Chapitre 34: Agiri’s Genius

"Troublesome…" Ignoring the issues in the System's words, Harun explored his body through his Divine Sense—but couldn't find anything wrong with it. This only made him more vigilant. And Harun now realized that his body carried latent threats. Said bluntly, if he didn't complete his Holy Foundation before Dilnaz's visit, and condense that Golden Cicada Incarnation Seed, both Harun and Dilnaz would have died today—destroyed in body and soul.

The thought rang all of Harun's alert gongs. But regardless of how he turned the problem, he couldn't come up with a coherent answer. At the start, his life wasn't in danger. If not for Dilnaz's words and the memories that recently resurfaced, Harun wouldn't lose control in such an absolute way. But thanks to that, he could see that his self-control acted like shackles for his Sovereign Pupils, and once he lost himself, their powers were free to explode.

But why would a part of his body drive him into ruin? That behavior went against all principles of self-preservation. It was almost as if the Sovereign Pupils hid a will of their own and, akin to an oppressive ruler, they couldn't tolerate any form of disobedience or disrespect. Realizing he needed to learn more about this power and its origins, Harun sighed.

"Never mind, I should fix the wall in case the girl returns. Can't give the impression of a sloppy host to my favorite sugar mommy." Harun crossed his hands behind his head, and walked back into his pagoda with large, exaggerated steps.

"To not lose your sugar mommy. After all that just went down, that's your main concern? What is your brain made of? Jelly?" The System cursed in Harun's mind. Undisturbed, Harun hummed a joyful tone.

"Fretting without answers never solved any problem. Instead of fiddling with my fingers, wondering how and if the eyes can become burdens, I should focus on my priority: to make the most out of life," Harun countered, and having nothing else to say, the system shut it.

Back to his 14-year-old appearance, Harun patched the Dilnaz-hole in his wall, then carried on with refining his Blood Drops, hoping to reach the World-Devouring level before the battle's start. Strangely, he could feel that since he started re-cultivating his Celestial Nature, in speed or blood quality, he stood far above the past. Now, Harun didn't doubt that with enough time, he could attack the mythical Star-Devouring tier—a matter for another time.

Within Harun's Heart, the Golden Cicada released a mystical haze that spread throughout Harun's internal organs, making them all take its golden hue. Incarnation Seeds were more than steps toward the Six Incarnation Bridge. Each represented a compilation of the cultivator's existence and took the shape most appropriate for their soul.

More importantly, the Incarnation Seed protected the cultivator from death and other hazards. Unless it broke, its owner couldn't die. This was the true final step of the mortal path: Sainthood.

When the mysterious haze made all of Harun's organs and bones take that gold color, he could call himself a True Saint and unleash Life Refining Chains on all those that didn't possess a complete Dao Foundation.

In the 33 Heavens where even outstanding juniors of hegemonic clans had to wait for the Celestial Guard Realm before incarnating themselves in a mortal world to build their Dao Foundation, below the age of 200, this ability made him invincible. Numbers didn't matter. Whoever came, whoever died. But if Harun didn't time this with the Monstrous Beasts' release, once they realized the ploy, the deities would throw caution to the wind and attack him with all they got.

After six hours of silent cultivation, while the Incarnation Seed did its internal cleaning, a blend of sweet and fruity scents reached Harun's nose, breaking his focus. With two spontaneous sniffs, Harun lifted his eyes toward the entrance, and wasn't surprised to see a young Empyrean princess standing at the door.

"I heard I was always welcome here, so I didn't bother knocking. Hope you don't mind," Jiyan said while waving a fruit basket in Harun's direction.

"Knocking is for outsiders. Some people will always be exempt. Regardless of the time, you can just dive in. Now come here," Harun beckoned toward Jiyan with large, sparkling eyes. Speaking with a smile that, if not for his teen appearance, would have given him the look of a child predator using candy to bait his victims.

Stifling a laugh, Jiyan wondered if, by preying on this innocent soul, she wasn't breaking a few laws somewhere in the multiverse. But reckoning that it didn't matter, she shrugged, and brought Harun his bribe of the day.

…

"Since you've chosen to fight against the world, in the few days you have left, I will make you taste all of Heaven's delicacies, legal or illegal. That way, you won't die with regrets. Today, we're starting with a more healthy diet," Jiyan said while Harun tore through a pear-shaped fruit.

Mortal or heaven-born, most celestials ate with as little sound and gestures as possible, prioritizing their appearance over their enjoyment of the meal. The Empyreans took that to the extreme. So, in Jiyan's eyes, someone who, like Harun, didn't care for crunching sounds and spilling juices—was both odd and refreshing. Perhaps such a person would never care for appearances, and forever remain straightforward, unless forced by his enemies' ploys. Or so Jiyan thought.

"Nonsense, you're obviously addicted to my presence. Otherwise why would you go through the trouble of hunting down the world's top delicacies just for an excuse to come here? Can't blame you though, I'm just that cute." Harun wanted to say, but fearing that exposing Jiyan's petty thoughts would deprive him of his only source of goodies, he restrained himself.

"I still sense no Sovereign Essence in you. You should start cultivating it as soon as possible. It's unfortunate that the late Emperor forcefully downgraded all newly ascended celestials, or you wouldn't have to waste time on refining your Celestial Nature," Jiyan said. Commonly known as Purple Essence, Sovereign Essence was generated by and unique to the Sovereign Pupils, enabling its owner to strengthen their body's defenses.

Harun's right eye produced some every day, but knowing he was destined to lose those gains upon reincarnation, he didn't bother cultivating it.

"Nah, Agiri was a genius. Don't blame the man. My only regret is that I couldn't meet him in person to thank him for all he's done for people like me," Harun said and, instantly, Jiyan's eyes stretched in a blend of astonishment and confusion.

"Come again?" Throughout the 33 Heavens, there was only one thing all, regardless of background, could agree on: after his eighth Cosmic Tribulation, God-Emperor Agiri went mad, and made everyone's lives miserable. The mere thought of a celestial wanting to thank him would have made the world burst into laughter.

Though she held entirely different views, Jiyan knew things others didn't, and couldn't imagine that anyone else would praise her late father. However, Harun's following words baffled her.

"Isn't it obvious? In one way or another, each of the late God-Emperor's Divine Laws aimed to protect the 33 Heavens' citizens from the noble and hegemonic clans' tyranny." Harun stated.

"Let's start with the Divine Right Law that automatically downgraded celestials upon ascension. Long before Agiri's reign, the common sentiment among the top-ranking clans was that mortal-born celestials had to be culled. They kept enough to fill the pages jobs and hunted down the rest. Back then, Ascension was a sure death sentence for all Golden-Cloud celestials. The Second Emperor overlooked it. But Agiri didn't.

More importantly, he realized that those clans acted out of fear. They feared the results displayed by the mortal-born allowed to grow. So, using a Divine Law to stop the hunts would, at best, delay the massacres till Agiri's reign ended. At worst, they'd change tactics, and achieve their goals in more subtle ways.

Thus, the only viable solution was to erase the potential the clans feared by downgrading the new celestials, and giving them the time to find reliable support before re-cultivating their Divine Blood Drops," Harun explained, making Jiyan's eyes sparkle with every word.

"With a reliable backer, they could quickly regain what they lost and even go a step further. Without, they're either waiting for death or eternal suppression. Looking back, the late emperor saved my life. When I ascended with the World-Devouring Serpent bloodline, if his Divine Law didn't automatically downgrade me, no need to mention Double Pupils. Who wouldn't kill me? Behind the veil of madness, his other laws also carry many hidden considerations. I only have admiration for the man." As Harun's words reached the end, trembling with excitement, Jiyan could no longer restrain herself, and grabbed his hands.

Inwardly, Harun let out a triumphant gloat.

"What a despicable villain. The poor lass got swindled. Obviously, knowing that Agiri is her father, you came up with all that bullshit to stay in her good graces, strengthen your position in her heart, and get even more delicacies. What admiration? Until yesterday, you were cursing him," the system sighed in Harun's mind, feeling that poor Jiyan had thrown herself at a wolf in sheep's clothing.