"It seems you’ve chosen death,"
Chen Zhou said unhurriedly, having seen through the other’s thoughts. He wasn't angry.
"Death is a clean end, to be sure. Everything just stops."
"But that precious coffin of yours? You won't be able to protect it anymore."
"You know what this bone pillar space is, and you certainly know the state of the commandery outside."
"Even if I don't touch it..."
"Do you really think a broken coffin can survive the aftermath of the catastrophe when the Golden Buddha descends upon the world?"
Tuoba Feng’s face paled, and his body swayed.
This was the ending he dared not think of, and the one he was most powerless to face.
"Heh."
Seeing that the timing was right, Chen Zhou let out a light chuckle, his tone becoming casual.
"If you just want to save one person, it’s quite easy."
Tuoba Feng snapped his head up, staring at him intensely.
Easy?
Those were divine remains corpse spots that even his ancestors had been helpless against. It was a curse that had plagued the Grave-keeper clan for a thousand years. On what basis did an outsider who knew nothing claim it was easy?
"Those measly black spots? This venerable one can cure them."
Chen Zhou stood with his hands behind his back, looking profoundly mysterious.
"Don't look at me like that."
"This venerable one already has two cases of successful recovery."
"One was a Sea Race general from the Eastern Region, and the other was the First Prince of the Eastern Region."
"They are both still alive and well. Although the treatment process might be a bit painful—requiring some skin-shedding and blood-changing—"
"This venerable one guarantees the medicine will cure the disease and that it will never recur."
"So, what do you say? Do you believe me?"
Tuoba Feng struggled internally, hesitating.
He wanted to believe, yet he didn't dare to.
Reason told him it was impossible. On what basis could this young man achieve something even his ancestors couldn't, and something that even the Golden Buddha's capabilities remained an unknown for?
But he had no choice now.
He had already lost; his life was held in the other’s hands.
It didn't matter if he lived, but he wanted to save Xiaoyun.
Even if there were only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, he wanted to grasp this straw of hope.
"I... How do I know what you’re saying is true?" Tuoba Feng’s voice trembled.
"This venerable one never lies."
Chen Zhou glanced at him. "You can let your daughter out right now."
"Try it and see for yourself."
"If it’s fake, it won’t be too late for you to die then. You can’t beat me anyway."
Tuoba Feng fell silent.
His hand rested on the coffin lid, trembling slightly as if he wanted to push it open, yet he stopped at the last second.
His eyes suddenly lowered, and a heavy sadness radiated from his entire being.
For some reason, Tuoba Feng’s mood suddenly plummeted.
That sadness came quickly, flooding over him like a tide, but it vanished just as fast.
Only a few breaths later.
When he looked up again, Tuoba Feng had restrained all his emotions, returning to his dead-eyed, lifeless appearance.
He did not open the coffin.
He simply gave Chen Zhou a deep look and then nodded heavily.
"Fine."
"I believe you."
"I, Tuoba Feng, am willing to surrender."
As his voice fell, a low hum resonated from the central bone pillar.
The character for "Kill" slowly dissipated, while the character for "Surrender" solidified.
The rule judgment had passed.
One who surrendered was deemed a loser, losing the right to compete for the Golden Buddha and automatically becoming a subordinate of the victor. Within this space, their life and death were now entirely in the victor’s control.
However, the bone pillar was clearly not merciful.
It split open to reveal a passage to the next floor, but the entrance was covered by a blood-red light screen, like a greedy mouth demanding a passage fee.
Having not received the flesh of the loser, it required enough blood to be spilled before it would allow passage.
The rules transmitted from the bone pillar were clear. Without a word, Tuoba Feng picked up the long blade from the ground and prepared to slash his own wrist.
The Grave-keeper clan fed their arrays with blood year-round; they were more than accustomed to bloodletting.
He didn't even flinch. It was well worth it to trade some blood for a life.
Clang!
With a crisp sound, Tuoba Feng felt his wrist go numb. The long blade in his hand was actually knocked away by a flying pill.
"That’s enough."
Chen Zhou walked over slowly and stopped him.
"You’re already injured like this. If you lose more blood, do you really intend to die?"
As he spoke, the pill landed in his hand.
As soon as it touched his palm, it emitted a thick stench. With just one whiff, Tuoba Feng felt the dried-up blood and qi in his body begin to stir.
"This... This is?" Tuoba Feng’s eyes widened.
"No need for you to spill blood."
Chen Zhou pointed at the pill in his hand. "Eat it and recover first."
Tuoba Feng was stunned. As he held the pill, his hands were shaking.
He could clearly feel that the blood-and-flesh energy within the pill was extremely pure and free of impurities.
In the resource-starved Western Region, even a stalk of withered grass containing spiritual energy was a treasure.
And a pill like this—capable of bringing a dying person back to life and solidifying their blood and qi—was an absolute, priceless treasure.
Especially since people of the Western Region had to bleed every day, anything that could replenish blood-and-flesh energy was something people would kill for.
He was giving away something like this just like that?
"This is too precious..." Tuoba Feng was somewhat at a loss.
They were just in a life-and-death confrontation a moment ago; how could he receive such great hospitality in the blink of an eye?
One should not accept a reward without merit.
Seeing his 'never seen the world' expression, Chen Zhou couldn't help but curl his lips.
"I suppose your Western Region, being a sand sea, is a desolate place."
"My territory is far more affluent,"
Chen Zhou said dismissively. "Back where I'm from, a Flesh-Reconstitution Pill is just something I give my subordinates to eat like sweets. It's nothing special."
"Eat it. It will help you regrow your feet."
"We have to move on in a bit, and I don't want to be dragging a cripple along."
Tuoba Feng was shocked once again.
Although regrowing limbs was possible once one reached the sixth-stage, it was by no means easy.
It required the consumption of a massive amount of origin power or the assistance of numerous heavenly treasures containing life force.
Where would the Western Region get so many treasures?
He had already prepared himself to spend the rest of his life floating around.
To think a single pill could have such a heaven-defying effect?
As for the claim that it was "nothing special," Tuoba Feng didn't believe it for a second.
Even though he had lived in the Western Region all his life and hadn't seen much of the world, he knew how cruel cultivation was in the outside world.
If such pure blood-and-flesh energy were easy to obtain, people wouldn't commit countless atrocities just to fight over cultivation resources.
On his way from the Western Region to the commandery, he had seen many towns and villages that had been slaughtered by demons and left desolate for centuries.
How many cultivators would kill for a few spirit pills or wipe out a whole family for a few herbs?
This venerable one must be saying that just to comfort him.
Tuoba Feng gripped the pill. A warm current welled up in his heart, yet he felt a sense of unease.
He suddenly asked: "I haven't promised you anything yet, and we haven't even signed a contract. Why give me such a treasure?"
"Aren't you afraid I'll go back on my word, heal my injuries with the medicine, and then turn around and bite you?"
Rate on N.U.
