Nine Venoms Sect Founder

Gerden Derzin had been Blood-Feather City's registrar for over 700 years. With average talent, his cultivation stagnated at the eighth level of the Celestial Kin Realm, and hopes to reach the Celestial Guard Realm before his lifespan expired approached zero. Celestial Kins had a lifespan of 3,600 years, tremendous on mortal standards, but negligible before true celestials. But as a Fourth Heaven City Registrar, as low as Gerden's cultivation may be, he possessed a colossal quantity of underlings, and directly or indirectly controlled tens of thousands of ninth-rank officials.

Even if he didn't break through to the Celestial Guard Realm, Gerden would still live an opulent life. But without breaking through, for how much longer could he enjoy it? He had to break through!

Having silently observed him across the past two years, Harun understood Gerden's thoughts. This was the fundamental difference between the mortal-born and heaven-born. Resources and environmental advantage aside, the heaven-born were a massive pile of junk. Narrow vision, low willpower, undisciplined, and to top it all, an inexistent Dao Foundation.

The Dao Foundation did not have much use in the early realms of the Divine Path, but without it, the Celestial Knight Realm was the limit. Worse, the lack of a Dao Foundation drastically reduced a cultivator's perception. For that reason, high-ranking celestials often incarnated themselves in Mortal Worlds to build a Dao Foundation. Some powerhouses even sent their children early to avoid ruining them at the roots.

Still, if not for the organized and relentless suppression, more often than not, the mortal-born celestials would come out on top. The current Grand Marshal of the Divine Army was only one of many examples that made heaven-born celestials take drastic measures to suppress the mortal-born.

The registrar's office was located in the northern side of the city, south of the magistrate's and sandwiched by the custodian and sheriff's offices. Four third-level Celestial Kins guarded the entrance door, and upon seeing Harun appear, they arched their eyebrows.

"Wait, it's really him?" When the news spread that Dilsad had his nuts crushed beyond repair by a certain Harun, many believed that the culprit was a new tycoon with a sizable background. Few linked the "Harun" name to Harun.

"Hey, this boy is truly ballsy. You're sure he's not a secret descendant of the White Tiger Clan?"

"What secret descendant? Since when do tigers give birth to snakes? If you have nothing to say, keep your mouth shut—retard."

"This isn't the day for balls jokes. Anger the wrong nutcase, and you won't even know when a kick cuts your family line off." The four guards exchanged mental messages as Harun stopped before them.

"I was summoned by the registrar, please announce me," Harun said with a polite bow.

"No need, they're only waiting for you," the four stepped aside to let him pass, and with his back straight, Harun walked in. But as soon as he passed the door, Harun's paced walk turned into hurried steps, and he rushed toward the registrar's room, arms crossed before his waist, and eyes downcast.

In the room, Dilsad wept before his uncle Gerden, the custodian and the sheriff. All three were tall and burly, with a domineering presence and rich Heavenly Qi. White mist swirled around the custodian, showing that he'd already reached the peak of the Celestial Kin Realm and was on the verge of condensing his first totem.

As if scared out of his wits, Harun bowed low, not speaking a word.

"Brothers, I've asked for your presence so that you stand witness to today's events," the registrar began, eyes darting between his two peers, "Two years. It's only been two years since we welcomed this boy into the Fourth Heaven, honoring him as one of our respected celestials. I personally welcomed him, and what does he do? What does he do? For no reason, he castrates my beloved nephew!"

*BAM*

The registrar's gaze hardened, and he slammed his right palm onto the table.

"Not only that, but the move was incomparably vicious. Without a seventh-star medicine, healing him is impossible. Sheriff, Custodian sir, faced with such a vicious heart, what should we do?" The registrar asked. Position wise, the custodian and he were both officials of the eighth rank, but one was on the verge of breaking through to the Celestial Guard Realm while the other could never reach it in a lifetime—an abysmal gap separated them.

"He must die." Seated in marble-white chairs, the two directly said. From beginning to end, the three never even glanced at Harun, speaking as if it was a corpse, not a person, standing there. Inwardly, he sneered, but on the surface maintained the same fidgeting appearance.

When the sentence knocked, Harun directly kowtowed and sobbed:

"Sir, please give me justice!"

Instantly, Gerden, the custodian and sheriff's eyes widened. Even Dilsad couldn't believe his ears. Obviously he was the one suffering from grievances. Why was this homicidal creature asking for justice?

"Justice? What justice? My nephew excluded, we have four witnesses to your crime. For breaking a man's family line without just cause, the law demands that you be executed. With witnesses and evidence present, what more do you have to say? If you're not satisfied, I can pull out the memories from my poor nephew's mind and let the custodian try your case!" The registrar snapped at Harun.

The words were music to Harun's ears, and he directly replied: "Please do so!"

Harun's prompt reply left the registrar confused. According to his nephew, this was a case of bullying gone wrong. The registrar firmly believed that his spineless nephew would never deceive him. But even if he spat in Harun's face and dragged all his ancestors' names through the mud, the latter couldn't escape death.

What was there to show? Now, both the sheriff and custodian who initially just wanted the farce over with felt their curiosity piqued.

���Well, the accused has all the rights to request a display of the evidence against him. Registrar, please show us the conflict from start to end," the custodian asked with a mild smile. Not only was his cultivation higher than the Registrar's, the custodian position existed to monitor the local officials' jobs. Be it in right or might, he had all the authority to order a full investigation.

Though annoyed, Gerden stretched his right finger toward his nephew's forehead. Soul searching was a damaging practice, so the law demanded that upon request, whoever made the accusation had to present their memories. If the plaintiff didn't dare, the case was immediately tossed.

Dilsad didn't have the time to squirm that his eyes glazed over, and a white filament of light snuck out of his forehead, swelling into the picture of him leading five mook goons to accost Harun. Instantly, the custodian sneered. This uncle-nephew pair was indeed remarkably shameless. But as the custodian prepared to make a snide, Dilsad's memory version spoke, "Isn't this our Most Venerated Celestial Pipsqueak?" and instantly, Gerden, the sheriff and custodian froze.

Ignoring what followed, Gerden rewinded the memories, hoping that his ears deceived him. They didn't.

"Isn't this our Most Venerated Celestial Pipsqueak?"

"Our Most Venerated Celestial Pipsqueak?"

"Most Venerated Celestial."

Gerden staggered, the custodian and sheriff stood up, eyes gleaming with ferocious killing intent, and the memories returned to their owner.

Dilsad awoke to the sight of his terror-stricken uncle and the two backers he summoned now eying him as if he pillaged their wives.

"Did...did I miss something? What's wr—"

*PAH*

Before anyone else could take action, Gerden regained his wits, leaped toward Dilsad, and backhanded him across the cheek. Struck by the unreserved slap of an eighth-level Celestial Kin, Dilsad spiraled across the room, and with gushing blood and flying teeth, crashed into an adjacent wall.

Usually, such a blow should have left Dilsad unconscious, but as if kept awake by rage and frustration, he dragged himself out of the wall.

"Uncle! What crime did I commit? Why did you slap me?!"

"Why? Why? He dares ask me why!" Gerden threw his head back and roared at the ceiling.

"Alright, let me ask you this one simple thing. Who is the Most Venerated Celestial?" Gerden asked, and though angry and confused, Dilsad directly replied:

"The God Empero…" Finally understanding where the problem lay, Dilsad couldn't finish his words. His eyes widened to impossible length, and his mouth stopped at the "o".

"So you know! You know!

Even a mortal child knows that Most Venerated Celestial means God Emperor! Together those three words form a taboo! God Emperor, Most Venerated Celestial, Master of Heaven and Earth! Those are his three titles! Any one of them must be uttered with absolute reverence! But you actually...you actually...dared refer to His Divine Majesty as a pipsqueak!

If the Divine Laws were still in effect, you and all those within your nine generations would now stand on pikes in the Imperial Domain! That includes me!

Our family doesn't even have enough heads to atone for this!

How can there be such a moron in this world? You...YOU! YOU'RE PISSING ME OFF!" Gerden screeched.