Director Hua's group stopped rather far away from the actual Imperial City. Indeed, this area was heavily guarded. Even their group couldn't come and go as they pleased. General Wei Zhenhai sent out a mental message before waiting. A few seconds afterward, he signaled the group that they could move forward. He took out a small piece of metal from his spatial ring and opened the road. As they walked forward, the scenery around them suddenly changed.
Cao Yun knew what was to be expected, as it was part of the array formations set up by Sun Liao. This was a vast, illusory array that surrounded the Imperial City, known as the Plain of Endless Solitude array formation. Anyone who entered it would find themselves in a vast valley with absolutely nothing. They could walk or fly in any direction, they would never be able to leave this place. Even a large group would be separated in a matter of seconds as each movement would actually send them several li away. In less than a minute, they would simply be unable to find each other. An army with millions of soldiers would just scatter into isolated men before an entire incense stick could even burn.
In reality, anyone entering the array formation was simply frozen in place. Everything they experienced in the array formation was in their sea of consciousness. They were forcefully sent inward, deeper and deeper, without realizing it.
Of course, Sun Liao knew exactly what path to take to avoid being sent into this illusion. Consequently, so did General Wei Zhenhai. In his hand, the small metal plate was not meant to act on the array formation but to signal and confirm his identity and his mission. Even Sun Liao and Cao Yun couldn't see them, but they were being observed by many guards hidden throughout the Plain of Endless Solitude array formation. Auxiliary array formations were concealing their presence even better than Cao Yun's 'Ashen Feather Seal'. After all, this was a 5-star Heaven array formation set up by Sun Liao himself over the course of four years.
Seeing it firsthand, both Cao Yun and Dian Mo were impressed. They were also both proud of Sun Liao. Cao Yun was proud of his brother, while Dian Mo took pride in the fact that this young man considered him his teacher, even though they had never actually met. Dian Mo observed the array formation and found that it was exactly as Sun Liao had described. There was a lot of ingenuity in the way it was set up, as it was using the terrain to its advantage, even using the stars and the way they moved in the sky to amplify the movement of the Wandering Qi. Most likely, Dian Mo himself would have had a hard time deciphering this array formation. That being said, he was confident he would have ultimately managed.
Honestly, the array formation itself wasn't above Dian Mo's knowledge. But the way it was set up was indeed tricky. Anyway, he was happy that Sun Liao had given the details of how it worked. In fact, Dian Mo was forced to swallow his pride. He decided to fully study this array formation. Maybe he could get some ideas on how to set up array formations in the future. At that moment, Dian Mo realized why Sun Liao was better than him. Even if Dian Mo was able to use the excuse that Sun Liao recognized him as a teacher to swallow the pill, it was still a hard pill to swallow. Unfortunately, he couldn't deny the truth laid bare before Cao Yun's eyes.
Dian Mo had let himself fall behind. He had not tried to progress or to try new ways, he was stuck in antiquated notions because they were very effective. With a fresh eye, Sun Liao had broken away from those notions and discovered new and innovative ways. Dian Mo had to learn from those. But, deep down, Dian Mo also realized he would have to learn from other array formation masters, too. Even if they were inferior to him, they might have insights that he could turn to his advantage if he simply expanded upon them. Without doing anything, Sun Liao had unknowingly opened Dian Mo's horizon to completely new ways.
Although Cao Yun could hear Dian Mo's thoughts, he could somewhat guess how much of an impact this Plain of Endless Solitude array formation had on the spirit. Indeed, it also had a huge impact on Cao Yun. Knowing and seeing were two very different things. Sun Liao had worked tremendously on the array formations protecting the Imperial City. Ironically, those great defenses would become the very reason for Emperor Weide's fall. Finally, Cao Yun could begin his plans. Soon, the traitor of all mankind would be slain and his sister saved. Cao Yun was certain of it. Indeed, there was no alternative, no alternative worth thinking about, at least.
The group walked forward for a few hours before they reached the official entrance of the Imperial City. Although there were other roads opened through the Plain of Endless Solitude array formation, General Wei Zhenhai had taken a more discreet path. Only a handful of people even knew that such a path existed through Sun Liao's defenses. At last, they officially entered the Imperial City.
Cao Yun had been increasingly using his 'Ashen Feather Seal' along the way. By the time they entered the Imperial City, everyone had forgotten about his presence, even the other alchemists around him. At any moment, Cao Yun could simply disappear, and no one would question it. General Wei Zhenhai himself wouldn't notice it at all. However, Cao Yun stayed with the group for quite some time.
The young man had not seen the Imperial City since the moment he had been sent to the other side of the Piaolu planet. It had changed quite a lot. Large defense towers had been built. They were standing all over a colossal wall that completely encased the Imperial City. On those towers, there were heavy weapons manned by early Spirit Warriors. Sun Liao had told him about their battle formation, but even without his brother's words, Cao Yun would have seen through it. Indeed, all those Spirit Warriors were creating an immense battle formation all around the Imperial City. Most middle and even late Spirit Warriors would probably be heavily injured or even killed by this battle formation.
Up in the sky, Cao Yun could also see floating palaces. They were few, but they were incredibly impressive. More than palaces, they were small castles with great fortifications. Just like on the ground, they were manned by early Spirit Warriors and were forming several battle formations. In fact, the various battle formations were intertwined within each other and even within the array formations all over the place. As a matter of fact, those array formations were the ones making those castles float in the sky.
Clearly, this was a show of strength to impress anyone entering the Imperial City. But it wasn't just for show. Cao Yun wasn't sure whether Empyrean Asura himself could attack this place without being severely injured or even killed. Thankfully, Cao Yun knew the entire layout of this place. He didn't want to find himself on the wrong side of those battle formations. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to fight Emperor Weide. Hopefully, his plans would all work out, and he wouldn't even need to resort to his failsafe. Unfortunately, Cao Yun had little hope of that, but he still liked to cling to the idea.
It took almost four hours for General Wei Zhenhai to get Director Hua's group cleared so that they could approach the Everlasting Earth Palace. As they walked through the streets, their feelings were strange. Despite the aggressive defense measures and the dire state of the war, the Imperial City was not only peaceful but bursting with life. There were lots of shops and restaurants that were extremely busy. The roads themselves were full of people, and no one seemed afraid or apprehensive. After all, this was the most secure place in the entire Hongchen Kingdom.
Using the war, Emperor Weide had turned the Imperial City into the heart of the entire economy. Merchants and businessmen were afraid of uncertainty above all else. The Imperial City was the last bastion of certainty in the entire Hongchen Kingdom. After all, if it fell, the entire human race would fall in turn. In other words, the merchants and businessmen wouldn't have to worry about anything anymore if that were to happen. The attack on the Imperial City more than a decade ago had almost acted as a wake-up call. Thanks to Sun Liao and other experts, Emperor Weide had put a lot of resources into improving the defenses of the city. Honestly, Cao Yun had to admit that they were much more impressive than everything he had imagined, even knowing all the details from Sun Liao.
In the past, the Hongchen Kingdom had relied too heavily on the array formations left behind by Emperor Nuwa. Although they were very effective against demons, they had been lacking when human demonic cultivators had attacked.
As Cao Yun was walking with Director Hua's group, he slowly lost himself in the crowd. Director Hua was obviously aware of his plans, but even she and Xiao Xuefeng didn't realize the exact moment Cao Yun left them. After a while, they simply realized he wasn't with the group anymore. Most likely, he was watching them from afar and was waiting for them to reach the Everlasting Earth Palace.
The young man recognized many companies and businesses that were overtly or secretly under the Huang family. In fact, all shops under the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall were directly under the Huang family, as Huang Cixi controlled the Hall. Even the shops that weren't directly controlled by the Huang family, or obeying the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall, were under Huang Cixi's influence. Indeed, they needed her shops and businesses to keep their operations running. In other words, Huang Cixi had her hands in all of the Imperial City's economy. At large, she more or less controlled all of the Hongchen Kingdom's economy.
While Emperor Weide had consolidated his authority and his prestige during the war, Huang Cixi had been discreet, but she had spread her influence everywhere she could. What she didn't control, she could still bend to her will, as everyone relied on her, whether they knew it or not, whether they wanted to or not. Huang Cixi could collapse the entire economy if she wanted. The mines she had found had made the Huang family the richest family of the entire Hongchen Kingdom by far. Most likely, no one truly realized how wealthy they were, or Emperor Weide himself would have acted to break them apart. Thankfully, Huang Cixi had planned for a very long time and had hidden her assets with great expertise.
It made Cao Yun feel more confident than before. As long as he could take Emperor Weide down, he was certain that the Hongchen Kingdom wouldn't collapse. After all, he was allied with the greatest forces of the kingdom, the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall, the Huang family, the Golden Flowery Fragrance Institute, and the Wubei Sect. Besides, the Wubei Sect also had ties within the army. As long as Emperor Weide was killed quickly, nothing major should happen. Ironically, the war itself would help prevent a collapse of the Hongchen Kingdom as people would naturally unite to face the demon threat. But, of course, if Emperor Weide was able to survive and rally his troops, they could fall into a civil war. If such a thing happened, mankind might actually be eradicated by the demons since their unity had always been their strength against the demons. Demons had always waged internal war until Empyrean Asura united them by sheer force and brutality.
Ironically, Cao Yun's plan could cause a reversal of that absolute truth. Humans could become divided, while demons were united. But, if Cao Yun was successful, the humans would stay united, they might even become even more united, while the demons would be as divided as ever. Emperor Weide wasn't his only target, but his plans against Empyrean Asura were not as advanced yet.
Anyway, Cao Yun disappeared among the crowd. He could see guards hidden at various locations. Thanks to Sun Liao's advice, Cao Yun was able to use the very array formations meant to locate anyone trying to sneak in to conceal his very presence. Now that he was basically invisible to all, Cao Yun followed and observed Director Hua's group. General Wei Zhenhai and Director Hua talked to a couple of guards for almost an hour before they let them go closer to the Everlasting Earth Palace.
As soon as they walked through the external gates, everything changed. They went from a world full of life to an oppressive atmosphere. Mere mortals would have died in an instant if they entered this place. Even Mortal Warriors didn't fare too well in such an environment. It was as if the air were fire. Indeed, the entire exterior courtyard was full of concentrated killing intent. There was no trick to go through with it, one had to toughen up and walk forward. For Spirit Warriors, this was a difficult walk but nothing more. However, they would have barely been able to fly under such a strain.
Cao Yun had been prepared for it. Once the guards began to close the gate behind Director Hua's group, Cao Yun snuck in. Knowing exactly what was waiting for him, the young man was ready and was able to adapt his 'Ashen Feather Seal' so that he wouldn't be detected even in this sea of killing intent. Unfortunately, it meant that he had to suffer almost like a mortal. Without his mind cultivation, his mind would have been assaulted immediately.
Cao Yun could feel his muscles on fire. His bones felt brittle, and his head was killing him. All around him, he could feel that the world itself hated him and wanted him dead. But Cao Yun persevered and walked forward. If he had not hidden before entering, he would never have been able to hide within this environment. Unlike Director Hua's group, though, he didn't go to the main gate. He had another goal.