88 Golden Silkworms
A dreaded beast of ancient folklore, the Golden Silkworm was one of the few high-level noxious creatures that Harun didn't invent. Its use predated all written records of the Noxious Flame World, and besides adding a few improvements to make it less resource-heavy, Harun didn't change much.
Golden Silkworms, as one could guess, gave their names to Golden Silkworm Jars, as the first species bred from pitting caterpillars against caterpillars through those ancient jars. If history was to be trusted, the first golden silkworm emerged from a battle between over 3,000 insect species, and buried itself in silk for 99 days, only to surface as a golden caterpillar—thenceforth becoming its own species.
In the wild, Golden Silkworms only gathered in places where the five elements, yin and yang stood in perfect harmony, making them nigh-impossible to find in mortal territory. Likewise, refining one cost Harun insects from the fire, earth, metal, water and wood elements. The white worm then wrapped itself in silk and bathed under the sun and moon for 33 days before turning into a Golden Silkworm. Though much less than the historical 99 days, and just a sneeze for old cultivators, Harun always felt that there still was much room for improvement.
Left in the wild, Golden Silkworms couldn't survive ten days without Five-Element plus Yin-Yang harmony, and reproduced asexually. Their silk was unbreakable to all below their grade level, and they could hide virtually anywhere. Food, liquor, the human body, all was fair play. The worm became invisible in the place or substance it hid in, making countless experts unable to track it once ingrained. Worse, it could increase its lifespan by feeding on its host, then move on to another one using the ten days deadline. This host-jumping technique enabled the worms to virtually live forever. But after 99 cycles of 66 years, the Golden Silkworm would again wrap itself in a cocoon and emerge, not as a silkworm or moth, but a pair of Golden Nymphs, male and female. After exchanging their Yin and Yang Essence for 6,534 years, the pair merged into one Golden Cicada, and flew toward the starry sky.
But to say nothing of the Golden Cicada, none had seen a Golden Silkworm old enough to achieve the Nymph Transformation. Thus, while the Noxious Flame World's people still dreaded the silkworm, the Golden Cicada became, for them, a symbol of immortality.
Harun didn't care for the nymphs or cicadas. Golden Silkworms took control of their hosts without the latter ever realizing it—and obeyed their mother worm—forming an unbreakable chain of command going back to the Original Silkworm of their lineage. By subduing the original, one automatically controlled its descendants—wherever they stood. In his time with the Birusk clan, Harun bred and subdued 16 originals, feeding them all with his Life Essence. Few could imagine that those nail-sized creatures could seamlessly command the emotions and desires of their hosts. No wonders the ancient labeled the use of Golden Silkworms as witchcraft.
But as far as Harun was concerned, the silkworms were much more reliable in taking over sects and countries than Sin-Glazed Flowers. And thanks to Dilnaz blowing up the Noxious Flame World, the breeding method vanished as well. Even the World Association couldn't salvage everything.
"Those are revelation silkworms. We will use them to unleash all the nefarious plans those generals and top officials have been brewing—then suppress the people's complaints at the roots. Across the next three days, you will place those silkworms into our guests' drinks and meals. Be it in the main establishment, the Fancy Wife Inn, and all sub-establishments we control, I want every mug of ale and apple pie filled with at least one of these creatures, more for shared dishes. Handle that and you can return to the Birusk clan. Your personal Toxic Ascension Road awaits, and your wife is eager to assist you through its various stages," Harun said the last part with a gentle smile, and as images of his wife and children flickered in his mind, the tavern owner bowed in submission, then left to handle the job.
Harun naturally couldn't explain the silkworms' true use, and planned to oversee all the workers used for this task with his Divine Sense. But since the tavern owner groomed his own lot of devotees by giving second chances to starving orphans, he didn't lack a trustworthy death squad, either.
"How I hate to love the way you use your brain to develop the most...hum...abject of things, will never cease to amaze me," Jiyan whispered, half-jesting half-serious, as she watched an Origin Silkworm burrow into Harun's palm, "Look, in my defense, I didn't invent these. I just made them popular again," Harun countered with a dismissive wave of his hand, but had to prevent his lips from flashing a broad grin.
"And how did you sell them to the world? Let's make worms great again? I'm really curious. What does it take to make a man inject worms into his bloodstream?��� She asked with an oomph of sass.
"Says the one that's refining toxic beast souls to improve her cultivation base."
"I will stop you right there," Jiyan cut, and wrapped her arms around Harun's neck, staring deep into his eyes. "I can only do that because I ache to be closer to you—all of you—If not for you, why would I bother?" She rhetorically asked, then let herself drop, allowing Harun to catch her by the waist, then pull her lips onto his.
But as the two grew more frisky, sounds of flying chairs and smacked faces broke their intimacy. Alerting them of the racket below.
…
"Hick, hick...what? You don't welcome celestials here? Or is our Immolation Blade Sect no longer...hick...good enough for your establishment? Hick!" A tearful youth barked while slapping an armored mercenary black and blue.
"Haha...hick, they only receive Dark Stone aristofucks...and, and...cultiwastes. How could they take us foreigners seriously?" A middle-aged man asked in a derisive tone, and several other disciples caused trouble nearby, seizing mugs, smacking nobles, and harassing waitresses. Each wore a yellow robe embroidered with flickering red flame patterns—mark of the Immolation Blade Sect. Their cultivation bases hovered between eighth level Celestial Kin and third level Celestial Guard, showing that their status in the sect should be fairly high.
Following Sangar's death, the remaining sect elders received an ultimatum from the Soul Refining Hall, and after some discussions, capitulated without resistance. The disciples never got the time to mourn their sect master's death, with those close to him forced to suppress their tears. Those bottled up emotions led to today's events, where those disciples vented their frustration on various mortal establishments.
In the Dark Stone Country, top officials and generals were only at the early-stages of the Daoist Realm. The mercenary companies were no different, with their leaders also at the Daoist Realm. How could they resist a celestial gang's abuse?
But as Sangar's close subordinates vented their loss in the most inept of ways, a teenaged-looking lady clenched at wooden bars, restraining her bloodlust. Iron chains sprang from the ground, locking the necks of all the celestials.
"Huh, why did the temperature drop so fast?" One trapped disciple asked himself. Thick maces hung at the chains' tips, aiming—like baseball bats—for the celestials' cheeks.
"Holy mother…"
BANG!
The thick maces smacked several teeth out of all the grieving celestials. The swift and incomprehensible twist threw guests and celestials alike off-balance. All sought the origin of this sorcery, but failed to find the target.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
When the last teeth the celestials had to spit flew across the room, Jiyan's chains hauled them up for all to see, then hurled them out the window! Instantly, all grew convinced that hidden among the guests was a top powerhouse whose revelry had been disturbed by the ruffians.
Little did they know that the "top powerhouse" was currently stomping her lovely feet, fuming in outrage.
"Even a beast understands that there are times when discretion is a must. Do we really have to tour the world with a 'Do Not Disturb' tag before you start behaving?" Jiyan wanted to ask, but knowing she had appearances to maintain, she kept those words for herself—making a speechless Harun confused at this berserk face devastation.
