these.

" Shen Mu's face turned thoughtful, then he said abruptly, "I understand. At last I understand why Zi Qing spent a hundred years and still could not forge the Dawn Spring and the Soul Spring!

" Everyone looked at him, rather perplexed, not knowing why he had suddenly brought up the matter of Zi Qing building the wells.

"The array structure within this sun is in fact the array structure of a holy pupil," Shen Mu said, walking among the arrays and distinguishing the rune marks upon them, speaking swiftly. "When the emperor ordered Zi Qing to build the wells, it must have been on account of her abilities. This goddess Zi Qing must have been the foremost holy pupil of her day!

Her mastery of the holy pupil was unmatched under heaven, and so the emperor commanded Zi Qing to build the two wells of sun and moon. " He swiftly scanned the dozen or so array structures that held the chains, then rose and went outside the sun to examine its surface closely. The surface of the sun was not smooth; it bore many grain-like patterns, like the grain of wood.

"The reason Zi Qing failed for a hundred years is that she had already realized that to create the two wells of sun and moon, she would have to sacrifice her own holy pupils. Once the wells were made, she would go blind.

So she spent a hundred years in unrestrained pleasure.

" Shen Mu groped over the sun's surface, and after a while found a raised circular pattern.

His vital essence surged out, and the pattern was at once lit by it and began to spin without cease. At the same time, the dozen or so arrays inside the sun that held the chains began to rotate, loosening their grip. Shen Mu looked up. "Only when the emperor flew into a rage did she devote herself wholly to refining the wells, and in the end she gouged out her own eyes and lit the Dawn Spring and the Soul Spring.

" Before him, the structure within the sun changed ceaselessly as the arrays were unlocked, giving off great clanging booms, while the complex patterns on the sun's surface lit up one after another, and great plate after great plate of its outer layer withdrew backward, layer upon layer! The half-sun seemed to come alive, frightening everyone into retreating again and again, startled and uncertain. The sun's structure kept changing, and after a moment this half of the enormous sun shrank into a solid wall of metal standing upright before them.

Shen Mu went to the other half of the sun and did the same; that half changed as well, becoming another metal wall. The two walls stood before them, a hundred zhang tall and several li long, ancient and golden. "The goddess Zi Qing knew she must sacrifice her holy pupils to the wells before she could complete the task the emperor had given her, so she spent a hundred years in pleasure, and then fifty more to fulfill the emperor's charge.

What a remarkable woman. " Shen Mu sighed in admiration, and gazing at the two metal walls, his face showed reverence.

He said softly, "Her name was Zi Qing: Zi means elder sister, and Qing is her given name — it means she was the elder sister in the family who loved to wear blue-green robes.

What a pity that I have no chance to meet such a remarkable person. .

. What is the matter with you all? " He turned to look, and saw everyone staring at him dumbly, mouths agape.

Shen Mu could not help feeling puzzled, and explained, "Zi as in sisters, Qing as in blue robes.

Zi Qing means 'the elder sister who wears blue robes. '" "Not that!

" an elder stammered. "Prince, you have unlocked the sun's arrays!

" Shen Mu understood all at once and laughed.

"Unlocking them was not difficult. I have done some study of divine arts like the holy pupil. In the Jingping Kingdom I even forged a holy pupil of similar structure myself — though of course it was not as intricate as this sun.

Zi Qing was truly formidable! " He raised his head and gazed up at the two walls. "I have learned a great deal.

I truly wish I could enter the wells and look upon her eyes.

. .

"