"The betrayal of Mo Tian has cost us a lot. And we will need several years to go back to the situation we were in beforehand. Right now, we're still tracking down a few demonic cultivators who had infiltrated our Wubei Sect. Some were even able to take hostages with them. There are also possible demonic cultivators who tried to hide in the sect. We're still reconstructing all the events of the battle to account for everyone. When we'll know precisely who did what and when, we'll be able to eliminate even more demonic cultivators."
After the Sect Leader, Xiao Xuefeng spoke directly to Cao Yun.
"A handful of juniors already came to me in secrecy. With Mo Tian's defeat, they thought that the seals in them would be weak enough for them to find ways to talk. Unfortunately, they have been wrong. Yes, the seals are weaker now that Mo Tian is trapped under the Devil's Jail, because he can't activate them or amplify their power. However, they are still active nonetheless. As soon as they start to even imagine betraying the demonic cultivators, the seals in their soul begins to activate and if they go on with their idea, their sea of consciousness is destroyed. I've tried to help a few of them, but it's very difficult. Since you seem to have a good control over Evil Qi, you might be able to help me with that. A few of them are not dead yet and might even be saved."
Although Spirit Master Xiao had the most powerful spiritual senses, Cao Yun had demonstrated a talent for controlling Evil Qi that even she found fascinating. With her cultivation, she would probably be able to be as competent. However, she would need to use way more time and energy. Saving Chief Elder Suxian's Soul Embryo as he had done was something she would have not been able to pull off if she had even been an early Spirit Warrior. And Cao Yun was only an early Mortal Warrior.
"I can try, Spirit Master. During the events in the Palace of Supreme Wisdom, I've been successful in destroying some of the seals within the bodies of the demonic cultivators. But others, namely those in their souls, were still too complicated for me to get rid of them. But if you need my help, I can be of assistance."
"Good."
Observing how Cao Yun was able to do it would also help Xiao Xuefeng. Although she had no Drop of Wrath, she could probably discern many things that she would be able to emulate in her own way. Unfortunately, orthodox cultivators did not know an awful lot about the seals used by demonic cultivators. Indeed, it was unheard of to have a 9th-grade Spirit Warrior as a demonic cultivator. Most of the times, the seals they were using were very rudimentary. Mo Tian had completely changed it. Not only had their strategy evolved, but their ways had changed beyond recognition. Most likely, it was due to whatever Mo Tian had found.
Among his discovery, he had gotten the 'Blood Runes' method, some documents on the Demon Palace and probably much more, like soul seals and other abominations. They were still trying to look for what Mo Tian had discovered. All of his spatial rings had been retrieved. Several elders were also trying to find out every place he could have visited.
For the moment, there was also a doubt on his level in the hierarchy. Some believed that he was maybe the real Demon King. It was possible that he had tried to hide it even to other demonic cultivators. The idea of having several 9th-grade Spirit Warriors among the demonic cultivators was not very promising. But it was also possible that the Demon King was not even a 9th-grade Spirit Warrior. If he was only an 8th-grade Spirit Warrior, as long as he placed some contingency in Mo Tian's soul, he could have made sure that he stayed docile. Maybe Mo Tian was even sincerely behind him.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, the fog of war was still thick. Moreover, the Wubei Sect was not very trusting of the Imperial City. On the other hand, Xiao Xuefeng had been able to bring forth the help of the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall.
"Cao Yun, I summoned you here to talk about your future, the future of our Wubei Sect and even the future of the human race. After everything is dealt with, after those responsible for your family's death are found and killed, after the internal threat of the demonic cultivators is eliminated, what will you do? Will you try to rebuild the Cao family in Baziyun City? Will you marry Feng Yingyue? Will you become a vagrant cultivator? Will you join an organization? The army?"
To be honest, Cao Yun had not really thought an awful lot about his future. He was still focused on his current objectives. But to be fair, they would all take a very long time to be accomplished.
"Sect Leader, my only desire after all of that is done is to keep cultivating. I want to explore the cultivation world and rise higher and higher. I do not know whether I'll be able to break the terrible fate of the Forsaken Dao Era, but my wish is to try. On all other matters, my mind is not made."
He quickly looked at Xiao Xuefeng, knowing she was a high member of the Golden Flowery Fragrance Institute. Despite his hesitation to mention the matter, Cao Yun kept on talking.
"I am not even sure about Feng Yingyue. Our letters have become more sporadic recently with all the terrible events. We met when we were both young and traumatized. And... I changed a lot in the past three years. We were supposed to meet again in two years during the Alchemy Conference. Once I see her again, I think I'll be able to know about my real feelings. Concerning my Cao family, I want our name to be remembered. As soon as I can, I intend to reclaim it. But I've never thought about reviving the entire family by myself."
"You're still very young, it's not a problem if you haven't thought about every single detail. On the matter of your Dao companion, it is not good for young people to be apart for so long. You should indeed wait for you two to meet again before taking any decision, this is wise."
For a few moments, there was silence in the Sect Palace. Clearly, Xiao Xuefeng and Sect leader Xuan had something in mind and Cao Yun was waiting for them to say it out loud.
"I have a proposition for you. What would you say about becoming my direct disciple?"
Cao Yun was ready for many things. He thought that Sect Leader might ask him to join the Wubei Sect, or something similar. But becoming the direct disciple of the Sect Leader was well beyond what he had thought possible.
"That would make you the Young Sect Master. After my passing, you would be recognized as the natural Sect Leader."
The sudden proposition shook Cao Yun. He did not wish to be tied down to a sect, because he was dreaming of the worlds he had seen through Cleansed Asura and Axiu Qian's memories. However, becoming the sect leader was another story altogether. As a sect leader, he could literally use all the resources of the sect if he wanted. Of course, there were also obligations, but he could even choose another sect leader after a few decades or centuries and leave. He would still remain an honorary ancestor of the sect with many privileges.
Since its creation, the Wubei Sect had no living ancestor because no cultivator had become older than two millenniums. But in the past, sects could have many ancestors, cultivators who had decided to leave the mundane world but were still attached to the sect. They were great powerhouses who could protect their sect in case of emergency while roaming free the rest of the time.
"I am not asking for an immediate answer, but I do think this will be beneficial to you. After all, I am the most powerful cultivator on the Piaolu planet. Not even Emperor Weide is beyond me. Moreover, I know a lot about the Dao of Space, and about the next realms of cultivation. After hearing what happened to you near Baziyun City, I think this knowledge might be of interest to you. That doesn't mean that I wouldn't help you otherwise. But the help I'll give my own direct disciple is obviously more important."
"Sect Leader!"
Cao Yun kowtowed once more. With his Chamber of Heavenly Court, his ability to make decisions had been increased. Not only could his mind get so fast that time seemed to freeze, but he was also more decisive overall.
"This humble one accepts your most gracious offer."
This time, Sect Leader Xuan and Spirit Master Xiao were the ones being surprised. They both thought that Cao Yun would ultimately accept, but they also thought he would need some time to think about it.
"... Good, good. However, I'll need you to do something before your title is recognized. For now, I will accept you as a direct disciple without divulging it to anyone. The new year is very close. Then, the first ranking duels will take place. Right now, Zhi Yin is ranked first with Long Huafang right behind her. Fairy Zhi has already surpassed both Long Jian and Chan Weifeng. Your name is well-known in the outer sect, but if you beat her and show your talent, even the inner sect will be forced to admit your superiority. Thus, I will ask you to compete in the ranking duels. You will challenge Zhi Yin and win. Do you agree with that?"
Cao Yun was still a bit worried about his Bai Hui. But his recent training with his new spear and his martial arts had proved to him how much he had grown. Although he couldn't be sure whether he could beat Zhi Yin, he was confident in himself.
"Yes, Sect Leader."
"Great! Now I will bring you other news. To be honest, I thought I would have to convince you a bit more. Thanks to Spirit Master Xiao, our Wubei Sect has established powerful ties with the Golden Flowery Fragrance Institute. And thanks to you, our relationship with the Huang family has also improved a lot. Several other sects, and even a few temples have associated with us all. There is a growing concern about what is going on both within and outside. As I said, Emperor Weide has not appeared for a long time.
"You talked about the Alchemy Conference in two years. I do think that he will be forced to show himself. If he still doesn't appear in public, the confidence in the Imperial City will fall. They can't allow such a thing to happen. Thus, I think it would be a very good idea for you to take part in this Alchemy Conference.
"But there are also many more matters to speak about. We've investigated different leads to make sense of what's going on in our kingdom. We still need some pieces of information, but by the time of the ranking duels, we will know more about the demonic cultivators, which might interest you. The most important thing I wanted to discuss is an old matter that's been silenced by the Imperial City in the name of preserving the peace. Your Cao family is not the first family to have been slaughtered in such a manner."
When he heard Sect Leader Xuan's last words, Cao Yun became way more attentive. Until recently, he had been convinced that his family had been slaughtered by demonic cultivators without knowing the reason why. It seemed though that the truth was way more complex than that.
"The Shui family was eradicated around thirty to forty years ago. No survivor was ever found. It happened in a recluse city. Unlike Baziyun City, this was a tiny city. And the Shui family was the only prominent name in the city. They were leaving in seclusion and were not well-known at all. In fact, it's even difficult to know precisely where they came from. But in a single night, the entire city was razed and everyone killed. The Shui family lived to the south of the Wu Province, closer to the Wang Province and the Imperial City.
"Just like with the Cao family, the Imperial City took care of the investigation. Instead of demonic cultivators, they accused a group of rebels who were against the Emperor. To this day, no evidence of their involvement has ever been produced. In fact, the Imperial City decided to silence the matter in order to maintain the unity of the human race against the demons. Their justification was that knowing of such violence between humans would be bad for our unity. In fact, even until recently, I had not heard of this story. This is Spirit Master Xiao who is to be thanked for this news."
"My contacts within the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall have found out about this because someone within has been investigating these kinds of incidents. I don't have a name yet, but this is someone from Baziyun City. There is a possibility that the person looking into these affairs is a member of the Huang family. Huang Cixi is in seclusion, but she might have ordered to look into it. After all, she is very interested in you and what happened to the Cao family."
Of course, Xiao Xuefeng knew who Huang Cixi was. But she still didn't reveal it to Cao Yun. The boy had heard from Huang Liyue that Huang Cixi had forgiven him. The fact that she was interested in the Cao family's massacre was logical. It had happened near her own family mansion.
"Cao Yun, I'll be direct. Almost no one can help you. But the stealth you showed us proves that you can take care of yourself. The war with the demons will probably erupt in less than a decade. At that time, investigating those matters will be almost impossible. If we want to get to the bottom of what's really going on, we need you to act now. This will be dangerous and you will need to hide your identity. Since your brothers and sister don't have your abilities, you will probably be forced to act alone. Are you ready to take such risks?"
"Yes! I already intended to do so beforehand. First, I will try to find evidence in the former Wolf Head Sect. Since it's in the same direction, I will then visit Baziyun City and the Huang family. Maybe I can also investigate the local Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall."