Lu Wubing shook his head, his voice laced with self-mockery. "In these Nine Extremities Death Prisons, I have only experienced the second through the seventh layers. Those are the layers I understand best. Below the seventh, Wubing has never been, nor have I ever heard mention of them. The Lu family has always kept the secrets of the Death Prisons tightly guarded. Not only is it difficult for outsiders to glean any detail, but even those within the clan cannot fully know their true nature—"

Zong Shou felt a slight disappointment, yet his eyes held a flicker of surprise as he examined Lu Wubing from head to toe.

Listening to his words, it seemed this man had personally endured the Light Needle Death Prison and the Thousand Blade Death Prison when he was younger.

Previously, Zong Shou had considered it a miracle that Lu Wubing hadn't suffered a complete mental collapse within the Nine Extremities Death Prisons.

Now, however, he wondered how this man had managed to escape the prisons intact and stand before him alive—

He had always believed that in terms of mental fortitude, no one in this world could surpass him. But now, it seemed that was not entirely the case.

With a soft sigh, Zong Shou’s consciousness locked onto another Star Dao Seed scattered a thousand li away.

But just as the thought of instantaneous spatial displacement arose, he felt a sharp, agonizing pain flare in his eyes. It tugged at his nerves, instantly spreading throughout his entire brain.

The vital blood and qi throughout his body surged backward, flooding into his eyes. A burning sensation, as if his very bone marrow was igniting, flared up once more.

The power of the Blood Spirit, which had only receded an hour ago, was churning violently again.

In his eyes, the vanished 'door' reappeared. Countless voices seemed to call out and shout around him.

Zong Shou’s expression contorted savagely as he forced himself to endure, sweeping his divine sense over his entire body, checking every suspicious point.

This time, he finally discerned the source of these aberrations.

"It's Hanxi, of all things!"

The Holy Fire Ant Queen was currently curled up in his sleeve. She was no longer in her cocoon form but was entirely enveloped in a thin layer of silver filaments.

She seemed to be cleaning and refining the few mutated beast cores she had recently acquired.

The mutated spirit beasts Hanxi had chosen to devour this time were all related to fire and light.

Eight strange beast cores—some silvery-white, others fiery red—were enveloped by her six pairs of luminous wings, radiating brilliant light and fierce flames.

Hanxi herself was wreathed in silver flames, deep in slumber.

And at that very moment, waves of mutated primal energy were being channeled into him through the symbiotic matrix connecting man and beast.

Along with the energy came countless profound and mysterious insights, truths that could be understood but not easily articulated.

It was precisely this surge of mutated primal energy that sustained the boiling and burning of the Blood Essence in his bone marrow, causing it to pour back into his pupils.

Zong Shou felt a touch of strange confusion. If this time was caused by Hanxi, then what about the previous time?

When the first episode struck, Hanxi hadn't consumed any exotic beast cores. What had induced it then—

This time, it was no different from his helplessness before that 'door' previously.

Now, upon that seemingly impenetrable barrier, under the continuous impact of his surging blood and qi, a faint, almost imperceptible crack had emerged.

He felt countless crimson flames pouring backward out of this fissure.

It made his eyes nearly combust, the pain becoming unbearable.

It was also as if something profound had been branded deep within the core of his soul at that moment.

But when he examined it closely, he found nothing.

"There is another legend within the Nine Extremities Death Prisons. That the prisons are not truly the final limit; beneath the ninth layer lies another exit. As long as one can strike through to the deepest part of the Nine Extremities Death Prisons, one can leave. Thus, nine-tenths of the criminals from my Lu family sent here have done everything possible to ascend to the upper levels, merely to lessen the pain during their confinement. Some, however, exert all their strength to assault the lowest levels of the prison. My parents did the same, alas, they failed at the last hurdle—"

It was only when he reached this point that Lu Wubing noticed Zong Shou had gone still.

His entire body was trembling uncontrollably, and his face was as pale as paper, utterly devoid of color.

Previously, he had assumed Zong Shou was merely angered by the mention of his mother.

Only now did he realize something was amiss; Zong Shou seemed to be enduring agonizing pain.

But was it only the Light Needle Death Prison? How could it warrant such a reaction? The simple pain of the light needles scorching the flesh was child's play to Zong Shou, who had experienced the Bone Marrow Burning Blood Spirit Curse—hardly worth a scoff.

Could it be that the effects of the Blood Spirit Curse hadn't fully dissipated? That shouldn't be—

Lu Wubing’s eyes filled with strange concern, his brow furrowed slightly.

"Your Majesty, is something troubling you? Perhaps you should rest for a while—"

Before his words finished, Zong Shou's voice cut him off forcefully.

"I am fine!"

Taking a deep breath, Zong Shou forcibly suppressed the tremendous agony once more.

Fortunately, as time passed, the mutated primal energy channeled from Hanxi slowly began to wane.

Although the Bone Marrow Blood Essence was still burning, it was no longer as violent as it had been at the beginning. It was gradually subsiding to a level Zong Shou could bear.

However, it was a pity that the door ultimately failed to open. Even the small crack that had appeared was now slowly healing.

By this point, Zong Shou himself had become intrigued by this barrier hidden behind his eyes, eager to know what lay behind that door, and what kind of bloodline mutation could cause him such suffering—

"It is probably just the lingering effects of the Bone Marrow Burning Blood Spirit Curse; nothing to worry about! The spiritual energy in this realm is sparse; recuperating here would only deplete my true power pointlessly,"

Saying this, Zong Shou cast a faint glance at Lu Wubing.

Speaking of which, the origin of the Blood Spirit Curse traced back to this man. This man had the heart to use dozens of his own kinsmen in a blood sacrifice merely to track him.

But considering Lu Wubing’s entire life experience, perhaps it wasn't so unexpected. In his mind, he likely never regarded those who shared his bloodline as kin, perhaps never even grasping the concept of 'clan member.'

His feelings toward Lu Wubing were exceedingly complex. Initially, Zong Shou had planned to use him while remaining wary. The man's cunning was extreme, but his cruelty of character made him untrustworthy. Yet, looking at the matter of the Blood Spirit Curse now, perhaps Lu Wubing could not entirely be blamed.

At this moment, Lu Wubing froze, staring fixedly into Zong Shou’s eyes.

He saw several incredibly arcane, fiery runes clearly manifested within Zong Shou’s pupils. They appeared no different from ordinary talismans.

Yet, merely meeting their gaze, Lu Wubing felt as if the blood within him was spontaneously igniting. His mind and soul felt like they were caught in a raging tempest.

"The Lu Family's World-Burning Blood Pupils?"

The thought flashed through his mind, and Lu Wubing frowned, shaking his head slightly.

It seemed not—

Before he could ponder further, a surge of Zong Shou’s divine power enveloped him, and beneath the scorching red sun, he continued to drag him through the void, commencing the search for the entrance to the fifth layer.