With Karl's mental power enhanced by the Mind Stone, his control over energy was far greater than when the Mandarin had used it.
Moreover, the original layout of the Yuanmingyuan had already been reconstructed by Yan's Angel Eyes, which analyzed historical records and ruins to perfectly deduce its former appearance.
Because of this, Karl was able to directly recreate the entire Old Summer Palace.
Amid the shocked gasps of the audience below—
The magnificent Yuanmingyuan was fully restored.
Then Karl opened another spatial portal.
From within the sky above, tens of thousands of cultural relics and treasures floated forward like a golden river.
They flowed through the portal and were carefully placed back inside the restored Yuanmingyuan.
As for the original Twelve Zodiac Fountain Heads, Karl had never deliberately collected them.
Instead—
He simply used one of his rings to transform a piece of ordinary brass into the twelve zodiac animal heads.
With telekinesis, he arranged them one by one beside the fountain.
Everyone watching—whether Chinese or foreign—was completely stunned.
No one had ever imagined that the Yuanmingyuan would be restored.
Even less had anyone imagined that the looted treasures taken by foreign powers would suddenly return.
When the Prime Minister and Queen of the Kingdom of Yin learned of this, they were furious.
But the one responsible was Karl.
So they could only remain silent.
Other countries simply watched the spectacle with amusement.
No one stepped forward to defend the Kingdom of Yin.
After all—
The Great Yin Museum contained not only Chinese relics, but also countless artifacts taken from many other civilizations.
Even India's museums had once complained about it.
It truly deserved the nickname: "The Great Yin Museum."
Even the usually troublesome United States remained silent this time.
Under normal circumstances, they would have stood up to "uphold justice" and accuse China of wrongdoing.
But Karl was the one who had done it.
So they immediately pretended nothing had happened.
Karl had also publicly said earlier:
If anyone wanted their cultural relics back, they could contact him at his estate.
But everyone understood the real meaning behind that polite statement.
It essentially meant:
"I've already taken them. If you're unhappy, come find me yourself."
Meanwhile, the top leadership of China was equally stunned.
They had never expected Karl to restore the Old Summer Palace—and even return so many treasures.
Immediately, emergency orders were issued.
Large numbers of security personnel and military units were deployed to guard the Yuanmingyuan.
Previously, people could freely enter and leave the ruins.
But now that the palace had been fully restored—
If even one treasure were stolen, it would be heartbreaking.
Karl calmly spoke into the microphone again.
"This is my second gift to the Olympic opening ceremony."
He glanced toward the audience.
"To be honest, I believe these treasures truly belong in the Yuanmingyuan."
"Seeing them here should give everyone a different feeling."
Karl smiled faintly.
"Alright."
"My final gift is for everyone present."
"Remember to accept it."
After finishing his words—
Karl disappeared from the stage.
The microphone gently floated back into the host's hand.
Soon afterward—
A soft green rain began to fall above the Bird's Nest Stadium.
At first, many people looked confused.
They didn't understand what was happening.
But then someone noticed something shocking.
An elderly man who had been struck by the rain suddenly appeared younger and healthier.
At that moment, many people remembered the rumors.
Karl possessed the ability to grant lifespan.
The wealthy elites and powerful figures in the audience reacted instantly.
They rushed toward open spaces to be drenched by the rain.
No one wanted to miss the opportunity.
The green rain came quickly—
And disappeared just as quickly.
The entire phenomenon lasted only one minute.
Everyone who had been touched by the rain gained two to three additional years of lifespan.
Even the highest leaders of China were surprised by Karl's generosity.
After all—
He had just granted extended lifespan to tens of thousands of people.
In reality, the rain was merely highly diluted dragon-bone essence.
At most, Karl had used the equivalent of four hundred years of lifespan essence.
But to him, that amount was insignificant.
It was barely noticeable compared to the reserves he possessed.
After returning to his private box, Karl began examining several items he had secretly taken earlier.
When he retrieved the treasures from the Great Yin Museum, he had quietly selected a few objects using his system's detection ability.
Since no one would ever notice their disappearance, Karl wasn't worried.
After all—
If he was already retrieving relics from the Yuanmingyuan, he might as well gain some additional benefits.
Karl had taken five artifacts:
a mirror
a dagger
a golden rope
a small pagoda
and a jade tablet
He then used the system to analyze them carefully.
Heart-Protecting Mirror
[Heart-Protecting Mirror]
The natal treasure of one of the Seven Fairies of the ancient Heavenly Court.
After the great war between the gods, the mirror sealed itself and disappeared.
During the Qing Dynasty it was presented to the emperor and stored within the Yuanmingyuan.
After the invasion of the Eight-Nation Alliance, the mirror was lost overseas.
It can be unsealed with rule-level power and will automatically protect its owner.
Radiant Dagger
[Radiant Dagger]
A personal weapon belonging to an ancient wandering cultivator.
It was damaged during the war between the Heavenly Court and the Celestials, losing most of its divine power.
Later discovered and presented to the emperor, it eventually became part of the Yuanmingyuan.
After the Eight-Nation Alliance invasion, it was taken overseas.
It can be repaired using rule-level power.
At close range, it can injure a sub–Heavenly Father level opponent.
Golden Rope
[Golden Rope]
A magical treasure once belonging to Laozi (Taishang Laojun).
It was damaged during the war with the Celestials and lost its divine power.
After passing through many hands, it was eventually purchased by collectors in the Kingdom of Yin and placed inside the Great Yin Museum.
It can be restored using rule-level power.
Once bound by the rope, no one below the Heavenly Father level can escape.
Seven-Treasure Exquisite Pagoda
[Seven-Treasure Exquisite Pagoda]
The natal treasure of the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King of the ancient Heavenly Court.
After the great war with the Celestials, it sealed itself and fell to the mortal world.
It was later discovered and stored within the Yuanmingyuan.
After the Eight-Nation Alliance invasion, it was taken overseas.
Once unsealed, it can suppress any opponent below the Heavenly Father level.
No one trapped within it can escape.
Earth God Tablet
[Earth God Tablet]
An ancient divine tablet once used by the Heavenly Court to grant the position of Earth God.
Its original owner perished during the Celestial invasion, and the tablet fell to the mortal world.
Because no one could obtain its recognition, it sealed itself away.
Eventually it was taken overseas and placed inside the Great Yin Museum.
After unsealing, the user can assume the position of Earth God and command the power of the earth.
After reading the descriptions, Karl couldn't help sighing.
The ancient war between the Heavenly Court and the Celestials must have been unimaginably brutal.
Even Taishang Laojun had perished.
But Karl quickly remembered something.
This was Marvel's universe, not the mythical world he remembered from his previous life.
The Jade Emperor here was probably only at the single-universe level at most.
If the mythological figures from Karl's original world appeared here—
They could probably overturn the multiverse itself.
Still—
Judging from these artifacts, the ancient Heavenly Court must have once been incredibly powerful.
Karl had never expected such a mighty civilization to be destroyed by the Celestials.
He wondered whether any members of the Heavenly Court were still alive somewhere.
Karl shook his head.
There was no point thinking about it now.
Instead, he activated the Mind Stone and began repairing and unsealing all five treasures.
Afterward, he distributed them:
The Heart-Protecting Mirror was given to May.
The Radiant Dagger went to Raven.
The Seven-Treasure Pagoda was given to Gwen.
The Golden Rope was given to Helen Zhao.
Among them, Helen Zhao was the only one without superpowers, so the rope would provide her with strong protection.
Visit patreon.com/ShiroTL for more chapters.