Chapter 159 - This Disciple Will Not Fail You

"So that's how it was, huh?" Little did Harun expect that a wall of karmic laws sheltered Birandar's thoughts and incarnations, preventing anyone without the right keys from unlocking the past he sat on. Clearly, whoever set up that defense mechanism reached the top of the Mystery of Karma and likely possessed Samsara Dominion. Knowing that forcing the matter would do no one no good, Harun dropped it entirely.

"Stand up and take your f.u.c.k.i.n.g seat; we ain't got time for bullshit," Harun started, but while Gulseni was somewhat surprised by his tone, having served in the Birusk clan for some time, she quickly realized that this was just the start of a rallying cry. Not one to disobey his master's orders, Birandar stood up and sat next to Mukri. At first, Mehran's inquisitive gaze didn't leave him, but drawn by Harun's tone, the former monarch shifted his attention to his boss. 

"Fellas, I'm not gonna sugarcoat it; we're in deep shit. The situation is so bad that if the First Emperor returned from the grave to confront this, his first reaction would be 'F.u.c.k this, I'm out!' And then he'd kill himself to escape it all," Harun started, making Jiyan, Gulseni, Mehran and Birandar's jaws drop while Mukri broke into a cold sweat. To say nothing of them, even Jiyan didn't expect that Harun would take such an alarming stance. If even the first recorded owner of the Mandate of Heaven would kill himself to avoid this plague, what could they possibly do? But clearly, Harun was only getting started. 

"Boss, this is bad leadership. You're supposed to reassure the troops and boost morale, not scare us witless!" Mukri blurted in a high-pitched squeal. But the words had barely left his lips that Harun stabbed him with an unprecedented, despotic look.

"Oh but this is just the tip of the iceberg. What we have here is a gathering of leaders, not goons. I need motherf.u.c.kers that can the heat when it strikes, not babies eager for me to spoon-feed them a false sense of security. If you can't take it, I don't mind putting you out of your misery and cooking some top-tier beef to lift the troop's morale!" Smacking the table to stress his words, Harun leaned toward Mukri, who now had the misconception that with the wrong word, he'd turn into his boss' dinner. Believing that Harun's appetite was more terrifying than 10 trillion worms, Mukri lowered his head, not daring to draw more attention. 

"This might sound harsh to you all, but tough times demand tough changes. Northeast, Xerzan, the Barbaric Demon Stronghold Master, has realized his buddy's death, and is setting up a strange formation. Within the city, 1.5 million mutant zealots are waiting for me to send them on a crusade, while their 2.4 billion peers are ransacking the Second Range, and producing more abominations. Not only do their deeds have direct consequences on me, but the statues they're having captive Gods build to 'honor' me will tell the world all it needs to know. Soon, Lord Revelation will become the Son of Heaven. Our few friends will b.a.r.e their fangs, and as Mehran openly took on the Birusk name, the Birusk clan might not be spared either—not that I blame you," Harun pursued, forcing Mukri to bite his lower lip to restrain his growing terror. 

"There are so many reasons why this can go wrong that it is safe to assume that the world is our enemy. But while the words chime with a rock-and-roll feel, I have no intention to be public enemy number one…of a bloody Landverse. So, we will spin this around and through a blend of aggression and careful deception, regain all we lose and so much more. I hereby declare that with the Dark Stone Country as its center, the First Range will enter a renaissance! From clothing style to culture, from culture to science, across the following decades we will revolution this landmass with a complete upheaval. We'll put the mutants to maximum use, gather them under the banner of the Treasure Hunting Gang and Lord Revelation's name to seek and plunder inheritance grounds for our coffers' sake. But first thing first," Harun paused, and spun toward Birandar. "Dear disciple, from now on, you're Lord Revelation," Harun straightforwardly said, throwing the assembly into a massive uproar.

"Boss you can't be this irresponsible! Are you trying to shift the blame on your disciple and flee? If you're fleeing at least take me with you!" Unable to restrain himself, Mukri pleaded, but a doubly murderous glance from Harun and Gulseni shut the poor bull up. 

Stunned by Harun's words, Birandar didn't react. At first, Mehran, Jiyan and Gulseni were taken aback, but believing in Harun's foresight, they reckoned he had more to offer, and as they exchanged glances, the three came to the same conclusion—their eyes widened in disbelief.

"Indeed, there is no scenario where we can prevent the Holy Lands and other factions from seeing through the Son of Heaven's involvement. And while we could use the barrier to hide the connection between the Birusk name, Lord Revelation and I, at this point, it serves no purpose. On the contrary, if we can portray Lord Revelation as an usurper attempting to use my name to justify his hostile takeover of the Heavenly Dream Land, then destroy that usurper and subdue the Plague Worshiping Cult, we can not only preserve our connection to the Monster Paradise, but go from villains to heroes in a single step," Harun explained, making Mukri's large lips curl into an "O" shape. 

While they clearly didn't have the tools to handle the worm pandemic yet, as long as they could spread some doubts regarding the mastermind's identity, the Emperor-level experts wouldn't jump to conclusion, buying themselves time to counterattack. In all top-experts' eyes, Harun left the Heavenly Dream Land's public scene on an invincible stance. In their minds, if he ever returned, it would be as a powerhouse that even Emperors would have to look up to. This misconception was their greatest advantage.

The cleverer the expert, the more suspicious they'd become, and suspicion was all Harun needed to make his "True Return" a resounding success. And while for Harun, time was of the essence, as far as the subterfuge was concerned, it didn't matter much. God-level cultivators didn't have the same perception of time as mortals. Ten, twenty or thirty years meant nothing to them, and Harun certainly didn't plan to spend three decades on subduing these mutants. 

Standing up, Birandar clasped his hands and bowed toward Harun: "Master, your wish is my command. From now on, I am…Lord Revelation!" Birandar declared, but little did Harun expect that the words would trigger a seismic shift in his heart rate, the scenery changed, and he now stood before a prostrated youth dressed in brown monk clothes. 

…

"You have reached the peak of the Six Incarnations Bridge in record times, liberated your fleshly body, and mastered causality. Of my disciples, you're neither the cleverest nor the most talented, but your devotion to your studies enabled you to catch up to and surpass them all. More importantly, only you could get the essence of the Undisturbed Mantra. The Karmic Wheel is the proof that your training is now complete, but I hope you can spread what you learned to those willing to listen. Never force, never demand, but whenever a man, woman, child or elder asks you for enlightenment, do not reject them. Master hopes that you will not become like your eldest brother and lose the heart you've built on this tedious road to enlightenment," Golden Cicada said, and without delay, his disciple rewarded his expectations. 

"Master, your disciple will never fail you. Be it to honor your wishes or the teachings you've imparted onto me, I will set out on a long journey, and spread your words to all those willing to listen to them. From now on, I am Revelation." The youth said and raised his head, facing Harun with three distinct eyes. The Serpent Emperor's Sovereign Pupils, and Birandar's Karmic Wheel.