Though the Five Elements Spiritual Energy remained, it could not be touched. Various forces of law were likewise partitioned and locked away, and even the fire-elemental spells suffered the same fate.

Zong Shou’s heart stirred once more, and a white flame ignited in his palm. This was the Sky-Burning Flame, burning unrestrained in his hand.

He sensed that the power of this flame had increased by at least half compared to its usual state!

Zong Shou could not help but fall into contemplation. In other words, only the Lu family’s Sky-Burning Bloodline here was unrestricted.

After a moment of deep thought, he still manifested all seventy-nine Star Dao Seeds within his Sea of Consciousness.

He observed that sixty percent of them were dull and lightless, twenty percent possessed slightly weaker luster, ten percent were as usual, and the starlight of the final ten percent had actually increased rather than diminished.

Zong Shou then attempted to unleash the powers of Fate, Karma, Time, and Life-and-Death one by one.

In mere moments, ease returned to Zong Shou’s expression.

Although the methods of the Five Elements were constrained, the few Profound Meanings of the Great Dao he commanded suffered far less limitation.

And the methods pertaining to the Beginning and the End were entirely unaffected.

The newly grasped Profound Meaning of the character ‘Source’ allowed his True Force and Soul Energy to flow ceaselessly, even in this environment. This Death Prison suppressed his strength greatly, yet conversely, it also enhanced it; the effect was exceedingly limited. The restrictions within this Death Domain were truly formidable, but for him, they clearly also possessed limitations.

“A figure like Your Majesty, who grasps such fundamental Great Daos, would never exceed ten individuals in ten thousand years. Within our Lu family, such a person is utterly unique. If someone were truly like Your Majesty, the Lu family would absolutely not bear to easily cast them into this Death Domain.”

Lu Wubing shook his head and sneered coldly, “Like my parents, once they arrived here, at least seventy percent of their strength vanished. Furthermore, the purity of their Sky-Burning Bloodline was only half. They were practically meat for the slaughter—”

Zong Shou remained silent. Although the words were plain, carrying no discernible trace of resentment.

Yet, at this moment, he could vaguely perceive the state of Lu Wubing’s heart.

He ceased his inquiries and extended one hand. With a light tap of his finger, he attempted to disturb the spatial-temporal barrier here. After only a brief moment, Zong Shou’s expression darkened slightly.

The formation of this Death Prison seemed truly designed to contain, not to repel outward.

Not only was his strength limited, but countless layers of talisman formations and restrictions encircled the exterior. He could also sense the layers of spatial-temporal barriers, solidified beyond anything imaginable. Even exerting his full, unreserved strength would likely end in futility.

Zong Shou felt a chill in his heart. Lu Wubing and his ‘Master’ had not spoken a single falsehood.

The spiritual restrictions within this Death Prison were indeed exceptionally troublesome. Even if his strength were completely unrestrained, the outcome would be little different, unless he possessed strength beyond the Saint Realm, or had a powerhouse like Lin Xuanshuang providing support from outside—escape from the Death Prison seemed almost impossible.

Or perhaps—

The white flame fiercely leaping in Zong Shou’s palm suddenly calmed, yet the surrounding space-time, and even the laws, began to collapse.

—One layer, two layers, three layers, when the seventh spatial-temporal barrier and talisman restriction outside the realm disintegrated.

The Sky-Burning Flame power was halted, unable to advance further.

Zong Shou shook his head slightly and clenched his right hand, extinguishing the brilliant white flame.

The Sky-Burning Bloodline indeed possessed a miraculous effect against the restrictions here.

When he fully channeled the Sky-Burning Flame, he distinctly felt that the spatial-temporal barriers, which usually required him to use all his strength for a full-force strike to sever, were fragile as paper, subtly constrained by the flame.

However, beyond this seventh layer, there were at least four more layers of barriers, along with the densely layered, even tighter array of talisman restrictions, and that Starfire Dust Great Array—

According to Lu Wubing’s account, the highest-grade Sky-Burning Blood could allow one to enter and exit this Death Prison freely.

Within the Lu clan, it was a different form of immunity from punishment; unrestrained by clan rules, yet completely above the law.

But even for someone like Zong Shou, who could be considered of direct, pure blood within the Sky-Burning Lu family and ranked extremely high—especially having recently endured the tempering of the Marrow-Burning Spiritual Blood Curse—there were still a full four layers separating him from breaking free.

This path, it seemed, was also blocked.

It was truly difficult to imagine how overwhelmingly powerful the complete form of the Sky-Burning Bloodline must be.

Lu Wubing seemed to sense his thoughts and stated calmly, “Legend says that when the Sky-Burning Blood is purified to its extreme, it possesses the power to destroy worlds, rendering all things within sight nonexistent. The Sky-Burning Flame also changes. But exactly what form that takes, Wubing does not know. There are no records in the clan; it is said that since antiquity, there have only been a little over ten such individuals. They either achieved the supreme realm or perished in the tribulation of the supreme realm.”

Zong Shou listened quietly but did not give much weight to these words.

He continued to transport Lu Wubing, moving them around this third layer of the Death Prison.

The Nine Absolute Death Prisons were connected by passages, but their locations shifted unpredictably. Even asking Lu Wubing was useless, so the majority of Zong Shou’s attention was focused on searching for the entrance leading to the fourth layer.

He inwardly felt strange. This world was lush with vegetation; apart from the absence of animals and the pervasive green mist, it was fundamentally no different from any ordinary world.

After moving more than ten times, Zong Shou’s divine sense had located over a hundred types of spiritual fruits, all extremely rare outside, and richly abundant in spiritual energy.

Though it might not qualify as a fairyland or a secluded paradise, it bore little resemblance to the name ‘Death Prison.’ Just as he was thinking this, Zong Shou’s expression suddenly contorted slightly. He froze in place, his jaw clenched tight, and a trickle of blood escaped the corner of his lip.

His entire body was convulsing violently, as if being sliced by a thousand knives.

It could not compare to the torment when the Blood Spirit Power acted up, yet it was comparable to the agony he endured while reshaping his dual meridians.

It struck so abruptly, without the slightest warning, catching him entirely unprepared.

If it were only this, it would have been tolerable, but the latent power of the Blood Spirit Curse was inexplicably triggered at this moment.

It was as if a valve had opened within his body. His whole being seemed to burn like flame, intensifying the pain a hundredfold. Fortunately, this agony only lasted for about half an hour before gradually dissipating.

The Marrow-Burning Spiritual Blood Curse power was suppressed by him once more.

Zong Shou finally relaxed his tightly clenched hand, his gaze steady. If not for this sudden upheaval, he would have almost forgotten.

The Marrow-Burning Spiritual Blood Curse was far from over; it had only been temporarily suppressed after advancing to the Divine Realm.

But whence did this pain originate? There was no anomaly in his body at the moment.

Could it be—

Turning back, he saw Lu Wushuang, his face also pale, but his eyes filled with a kind of habitual indifference.

“This third layer of the Death Prison is also named the Thousand Knife Death Prison. Every sixty minutes, those within this prison experience this torment, akin to being slowly sliced by a thousand knives, hence its name—”

Zong Shou could no longer focus on the rest of the words. At this moment, he felt his eyes as if being scorched by fierce fire, a piercing, bone-deep pain.

(To be continued)