At those words, Qian Renxue and Qian Renyou understood at once. After pondering the matter carefully, they accepted this deduction.
The greed of the human heart was the most terrifying thing of all.
At the foot of the mountain, Dugu Yan remained lost in grief, unaware of any of this.
She held her grandfather's cold body and wept for a long time. Only when her tears had run dry and her throat had grown hoarse did she barely manage to suppress the grief in her heart.
She remembered her grandfather's final words. He had bought this path to survival for her with his life. She could not let him down.
Dugu Yan slowly rose, wiped the tear tracks from her cheeks, and her gaze became utterly resolute.
With her own hands, she cut off Dugu Bo's head. Forcing down her grief, she removed the Medusa Skull Soul Bone.
After extracting the bone, she carried Dugu Bo's broken body deep into the forest and found a secluded, deserted hollow, hidden and safe. She dug the earth herself and laid her grandfather to rest, burying him little by little.
To keep anyone from robbing his grave in the future, she erected no headstone and left no marker. She smoothed the soil flat, leaving the lonely grave hidden in the forest, unknown to anyone.
Once the dust had settled, Dugu Yan bowed deeply before the unremarkable earthen grave, her voice firm and solemn. "Grandfather, rest in peace. Your granddaughter will live well and keep herself safe. I will never betray your final wishes."
After paying her respects, she sat cross-legged in the clearing before the grave, cleared her mind of all distractions, and immediately circulated all her Soul Power, beginning to absorb and fuse with the Medusa Skull Soul Bone in her hands.