Cao Yun simply stayed in his room in the capital. He didn't even try to get to Siqian City. Indeed, he was confident in what he had put in motion. With the support of the Sisters of the Abyss, he was absolutely certain of himself, especially after seeing Lord Wanghuo and Minister Renhai. He learned of the terrible death of City Lord Sihe and it didn't disturb him at all. After all, along with Boss Gui, the two of them were clearly the ones responsible for the slave trade.
Moreover, Cao Yun had already left this Desolate Sepulcher. At the very least, his mind was already back to his own land. He had spent too much time here and had mostly bad memories of it. Although he had gained in strength and power, he had a bitter taste still in his mouth. Indeed, he had been forced to compromise a lot. Even though he had few great principles, he still felt a bit corrupted. In a sense, it was good for his Turbid Demons. But it could also turn against him. The only real positive was that he had abandoned his naivete. Finding the right thing to do in complex situations was much more difficult than he thought.
Although an act might seem terrible, or the right thing to do, the consequences could be the opposite, or a complex shade of everything. As a leader, it was necessary to make such decisions all the time as the fates of many relied on those. Thus, Cao Yun didn't wish to have any power at all. At the same time, it was useless to pursue cultivation and strength if it was to sit and do nothing about the world around. For example, Cao Yun did wish to protect the Hongchen Kingdom. But he didn't want to make the tough decisions. In fact, he was sincerely unsure whether he was the right person to make them.
Instead of trying to rule, he would rather find people worthy of this honor and responsibility. But this wasn't a gift, it would be a heavy burden for them. And at the moment, Nie Pian was indeed realizing that being a city lord had many benefits. But unless one was as corrupt as a few other city lords, this position also had a lot of constraints.
For weeks, Cao Yun kept on meditating and cultivating. He had absolutely everything he could ask for. Thus, he took advantage of it to prepare for his trip and for his return to his own kingdom. He bought many weapons, built array formation plates, seals, pills, ... He also worked on his mind cultivation and Qi cultivation.
Several times, he even tried to get in contact with Dian Mo. Unfortunately, there was still no response from the Palace of Supreme Wisdom. Try as he might, he couldn't even sense any sign of life. Deep down, he was still hoping that Dian Mo was alive, albeit weak. Unfortunately, he had no idea what he could do for him if that was the case. Cao Yun tried to send some of his intent into the Palace of Supreme Wisdom but nothing happened. He circulated his full mind and soul cultivation and focused it on the Temple of Supreme Wisdom to no avail. With each passing day, he was more and more worried about the fate of Dian Mo.
This would have seemed ridiculous to Cao Yun a few years ago. But Dian Mo had truly become dear to him. And he missed the spirit and their long conversations. Ironically, as Cao Yun was already feeling as though he had left this land to go back home, he found himself homesick. Most of it was due to the place where he was being different to the place he felt he had already gone back. Honestly though, he had a few attachments to this Desolate Sepulcher. Despite saying he would never come back, he just might. In a few decades or centuries, he might try to see how far they had gone.
At the same time, Cao Yun was worried. If he came back to realize that everything he had done had gone undone, or worse, it had made things immensely worse for everybody...
Cao Yun was in a state of confusion and felt melancholic without knowing exactly what was responsible for it. Although he had cultivated his mind to a deep level and he could use it in powerful ways, understanding his own self was much more subtle. Maybe he was influenced by the Fallen Arrow. Even though he was close to mastering it, it might really impact him. Or maybe it was something else.
Under these feelings, Cao Yun used his stealth art and decided to walk through the streets as a mere commoner while hiding most of his cultivation. Thankfully, he was not annoyed by anyone. He simply walked through the streets not knowing where to go. The people seemed happy enough in the capital. It was very different from what he had seen within the tribes of the Desolate Dune Desert. Obviously, the capital was much more prosperous than any other city. Even the business of Boss Gui or the one of City Lord Sihe had not brought that much wealth to their city. But again, the capital was taxing them...
The young man ate at several street vendors. For a few hours, it felt like he was a peaceful commoner enjoying a trip to the capital. Honestly, it emptied his head and made him feel better. He completely put aside all ideas of cultivation or plan. Now that he had succeeded in his ambition of going back home, a sort of void was seizing him. Simply forgetting everything felt incredibly good.
Letting his own legs lead him, Cao Yun found himself outside of the city. Soon, he had met up with Hongyu. His mount was now a 6-core demonic beast, a Sky Tyrant Fenghuang. In her, he could feel something very familiar as she had a Wrath Core with the intent of the Blood of Wrath. There was also Evil Qi in the shape of an Evil Core. Just like Cao Yun, she seemed to be perfectly at ease with using Evil Qi. Thus, she had an advantage. The two of them were stronger than cultivators and beasts of the same rank.
Now that he was with her, they flew around a little. Cao Yun and Hongyu both felt at ease with each other. However, Cao Yun had a terrible feeling in his stomach. He was wondering whether it was right of him to bring Hongyu back to the Hongchen Kingdom. After all, he was about to confront Emperor Weide. There was no telling what would happen. Besides, he had no information on his friends or even his sect. Hopefully everyone was alive and safe. But he had no real way of knowing. For all he knew, he might get back to a kingdom at war with many victims.
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The only thing Cao Yun knew for sure was that the Empyrean Asura Theocracy still bought slaves. Thus, their war was not over. Otherwise, they would not have asked for soldiers and warriors. They were also asking for young women to entertain their troops. Clearly, there was no indication that their war was over yet.
Of course, Cao Yun was hoping for the best, but he could not stop himself from imagining the worst.
As if knowing his question before he even asked it, Hongyu landed on top of a large cliff. They were able to see the Divine Blood Ocean from there. Obviously, Sidina had been built close to the ports since it was the basis of the economy and the trade with God's Land. The ocean was strangely calm despite all the stories Cao Yun had heard about it. However, he could still smell a faint odor of blood within the air coming from it. In this very smell, he recognized the intent of the Weaver of Souls.
According to the legends, the blood of the Weaver of Souls had turned the Divine Blood Ocean red. Many demonic beasts had become incredibly powerful and ferocious. While admiring the ocean that was still separating him from home, Cao Yun could indeed envision this scene. After all, he had seen great battles in the memories of all those immortals he had seen. Cao Yun was probably the only one on the Piaolu planet who had witnessed such legendary battles and he had done so directly from the memories of those powerhouses. No matter what would happen, he had indeed been lucky despite everything bad that had also happened to him. And he had made great friends. He really hoped they were alive. They had to be. And he was going to be reunited with his brothers and sisters very soon, even his blood sister.
Hongyu's feathers caressed Cao Yun's hair as she took the young man under her wing as though she was hugging him. Without exchanging any word, Cao Yun knew what she meant. She would go with him. Although she might have lived happily here, she couldn't part with her brother just yet.
For several hours, Cao Yun admired the ocean alongside Hongyu. He was truly at peace and even fell asleep like that. All of the tension he had been feeling simply vanished and he fell into a deep slumber. On the other hand, Hongyu stayed awake and watched over her brother. Although nothing could really put him in danger around here, she was instead defending his sleep and peace.
-
When Cao Yun finally woke up, he was completely rejuvenated. He felt as though he had slept for years and was full of vigor and energy. Even his mind felt fresh. Then, he suddenly realized something. There was a gush of brilliant silvery energy all around his sea of consciousness. The ocean itself seemed to be made out of argent as though it was reflecting a full moon that didn't exist. Sending his mind inward, the young human felt it.
His Soul Embryo had finally be filled with energy. It had been much faster than he had thought. Maybe it was thanks to his mind cultivation, his blood cultivation. Maybe it was due to the pressure put on it during his fight with Lord Wanghuo. Whatever the cause was, Cao Yun had officially stepped into the 2nd-grade Spirit Warrior stage. And he had literally done so while sleeping. Most likely, letting go had helped it tremendously.
Just like Martial States, conscious efforts could sometimes be detrimental. Worrying and focusing too much about relaxing made relaxing impossible. It was the irony of trying to strop trying. With his Soul Embryo brimming with vitality, Cao Yun's mind seemed clearer. It was subtle, but he could tell that some clouds had dissipated before him. The world around him was a bit more vibrant and his negative emotions were easier to rein in.
Now that he had reached the 2nd-grade, he would need to awaken his Soul Embryo. For the time being, it was still alive and empty of any mind. This stage was indeed known as 'Awaken the Embryo'. Contrary to some techniques, the name was extremely clear. But once again, force would not do Cao Yun any good. There was no known trick, even throughout the documents left by Cleansed Asura. Or rather, the few tricks were all ill-advised. Indeed, Cleansed Asura had found ways to quickly awaken one's Soul Embryo but those techniques all caused damage or even destruction to the Soul Embryo. Some of those techniques were meant to temporarily allow a cultivator to awaken their Soul Embryo to increased their strength, but the backlash could be lethal. Even if one survived, they might never be able to cultivate further.
Everyone knew of Saint Xun Ke who had sacrificed his own Soul Embryo to protect Emperor Nuwa. Such an injury couldn't be healed by any pills known on the Piaolu planet. Even Cleansed Asura would have a very hard time doing anything at all for it.
This sudden thought about Saint Xun Ke woke up a quote in Cao Yun's mind. 'All men, no matter how long they live or how bright they shine, can shape the world. A fleeting moment for a man, an eternity of benefits for mankind. No cultivation can replace the Dao Heart!' That was what had faltered within Cao Yun, his Dao Heart had been soiled by his doubts about morality. Then, he reflected back on Saint Xun Ke's greatest treatises, 'Ruling the Waterfall to Raise the Mud' and 'Darkness in Light and Light in Darkness'.
The main point of those treatises was to discourse on the morality of the sovereign and its impact on the people. And it resonated with Cao Yun's feelings. A sovereign's morality was essential for the people to follow by example. However, no sovereign could really rule without bending morality and commit crimes and even heinous and cruel deeds. A just sovereign was the one who could discern when such acts were necessary and perform them while still being disgusted by them.
Such a sovereign might still retain the image of a just and moral ruler who would inspire the people. For that, the sovereign should always try not to perform those acts. And even when he did, he should never enjoy their fruits. Instead, he would make sure that those acts always benefited the people and not hims directly. But if a sovereign was corrupt, he would justify any action while enjoying all of their benefits. With such a ruler, morality would slowly be shaped into the interests of the sovereign himself.
What suited the ruler would become just and moral and what contradicted him would become evil and immoral.
The more he thought about it, the more Cao Yun had to agree with Saint Xun Ke. Although he couldn't stay pure and moral if he wanted to act in this world, he always had to be able to look at himself honestly. Violence and cruelty shouldn't be the first tools used by anyone. But that didn't mean that there was never a time for those. For example, there was no doubt in Cao Yun's mind that Emperor Weide had to die.
As though a veil had been lifted, Cao Yun could see his future with bright light. The Hongchen Kingdom had already fallen before the attack of the Empyrean Asura Theocracy. Although it was not as corrupt as the Nalupu Kingdom, Emperor Weide's deeds had already pushed it in this direction. Corruption had already poisoned his kingdom. It was necessary to cleanse it of this poison along with the invading demons. But this couldn't stop there. A just ruler who could still make the tough choices without being corrupted had to be found. Cao Yun had a few ideas on the matter. One thing was certain, he wouldn't be this leader!