In the Soul Refining Hall, Reverend Weeping Soul discussed the Dark Stone City's situation with his subordinates.
"Reverend, why do we tread so carefully with a mortal? Given our abilities, finding and subduing him is child's play," an inner disciple of the Soul Refining Hall asked.
"Don't underestimate him. One, he's a hell of a lot more resourceful than many suspect. Two, the last person that tried a Divination on him burst into blood and gore. Three…don't let the appearance, words and deeds trick you. Mehran Hisyar…is stark raving mad."
…
Outpacing his competitors, Harun first crossed the palace's walls, sneaking into that ancient house of kings. Jiyan remained outside, with her blade choosing who stepped in and who didn't—Harun aside, none did. Mehran Hisyar, the celebrity of these nocturnal events, sat crossed-legged on his balcony, eyes shut in meditation. The Dao Truth of the Sovereign Warden rippled from his form, with an intensity that fully demonstrated the peak of the Daoist Realm. However, compared to the invaders, this cultivation was nothing. Even if he broke through to the next level, Mehran would still be helpless. Yet, he didn't care.
He didn't bother splitting himself into 100 lesser selves, didn't bother concealing his true body or cultivating behind closed doors. As far as he was concerned, none of that mattered anymore. The best he could do was to become the first and last Nihility Realm expert of the Dark Stone Country—a fallen state. Across these years of fruitless struggle, Mehran often wondered why the Soul Refining Hall didn't use its Divination Magic to find his true body. Did they not care enough? Was the price not worth it given his strength and status? None of those mattered any longer.
Having reached the peak of the Daoist Realm in 70 years, Mehran undoubtedly was an astonishing talent. Alas, state matters prevented any focus on his cultivation, and delayed his breakthrough.
"What a nebulous threshold. I guess finding enlightenment under the moonlight is rubbish, after all," Mehran whispered. Daoist to Nihility was a checkpoint that stumped countless mortals. Without the guidance of predecessors, even a prodigy could spend decades in that step. Mehran didn't doubt that he could one day step into Nihility. Since he was born, the belief that he could accomplish all he set out to was firmly ingrained in his mind. It wasn't conceit, but a truth that transcended his very existence.
But even that truth needed time to grow. Time he didn't have. Not wanting to miss the faces of his last opponents, Mehran opened his eyes, and swept the scene. But as he expected celestial hordes to overrun his balcony, a voice thundered in his mind:
"You know, the Dao of the Sovereign Warden is laughed at for a reason. You people can only find purpose by living for others and end up wasting your glorious years on ingrates. A life for cucks, that's how the cultivation world views the Sovereign Warden Dao. Why did you choose that path instead of the usual Self Hegemony?" Harun asked, but if the unknown voice startled him, Mehran didn't show it, and focused on the question.
"Hard to say. I was born sentient, able to understand speech and manners. Right after I left my mother's womb, officials placed an oversized crown on my head and called me...Your Majesty. Kingship is your birthright, your raison d'être, or so they said. The king is both the father and son of his country. Avoid self-interest, abhor indulgence, and live for the world. To live up to such expectations, I embraced the Dao of the Sovereign Warden." Here Mehran paused, and his lips curved into a derisive smile.
"Later I realized that they wanted to raise me as a monarch that cared for peace, the people and humanity above all, so they could run amok under my nose and let me bear the consequences. When that didn't work out, I became a tyrant. Decades later, the people I toiled for now demand my head, all for self-preservation. Both the educated and ignorant ignore the future trouble as long as they can satisfy their current needs. But how can I blame them? They aren't wrong. I am. From the moment I believed this country needed me to be responsible for it, I was wrong.
The people only need scapegoats to dump all unpleasant responsibilities onto, and complain about when all goes south. Only future tyrants and deluded youths look forward to being kings. What was so great about it? I have spent these 79 years in darkness, and will die for nothing…" Mehran burst into laughter, ridiculing himself. In that instant, he let go of his Dao Truth, rejected his core beliefs, and achieved Nihility. A massive black hole formed in his Sea of Consciousness, proof of his breakthrough. After crossing his calamities and forming his Vicissitude Domain, he could reduce it to a grain-sized particle—not that he'd ever have to.
Standing up, Mehran arched his head back. His mane of black hair swayed under his undulating Qi, and his eyes sparkled in enlightenment. "Sir, if not for your appearance, I wouldn't have broken through to the Nihility Realm tonight. May I thank you face to face?" Mehran asked in a polite tone.
"If you only have death in mind, why bother? I dislike morbid folks."
"What if I want to live?" Mehran probed. Harun sent Jiyan a mental message, and the latter hurled the corpses of dozens of Soul Refining Hall and Immolation Blade experts toward Mehran's balcony. Before the monarch's astounded gaze, the bodies tumbled down, "I can give you a way out," Harun replied, using the corpses to empower his message.
"Lord Revelation?" Of the First Range's top experts, only this recent addition could bother giving him a chance to survive—granted Mehran met his demands. The rest would only kill him faster.
"Indeed," Harun didn't deny Mehran's guess, and appeared before the high king. For a second, both stared at one another, and while Mehran couldn't see Harun's face because of the golden shroud, he didn't lose his bearings, and on the contrary, seemed more carefree.
Harun, however, had the opposite reaction. "In this tiny First Range, between no-man's-land and this Dark Stone City alone, I first got three brats with cheated luck, one boy with a Dual Soul Root, and now this. Fuck, is this place channeling the world's destiny?" With his gaze glued on Mehran's stat screen, Harun asked himself.
——
[Name: Mehran Hisyar]
[Attributes: Senses (10), Physique (8), Luck(5), Dao Attunement (10), Willpower (10), Charisma (9)]
[Destiny: Inviolable]
[Age: 79]
[Cultivation Base: early-stage of the Nihility Realm]
——
Stranger still, despite such cheated stats, Harun had no interest in making Mehran his disciple. Something in him screamed against it. Was it because of that unknown destiny, his average luck stat, or a reason that went beyond? Harun couldn't explain it, and so sought the System's help.
"What does that Inviolable Destiny mean? Mess with him and you die?"
"Not quite. It just means that in a past life, he possessed deep Karma with an Ancestor-level powerhouse. Friend, child, lover, disciple, frenemy...we can't know the exact bond, but it isn't shallow. Divination doesn't work against people like him. Their souls can't be destroyed, don't mess with their Karmic Tree, and if for some spiteful reason you play with their past lives well...RIP," The system explained, and it took Harun all his self-control to not roll his eyes in exasperation.
"Ah shit. Here we go again."