Cao Yun had achieved everything he wanted in Baziyun City. Although he had not obtained the full support of the Huang family, he was expecting that. After all, they couldn't risk their entire family for him, especially in such a tumultuous time. However, he was assured that the Huang family would not be an obstacle either. At the very least, they would get out of his way. And if he was successful in killing Emperor Weide, then, they would help keep the Hongchen Kingdom together to deal with the other threat, the Empyrean Asura Theocracy.

Although he had been honest, Cao Yun had still kept some things for himself. For example, he didn't reveal his plans completely and didn't talk about his ability to free all the demon slaves. Cao Yun had various means to deal with the situation. Instead of having just one plan, he had many seeds sown everywhere. Some might not flourish, but together, they could make sure he would succeed.

With all that in mind, Cao Yun had one last place to visit before going to the Imperial City. He would get there before a year had passed since his return. Hopefully, it was soon enough that his sister would still be safe. As much as he tried to get there sooner, he had to be prepared enough, otherwise he wouldn't be able to save his sister anyway. His next destination was the Golden Flowery Fragrance Institute. He had several things to do there and was convinced to find allies as well. Unfortunately, he also wanted to meet his brother Sun Liao but had no idea where he was at the moment. Even acting Matriarch Huang Cixi didn't know for sure and neither did the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall. Sun Liao had become an essential part of the Hongchen Kingdom so his movements were utterly secret.

Without Hongyu, Cao Yun was ready to leave. One final time, he went to his uncle to bid his farewell.

When Cao Yun entered the residence, Fang Shaolong almost jumped on him.

"Nephew, Nephew...!"

This time Cao Yun wasn't too afraid about someone eavesdropping. Indeed, acting Matriarch Huang Cixi knew everything. And he had absolutely no doubt she could control information throughout the entire Baziyun City. Still, he immediately spread his spiritual senses to make sure no one was listening in and then even used an array formation plate.

"What's going on?!"

"After your visit, I sent word to some of my contacts in the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall. Some of them, even Huang Cixi doesn't know. This is just a rumor at this stage, but I think that I've found the 5th Imperial Brocade Guards."

Those words echoed in Cao Yun's mind. The 5th Imperial Brocade Guards were the most elite corps of the Hongchen Kingdom's military. They had no one above them and directly answered to Emperor Weide in person. Most of the time, they were guarding him, but for very special missions, they could be sent. According to legends, the soil itself died behind them. Indeed, they were only sent for assassinations or utter destruction. From Fang Shaolong's intel, they were the ones who had attacked and decimated the Shui family long ago, his mother's family. And they were also the ones who had slaughtered his own family.

Hearing those words, Cao Yun immediately saw the man who had killed his great-grandfather, his brother and his parents. Cao Yun had never actually seen his face, but he remembered his weapon, a curved sword with a dark red blade. It seemed like it was covered in fresh blood that would never dry. From that blade, one could hear the cries and lamentations of the people it had murdered. Even now, Cao Yun was shaken by this memory. After all, he had seen it as a child, and this blade had tasted not only the blood of his family, but also his own blood. Cao Yun traced his hand on his chest, where the blade had severed him in half. Without his master Cleansed Asura, Cao Yun would have died back then.

"What do you know?"

"Those might be mere rumors, but they should be in the Rengui Province. I don't really know what they're doing there, maybe they're being sent into the Huogu and Kai Provinces for some purpose. I can't know for sure. If my intel is right though, they should be in Rengui Province right now. I can't tell you where precisely but..."

"Thank you, Uncle. I will take care of them."

"Nephew, don't! They're insanely powerful. All of them are Spirit Warriors, their battle formation is simply incredible. I'm not sure Emperor Weide himself could beat them. Maybe your master Sect Leader Xuan could triumph if he was in great health. The reason I told you is so that you know that the Imperial City's guards are weakened. This would be the perfect opportunity to get there and take your sister out. With your stealth, you might be able to do so without having to fight. This would be the best outcome."

His uncle wasn't wrong. Fighting the 5th Imperial Brocade Guards was extremely dangerous. On the other hand, he was wrong about the Imperial City. Unfortunately, if Sun Liao had set up array formations there, which was almost certain, Cao Yun had no hope of sneaking in without talking to his brother first. Without Sun Liao's help, he would probably need a few months to get in without a fight. In fact, this was also why Cao Yun had altered his plans a little. Indeed, getting in and out with his sister without a fight would have been the best possible outcome, but it was now almost impossible. If only he could meet Sun Liao, it would become as easy as breathing.

Thinking about that, a thought emerged in Cao Yun's mind. The 5th Imperial Brocade Guards obviously knew everything about the defenses of the Imperial City. Most likely, they had seals protecting their memories. But with Dian Mo's help, he had no doubt he could unravel those seals and get those memories. After all, he had done so several times already. Even without Sun Liao, he would get a perfect understanding of all the defenses of the Imperial City. Slaughtering those murderers might in fact be the best course of action.

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"You're right, Uncle. I let my anger direct me. Please, tell me everything you know."

Fang Shaolong doubted how easily his nephew got convinced. Anyway, he told him everything he had learned. Unfortunately, it wasn't much. From what Cao Yun heard, the 5th Imperial Brocade Guards would remain in the Rengui Province for at least several weeks. Even if they left right away, they wouldn't be able to get back to the Imperial City in less than three to four months. Apparently, they were hunting something and going further and further into the two desolate provinces with extreme caution. Unlike Cao Yun, they couldn't resist Evil Qi, Death Energy and Ghost Energy.

Honestly, Cao Yun wondered if the Heavens themselves were not helping him. It was too good to be true. His worst enemies were in the best location for him to annihilate them all. There, they would be weakened while Cao Yun would be at his strongest. Besides, there were no witnesses in those two desolate provinces, so he could use all of his cultivation. That being said, they were still powerful so he shouldn't be careless. The more he heard about the situation, the more Cao Yun realized he couldn't let this opportunity slip through his fingers.

As Fang Shaolong was speaking, Cao Yun was already making plans. Ironically, the departure of Hongyu would also be good. He could go alone without risking her life. If he couldn't even kill the 5th Imperial Brocade Guards in these perfect circumstances, then he had no chance of ever saving his sister from Emperor Weide.

Apart from the obvious danger, the only thing that made Cao Yun hesitate was the time it would take. Thankfully, those two provinces weren't too far from Baziyun City. In fact, to get to Rengui Province, most people would have to make a large detour precisely because those desolate provinces were in the way. But for Cao Yun, this was perfect as well. It would only take him a couple weeks. By the time he got there, the 5th Imperial Brocade Guards would hopefully already be inside those desolate provinces. Cao Yun had no idea what they were looking for but thought back to the Nine-Headed Bird of Chu whose carcass was in his spatial ring.

This demonic beast was intimately related to souls. Considering that Emperor Weide planned on absorbing his sister's Soul Embryo, Cao Yun wondered if there was a connection there. In fact, it might be more of a golden opportunity than he thought. In order to absorb his sister's Soul Embryo and break through into the Sage realm, Emperor Weide had to be perfectly prepared. Considering how important the 5th Imperial Brocade Guards were, Cao Yun couldn't stop hoping that they were there with that purpose. If they were, that meant that Emperor Weide wasn't fully prepared yet. But it might also mean that he was very close to the sacrifice as well. Anyway, the more he thought about it, the more Cao Yun made up his mind. He had to go there.

Unfortunately, he had to lie to his uncle. Fang Shaolong had already suffered a lot and Cao Yun didn't want to make him worry.

"Great. I have to go to the Golden Flowery Fragrance Institute first. I am certain that they'll be great allies. But then, I'll immediately go to the Imperial City. Uncle, I will save Cao Huiying. Uncle, I swear that I won't let you down. With their last breath, my parents asked me to protect her and to not waste my life. Uncle, I swore to them and I swear to you. I will protect her and I won't waste my life for nothing. Be assured!"

Fang Shaolong clearly believed Cao Yun and he could see it in his eyes. The old man had found some of his vitality back. In fact, he could almost see a future where he could hold his niece, maybe even her and Cao Yun's children and grandchildren. Fang Shaolong could imagine a future where the Cao family was prospering again. Although his sister couldn't be brought back, she was still living in her children. Hopefully, she would live on in theirs and so on and so on.

Seeing his uncle so happy hurt Cao Yun a little. But he couldn't bear to see him suffer so he had to hide the truth. Soon, Cao Yun would be in a terrible battle. However, he had not lied on the essential. No matter what, he would save his sister, and not just from Emperor Weide, but also from the Empyrean Asura Theocracy and Demon God Da Mo. Cao Yun would not let this opportunity slip through his fingers. This was his best stroke of luck for quite some time. He couldn't not take it, no matter the risks.

-

After bidding farewell to his uncle, Cao Yun went in the direction of the Golden Flowery Fragrance Institute. But on the way, he quickly mobilized his stealth and changed his course. Obviously, he went toward the Huogu Province, where he had fought the Nine-Headed Bird of Chu. His journey would take around thirteen days. So, on the way, he found a spot to cultivate. He had to be in his best condition to fight the 5th Imperial Brocade Guards. Thus, he began to circulate all of his cultivation and even his martial arts.

The young man could tell that he was getting closer and closer to understanding the secret of 'Three Storms'. Chief Elder Baishen's words were still resounding within him. Unfortunately, Cao Yun had no special understanding of the Water element. On the contrary, he was much more attuned to the Fire element thanks to his Rune of Fire. But he still could tell he was touching the concept. It would take him very little to finally get there. Chief Elder Baishen's insights had been very helpful for his 'Dragon General of the South Obeys the Celestial Mandate'.

Dian Mo observed Cao Yun cultivate. He didn't want to disturb him so he waited for him to be finished before speaking.

Cao Yun's Soul Embryo was developing fast and smoothly. The young man kept on using his cultivation method. Clearly, his Soul Embryo was looking more and more like him every day. In a few years, he would smoothly break through into the 6th-grade Spirit Warrior stage. From there, he was almost certain everything would be just as smooth until the Greater Tribulation. But he didn't know how long all that would take. For an average martial artist of old, it would probably take somewhere around fifty years. For a timeless genius, maybe thirty years would be enough. Honestly, Cao Yun couldn't tell. After all, even some great cultivators had been stuck for several decades on a single grade before suddenly finding some illumination.

At last, Cao Yun focused on his asura cultivation. As his soul was getting stronger, he also started to feel a weird sensation. As he cultivated his asura method, Cao Yun felt as though there were chains around him. Huge chains were coiled around him. From them, tiny chains spread throughout his body. Each and every one of his cells was chained down as well. In fact, everything in him seemed to be chained down. Such a sensation was incredibly strange and Cao Yun wasn't sure what to make of it. Even the best asura cultivation manuals he had read didn't talk of such a sensation. But he was cultivating two systems at the same time. No one had ever done such a thing. Maybe he could perceive different things, or maybe something completely new was happening, he couldn't tell for sure.

Anyway, Cao Yun tried to take in that sensation, but it quickly dispersed. Thus, he didn't force his focus, he kept his mind open in case the sensation would come back. Since the 9th-grade Accomplished Demon stage was about forging blood chains to trap his Demon Soul and he was studying 'Soul Chains', Cao Yun was very interested in this strange sensation.

Finally, Cao Yun was done and Dian Mo began to speak.

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