Nine Venoms Sect Founder

An ancient and terrible formation that once shook the Immemorial Era, the Divine Soul Formation was first used by the Heaven Warding Emperor and Nakula against the Serpent Emperor's vanguard. The formation linked the souls of at least one thousand experts to condense a golden cauldron able to refine the lives, knowledge and souls of all it targeted to strengthen the formation's users. With that formation, 1,000 Celestial Kin could defeat an Ascending God, 1,000 Ascending Gods could deter a Monarch, and 1,000 Monarchs could meet an Emperor without fear.

Most high-end formations relied on static objects and were often more suitable to defend a sect's headquarters than lead a brutal offensive. Others, like the Divine Soul Formation, were as practical as they were deadly, and could operate anywhere. Resource wise, besides the 1,000 experts, the formation needed enough Divine Jade to match the celestials' Heavenly Qi, and Holy Iron Stones to cast the cauldron with.

"Below the Ascending God level, no one can escape. And even for us at that strength tier, it won't be simple," Harun stated. In a flash, he saw through the Soul Refining Hall's ploy. According to hearsay, after annexing the Immolation Blade Sect, the Soul Refining Hall oppressed them to no end, forcing several into escape or mutiny. Ill-sentiments against their new suzerains spread throughout the disciples, who all only awaited a chance to overthrow the Hall. At first, Harun believed that such rumors existed to bait him. That the seers expected him to reach out to the Immolation Blades and offer his assistance. Only now did he realize that it was all a show for the public.

After refining the royal palace's lives, the golden lava would spread to the citizens and destroy at least 95%. A few would escape so that they could report and spread the story throughout the Dark Stone Country and beyond.

"In his haste for power and dominion of the Frist Range, Lord Revelation didn't hesitate to slaughter an entire city, destroy a World Association branch, and spread chaos to the world. Both he and the Immolation Blades spat on the peace treaty, and deserve to be exterminated." This would be the new narrative. If Harun died here, he couldn't testify. If he survived, the Soul Refining Hall would seal any divination in this area, use the Immolation Blades as scapegoats, and kill him by proxy. In any case, both he and the Immolation Blades, who'd clearly turned into the reverend's soul puppets, were doomed—or so the hall believed.

Having obtained an ancient formation master's inheritance, Mehran understood the might of this formation, and didn't have much hope. However, seeing calm and confidence return to Harun and Jiyan's face, he forgot all his worries. Harun's gaze hardened, and he raised his right hand. The golden shroud hiding his face vanished, revealing a cold, murderous gaze that contrasted with the bright rays shooting out of his eyes.

Infinite strength and potential seemed to gather in Harun's hands. The golden lava pouring onto the castle halted mid-air and, startled by this incomprehensible pressure, Mehran backpedaled. But as Harun prepared to join his hands in a prayer sign, Jiyan grasped his wrist and shook her head, "That move can instantly solve the current problem, but will lead to future troubles. We should do this the hard way," Jiyan warned, reminding Harun of things they agreed on early.

Thus brought back from an incorrect path, Harun closed his eyes, assessed his options and the dangers involved, then turned toward Mehran.

"What formations can you use at the moment?"

"I know some forbidden patterns that can suck all Qi across the city for a country-destroying strike, but not only will it make the Dark Stone city and its surroundings unsuitable for cultivation, but it might still not stop this cauldron. Besides that, I have patterns set up across the castle for a large scale explosion. But at best, it can kill Celestial Kin—clearly not enough for this situation," Mehran replied immediately.

Meanwhile, a force-field of Jiyan's Elemental Yin energies clashed with the Divine Soul Cauldron's lava.

"We don't need anything sophisticated. Our main advantage here is that they don't know about Jiyan. In their eyes, there is only one Ascending-God-level expert on our side, this tiny detail can shift the siege to our advantage. I want you to use a Reversed Potential Formation. With your strength, you can't hijack a God-level Formation. But with me as your formation's Eye, the cauldron is ours. And then..."

"We can refine them all instead." Mehran finished Harun's words, yet didn't look thrilled.

"I should be the Eye. I have larger energy reserves than you do," Jiyan objected. Should anything go wrong, the Formation's Eye was the first to die. Therefore, the role either went to the most powerful, or the most expendable. Thanks to her Devil Essence, Jiyan indeed possessed larger energy reserves than Harun did. But in survival skills, he was far ahead.

"By combining my Sovereign Essence and Mythical Idol Incarnation with my Life and Death Essence, I can survive any mistake—you can't. On the other hand, to maintain the subterfuge and our advantage, we need someone to act as me, and stop the cauldron for several minutes. Besides you, who can? I will use the rebels as decoys and extra batteries."

Harun categorically refused. Each of the Immolation Blade disciples represented an extra pair of eyes for Reverend Weeping Soul. In this second-to-last confrontation, they couldn't expose all their strengths yet. Aware that he spoke true, Jiyan didn't argue, and closed her eyes. Snapping his fingers, Harun surrounded her in a shroud of golden haze, also changing her clothes to match Lord Revelation's. Mehran's painting brush drew dozens of arcane patterns, and Harun sat crossed-legged in meditation.

A cold-blue whirlwind formed around Harun. The ground underneath him turned into a whirlpool, and as he allowed Mehran to channel him, Harun stirred the golden silkworms scattered throughout the rebels—gathering them in organized phalanges—at strategic points Mehran could easily spread his Spiritual Sense to. Believing they were merely following the rebellion's leaders into a new movement, the uncompromised rebels followed Harun's arrangements to the letter, enabling Mehran to reach them all seamlessly.

Jiyan turned into an icy-blue meteor, bashing and breaking through the barrier to reappear before the Divine Soul Cauldron. Without looking back, she knew that the barrier had reformed behind her. Perhaps the opponent even let her pass.

Right beneath the cauldron, the fake Lord Revelation, fifth elder of the Soul Refining Hall, observed his opponent with a keen interest. Falling into a stance akin to a wolf, Jiyan stretched out her hands. Her nails morphed into silver claws, eerie light rays trailed each of them—textbook features of the Infernal Claw Style.

As they created the two techniques in a moment of symbiosis, Harun and Jiyan could use both the Withering Sword Art and Infernal Claw Style—but prioritized one over the other. So, although she couldn't compare to Harun in the latter, Jiyan knew enough to act her part and face the formation. Terrible noxious energies poured alongside her Elemental Yin and Withering Essence—giving her the aura of an underworld judge upholding Yama's will.

But though faced with what looked like an incarnation of hell itself, the Dream Seers didn't flinch. Their soul puppets couldn't retreat, and so the 1,000 experts poured all they had and more into the radiant cauldron.

Cracking earth and ear-splitting shockwaves marked the battle's start. Jiyan's form blurred as she countered the cauldron's blows, froze its endless lava, and moved past it to stab the fifth elder's neck!