Speaking of this, a look of regret appeared on his face.
"The moment I opened it, I accidentally allowed a passing demon to be sucked in."
"That demon was actually not weak; she had already reached the third transformation of eerification. But before I could even drive her out, she was torn apart and devoured by the black-spot monsters in the sand sea."
"Cultivation is never easy; her death is also part of my karma."
Tuoba Feng sighed. "So after I came out, I closed the Yellow Spring Crossing again."
"What is the current situation with the divine remains in the Western Region?" Chen Zhou continued to probe indirectly.
At the mention of the divine remains, Tuoba Feng's expression became extremely unsightly.
"It’s terrible."
"The sealing array of the god's tomb is already in tatters."
"There is no longer enough sinners' blood to suppress it, and the speed at which the black spots overflow is getting faster and faster."
"The number of monsters is increasing, and they are becoming stronger."
"Do you need my help?" Chen Zhou followed the flow of his words.
"The Western Region is very dangerous now. With so many black-spot monsters, even if someone is helping you watch over your daughter, accidents could happen."
"Isn't my daughter right on my bac—"
Tuoba Feng replied subconsciously, but halfway through the sentence, he suddenly froze.
Chen Zhou's eyes sharpened, and he immediately interrupted him.
"Your daughter has been infected by the black spots, and the source is the corpse change of the divine remains."
"Even if we leave the bone pillar, return to the Western Region, and help Xiaoyun eliminate the black spots..."
"As long as the divine remains exist for even one more day, she will still be at risk of infection. You’re only treating the symptoms, not the cause."
He spoke quickly, not giving Tuoba Feng a chance to reset.
"We must solve the problem of the divine remains first, cutting it off at the source to eliminate all future worries."
"Don't you think that makes sense?"
Tuoba Feng's attention was indeed diverted to the divine remains.
He fell silent for a moment, seemingly digesting Chen Zhou's words.
This time, he didn't experience an overly violent emotional fluctuation; his brows were merely knitted tight, and a sense of struggle flashed in his eyes.
"Then... what should be done?"
Tuoba Feng asked hesitantly, "The divine remains are too strong. Even the ancestors could only suppress them; they cannot be killed."
"That’s not a big problem." Chen Zhou waved his hand with a breezy, casual air.
"I can send people to the Western Region first. You just need to cooperate with me to open the Yellow Spring Crossing."
"Once the business with the Golden Buddha here is finished, we will immediately fight our way back to the Western Region."
Tuoba Feng immediately shook his head. "The ancestral rules state that the living may not enter."
"And the dead may not leave," Chen Zhou interrupted him. "You've already brought out so many malevolent ghosts; what ancestral rules are you still afraid of?"
Tuoba Feng corrected him stubbornly, "They are heroic spirits."
Chen Zhou: "..."
"Fine, fine, they are heroic spirits."
"But rules are rigid, while people are flexible."
"Besides, you’ve followed the rules for so many years. Your clansmen are all dead, and your daughter is critically ill. Have the rules ever saved you?"
Tuoba Feng opened his mouth but found himself speechless.
Indeed, he had followed the rules his entire life; what had he received in exchange?
"Once the problem of the divine remains is solved, there won't be any more heavenly punishment."
Seeing him waver, Chen Zhou immediately increased the pressure.
"Think about it. If the divine remains are gone, the source of death qi in the Western Region will be gone."
"Those black-spot monsters will also slowly dissipate."
"When that time comes, the Western Region will no longer be a forbidden zone for living beings."
"We must look at both sides of the matter dialectically."
"Why was the Western Region locked down? Wasn't it to prevent the divine remains from ever seeing the light of day again?"
"Once the problem of the divine remains is solved, is there still a need for a lockdown?"
These words accurately pierced the softest part of Tuoba Feng's heart.
A glimmer of light slowly ignited in his eyes.
He had never dared to hope that Xiaoyun could live the life of a normal person.
He had always thought that keeping her alive—even if she lived in pain—was the limit of what he could achieve.
But if the problem of the divine remains was completely solved, then what did it matter if the Yellow Spring Crossing was closed or not?
If there were no divine remains, he could even lead Xiaoyun out of the god's tomb.
The shackles on her body, the curse of the Grave-keepers, and the sinful karma flowing in her blood would all cease to be restraints.
She could become a normal child again.
She could freely enter the Yellow Spring Crossing to see the outside world and make new friends.
She could see the green grass and red flowers she had always wanted to see and eat the sweet melons and sand jujubes she loved.
She could grow up without a care in the world, perhaps even marry and have children, without needing to shed her blood every day or worry about the black spots' erosion.
And she wouldn't have to be like him—carrying a coffin and wandering the desert alone like a lonely ghost.
Tuoba Feng didn't actually care about his own fate.
The thousand-year sinful karma, the exile curse, and the bloodline shackles of the Grave-keeper clan—he had long since resigned himself to these.
He was born to atone for sins; his death would be of no consequence.
But Xiaoyun was different.
She was only seven years old, so sensible and so good.
The destiny of a sinner shouldn't be weighed down upon her.
"Green grass... red flowers..."
Tuoba Feng murmured to himself.
He seemed to see Xiaoyun wearing beautiful new clothes, running across a meadow, with sunlight drenching her face as she laughed happily.
Tuoba Feng gritted his teeth, his gaze becoming firm.
He wanted to fight for a beautiful future for Xiaoyun.
"What Your Eminence says... is it true?"
"This deity never speaks falsehoods," Chen Zhou said with a certain tone.
"As long as you cooperate, I will have a way to solve the matter of the divine remains."
"When the time comes, the black spots on your daughter will naturally be eradicated, and the Western Region will welcome a new life."
Tuoba Feng was silent for a long time.
So long that the bone pillar began to tremble slightly, urging them to enter the next floor.
Finally, he gave a heavy nod.
Tuoba Feng bowed deeply to Chen Zhou; this time, it was a bow of genuine submission.
"Tuoba Feng shall follow Your Eminence's arrangements."
Chen Zhou smiled with satisfaction.
Mission accomplished.
Having pacified Tuoba Feng, Chen Zhou didn't remain idle.
Taking advantage of the interval while moving to the next layer of space, he split off a strand of divine sense and sank into his sea of consciousness.
Through his connection with his believers, he directly called out to Piao, who was far away in the City of the Wrongfully Dead.
"Piao."
"Lord!"
Piao's voice came back almost instantly, full of vitality.
"Piao is eating meat. Fifth-stage meat is very delicious."
In the background, a series of rustling sounds of gnawing could be heard.
"How is your body's recovery?" Chen Zhou asked.
"It’s already grown back," Piao reported happily. "It’s no different from before. I’m not a worm anymore."
With an unlimited supply of blood food and the spiritual rhythm nourishment from the Gathering Fortune Pavilion, Piao's recovery speed was astonishing.
"Very good."
Chen Zhou didn't waste words and directly issued a new command.
"Since you’ve recovered, take another trip to the Western Region."
Hearing the words 'Western Region,' the gnawing sound paused for a moment. Clearly, the previous experience of being torn apart by the black-spot monsters had left her with quite a shadow.
"I have to go again?" Piao asked weakly. "It doesn't taste good there. I'll get eaten."
"Alright, I understand."
Chen Zhou comforted her, "I’m not sending you to your death. Just scout the path."
"There is a god's tomb in the Western Region, and within it lie divine remains, which are the source of the black spots."
"The reason you suffered last time was because you didn't understand the nature of those monsters."
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