The wind and snow finally began to settle, leaving the world a vast, white expanse.
Wu Hai's skeletal frame clattered as the soul fire in his eye sockets danced with excitement.
He had clearly seen the previous battle; the Ancestor had truly pierced the heavens with that strike.
Even that old bald ass, Ksitigarbha of Great Vows, had been crushed by the Ancestor. He truly was the Ancestor.
Wu Hai's skeleton dashed forward at incredible speed, utilizing the fastest movement technique he had ever managed in his life.
"Ancestor, Ancestor, you must be exhausted!"
Before Wu Hai even arrived, his flattery preceded him.
He rushed to Chen Zhou's side, performing a smooth emergency brake that left two deep furrows in the snow with his toe bones, then immediately dropped to one knee.
His movements were as fluid as flowing water, a clear sign that he had practiced this maneuver countless times in his mind.
"Ancestor, your divine might truly encompasses the world!"
Wu Hai was about to rack his brain for more praise when he looked up and saw Chen Zhou pouring wine into the void. His movements were solemn, and his expression was grave.
Wu Hai froze, the soul fire in his eyes flickering in confusion. He asked carefully, "Ancestor, what are you... doing?"
"Didn't you just destroy that old bald ass? Shouldn't we be celebrating?"
Chen Zhou withdrew his hand and said indifferently, "Think of it as a tribute to a true Buddha."
Upon hearing this, alarm bells rang in Wu Hai's mind.
What? That old bald ass, Ksitigarbha of Great Vows, had opposed the Ancestor in life, yet he could still leave such a deep impression in the Ancestor's heart after death?
A tribute? Why him!
Wu Hai practiced the path of the bone; his physical body had been dead for centuries, making him a senior corpse, surely? He had followed the Ancestor for so long, working like a horse, yet he had never seen the Ancestor pour a cup of wine for him.
How could that old bald ass still be vying for favor even after dying!
Wu Hai felt he couldn't let a dead man steal all the spotlight.
"The Ancestor is truly kind-hearted and profoundly righteous!" Wu Hai immediately switched to a tone filled with both grief and reverence.
"That old bald ass... no, that Great Monk, being able to die by the Ancestor's hand and receive a wine offering—that is a blessing he must have cultivated for eight lifetimes."
"If he knew from the underworld, he'd probably kowtow to you twice!"
Chen Zhou glanced at him but said nothing.
Wu Hai struck while the iron was hot, pointing toward the vast Northern Region with heroic flair.
"Ancestor, now that the Wolf Court is destroyed, this entire Northern Region is your territory."
"Our Bone Temple is a massive establishment. Your disciple emboldens himself to volunteer; I am willing to establish the Northern Region Branch here for the Ancestor."
"I will ensure the Ancestor's prestige is carved into every block of ice in the Northern Region!"
After speaking, Wu Hai looked at Chen Zhou expectantly, his face practically screaming, 'Praise me, praise me!'
Chen Zhou nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping across the devastated land.
Wu Gou had entrusted the entire Northern Region to him, along with the vows of all living beings. He might as well fulfill that final wish.
What did a peaceful age look like?
At the very least, people had to be well-fed and warmly clothed.
"Approved," Chen Zhou said plainly. "However, establishing a branch isn't enough. In passing, restore life to this Northern Region."
He pointed to Huo Dou and Piao behind him. "Take them with you."
Wu Hai was stunned, then overjoyed. "By your command!"
Chen Zhou continued, "Huo Dou is a fire-attribute beast; earth vein fire can melt ice and snow. This Northern Region is too cold. Go and organize the underground fire veins to make this place warmer."
"Piao, you are a famine fiend. Your power of gluttony can devour desolation. There are too many messy remnants left behind by Ksitigarbha in this frozen soil. Open your stomach and eat your fill."
Piao's eyes lit up. "As long as I don't have to eat copper poison or the Aspect of All Beings, I'll eat anything. The ice is crunchy and quite delicious."
Chen Zhou smiled and said, "Go. There won't be any more of the Aspect of All Beings for you to eat."
As he finished, Piao's form began to disperse, instantly transforming into a copper-colored swarm of insects that spread across the Northern Region in all directions.
Seeing this, Wu Hai straightened his back. Feeling like a foreman, he prepared to head out and direct the work with high spirits.
Then he looked at Huo Dou.
This once-ferocious ancient beast had actually shrunk down to the size of an ordinary local dog.
It was biting down hard on the hem of Chen Zhou's robe, let out a "whimper" from its throat, and clawed at the ground, refusing to leave.
"Let go, you smelly dog! Let go! Do not be disrespectful to the Ancestor!"
Wu Hai went up and yanked on its tail.
Huo Dou turned back and bared its teeth at Wu Hai, snorting two sparks from its nostrils before turning back to look at Chen Zhou with a face full of grievance.
It didn't want to leave!
As the sect-protecting divine beast of the Bone Temple, it was naturally drawn to the aura of bone.
The scent on the Ancestor was ten thousand times more potent and pure than Wu Hai's.
Furthermore, the Ancestor was incredibly powerful. The great enemy who had locked it away for centuries had been dealt with by the Ancestor in just a few moves.
Following the Ancestor meant meat to eat and no one daring to bully it—it felt too safe.
Chen Zhou looked down at the scrawny little black dog at his feet.
During the previous battle, although Huo Dou had been fierce, it had indeed exhausted a lot of its qi and blood.
Right now, its dark, beady eyes were full of attachment. There wasn't a hint of its former ferocity left; it looked exactly like a stray dog begging for adoption.
Chen Zhou's heart stirred slightly. He reached out and patted its somewhat prickly head.
"Alright, stop playing the victim."
Chen Zhou took out a handful of fifth-grade Flesh-Reconstitution Pills and stuffed them into its mouth.
"Replenish your qi and blood. Go on. When the work is done, there will be more rewards."
Huo Dou's mouth was stuffed full, its cheeks bulging like a hamster's. It was so happy it almost fainted.
Surges of majestic blood qi flowed down its throat and through its entire body. It was warm and incredibly comfortable.
"Woof! Woof!"
Huo Dou barked indistinctly, its tail wagging like a propeller.
Following the Ancestor really did lead to meat!
Wu Hai looked at Huo Dou with disappointment. He grabbed the scruff of Huo Dou's neck and dragged it away like a dead dog.
"Once you're full, get to work for me. Don't loiter around the Ancestor."
"Look at your spineless appearance; you've shamed the reputation of our Bone Temple's divine beast."
Huo Dou was dragged away, but it still looked back with every step. Chewing the Flesh-Reconstitution Pills, its gaze lingered on Chen Zhou with deep reluctance.
Watching the skeleton, the dog, and the fiend depart, Chen Zhou withdrew his gaze and turned to Su Xue, who had been standing quietly by his side.
"You want to go too?" Chen Zhou asked.
Su Xue nodded, her eyes somewhat complex as she looked at the land beneath her feet. "Although Ksitigarbha of Great Vows' plot has been broken, there are still living dead everywhere in this Northern Region."
"Previously, they had vow power to support them. Even if they died, they could be revived and live like normal people."
"But now that the vow power has dissipated, if they remain in this state, they will eventually turn into mindless walking corpses or even monsters that know only slaughter."
Su Xue raised her hand. A faint emerald light flowed in her palm, and a vibrant miniature world phantom—the Myriad Herbs Life-Death Realm—could be seen.
"I... I can communicate with the Myriad Herbs Life-Death Realm now."
"I have gained some new insights into life, death, and cycles." Su Xue looked at Chen Zhou anxiously, her voice very soft.
"I want to try and see if I can reverse the life and death within everyone's bodies simultaneously."
"To let them escape the shackles of vow power, and transform them from the living dead into truly living people."
Reversing life and death, turning death into life.
It was a method that truly defied the heavens.
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