Listening to those words, Cangming suddenly felt an extremely bad premonition.
"Father, what... what are you going to do?"
"What about the Eastern Region? You want to..."
"Cangming."
The sea emperor interrupted him, his voice surprisingly calm, even carrying a hint of hearty open-mindedness.
"We are all children of the true dragon, its scales, its claws."
"The deep-sea royal family and the merfolk race have ruled the Eastern Region on behalf of the Dragon Ancestor since his disappearance tens of thousands of years ago."
"It was a move born of necessity, but also a great honor."
As he spoke, his voice lowered.
"But we... we have not guarded it well."
"The Dragon Ancestor entrusted us with such a vast and fertile green sea, placing the fate of ten thousand aquatic tribes in our hands."
"But we, these unworthy descendants, could not maintain the clarity of the sea or protect the peace of our people."
"Black spots have raged for a millennium, the Eastern Region is devastated, and not one in ten of the sea race remains."
"As the sea emperor, I could only watch as our home was devoured by filth, seeing our tribesmen get infected, go mad, and die one by one."
"Resentment fills the sky, and the seawater weeps blood."
"I have been too useless; I am not a qualified king."
Cangming gripped the message transmission jade talisman, his lips trembling as he found himself unable to speak.
"Father..."
"Cangming," the sea emperor sighed, "your father is old."
"But as a descendant of the dragon, I still want to do one last thing."
"I want to return a clear green sea to the Dragon Ancestor."
Cangming instantly understood what the sea emperor intended to do. He roared like a madman: "No! Father! You can't—"
"Let me finish!" the sea emperor shouted sternly.
"You are in the provincial capital. Help the Dragon Ancestor obtain the Golden Buddha."
"This is the only hope for the Eastern Region and the key to whether our sea race can reclaim its glory."
"When you return in triumph, the Dragon Ancestor and the great sea will crown you."
"You, Cangming, will be the next sea emperor."
The sea emperor's voice became gentle, as if he were reaching across ten thousand miles of sea to lightly stroke the top of his son's head.
"You will be a good emperor, stronger than your father."
"Che'er has a fierce temperament but values loyalty; he will assist you well."
"As long as the Dragon Ancestor is here, the Eastern Region can be saved."
"When the time comes, take our people, live well, and serve the Dragon Ancestor faithfully."
The sea emperor's voice grew fainter, while the roar in the background became louder, as if ten thousand tides were mourning together.
Yet, he was still smiling.
"The ley line fluctuations are too violent; the communication is about to break."
"Cangming, my good son, remember this."
"I am proud of you."
"And please, apologize to the Dragon Ancestor on my behalf."
"Your old official, Cang Yu, has been incompetent for ten thousand years and has failed you. I have no face to witness the Dragon Ancestor ruling the world with my own eyes."
"May my lord... rise from the depths of the abyss and remain clear for eternity."
Hum—
The light of the message transmission jade talisman abruptly extinguished.
The communication was unilaterally cut off.
"Father!!!"
Cangming's knees buckled, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.
The jade talisman was crushed to pieces in his grip.
Rumble!!!
The Star-Picking Platform shook violently again. Deep cracks opened in the ground, and thick black qi erupted like fountains.
Mingled within was a faint scent of the sea and dragon vein corpse qi.
Cangming snapped his head up, his eyes nearly bursting with rage.
The earthquake at the Star-Picking Platform had indeed affected the Eastern Region!
His father was prepared to risk everything.
No, he was prepared to die.
"Ah—!!!"
Amidst Cangming's total loss of composure, the corpse dragon's qi took the opportunity to invade.
He threw back his head and howled, his voice like a dragon's roar, filled with endless grief and indignation.
Cangming's eyes turned blood-red, and the water vapor around him surged wildly, showing signs of losing control.
"Cangming, steady your mind!" Tuoba Feng's low shout came from the side.
Tuoba Feng shattered two pouncing malevolent ghosts with a single blade strike, flashed to his side, and said in a heavy voice.
"Now is not the time for panic. If you lose control, it will only make the situation worse!"
Cangming's body trembled. He suddenly bit his tongue, the sharp pain bringing some clarity to his mind.
He stared fixedly at the shattered jade talisman in his hand, then looked up at Chen Zhou, who was currently in a fierce battle with the Judge. His eyes were bloodshot.
He remembered his childhood, when his father would take him to play among the coral reefs, teaching him to identify various strange sea creatures and telling him stories of every corner of the deep sea.
His father always said, "Cangming, you are the eldest son. In the future, you must shoulder the burden of the entire Eastern Region."
He once thought that day was very far away.
But now...
His father had asked him to help the Dragon Ancestor obtain the Golden Buddha.
His father had entrusted the future of the Eastern Region and the throne of the sea emperor to him.
He could not falter.
He had to complete the mission!
"Thank you."
Cangming thanked Tuoba Feng in a raspy voice, took a deep breath, and forcibly suppressed the roiling emotions in his heart.
He regripped his long halberd. The waves around him surged again, becoming even more violent and desperate.
"Kill—!"
Cangming roared as he charged into the ghost tide, his halberd dancing like a dragon, crushing any malevolent ghost in his path.
Tuoba Feng watched his near-frenzied silhouette with a furrowed brow, a strong sense of unease rising in his heart as well.
The Eastern Region earthquake, the sea eye falling... what about the Western Region?
The Eastern Region was downstream of the provincial capital, but the Western Region was the source of the black spots.
The Judge carried the aura of divine remains; he could even control the black spots.
With the provincial capital shaking and the Dragon-Suppressing Stakes being pulled out one by one, would the seal of the god's tomb in the Western Region also...
Tuoba Feng's expression changed. He immediately closed his eyes, attempting to sense the situation of the Western Region's god's tomb through his bloodline.
However, as soon as his perception reached out, he spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turning as pale as paper.
The seal... had loosened!
He could clearly feel that deep within the Silent Sand Sea of the Western Region, that ancient array that had suppressed the divine remains for thousands of years was shaking violently.
The Grave-keeper corpses at the base of the array were crumbling one after another.
The black spots in the Western Region were also spiraling out of control.
"This is bad... Xiaoyun!" Tuoba Feng snapped his eyes open, his gaze filled with terror.
Xiaoyun was still in the Western Region. She was just a child. How could she possibly face so many rampaging black spots alone?
Once the god's tomb array was destroyed, the black spots would instantly devour everything there!
"I have to go back... I must go back!" Tuoba Feng panicked completely, losing all his previous composure.
He spun around, ignoring the malevolent ghosts lunging at him, and dashed toward the edge of the Star-Picking Platform.
He had to leave this place—immediately, right now—to go back to the Western Region and save Xiaoyun!
However—
Bang!
A golden light bounced him back.
The rules of the Golden Buddha's descent still enveloped the Star-Picking Platform.
Until the Golden Buddha truly descended, those outside could not enter, and those inside could not leave.
Tuoba Feng frantically hacked at the golden light with his blade. Blade qi crisscrossed, but it only created ripples on the golden light, unable to break through at all.
The corpse dragon's qi took the chance to enter his mind.
"Let me out! Let me out!" Tuoba Feng hissed, looking like a mad demon.
He could not be trapped here.
Xiaoyun was still waiting for him.
That Xiaoyun, who was afraid of the dark, loved eating sand jujubes, and was always so good and sensible, was still suffering in the Western Region!
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