The sensation was extremely strange. Cao Yun felt cold and dead throughout his body and even his soul. The Bone Child didn't seem to possess sentience, so erasing its will didn't really disturb Cao Yun. Deep down, it was just a random amalgamation of Death Energy that had taken physical form. Given enough time and Death Energy, it would eventually gain sentience, but so would trees. Anything could ultimately gain sentience through unthinking cultivation. Cao Yun had never truly researched this topic.
Using Cleansed Asura's knowledge, it was clear that this form of unthinking cultivation absolutely existed. Inanimate objects could somehow cultivate the Dao simply by existing. Of course, the process was extremely slow, and most of those objects would cease to be long before they could achieve any form of enlightenment or sentience. However, it was possible for even a rock to gain sentience and then cultivate the Dao in an active way. Humans could also practice this form of passive cultivation, but all of human civilization might literally collapse before any substantial result could be seen in any mortal. That being said, some environments could promote this passive cultivation.
Moreover, there were sometimes cosmic accidents. For example, the Hellish Dragon Fruit, in which Cao Yun had found his Rune of Fire, had been struck with a tiny piece of the Dao of Fire. As tiny as it was, it had definitely improved the existence of the Hellish Dragon Fruit. If left alone long enough, it might have achieved actual sentience.
All those thoughts were interesting, but Cao Yun didn't let himself be distracted from his goal. He was experimenting with this new sensation. Cao Yun knew what it felt like to have part of his soul exit his body, or even separate it into several entities. Right now, the sensation was similar but also completely new. The Bone Child wasn't exactly a part of his soul, it was somehow subservient to it. The best way to describe it would be to say that the flow of Death Energy within the Bone Child was a small river, and it was now following the powerful current of the ocean that was Cao Yun's soul. Even without Cao Yun giving any orders at all, the Bone Child would naturally align with his intentions.
At this point, Cao Yun was extremely far from understanding 'Macabre Dance', but he had definitely taken the very first step. According to 'Death Verses', someone who fully understood 'Macabre Dance' could reanimate corpses and skeletons in order to use them in battle. Considering that those were dead, they could be put into a spatial ring. In other words, Cao Yun might actually be able to carry a small or even a large army with him. In fact, he was already imagining how he could unleash thousands of Bone Kings on a battlefield. In a way, this would be very similar to Yu Xiangling's Supplicant Tyrants.
Reluctantly, Cao Yun looked back at Yu Xiangling's research. What she had done was absolutely monstrous. Maybe he could put it to good use. Unlike her, he would never torture people in order to collect Death Energy. Even his worst enemies didn't deserve that. He had no qualms consuming their souls and even turning their Po into Death Energy while they were alive. But Yu Xiangling's method consisted of trapping living souls into decaying corpses in order to, quite literally, farm their torment and despair. Besides, Cao Yun could use his own soul in order to produce Death Energy. It was harder and would take longer, but the alternatives were all disgusting. Studying the Dao of Death didn't mean that he had to fall into depravity or into the demonic ways. Obviously, Cao Yun had Emperor Weide's actions in mind.
Honestly, Cao Yun was a bit lost on the problem of morality. He was reading many philosophers and thinkers in general. Unfortunately, no one had the same views. Some expressed that morality was entirely dependent on the individual and an everlasting journey of discovery of one's own nature through worldly experiences. Others claimed that morality was the emanation of the Dao itself dictating right and wrong, what was proper and followed the way of the world. Sadly, they could never agree on what exactly was proper, but of course, the Dao was inaccessible to human knowledge. In the end, Cao Yun failed to see the difference. A thinker had once offered an argument he couldn't easily dismiss.
"If morality depends on the Dao, then it also depends on one's journey of discovery of the Dao itself. So it doesn't depend on the Dao anymore, but on the journey. Hence, does the source of morality remain the Dao or the journeyer's mind?"
Another thinker postulated that the best course of action was inaction. In the absence of absolute knowledge, it was better not to do anything for fear of causing more harm. Unfortunately, Cao Yun didn't have this luxury. To be fair, Cao Yun agreed, but only to a point. In fact, it was more or less his stance on all of this. Except for some authors who appeared deranged in Cao Yun's views, he was in agreement with a lot of points, even when he disagreed with the worldview of the authors. Cao Yun didn't like to be implicated in politics at all. He didn't want to dictate how others should live or what was good for others. However, he couldn't let people suffer if he could help them.
Cao Yun hoped that his moral problems would end with more wisdom. Ironically, the opposite happened. With more wisdom came more doubts. Now, his issues were even worse because he could think about them more deeply. And he realized how simplistic his view of the world had been when he was much younger. Clearly, he would never want to rule anything. In fact, he couldn't really understand people who wanted to rule. He absolutely understood the desire for power, as being powerless was horrendous. No matter how great a thinker you were, lacking power would destroy you completely. This was the one stance Cao Yun could take with certainty. He wanted to grow stronger and stronger, to discover more and more about the universe and the Dao.
He wouldn't just grow stronger for his own sake, though. He also agreed with the School of Ren Dao. Apart from extremely dangerous knowledge, he wanted to share his discoveries with all mankind. In fact, he might go as far as to share them with demons as well. Of course, he would take some precautions as he couldn't hand down knowledge that could annihilate mankind. However, he would try to use his own rise to raise others who sincerely desired knowledge in cultivation.
Cao Yun spent the rest of the journey cultivating, working on his Dao and meeting with his brothers, sister, and friend. Of course, he also spent some time with Feng Yingyue. The two of them also discussed the Dao of Fire. Although she couldn't perceive the Dao, Feng Yingyue helped Cao Yun consolidate his understanding. Of course, she was gaining much more than he was, but her comprehension of alchemy surpassed Cao Yun's by quite a lot. Had she been a Sage, her understanding of the Dao of Fire would have been exceptional.
When he focused on his cultivation, Cao Yun kept trying to work on his Soul Embryo. Each time, he had to stop himself. His Soul Embryo needed to heal naturally. If he tried to force it, it would just lengthen the healing process or even damage it again. Thus, he mainly worked on his Common People's Fire. Considering that it could take a few decades to fully ignite the Common People's Fire, Cao Yun wasn't making much progress. At this point, he was able to feel heat coming out of his bladder, as the Common People's Fire was also called the Bladder Fire. However, he was also able to sense that it wasn't precisely his bladder, it was just near it. Since his physiology was different from a demon's because he had meridians, the Common People's Fire was also slightly different. Using his Qi, he might be able to ignite it a bit faster. In the end, he might be able to save five to ten years. At his current stage of cultivation, this was not extraordinary but still very good.
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Finally, the imperial carriage reached Baziyun City. The Huang family welcomed Emperor Weide in. Of course, the arrival of such a large cortege wasn't discreet at all. Since there was no use in trying to hide Emperor Weide's presence, the festivities would thus last for ten days.
Matriarch Huang Yufeng had come out of seclusion just to welcome Emperor Weide. In public, she was extremely cordial and respectful, but Emperor Weide could feel the scorn in her eyes. Not even Xiao Xuefeng was able to perceive it, but Emperor Weide felt it deep in his soul. The old woman had always respected him, but now she looked down on him, loathing him entirely. For the very first time, Emperor Weide's convictions faltered a little, but he stood firm. He knew he was right, and current events were proof of it.
Acting Matriarch Huang Cixi also appeared with Huang Liyue as her bodyguard. Huang Cixi still had complicated feelings toward Cao Yun. The recent death of his younger sister made her feelings even more complicated. After all, she knew what it was like to lose a sibling. However, she knew it because Cao Yun had taken her brothers from her. Of course, she knew the circumstances, but it didn't really do anything for her pain.
Huang Liyue was also having a hard time. She was much closer to Cao Yun than any other member of the Huang family. Despite her position and standing, she wanted to comfort him. She had lost her older brother and imagined how much she would have given to die in his stead. But now that she saw an older brother who had survived his younger sister, she realized that Huang Lüfeng might not have been able to live with himself if that had happened.
Despite the festivities and the apparent joy in Baziyun City, the main actors were all gloomy and full of sorrow inside. Moreover, there was also the looming threat of the Empyrean Asura Theocracy. However, it was important for the citizens to see their leaders hopeful and united. As such, everyone put on a nice face and played along, for the greater good.
While the large carriage was following all the protocols and respecting decorum, Cao Yun felt something in the air. Feng Yingyue and the most powerful members of the Huang family also felt it. The Huang family could feel it in their very blood, while Feng Yingyue's sensation was much more subdued. At first, Cao Yun had doubts, but then he really recognized the sensation. With no hesitation at all, he immediately leapt into the sky and flew in the direction of the sensation.
In the distance, he saw the shape of a giant bird of fire. A mortal would have been unable to see it, as it was difficult to distinguish it from the Sun. Cao Yun's eyes could clearly see its form, her form.
It was a giant bird, as large as several elephants, with her wings fully opened. Her feathers were black with blazing embers that seemed to pulsate with her heartbeats. All her feathers were surrounded by dancing flames that looked like actual feathers as well. Her beak and claws were as dark as coal but also burning in perpetuity without being consumed. The red, fiery flames and her dark feathers gave her the aspect of an infernal beast. Deep in her two eyes, though, one could see vibrant suns. Her entire being exuded a divine and holy aura despite her fearsome figure. Her mere presence, if she didn't control it, could burn down entire towns in seconds. With a flap of her wings, she could decimate hundreds and turn mortals into dust.
As this terrifying 8-core demonic beast was getting closer and closer to Cao Yun, the young man could feel heat and warmth. The heat from her presence was unbearable to a mortal but pleasant to Cao Yun, especially with his exploration of the Dao of Fire. The warmth, on the other hand, came from within. After losing his younger sister, he was happy to see his other sister, Hongyu.
He hadn't realized how much he had missed her until he saw her again. In fact, he had tried not to think about her too much when he had come to Baziyun City. Indeed, he hadn't known whether she was still in the Gate of Heaven and Hell or not. Clearly, she had left. And she had gained a lot. Without studying her internally, he could still tell that her bloodline was even stronger. She had obviously gained blood from a True Fiery Fenghuang. Maybe she had just purified her own bloodline as well. Anyway, she was clearly on the verge of forming yet another core. In other words, she was increasingly close to reaching the highest stage any demonic beast under the Forsaken Dao Era could achieve.
They didn't slow down. In fact, they seemed to even speed up as they saw each other. Then, they suddenly collided. Their two bodies slamming into one another caused a tiny shock wave. Thankfully, they were high in the sky and didn't cause any damage to anyone or anything. Besides, they were some distance away from the actual Baziyun City. For their powerful bodies, such a collision was just an energetic hug, and that was what it was.
Cao Yun lost himself in the blazing feathers of Hongyu. Sadly, Hongyu's wings were too large to fully wrap around Cao Yun, but she tried to caress her brother's head with her chin. Although she didn't know what had happened, she immediately felt that her brother was in pain. She increased her flames as if she was trying to blanket him in her warm embrace. She flew higher and higher.
For several hours, they flew. At some point, Cao Yun climbed on her back. Sitting among her flames, he could feel them all, studying how they danced and how they interacted with him. He lost himself in thoughts and told Hongyu everything that had happened, he told her all his thoughts and all his doubts. He really treated her as a relative, a sister. Although she still lacked the ability to speak, Hongyu was smart enough to understand everything. Several times, Cao Yun sensed her anger spike, but she contained herself.