Based on the information Lin Yu has gathered so far, the era before the Dao Qi era was an extremely glorious one, with outstanding achievements in all aspects. This included not only source techniques, formations, and seals, but also the peak of cultivators' abilities in all areas.
In such a peak era, there should be a sufficiently reliable solution to the sealing problem.
This Soul-Locking Seal seems extremely difficult now, but for the previous era, it might have been just an ordinary seal.
The reason it cannot be resolved now is that many solutions were lost in the last cataclysmic disaster, leaving current cultivators powerless even if they possess the strength.
That's why Lin Yu asked if there were any other ways to break the Soul-Locking Seal.
Upon hearing this, the Daoist priest of Shouyang glanced at Lin Yu thoughtfully, seemingly quite appreciative of Lin Yu.
Then he said, "That's right, the Soul-Locking Seal wasn't considered a particularly difficult seal thousands of years ago, but all of this has its prerequisites."
"The reason it has turned out this way is mainly because you've wasted too much time."
"The most distinctive feature of the Soul-Locking Seal is that it gradually merges with the host over time. I believe you felt this when you tried to break the seal; this power has already merged with the little girl's life force."
"The best way to break the Soul-Locking Seal is to break it before the fusion begins; otherwise, it will be too late. Even I, in my old age, cannot think of any way to break the Soul-Locking Seal now."
"Only by staying with me and nurturing you daily with special source techniques can the fusion process be slowed down."
"Besides this, I can't think of any other way. If you had arrived here sooner, perhaps there would have been another way."
After speaking, the Daoist priest sighed, clearly feeling helpless about Feng Nianzhi's current situation.
Upon hearing this, the high priest in black robes felt even worse. He was filled with self-reproach, thinking that if he had brought Feng Nianzhi out sooner, she might have had more opportunities.
A hundred years ago, in order to protect the ancient Phoenix Clan, he had no choice but to lead the entire clan to remain in the Phoenix Ancestral Sea and seal themselves off. However, he did not expect that although he had protected the ancient Phoenix Clan for a short time, he had also hindered the possibility of Feng Nianzhi's recovery.
If it weren't for Lin Yu's sudden appearance and the fortuitous deduction that Feng Nianzhi's body contained a seal, this matter would probably still be unsolved.
The most crucial person in this matter is Lin Yu.
Without Lin Yu, everything would be castles in the air, completely impossible.
Seemingly aware of the black-robed high priest's self-reproach and his overthinking, Lin Yu sighed and was about to say something when Feng Nianzhi spoke first.
"High Priest, some things, since they're in the past, don't need to be mentioned anymore. We only need to focus on the present," Feng Nianzhi said earnestly, her childish voice carrying a maturity far beyond her years.
The high priest in black robes was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. He looked up at his Phoenix Lord and suddenly realized something.
Perhaps her body is still that of a child, but over the years, Feng Nianzhi has grown up considerably.
Although in the High Priest's heart Feng Nianzhi was still a babbling child, as the Phoenix Lord, he had grown so much over the years.
"Gentlemen, if you don't mind, you can stay at my residence for a few days. Anyway, my residence is never deserted and is very quiet," said Daoist Shouyang, seeing that the black-robed high priest and Feng Nianzhi were having trouble making a decision.
He was well aware of Feng Nianzhi's significance to the ancient phoenix clan, and it was unrealistic for her to stay in his residence for an extended period.
However, this was not really a big deal for Daoist Shouyang.
So he had his men take Lin Yu and the others to rest.
Seeing the conflicted expressions on the faces of the black-robed high priest and Feng Nianzhi, Lin Yu knew that this decision was not easy to make. The words of the Daoist Shouyang could give them some time to think and adjust.
"Alright, in that case, I'll trouble you, senior," Feng Nianzhi said.
After the group went back to rest, the black-robed high priest found Lin Yu again.
Lin Yu seemed to have anticipated the arrival of the black-robed high priest and was not surprised.
"Please come in," Lin Yu said.
After sitting for a while at Lin Yu's residence, the black-robed high priest still looked dazed.
Lin Yu wasn't in a hurry; he just waited for the other party to speak first.
After a long while, the black-robed high priest finally spoke, as if talking to himself.
"I believe I have shouldered the responsibility for the safety of the ancient Phoenix clan and protected them for so many years; I can say I have a clear conscience."
"But no matter how many mistakes I made before, I always thought I was acting in the best interests of the ancient Phoenix clan. Little did I expect that I would unintentionally delay the Phoenix Lord's safety."
"Putting everything else aside, if I had been able to abandon my closed-minded thinking sooner and lead the ancient Phoenix Clan out of the Phoenix Ancestral Sea, perhaps we could have found a solution sooner and wouldn't be in such a passive position as we are today."
Having said that, the high priest in black robes bowed his head deeply.
His aged body hunched over unconsciously; he had never felt so powerless and in so much pain in all these years.
Seeing the black-robed high priest's pained expression, Lin Yu felt somewhat helpless.
In truth, for the Black-Robed High Priest, everything was in vain without dispelling the power of the Heaven-Mending Fragment within Feng Nianzhi. Even if he had long since left the Phoenix Ancestral Sea, what difference would it make?
It wasn't a complete loss.
Of course, Lin Yu was only imagining these thoughts in his mind. He could already see that the black-robed high priest was in great pain and naturally wouldn't want to make things worse.
"That's not quite right. The ancient phoenix clan has been able to survive to this day for so many years, and it must be thanks to their presence in the Phoenix Ancestral Sea."
"Perhaps you could consider a different approach. For Feng Nianzhi, staying here wouldn't mean escaping the confinement of the Phoenix Ancestral Sea, but rather opening up another avenue for cultivation. Letting Feng Nianzhi stay here isn't necessarily a bad thing."
"After all, Feng Nianzhi is still young. Even if he returns to the clan, it will be difficult for him to play a greater role. Rather than staying in the Phoenix Ancestral Sea and living under your protection, it might be better for him to gain experience in a different place."
Lin Yu had already realized that, compared to Feng Nianzhi's reluctance to part with the ancient phoenix clan, the black-robed high priest's reluctance to part with Feng Nianzhi was clearly much more severe.