Silver Wolf Marshal Shanyin Guan was still near Saint Citadel Sidi when he saw Empyrean Asura fly off in the distance. Empyrean Asura was in such haste that he literally broke the sound barrier several times. Many people in Saint Citadel Sidi died on the spot, and several buildings collapsed as Empyrean Asura had been too close to the ground when he accelerated. Obviously, he didn't care at all. Silver Wolf Marshal Shanyin Guan immediately received new orders. Instead of trying to contain the civil unrest throughout the Empyrean Asura Theocracy, he was to go help Empyrean Asura. In fact, everything had to be abandoned just to go help and support him.
Shivers went down Silver Wolf Marshal Shanyin Guan's spine. Somehow, he realized that whatever could drive Empyrean Asura into this frenzy wasn't good for anyone on the Piaolu planet. But he also sensed that if Empyrean Asura did get what he wanted, his own people wouldn't be protected anymore. Damned if he helped, damned if he refused. Was Silver Wolf Marshal Shanyin Guan's only path blind obedience?
The Six Fangs Generals also witnessed the departure of Empyrean Asura. Of course, they received the same orders, but they looked at their marshal before doing anything else. Despite his attempt to hide it, they could see how conflicted he was. More and more, they were doubting their marshal. Although they believed that his heart was in the right place, most of them now thought that he was mistaken. Following Empyrean Asura might ensure some peace now, but it would ultimately lead them to their obliteration.
At first, they all thought that Silver Wolf Marshal Shanyin Guan was obeying in the hope of vanquishing the tyrant at some point. But it had been very obvious for quite some time that Silver Wolf Marshal Shanyin Guan was just terrified of Empyrean Asura. As the most sensitive, Lu Xiaoya began to glimpse the truth. However, she was still refusing to admit it. If that were true, then they would truly be doomed. Whatever happened, they had to find a way to get rid of the threat hanging over every demon's head. Lu Xiaoya wasn't sure of the truth, but she knew for a fact that her marshal was wrong. Fear had clouded his judgment. Now, she feared what it would take to make him face reality.
Finally, Silver Wolf Marshal Shanyin Guan gave his orders.
"We will follow Empyrean Asura and give him our support, no matter what happens."
He paused for a while, knowing the impact of his next order, but he had to give it. Maybe he was hoping for something to happen. Even the Silver Wolf Marshal wasn't sure what was going on in his mind.
"Obey Empyrean Asura as you would obey me."
This time, even Mo Qingsong felt that something was off. He was obedient and loyal to his marshal to a fault. But if his marshal asked him to be the same way toward someone else, he couldn't do it. Ironically, Mo Qingsong just found out the one order he couldn't follow. His own loyalty couldn't lead him to betray his loyalty. For the first time, he wasn't sure he could obey his marshal, and it felt terrifying. It was as if his entire world had just collapsed. From this moment forward, Mo Qingsong began to question everything. Suddenly, the reality of the situation drowned him. Until then, he had been able to turn a blind eye to everything else by giving up his faculty of making choices to his marshal. Now, he had to live with the consequences of his actions.
If Mo Qingsong stopped blindly following orders, then he would be responsible for his actions, no matter what they were. His entire being revolted against him. He had to obey his master, but he knew that he couldn't. His loyalty turned sour. Hopefully, Empyrean Asura wouldn't order him to do anything against the Silver Wolf Marshal. As Mo Qingsong's entire worldview collapsed, he tried to hang on to anything. He had to obey Empyrean Asura. It was vital to him, so he would do it, until he couldn't anymore.
-
In the Wubei Sect, only Spirit Warriors remained in the area around the Devil's Jail. Mortal Warriors were guarding the rest of the Heidai Peak while all Mortals and mere mortals had been evacuated. A handful of servants had decided to stay as long as they could. After all, they would probably sense Empyrean Asura's arrival before he actually arrived. That being said, the Wubei Sect was also worried about Mo Tian. Now that the seal was loosened, he might be able to break free at any moment. But they couldn't focus on him at all.
The Wubei Sect was busy getting as ready as possible. Until the very last moment, they would keep on preparing. After all, this was the most dangerous fight of the Hongchen Kingdom. The fate of all mankind was hanging in the balance. As such, Emperor Weide and the Huang family had called on all the support they could get from every corner of the Hongchen Kingdom. Hopefully, they would get into the Wubei Sect before the fight began.
Cao Yun had hesitated, but they couldn't wait for them to arrive. If they waited too much, Emperor Weide might become more of a problem. They had to deal with him as fast as possible. They had all weighed the options, and they thought that Cao Yun's logic was sound.
Ren Chao was still forging.
After a few weeks, he called in Cao Yun and gave him new flying swords to support his 'Dark Abyss Wrathful Serpent Spear', the 'Ebony Feathers' and 'Azure Scales'. Hongyu herself had given some of her feathers in order to help forge those swords. Ren Chao had used Dragon Tendon as a basis for the blades and had used Ebony Dragon Snake's blood to quench them. They were extremely compatible with Cao Yun's cultivation and bloodline, as well as his own spear. They would increase his overall strength, not by much, but that was still a good thing. Ren Chao had forged every single sword himself, and there were a thousand and eighty of them. Even with his new cultivation, this had been exhausting. However, it wasn't the only thing he had done.
Ren Chao gave his brother a large suit of armor. Clearly, it wasn't meant for a human being. Indeed, he had forged a complete suit of armor for Hongyu herself. It would resist the immense temperature of her body and wouldn't impede her movements at all while protecting her vital areas. And, obviously, Ren Chao had also forged a suit of armor for his brother.
Although armor wasn't as important as weapons for cultivators, it would still protect Cao Yun during battle. Considering their enemy, Cao Yun was ready to take any advantage he could get, no matter how tiny or insignificant it might look. Besides, he didn't think that his brother's work was insignificant at all. This armor might very well save his life in battle.
Finally, the moment came. Even before anyone could spot Empyrean Asura, Cao Yun felt him, as he was familiar with his aura. But it wasn't Empyrean Asura's aura that he felt. No, Cao Yun literally felt Demon God Da Mo's aura. He was so fast that they had barely a day to get ready for battle. Cao Yun called everyone out of seclusion, since all the new 1st-grade Sages had been meditating in order to fully manifest their strength in battle.
In the sky above the Heidai Peak, the sky began to turn darker and darker, even though it was still daytime. In fact, it almost felt as if someone was about to go through a Greater Tribulation again. Apparently, the Dao itself felt an ominous foreboding. The fate of mankind was sealed, one way or another. This was the one battle that would decide everything else. Cao Yun was floating above the Devil's Jail. By his side were Sect Leader Xuan Mu, Matriarch Huang Yufeng, and Emperor Weide. All of their auras were on full display. Cao Yun didn't hide his blood cultivation either. All the Spirit Warriors could tell that his blood cultivation was following the asura system. At the same time, he was clearly a human.
Since he was the Wubei Sect's Young Sect Master, no one would dare question him. The presence of the three most powerful human cultivators, and the Emperor himself, by his side, proved that they didn't have the authority to question Cao Yun at all. In fact, they would never talk about this if they weren't explicitly asked to do so by those four cultivators. Moreover, they weren't sure that they could even survive this moment. Anyway, Cao Yun's asura cultivation wasn't important at all.
The young man had thought about hiding it, but he couldn't take any chances in the coming fight. If he left himself open to an attack, he might die before he could actually unseal his real cultivation. The four of them had thought about fighting farther from the Wubei Sect to spare it. Unfortunately, they would need the array formations of the Wubei Sect. Besides, they had to make sure that Empyrean Asura didn't get to the body. As such, they had to make sure that it was heavily guarded. Paradoxically, it meant that they would fight right above what Empyrean Asura wanted to obtain.
In the distance, the dark clouds were turning a strange purple hue. Here and there, sanguine lightning crisscrossed the clouds. The purple hue spread farther and farther. Empyrean Asura was getting increasingly closer. As such, his killing intent was now affecting the Wubei Sect. Even the Mortal Warriors who were at the base of the Heidai Peak had a hard time breathing. It felt as though they were being suffocated by the immensity of Empyrean Asura's power. And he wasn't even physically there yet.
A powerful lightning bolt struck the Sect Palace despite the array formation defenses. The lightning hit the roof and dispersed through the palace and into the ground. No one was in the palace at the moment.
Before anyone could see anything, Cao Yun took out his 'Dark Abyss Wrathful Serpent Spear'. Behind him, all of the 'Ebony Feathers' and 'Azure Scales' appeared. They formed ten concentric circles rotating in different directions and at varying speeds. The screech of the Azure Dragon could be heard throughout Heidai Peak. Above the dark clouds, a new, more powerful, and vibrant color appeared. It was the red blood of his Heart Constellation. Cao Yun didn't hesitate to fully manifest his Spear Heart and his Sword Intent. The flying swords literally appeared as though they were dragon scales and blazing feathers. His 'Dark Abyss Wrathful Serpent Spear' was covered in his Black Heart Flame that coiled around him like a living, breathing snake. His Solar-Orchid Flame seed was also pushed to its limit in his Lower Dantian, and heat and warmth spread throughout the roots of the world tree within his meridians.
By his side, Matriarch Huang fully manifested her nine True Fiery Drops through her 'Nine Chambers of Life Fire'. She used the same martial art as her daughter, 'Ten Thousands Fiery Wheel'. Thousands of iron fans flew into the air. They all looked like tiny Fenghuangs, fiery birds that could turn anything into cinders. Matriarch Huang's entire body was wreathed in brimming flames. Those flames actually looked like they were forming a plumage around her. The matriarch looked like a living True Fiery Fenghuang. Even Hongyu felt something deep in her veins. Cao Yun could tell that her understanding of the Dao of Fire was above his at the moment. Her very blood was now liquid fire in her veins. Even her Qi seemed to have turned into physical flames here and there.
Completely opposed to her Fire element, Sect Leader Xuan Mu's martial art was based on the Water element, it was the 'Black Tortoise Under the Rain'. In the Wubei Sect, this martial art was the most powerful of all. Indeed, legends claimed that an actual Black Tortoise was the foundation of the Heidai Peak. In fact, the Heidai Peak itself was only the shell of the legendary Black Tortoise. Besides those legends, the Wubei Sect had many array formations made specifically to make 'Black Tortoise Under the Rain' more powerful. The environment here was the most favorable to Sect Leader Xuan's martial arts.
The old man was holding a small black umbrella. As soon as he opened it, the black clouds were pushed upward. Everyone could see a depression in those clouds as if some invisible force was actually pushing them. Within the clouds, the cultivators could see thirteen tortoise shell scutes imprinted. But this shell seemed alive as well. Something seemed to be moving in those clouds. Everything around Sect Leader Xuan felt heavier. Of course, Cao Yun, Matriarch Huang, and Emperor Weide were not affected at all.
Finally, Emperor Weide circulated his 'Nuwa's Mandate of Absolute Benevolence'. Being near Cao Yun made him hesitate to use his pseudo-Domain yet. Besides, it was a better idea to keep it a surprise. He wasn't sure whether he could actually suppress Demon God Da Mo with it, but if he could take him by surprise, his chances would improve significantly. His three imperial seals flew around him as he held his sword.
Iron fan, spear, umbrella, and sword, all their weapons were out. All their martial arts were pushed to their very limit. Clearly, they didn't intend to let this fight last too long. The problem was whether or not their enemy would let them succeed.
From the ominous clouds, blood literally began to rain down upon the Wubei Sect. This was human blood. Although it was clearly some form of Qi Manifestation, it was hard for the cultivators down below not to be affected by such a sight.
Matriarch Huang's iron fans spun. Flames spread and vaporized any drop of blood before they could fall upon the four cultivators waiting for Empyrean Asura. She could already feel his killing intent fighting against her. At this moment, she realized how dangerous Empyrean Asura was. Indeed, his killing intent was already beginning to fend off her flames in the air.