The Marrow-Burning Blood Spirit Curse had already consumed a significant portion of its power when Zong Shou stepped into the Immortal Realm. Under normal circumstances, all of the curse's power should have completely vanished within three to five months.

However, upon entering the Death Prison, the Marrow-Burning Blood Spirit Curse began to change, growing stronger with each iteration. It was worth noting that the initial strengthening of this Blood Spirit Curse power also occurred within the Thousand Blade Death Prison.

Only the layer triggered by Han Xi showed no increase. Could this also be attributed to that forbidden technique?

Was this Blood Spirit Curse power actually related to the forbidden techniques within the Nine Deaths Death Prison? Zong Shou pondered for a moment, then shook his head again.

He had grasped a general idea, but he lacked definitive proof. He thought that once he escaped the Nine Deaths cycle, he would certainly seek out a supreme secret art capable of smoothing out meridians and observing the profound mysteries within.

With such a cultivation method, how could he fear being unable to trace the source of this Blood Spirit Curse power? Moreover, at this moment, he scarcely had the mind to pursue the reasons for this rebellious flow of blood energy.

Gazing at the sky, Zong Shou’s complexion shifted between ashen and pale. In that last instant, he had distinctly felt waves of heart palpitations, his spirit and chest unable to settle, and a throbbing in both temples.

It was an unmistakable resonance of the heart tide, a sign of warning. He just didn't know what kind of catastrophe had befallen outside this Death Prison.

"Most likely, that Absolute Flame Saint Venerable has been alerted." Lu Wubing, standing beside him, also offered a wry smile, clearly having felt the ominous premonition just as Zong Shou had. "It is my negligence!

I deserve a thousand deaths for allowing the Lord into such peril. Fortunately, Saint Venerable Xuan Shuang is outside.

Absolute Flame should not strike against the Lord so easily." Although he spoke those words, Zong Shou could not detect even a hint of panic or anxiety in Lu Wubing’s expression or posture. He remained composed, seemingly unconcerned, as if victory were assured.

Zong Shou scrutinized Lu Wubing deeply, momentarily unable to judge whether his current desperate situation was intentionally engineered by Lu Wubing. After a few breaths, he resumed his silent demeanor and once more activated the Star Dao Seed.

At this moment, words were useless; regret or accusation would serve no purpose. It was precisely because crisis was imminent that he desired to reach the eighth layer of the Nine Deaths Death Prison even faster.

Even if this time truly led to an insurmountable predicament, before his death, he was determined to see his ill-fated mother one last time. There were only two entrances to the seventh layer, situated to the north and south.

The Holy Fire Silver Ants had spread out over a vast area, covering thousands of miles. About an hour later, Zong Shou’s heart stirred.

It was Han Xi; she had located the southern entrance and projected an image from thousands of miles away directly into the depths of his primordial soul. Similar to the fifth layer, there were a hundred or so stone platforms, guarded by a tall tower.

However, the cultivators chained upon those platforms caused Zong Shou’s heart to sink. They were all above the mid-stage Immortal Realm, and three or five of them possessed a vigorous vital energy that hinted at reaching the late-stage.

These alone were not enough to make him wary, but that tall tower clearly housed the divine sense of a true God Realm expert. If the sixth layer was like this, what would the seventh layer hold?

It seemed to sense the soldier ant that was currently spying from thousands of miles away. A cold snort emanated from the black tower, and a streak of fiery red saber light suddenly sliced down from the void.

It was only because that soldier ant possessed extreme evasive speed that it managed to flash several miles away at the crucial moment, narrowly escaping being cleaved in two by that strike. However, the returning thought projection was exceedingly weak.

Zong Shou raised an eyebrow slightly and, utilizing the Star Dao Seeds dispersed throughout the area, instantly teleported the ant several hundred miles away. At that moment, his soul sense was wracked with intense pain, threads of cold energy seeping into his body.

Without needing to consider, Zong Shou knew this was the forbidden technique, the Ice Wheel Soul-Grinder, acting up once more. It struck precisely at the Ziwu hour, meaning once every six hours.

He had experienced one such episode shortly after entering this sixth layer, and this time coincided with noon. Zong Shou took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

He did not attempt to sever his neural pathways to block the sensation of pain; instead, he manifested his Illusory Heart Realm to replace his sight. Then, his figure flickered, and it took only half an kekou (a short measure of time) to reach that temporal gateway.

His internal blood energy was currently flowing violently backward, at the peak of its agony, the pain in his flesh and eyes intensifying moment by moment. Yet, Zong Shou showed no intention of pausing or resting temporarily.

As soon as he arrived, he charged directly toward the entrance of the abyss. He already knew the news regarding Zong Weiran; the God Realm cultivators here might possess further information.

However, this was not the time to capture and interrogate them. At this moment, all the immortal cultivators on the hundred-plus stone platforms instantly had their eyes turn crimson.

Yet, they could not strike immediately. Zong Shou’s seventy-nine Star Dao Seeds permeated dozens of miles of space here.

His figure shifted directly, moving instantaneously, making it impossible for the immortal cultivators to lock onto his presence. Just as Zong Shou was about to plunge into that spatial abyss, a wild, derisive laugh echoed from the high tower.

"Another time-space technique! Two years ago, my predecessor was caught unprepared and killed, successfully breaking through the level.

You brat will not be so lucky! If you manage to escape, what difference is there between me and that trash—" Following the voice, a figure abruptly materialized below Zong Shou, precisely at the entrance of the Time-Space Abyss.

The hundreds of feet surrounding this area erupted in raging crimson fire, space and laws warping, sealing the Time-Space Abyss tightly. Even the Star Dao Seeds Zong Shou had scattered were scorched and repelled, and the separated soul projections transmitted feelings of pain, signs of damaged mental focus.

Zong Shou’s eyes narrowed. The man from two years ago?

A time-space technique that killed his predecessor? Could that be Zong Weiran?

In other words, Zong Weiran was definitely not within these six layers. As expected, would his father really be held up here?

Without further consideration, Zong Shou retracted his mental projection. Gazing through the Illusory Heart Realm, he saw a streak of saber light, like a silver ribbon capable of filling the heavens and earth, fiercely slashing toward him.

Zong Shou made no move to block it; instead, a turtle emerged from his sleeve. It braced its massive shield, and a heavy clang resounded.

The Azure Fire Profound Turtle retreated slightly, then its bearing immediately grew somewhat listless. A strike from a God Realm expert, even for it, was difficult to completely withstand.

Zong Shou stood motionless on the turtle’s back, but a silver saber light slid out from his sleeve. It moved weightlessly, seemingly devoid of power.

It appeared slow, yet in the next blink, it was already before the God Realm expert in the distance. The man initially sneered, but in just one-thousandth of a blink, sheer terror filled his eyes.

Staring at Zong Shou in utter disbelief, the expert saw the latter’s eyes half-open, half-closed, but his mental focus was infinitely firmer. Time—Accelerated!

Space—Folded! Karma—Reversed!

Destiny—Locked! Life and Death—Flipped!

Lifespan—Consumed! In the span of a single breath, ten years of lifespan were burned away, causing the might of this single saber strike to instantly triple its power!

The man only managed to cast one glance at Zong Shou before a spray of blood burst from between his eyebrows. The silver-white saber light pierced through his skull, his face still frozen in an expression of utter disbelief.