Chapter 114 - Mythical Tyrant (Part 1)

Ignoring the Chimeric Fiend's horrific presence, Jiyan reappeared beside Harun, focusing her senses on the legions approaching with great strides. 31 squads of 600 colossi each crowded the various paths. Space itself bent to accommodate them, enabling the 18,600 giants to lock all escape roads. With military discipline, the leading groups stepped forth to surround Harun, Jiyan, and the Chimeric Fiend. Hundreds of hulking, armored creatures, each with a disturbing pair of golden eyes, trod the ground, walls, air and ceiling—stifling the atmosphere. The shortest were over 3 meters tall, whereas the tallest towered at 12 meters. 

"15,000 at 3 meters. 3,000 at 6, 600 at 12. If we consider that those Space controllers in the recesses of the mine are at God-level, this should be a Celestial Kin, Guard and Knight hierarchy," Harun started, yet felt no relief. In typical times, even one thousand times such numbers couldn't deter him. Raw quantity didn't make up for raw quality. However, this was only valid if the opponents didn't rely on formations. Even the most unsophisticated of Offensive Formations could turn such an army into a God-slaying machine.

And while he couldn't sense any formation, Harun didn't believe that the opponent was so stupid that despite trading blows with Jiyan, it'd send fodders to their doom—he was right. The armored giants' golden eyes lit up. Metallic dust particles sprouted from their bronze armors, becoming a storm of rust that hid the soldiers from Harun and Jiyan's senses. Worse, the rust storm connected them to one another, enabling their strength to overlap. 

"And now I wish we brought Mehran with us. After refining the fifth elder's soul, how is your formation level?" Jiyan asked. In terms of formation talent, Mehran was undoubtedly the Birusk clan's freak. No one could come close. And after sharing in the Soul Refining Hall's fifth elder's soul, his skills improved by leaps and bounds. 

"I am not a formation talent, but by digesting the fifth elder's knowledge and abilities, I made many gains in that area. So, while I haven't had the time to process all those gains, on understanding alone, I wouldn't lose to an eighth-star Formation Master," Harun explained, but all his probes failed to spot the Rust Storm Formation's Eye. The Eye was the formation's core, so typically, a Formation Master couldn't control the setup from a distance. But here, perhaps thanks to the mine's structure or Space Mysteries, the Formation Master managed to manipulate his formation from miles away—a formidable skill. 

Now trapped at the center of the rust storm, with virtually no knowledge of their opponents' destructive potential, neither Harun nor Jiyan could rush head on and attempt to break the formation with sheer strength. Thus, while Harun's Eye of Luminous Treasures had already located the nearest treasure trove, without getting rid of these armored giants, they would never have the opportunity to enjoy them. 

Dozens of rust-shaped cannons sprouted from the storm, all aiming for the pair. Instinctively, the Chimeric Fiend howled and spat out webs of silver silk that rolled and shifted to form a cocoon that sheltered it alongside its masters. Maroon orbs flashed at the cannons' tips, the rumbling sound of relentless artillery followed, battering the duo's acute hearing. The Chimeric Fiend's silk cocoon could resist a fifth-level Ascending God's strike without a dent. But as the succession of maroon beams bombed the webs, some threads snapped, creating openings for the rust storms to explore. 

A shower of rust javelins poured on the silk cocoon, forcing the Chimeric Fiend to stay on the defensive and reinforce its net. 

Harun thus gained an accurate picture of the enemy's strength, and realized that while they could use their skills to ensure their survival, they couldn't force their way out, either. Down the road, that stalemate would lead them to destruction. "Bless me with your Spiritual Incense so I can erase the formation with my Withering Essence—or at least cleave open an escape road," Jiyan offered, and it was indeed the only pertinent option. Unfortunately, this was a short-term solution to a much bigger problem. 

First, the armored giants were just a probe. The true experts were watching their every move, treating their struggle like a game of cat and mice. Even if they broke free, they wouldn't get far. 

Second, Harun's soul was in no good shape. The cycle of prayers going on in the Dark Stone City was taking its toll. Worse, faced with apocalyptic disasters that spared none besides the Dark Stone city, citizens of nearby towns and villages cast their hopes at the magnificent golden barrier, dispatched cultivators for help, and would soon realize who they had to pray to. Even without the armored giants to create trouble, those prayers would destroy Harun. At first, he hoped to find a stash of Obsidian Soul Stones, refine them to strengthen his soul, and attack the suffering-stage. 

But nothing could guarantee that he'd live long enough to grab those stones. There were only two foolproof solutions: A) Jiyan broke through to the Tri-Yin-Core stage, B) Harun broke through to the Suffering stage. 

"It is time to grow, but neither path gives us the tools for immediate progress," Harun whispered, more for himself than anyone else. And it was there that it struck him. Since when did he become so reliant on what the Path allowed him to do? Since when did he need the cultivation road's help and blessing to transcend himself? If there was no door to salvation, why couldn't he create one?

A maniacal glint flashed in Harun's eyes, and with an unprecedented surge of determination, he turned, facing Jiyan with an almost rabid gaze. "After we leave this place, you have to buy me 10 minutes," he declared, and though the madness in his eyes perturbed her, Jiyan didn't lose faith in Harun—not now, never—and with unconditional trust, approved with her own grit. "I will give you 15." 

The words forced a chortle out of Harun's lips, almost making him forget the endless bombardment awaiting them outside. Placing his hand on Jiyan's forehead, Harun flooded her body with waves of Spiritual Incense, blessing her already outstanding skills to make her strength shoot up. Summoning her Withering Sword, Jiyan swept her blade in a 360 arc. Gray Withering Essence gushed out, erasing both the silk cocoon, maroon beams, and the rain of rust javelins dropping from all angles. 

Following the Eye of Luminous Treasure's guidance, Harun glanced at the spot furthest to the right, Jiyan's sword followed his eyes, and with another swing, cleaved a path through the rust storm. The two shot through, the Chimeric Fiend raced after them, leaving shields of adamantine silk to resist the rust storm's pursuit. Not even one minute of chase passed before Harun stopped and rammed his fists into the ground, excavating a stash of obsidian stones from which strange heartbeats echoed. But instead of refining those stones, Harun summoned his Evil Soul Tree, threw the stones at the starving plant, and sat crossed-legged in meditation. 

Immediately, the tree siphoned all energies in the stones, their heartbeats stopped, and retracting all his strengths, Harun fell into a trance—communing with the Evil Soul Tree to achieve minor accomplishment in the Soul Mystery. 

By planting the Soul Seed and refining the Dream Seers, Harun had already achieved elementary insight in the Mystery of Souls. The Serene Soul Crystals and the Forgotten Soul Graveyard enabled him to deepen that insight. But for safe cultivation, Harun didn't plan to advance before several months of steady practice. Now, he no longer had that luxury. 

In a sense, the Evil Soul Tree and Weeping Soul Mantra carried the legacy of the Soul Emperor. Harun now communed with that legacy, comprehending and challenging the Emperor's insight to rush toward the next level. White filaments flickered around his form while his skin turned deathly pale, then red, alternating between those two states as he stepped into minor accomplishment. 

The Rust Storm again surrounded the trio, but taking the lead, Jiyan met it in a direct clash, forcing the armored giants to retreat with every swing of her nightmarish blade. Within the formation, many of the armored giants turned into dust. And should things carry on this way, it wouldn't be long before the whole team collapsed. Yet...defeat never once crossed their minds.

…

Meanwhile, following their "mother's" directives, the Landgraves examined Weeping Soul and Harun. 8 of the 9 Berserk Colossi, each 33 meters tall, stared at the ongoing confrontation between the armored giants and Harun's group. Only the First Landgrave, who controlled the formation, focused solely on Jiyan. 

"Mother's choice is extraordinary. Even without a high-understanding of Soul Mysteries, he could locate the first batch."

"Wasn't that the mythical Sacred Eye mother sometimes rambles about?"

"Nonsen—"

An absurd scene brought the colossi's exchange to a hasty end. Harun achieved minor accomplishment in the Soul Mystery. But in the next instant, broke his soul into countless particles, fused them with the Evil Tree, and set it all ablaze!