"Just suffering some slight?" The girl in red scoffed, a sound of pure disdain. "If it were merely that, why the need to dig pits and bury people, to expend so much scheming, employing both soft and hard tactics, just to make him confess on his own?" Jue Yan offered no rebuttal, concentrating solely on his own hands.

"What choice did I have? That child's hatred for my Lu family is already rooted in his very bones, a towering fury.

If I didn't borrow Lu Tianqing's head for this purpose, how could I possibly quell his rage? I long ago ceased caring for the Lu family's affairs.

To be a Sacred Venerable, my authority extends only to this Nine Deaths Prison. The only one I can truly manipulate is Lu Tianqing; it was simply his ill fortune!" "Hmph!

Perhaps Lu Tianqing can be excused; with even a sliver of strength to rely upon, he wouldn't have been dismissed to the Death Prison. But the State Lords Xuan Hua and Xuan Ye—they might not so easily yield!" "Not everyone is so stubbornly committed to advancing or retreating alongside them." Seemingly unwilling to elaborate further, Jue Yan let out a dark chuckle: "Do you feel it, Huang'er?

The blood within me right now is burning, boiling! All because of him!

Tracing the lineage back, this strange power is immense. In these seven thousand years, this is the first time—truly not inferior to when Yan Yuan first stepped into the Supreme Realm—" "Mm!" The one addressed as 'Huang'er' also narrowed her eyes, feeling it quietly.

Her connection with this Jue Yan was unique, even tied to life and death. How could she fail to sense such an obvious stirring of the bloodline?

They had sensed it from the moment they first saw Zong Shou. As the days passed, the disturbance in Jue Yan's bloodline grew ever more pronounced.

If Jue Yan benefited, she too would surely reap rewards. "It is indeed powerful.

None of your Lu family's Sages from these past few millennia can compare to him. The World-Burning Blood Pupils seem both similar and yet different, as if other divine abilities and bloodlines have merged within.

The Marrow-Burning Blood Spirit Curse, the forbidden arts of the Death Prison—I truly don't know how he endured it all. It makes me eagerly anticipate the day this boy ascends to the Sage realm—" Her gaze then flickered, her voice turning soft: "But was sacrificing a Sage for the sake of this mere bloodline power worth it for you?" "Worth it!

How could it not be worth it?" Jue Yan immediately gave a light laugh that nonetheless thundered for a thousand miles, saying calmly: "For people like us, what family, what power, what descendants—none of it matters anymore. To Merge with the Dao and attain Truth—that is my sole pursuit!

What happened before is irrelevant. Who wins or loses in the internal clan struggles is of no consequence to me.

I watch it as one watches insects battle in a jar. Even if they conspire with outsiders, as long as it doesn't harm you and me, Jue Yan can stand aside, perhaps even welcome it.

But since this boy offers me a chance to advance my cultivation further, how could I possibly yield to their designs? Lu Tianqing failed to see this point.

That was his path to his own demise!" Having said this, Jue Yan's expression suddenly shifted: "Speaking of which, this boy also has some connection to you. He bears the imprint of the Thunder Luan; it should be—" Hearing this, the girl's face drastically changed, instantly paling as white as paper.

Before Jue Yan could finish, she abruptly cut in, changing the subject. "I estimate that for him to awaken the World-Burning Blood Pupils, there are at least ten more days.

Now I am truly conflicted; I hope he hastens, yet I also wish he slows down, that he can hold out until the tenth day." "I hope so!" Jue Yan chuckled darkly. What the girl said was precisely what he was thinking.

With nearly every passing second, he could feel the power of the bloodline increasing by another fraction. It was vast and immense, sending shivers down the spine.

It was like a dam; the longer it was supported, the greater the potential power of the floodwaters it held back. Once unleashed, it would surely be a surging torrent, capable of drowning everything!

While it inspired anticipation, it also made one wish the dam could hold until the very last moment. Only then could the maximum amount of bloodline power flow upward to him.

"In terms of benefits, he still can't compare to Yan Yuan; I'm truly envious. He will likely notice something within a few more days." As the bloodline power ascended, the closer the genetic relationship, the greater the benefit derived.

And between Yan Yuan and Zong Shou, there were only eight generations separating them. Someone like Jue Yan could never catch up, but fortunately, he already held the initiative.

"If he truly achieves the World-Burning Blood Pupils, who knows what kind of upheaval it will cause in this Nine Deaths Prison—" Mid-sentence, the girl frowned, looking down at the swirling mass of black mist below. The fierce battle taking place there had just concluded.

"It's the Illusion Heart Mirror, the Nine-Tailed Mystic Fox? How did this artifact fall into his hands?

Why didn't he inform me first?" He couldn't possibly allow this boy to genuinely break through to the ninth layer. Jue Yan paused in surprise, clearly having not anticipated this.

Then, he dismissed it with a light smile: "No matter! It suits my intentions—" In a flash, a drop of blood flew out, shooting directly toward the Abyss Gate.

Mid-air, an illusory image of another Jue Yan manifested... Meanwhile, within the black mist, Zong Shou's spirit was violently shaken.

"In these past twenty years, no women have been thrown into the ninth layer of the Death Prison, nor anyone named Lu Hanyan—" No Lu Hanyan in twenty years. Then where exactly was his mother?

Was what the Formless Divine Demon said true or false? Could it be that she was still in the Netherworld, just that he had failed to find her?

But why, after spending over ten days searching, had he been unable to locate her? Where had he missed something?

These questions flashed chaotically through his mind. Zong Shou found it utterly impossible to gather his thoughts; his mind grew increasingly disordered.

Millions of ideas surged simultaneously, as if completely controlled by some unseen force. Opposite him, the man in white smiled gently and unleashed another sword strike.

It seemed utterly ordinary, yet it moved faster than starlight. Zong Shou could only watch helplessly, frozen in place.

Though the instinct to dodge and defend remained, the command utterly failed to take priority in his mind. Just as the sword's radiance was about to pierce his brow and cleave his skull, a sudden beam of azure mirror light shone forth from the Illusion Heart Mirror behind him.

The light washed over the entire body of the white-clad man. A wisp of spiritual consciousness returned to Zong Shou's Sea of Souls from the mirror, carrying an icy power that instantly quelled the distracting thoughts in his heart.

The Formless Divine Demon opposite let out a sharp shriek. Before the sword could strike Zong Shou, it abruptly retreated, fleeing rapidly.

Zong Shou's expression remained unchanged. The Dao-Governing Dragon Tooth Sword Array, already prepared, instantly encircled forty miles of space.

The nameless sword in his hand countered instantly, several dragon shadows coiling above it in a heartbeat. The Five Dragons Merged as One, and the massive maw of the Primal Dragon opened, lunging forward as if to completely devour the young man in white!

The Shadowless Divine Demon now possessed no power to resist. Although his swordsmanship was superior to Zong Shou’s, the sword light he cut forth often dissipated upon contact.

It was broken and shattered mercilessly by Zong Shou's relentless blows! His face twisted in pain, parrying awkwardly, his defense growing weaker by the moment.

Even the surrounding Shadow Puppets were being methodically annihilated by Zong Shou's sword array!