Cao Yun bathed and put on a clean robe before leaving Emperor Weide's chambers. Everyone in the city was busy. Many cultivators were still sifting through the debris and helping civilians who had been injured in the attack. Unfortunately, many corpses were still found daily. However, a few lucky survivors were found and cared for. On the other hand, people were trying to save whatever they could, while others were already rebuilding.
Although most of the officials were preparing to leave the capital, many merchants couldn't simply abandon what they had. Besides, everyone was still convinced that the capital would somehow come back here after the war. If it didn't, then it meant that there would be no humans left on the Piaolu planet anyway. To be honest, more than half of the people staying were just waiting for instructions from the Huang family, either directly or indirectly.
Considering the state of the Imperial City, Baziyun City would de facto become the economic heart of the Hongchen Kingdom. What had been kept secret was that Emperor Weide was moving to Baziyun City himself. Even the officials who were leaving with him didn't know their destination. Only a handful of people knew where they were going. In order to hide it further, they had decided on a very strange path. It would obviously make the travel longer, but Cao Yun was confident in the timetable he had in mind.
Baziyun City was just one step in his final destination. Besides, Cao Yun had already given all the necessary orders. By the time he got there, everything should be ready, and he would have very little to do. In fact, only Sun Liao's delay could be a problem since his array formations would be essential. Thankfully, he had already set up incredible array formations there not too long ago. During the travel, Cao Yun would study them directly from his brother, just to be safe.
Cao Yun used his 'Ashen Feather Seal' to conceal his presence and entered a large carriage. It was almost like a small room on wheels. Several Silver Ravine Steeds were attached to this carriage. They were said to be the fastest horses on the Piaolu planet. On land, they were most likely the fastest beasts for long-distance travel. Although they weren't the fastest beasts on land overall, their great endurance meant that they could keep up a very high speed for several weeks without much rest.
Silver Ravine Steeds were 6-core demonic beasts. As their name would suggest, they truly looked like horses. On their back, they had heavy silver and white hair. Their stature was extremely imposing as they were as tall and as large as two to three horses. Their muscles were incredible, showing how powerful they were. Some of their bones were slightly different from those of other horses. In fact, a few bones protruded from under their skin. As such, streaks of pure white appeared here and there. Finally, their hooves seemed to be made of stone.
Those beasts could travel on almost any land with the same speed. They only required a few hours of rest every other week over long periods of time. Apart from the noise they were making, those beasts were perfect for any long travel. Despite the strange path they would take, the convoy should arrive in Baziyun City in four months, tops.
During this time, Cao Yun would mostly remain in his large carriage to meditate, as it was very well insulated. Of course, he could also visit his friends, or have them visit him. After all, he had the largest carriage of all. With several array formations, it would feel to him as if he wasn't even traveling at all.
Of course, Cao Yun could have flown to Baziyun City, and he would have arrived sooner, probably a month or so sooner. However, he couldn't take many people with him, and he couldn't easily cultivate and meditate while flying. If only Hongyu were here, he could have flown there much faster. Hopefully, he would be able to see her again in Baziyun City. He didn't know if she was still in the Gate of Heaven and Hell. Despite everything he knew, Cao Yun was still mostly ignorant of what was really going on in this Gate of Heaven and Hell. He only knew about rumors and speculations. That being said, he was confident about Hongyu's success. She might awaken her full Fenghuang bloodline.
Cao Yun entered his carriage and began to take some tea. After meditating and cultivating for more than a week, he chose to have a break. Before the convoy departed, Cao Yun invited his friends in with him. They enjoyed each other's company and talked about various things. His brothers avoided the subject of Cao Huiying. But it was clear that it was on their mind.
In the end, Mei Hua was the first one to talk about the loss of Cao Yun's sister. To be fair, she was the one with the most experience on the matter, considering that her father had tried to sacrifice her little sister for more power.
"It's a silly question, but how are you?"
"... I'm still in a daze. I still can't accept that it happened. I mean... I know that it happened, I saw it, I felt it. Even now I feel it. But it's as if something in my mind is keeping it at bay somehow. Maybe it's just that I have no time to mourn. I have to do whatever is necessary to protect the Hongchen Kingdom. I can't betray my family once again."
"Brother, I apologize for how useless I was. I swore to be your brother, and yet I couldn't do a thing for your sister. By our oath, she was my sister too... And I just watched as everything happened. Although I'm useless, I'll still do everything I can to help you."
Ren Chao was sincere in his apology, which made the atmosphere extremely tense. After all, it wasn't usual for the burly man to speak with such a tone. Even Mei Hua didn't know what to say after Cao Yun and Ren Chao's words. Honestly, she understood them both as she had felt like Cao Yun in the past. When her father had been killed after trying to sacrifice her sister, she had been unable to fully perceive it as real for several months, even though she could feel it and knew it. On the other hand, she had also felt as powerless as Ren Chao during the recent events. And unlike him, she had been able to help through her alchemy, so she could imagine how frustrated her brother felt.
"No one expects anything from a muscle-brain like you."
"You...!
Sun Liao was the first one to break the awkward silence. His insult immediately jerked Ren Chao back to his usual demeanor.
"Is that your best rebuke? You're only good at hitting hard on metal. Sister Mei and I are the only useful brothers here, after all. I'm not sure what Wang Mei even saw in you..."
"And what about Long Huafang?! I'm sure she can do infinitely better than you! Maybe I should tell her how you enjoy the company of beauties on your various missions."
"How dare you...?! I told you so in confidence."
"Oh...? So Brother Sun enjoyed his missions a bit too much apparently..."
Mei Hua decided to join in Ren Chao's teasing of Sun Liao.
"Sister, it's not what you think at all."
"How do you know what I think? Maybe we should just let Long Huafang decide what she thinks of the situation."
"Sister, I tell you, it's nothing like Cao Yun and Feng Yingyue!"
"Hey! Why do I have to be used as an example?"
Feng Yingyue reacted with flushed cheeks.
For several hours, the group of friends teased each other and laughed. At first, Cao Yun was a bit out of it. But he ended up joining in the fun and forgot his problems for a time.
From his spatial ring, Cao Yun took out various gourmet meals. After being stranded without a spatial ring or food, Cao Yun always carried enough provisions with him at all times. Moreover, he had excellent meals as well. It wasn't just food, it was luxury. Within his carriage, he and his friends enjoyed a complete banquet that lasted the entire day or so.
In the end, his brothers all left, leaving Cao Yun and Feng Yingyue alone. However, they didn't immediately begin to dual cultivate. Instead, they talked over wine. With the insulation of the carriage, it felt as though they were alone in the world. Besides, the atmosphere was much more pleasant thanks to the laugh they shared earlier.
They talked of many things. Of course, they talked about alchemy, but it was just one small part of it. They talked about food, about wine, about philosophy, about poetry. Cao Yun had literally a library in his mind. But Feng Yingyue wasn't any worse. Both of them were truly able to challenge each other intellectually.
To be fair, it wasn't as good as a dual cultivation session, but Cao Yun enjoyed their talk tremendously.
By the end, they mainly talked about cultivation of varying kinds. In fact, they even talked about their dual cultivation. Honestly, it was a bit embarrassing to talk about it, but it quickly disappeared. Instead of embarrassment, they soon felt trepidation. They wanted to dual cultivate again. And, of course, their discussion devolved into a dual cultivation session that lasted a few days as well.
Cao Yun's brothers and sister were smart enough not to interrupt their brother. However, they would obviously tease him a lot in the months to come. And they would have several opportunities. During the four-month travel, they would see each other regularly. Even if Cao Yun wanted to cultivate, those sessions with his brothers and friends helped him a lot. He could tell that his emotional state was more and more stable.
Ironically, he could feel the reality of his dead sister more and more while being able to accept it with fewer and fewer problems. It truly felt good.
-
Between those sessions, Cao Yun focused on his understanding of the Dao of Fire and the Dao of Death.
After talking with Feng Yingyue, he found new ways to experiment with Fire Silk. The progress was extremely slow, but it was also undeniable. Although on some days felt as though he was blocked or had even regressed, over the course of weeks, he could see the progress. Looking only day by day was a serious mistake. Instead, Cao Yun kept a journal. He wrote down everything, even insignificant details. As such, he could review his progress and make sure that he was going down the right path.
The only other Dao he wanted to study was the Dao of Death. Contrary to the Dao of Fire, he didn't have a lot of materials on it. In fact, he mostly had the 'Death Verses' manual. 'Death Verses' talked about the Dao of Death, but it was mainly about techniques derived from it. Unfortunately, the Dao of Death wasn't as common as the Dao of Fire. However, 'Death Verses' was very good.
Besides 'Death Verses', Cao Yun had another tool he could use. In his spatial ring, he had captured a Bone Demon. It was merely a Bone Child. In other words, it looked like a small crow made out of bones with some green moss over it. Cao Yun had completely subdued it and had been keeping it in his spatial ring. Just taking it out of his spatial ring sent shivers down his spine. It wasn't that the Bone Child was too dangerous as Cao Yun could destroy it with a mere thought at the moment. However, Cao Yun had a deeper perception of the Dao of Death. As such, the physical presence of this Bone Child caused his body to react to it. He could quite literally feel the Dao of Death in his flesh, through his Demon Soul.
A Bone Demon was a physical manifestation of Death Energy, using Evil Qi instead of Qi. Cao Yun had encountered the most terrifying versions of Bone Demons in the Yellow Death World. Thankfully, a Bone Child was nothing in comparison to a Bone King. In fact, even Bone Kings were nothing compared to Bone Emperors or higher Bone Demons. Although he had never encountered such devastating entities, Cao Yun knew that they were a possibility.
As the Bone Child left Cao Yun's spatial ring, Cao Yun was pleased to see that it was still alive. Well, the word alive wasn't very appropriate. It was still animated. Living matter would die upon entering a spatial ring. Unfortunately, no one had been able to find a way around that. Considering that a Bone Demon wasn't alive to begin with, Cao Yun had hoped he could conserve this Bone Child in his spatial ring. He had been right. Obviously, this opened many other opportunities.
A cultivator couldn't just transport an entire army with him. Cao Yun might actually be able to do just that. Of course, it would take him an awful lot of time to both form so many Bone Demons and then put them under his dominion during an actual battle. Besides, if he lost control of such creatures, they would immediately turn against him. All that being said, this was an interesting idea.
Without any hesitation, Cao Yun surrounded himself and the Bone Child with his Black Heart Flame. The Bone Child couldn't escape in any way. Although it seemed to be hostile toward Cao Yun, it had enough intelligence not to attack him. Most likely, it was pure instinct. Even Cao Yun wasn't sure whether it was because of his strength or because his comprehension of the Dao of Death was suppressing the Bone Child.
Now, Cao Yun could experiment with the Dao of Death more freely. In fact, Cleansed Asura himself had never been able to study a Bone Demon like that. Ironically, Bone Demons had emerged in his broken inner world, but he had never met one in his life. Cleansed Asura had only ever read about them in books.
Cao Yun focused on the 'Death Verses' and began to write down his own experience, just like he was writing down his journey in the Dao of Fire.