Cao Yun had a more or less thorough understanding of all of the Piaolu planet's history since the end of the Legendary Era. Moreover, he had all of Emperor Nuwa's journals about the Withering Fusang Domains. From everything that he read about it, he absolutely wanted to go. Besides, he actually might need to go there, both to confirm certain things and to make sure that Demon God Da Mo was definitely dead. After all, it was still possible that the Demon Soul possessing Empyrean Asura was simply a small part of Demon God Da Mo's actual Demon Soul. Thankfully, the time dilation would allow Cao Yun to wait a very long time before he had to go in there. At the very least, he would end this war and stabilize his Soul Embryo.
Although the war would probably be over before a year had passed, one way or another, his Soul Embryo would require around a century to fully heal. Even now, Cao Yun could still feel it slowly fusing back together thanks to the Soul Embryo of his little sister. The sensation was soothing while causing Cao Yun intense emotional distress. Indeed, as his Soul Embryo healed, it was absorbing the energy from his little sister's soul. Of course, she was already gone, and what remained of her soul was mere energy, but it was still like twisting a knife in the wound for Cao Yun.
A question came to his mind. Cao Yun wasn't sure when Cleansed Asura's body had crashed on the Piaolu planet. Until now, he had been more or less convinced that Cleansed Asura had been in his ravine for around thirty thousand years. Even now, Matriarch Huang had failed to retrieve the body. Hopefully, a 1st-grade Exalted Demon might be able to bring the body out and give him a proper burial. Apparently, Cleansed Asura was buried extremely deep, but space itself had been contorted. With the end of the Yellow Death World, it would slowly repair itself. However, Cleansed Asura's body was also causing various phenomena around.
For all those millennia, though, Cleansed Asura's soul had been strong enough to hide itself. When he had felt Cao Yun, Cleansed Asura had gambled a lot. Clearly, his gamble had paid off. From Cleansed Asura's memories, Cao Yun couldn't tell for sure whether he had crashed here before or after Demon God Da Mo's attack. Most likely, it had been shortly before. To be fair, a short amount of time for a God-Monarch could be several centuries.
In fact, Cao Yun wondered whether it was Cleansed Asura's crash that had somehow caught Demon God Da Mo's attention. Or maybe it had merely affected the array formations concealing the Piaolu planet and allowed for Demon God Da Mo to find it and get in. Anyway, Demon God Da Mo had never found Cleansed Asura, so it gave more credence to the hypothesis that it had happened before the Great Sorrow Era, sometime during the end of the Legendary Era, after the Empyrean Human Emperor had died.
After much time spent trying to reconcile all the information and memories he had gathered, Cao Yun finally decided that he was done. Apart from minor details and date discrepancies, he knew the gist of things. Honestly, he didn't need to know absolutely everything and was open to being proven wrong. For now, though, he would have to focus on the present. Honestly, the death of his sister was still weighing on his mind. Under other circumstances, he might have actually delved into the matter for much longer. The reason why he stopped wasn't limited to the current war, it was more closely related to his emotional state. Moreover, he wouldn't use his mind cultivation to extinguish his pain and distress, only to help him deal with it in a healthy manner that didn't cripple him completely.
As Cao Yun came back to the real world, he saw Emperor Weide before him. This was the last face he wanted to see. Every single time he looked at him or even thought about him, Cao Yun wanted to do things to him. He could even sense the seal ready to torture and kill his hated enemy. As such, the young man had to control himself very carefully not to give in.
"You're dismissed! No one may disturb me now."
Without saying anything, Emperor Weide left. Obviously, he wanted to know Cao Yun's plans, but he wouldn't know anything Cao Yun didn't deem necessary. Besides, Cao Yun didn't even give Emperor Weide the bamboo slip back, he kept the bamboo slip containing the imperial library with him. Clearly, this was an insult, but it wasn't even on purpose. From this point onward, Cao Yun didn't consider Emperor Weide as Emperor. In fact, he wasn't even human anymore, he was simply a walking corpse he could use as a weapon until it was disposed of. Since he made no effort to conceal his intentions, they were extremely visible to Emperor Weide. However, he hid his emotions so well that not even Cao Yun could read them.
Emperor Weide left his own chambers and walked toward another room within the desolate Everlasting Earth Palace. Jian Zhenli followed him with a somber look on his face. Xiao Xuefeng herself had a very hard time deciphering Emperor Weide's expression. Despite everything that had happened and the seal Xiao Xuefeng imagined Cao Yun had placed in his very soul, Emperor Weide maintained his composure and his imperial demeanor. No matter what, he wouldn't allow anything to taint the face of the Emperor, both for his ancestors and for his successors. Even if his successor had been forced upon him, Xiao Xuefeng was certain that Emperor Weide approved of Huang Cixi. Her only demerit was her young age and weak cultivation for an Emperor. However, she had the backing of a 9th-grade Spirit Warrior and Cao Yun himself. Along with Cao Yun's backing came the Wubei Sect's backing. Moreover, she would have the backing of the Golden Flowery Fragrance Institute. In other words, Huang Cixi would be the most influential emperor since Emperor Nuwa.
On top of all of that, Huang Cixi would take over after the war. So she would have nothing to fear of demons, unlike Emperor Nuwa or Emperor Weide. Obviously, she would be a prodigious emperor for mankind and the Hongchen Kingdom. Although Xiao Xuefeng couldn't pry any secret or hint from Emperor Weide, she was certain that he thought so too. Just like Cao Yun, she despised him for his actions, but she was a bit more understanding. After all, she also had a lot of responsibilities. As such, she understood accepting a sacrifice for a greater good. That being said, she still thought he had crossed a line. In her eyes, he wasn't very different from a demonic cultivator. He had used his own people as a resource, as cattle.
As soon as she saw Emperor Weide leave the room, Feng Yingyue tried to rush inside. Her master moved to signal to her to stop, but Feng Yingyue didn't pay any heed to Spirit Master Hua. Although she could have easily stopped her disciple, Hua Fenfei let her go in. Emperor Weide had relayed Cao Yun's orders that no one was to disturb him. However, Feng Yingyue still forced her way through the door as guards tried to grab her, but were stopped. The guards all felt a terrifying aura around them. Soon, they realized who this aura belonged to and stopped. Instead of stopping Feng Yingyue, they closed the doors behind her and stood guard once more.
Just like Feng Yingyue, Ren Chao wanted to rush inside, but Sun Liao and Mei Hua grabbed his shoulders. Unlike Feng Yingyue, he acknowledged them and stopped himself. Although they were brothers, he also knew that Feng Yingyue might be better suited to console Cao Yun. However, he refused to be useless again. Thus, Ren Chao began to walk toward the body of Cao Huiying as several guards and officials were taking it away. Later, Ren Chao would go to an imperial forge, but he had to take care of that first. Sun Liao didn't sit idly by either, he immediately used his influence to summon several array formation masters. There was work to do. On the other hand, Mei Hua followed Xiao Xuefeng and Hua Fenfei. Alchemists would first try to help the physicians rescue as many people as they could, then they would get ready for even more battles to come.
Feng Yingyue ran toward Cao Yun. Now that they were alone and some time had passed, she decided to embrace him. Even from the room, even without using his spiritual senses, Cao Yun could feel his younger sister's body being carefully and respectfully carried away. As her presence faded away, it was as if all the strength in Cao Yun's body left him, and he collapsed in Feng Yingyue's arms. Cao Yun had already used up all the tears in his body. Just like a cord under tension, when it snapped, Cao Yun went completely limp in Feng Yingyue's embrace.
The two of them stayed in Emperor Weide's chambers, sitting on the floor, nestled one against the other. As they did, they felt many things go through their bodies and souls. As Cao Yun's cultivation had improved, he was more perceptive, so it felt even deeper than usual.
Honestly, neither of them cared about the passage of time. In the end, they stayed like that for more than three days when Cao Yun finally came back to his senses. He raised his head and looked into Feng Yingyue's eyes. Suddenly, he kissed her. She lost herself in his kiss. Although she could feel sorrow and pain, she didn't shy away. Cao Yun and Feng Yingyue found themselves in a tighter embrace. For several hours, they were one, on the very floor.
Afterward, Cao Yun's reason was back. He was lying beside Feng Yingyue, looking at her beautiful eyes. He simply didn't know how to move on. He knew everything he had to do, he knew that he couldn't fail his sister's trust in him. He had failed his parents' dying wish, but he wouldn't let his sister's sacrifice go to waste. However, he needed something. He didn't know what, but he needed it to go on. For some time, he looked his lover in the eyes. Without saying a single word, Feng Yingyue's eyes conveyed all her feelings to Cao Yun. With diminished strength, the young man stood up.
"I need to cultivate, I need to restore my strength and study the Dao. In nine days, we'll leave for Baziyun City. Before that, tell Sun Liao that all the array formations must be ready for me to address the Huang family and the Wubei Sect. Make sure that everyone knows what happened here. If I'm right, we have enough time. But once we get to the Wubei Sect, I'll put my plans in motion, and things will be much faster. So everything must be ready for that moment. My guess is that we should have six or seven months before that."
Cao Yun was using his knowledge of geography and politics. It would probably take three to four months for the Silver Wolf Marshal's army to get back to Saint Citadel Sidi, to Empyrean Asura. For information to get back to him about all that had happened in his Empyrean Asura Theocracy and for Empyrean Asura to react, Cao Yun estimated that five to six months would be necessary. From what he knew, Cao Yun was convinced that Empyrean Asura would prioritize dealing with mankind. Honestly, this wasn't a bad decision. If the Hongchen Kingdom failed, Empyrean Asura would be free to slaughter any demon opposing him afterward.
Mankind's main concern was that Empyrean Asura could send his forces anywhere. Mankind couldn't defend all its territory without the array formations left by Emperor Nuwa, which had just been shattered, for the most part. If Empyrean Asura attacked from enough directions at the same time, the Hongchen Kingdom would quickly fall. So long as Empyrean Asura lived, mankind was doomed. Fortunately, Cao Yun knew precisely what would bait Empyrean Asura to come in person, and exactly where Cao Yun wanted him to. The ultimate battle for mankind's survival would happen at the Wubei Sect.
To be honest, Cao Yun didn't like the idea of fighting Empyrean Asura there. After all, the Wubei Sect would suffer a lot. However, he had very little choice in the matter. As such, he would have to make sure that the Wubei Sect was as protected and well prepared as possible. In order to do so, he would have to weaken the Hongchen Kingdom in other places. Hopefully, Cao Yun was right. Otherwise, the consequences would be disastrous.
Cao Yun wasn't too worried about his plan to lure Empyrean Asura. However, he was worried about his timetable. The Empyrean Asura Theocracy couldn't attack the Hongchen Kingdom en masse before he was ready. Cao Yun had to time it in such a manner that Empyrean Asura left before his forces and plans were ready. If he left before giving clear orders to his armies, they might not attack the Hongchen Kingdom before he was killed. Once Empyrean Asura was dead, Cao Yun was confident that demons wouldn't be much of an issue. On that front, he was absolutely ready, and so was Huang Cixi. They had to cut off the head of the beast, then they could watch the beast agonize and die.
As Cao Yun put his robe back on, Feng Yingyue stood up too. She kissed him, dressed up, and left the chambers without disturbing him any longer. As she was leaving, Cao Yun already began to meditate, he sat cross-legged and entered his sea of consciousness. Now, he needed to see exactly how he had changed. He needed to make sure that he was healing properly. As such, he pushed aside all other considerations. Honestly, his heart was still a bit heavy, but he felt mostly melancholy rather than pure sorrow. Feng Yingyue's tight embrace had soothed him a lot. There would never be an ideal moment, but he had to do something, or more disasters would strike those he cared about. Cao Yun couldn't be weak at that moment. Afterward, he would have more than a century to mourn his sister. First, he had to honor her memory. He had to stand strong for her, for his entire family, for his sworn brothers, for all of mankind, for the entire Piaolu planet. Many demons were victims of Demon God Da Mo, too, after all...