In Saint Citadel Sidi, the capital of the Empyrean Asura Theocracy, several priests and priestesses floated around a large building. In the center, Empyrean Asura himself was looking down on a vast crowd. Hundreds of thousands of demons were turning the ground black. The entire city was full of demons, they even spread outside the city. All of them were bowing to their living god, the agent of Demon God Da Mo on the Piaolu planet. Obviously, they could feel his aura all around him, the 9th-grade Accomplished Demon. However, they didn't know that he actually was Demon God Da Mo. Most likely, he didn't want his worshipers to realize how weak he was.
Slowly, chants rose from the crowd as the priests and priestesses coordinated them all. All the demons took out a blade and slashed their wrists. In a small area, hundreds of slaves and prisoners of war were tied up upside down. Suddenly, blades appeared and sliced their throats. Like the giant crowd, they began to bleed. Unlike the crowd, all of their blood was taken.
Empyrean Asura was basking in the glory of the crowd chanting their worship. He activated his ultimate weapon, Staircase to Hell. The blood from the capital began to rise in the air and turned into hundreds of seals. The very souls of the executed prisoners and slaves got sucked into this whirlpool of blood. Empyrean Asura used his own soul in order to strengthen the array formation. Throughout the entire Heixue Region, several small array formations began to shine. Immediately, priests ordered the sacrifice of slaves and heretics who had already been prepared.
For several hours, a monstrous massacre spread in a concentric circle, even spanning beyond the Heixue Region. Before the Sun reached the zenith, most of the continent had fallen victim to this sacrificial slaughter. Only two regions were mostly spared, the Yanbei Region, where the Empyrean Asura Theocracy was facing too much trouble already, and the Langyin Region, protected by Silver Wolf Marshal Shanyin Guan. However, Silver Wolf Marshal Shanyin Guan wasn't present in his region. Indeed, he was waiting near the border of the Hongchen Kingdom with his Six Fangs Generals. The Empyrean Asura Theocracy had amassed a large part of its army at the frontier.
On the other side, in the Sunmen province, Silver Wolf General Long Cheng was ready. He could obviously tell that the demons were preparing something. Despite his calls for help to the Emperor, he had only received a few more troops. Apparently, the Imperial City was busy with a much more important matter. Besides, they trusted the array formations of Emperor Nuwa and the Four Saints. Even though Silver Wolf General Long Cheng trusted them as well, he could feel that there was something unusual. Somehow, he felt as though the demons were ready for an actual invasion.
Despite the few reinforcements he had received, Silver Wolf General Long Cheng had been given full authority to control the army in the entire area, even from other nearby provinces. As such, he had prepared his forces. Some of his own lieutenants and all the Governors, thought he was being overly cautious, maybe even a bit paranoid. However, they obeyed all his orders. Not only did he hold the authority of the Emperor, but he was also a war hero. Thankfully, they all did exactly as he had asked. Even if a full-scale invasion happened, he was confident that he could delay the demons. He might not be able to push them back, but they wouldn't go further into the Hongchen Kingdom.
In the Yanbei Region, many demons were looking at the sky. They could smell blood in the air. High in the sky, they were seeing strange phenomena as Staircase to Hell was spreading. Among those demons was the young Lan Duoyan. Since he had met Cao Yun, he had been training in order to help his region break free from the tyranny of the Empyrean Asura Theocracy. Despite his encounter with Cao Yun, his cultivation wasn't going incredibly fast, but it was indeed faster than any other demon around him. He had quickly risen among the rebellion. He was surrounded by his friends. All of them were sensing something ominous happening. Lan Duoyan thought back on his teacher Cao Yun as the Sun was getting darker and darker at the same time as it was rising higher and higher.
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While all of that was taking place, the Imperial City was completely oblivious to the outside phenomenon. Indeed, they were still all trapped and isolated by the array formations activated by Cao Yun. The young man was still fighting off both the poison within and the evil aura of Empyrean Asura outside. In the air, Emperor Weide was also recovering, but his mind was busy with other thoughts. Cao Yun had left his mind while he was thinking about Emperor Nuwa and what she had said. If he could get Cao Yun's help, Emperor Weide might be able to fight off the Empyrean Asura. However, he couldn't forsake his hopes of becoming a Sage through Cao Huiying. Those two things were obviously mutually incompatible. Cao Yun would never accept the sacrifice of his sister.
Emperor Weide was trying to find a way where he could obtain everything he wanted and needed to save the Hongchen Kingdom. He had accepted sacrificing his own morality, so he had no problem sacrificing his dignity. If he had to grovel and beg for Cao Yun's help, he would do so. After all, he was painfully aware that Cao Yun was clearly supported by not only his master, Sect Leader Xuan, but also the entire Golden Flowery Fragrance Institute, his best array formation master, Sun Liao, and even the Huang family. Emperor Weide knew how influential the Huang family was. However, even he didn't know how influential and powerful it had become under Acting Matriarch Huang Cixi.
In other words, Cao Yun was a 9th-grade Spirit Warrior and a 9th-grade Accomplished Demon with the support of all the other 9th-grade Spirit Warriors of the Hongchen Kingdom, as well as the support of the most powerful organizations. Ironically, Emperor Weide was happier than ever with his decision to slaughter the Cao family. Not only had he obtained Cao Huiying and some hope to finally break the curse of the Forsaken Dao Era, but he had also indirectly produced the strongest cultivator since the beginning of the Forsaken Dao Era. Besides, this incredible cultivator seemed to have united the Hongchen Kingdom. Already, Emperor Weide was thinking about how he could exploit all of this. But he had to quell Cao Yun's rage. If only they could team up, mankind might actually survive and even triumph.
From the ground, something unexpected shocked everyone. Cao Huiying began to float in the air. Immediately, Jian Zhenli had the instinct to act and grab her. But he remembered her look toward him and felt the pressure of Director Hua and Spirit Master Xiao. The two women weren't too sure whether they should let Cao Huiying act or not. However, they saw something in her eyes and heard something in her voice. As such, they simply made sure that no one stopped her. Cao Huiying looked at Feng Yingyue and her brother's sworn brothers and sister one last time before fully turning toward her brother.
The young woman flew toward her brother and didn't look once at her so-called father. At this moment, she didn't want to remember her hatred. At this moment, only her brother and her family were in her thoughts. Apart from Emperor Nuwa, she was the only one who knew what was going to happen. All around her, Emperor Nuwa had focused some of her aura. However, most of her aura was still within the array formations. Everyone could still feel it. Sun Liao could tell that Emperor Nuwa was keeping the array formation up. In fact, she was strengthening it. But she was getting weaker and weaker. Emperor Nuwa was using all that remained of her strength just to strengthen the array formations.
At last, Cao Huiying reached Cao Yun. The young man was utterly speechless. Looking in her eyes, he recognized the way his younger sister always looked up at him. Cao Huiying caressed his cheek as she smiled. A small tear flowed down her cheek. For a mere instant, time stopped. For an eternity, the two siblings were staring at each other. Cao Yun could tell that Cao Huiying remembered. Of course, he didn't know the actual truth.
Seeing her brother so happy was breaking Cao Huiying's heart. She didn't remember her own past, but she had seen it through the lens of her brother. As Emperor Nuwa had asked her, she focused on her last words so that they would be engraved in her memories. Right now, she had no time to speak. She knew how painful it would be for her brother, but she had already been ready to die. She had nothing to live for. In fact, she didn't mind sacrificing her very soul as she had lost all that truly mattered to her, her past and her family. On the other hand, Cao Yun still had so many things to live for. At least, she would help save the entire Hongchen Kingdom. Their parents had asked Cao Yun to live and to not throw away his life.
For a mere instant, Cao Huiying wondered if she was throwing away her life. She decided that she wasn't. Her sacrifice was worthwhile. Hopefully, her brother wouldn't blame her too much. More than that, she hoped that he wouldn't blame himself too much. With all her strength, she focused on those thoughts and feelings.
Even though it only lasted an instant, Cao Yun felt as though he had spent his entire life in the sky staring at his sister. In this time of despair, she was the light he needed to fend off the evil aura of Demon God Da Mo and the destructive Shattered Soul Hellbloom. However, he suddenly saw her eyes change. In the distance, he also saw Emperor Weide's weird expression.
Before he could truly understand what was going on, Cao Huiying threw her arms around his neck. She hugged him while crying. Without saying a word, she circulated Emperor Weide's ominous cultivation method, 'Black Stone of Royal Embers'. Emperor Nuwa's own soul helped the young woman. Inside her sea of consciousness, her Soul Embryo suddenly erupted in a golden flash. It quickly spread throughout her body. All of her Qi and Jing were sucked in. Then, her entire Soul Embryo erupted from her body and entered her brother's Soul Embryo.
Completely stunned, Cao Yun had no time to do anything. He felt the presence of his own sister enter his Upper Dantian and spread throughout his body. Instinctively, he grabbed his sister, who was still hugging him. He felt the warmth of her body as her arms went limp around his neck. All the tension in her body disappeared suddenly as though she were a puppet whose strings had been cut. The young man grabbed her back, and her head and torso fell backward in his arms.
Cao Yun's entire body was shaking. Tears filled his eyes. He still didn't understand. Emperor Weide had understood earlier. On the ground, everyone understood. Dian Mo was watching from within his friend's sea of consciousness and understood what had happened. But, somehow, it didn't click for Cao Yun. He couldn't comprehend what had just happened. Then he heard Emperor Nuwa's faint voice.
"Forgive me..."
Emperor Nuwa's presence also were sucked in with Cao Huiying's Soul Embryo. Her presence was guiding the energy of the Soul Embryo throughout Cao Yun. This part of her soul fragment had sacrificed itself. Now, an even smaller part of Emperor Nuwa's soul fragment was keeping the array formations up.
Within Cao Yun's sea of consciousness, a golden light spread. Like a falling star, a piece of pure gold flew and crashed directly into Cao Yun's silver Soul Embryo. The shape of Cao Yun, full of cracks everywhere, tried to grab this falling star. As he did, Cao Yun recognized the aura of his sister within. It was her Soul Embryo, but it didn't even have her shape. Suddenly, the falling star melted, and the gold metal spread, it covered Cao Yun's Soul Embryo, filling all the cracks on its surface. As it reached its Third Eye, the gold literally entered the Soul Embryo.
Cao Yun couldn't feel any life or warmth from his sister's body. But he could still feel her presence directly inside his soul. As such, he was desperately holding her. But he was still unable to comprehend that her soul had left her body. Or rather, something within himself was stopping him from comprehending.
Dian Mo was observing. It was painful for him as he was seeing Cao Huiying's Soul Embryo being consumed to heal Cao Yun's. As it was happening, Cao Yun could hear his sister's voice. He was able to see her memories. He relived the last moments of her life when Emperor Nuwa talked to her, when she saw through his own memories. She had never remembered, but she had seen. She had seen their parents, their brother, their family.
"Yun, I'm sorry... I would have loved to spend time with you, to know you and your brothers, your friends. I am sorry to leave you alone once more. Please, forgive your weak little sister. I couldn't bear to see you die. But you're much stronger than I am, live. Live for me! Live for all of us! Tell the uncle I've never met that I would have loved to see him in the flesh, but I've seen him through you. I've seen everything through you. Thank you for everything you've done. Stop tormenting yourself for our family and me. You've survived, and you've made all of us proud. Live your life! Enjoy your life! There is so much I would have loved to tell you... I just hope that those last confused thoughts reach you... I love you..."
Cao Yun broke down. Tears were flowing down his cheeks as his body was shaking and his hands were clutching his sister's back to throw her head back onto his shoulder. He hugged her lifeless body and cried on her neck. He tried to compose himself, to control himself. But he wasn't controlling anything anymore.