From the camp, General Yun Po observed Cao Yun with a hint of suspicion in his eyes. The more he thought about the young man's story, the more he was doubting him. But his own son was close to Cao Yun and Huang Si was clearly vouching for him. Honestly, General Yun wasn't thinking that Cao Yun had betrayed mankind. But he was wondering whether he was loyal to the Hongchen Kingdom or to someone else. Matriarch Huang Yufeng was secluded for her cultivation while the acting Matriarch Huang Cixi was gathering more and more power, wealth and influence. Their strongest warrior, Huang Liyue was also secluded for some injury that had apparently already healed, just so she could be close to her mother. Sect Leader Xuan was secluded as well because he was getting too old, even General Yun wasn't too sure about the reason. To be fair, there was trouble near the Wubei Sect.

There was also no doubt that the Golden Flowery Fragrance Institute was connected to the Wubei Sect. After all, Spirit Master Xiao had been a Chief Elder there, and she was one of Cao Yun's masters too. Cao Yun's Dao partner was even a disciple of Spirit Master Hua Fenfei. Many things were revolving around Cao Yun. Even Huang Cixi had important ties with him. General Yun, like a few others, knew of the past between Cao Yun and Huang Cixi's family. Despite that, she seemed to be cordial with him.

Obviously, General Yun was wondering if something was not being prepared behind closed doors. Could they get ready to overthrow Emperor Weide?!

General Yun knew they couldn't win this war without the help from the Huang family and the Golden Flowery Fragrance Institute. Antagonizing the Wubei Sect would also be an error. Even now, many cultivators had ties with it, either because they had been trained there or members of their family had. Although he had no certainty, General Yun was already wondering which side he would take if such a thing were to happen. No matter how much he tried to chase these ideas, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was brewing. Everything revolved around this Cao Yun!

Looking at Cao Yun and Hongyu disappearing in the distance, he finally witnessed their stealth. As soon as Hongyu flew outside of the array formations of the camp, Cao Yun had used his 'Ashen Feather Seal'. Suddenly, even General Yun lost them. It was as if he blinked and the next moment, he couldn't focus on them. No matter how much he was looking, even knowing where they were, he simply couldn't find them. His own mind was acting as though they didn't exist. Forcing himself, he was able to merely distinguish a silhouette, nothing more. Even that silhouette faded in a matter of seconds. It was like an eye floater, maybe due to the Sun.

Another fear seized General Yun. If their enemies were to learn such a powerful stealth technique, the tides of war could turn against the Hongchen Kingdom. Huang Liyue had invented this technique, so she was probably as good as Cao Yun, maybe even better. Other members of the Huang family might also be able to use such stealth. But General Yun also realized that only a few geniuses could bring this stealth technique to such a pinnacle. Anyway, this was a threat he would have to think about from now on, just in case.

-

Once he was camouflaged, Cao Yun decided to bring Hongyu near the border instead of toward the Wubei Sect.

"Boy, what are you thinking about? I really don't want to frighten you, the opposite in fact. But your sister might not have much time. And the border is not a safe place for you..."

Although Cao Yun had gotten a general map of where the dangerous array formations set by the Hongchen Kingdom were, there was still danger so close to the front lines. Dian Mo absolutely wanted the young man to be calm about his sister. It wasn't because he was afraid of dying. In fact, Dian Mo had come to realize that he was more afraid of Cao Yun dying because of some rash decision to attack Emperor Weide. After all, Dian Mo had already risked his life, certain that he was going to die, in order to save the young man. There was no denying it now. He cared too much about Cao Yun. Maybe it was just because he had been trapped so long that any contact with any human could develop such ties. However, the two of them had also gone through harsh times, and their conversations were always pleasant and enriching.

Dian Mo sincerely liked Cao Yun. And he hoped that the feeling was mutual. In fact, he knew that it was since Cao Yun had done a lot for him and didn't suspect him of having any dark intentions anymore.

"Do you remember what I found in those tunnels the last time we were there?"

"In the tunnels?! Spirit stones?! They wouldn't be too useful to your cultivation at the moment. Even a high spirit stone would only help you for a day, if not mere hours. You have to train your soul, not your... Wait! Are you talking about the fish?!"

"I am! The seal I put in that Soul Obsidian Nian Fish is still active. I was able to feel it as soon as I got through the defenses of the border. Of course, I had many things to think about at the moment. But there's no doubt. The Soul Obsidian Nian Fish is still hiding in the tunnels down there and it's fine."

The Soul Obsidian Nian Fish was a 7-core demonic beast that had been poisoned by the demonic cultivator Gu Song. It was nicknamed the Soul-Sucking Catfish for a reason. Indeed, although it wasn't too strong physically speaking, it could steal people's souls. As such, anyone under the Spirit Warrior realm had almost no chance of fighting this demonic beast. Even weak Spirit Warriors were at a disadvantage against its powers. But Cao Yun had freed the beast from the Heart Reversing Tormentor poison and then he had tamed it. Cao Yun had put a seal in its soul. In fact, the Soul Obsidian Nian Fish had literally helped Cao Yun vanquish Gu Song. So it wasn't strange that Cao Yun thought it could still help him now.

With its powers, it should be able to help guard the border. And Cao Yun felt bad about the soldiers who might die because he had enraged the demons. Soon, they would stop trying to breach the border, but a few days of battle might happen before that. Many humans could die in the meantime.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

Although Cao Yun was thinking about that, he wasn't just acting out of altruism. There was another reason why he wanted to meet with the Soul Obsidian Nian Fish. Indeed, Cao Yun was cultivating his Soul Embryo. Everything he knew about cultivation told him that it would take years to become a 6th-grade Spirit Warrior. The average cultivator who succeeded took between fifteen to forty years to fully impregnate their Soul Embryo with their own soul. Although Cao Yun was convinced he would be on the lower end of this range, he was also aware that it would take several years. Besides, he couldn't use his asura cultivation all the time while in the Hongchen Kingdom. He couldn't tell for sure but he might need five to ten years, maybe even close to fifteen, in fact.

There were pills that could help a little. He had seen some in Cleansed Asura's memories. Unfortunately, they were all either 5-star Spirit pills or even God pills for those that were really useful. In other words, no one in the Hongchen Kingdom, not even Cao Yun, could find the required materials, let alone refine the pill with them. Cao Yun might be able to refine a lesser Spirit pill, but nothing more than that, for now.

With all that in mind, the young man wanted to focus on the things he could improve. But that didn't mean that he had completely forgone his cultivation. Any improvement was good. Moreover, he had some ideas, both about improving his overall strength, and about advancing his cultivation a bit faster.

Taking out his compass, Cao Yun was able to precisely find where the Soul Obsidian Nian Fish was. Then, with Hongyu's speed and his understanding of the array formations around, they reached their destination in a matter of minutes. Traveling through the Hongchen Kingdom would be faster than ever. In fact, they might be able to go through the entire kingdom in less than four months if they really went all out, maybe even two or three if they were lucky. Space was still quite strange and there were array formations they would need to avoid. But with Cao Yun's knowledge and perception, they would avoid most obstacles. Combined with Hongyu's speed and stealth, they were clearly faster than anyone else on the Piaolu planet.

Finally, Cao Yun and Hongyu entered a small cave and went deeper and deeper. Soon, it became too small for Hongyu to open her wings so they kept going on foot. There was no light at all in the cave, but Cao Yun and Hongyu had good enough senses to be able to see as though it was day. Moreover, Cao Yun could also use his spiritual senses. Then, he felt something familiar. His own seal was close. Suddenly, he realized something that shouldn't have escaped him, but had.

They weren't in a cave that was dark. They were in something else. All around them, he could feel a vibrant vitality. It had been hidden until now. As though it had recognized Cao Yun, it let itself be felt. That was no cave, that was a living shadow. Cao Yun and Hongyu were swimming in a lake of pure darkness without realizing it. They were already in the belly of the Soul Obsidian Nian Fish. However, it wasn't a Soul Obsidian Nian Fish anymore. It had developed an eighth core.

Now, Cao Yun could feel the darkness around them moving and shifting. It truly was a living organism, a living lake of shadows. Before Cao Yun, two large yellow eyes appeared out of the darkness. Even with his senses, Cao Yun couldn't find the separation between the shadows and the giant catfish in front of him. Its barbels flashed from time to time, but Cao Yun couldn't tell much more than that. For an instant, he saw a flash of gray and recognized the large mouth of the catfish. It was big enough to swallow both Cao Yun and Hongyu whole. Its barbels were moving in the lake of shadow, creating some agitation here and there. Apparently, the demonic beast was excited. Cao Yun couldn't tell whether it was a good or a bad thing.

This demonic beast was now a Lacquer Abyss Nian Fish, a powerful 8-core demonic beast. Even late Spirit Warriors or late Accomplished Demons might have a hard time against this beast if they got trapped in its mouth, just like Cao Yun and Hongyu right now. However, Cao Yun trusted his seal wholeheartedly. At any moment, he could subdue the Lacquer Abyss Nian Fish. So he showed no trace of fear, just curiosity and a hint of confusion.

"I see that you've devoured a lot of cultivators to become so fat! Did you dare devour any human?!"

A tinge of fear went through Cao Yun's mind, but it wasn't his. At the moment, Cao Yun was almost physically inside the Lacquer Abyss Nian Fish's sea of consciousness. As such, he could somewhat feel its emotions as his own. Then, a thin barbel approached him, glistening in the pure darkness. Since there was no ill intent, Cao Yun let it happen. Soon, he had images in his mind, as though they were old memories he had forgotten. He saw many victims of the Soul Obsidian Nian Fish. In fact, he even saw its victims before it was controlled by Gu Song, while it was controlled by him, and afterward. Before meeting Cao Yun, it had indeed killed hundreds of humans across several decades. But afterward, it had limited itself to demonic beasts. But in the last decade, it had found a way around it.

Since the war had begun, the Soul Obsidian Nian Fish had devoured many demons who had ventured in its tunnels, trying to find their way to the battlefield. In fact, it had swallowed and digested thousands of souls in the last decade. Demons had even tastier souls because their emotions were more vivid and their wills stronger. That was how it had formed an eighth core. In fact, it was even hoping to form a ninth core, but it would take at least two more decades of the same regime. Hopefully, this wouldn't happen as it would mean that the war would not stop...

"Good... You've kept your word with me. I won't force you, but I might still need your help. In exchange, I can give you even better souls. Unlike your previous tyrant, I won't use my seal to coerce you, so long as you don't attack humans. What say you?"

The two eyes moved around a little, as the fish was swimming in the lake of shadows it was creating. Patiently, Cao Yun waited, seeing that the beast was thinking about it. Then, the fish lowered itself to Cao Yun's level and stayed immobile. Cao Yun had piqued its interest. Besides, there was no animosity in its eyes. It did believe Cao Yun's words.

"First of all, I can help you extend your influence. You'll be able to devour even more demons. Of course, we can't go overboard because we don't want anyone to suspect your existence. That being said, I'll talk to the owner of those tunnels to make sure that you never have to fear about being hunted down by the humans. Once again, it's under the condition that you don't attack humans, of course. But it's only a small part of what I can offer.

"I won't lie, you have many things that interest me. First of all, I'm cultivating my soul, so I'm interested in your abilities and your arts. I'd like you to show me your full power so I could learn from it. In particular, I'm interested in your barbels and the way they can grab one's soul. But I might also need your strength, just like when we fought Gu Song. I'm going to fight a very powerful enemy... two very powerful enemies. I might need your support during those fights. I won't lie, there would be danger, but I won't be stingy when it comes to rewards."

As he spoke, Cao Yun took a small wooden box out of his spatial ring.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.