Following Harun's orders, the Birusk clansmen expanded the village's tavern and constructed a banquet hall for official feast purposes. However, it still couldn't fit over 100 adults, so Harun opted for the traditional open-air feast. Delighted to serve their Lord, the Birusk clansmen prepared the tables and got to cooking work. Meanwhile, Harun took the central seat, keeping Gulseni at his right and a grumbling Mukri at his left. Gulseni's eyes observed the village with scrutiny and, astonished by all she saw, she failed to keep her mouth shut.
"By all the Heavens, how could such a tiny village stand above a future Treasure Land? Why didn't I know that such a cultivation paradise stood within reach of my sect?" Gulseni asked herself. Perfect Spirit Trees, Self-Renewing Soil, Rejuvenation Herbs, Flame Spirit Grass, Body Refining Leaves, those five resources alone could attract thousands of disciples and breed a strong sect.
Rejuvenation Herbs restrained aging, hunger and boosted Life Essence reserves. Flame Spirit Grass purified bloodlines, increased the potency of innate skills, and allowed cultivators to condense an Innate Flame. Body Refining Leaves strengthened the flesh and bones, and Perfect Spirit Trees sped up cultivation speed. Those were the basic benefits, not even accounting for the alchemic combinations possible. Better, Self-Renewing Soil ensured that all resources plucked would regrow within a short time—securing endless supplies—and they still had more.
In the cultivation world, such a dreadful combination was rarely seen. The only problem was the current lack of cultivation veins. But within two-three years, they'd take shape. The First Range didn't have a single Blessed Land, to say nothing of a future Treasure Land. Thinking of how she missed a genuine treasure house, Gulseni felt bitter and regretful. But then she glanced at the still masked Harun, and realized that this land might very well be the reason for his attack.
"You are correct," Harun replied to the unspoken question, reminding Gulseni that he could now see through her thoughts. Of course, even without that ability, it didn't take a genius to guess what went through her mind. Hearing the confirmation, Gulseni sighed, and became more acceptant of her fate. If before, the world was a cutthroat place, following the Son of Heaven's death, it became a full-blown slaughter land. Had the Vermilion Brides learned of this land's changes, Gulseni would be the first to rally her forces and order an all-out assault. A pity that they were one step short.
"I have questions for you and want prompt answers. First, why are you based in the most backwater region of the Dark Stone Country?" Harun asked. With one Celestial Knight, dozens of Celestial Guards, and hundreds of Celestial Kin, the Vermilion Brides only had two rivals in the First Range, and could occupy better lands than their current headquarters. Although the Dark Stone Country ranked first among the six grand nations, Harun couldn't understand the sacrifice.
"Up until 10 years ago, we operated in an average country of the Second Range. There, sects of our caliber are relatively common, and due to over 100 years of exposure, while we planted spies in many sects and countries, we were having a hard time making significant progress. Most Celestial-Knight-led sects disdain the First Range, so after the Peace Treaty, we moved here, and quickly took over 18 kingdoms and 1 grand nation," Gulseni started.
Starting with the Hundred Infernal Years, mortals no longer dared call themselves emperors. They downgraded empires to grand nations, and their emperors to high kings.
"Two other forces had the same thought: the Soul Refining Hall and Immolation Blade Sect. As a branch of the Truth Scrying Grotto, the Soul Refining Hall follows the Dream Seer Path. Relying on sinister cultivation methods and techniques, they took over 12 kingdoms and 3 grand nations. The Immolation blade Sect controls 10 kingdoms and 1 grand nation, making it the weakest in terms of influence. But pure strength wise, we're about the same. Of the grand nations, only the Dark Stone country remains independent.
Their high king, Mehran Hisyar, is just a peak-stage Daoist Realm cultivator, but managed to use the strength gap between the Soul Refining Hall and our two sects to balance the clash, and keep his country independent. When the Soul Refining Hall makes a move, he lets us unite and oppose them. Before we try to split the country or trigger revolts, he smothers the sources of strife through either diplomacy or direct eradication. To prevent assassinations, he cultivated a secret art that split his cultivation between over 100 avatars, but also made his cultivation speed 100 times slower. They're scattered across the world. Kill one and another appears, and no one knows where the real monarch hides.
He knows that we're aiming for the country's Black Titanium mines, critical resources for top-grade treasure refining, and are restrained by the Peace Treaty that prevents outright extermination of large sects or states so, he dares thwart our plans. With no alternatives, we all moved to the Dark Stone Country, aiming to gradually erode his prestige and have the Hisyar clan replace him with a less troublesome prince," Gulseni explained, but recalling how Harun suppressed her sect's 2,000 artifacts, she wondered if stronger treasures still had value.
Harun thought otherwise. Only he possessed the Eye of Luminous Treasure—enabling him to seek treasure troves and restrain all artifacts under the Heavens. Others didn't have the same luck. His sect and disciples would need strong treasures to protect themselves. However, Harun couldn't help but admire the High King of the Dark Stone country. Just a Daoist Realm expert, but to protect his country's independence and resources, he dared oppose three Celestial-Knight-led sects.
This was a genuine example of an ant challenging giants, or demigods in this case. Should no one intervene, his struggles were destined to end with his tragic death. Perhaps his own citizens would one day scorn him. Yet, he didn't flinch, and put his all on the line to fulfill his role of monarch. Harun wasn't the type to gamble his life for duty, but that didn't stop him from showing such individuals the respect they deserved.
A pity that while Mehran fought against the three sects' conquest, Harun's tavern grew in his capital and, in 15 years, would enable him to take over the Dark Stone country with an irresistible momentum.
"Watching a fellow nobleman's carriage crush a starving beggar, an enlightened boy asked his father, 'Is powerlessness a crime?' The father wanted to tell him that it wasn't. That the world was wrong and ought to be changed. But ultimately, he couldn't bear deceiving his son and said:
'This isn't about powerlessness but discrimination. You must understand that Heaven discriminates against all but itself, and just like a rabbit cannot resist a wolf's fangs and must run to survive, a beggar shouldn't crawl before a noble's carriage. Nobles must bow to the king or face execution. The king bows before the Gods, and all bow before Heaven. Heaven gave us all precise places, privileging some above others. Becoming powerless before the privileged is natural. The beggar failed to respect his place—failed to transcend Heaven's Will—and so caused his own death.'"
This was a common story in the Noxious Flame World's aristocratic circles, a petty use of reverse psychology to teach noble scions why they stood above the masses but below the monarch. Harun didn't buy it, but was forced to admit that, in this case, it somehow applied to Mehran. He refused to bow to the Gods but didn't have the tools to exceed the place Heaven granted him.
But as Harun's thoughts wandered, Gulseni pursued.
"Of course, that was all in the past. When the Obsidian Soul Stone mine and Abyssal River appear, the Dark Stone Country will turn into a battlefield. The Forgotten Soul Graveyard is only 100 km north of the capital. Either the sects ally to stop the Soul Refining Hall, or it secures those two things and refines this country's lives to breed God-level experts. Should they succeed, the Truth Scrying Grotto will erase all traces of the matter, and the Dark Stone Country's name will vanish from history."
Unlike other sects, the Truth Scrying Grotto put its branches under rigorous tests. Only when they passed the tests could they become true subordinates of that mysterious faction. The disclosure of the divination was part of the Soul Refining Hall's test. If they failed to resist the competition, they didn't deserve the emblem of the Truth Scrying Grotto!