Chapter 267: The fallen palace

As Cao Yun was still piercing through the shockwave of Can Mouye's attack, he was unable to move in time. In an instant, the ceiling fell down on everyone's head. What already was a scene of war turned into a pure apocalypse. Outside, one could see the peak above the cave they were in caving in. Then, a chain reaction caused the entire mountain range to collapse. And high in the sky, the purple scars became brighter and brighter as they were expanding in all eight directions. Soon the whole world would crumble and everything in it would be crushed into nothingness.

In the cave, Cao Yun had only one thought and this wasn't his own survival. Instead, he thought about Huang Liyue and also the egg. The woman was still recovering while being unconscious. As such she was defenseless. And of course, so was the egg. However, he truly had no way of helping them right now. He himself was under the rumbles. His body had been able to survive the depths of the Ocean of Turbid Anguish. Not even a total collapse of the mountains above him was enough to kill him. That said, it hadn't been good for his body either.

Suddenly receiving the weight of the world on his shoulders could cause a lot of damage. As soon as he could, Cao Yun had mobilized his whole cultivation and circulated his Qi to perform 'Dragon's Chest' on his entire body. Like that, he was able to sustain very few injuries. That being said, he felt an intense pain all over his body. As the mountain had collapsed, the Evil Qi within the dust was now everywhere. And some had obviously started to infiltrate all his wounds. Because he was focused on something else, he failed to prevent the intrusion. But he quickly recovered from the shock and took care of the Evil Qi in him afterward. Thankfully, it wasn't bad enough that he couldn't control that amount of Evil Qi and Death Energy.

Right now, he was buried under a literal mountain. His main goal was to get to Huang Liyue. Since he had completely lost all sense of orientation, Cao Yun used his Drop of Wrath and his understanding of 'Death Verses' to use both the Evil Qi and the Death Energy around him to orientate himself. Because the rubbles were still moving around, it was difficult. Right now, he had no real control over his Qi outside of his body. And in such a chaotic environment, it was even harder to use his abilities than in the depths of the ocean which was rather stable.

That being said, he truly hoped to find a pocket of pure Qi in this chaotic Evil Qi. But he was almost certain that he would be unable to detect his enemy. And that was a real problem. Although Can Mouye had pushed his body very far, Cao Yun was convinced that he would not die right away. Besides, such a collapse would have very little effect on him. Ironically, Cao Yun even hoped that he was fine for he needed him to get information. He was his first real lead, he couldn't accept to lose him before extracting what he needed from him.

Still, his first goal was to protect Huang Liyue, not to find Can Mouye. Helping the person who had saved his life took precedence over his revenge.

Mobilizing his mind cultivation, Cao Yun tried to clearly analyze the rocks and boulders all around him. He was in perfect darkness so he could not use his eyes. But all his other senses were also heightened. With utmost caution, Cao Yun started to clear the rocks around him. This was a very meticulous and long process. If he chose the wrong rocks or moved them the wrong way or even the right way but too fast, he could cause further collapse. If Huang Liyue and the egg had not been crushed, by being imprudent, he could put them in harm's way. Even if Huang Liyue was unconscious and injured, her body should still be resistant enough to survive the collapse. But Cao Yun was not entirely sure... The egg on the other hand had very little hope of survival. After losing both its parents, Cao Yun didn't want it to die too.

-

Finally, Cao Yun felt a big pocket without much Evil Qi in it. It was probably completely filled with air, which would explain the low density of Evil Qi within.

Digging a bit more, Cao Yun was able to see some light. But that wasn't the light of day. No, this was a yellow light, of the exact same color as the Yellow Sorrows Water. Hopefully, this was the yellow lake Cao Yun had been close to. Maybe, Huang Liyue was there!

When his hands pushed the last boulder out of the way, Cao Yun realized that he had been mistaken. What he found in front of him were wooden planks. He had not reached the yellow lake, he had reached the fallen palace that had appeared in his vision. And in the middle of the room in front of him, there was indeed the yellow stone from which the yellow lake had emerged. Looking all around, Cao Yun saw a staircase leading above. Apparently, the palace had not been further damaged by the collapse. Even in its state, it had been able to sustain the shock.

As he was hesitating on what to do, Cao Yun heard a voice in his head. He immediately recognized the voice which sounded familiar. This was Cleansed Asura's voice.

"So you're the disciple he has chosen... Come on in."

With that voice, a pull began to affect the Drop of Wrath in his heart. Cao Yun literally went through the boulders and the wooden planks in front of him. When he found himself in the yellow lit room, he understood what had happened. Using the cover of the darkness and the boulders, some black chains had coiled themselves around him waist. And now, they were slowly going around his limbs as well.

Even with what was left of his strength, Cao Yun was unable to break free from their constraint. As he was struggling against the black and cold metal, the young man was sent through the ceiling and found himself on the upper floor. In front of him was a giant metallic coffin that was perfectly black as well. From this coffin, there was an evil atmosphere leaking out. With his sensitivity, Cao Yun was able to clearly discern Evil Qi and Death Energy. This Evil Qi was the one that had permeated the entire Yellow Death World. In contact with the Death Energy, it had transformed and infected everything. But now that he was close to the original source of it, Cao Yun also realized that it was extremely similar to Cleansed Asura's Qi.

"Boy, I am Cleansed Asura. And you have something that belongs to me."

Once more, Cao Yun felt a powerful pull on his Drop of Wrath. For the first time ever, he felt that the Drop of Wrath was ready to betray him. Until now, it had acted by instinct. When it had tried to take over, it was just a side effect of it being agitated. But now, there was truly some intent to betray him in order to go back to its rightful master. Most likely, this was due to some remnants of Cleansed Asura's intent in it and not the Drop of Wrath itself.

"You dare slander my master by usurping his name?!"

"Oh? Boy, let me ask you. Why do you think your 'master' is the real Cleansed Asura and I am the fake one? What proof do you have of that? After all, you've only met this fake master what, one hour? Even less than that? Yet, you claim that he was the real Cleansed Asura. Let me tell you boy, I am the real one. This fake tried to take over my body when I was mortally wounded while getting into your world. He's just a parasite who used this opportunity to try and become the real thing.

"But I am the real Cleansed Asura! Me and no one else!"

In his last words, Cao Yun felt a deep hatred and an immeasurable rage. Apparently, this was a very sensitive point for him.

"Yet, when my master sacrificed himself, this Inner World started to fall down. Isn't that proof enough that he was the master of this place?"

"Of course he was, he stole that from me. Just like he stole my body and my precious legacy. This Drop of Wrath in your chest is rightfully mine. And after ripping it out of your lifeless body, I will finally regain all of my strength!"

From the coffin, a young man appeared. Cao Yun had never met him so he didn't recognize him, but if Huang Liyue had been there, she would have. He was Gui Bei.

"Look at me! I had to slowly cultivate a soul seed within this stupid boy just so I could endure. But now that his body is perfectly harmonized with my soul, I will finally be able to get out of this dying carcass of a world."

Finding out someone's cultivation without using spiritual senses was rather difficult. Watching the young man in front of him, Cao Yun could tell that there was not a great difference between the both of them. He should not have been stronger than a 2nd or 3rd-grade Mortal Warrior. Yet, he was able to control those black chains to trap him. Most likely, this was the ancient soul in his body that was channeling enough strength to completely trap Cao Yun.

"Indeed, you've guessed right. This boy is rather weak. I was deeply hesitant with him, but not that many people crossed into this world after all. And I just couldn't wait any longer. I tried to make him as powerful as possible, but that was the extent his soul was able to endure."

Gui Bei walked a bit closer and extended his arm toward Cao Yun's chest.

"However, once I regain my Drop of Wrath, my cultivation will soar beyond your imagination. In a few years I will completely crush all boundaries. Your entire kingdom will kneel before me or die. And once I have conquered your world, I will plan my revenge against the man who assaulted me. This entire universe will be covered in blood. I will burn down the very cosmos to get my hands on this bastard. And he will end up begging me to put an end to his misery.

"He will rue the day he thought he could beat Cleansed Asura!"

"Oh? So you intend on keeping slandering my master by usurping his name?"

A wave of black energy erupted from Gui Bei.

"I AM CLEANSED ASURA!!!"

"You do not sound that convinced."

Absolute rage was written all over Gui Bei's face. His face was barely human at the moment.

"If you want my opinion, you should just rename yourself Old Demon. After all, aren't you just some kind of inner demon of my master Cleansed Asura?"

"YOU!!! YOU!!!! I swear that you will beg me for the sweet release of death! I intended to just kill you and be done with you, but no! You had to insult me! Well, I will extract every tiny drop of blood from you. Then, when your body is dead, I will keep your soul with me and make sure to keep your mind alive and intact for as long as I can!"

As he was getting more and more agitated, Cao Yun could feel his Evil Qi through the black chains. He was rather certain that he could have slowed it down but he could never have stopped it completely. However, he did not even try. Indeed, that was part of his plan. To be honest, he didn't find that his plan was very smart, but he had to try something. This 'Old Demon' was ready to kill him at any moment to get the Drop of Wrath. By enraging him he had been able to buy some time. But that wasn't all. He was also hoping for something that was happening.

Now, this would be a contest of wills. And with his mind cultivation and his new control over the Drop of Wrath, Cao Yun was way more confident in beating Old Demon in terms of will and mind rather than physically. In the outside world, he had no chance against him. Although his vessel was not that strong, the simple fact that he was able to control those black chains made him a real threat to him. Most likely, his power came from this very world. In the Hongchen Kingdom, Cao Yun would not have had to fear him that much. But here, he was dangerous.

To be honest, Cao Yun had really no way of knowing for sure whether his master or this Old Demon was the real Cleansed Asura. But the name was not relevant, he had chosen his master. Even if he was a fake, that would not change his view of him at all.

Finally, what Cao Yun was looking for happened. The Evil Qi seeped through his body. Once more, he made no effort to try and stop it. He didn't want to alert his enemy. Consequently, his pain was incredible. Old Demon tortured him using the Evil Qi. Under this torment, Cao Yun writhed in agony. At any moment, he could stop it by using his mind cultivation but he couldn't reveal his hand for now. Thus, he had to endure. The only part of his mind he used was his will. Thankfully, it had been enhanced by the Chamber of Government.

"Are you ready to beg yet? I sure hope not! Let me enjoy it a bit longer..."

The pain then focused on his head. For several long minutes, Cao Yun felt as though someone was splitting his skull with a cleaver. Such a pain was beyond what a mortal could endure. Even a middle Mortal would have at least fainted or maybe even died from the pain. But it was not enough to kill a late Mortal like Cao Yun. Old Demon truly wanted to keep him alive. Cao Yun also felt some Evil Qi around his Lower Dantian. He was certain that it was there to prevent him from attempting suicide. Indeed, he could have detonated his Lower Dantian.

But Cao Yun had made sure to show no sign of that. After all, Old Demon could probably destroy his cultivation. And if he tried that, Cao Yun would be forced to reveal that he wasn't so powerless against Evil Qi, thwarting his own plan.

After what felt like an eternity of pain, Cao Yun finally felt what he had been looking for. The pain spread to his mind and soul. What should have horrified him made him feel intense joy instead. He had been right to enrage Old Demon and he had not endured the pain for nothing. At last, Old Demon was invading his sea of consciousness to try and torture his soul and probably to wrestle the control of the Drop of Wrath out of his mind.