Cao Yun was immobile. The strain had been so intense that he couldn't move at all, he could only breathe. Everyone around him was convinced that he had lost consciousness. However, his mind endured. With what little awareness and perception he had, Cao Yun stared at Demon God Da Mo. His Black Heart Flame had not been powerful enough to destroy Demon God Da Mo, even less so without Cao Yun to actively control it. Thankfully, Silver Wolf Marshal Shanyin Guan had finished the job.
That being said, there was a terrible feeling in the back of Cao Yun's mind. Even now, he was wondering whether Demon God Da Mo was really dead or not. Honestly, it simply felt unreal. Despite all the pain and sacrifices, he had a very hard time believing that such a powerful entity had simply perished. To be fair, his Demon Soul had already been damaged before the fight. And the fight had not helped at all. Moreover, he had obviously been surprised by the Silver Wolf Marshal's betrayal.
Everything was true. However, Emperor Nuwa herself had killed Demon God Da Mo. She had been so certain that she had killed him that she had left the Piaolu planet. Although she had left a piece of herself behind to protect her descendants, she had sincerely believed in Da Mo's death. Right now, Cao Yun didn't want to make the same mistake. Unfortunately, he couldn't perceive what was happening in Da Mo's Demon Soul very well. The mere fact that he could perceive anything at all was astonishing. Yet, it was not enough in Cao Yun's eyes. He had to make sure that this page was turned and that he could start something new.
Try as he might, Cao Yun couldn't pierce through this mystery yet. In fact, by trying to push his perception too much, Cao Yun began to feel his mind fade away. He was actually losing consciousness for real now. Maybe it was the tension that had suddenly disappeared, but the young man couldn't hold on any longer.
As soon as he saw that Silver Wolf Marshal Shanyin Guan had no intention of attacking, Cao Yun felt better. When he saw that the Silver Wolf Marshal literally collapsed because of the backlash of his own technique, he was almost at peace. Finally, the Six Fangs Generals retrieved Demon God Da Mo's body and left with their Silver Wolf Marshal. Of course, they wouldn't leave the body of such a powerful asura with the humans. Whether they still believed that he was some kind of god or not, they would take his body. His blood and organs were incredible materials for anyone, especially demons.
The humans below would have loved to keep Demon God Da Mo's body, but no one was in any condition to fight six powerful Accomplished Demons.
Ironically, Cao Yun was the only one who was at peace with this decision. This body could become a problem, as some demons might want to make a pilgrimage to it. Besides, if anyone chopped it up into materials, many demons would resent them and might even launch holy wars. In the end, it was better to let other demons handle it. Moreover, without Demon God Da Mo's presence, Cao Yun was absolutely certain that he could get to this corpse. It would take some time, but if he wanted to, he could get the corpse. At the very least, he would have to study it to try to find out whether Demon God Da Mo was completely annihilated or not. This might not be conclusive proof, but it would be something.
Now that all threats seemed to have been eliminated, Cao Yun's mind shut down on its own. It was as if his will suddenly broke, like a string that had been pulled too tight and couldn't take it anymore. For all intents and purposes, the crisis had passed.
-
Cao Yun stayed in a comatose state for around three months. His injuries, his fatigue, and his already weak Soul Embryo had not been good to him.
The very first thing he saw when he woke up was Feng Yingyue. She was at his bedside. Because of his extreme fatigue, Cao Yun couldn't perceive through his soul at all. As such, he was only able to see her when he opened his eyes. As soon as she saw him open his eyes, her face became as bright as the Sun. That sight alone made Cao Yun happy to be back. He wanted to have enough strength already to take her in his arms, but he could not even sit up yet.
Seeing that he was trying to get up, Feng Yingyue put a delicate hand on his chest. Without any force, she instructed him to stay put. He shouldn't move too much, or even at all, before the physicians examined him.
Immediately, Chief Elder Qinghe and a few other physicians walked in. Chief Elder Qinghe was extremely old. Even as a Spirit Warrior, he was now using a cane to move around. It was a clear sign that his natural lifespan was approaching its end. He had lived well over a century past the age of 2,000, so it wasn't too sad. On the other hand, his talent for medicine made such a death a waste. If they had found a way to break through into the higher realms before, he might have lived much longer and saved many more lives.
Despite his current weakness, Chief Elder Qinghe examined Cao Yun in person. At the same time, he talked to his disciples, training them to succeed him as chief elder of the physician pavilion. Although their medical knowledge was limited, Cao Yun and Feng Yingyue could tell how talented Chief Elder Qinghe and his disciples were. Chief Elder Qinghe only ran his hand over a few acupoints, took Cao Yun's pulse at his wrist, and was able to give detailed explanations about his wounds. With each sentence he uttered, his disciples deduced a great deal of vital information and even planned several treatments. Clearly, Cao Yun was in very good hands.
Cao Yun wasn't disturbed by the way the physicians acted as though he wasn't even present. He simply waited for them to be done while listening intently to all their words. Everything they said made perfect sense. His knowledge of alchemy could help him determine if their treatments were appropriate. In the end, they mostly concluded that Cao Yun could heal on his own. They would simply make sure that he healed properly and more quickly, but also more safely.
For example, they talked about his neck much more than anything else. Indeed, Cao Yun's body had healed, but in the wrong way. So they would actually need to literally break his neck again and position his bones and tissues in such a way that his body would heal properly this time. For now, they couldn't do much because they needed Cao Yun to be stronger than he was now. Thus, they simply gave him medication to reduce the pain. Taking the pills, Cao Yun lost all sensation of pain. Unfortunately, his body and mind were also much slower. With his cultivation, he could get rid of the medicinal essence at any moment, but he let it act as it got rid of the pain that was honestly annoying.
At last, Cao Yun was able to ask a question.
"Chief Elder Qinghe, what is your estimate? How long will I need to stay in this bed?"
The old man turned toward Cao Yun. Usually, he would have tried not to answer at all. However, he decided to give a very direct answer.
"This humble one cannot make such an accurate estimate. Based on your constitution, this could be anywhere from two months to eight months. But I would advise that you don't try to leave this bed for at least six months, even if you feel like you can. That being said, moving is a good idea. As long as you don't leave this bed, moving around a little can be good, even trying to sit up and lie down again. Small exercises that seem pointless and easy might, in fact, over time, improve your recovery."
"Thank you for your insight. I will heed your words. Would you leave us now, please?"
"Of course, Sect Leader. Do not hesitate to call on us. Many people want to see you, but I will let Miss Feng handle it."
"Thank you."
Feng Yingyue also thanked the physicians as they left. Slowly, it dawned on Cao Yun. Yes, he was the Sect Leader of the Wubei Sect. He would have to deal with a lot of things. However, he truly didn't want to be involved in any form of politics ever again. Sadly, it didn't seem to be possible...
As soon as they were alone again, Feng Yingyue got closer to Cao Yun and kissed him. The young man could clearly see that she lacked sleep. For such a cultivator to show signs of fatigue, it proved how long she had stayed awake. Maybe she had stayed awake for two months, or she had barely slept at all during this period. Cao Yun also thought about his brothers. He lost himself in Feng Yingyue's embrace for a long time. Finally, she got off him but couldn't get rid of a bright smile.
"Yingyue, how are my brothers? How is the Hongchen Kingdom?"
"Your brothers are fine. Ren Chao and his family are perfectly fine. Ren Chao is even helping with the repairs to the Wubei Sect. So is your brother Sun Liao, for that matter. He recovered much faster than you did. As for your sister Mei Hua, she's unfortunately away for the moment. To be honest, she took my place to help other cities with pills and medicine. The war is over, you did it!"
Feng Yingyue explained what had happened to Cao Yun. In three months, many things had happened in the Hongchen Kingdom.
First of all, the Empyrean Asura Theocracy had stopped any assault on the Hongchen Kingdom. A few companies of demons had been found here and there, but they were not part of any organized army and were easily disposed of. Silver Wolf General Long Cheng was taking care of that with his forces. They were stretched very thin, but they didn't have to deal with entire armies at the moment. Sadly, isolated demons could occasionally enter the Hongchen Kingdom and claim some victims before they were killed. But this was to be expected.
Huang Cixi had officially become Emperor. She had wanted to push the ceremony back, but Cao Yun was in a deep coma, and the Hongchen Kingdom needed a leader. As such, she had buried both Matriarch Huang and Emperor Weide the very same day. Indeed, the capital had been moved to Baziyun City. Cao Yun found it ironic that Emperor Weide had been buried in the city where his own family was buried, too. He couldn't tell whether he liked the irony or not. But clearly, this was a power play by Huang Cixi.
The name she had chosen as Emperor also surprised Cao Yun a little. She was Emperor Lixing. Immediately, the young man could infer many things from this name. This was a clear reference to her brother Huang Lixin, but replacing a character with the character of revival. Cao Yun wasn't sure what to make of it exactly. It was obviously a way to honor her brother, but also to show the Hongchen Kingdom that it would be revived after this very long war. He also wondered if there was a message for him in it as well. If there was, he didn't want to know it for sure, because he had several ideas and couldn't choose which ones he liked and which ones he hated.
Unfortunately, the demon territories were in complete chaos. Even Emperor Lixing had been unable to negotiate with anyone. She had mainly focused on rearranging the Hongchen Kingdom, on helping the people who had been hurt by the war in one way or another. At the same time, she had already begun to clean up Emperor Weide's forces. Slowly, she was purging a lot of people, in more or less brutal ways. Without the war, it was difficult to just send them to die on the battlefield. However, a few superior officers just disappeared. Several ministers were sent back, while some scholars were discreetly killed. Emperor Lixing was clearly a fierce emperor, but she didn't do anything disproportionate compared to other emperors before her. In fact, she was even a bit too moderate. That being said, they just came out of a war and weren't sure if another war was around the corner. As such, she didn't want to risk destroying the current administration or the military. It would take her a few years to finish completely.
When it came to the demons, the information was vague. But Feng Yingyue explained what they knew to Cao Yun. All the kingdoms that had been conquered by the Empyrean Asura Theocracy had declared secession. In fact, some had even repudiated the Heavenly Demon God Faith publicly. As a consequence, there were many wars all over the place. Of course, the former priests and forces of the Empyrean Asura Theocracy were fighting the secessionist kingdoms, but some of the kingdoms were also at war with one another, for a few of them. There were large purges, unlike Emperor Lixing's subtle eliminations. Demons were slaughtering anyone they thought was related to the former Empyrean Asura Theocracy.
Considering what torments the priesthood had unleashed on the people, Cao Yun could imagine what the oppressed people did in return. Sadly, innocent demons would also be slaughtered in the process. Sincerely, Cao Yun felt a bit bad about it, but he had known that it would happen from the start. Hopefully, the Sisters of the Abyss would arrive soon enough to prevent too much blood from being spilled. Honestly, Cao Yun didn't want all the demons to survive, but he certainly didn't want some demons to die. In such a purge, he was more worried that human-hating, bloodthirsty demons would come out on top. He had to make sure that the demons who would rule would never launch any wars against the Hongchen Kingdom.
The Silver Wolf Marshal had not left his Langyin Region since the end of the war. Despite everything happening around him, he didn't help any other demon kingdom. In fact, he quite literally annexed some small lands around his kingdom to use them as a buffer. He was already getting ready for potential wars against him, just in case.
Overall, Cao Yun was pleased with the results. He definitely could rest for a few months. Instead of trying to recover as fast as possible, he could slow down, finally.