The sinners in the Fourth Layer’s Light Needle Death Prison were noticeably fewer than those in the Third. The spiritual energy was sparse, yet the region was over a hundred times larger.

Zong Shou spent a full four days here before locating the entrance to the Fifth Layer. This place, however, differed yet again from the previous two prisons.

It was a world wreathed in flames, molten lava everywhere, and the very breath drawn carried the scent of fire. Only in extremely rare pockets could living beings find sustenance.

According to Lu Wubing, this realm was named the Molten Fire Death Prison. This layer served as the Lu family’s place of punishment for major offenders above the Immortal Realm cultivation.

Survival in this prison was difficult enough. Worse, precisely at the hours of Zi (midnight) and Wu (noon) every day, they endured a forbidden technique similar to the Marrow-Burning Blood Spirit Curse.

However, the Marrow-Burning Blood Spirit Curse used the vitality essence of other Lu clan members as 'fuel.' In this world, it was the prisoner's own bone marrow and essence blood that were consumed by the burning. Zong Shou arrived at the Fifth Layer precisely at Zi hour, the moment the forbidden technique activated.

Completely unguarded, it erupted violently within his body. In an instant, his Qi and blood surged backward, rushing straight into his eyes.

This time, the trigger was not the Sky-Burning Blood within him. Within his Soul Sea, the imprints of the Nine-Tailed Mystic Fox, the Thunder Luan, and the Water Qilin were all stirred.

All the power of his bloodlines converged into his pupils. That faintly visible ‘door’ was once again violently hammered, gaining a massive new fissure.

More crimson flames surged in, imprinted upon his Soul Sea. This left Zong Shou’s complexion as pale as paper.

Had his willpower not been extraordinary, he would have nearly fainted on the spot. It was also fortunate that the few mutated beast cores Han Xi had plundered had not yet been completely refined and were still dormant.

The few cores Zong Shou had snatched for her while breaching the Fifth Layer entrance were still in his Qiankun Pouch, and the foreign primal essence infused by Han Xi had already diminished to one-tenth of its initial amount. This allowed Zong Shou to barely hold on.

And this time, he clearly sensed it: while something was flowing backward along with the invading flame current, imprinted onto his Soul Origin, some scattered glyph patterns were also seeping into the fissure, using the ‘Dao’ character prohibition within his Soul Sea as their source. Zong Shou gritted his teeth and endured.

He suffered through a full agonizing hour before the forbidden technique finally subsided. By then, Zong Shou was soaked through his heavy robes, his body exhausted and weak.

Yet, his heart was filled more with confusion. “How can this be?

I thought it was merely a variation of the Sky-Burning Blood, but now it seems to be far more than that—” This time, the power of the other three bloodlines within him were all mixed in. Han Xi’s contribution, meanwhile, was negligible.

This left him utterly bewildered, unable to fathom the reason. “Is it perhaps a bloodline advancement?

But in this world, what kind of bloodline advancement happens like mine? What exactly is behind this veil in my eyes?” A myriad of questions arose, yet Zong Shou could find no answer.

His internal energy was almost depleted. Out of options, he had no choice but to take Lu Wubing and, after several instances of Spatial Shift Teleportation, select a location where spiritual veins converged to recuperate temporarily.

Fortunately, the spiritual energy in this realm was relatively abundant, significantly stronger than in the Light Needle Death Prison. With the aid of medicine, Zong Shou recovered completely in just two Kè of time.

However, the mere thought that in only a few hours he might experience that agonizing, Qi-and-blood-reversing, bone-tearing pain again, made Zong Shou’s scalp tingle. No matter how firm his will, in that moment he felt utterly powerless.

More critical, however, was not the pain itself. “If I encounter those mutated spirit beasts or innate anomalies and the attack suddenly strikes, what then?

Though I do not fear it, I would inevitably be distracted. The backward surge of Qi and blood becomes harder to control; a thirty percent drop in combat strength would be the least of it—” After a moment of contemplation, Zong Shou decisively cast several seals.

In just a moment, a protective glyph was hidden deep within his eyes. At the critical moment, this glyph could instantly sever the connection between his pupils and his primal soul.

The complete backward surge of his body’s Qi and blood was due to bloodline mutation. No conventional restriction spell could be effective; instead, they might invite unforeseen consequences.

The only option Zong Shou could conceive was to cut off the sensation of pain at the designated time. Though this carried potential future repercussions, he could not afford to worry about that now.

The next instant, he summoned the Illusory Heart Mirror and positioned it behind his head. Under the illumination of the cyan light linked to his soul, nothing could remain hidden.

Completely severing the sensation of pain also meant he had to shut down his visual sense. When experts engage in battle, they rely on divine sense, but this does not mean visual perception loses its importance.

Using the Illusory Heart Mirror to substitute his eyes perfectly met his need. However, as the Illusory Heart Mirror was deployed, Zong Shou froze slightly.

Under the cyan light of the mirror, there were almost no blind spots. Zong Shou’s entire form was reflected within it.

Yet, in his pupils, he could see not only several profound runes but also an abnormal shade of crimson blood. “What is the meaning of this?” As Zong Shou pondered this, the bloody runes vanished along with the passing sensation of pain, disappearing without a trace.

Lu Wubing, sitting quietly nearby, also seemed to have noticed something, his expression thoughtful, as if he suspected the cause. Zong Shou did not dwell on it for long and asked directly, “Do you know the reason?” His companion’s expression was one of active thought, not confusion, which meant he likely knew something.

“This servant does not know!” Lu Wubing shook his head immediately, then countered, “My Lord is one of the few direct bloodlines of the Lu family. One would assume that within the lineage records, there should be the imprint of the World-Burning Blood Pupil?” “World-Burning Blood Pupil?” A booming sound instantly erupted within Zong Shou’s Soul Sea.

A deep-seated memory suddenly surged forth from the deepest part of his mind. The World-Burning Blood Pupil—yes, there was indeed such a memory within his bloodline inheritance.

However, Zong Shou had never paid much attention to the affairs of the Sky-Burning Lu family. He only absorbed the Grand Dao insights from their bloodline inheritances that proved beneficial to himself.

He rarely delved into the rest of the memories. Now, prompted by Lu Wubing, he dredged this up from the dust of his sealed memories.

“It doesn’t seem to match—” The World-Burning Blood Pupil was one of the divine abilities derived from the highest tier of bloodlines in the Sky-Burning Lu family. The pupils would turn blood-red and possess the ability to incinerate the world.

However, according to the Lu family records, among the twenty-plus individuals who possessed the World-Burning Blood Pupil, only one was born with it; the father was a Zenith Realm expert, and the mother was a Saint Realm powerhouse. Yet, after bearing a few offspring who could not withstand the power of the Blood Pupil, this person died prematurely.

Three others achieved the World-Burning Blood Pupil by relying on rare, unique Heaven-tier spiritual items. And apart from these four, all others achieved it only after reaching the Saint Realm, where they could significantly refine their bloodline essence.

No one in the Lu family had ever possessed it solely through their own power before reaching the Saint Realm. None of the situations matched his own, and the recorded characteristics were vastly different.

Recently, Zong Shou had also not consumed any rare treasures or spiritual objects.