From times immemorial, the Divine Path's goal had always been to cultivate an Internal Heaven, to turn the Divine Consciousness into a paradise with its own set of laws and Heaven's Will, and build a new world of worshippers. All processes of the previous realms led to that point. Divine Blood Drops became Totems, Totems became Door Gods, and from Door Gods came Divine Hosts.
Past that point, the celestial became a God, and could start sensing and cultivating the strands of Heaven's Will scattered in the 33 Heavens. To cultivate those strands and form their Internal Heaven, Gods endured countless trials, and often had to accumulate massive treasures and resources to rob strands from Heaven's Will during Cosmic Tribulations.
Of the 33 Heavens' active Gods, the Golden Crow Ancestor was the only one with a complete Internal Heaven—a step away from condensing his own Mandate and reaching the fabled Dao Emperor Realm.
But there was one man who never had to go through that path. From infancy to maturity, Heaven took care of all those pesky details for him, granting him the best strands, crafting for him the most robust Internal Heaven, and at last granting him his own Mandate. His only task was to build on that unparalleled foundation to become the 33 Heavens' first Dao Emperor. That man was the Serpent Emperor: the Son of Heaven.
And what Jiyan forgot to say, was that regardless of their tier, all Double Pupils wielders could retrace their ancestry to the Serpent Emperor. Through his Phoenix Empress and 300 consorts, at the exception of the Empyreans, the Serpent Emperor sowed his seed across all of Heaven's clans. And although many wouldn't acknowledge it, Heaven didn't grant Double Pupils to those unrelated to its favored son. A matter for another time.
"All the time I could have saved, all the delicacies I could have snatched. My Treasure House of Food and Wine, that peerless monument for all eras, would have been completed 100 years ago! Why would I still need to deal with all those simps?!" Harun sobbed with warm tears.
Shocked out of her wits, Jiyan blinked, mouth ajar with incredulity.
"That's what you're grieving for? For real?" Jiyan asked, unable to believe her ears.
"What else? You thought I wanted to become a peerless God-Emperor, shitting on conceited young masters for three million years? I have objectives, mind you. I cultivate for one reason only: to gather the tastiest goods of Heaven and Earth, assemble them in a grand pyramid, and savor their flavor across eternity.
If anyone dares stop me or delay my grand aspiration, I will batter them with my toxins, grow pustules in their rectums, smash their nuts, turn them into balloons, and hang them in the sky for all to see!" Harun raised his fist at the ceiling, and made a solemn pledge.
"Cute, but I don't believe you. In the instant you realized you could have been an unparalleled expert, are you sure you didn't think of someone you failed? It can be one, two or three, but most of us at least have that someone, that source of eternal regret that pushes us toward becoming the best version of ourselves. Did you fail to protect them, fail to live up to their expectations, or just fail to keep them? I wonder…" Jiyan lightly tapped her chin and asked in a slightly absentminded tone.
For the split of a second, Harun's gaze hardened. But before Jiyan could notice the change, he returned to his usual self.
"Lucky me then, I don't have anyone that fits the bill. Also, aren't you supposed to be a simpleton? Why are you trying to sound profound?"
"Nonsense, I'm the number one genius of the 33 Heavens. If I am a simpleton, there is no clever lass in this world. But then again, what's wrong with being a simpleton?" Jiyan countered and rested her back against the wall.
"While those around you spend their existence clashing for petty benefits, racing against time to break their backs all for illusions of splendor, wealth and rank, you can appreciate the world left by your predecessors, and strive to improve it. I think simpletons have a fairly decent life, until the vile choose to ruin it for them," there Jiyan paused, her eyes drifted in memories, and as he stared at her cloaked form, Harun felt as if she no longer referred to herself, but rather described the life of someone she held dear.
"In any case, if you're here, it means you're dying soon or spending the rest of your life behind these bars. Considering the reason why you're here, my money's on the former. Since I feel like the world would be less interesting without a nutcase like you, let me give you a tip.
Among the laws known only to the hegemonic clans, there is one you can use to save yourself: the Trial of Wisdom. Once they drag you in for the fake trial, tell them that you wish to put your life in the First Emperor's hands—and if you're good enough, you might just survive," Jiyan said, making Harun's eyes narrow in confusion.
"Elaborate?"
"In the twilight of his reign, the First Emperor sealed a black and white stele in the emperor's palace. He called it the Life and Death Revolution Stele, the missing half of an ancient monument he stole in his youth.
However, the greatest regret of the First Emperor's life was that he could never comprehend the mysteries. So he made the rule that whoever could comprehend them and resonate with the stele, could not only commute any sentence coming their way but would instantly become an elite disciple of the Imperial Dao Pavillion. I'm not sure anyone ever succeeded, though," Jiyan explained, but if he initially held some hopes, Harun quickly renounced them.
"That's naive. I'm not being put on trial because I'm guilty. Why would they give me the tiniest chance to escape?"
"True, but even if they won't, the Golden Crow will. That old fogey might look insufferably tyrannical, but he remains the most loyal official to the First Emperor's will. If you request the Trial of Wisdom, he will uphold the right for you. Of course, this is a temporary measure. You still need to plan the aftermath," Jiyan said, then for three hours proceeded to teach Harun about Heaven's top factions, relevant stories and leading deities.
"That's about all I can tell you. Good luck...you whose name I still don't know."
"Harun…"
"Good luck, Harun. Hope you survive so that I don't lose a goofy partner. Night," Jiyan gave Harun a salute, then curled into a ball, shutting down her senses to fall into torpor and resist the Extreme Yin.
At Harun's right, the ragged prisoner still snored, making no signs of waking up. Ignoring him, Harun took the lotus position, and closed his eyes.
…...
"Just to curry favor with the Golden Cicada Sect, you don't even hesitate to sell your flesh and blood! Hateful, venomous woman! What did I ever find in you?!"
"You've grown short-sighted. The boy isn't just a freak, but also a cultivation waste. His only talent is his high tolerance to poisonous substances. By gifting him to the Golden Cicada Sect, we will not only obtain their favor, but get rid of that shameful creature you call son—hitting two birds with one stone. I call that a fantastic bargain."
"Then let me make myself clear! As you said, Harun is my son! Whoever dares harm him, is who I kill!"
…
"Nujen, your cultivation talent is astonishing. Why must you follow your father's path and ruin your future for this waste?"
"Sheltering the junior generation is an elder's responsibility. Harun is my little brother, so even if billions bare their fangs at him, I will protect him."
…
"Harun, remember that it is three lives you carry on your shoulders. For the sake of father and I...you must live splendidly. If there is an afterlife, elder brother will try...to still watch over you."
…...
Before he could fall into meditation, those memories of his youth resurfaced in Harun's mind, and from his heterochromatic eyes, killing intent surged.
"My life is too precious. Since you must insist on claiming it, you cannot blame me for being heartless. No one can threaten me, and if every debt has a debtor, it is time you start paying your bills," Harun inwardly said and unleashed the Decaying Flower.
At last allowed to rampage, the Decaying Flower wantonly sucked the Yin Essence within the cell, leaving an ordinary cold behind. But as it reached beyond the bars—attempting to drain the prison to the last bit—Harun joined his hands in an uttarabodhi mudra and muttered:
"Yin Soul Incantation!"