Covering the Sky: I Prove the Great Dao Through the Gate of Immortality

Chapter 245 The Stone Emperor's Worries

The Stone Emperor's gaze pierced through the layers of palace walls and landed in the direction of the Martial King's Mansion.

That once magnificent mansion is now shrouded in a faint halo—a mark of permanent imprisonment, the imprint left by that mysterious being. From this day forward, it will be a prison, trapping those who should have died but are forced to live on forever.

He was slightly lost in thought.

Prince Wu's Mansion...

Besides the world-renowned double-pupiled individual, this mansion once produced another innate supreme being.

He only found out about this later.

Unlike those with double pupils—who are born with extraordinary signs, their eyes gleaming with divine light, impossible to hide from anyone, and needing no concealment—it is a gift from heaven, a rightful asset to be openly flaunted.

But the Supreme Bone is different.

It is a hidden supreme talent, concealed within the body and hidden in the bones and blood. Only those with sufficiently profound cultivation can detect it, and only those born with extraordinary abilities can perceive it upon close contact.

When the baby was brought to us, his bones were still intact.

The young couple arrived full of hope, believing that their ancestral land could save their child. But by then, Stone Village was already dilapidated, devoid of its former glory and mystique, with only a charred willow tree and some ordinary villagers.

They were disappointed.

So he left the child behind and embarked on that perilous journey.

The infant's supreme bone had already been removed before it was even brought to the baby.

By their own people.

The people from the Prince Wu's mansion.

Those who are currently trapped in their homes, unable to live or die.

The Stone Emperor closed his eyes.

He recalled years ago, when that turmoil first broke out, and the Shi Ziling couple launched a frenzied counterattack, turning the Wu Wang Mansion into a bloodbath. At that time, he wasn't unaware of what had happened; he simply chose to remain silent.

The Prince Wu's mansion was very powerful.

Those with double pupils are exceptionally gifted.

For the sake of the so-called "big picture" and the so-called "balance," he let it all go unchecked.

He thought that an infant who had lost his supreme bone could not cause any trouble.

He thought that time would heal all wounds and that those sordid things would eventually be buried.

He was wrong.

The baby did not die.

The baby survived, and thrived, better than anyone else.

Moreover, behind him stood a figure whom even he dared not look directly at.

The Stone Emperor opened his eyes, his gaze still fixed on the direction of the Martial King's Mansion, yet it seemed to pierce through the barrier and see those trapped within—

They were on the ground, their faces ashen, their eyes filled with despair.

They are waiting.

When that baby grows up, when that baby comes to their door in person, when that baby stands before them, and tells them—

Who is the true supreme being?

The Stone Emperor withdrew his gaze and sighed softly.

You reap what you sow.

The ancients are not deceived by me.

Shi Huang withdrew his gaze, gently turning the teacup between his fingers, but did not bring it to his lips for a long time.

Over the past few years, certain thoughts have often surfaced in my mind unexpectedly and lingered there.

He sometimes thinks—

Has Shi Guo missed a chance to reach the pinnacle?

Those with double pupils are born supreme.

Which of these two words isn't something countless forces dream of? Which one isn't enough to ensure a clan's prosperity for generations to come?

But the Prince Wu's mansion happens to possess both of these.

One of them, Shi Yi, has double pupils in his eyes, which can see through illusions and foresee opportunities—a divine ability possessed only by ancient sages.

A son of Shi Ziling possesses the supreme bone. If he grows up, his physique will be unparalleled and his combat power will be overwhelming. He is a peerless talent that can rival a heavenly-rank ferocious beast.

If these two could stand side by side, work together, and move forward hand in hand—

He can roam freely throughout the eight regions.

The Kingdom of Stone will no longer be the Kingdom of Stone.

It will be an existence that surpasses all ancient kingdoms and stands above the eight regions.

But now?

Shi Yi is still alive and has been nurtured with all his might by the Wu King's Mansion. He is now a renowned young prodigy.

But what about the baby?

Where is that born genius, that child who should have been on par with Shi Yi?

His supreme bone is now inside Shi Yi's body.

His parents' fate and whereabouts are unknown.

He himself was abandoned in the desolate mountains. If he hadn't been adopted by a deserted village, he would have long since turned into a handful of dust.

Shi Huang closed his eyes and applied slight pressure with his fingertips.

There is still a chance.

Back then, if the people of the Martial Prince's Mansion hadn't been so blinded by evil, hadn't committed such a cruel act against their own family—if they had treated that child well, allowing him to grow up with Shi Yi, cultivate together, and fight side by side—

What was that scene like?

One with double pupils, one with supreme bones.

Two natural geniuses, from the same clan, of one mind and one heart.

What a magnificent sight that would be!

But all of this was destroyed by that conspiracy.

It was ruined by greed.

It was ruined by shortsightedness.

It was destroyed by those who are currently trapped in the Wu King's mansion, unable to live or die.

The Stone Emperor opened his eyes, a complex light flashing within them.

There was regret, there was pity, and there was also a hint of self-mockery that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

Because he knew he was an accomplice.

He was aware of what happened back then. But he didn't intervene, didn't stand up for justice, and didn't seek an explanation for the baby.

Because he knew he was an accomplice.

He was aware of what happened back then. But he didn't intervene, didn't stand up for justice, and didn't seek an explanation for the baby.

He chose to remain silent.

They chose the "big picture".

They chose to let everything be "resolved satisfactorily".

Looking back now, how ridiculous it all seems.

"A satisfactory resolution"?

Did that baby feel a sense of fulfillment when his bones were removed?

When that young couple embarked on their path to death, did they ever think about a solution?

Now, as that mysterious being stands before the gates of the Martial King's Mansion, does he feel that everything is "perfect"?

The Stone Emperor gazed in the direction of the Martial King's Mansion, remaining silent for a long time.

Was he dissatisfied with the people in Prince Wu's mansion?

Of course I'm dissatisfied.

Such acts of harming one's own family would enrage any clan leader with a modicum of conscience. But he was not a clan leader; he was the Emperor. He was not concerned with the grudges of a single family or clan, but with the balance of the entire Stone Kingdom.

This position prevents him from doing many things.

The coexistence of various kings, each with their own power, creates a system of checks and balances—this has been the structure of the Stone Kingdom since its founding. The Martial King's Mansion is powerful, the Rain King's Mansion is powerful, and the other kings each have their own ambitions. As the Human Emperor, his task is not to favor any particular king, but to keep everything within a controllable range.

If he intervenes and disrupts the balance, the consequences will be unimaginable.

What will the other princes think? Will they feel that the Emperor has started targeting the royal palaces? Will everyone feel insecure and secretly conspire against each other? Will some people take risks and do something irreversible?

Therefore, he could only remain silent.

Therefore, he could only watch as the people of the Wu King's Mansion became arrogant and domineering, as those sordid things happened one after another, as the infant had his supreme bone dug out, and as the young couple embarked on a path to their deaths.

He wasn't unaware.

He just can't move.

rule.

These two words not only bind ordinary people, but also him, who stands at the highest point. The rules are his tools for maintaining his rule, but also the shackles that bind his hands and feet. Once he personally breaks the rules, the rules cease to be rules, and the entire Stone Kingdom will descend into chaos.

Shi Huang sighed softly.

He knew that to some people, these words were just an excuse. But these were his true thoughts, his true situation over the years.

He has to bear the consequences of sitting in this chair.

This includes watching helplessly as things that shouldn't happen happen.

This includes watching helplessly as opportunities that should have led to the pinnacle slip through your fingers.

Even now, sitting here, sipping cooled tea, I'm telling the neighboring monarch, "Don't provoke them."

The disaster has already occurred.

Shi Huang put down his teacup, his gaze passing over the window and looking towards the area in the distance of the capital that was shrouded by an invisible barrier.

A born supreme being has been lost.

That child should have been the pillar of the Stone Kingdom's future, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Double-Pupiled One, sweeping across the eight regions. But now, his Supreme Bone is inside someone else's body, while he himself is wandering outside, adopted by a desolate village, and protected under the wings of a terrifying being.

The Kingdom of Stone has nothing to do with him anymore.

And the other—

Shi Yi, with his double pupils, is a prodigy nurtured by the Martial King's Mansion with all its might, and is now a renowned young talent. But will his future truly remain inextricably linked to the Shi Kingdom?

The Stone Emperor fell into deep thought.

If one cannot become the emperor of the Stone Kingdom, what is the point of staying in the Stone Kingdom for someone with double pupils?

This was the question that had been troubling him, and the reason he had been unable to make up his mind.

Yes, he was hesitating.

He has always held reservations about whether to let Shi Yi inherit his throne as emperor in the future.

It wasn't because Shi Yi lacked talent—quite the opposite, the innate talent of those with double pupils was enough to make anyone's heart flutter. But talent is one thing, and temperament is another. Over the years, although he hadn't witnessed Shi Yi's actions in the Martial King's Mansion firsthand, he had heard quite a bit about them.

That child looks so much like someone from the Prince Wu's mansion.

They are just like those people who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals and treat others like dirt.

If he were to ascend to the throne of the Human Emperor, what would become of the Stone Kingdom?

The Stone Emperor dared not even think about it.

more importantly--

Many things are done by people, but Heaven is watching.

In the Stone Kingdom, the Stone Emperor is practically the heavens.

He sits in this chair, overlooking all living beings, judging all matters. He can remain silent, he can weigh the options, he can turn a blind eye for the sake of the so-called "big picture." But he knows in his heart that some things, silence does not mean ignorance, and weighing the options does not mean a lack of stance.

He was watching as the baby's bones were being removed.

He was watching as the couple left in despair.

He was watching as those people from the Prince Wu's mansion gradually imprisoned and placed under house arrest those who spoke up for that child in the following years.

He knows everything.

He did nothing.

Now, that mysterious being has arrived, shattering the gate of the Martial King's Mansion with a single slap, erasing the Martial King's existence with a single word, and sweeping away all traces of the Rain King's Mansion with a single glance. And he can only sit here, sipping his cold tea, saying, "Don't provoke him."

I'm grateful that I still have the opportunity to sit here and continue to be this "heaven".

But he also knew—

Some debts just haven't been settled yet.

Some debts are simply yet to be collected.

One day, that baby will grow up and stand in front of the Wu King's mansion.

At that time, how will he, the "heaven," conduct himself?

That figure gradually faded into the distance.

Calm, serene, even with a touch of leisure—like someone who went out for an afternoon stroll, tired from walking, now leisurely returning home. It was as if he had not just suppressed a royal palace or annihilated a king in the capital, but merely brushed a speck of dust off his clothes along the way.

The pace remains steady.

His demeanor remained calm.

Even the hem of her clothes didn't flutter an inch.

He walked on, step by step, leaving the horror and deathly silence of the entire capital behind, until he finally disappeared into the vast horizon.

Only when that figure completely disappeared from sight, and when those composed steps were no longer visible, did the air in the capital, which had been frozen for so long, finally begin to flow slowly.

What is fluid is not easy.