Nine Venoms Sect Founder

If before, Harun would have been delighted to receive such a promising subordinate, it was with mixed feelings that he watched Mehran's display. No scruples once slighted, vindictive to the extreme, shrewd and calculating, such traits formed a dangerous combination, and like Weeping Soul before him, Harun concluded that behind the veil of the poised monarch, Mehran was a lunatic. A lunatic with principles and beliefs only he knew of, but a lunatic all the same. At the same time, those traits somewhat reminded Harun of himself, creating a strong sense of familiarity with the Dark Stone High King.

Thus, as he turned to face his faction's new member, Harun's pensive look became a grimace of disappointment, and while wrapping one arm around Mehran's shoulders, he said: "You're still too soft. At the very least, you should have added his mother. Give her five extra brats to tease him with. Don't underestimate the mental trauma of a slutified mother."

"Sir…"

"Just call me big bro. And recordings, where are the recordings? It's the rule of thumb to record it all and present the images one by one. Such missed opportunities. Still, I give you full credit for effort," Harun's casual words brought a deathly silence on the scene. To say nothing of those nobles and officials, even Mehran didn't expect that the first to push for more extreme measures would be a dude shrouded in holy light. But as "Lord Revelation" gave his appraisal, Jiyan appeared at his right and asked with an eerie smile:

"Oh, so cute. What a dutiful elder brother you've become. You must have a ton of experience in this field. Why don't we discuss them? How many scattered children do I need to prepare myself for? Five, forty?"

Reminded of his surroundings by Jiyan's inquiry, Harun broke into a cold sweat, and brushed the words off with a nervous laugh. "Hypotheticals, hypothetical. Even if I experimented some of these tricks on my old enemies, I would never choke myself with the burdens of fatherhood. Ah shit…" Only after these words did Harun realize he'd betrayed himself. Black lines formed on every man's forehead, with Mehran feeling that his reliable backer had suddenly turned...highly unreliable.

But at that time, hordes of vast auras that transcended mortal limits pressed on the royal palace. Men, women, children, regardless of their age or cultivation base, Mehran's courtiers collapsed on the ground, suppressed by the pressure alone and unable to lift their heads. Mehran himself couldn't keep standing, but before these auras forced him on his knees, Harun waved his hand, dispelling their effect.

His eyes narrowed instantly. Jiyan summoned her sword, and the two returned to maximum seriousness. Three light rays shot through the court's open door, dropping at Harun's feet—revealing a trio of bedraggled celestials—three of the World Association branch's seniors.

Without a care for status or decorum, the three clung onto Harun's thigh, "Lord Revelation, the situation has spiraled out of control. If you don't take matters into your own hands, this city is finished!" The branch leader exclaimed, making Harun's forehead crease.

"First thing first. How did you know that I'd be here?" Harun probed, ready to dispose of the three at the wrong word.

Realizing they'd been led by the nose, the three gasped, and their eyes widened in disbelief.

"Seems like this will be more troublesome than I expected."

…

Above the royal gates, about 1,000 men dressed in yellow robes embroidered with swirling flame patterns, floated in the sky, unfazed by the palace's mortal defenses. Their cultivation went from low to peak-level Celestial Kin, and three Celestial Guards led their organized formation. Besides those celestials, 70 more experts stood, dressed in the same clothes, but with inscrutable cultivation bases. At their helm was a black-robed man shrouded in a golden haze that prevented the tiniest glance at his appearance. Instantly, the mortals below recognized him as Lord Revelation, whose name had recently rocked the city.

At "Lord Revelation's" right, the traitorous association senior stood, fawning over the superior expert like a certified sycophant.

"Thank you, fifth elder, for your assistance. If not for your timely help, I can only imagine what horrible fate I'd be suffering. But are you sure that letting them warn Lord Revelation won't bite us back?" The association member carefully asked. By the time his three peers had gathered evidence of his deeds, and prepared to silently execute him, he received the visit of the Soul Refining Hall's fifth elder, and was asked to take part in a show. But the more he thought about who they were dealing with, the more restless he became.

With a dismissive wave of his hand, the fifth elder rejected the words, "You misunderstand. We need them with him, and we need him to put all his strength into resisting us. In this case, isn't the truth the pain-free way to achieve both objectives?" The fifth elder replied. Knowing that arguing with a Truth Reverend would yield nothing good, the branch traitor stopped the inquiry here. And although his betrayal was about to lead to a megalopolis' destruction, with all the gains he stood to make, he couldn't prevent himself from smiling at the upcoming disaster.

"Brothers, don't blame me for this turn of events. The First Range has long belonged to the Soul Refining Hall. Going against them is foolishness incarnate. And if by coordinating with them we can get substantial benefits, why hesitate?"

...

Meanwhile, the three branch seniors revealed all they'd seen to Harun.

"After we retraced the traitor's moves, we planned to execute him and pass his death off as a mysterious disappearance. However, we stumbled on a chat between him and the Soul Refining Hall's fifth elder. They revealed their involvement and connection to the Immolation Blades, and explained that in a Divination Master's body, Sin-Glazed Flowers multiplied focus, enlightenment speed, and divination powers. The more enlightened the consumer was, the stronger the effects. Sangar only wanted the flowers as gifts for Reverend Weeping Soul. Afterward, the fifth elder warned that although Your Lordship hides in the royal palace, and could therefore shelter it from their last move, a Divine Soul Formation of 1,000 celestials is not what you can resist. At best, your soul will join the millions...that perish tonight. As we speak, the traitor is likely using all of our branch's resources to feed the formation."

The words "Divine Soul Formation" didn't trigger anything in the nobles and officials. Mehran, Harun and Jiyan, however, grew livid. Without hesitation, Mehran summoned his painting brush, and wrote formation upon formation patterns at lightning speed. But as the patterns flew toward the ceiling, floor and door, a sheen of golden light stopped them all. The intensified pressure of the united Dream Seers and Celestials dropped on the throne room. To say nothing of mortal cultivators, under such pressure, even a Celestial Knight would collapse.

Not only did the celestials and seers' strength overlap, but many seemed to use secret arts to forcefully increase their abilities. Any tiny extra fluctuation triggered a domino effect that increased the formation's might several folds.

In his Lord Revelation disguise, the fifth elder stepped forward and raised his hands at the sky. Golden chains appeared, binding the celestials and seers to one another before setting them all ablaze. Over 1,000 jets of radiant flames shot toward the fifth elder's hands—blending there to form a miniature golden sun. Hurling the miniature sun at the sky, the fifth elder moved his hands in arcane gestures. His followers did the same, and the golden sun expanded to become a dazzling cauldron that hovered above the royal palace—ready to obliterate all that stood below.

Wires of thin white light connected the cauldron to the 1,000 experts, whose positions shifted at various time intervals. Only the fifth elder's position remained constant, at the center of all movements.

"Lord Revelation and the Immolation Blade Sect officially unite to end the royal strife, purge the World Association, destroy the Soul Refining Hall, and return peace to this country!" The fifth elder proclaimed, changing his voice to match Lord Revelation's, and without further ado, the cauldron poured a sea of golden lava onto the royal palace!