Sun Liao and Feng Yingyue were both 1st-grade Spirit Warriors. As such, they had a better grasp of the situation than Ren Chao and Mei Hua. But Mei Hua had great perception as an alchemist. As such, Ren Chao was really the only one who had a hard time understanding much of what was happening. Of course, he could recognize his brother, high in the sky, fighting his worst enemy. On the ground, though, he couldn't perceive the spiritual senses of Director Hua and Spirit Master Xiao clashing with Jian Zhenli's. Although they had not physically engaged, they were already fighting. If Jian Zhenli moved or tried anything, a fight would really erupt.
For now, the only reason he hadn't done anything was because of Yong Ke's presence. Otherwise, he would have taken the risk of attacking Cao Yun. Although he couldn't heavily injure or kill the two alchemists, he had no problem killing Cao Yun to protect the Emperor. Unfortunately, he couldn't do such a thing, as Yong Ke would be left alone. Emperor Weide needed her Soul Embryo, so Jian Zhenli had to protect her until the very end.
Time was almost frozen as no one was ready to act first. However, something broke this stalemate.
Sun Liao suddenly felt something. From his spatial ring, he took dozens of compasses. Each one was floating around him in a very specific formation. In an instant, everyone focused on the young array formation master. Indeed, they all understood what was going on. The array formations used to isolate the Everlasting Earth Palace, and the guards themselves, were starting to fall apart. After all, there were thousands of guards, among whom hundreds were Spirit Warriors. Because of the war, many powerful cultivators were away from the capital, but it didn't mean that there was no powerful cultivator guarding the Emperor and his daughter.
Now, time was on Jian Zhenli's side. He didn't need to interfere. Indeed, Cao Yun seemed so weak that the guards could easily kill him. Instead of being blocked by his enemies, Jian Zhenli was now blocking them. Director Hua and Spirit Master Xiao felt that any move on their part would push him to act in return. Thankfully, they were between him and Sun Liao. As such, the young array formation master was able to work in peace. But, no matter what he did, he could only delay the inevitable. The array formation isolating the Everlasting Earth Palace from the rest of the capital was sturdy enough that no one could break it apart. However, the array formations used to trap the guards weren't as powerful. As such, they couldn't remain for very long.
In fact, as soon as some of them fell, they would all fall faster and faster. Worse than all of that, the guards obviously knew how to use the array formations of the Everlasting Earth Palace. As such, they would also end the isolation. The young cultivators around Sun Liao stayed silent, knowing he needed as much calm and concentration as possible. Ren Chao was frustrated beyond comprehension. His nails were drawing blood from his palms as he was clenching his fists with all his strength. Despite his weaker cultivation, as a Mortal Warrior, Ren Chao was most likely stronger than most Spirit Warrior physiques. But, right now, he couldn't do a thing to save his brother. Ren Chao could see him suffer, and there was nothing to be done.
Mei Hua and Feng Yingyue were also upset, but they kept a cold demeanor. Mei Hua remembered how her own father had wanted to sacrifice his daughter. Since Mei Hua had not been appropriate for the sacrifice, he had targeted her younger sister. Without Xiao Xuefeng, Mei Ying would have been killed. Obviously, she couldn't prevent those painful memories from resurfacing as she saw the pain of her brother. No matter what, she couldn't let his sister be sacrificed in front of him. She would give her own life to stop it from happening.
All of Cao Yun's brothers and sisters, as well as his Dao companion, were ready to die for him and for his sister. However, that didn't mean that they would throw away their lives for nothing.
In the air, Cao Yun was still fighting the fragment of Da Mo's soul from the outside and the Shattered Soul Hellbloom from within. The pain was incredible. For a moment, Cao Yun had accepted his death. He was ready to die in order to save his sister. Those thoughts were lingering within his sea of consciousness. Deep within, Dian Mo was still hiding inside his Palace of Supreme Wisdom. Sensing the despair in his friend's soul, he decided not to hide anymore.
The Palace of Supreme Wisdom opened. From the shadow within, a purple light emerged. It was faint and dim, but Cao Yun saw it very clearly. Slowly, his mind was focusing on it as an anchor. His dark thoughts began to die out. Using all of his will, Cao Yun was fighting against his own despair. He had promised his parents that he would protect his sister, yes. But he had also promised that he wouldn't throw away his life. There was no point in dying if he could prevent it. He would not sacrifice his life for his sister. He would save his sister and his own life. He wouldn't lose anything. His enemy would lose everything.
Emperor Weide had taken all of Cao Yun's family. He wouldn't take anything from him anymore. The young man stopped thinking about his future. Although his Soul Embryo was damaged and cracked, he forgot it. For now, he had to focus on recovering and slaying Emperor Weide. Through this great sacrifice, Cao Yun had become more powerful than ever. At the moment, he was a 9th-grade Accomplished Demon and a 9th-grade Spirit Warrior. In other words, he had reached the pinnacle of both cultivation systems on the Piaolu planet. Even if he couldn't advance his Qi cultivation, he might actually become an Immortal Demon.
From Cleansed Asura's knowledge, Cao Yun knew that repairing a Soul Embryo was actually possible. However, only cultivators who would never need such pills were strong enough to refine them. If he became an Immortal Demon and left the Piaolu planet, Cao Yun might actually be able to refine such a pill in the far future. Honestly, Cao Yun wasn't sure if he was trying to rationalize his actions in order to stop worrying and to focus his mind on what truly mattered, or if he was sincere in his thoughts.
Anyway, Cao Yun's will had grown stronger. Now, he was using his Golden Blood to fend off the Shattered Soul Hellbloom and his newly opened Third Eye to focus his Soul Embryo against the fragment of Da Mo's soul.
As a matter of fact, Cao Yun didn't even try to perceive Emperor Weide's situation. On the other side of the battlefield, the Emperor was in a terrible state. His Soul Embryo had been assaulted by the backlash of his pseudo-Domain breaking up. Within his sea of consciousness, he could feel myriads of souls trying to attack him. A literal sea of souls was trying to submerge his Soul Embryo. All of his sea of consciousness was rebelling. Although their memories had been crushed, their wills lingered. In fact, they had coalesced around Cao Shui's will. Maybe it was the contact with her son's soul, but it was as if her will had been re-ignited. In other circumstances, Emperor Weide would have crushed this rebellion in an instant, but he was worried about his Soul Embryo. Even now, he had to think about the future.
Unlike Cao Yun, Emperor Weide was terrorized by the future. If his Soul Embryo was damaged in any way, he would fail to become a Sage. Were such a thing to happen, the demons would win. Emperor Weide could see the Hongchen Kingdom fall. He could see rivers of blood and mountains of chopped-up heads. Empyrean Asura would exterminate mankind for good. Dozens of millenniums of slavery and fighting would have been for nothing. All the terrible crimes Emperor Weide had committed would have been for nothing. No matter what, he couldn't let such a terrible fate befall his people. Emperor Weide was ready to sacrifice his conscience on this altar. Cao Yun was right to hate him. But Emperor Weide was absolutely certain of his reasoning. He was obscene and grotesque, but this was necessary. This necessary evil would save all of mankind.
Moreover, Emperor Weide had to make sure that no one ever learned the truth, as it would rupture the cohesion of mankind. The unity of mankind against the demons was their greatest strength. As he was thinking in such a manner, a delicate voice echoed in his sea of consciousness. It was too faint for Emperor Weide to fully hear it. However, he heard enough to understand the meaning. After all, it was a very renowned sentence left behind by Saint Xun Ke, the man who had sacrificed his Soul Embryo to save Emperor Nuwa.
'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!'
Stunned, Emperor Weide couldn't understand what was happening. He wasn't sure whether this voice was praising him or condemning him. There was a bittersweet flavor to those words. Emperor Weide was so busy fighting his own pseudo-Domain construct that he didn't feel a presence passing over him before going straight for Cao Yun.
Finally, the curious presence was all around Cao Yun. The aura of Da Mo's soul acted up, but the presence was able to enter the young man's Upper Dantian. Just like Emperor Weide, Cao Yun was too busy to notice it. However, Dian Mo did sense something. He wasn't sure of what it was, but it felt very nostalgic, not in a good way. For a moment, he felt suffocated as though a terrifying foe had appeared in front of him. This feeling disappeared in an instant, though.
The invisible presence grew even more curious after seeing Dian Mo, the spirit of the Palace of Supreme Wisdom. Then, the presence looked at Cao Yun's mind cultivation. It obviously recognized the mind and soul cultivation method crafted by the Weaver of Souls. For a very long time, the presence had thought that this method had been lost. But apparently, the Weaver of Souls had been able to save him and even spread it. He had been right, this was a very incredible method. Although it didn't fully explain this young man's cultivation speed, it had helped him in a tremendous way.
The presence looked at Cao Yun's Five Aspects, his Nine Soul Peaks, and his seven Turbid Demons. Finally, she was able to see his Drop of Wrath. Even the presence couldn't fully pierce all its secrets, but it was able to perceive its existence and even deduce its origins. No one else on the Piaolu planet could have achieved such a feat. Even though it didn't last more than a few breaths, the presence felt as though it had stayed immobile for a very long time before making a final decision.
A voice echoed in Cao Yun's ears. It belonged to a woman. At first, he couldn't make out the words. But they felt calm and sincere. Slowly, it calmed him and gave him more strength to fight against Da Mo's soul. However, it had the opposite effect on Dian Mo. The spirit was cowering in fear as he heard the voice. First of all, a spirit had been able to enter Cao Yun's sea of consciousness without either of them noticing it. But, more than that, Dian Mo had recognized the voice.
"You're that wench...?! I mean..."
"Yes, I am. I am that disgusting pig's personal slave!"
Within Cao Yun's sea of consciousness, a figure appeared. She was a beautiful woman with extremely long and beautiful red hair. As she was floating in the air, her red and golden robe was fluttering in the wind. Along with the movement of her hair, this created a very fierce picture. Although her face was nice and elegant, Cao Yun could see a powerful pain and an adamant resolve in her eyes. At first glance, she had to be in her twenties. However, it was clear that she had lived for thousands of years.
Now that he saw her face, Cao Yun recognized the woman immediately. Of course, she was Emperor Nuwa in person.
Although she wasn't trying to be impressive, Cao Yun was completely stunned and didn't know what to do. His own Soul Embryo fell to his knees and kowtowed to the Emperor. Then he felt delicate hands grab his arms and help him stand up. With a nice and warm smile on her face, she was looking into Cao Yun's eyes, through his Soul Embryo. It felt as if she was looking straight into his soul. And she was, as a matter of fact. All of Cao Yun's memories flowed into Emperor Nuwa's spirit. At a mere glance, she lived all of Cao Yun's life.
"Young boy, you have suffered a lot at the hands of my successor. I am ashamed that my Hongchen Kingdom has caused you so much pain..."
"Noble Emperor, this humble one wouldn't dare blame you for any of this. Without your noble battles, this insignificant one would have been born a slave to this atrocious Da Mo. We all owe you our lives and freedom. You've never wronged me in my life, not once. All the fault lies with Emperor Weide."
"If only it were true... Had I not failed, this tragedy wouldn't have happened. Had I known about the pig's survival, I would have gone there myself to put an end to his wretched existence. Unfortunately, I now lack the power to do anything. Young boy, I will have to put a heavy burden on your already shaking shoulders. The Hongchen Kingdom already took so much from you, but I will have to be greedy and ask even more... I am sorry..."
Cao Yun sensed the deep sorrow and guilt in Emperor Nuwa's voice. At the same time, he felt how weak she was. Clearly, her spirit was fading away. In fact, it had been fading away for a very long time. Although he didn't know for sure, Cao Yun imagined that she was just a wisp of Emperor Nuwa's soul that she had left behind when she had left the planet. After more than fifteen thousand years, it wasn't strange for this wisp of soul to be dying out.