The Divine Remains is a Good Child

Chen Zhou fell silent for a moment.

The divine remains had developed its own consciousness.

This fact did not surprise him.

The godhead dropped by the judge almost indirectly proved that the divine remains had indeed been a true god when alive.

He had long ago reached a conclusion regarding the nature of deities.

They were evil spirits—evil spirits with consciousness.

Evil spirits were essentially products of condensed death qi; when death qi reached a certain concentration and met the right opportunity, they would revive even after death.

Thus, it was practically a certainty that a deity’s remains would undergo a corpse change and revive after tens of thousands of years.

He was more concerned with the nature of this consciousness.

Chen Zhou looked up. "Did you determine what that divine remains is?"

"Is she a remnant thought of the old god, or a new consciousness born within the corpse?"

Su Xue shook her head. "I cannot say for certain."

"She has no complete memories; she's like someone who has only just learned how to speak."

"She only knows what has happened inside the god's tomb this past year. She only says that she wants fewer people outside to die."

Piao nodded along seriously, stating with a solemn expression, "The divine remains is a good child."

Chen Zhou looked at her.

Piao's heterochromatic eyes were devoid of emotion; she was merely recounting the story she had heard from the divine remains.

"She is very sad."

"Because the Grave-keepers died, and because that girl named Xiaoyun died."

"She feels it is all her fault."

"She wants to help, so she shut herself away to prevent the black spots from escaping."

Piao thought for a moment and added, "She ate the sand jujube Xiaoyun gave her and thought it was sweet."

"And then she became even sadder."

Those few simple sentences sketched out a complex and contradictory existence.

Piao continued, "She also said that she doesn't want to be a monster."

Chen Zhou roughly grasped the situation.

It wasn't the revival of an old god.

If a remnant soul of an old god remained, it wouldn't have such a disposition.

It was more like an ignorant and kind-hearted newborn born within the divine corpse, forced to carry sins and power that did not belong to her.

In the long stretches of loneliness, she had accidentally touched a tiny bit of kindness from the outside world and was now doing everything in her power to repay it.

This reminded him of certain people.

Like Plague Rat, Piao, and Su Xue—and even the refugees who had knelt and prayed before the Bone Altar outside the Dead Man’s Forest in the beginning.

What was the essence of an evil spirit?

It was death qi, resentment, and twisted laws.

But what were they when a consciousness capable of thinking, feeling, and choosing between good and evil was born from these cold things?

Evil spirits did not necessarily equate to mere destruction.

Much like a knife, they could be used to kill or to save.

How they were used depended on the will of the one wielding them.

During the battle with the judge, the judge's power had indeed weakened abruptly.

At the time, he had simply attributed it to the collapse of the provincial capital's dragon vein, but thinking about it now, perhaps the divine remains in the Western Region had done something for him.

"What about Tuoba Feng?" Chen Zhou asked another question. "Did he not return with you?"

Su Xue's expression became complex. "Tuoba... he chose to stay in the god's tomb to accompany the divine remains," she said in a low voice.

Chen Zhou looked at her. "Explain."

Su Xue explained, "After reclaiming all the black spots, the burden on the divine remains' body became extremely heavy, and she has almost lost the ability to move."

"Tuoba Feng was afraid she wouldn't be able to suppress it, or that she would... stray."

"The divine remains also said that she cannot leave the god's tomb; if she does, she will be struck by heavenly punishment."

"So Tuoba Feng stayed."

"He said he had guarded the god's tomb his entire life, and that since his father and his clansmen had died there, he should meet his end there as well."

"He asked us to tell you," Su Xue's voice was very soft, "that the sins of the Grave-keepers end with him."

"He leaves the Western Region to you."

Piao nodded beside her. "Tuoba is a stupid adult."

"He has a soft heart but a hard blade."

Chen Zhou gave a hum of acknowledgment.

"I understand. You’ve worked hard as well."

"Once the matters in the provincial capital are handled, I will personally make a trip to the Western Region."

He could understand Tuoba Feng's choice.

A thousand years of suffering, the extinction of his clan, and finally the loss of even his daughter.

What had sustained his will to live was a century-long illusion granted by the divine remains disguised as Xiaoyun.

When the illusion was shattered, the truth was both cruel and tender. He chose to stay by the side of the source that had caused all the tragedies but also held his final warmth.

It wasn't so much a martyrdom as it was a return home.

But in truth, there was no need to be in such a hurry, was there?

For things that a mortal lacked the strength to do, why not try seeking help from a god?

Furthermore, Chen Zhou was indeed very interested in the remains of an ancient true god.

Chen Zhou wanted to see for himself what that child who had awakened within the deity's remains was like—her existence, her choices, and her future.

Su Xue’s eyes lit up upon hearing this, but she quickly suppressed her emotions as if afraid of being too forward.

She asked tentatively, "Lord, when you go to the Western Region, could you... allow me to accompany you?"

Chen Zhou was somewhat surprised.

Su Xue’s nature had always been gentle, perhaps even too much so.

Since arriving at the City of the Wrongfully Dead, she spent most of her time in the Myriad Herbs Life-Death Realm, quietly either cultivating medicinal herbs and flowers or healing the city’s residents.

The group of little spirits she had brought from the Southern Region—transformed from plants and flowers—were also quiet and well-behaved. Aside from helping care for the spirit fields and the wounded, they usually spent their days tending to the flora within the Myriad Herbs Life-Death Realm.

By nature, plants disliked conflict and yearned for peace and growth.

This was the first time Su Xue had taken the initiative to make a request of Chen Zhou.

"Why?" Chen Zhou asked.

Su Xue looked up, her gaze very serious.

"The divine remains has been trapped in the god's tomb for a thousand years."

"She has never seen fresh flowers or green grass."

"She even thinks the yellow sand is beautiful, and she often imagines what green grass and fresh flowers look like—whether they would be softer than sand or sweeter than the dry air."

Su Xue took a light breath. "I want to take my clansmen with me and plant a small field of flowers... outside the god's tomb for her."

"I want her to see real flowers and touch real grass."

"She has protected the Western Region for a thousand years, suppressing the black spots and enduring the sins; she shouldn't be denied even this small bit of comfort."

Chen Zhou looked at her and suddenly smiled.

She truly lived up to the title of heavenly doctor.

A healer possessed a benevolent heart, wishing to heal not only the body but also the mind.

Even if the other party was a corpse-changed deity's remains or the source of a calamity.

In her eyes, she was first and foremost a child who had been trapped for a thousand years and had never seen beauty.

"Very well," Chen Zhou agreed. "You shall accompany me when the time comes."

A look of relieved joy appeared on Su Xue’s face as she bowed solemnly. "Thank you, Lord."

Piao raised her hand from the side. "I want to go too."

Chen Zhou looked at her. "What are you going for?"

Piao shook her head. "The divine remains is a good child; I want to see her."

"Also, the black spots in the Western Region are delicious."

Su Xue: "..."

Chen Zhou: "..."

Chen Zhou raised a hand to massage his brow, though his tone had softened significantly. "Fine, everyone is going."

"Whoever wants to go can go. Once the matters in the provincial capital are wrapped up, I will take you all there."