Cang Yu was the strongest of the current generation of the Sea Race; if he were to simply dissipate into the heavens and earth, it would truly be a waste of a precious asset.
Cang Yu closed his eyes. "This old servant... has no regrets in this life."
"Even if my body is about to perish, I can still become a part of this cold spring, guarding this gate forever for Lord Dragon Ancestor."
"Actually, you do not need to turn into a lifeless object."
The corners of Chen Zhou's mouth curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile.
"You have other places where you can use your remaining strength."
Cang Yu was stunned and gave a bitter smile. "Lord Dragon Ancestor, please do not joke. This old servant has already fused with the cold spring, and my own divine soul is already shattered and broken..."
"My bloodline is exhausted, my channels are all severed, and my five senses are gradually fading..."
"If I still had the strength, this old servant would naturally be willing to serve Lord Dragon Ancestor again, fighting for ten thousand years, even if I were just a common pawn."
"This servant would accept it gladly."
"Good, it's a deal," Chen Zhou immediately replied.
Cang Yu: "?"
Chen Zhou looked at him and said seriously, "In this life, you have been worthy of the Eastern Region."
"Worthy of the Sea Race."
"Worthy of the throne of an emperor."
"I know what you are worried about: the future of the Eastern Region, your kin, and that your two sons will be unable to command the respect of the masses."
"But I promise you."
Chen Zhou reached out, golden light condensing in his palm. "The future you hope for, you can see it for yourself."
"Only, you will be using a different way of living."
"A different... way of living?" Cang Yu was somewhat bewildered, but he had absolute trust in Chen Zhou.
"If you cannot hold on any longer, then do not hold on."
Chen Zhou's voice was very calm.
"You have been maintaining this single thread of life force; it must be very painful."
Cang Yu opened his mouth.
He wanted to say it wasn't painful.
He wanted to say he was happy to wait until the Dragon Ancestor returned.
He wanted to say this bit of pain was nothing; compared to the soldiers who had died at the sea border, he was already exceptionally fortunate.
But when the words reached his lips, he could not say a single one.
Because the Dragon Ancestor was right.
It hurt.
It really hurt.
The bone-corroding pain of the cold spring was like ten thousand ants devouring his marrow, never ceasing day or night.
The pain of his heart being pierced was like a dull knife carving flesh, the wound in his heart still unhealed even now.
He had been in pain for a thousand years.
However, he never spoke of it.
Because he was the Sea Emperor.
An emperor cannot cry out in pain.
An emperor cannot show weakness.
An emperor can only use his body as a shield to block all the wind and snow for his kin.
But he could not hide it from the Dragon Ancestor.
"If you are tired, then close your eyes and take a sleep."
"When you wake up, you will find yourself in a good place for... ahem, for cultivation and employment."
"That future you hope for—"
"The waves shall be calmed, the seas and rivers shall be clear, all scales shall pay homage, and the four seas shall submit."
"This deity permits you to see it with your own eyes."
Under Chen Zhou's gaze, Cang Yu was finally persuaded.
He no longer forcibly overthrew his life force to resist the cold air.
He closed his eyes with a smile.
"Then this old servant... shall sleep now..."
He thought back to three thousand years ago, to the high spirits he had when he first ascended the throne.
He thought back to a thousand years ago, to his decisiveness when he first killed a black-spot monster in the Blackwater Trench.
He thought back to several hundred years ago, to the tranquility he felt when he decided to guard the sea eye with his own body.
He thought back to half a month ago, to the words he said to Cang Che when he carved out the heart-dragon blood from his chest.
—What if?
—What if the Dragon Ancestor really returns?
—What if the heavens do not wish for our Sea Race to perish?
Now, he had finally waited for that 'what if'.
It was enough.
It was truly enough.
Cang Yu released the string that had been pulled taut for a thousand years.
He no longer resisted the corrosion of the cold spring.
He no longer stubbornly held onto a remaining thread of life force.
He no longer used his broken will to fight the call of death.
Ice began to spread from his chest.
Like ten thousand transparent ice flowers, they quietly bloomed upon his aged body.
Cang Yu's expression was frozen into a smile within the ice.
Like a nightwatcher who had guarded the road for a thousand years, he finally put down the lantern in his hand when dawn arrived.
The Golden Dragon of Merit circled three times, letting out a long dragon roar.
Then, the golden light slowly withdrew, the dragon phantom gradually faded, and it sank back into Chen Zhou's body.
The souls of the countless sea generals standing upon the ice layer also gradually gathered together, forming a magnificent stream of light that entered the ice sculpture Cang Yu had finally become.
【Your special building, the Myriad Herbs Life-Death Realm, has successfully drawn a special soul to be born】
【Go and have a look】
Chen Zhou looked at the lifelike ice sculpture and nodded slightly.
"Have a good sleep; when you wake up, remember to clock in for work on time."
"Let's go."
He said to Jian Huaishuang.
Jian Huaishuang silently followed behind Chen Zhou, stepping onto the path they had come from.
The ice sculpture smiled, watching the two of them gradually depart, also looking forward to meeting again on a morning when the flowers bloom.
When Chen Zhou returned to the main hall of the Dragon Palace, the welcome feast had already been prepared.
Fine wine and delicacies filled the long tables, and the sound of strings and flutes was pleasant to the ear.
The high-ranking members of the Sea Race, dressed in their finery, were lined up on both sides, everyone in high spirits.
Everyone was waiting with bated breath.
Waiting for the Dragon Ancestor to take his seat.
Waiting for the Sea Emperor to emerge from his seclusion.
Waiting for this reunion between monarch and subject after ten thousand years.
However, the moment Chen Zhou stepped into the hall leading Jian Huaishuang.
Every gaze in the hall shifted toward the black-robed figure.
And toward the empty passage behind him.
Cangming hurried forward, his steps panicked. "Dragon Ancestor, my father..."
Cangming asked very softly, so softly it was as if he were afraid of waking a dream that had not yet ended.
Chen Zhou looked at him and did not hide the truth, saying in a heavy voice, "Cang Yu has departed."
The entire hall fell into a dead silence, the festive atmosphere freezing in an instant.
Cangming stood in place, motionless.
It was as if he hadn't heard clearly.
Or as if he had heard clearly but could not understand what those words meant when strung together.
Departed.
Departed to where?
The sea eye was his home, the Dragon Palace was his home, and the ten thousand li of the Eastern Region's maritime territory was his home.
Where else could he depart to?
"...Lord Dragon Ancestor."
Cangming spoke with difficulty. "Did Father... leave any words for me?"
Chen Zhou looked at him.
"Yes."
Cangming's eyelashes trembled slightly.
"He said you are a good child."
Cangming's eyes instantly turned red.
He bit his back teeth hard, desperately trying to hold back, forcing back the tears that were almost ready to burst out.
He could not cry.
He was the eldest prince of the Eastern Region.
He was his father's eldest son.
He was... the Sea Emperor who was about to succeed the throne.
He could not cry.
Chen Zhou continued.
"He said you have a filial nature and a benevolent heart; you are a steady ruler."
"Cang Che is ambitious and decisive, but he is young and aggressive and needs his elder brother's restraint."
"He wants you to be a good emperor."
Cangming's jaw creaked from being clenched so hard, and his chest rose and fell violently.
He wanted to say that he understood.
He wanted to say that he would follow his father's teachings.
He wanted to say that he would definitely be a good ruler and not let his father down.
But he opened his mouth, and not a single word came out.
Cang Che had already knelt down before him, his hand tightly clutching his weapon.
That was a new halberd he had reforged after severing his own left arm.
The shaft was made from the deep-iron cold crystal from the deepest part of the Heavenly Abyss Strait, and the blade was crafted from the remains of a black-spot monster captured by the whale guard, polished with cold spring ice crystals.
He had personally carved a small line of characters onto the base of the halberd.
Sea-Suppressing.
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