While he was surrounded by the sword intent of Emperor Weide and assaulted by his Sword Spirit, Cao Yun could not see any scenario in which he would slay his opponent. Of course, he could still break free, but he wouldn't be able to win. In the end, his only option would be to escape. But, by doing so, he would condemn his sister. For an instant, Cao Yun thought about abducting the so-called daughter of the Emperor. Unfortunately, she probably would resist. Although she wasn't strong enough to stop Cao Yun, she might injure herself in her struggle. Besides, her hindrance would be enough for Emperor Weide to have a real chance of killing Cao Yun.
No matter what he imagined, Cao Yun realized that there was no hope. Thus, he had to completely change his tactics. However, this would put everyone he cared about at risk...
Down below, Cao Yun could still perceive Yong Ke's presence. She was being held by Jian Zhenli and Xiao Xuefeng. Indeed, the young girl was watching her father fight a terrible demon. She felt utterly powerless. Even from this distance, Cao Yun could see clearly what was going on through the gaping hole he and Emperor Weide had blown through the ground. Seeing her face, Cao Yun remembered the day she had been taken from his arms. The face of terror she had shown him back then was the same one she was showing for the man who had slaughtered their entire family.
Full of rage and indignation at that sight, Cao Yun fueled his own Turbid Demons. There was no alternative!
The man who symbolized all of his hatred, all of his torment, Emperor Weide, had to die at the hands of the Cao family. More than that, he had to die by the martial arts of the Cao family. Cao Yun was from both the Cao family and the Shui family, like his sister. He had to slay the traitor!
Since he came to this conclusion, Cao Yun decided to go all-out. So long as he was able to kill Emperor Weide, revealing himself wouldn't be an issue. Besides, he was certain that Huang Cixi would be able to come up with excuses to protect those who had followed Cao Yun. They could claim that they didn't know who he was or what his plans were. Most likely, Emperor Weide wouldn't go after them while the war was still raging. With all of this rationalization, Cao Yun made up his mind. It was time to finally reveal himself in full view of the Emperor and his sister.
Deep within Cao Yun's mind, the young man had to admit that he secretly hoped that the sight would somehow bring back his sister's memory. Yong Ke would give way to Cao Huiying...
In his sea of consciousness, Cao Yun circulated his 'Azure Dragon Through the Seven Storms', the martial art combining 'Azure Dragon's Seven Piercing Stars' and the martial art invented by his great-grandfather, 'Three Storms'. All around Cao Yun, the concepts of Wind and Thunder grew stronger and stronger.
'Imperial Throne'!
With a powerful movement of his 'Dark Abyss Wrathful Serpent Spear', Cao Yun created a huge tornado all around himself. Within the violent winds, one could see the shadow of a huge black dragon. The breathing of the dragon itself was the source of the tornado, while the rhythm of its heart was echoing like thunder. Inside the tornado, Cao Yun was clad in black armor made of scales. Electric arcs were jumping all over the place with Cao Yun at the center. The sudden spinning movement of Cao Yun's spear had fractured many of the sword intents and swept away Emperor Weide's Sword Spirit.
The sudden movement caught Emperor Weide by surprise. It didn't take him long to recover and control his sword again, but Cao Yun didn't leave him any time to catch his breath.
'Dragon General of the South Obeys the Celestial Mandate'!
The tornado around Cao Yun froze. It lasted only an instant. The next moment, it completely collapsed. Cao Yun's spear stabbed forward directly toward Emperor Weide. The tornado became a whirlwind of ice shards. Each shard contained bolts of black lightning that seemed solidified in ice. Between the shards themselves, electric arcs appeared and disappeared. In the clouds and on the dragon, the huge shadow of a black dragon was visible, formed from the myriad ice shards. Cao Yun's spear moved faster than even lightning. In the blink of an eye, it was right in front of Emperor Weide.
Clearly, the demon had suddenly shifted to a much more powerful martial art. Taken by surprise, even Emperor Weide could barely react. This technique was simply too impressive and unexpected.
On the ground, Jian Zhenli finally realized something. This technique was similar to one he had seen. Although it wasn't the same at all, Jian Zhenli saw the face of Cao Beiwen. There was no doubt in his mind. The attack above him was clearly related to 'Three Storms' in some way. Despite the chaos, he tried to focus on the face of the demon. It was impossible! But could he be...? Unfortunately, he couldn't quite make out the face of the red demon as he was moving too fast, and the technique itself was in the way.
Suddenly, Jian Zhenli looked down at Yong Ke's face. He had not even realized that the girl had stopped moving. Since the fight had started, not even a stick of incense had burned. All that time, Yong Ke had struggled to break free from Xiao Xuefeng and his restraint. Although she knew that she would hinder her father more than she would have helped, she did want to help him. She couldn't stand there doing nothing. As such, she resisted Jian Zhenli's attempts to drag her away to safety. At the very least, she had to see the fight. Maybe she could help her father at some point. However, she had stopped struggling altogether.
Yong Ke's face was now perfectly blank. It was as if she wasn't even there anymore. This was the perfect moment to take her away. However, Jian Zhenli didn't move her away at all. Xiao Xuefeng also seemed to realize something, but hid it as well as she could. Jian Zhenli's doubts completely disappeared from his mind. If Yong Ke was acting like that, this could only mean one thing. Cao Beiwen's face disappeared from Jian Zhenli's mind. In its stead, the general remembered the first time he had seen Cao Huiying's face.
Jian Zhenli remembered the young man trying to save her. He remembered his bloody sword going across the young man's body. He remembered how he had killed Cao Yun and taken Cao Huiying. Could that demon be...?! But it was impossible! There was absolutely no way for Cao Yun to have been a demon! And yet, the demon in the sky certainly was Cao Yun. What was going on here?!
Faced with 'Dragon General of the South Obeys the Celestial Mandate', Emperor Weide was also dumbstruck. First of all, the technique was a surprise. But, more than that, he could sense human cultivation from this strike. Although Cao Yun had not fully revealed his human cultivation yet, it was still being shown through his martial arts. Could a demon cultivate a Soul Embryo?! Another idea popped up in Emperor Weide's mind, but he abandoned it.
Now wasn't the time to think. His surprise had caused Emperor Weide to lose too much time already. All three of his seals, the 'Seal of Crushing Duty', the 'Seal of Absolute Unity', and the 'Seal of Destiny Threads', flew between Emperor Weide and Cao Yun's spear. Emperor Weide focused his 'Seal of Harmonized Execution' through the three seals.
Cao Yun's spear reached for Emperor Weide's heart. An intense cold overwhelmed the Emperor. Even his armor began to freeze a little. Electricity in the air was already assaulting him, and he could feel Cao Yun's Spear Heart reaching higher and higher. Sensing it, Emperor Weide could tell that it was very close to becoming a Spear Spirit. Even before the head of the spear got to him, Emperor Weide realized that his path was sealed. Even his 'Mandate-Carrying Step' wouldn't help him much here. He had to take it head-on as it was already too late to avoid the strike. If he had been quicker to react, he might have dodged, but the suddenness of the attack had taken him by surprise.
Since he couldn't avoid it, Emperor Weide had no qualms about fighting it head-on. The spear had more reach than the sword. On the other hand, it was harder to control once an attack failed. Emperor Weide planned on pushing back Cao Yun's attack in order to get close enough so that the young man couldn't block his sword. For an instant, Emperor Weide hesitated, but he decided not to use his pseudo-Domain yet. Moreover, he had little time to actually manifest it. Instead, he used his most powerful sword move, channeled through his three seals.
'Imperial Edict of Absolute Severance'!
The dragon from the 'Seal of Absolute Unity' let go of its pearl. In the pearl, the entire battlefield was visible, as a faint echo of the real world. The chains from 'Seal of Crushing Duty' were held in place by swords. All of the swords suddenly flew in the air and circled the pearl. Thousands of chains coiled around the pearl. At the same time, 'Seal of Destiny Threads' unraveled completely, and millions of threads blended in with the chains. The body of the dragon straightened and turned into a large blade. Over the blade, chains and threads were connecting it to the pearl that was a representation of the entire battlefield.
When Emperor Weide struck with his sword, the pearl ruptured. It was cleaved in two. Suddenly, no sound could be heard on the battlefield. The air itself was split in two. Cao Yun and Emperor Weide were now in a column of vacuum. It wasn't just physical. It was as if everything had been cut apart. Only Cao Yun and Emperor Weide existed, time and space almost seemed to lose their meaning. Since their understanding of the Dao of Space and the Dao of Time was too shallow, the two men could barely comprehend it. This technique had been crafted by Emperor Nuwa herself before her ascension. Even Emperor Weide barely mastered it, but it was still that powerful.
Within this great vacuum, Emperor Weide's sword went straight for the head of Cao Yun's spear. If he could move the spear out of the way, he would have direct access to Cao Yun's own head. Finally, he would slay the demon.
Overwhelmed by his own momentum, Cao Yun couldn't stop his spear. However, he could see the sword falling toward his own weapon. This time, Cao Yun circulated all of his cultivation. His 7th-grade Spirit Warrior cultivation became apparent to all. His Soul Embryo shone brighter than ever, pushing his Spear Heart further and further. From his spatial ring, several swords appeared on the trajectory of the imperial sword. They were all crushed as though they were nothing. The shards of ice didn't stop the sword either. Cao Yun's own spiritual senses tried to push against the sword, but they got severed as well.
Nothing could escape the absolute judgment of Emperor Nuwa. Of course, if Cao Yun had been in front of the actual Emperor Nuwa, she would have crushed him with a mere thought. But her faraway presence was still more than enough to suppress him. Despite his technique finally achieving great success, it was useless if it couldn't reach his enemy.
Using all of his strength and spiritual senses, Cao Yun altered his grasp on the spear. Without moving the tip of the spear or slowing down its momentum, Cao Yun spun the shaft. He quickly raised it above his head and struck it with everything he had. A powerful vibration spread through the spear. Unfortunately, it reverberated within Cao Yun's own flesh as well, further rupturing some of his organs. Without his control over his own blood, Cao Yun would have coughed up a lot of it.
In the vacuum, no sound could be heard, but those vibrations weren't just physical. They vibrated the Qi within the spear. A huge wave of Evil Qi and Death Energy spread around the spear. This deadly energy collided with the sword of Emperor Weide, long enough to slow it.
Cao Yun's spear reached its original target, Emperor Weide. The Emperor was in utter disbelief. It wasn't just because of the attack, but also because of the Soul Embryo he had felt. There was no way for anyone to cultivate both as a demon and as a human! More than that, he had felt a deep familiarity within this Soul Embryo. Now, he knew more about his enemy. This boy might be the key! If he could also cultivate the demon method, Emperor Weide might achieve even more power. Not only could he break the curse of the Forsaken Dao Era, but he might soar higher than Emperor Nuwa herself. There was a way to finally eradicate the Demon God!
'Mandate-Carrying Step'!
Knowing that he couldn't avoid the spear didn't mean that Emperor Weide wouldn't try to do something. Despite his sudden movement, the spear was locked onto him. It suddenly collided with his armor. By shifting his body, Emperor Weide had made the spear miss his heart, but it was still pressing against his chest. Even Ren Chao's armor couldn't take that much punishment. After all, Ren Chao had also forged Cao Yun's spear so that it could pierce through his creation.
Just as Cao Yun's spear reached Emperor Weide, his sword finally fell. But since the spear had already moved forward, Emperor Weide's sword didn't fall on its tip, it fell heavily on the shaft, very close to Cao Yun's hands. This collision created an even more powerful vibration that spread through both men. Both men felt the impact. Cao Yun had a hard time holding his spear, and Emperor Weide felt the attack grow weaker, but his armor also began to crack. Emperor Weide's Sword Spirit tried to slice through Cao Yun's spear. It bent but didn't break. However, it brought Cao Yun a bit closer to his enemy. They could literally see each other's eyes.