“Heaven’s Veilstone,” Yao Shen’s solemn tone echoed with gravitas as his gaze scrutinized the translucent stone tiling every inch of the small, secluded chamber. The light streaming in from the opened doorway allowed the inert stone to once again feel the touch of luminescence, as it erupted with iridescent hues that were strewn across its surface like a sea of stars. The dots of radiance were too numerous for the mortal eye to keep track of every variation in hue, yet the cumulative, mesmerizing effect was too prominent to not appreciate.

The sound of the stone door slowly grinding back into place sounded out behind him, but Yao Shen’s expression remained calm.

“You are familiar with it?” Wenjun Long’s were spoken more as a question than a statement, yet with the Former Patriarch’s imposing presence, it was often hard to tell.

“I am not,” Yao Shen chose not to dance around the topic and simply admit his own unfamiliarity with the fabled material. “Until this very moment, I had discounted it as mere folklore. And upon witnessing it, I am convinced that the tales of its properties have been greatly exaggerated.”

Wenjun Long allowed an amused grin to slip onto his features at Yao Shen’s remark as he reached for the Heaven’s Veilstone with his right hand, his movements as delicate as they were deliberate.

“You are not wrong, Patriarch Shen. If there was truly any material that could completely shield cultivators from the eyes of Heaven, then our Divine Mountain Sect would not have submitted to a mere Soul Emperor. But that understanding alone does not take away from the value of Heaven's Veilstone, at least, not as much as you would think.”

“Elaborate.”

“Are you familiar with the Dao of Divination, Patriarch Shen?”

“An Esoteric Dao that is little understood,” Yao Shen’s gaze had shifted towards Wenjun Long, his intrigued expression betraying his curiosity.

Any mention of Esoteric Daos was fleetingly rare, for very few cultivators would admit they possessed the slightest of an inkling on the subject, let alone volunteer such precious information to another.

“Indeed,” Wenjun Long began, his tone melancholic. “Yet if you were to ask our disciples today, merely the act of drawing conclusions from observations, reasoning and analysis alone is enough to be considered divination. The cultivators of the present see, yet few among them stop to understand.”

“What is it, then? True Divination.”

“Tell me, Patriarch Shen. Have you ever pondered upon the true nature of the Heavens?”

“Naturally,” Yao Shen replied with a nod.

Stolen novel; please report.

“Cultivators that cross a threshold of power cannot escape the eyes of the Heavens. That, as you are well aware, is a fact. Yet it also brings us to ask a question. Are the Heavens merely observing or are they truly watching us? Is the Heavenly Dao sentient? Sapient? Or are they merely a set of ancient laws that have gained a consciousness— unfeeling, uncaring and existing solely to impose their conceptualization of order onto the world.”

“Uncle…” Kang Long tried to interfere, only to be waved off by Wenjun Long.

“The Dao of Divination seeks out patterns and repetitions in the behavior of the Heavenly Dao. Then it identifies deviations from the established cycles and from it, infers valuable information relating to powerful artifacts, Natural Treasures and even cultivators that have recently ascended. From the records left by my ancestors, the results received from Divination are not always accurate but even then, you can understand the value of the Esoteric Dao.”

“And Heaven’s Veilstone?” Yao Shen asked, though he had already intuited the direction in which Wenjun Long was pointing him towards.

“It does not shield us from the gaze of the Heavenly Dao, at least not in the way you would think. Concentrations of power naturally attract the Heavens’ oversight but I do not believe the Heavenly Dao to be omniscient. Its gaze will cycle through the Azlak Plains seeking artifacts and cultivators alike but it will not act unless given reason to. Heaven’s Veilstone merely allows us to elude this cursory glance without retaliation, by seeming less attractive to its gaze then we actually are.”

Yao Shen sucked in a cold breath of air as he calculated the implications of this revelation. A few moments later, he replied, “So it’s true value is in eluding divination instead of ascension tribulation.”

“It is as you say.”

“This stone… my divine sense cannot perceive it. Or rather, the Heaven’s Veilstone completely blends in with the surroundings, to the point where I am led to believe that we are currently standing in the center of solid, unbroken rock. Why not use it to conceal the lumenite mine?”

It was Kang Long who had a response to his curiosity, coming in the form of a resigned sigh.

“If we had enough, we would have. But even back then, these few tiles were all that my ancestors were capable of procuring. And Heaven’s Veilstone is as brittle as mortal rock, so even transporting it carries too great a risk.”

“I see,” Yao Shen gave the stone a final glance before nodding, satisfied with the explanation. “Then show me the artifact worthy of such elaborate concealment.”

Kang Long’s gaze flitted towards the center of the small chamber, where a mottled, blackened cauldron rested. Despite its soot-covered surface, the greater runescript running across its surface was still in near-pristine condition, the flowing runes easily legible even now.

“Two centuries ago,” Wenjun Long spoke solemnly as he gestured for Kang Long to approach. “An Elder of our sect betrayed us to gain access to this very chamber.”

“The Demonic Cultivator incident?” Yao Shen uttered in clear surprise, realization flashing in his eyes. “The Serenity Mountainhold was raided for…,” He trailed off, thinking it wise not to give voice to his suspicions.

“We still do not know and likely will never know if the Elder infiltrated our sect with his allegiances tied to the Demonic Path or if he was converted later on. Thankfully, this Elder was not privy to the Lumenite Ore deposits in the sealed cave systems and neither did he know that the artifacts he had come to steal were of Dwarven origin. But yes, it was indeed one of our own that successfully tore past the defenses of the Serenity Mountainhold.”

“If that is the case,” Yao Shen’s curiosity turned into confusion as he stared at the cauldron. “Why is that still here?”