Emperor Nuwa appeared to Cao Huiying just as she had appeared to Cao Yun. Immediately, Cao Huiying kowtowed in front of the founder of the Hongchen Kingdom. Obviously, she recognized her as soon as she saw her. However, Emperor Nuwa had a very complex expression on her face. She could feel that there wasn't much time. After all those millenniums, she was too weak to do anything else. As such, she had to trick those siblings. Deep down, she felt terrible, but it was necessary.
During the Blood and Dirt Era, she had sacrificed many friends. On the battlefields, millions had died, if not more. She had sent her own husband to his death just to buy a bit more time. All of her children had suffered through war. Most of her friends had either been maimed or slaughtered. After the war, she had founded the Hongchen Kingdom atop the corpses and the blood of so many people that she couldn't even bear its sight. It had been the main reason why she had cultivated as fast as she could to leave this world behind.
Despite this deep trauma, she had left a fragment of her own soul. She couldn't accept that those sacrifices could be for nothing. Thankfully, the Four Saints had done such a great job protecting mankind, brokering deals with the demon kingdoms. However, the Seven Treaties had fallen, alongside the kingdoms that had signed them. Now, Empyrean Asura was ruling most of the demons on the continent. Thus, Emperor Nuwa had no other option, as she could do nothing against him. She had to defend mankind, no matter how despicable her acts had to be. That being said, she decided not to lie to this young girl in front of her.
As she thought about it, Emperor Nuwa wondered if she was being nice or even more cruel. Indeed, she would spare herself some shame by speaking the truth. But she also knew that this was the best way for Cao Huiying to agree to do what had to be done. With Cao Yun, lying had been the right choice. But Cao Huiying required an even more powerful weapon, truth.
After some hesitation, Emperor Nuwa gently grabbed Cao Huiying's arms and helped her stand up while she was lowering herself. The two women were very close and looked into each other's eyes. Emperor Nuwa's soul seemed to slow down time within Cao Huiying's mind. In a few breaths, they were able to converse for hours.
"Noble Emperor, this humble one salutes you."
"No need to stand on ceremony. The hour is dire. All of the Hongchen Kingdom is facing the worst crisis since the Great Sorrow Era, maybe even worse than that time. The bastard Da Mo has returned as a soul. This time, though, he won't enslave our kind. He intends to slaughter each and every single one of us. No man, woman, or child will survive his reign of blood and sorrow. And you, young girl, are the only one who can stop it. You are our kind's only hope. However, it will demand a toll higher than everything you can imagine."
Cao Huiying was shaken, but her resolve was strong. She barely hesitated.
"Noble Emperor, this one is already ready to give her life for Emperor Weide. Although I can't do much in life, I hope that my death can help our Hongchen Kingdom survive. My father will transcend the Spirit Warrior realm. With his strength, we will endure!"
Sadness was overwhelming Emperor Nuwa. She remembered so many young heroes who had died in war. Entire cities had been wiped out by the demons. She saw an image that had stayed with her until now. A demon had flayed alive thousands of slaves, all women or girls. To this day, Emperor Nuwa could smell the blood and hear the pleas of the victims. She had seen too many horrors in war. But she had also committed too many horrors. Even as a mere soul fragment, she was still committing horrors...
"Alas, this is not what I am asking of you. First of all, you have to remember your past. Open your mind and let my thoughts flow within yours."
Upon hearing Emperor Nuwa's words, Cao Huiying was dumbfounded. Was it possible that Emperor Nuwa could restore her memories? A strange sensation, a terrifying sensation, crept its way into Cao Huiying's mind. However, she trusted the founder of the Hongchen Kingdom with all her soul. In the end, she fully opened her mind and didn't resist at all. Then thousands of blurry images entered her mind.
She saw a small hand grabbing the finger of a very young child. It was difficult to know how old the child was, but most likely three or maybe four years old. Cao Huiying wondered if the child was herself. Then she saw the smiling face of a woman. That woman looked a lot like Cao Huiying. Even though she didn't recognize her, she sensed the familiarity and had absolutely no doubt. That woman was her mother, Cao Shui.
"Huiying, this is your big brother, Yun'er. And this is your big brother Sheng'er."
Cao Huiying's point of view shifted, and she saw a young boy who had to be twelve or thirteen years old. He was also brimming with joy and pushed the little child around, teasing him a little while the baby laughed. Without knowing why, Cao Huiying felt an intense joy mixed with a terrible pain and sorrow. She wanted to cry all the tears in her body. Her very soul was screaming while it also wanted to dance from sheer joy. All those emotions were conflicting, and Cao Huiying didn't know what to do. As such, she simply kept on experiencing those memories.
Soon, she realized that she was seeing the world through the eyes of a young boy, Cao Yun. She had obviously heard about the slaughter of the Cao family. For more than a decade, she experienced Cao Yun's life. Although there were a few bad moments, he had lived a very happy life, mainly reading and training in his martial arts. The young boy was also spending a lot of time with his younger sister, Cao Huiying.
Although she didn't remember anything, Cao Huiying had recognized herself. The sensation of seeing her life without being able to remember anything at all was heartbreaking. She wanted to remember her parents, her brothers, but she could only experience life from the outside. She didn't remember what she had felt, but she could tell that she had been happy, happier than ever in all of her life. With all her being, she wanted to get those emotions, those moments back. Try as she might, she couldn't. As time was slowed down in her mind, her body couldn't cry, but her very soul was shaking and trembling under all those troubling emotions. Emperor Nuwa was looking at her, knowing what she was experiencing and what would be her fate, her willing fate.
Finally, that day happened. Her family was slaughtered. Her big brother Cao Sheng gave his life to protect the younger generation as Cao Beiwen was killed. Cao Yun ran away with her and a few young members of the Cao family, leaving their parents behind. She saw her mother's face and looked at her parents' backs as Cao Yun was fleeing with her. Then, she heard Cao Guang's words that resounded in her brother's mind.
"Leave with your sister. Protect her! Live! Your mother and I love you! Do not throw away your life. Live!"
Cao Huiying was breaking down. After that, she saw her own face distorted by her intense pain and fear as she was taken from her brother's arms by the one whom she had recognized. After spending so much time with him, she knew who that man was, even though he tried to hide. She saw her body being sliced open by Jian Zhenli's blade. Of course, it wasn't her body but Cao Yun's. After that, the events sped up a lot. In a matter of seconds, she lived through most of Cao Yun's life. She learned about their uncle, whom she had never met, and probably never would. She discovered the truth of the attack. Everything made a lot of sense.
As she lived her brother's life, her pain and sorrow turned into hatred and rage. She wanted to kill those who had tormented her family to such an extent. The man she had called father for so long had given the order that had destroyed her life and her brother's life. The man she had trusted with her life, Jian Zhenli, had not only her blood, but also her family's blood, and even her mother's family's blood, on his hands. The men she had loved and admired all her life, since that moment, were both bathed in so much of her own blood that she wanted to throw up.
More than her own pain, she was experiencing her brother's pain. They were just memories, so Cao Huiying couldn't feel the physical, mental, or emotional pain of her brother. However, she could easily see it. Thankfully, she also saw that she had made great friends, who were still risking their lives for him, to this day. She saw the woman whom Cao Yun loved. Her brother had attained great things. And he would attain even greater things in the future. Finally, she saw those last few moments, when Cao Yun had attacked the traitor Weide. It ended as Cao Yun's Soul Embryo cracked everywhere, and Emperor Nuwa talked to him.
At that moment, Cao Huiying wasn't sure what she could do, but she had a suspicion. If she were correct, she would gladly accept Emperor Nuwa's request.
Sensing that the young girl had finished seeing the memories she had gifted to her, Emperor Nuwa talked some more.
"Your Soul Embryo has a very specific property. The only other person I've met who had a similar Soul Embryo was Saint Xun Ke. Even his Soul Embryo wasn't as good as yours. I imagine that you know his legend. However, no one actually knows the entire truth. During a terrible battle, my Soul Embryo was damaged, and my enemies were about to kill me. As such, Saint Xun Ke gave up his own Soul Embryo in order to heal mine. The surge of power allowed me to survive the battle and slay my enemies. Thankfully, Saint Xun Ke was strong enough that he survived the loss of his Soul Embryo, but it was impossible for him to cultivate another one."
Soul Embryos could only be cultivated once in one's lifetime. Moreover, they were almost impossible to heal. At least, they were impossible to heal on the Piaolu planet. Only a cultivator who had crossed into the Immortal realm for a very long time could potentially refine a pill that could do that. However, the women of the Shui family had a very specific Soul Embryo.
"Your Soul Embryo contains traces of the Perfect Soul, the Hun Po. It's even more potent than Saint Xun Ke's Soul Embryo. It could make sure that Emperor Weide breaks through to the Sage realm, or it could heal your brother's Soul Embryo. However, unlike Saint Xun Ke, your body won't be able to survive such an ordeal. Ironically, because your Soul Embryo is more potent than his, the effect of sacrificing it will be more violent. You won't survive the separation at all..."
"But my brother...?"
"Yes, you will fully heal his Soul Embryo. In fact, the sudden surge of energy will help him get rid of the presence of Da Mo all around him. I am too weak to actually destroy it, but you can. Most likely, his Qi cultivation won't be able to progress for some time. That being said, I am confident that his blood cultivation will surge in an instant. If you accept this sacrifice, your brother will not only be healed, but he will become the strongest cultivator on the entire Piaolu planet. And he will save the Hongchen Kingdom. But this is your choice. If you choose not to go through with it, I will still do everything I can to try to save your brother. That, I swear to you."
Although she was sincere, Emperor Nuwa knew that this was deceptive. Indeed, she already knew what Cao Huiying would decide. In fact, she knew that Cao Huiying had already decided.
The young girl lost herself in her brother's memories once more. She focused on the first decade, when she was happy, when they were all happy. With warm tears flowing down her cheeks, Cao Huiying remembered the current crisis. She had already spent a lot of time within her own mind.
"I agree. I was prepared to die today, after all. But, I... could I...?"
Emperor Nuwa understood her request even though Cao Huiying had a hard time saying the words.
"When your Soul Embryo flows through your brother, he will see your recent memories. If you focus on those, your brother will be able to experience them just like you experienced his just now. Everything you want him to know or hear, focus on. I swear to you that he will hear them all. But there is very little time. A worse crisis is soon upon us."
Cao Huiying nodded, and then focused solely on her own Soul Embryo. She was trying to engrave some memories and some words into her very soul while circulating her soul cultivation. Within her Soul Embryo, she circulated the 'Black Stone of Royal Embers' method that the traitor Weide had taught her.
"Since Cao Yun is your brother, his soul is more compatible with yours than anyone else. As such, he will gain the most benefits. I will also add as much energy as I can. No matter what, his Soul Embryo will be healed. I won't let your sacrifice be in vain. We must hurry."
In the physical world, Cao Huiying opened her eyes. She sent a terrifying gaze at Jian Zhenli. If she had been strong enough, she would have killed him on the spot. Jian Zhenli was shocked by her gentle eyes turned infernal. Suddenly, he realized that she knew. The brave general froze on the spot, full of shame. Strangely, he felt no shame about obeying his Emperor's orders, but seeing such a look in the eyes of the girl whom he had protected for years now froze his blood.
Then Cao Huiying turned toward Cao Yun's friends. A warm yet sad smile appeared on her face.
"Thank you for supporting my brother. Please, keep supporting him. He'll need you..."