Nine Venoms Sect Founder

"In those last 15 years, you've made tremendous progress. If not because you had to monitor the clan's growth, perhaps you'd have gone a step further. The Bridge you created is remarkable. Anyone with the determination can reach Celestial level within a few decades—without relying on Time Chambers. True talents possess a limitless future. Speed wise, it's probably one of the fastest even in the Ancestral Land—if not the fastest. Strength wise, it loses to three in the early steps, but can proudly face all in the later steps. The Fifth Step is a masterstroke, and by combining it with the Nine Venoms Legacy, a final breakthrough is possible.

Son, I'm more than satisfied with your current results. Keep it up." The System gave Harun unexpected encouragements and summoned his reward. In the Birusk clan's sky, a dark-green vortex took shape, and from it descended a ten meters wide monument. Built in imperial jade, the monument, a jade-green pyramid of over 1,000, joint insect-shaped figurines above which rested a cultivation altar, nimbly landed before Harun's temple, briefly gathering the attention of the Birusk clansmen. But now used to miraculous sight, they didn't dwell on it, and resumed their cultivation routine.

"When you said Hundred Insects Altar, I don't know why I expected a stone monument with 100 crawling insects. Your naming sense sucks but...hum, I guess this is better." Harun leaned over, observing the Hundred Insects Altar with his Divine Sense. Each of the insect figurines represented an insect species, beetles, butterflies, bees, ants, flies; there were far too many to count, and they all produced toxic beasts of the given species. For the last stage of the Second Step, this was critical.

In the Tri-Yin-Core stage, experts had to refine the souls and essence of countless toxic beasts to condense three Noxious Yin Cores. Past that step, they'd at least possess Ascending-God-level strength. But while Harun stockpiled legions of toxic beasts and had several breeding stocks, he couldn't guarantee that his sect's growth pace wouldn't outpace the supply. The Hundred Insect Altar solved this problem, automatically producing about 6,000 toxic beasts per day, which it stocked in its own Inner Space World.

At the same time, insect reserves acted as fuel for a defensive formation the Birusk clan could use to shelter itself. Harun could grant and strip control of the altar as he pleased, which simplified much. With a step, he crossed hundreds of meters to appear above a secluded grove east of the village. After the clan's soil-grade rose to the treasure-grade, all Perfect Spirit Trees became Spirit God Trees, sky-blue redwoods that filled the atmosphere with boundless Qi, increased Essence grade, enlightenment and cultivation speed. Several of those redwoods formed the grove above which Harun now hovered.

Bright-blue light coiled around the trunks and branches, and despite the lack of breeze, the leaves swayed, as if filled with a will of their own. Ignoring this phenomenon, Harun kept his presence concealed and observed the scene below. Six people stood in the grove, three young men that sat against a redwood tree, observing a white-haired goddess standing against a humanoid bull and a red-haired vixen: Jiyan, Mukri and Gulseni.

Fifteen years of cultivation only perfected Jiyan's entrancing looks. Her gaze grew sharper, her aura mixed gentleness with an inviolable dignity. Though, in rare moments, an absentminded and slightly dunce look would make some question her genius. Mukri and Gulseni's eyes shone with seriousness, while the three young men, Zoran, Cildar and Gulik, glued their attention on the upcoming clash.

Gulseni and Mukri exchanged a glance. The latter stomped his hooves, and the fight began.

…

Cracks spread across the grove as Mukri's stomp triggered a minor earthquake and raised six earthen walls before Jiyan. On the walls' surface, dozens of pikes protruded, all aiming for Jiyan. A salvo of earthen projectiles followed, with hundreds upon hundreds of spears shooting toward Jiyan. In those last 15 years, Mukri not only solidified his cultivation, but broke through to the late-stage of the Earth Fusion Realm. His control over the Fire and Earth elements had reached a splendid level, but better than anyone, he knew that this move alone couldn't deter Jiyan.

At his left, Gulseni slapped her chest, summoning her natal artifact: a silver mirror. Silver light filaments coiled around its frame, gathering at the center to form an orb of pure energy. The mirror soared into the sky, expanded to a full ten meters, and revolved on itself as if ready to shoot all in the vicinity—it only fired at Jiyan. But before the combination of silver beams and earthen spears, Jiyan remained stoic and waved her right hand.

An ordinary-looking steel sword appeared in her right hand, dark-gray essence poured out, and she swept her sword in a casual, horizontal slash. Waves of gray, Withering Essence rose toward the earthen spikes and walls, instantly turning them into debris. The silver beams from Gulseni mirrors collided with an invisible wall, preventing them from grazing Jiyan's figure.

However, by the time the earth formation collapsed, both Mukri and Gulseni had vanished. And as Jiyan's formless wall restrained the beams' onslaught, massive rocks broke from the ground, soared into the air, and locked her from all directions. Bright-red flames set the rocks ablaze, dozens of flaming stones set in rings, and leaving Jiyan no way out. To the onlooker, this didn't look like a spar, but a life and death clash between arch-nemeses.

Hurtling at their prey like meteors, the flaming stones crashed into Jiyan. But undisturbed, she swept her sword in a 360 arc, and the flaming rocks turned into smoke and dust. At that time, Mukri and Gulseni drilled out of the ground—flanking Jiyan with their strongest moves. Large orbs of seething magma surrounded Mukri's fists. The land beneath Jiyan's feet cracked and trapped her legs underground. Bright-red flames surrounded Gulseni's legs and, holding nothing back, Mukri released his Devil Essence.

As if helpless, Jiyan floundered. But when the two's moves crashed into her, they ignored her body and slammed into one another instead.

BANG!

Fueled by his Devil Essence, Mukri's magma fists carried the strength to contend with a mid-stage Celestial Knight, and directly sent Gulseni flying against the closest tree. Repelled by the impact's force, Mukri dropped beside Jiyan, his eyes full of confusion. But before Mukri could realize the ploy, a 20 cm long line appeared on his chest, his blood poured forth, and just like Gulseni, he collapsed on the ground.

The three spectators were confused. From beginning to end, they never saw Jiyan get trapped. Too fast for their eyes, she'd long vanished. Why then did those two still slam into one another?

"Maybe that's their secret fetish? I heard that beyond the clan, you can sometimes find people that enjoy brutal mutilation," Gulik hypothesized.

"Reasonable. After all, if they didn't get a taste for savage beatdowns, why would they routinely challenge our great elder? Who doesn't know that the Spiritual Lord aside, no one can resist one of her blows?" Zoran approved.

"Nonsense, they obviously suffered from hallucinogens and believed they had the great elder pinned down. Are you even studying?" Cildar, the youngest and most outstanding of the three, realized what went down and knocked his brothers back to reality. But as the three's chatter went on, Gulseni and Mukri regained consciousness, saw Jiyan winking at them, and understood their mistake.

"Another complete failure." Aware of Jiyan's strength, both had foreseen this result already. In fact, they wouldn't be surprised if Jiyan could take them down in one hit, but restrained herself to not damage their self-esteem.

What startled them was that Jiyan's poisonous arts had already reached a level where, despite all their defenses, she could poison them both without leaving the tiniest trace. How and when did she do it?

They never got the answer.

A succession of claps dropped from the sky, and a figure nimbly dropped before them all, landing before Jiyan.

When the figure joined the fun, the three youths prostrated themselves, and in tandem, exclaimed:

Greetings, Spiritual Lord!"

With a wave of his hand, Harun let them rise, and focused on Jiyan.

"Aren't you tired of bullying the weak? At the very least, don't smack them over three times per week. Otherwise, they will be too depressed to guard the fort in our absence," Harun said, half-serious, half-jesting, making Mukri and Gulseni speechless. Perhaps across the First Range, only those two could take a fight against Celestial-Knight-level experts as...bullying the weak.

Hearing Harun's words, Jiyan held her chin and, finding his words reasonable, beckoned to Harun like a tempting lass inviting her lover into bed.

"That's more like it," Harun tilted his head, his nails morphed into sharp claws and, by the time Jiyan took her stance, Harun's right hand was clutching at her neck.