Matriarch Huang Yufeng hesitated for a bit. She was currently the oldest living cultivator in the Hongchen Kingdom. Even if she were to break through, it wouldn't help her gain longevity. In fact, there was absolutely no hope for her to break through to the Monarch realm. At best, she might become a 2nd-grade Sage before her death. Unfortunately, Sages and Monarchs couldn't extend their lifespan through cultivation. Although some pills could help her, the only ones really useful were simply inaccessible on the Piaolu planet. Moreover, she would have to extend her life by hundreds of years, if not an entire millennium. This wasn't realistic at all, it was already half of her life.
All that being said, there were only three 9th-grade Spirit Warriors in the Hongchen Kingdom, and three Nine-Souls Calamity Ascension Pills remained. Obviously, Cao Yun would give a pill to his master, Sect Leader Xuan Mu. But the last 9th-grade Spirit Warrior was Emperor Weide himself. Matriarch Huang doubted that Cao Yun would help him at all. Of course, with three 1st-grade Sages by his side, Cao Yun would have a much easier time when fighting Empyrean Asura. On the other hand, helping Emperor Weide achieve what he had sacrificed his entire family to do was probably much harder.
As a matter of fact, Cao Yun was indeed thinking the same thing. He could absolutely live with the idea that Emperor Weide was alive for a few more months, maybe years at most. However, he couldn't risk his life in order to help him break through. Indeed, Cao Yun and Matriarch Huang were both aware that Cao Yun was about to risk his life to help her.
No one could actually help someone through the Greater Tribulation, as the Dao itself would unleash its wrath on the cultivator. That being said, Cao Yun had an idea he wanted to test.
Cao Yun and Matriarch Huang looked at each other for some time. She saw confidence in his eyes. Finally, she agreed.
"I was already getting ready for the Greater Tribulation. This will be my very last attempt. In three days, I will leave the city in order to break through without endangering anyone. You may accompany me. However, I will make you swear that you will protect your life over mine, no matter what happens. Sadly, I have to admit that I am old and not long for this world. However, you are a pillar of the Hongchen Kingdom. Mankind needs you. If we weren't in such a predicament, I would never accept."
Within Cao Yun's sea of consciousness, Dian Mo had a very similar conversation with the young man.
"Boy, are you insane?! You almost died already in your own breakthrough. And you still want to test the wrath of the Dao. The Heavens will annihilate you for your arrogance. You might be strong enough already, there's no need to risk yourself to get the help of an old crone."
"You and I both know that it's not totally accurate. I am confident against Empyrean Asura's body, but his soul is an entirely different problem. Do you sincerely think that I can face Demon God Da Mo's Demon Soul?"
Unfortunately, Dian Mo had to admit that Cao Yun had a point.
"... Well... We don't know how damaged his soul actually is, so you might have..."
"Precisely, we don't know. So I will take any advantage I can get. This isn't a fight I can run away from. If my trap fails, he'll be even more powerful than ever. There won't be a second chance against him."
"You could still escape into the Withering Fusang Domains..."
While saying it, Dian Mo realized his mistake. Cao Yun couldn't abandon his friends, his brothers, his entire people. All of mankind would be subjugated and slaughtered, but he would survive. He would abandon his own uncle to torture and death. There was absolutely no way Cao Yun was going to run away from this fight, even though he could. Unfortunately, the time in the Withering Fusang Domains was much slower than in the Hongchen Kingdom. In other words, a few days there would be a few years, maybe even decades, here. Thus, if Cao Yun left, several years would pass for Demon God Da Mo, and he would grow even stronger, much faster than Cao Yun himself. Indeed, there was no real alternative. Maybe Cao Yun could conceal himself and try to pass off as a demon while all of mankind was tortured and killed... No, he couldn't.
"I know, boy, I know... But... This truly is insane. Angering the Dao is worse than facing my former master."
The young man was shocked by Dian Mo's words. He wasn't angry or anything, just astonished, and a bit disappointed. However, Dian Mo's following words erased those nasty feelings. Dian Mo was just worried. The young man could tell that Dian Mo had also been affected emotionally by the recent events. After all, they had spent so much time together, and they were now extremely close friends. In fact, Cao Yun and Dian Mo knew each other better than his brothers or his Dao companion did.
"Do not worry for me. I don't plan on putting my life at risk. I have many ways of saving myself. Besides, there is something that I must ascertain about our current Forsaken Dao Era. I might be mistaken, but I need to know for sure."
"What do you mean?"
"It's something I read in Emperor Nuwa's journals. She left before the Forsaken Dao Era, so she wouldn't have known anything about it, but I have my suspicions about what this curse on cultivation really is. After all, the only cultivation realm we cannot access is the one where studying the Dao is necessary. It's as if someone or something is blinding us to the Dao, or blocking our path. Although I have some insight into it, I must make sure. If I'm right, then I know I can help Matriarch Huang, Sect Leader Xuan, and any 9th-grade Spirit Warrior. This might actually be the end of the Forsaken Dao Era. But if I'm wrong, I'll just get out of the way and let Matriarch Huang fend for herself as soon as it becomes dangerous."
Dian Mo was curious to know what Cao Yun's suspicions were. Since the young man didn't tell him, Dian Mo dived into the journals himself. Of course, he did exactly what Cao Yun wanted him to, which was to stop worrying. By focusing Dian Mo on a mystery, he got him to stop thinking about his safety. However, Cao Yun's words were completely true, and he sincerely hoped he was right about his suspicions.
-
Since Matriarch Huang needed to get ready, Cao Yun used this time to visit his family's grave. Cao Huiying's body was being prepared for interment. At last, she would join her family, where a fake corpse had been buried with her lost arm. Cao Yun went with his uncle. Fang Shaolong was able to introduce his wife to Cao Yun. Although she still looked old, she clearly had much more vitality. As an eighty-year-old woman, she looked to be sixty to seventy. The best improvement was the fact that she could move around with little to no assistance. A walk to a grave wasn't the most pleasant experience, but she refused to leave her husband's side. Fatigue and disease had kept her from leaving her room for quite some time. Even a graveyard was more pleasant to her.
Cao Yun and Fang Shaolong paid their respects to the Cao family. They talked a lot, and Cao Yun also asked to know where the Shui family was buried, they were also his blood relatives on his mother's side. Sadly, they were buried in another province. So Cao Yun promised Fang Shaolong that they would also go there together once the war was over. Fang Shaolong's wife asked to accompany them. Fang Shaolong wasn't too happy about the idea because he was too cautious with her. But she quickly proved her vitality. Although she appeared weak and timid, she had a fiery temper, and even the former Hall Master of Baziyun City's Main Hall couldn't refuse her. He admitted defeat. Besides, traveling with his wife really was something he could look forward to, he was just worried for her.
Seeing the old couple like that made Cao Yun genuinely happy. He hoped that his mother could see her brother like that. Despite all the tragedies of their family, they could still know peace and joy. It was only sad that their blood was about to end. Fang Shaolong had no children, and his wife was too old to bear any children. Of course, it might be possible for him to have kids after her death, but it was dubious whether he would ever remarry afterward. Anyway, Cao Yun didn't want to think about it, as it entailed seeing his wife as already dead in a sense.
As he was thinking about children, Cao Yun thought about himself. Of course, he could have kids. The idea had in fact never even crossed his mind. So long as the war was going on, he couldn't have children at all. Even after that, he wasn't too sure. If he had kids, he would have to leave them to pursue his goals. That being said, he had no reason to leave the Piaolu planet yet. Cao Yun would probably stay a few decades here before leaving. The more he thought about it, the more the idea took root in his mind. He imagined many scenarios. He envisioned a large residence with Feng Yingyue and many kids running all over the place. Of course, he would have to talk with Feng Yingyue first, but the idea was now very well planted in his mind, and he couldn't take it out easily.
Before thinking about it, the idea had never entered his mind once. But now that he had imagined his own children, a part of him acted as if they already existed and were just waiting for him and Feng Yingyue to bring them forth. This was a strange feeling, but not a bad one, to be sure.
-
Cao Yun obviously spent time with his friends, brothers, and with Feng Yingyue. However, he didn't talk about potential children. For the moment, they were still at war, and he was risking his life all the time. Besides, if they lost, all of mankind would die anyway. This didn't feel like the right time to talk about the subject or make a good decision.
Obviously, Cao Yun told the truth about his plans with Matriarch Huang. They all wanted to dissuade Cao Yun, but they saw what Matriarch Huang saw in his eyes. His decision was made, and they couldn't change it at all. As such, they had no choice but to accept it, so they did. Moreover, Cao Yun needed their help. In particular, he needed Sun Liao's help to set up a few array formations to help him out, and he also needed a few specific pills to prepare himself and Matriarch Huang. Once more, Ren Chao felt useless. Sadly, Cao Yun had nothing to ask of him in this endeavor.
Cao Yun still asked Ren Chao to look at his 'Dark Abyss Wrathful Serpent Spear' and make sure that it was taken care of and ready. During this Greater Tribulation, his spear might come in handy, especially if he was right, and he thought that he was. Ren Chao wondered if his brother had only asked out of pity. That being said, Ren Chao inspected 'Dark Abyss Wrathful Serpent Spear' and made sure that it was as perfect as possible.
Huang Liyue offered her help to Cao Yun, and so did Xiao Xuefeng. He rejected them both. However, he told them they could be present during the Greater Tribulation. After all, it might serve them in their future breakthrough. If Cao Yun was right, they absolutely needed to see it so that they would know how to achieve their future breakthrough. In his mind, Cao Yun was already planning for the future, as if the war was over and won. Afterward, if mankind were able to break the curse of the Forsaken Dao Era, they would have a crushing edge over the demons.
-
At last, the day came. Matriarch Huang and a very small number of people left Baziyun City to go to a nearby residence. It wasn't really a residence as there was only one room. It might have been deemed a small monastery. It was a place specifically designed for Matriarch Huang's breakthrough so that it wouldn't put anyone else in danger. After all, she had already attempted the Greater Tribulation a few times and knew what to expect. As such, she didn't want Baziyun City to be damaged in any way.
Matriarch Huang had written her last will. This Greater Tribulation was her last one, no matter what happened. If she failed, she knew that she wouldn't have enough time to recover for yet another attempt. Of course, it was also possible she would die. Since she had accepted Cao Yun's help, she was ready to lay down her life to protect him. Indeed, she didn't trust his promise. As much as she wanted to break through, she couldn't erase the future of mankind. Cao Yun was this future, both for mankind and for the Huang family considering his proximity with Huang Cixi.
The old woman took a few pills to prepare herself and sat cross-legged on the ground. Several incense sticks were used to spread a sweet fragrance, helping her focus. Even the position of the small monastery had been carefully chosen to increase her chances of success. So it was relatively easy for Sun Liao to set up a few array formations around it, nothing too elaborate. By the time Matriarch Huang was actually ready to perform the Greater Tribulation, Sun Liao was done.
Everyone left the monastery apart from Cao Yun and Matriarch Huang Yufeng. Even Huang Liyue and Xiao Xuefeng observed from the outside. Besides, they didn't dare use their spiritual senses as they didn't want to disturb Matriarch Huang at all. Nothing would disturb this Greater Tribulation.
At last, Matriarch Huang was fully ready. All of her energy and intent were focused on her Bai Hui, the Gate of the Hundred Convergences at the summit of the skull. Within her own Upper Dantian, she aligned her Soul Embryo perfectly with her meridians and vessels, her Third Eye was exactly below her Bai Hui. It was time.