As Zong Shou broke free from the chaos of time and space, thousands upon thousands of white shadows suddenly coiled and swept toward him.

Following close behind was an unparalleled chill capable of freezing all things, along with the sharp glint of claws.

"Spider silk?"

Zong Shou understood within a single thought.

Since the entrance was infested with mutated spirit beasts, how could the exit be peaceful?

As the thought formed, the seventy-nine Star Dao Seeds scattered in all directions.

His figure flickered once, vanishing from the spot, causing the viscous spider silk to strike empty air.

At that very moment, the Nameless Sword erupted violently. Blazing white, sky-burning flames enveloped the blade.

Suddenly, millions of brilliant sword shadows surged forth, splitting the void, tearing it almost to shreds!

Accompanied by several sharp shrieks, a few mutated crystalline beasts were forced back.

The alien beasts on this fourth layer were clearly much stronger than those on the previous one.

Even after taking several of his strikes, they had sustained only minor injuries.

Zong Shou didn't mind; a hasty strike meant the sword energy was dispersed, lacking true power.

This outwardly vast and majestic sword light served only as a deterrent.

Indeed, the two dozen or so beasts that charged in hesitated momentarily, slowing their escape velocity.

Yet, the malice and killing intent remained firmly locked onto him.

But the myriad sword shadows around Zong Shou surged even more powerfully. Continuous, endless, their imposing aura grew ever more immense.

They vaguely formed a circle of swords, causing the charging beasts to either show apprehension or retreat without success.

And precisely amidst the chaos, several tiny, silver-white streaks of light shot out, weaving through the towering sword light.

Ignoring spatial distance, and almost completely shattering the concepts of time and the Great Dao's laws, the silver-white throwing knives arrived instantly. Immense force exploded from them, directly skewering the body of one mutated spirit beast—blood powder spraying everywhere.

Immediately following were several streaks of blood—the few greenish-white throwing knives successively piercing through several other beasts.

Then, large clouds of bloody mist burst forth, and the remnants of the other beasts ignited. It was the True Word of Sky Burning, stripping these inherently aberrant species of their last vestiges of vitality.

Han Xi, in a flash of opportunity, darted forward and snatched three more beast cores.

Then, just as Zong Shou shifted his position again, she returned to his sleeve.

Having eliminated the fastest runners, Zong Shou’s seventy-nine Star Dao Seeds were successfully distributed across millions of miles.

With over a dozen consecutive spatial shifts, he covered ten thousand miles in mere moments, completely evading the beasts that still refused to give up.

In truth, with his ability, he could have slain them all. There were indeed quite a few Immortal-rank beasts inside, but for him, it would have taken only a few dozen breaths to resolve the situation.

However, having sneaked into this realm, caution was paramount. He didn't wish to be delayed or cause too great a commotion that might alert the jailers of the Lu family.

Therefore, upon leaving, Zong Shou only targeted those few beasts that might have entangled them or that Han Xi might find useful.

It was a boon for that Saint Fire Ant Queen; having previously devoured the internal essence of the Jiao Snake and integrated a large amount of Zong Shou’s purified Willpower, her strength had already soared significantly. Fusing the internal essences of several more aberrant spirit beasts now, the depth of her source power would surely reach an unimaginable level.

“The people of this realm are all restricted by spiritual constraints. The laws of the Five Elements have largely been stripped away. Yet only these inherently anomalous creatures are unaffected by the spiritual locks. Yes! These things are manifestations of a certain natural law, a fundamental link to the world that this mere Death Prison formation cannot possibly influence. However, the level of elemental power these mutated beasts wield is far too low. Is it an excess of mediocrity, or is there some other reason?”

“Furthermore, this Sky Burning True Flame displays terrifying power within this Dead Domain, almost counteracting every known technique. It seems the Lu family’s Death Prison is far more than just a place of Lu family punishment—”

This was Zong Shou’s direct experience; slaying those few beasts with the Sky Burning Fire had been effortless.

For the Lu family people to fight against those natural aberrations and survive in this Dead Domain, the best method would be to drain every drop of potential from their bloodlines and strive to elevate the quality of their Sky Burning True Flames.

In that instant, countless questions surfaced in his mind.

Zong Shou, however, had not come for these answers. After a brief contemplation, he dismissed them.

Only then did he begin to truly observe this world.

He paused slightly, seeing that the sky above held six suns hanging side-by-side.

The scorching, violent sunlight that poured down made the place resemble a furnace.

As far as the eye could see, there was only yellow sand. The earth was cracked, almost devoid of vegetation.

What was even more alarming was the light itself—it descended like countless rigid needles.

Even Zong Shou’s protective aura could not fully resist it; when it struck his skin, it felt like thousands of steel needles drilling into his body.

Zong Shou looked thoughtfully at his hand. His skin was sizzling, literally being burned and melted away.

His physical body was immensely powerful, currently capable of resisting all mid-grade magic treasures without injury, yet under the illumination of these myriad beams, he still could not withstand it.

He couldn't help but wonder what the condition of others must be.

Turning his head to Lu Wubing, he saw that the latter’s situation was even more miserable.

Fortunately, Lu Wubing was at the peak of the late Immortal stage, and having benefited greatly from studying Zong Shou’s Zhou Shu recently, he could still hold on tenuously, avoiding the sight of a human candle Zong Shou had imagined.

“This realm is called the Needle of Light Death Prison. Below the Heavenly Realm, no one can last ten days. However, every ten days, a nourishing rain falls upon this realm, granting a brief respite—”

With another sweep of his wide sleeve, he uncovered the ground, revealing countless tiny snake shadows writhing beneath the dirt.

“These are Earth-Seeking Ant Snakes; they cannot tolerate light nor wind. There are billions of them in this realm, permeating the underground. The prisoners here all subsist on these snakes.”

A chill ran down Zong Shou’s spine. While these Earth-Seeking Ant Snakes were food for the convicts in this layer of the Death Prison, they also served to prevent the Lu family prisoners from escaping underground during the sun’s peak intensity.

Zong Shou clenched his fists tightly, his fingernails digging deep into his flesh. A thin line of blood seeped from the corner of his lips, yet he remained unaware.

Did his mother live in such a brutally hellish environment for a full twenty years?

Taking a deep breath, Zong Shou managed to calm his turbulent emotions.

Haste was useless now, as was hatred; the only thing that mattered was finding his mother as soon as possible.

“Then what is the Eighth Layer of the Death Prison like?”

According to Lu Wubing’s account, Lu Hanyan was currently confined on the eighth layer.