The scorching sun beat down, burning the earth. This was the Nether Prison, a place usually steeped in deathly stillness and thick, dense gloom. Such a scene of blazing sunlight should never have appeared here. Yet, ever since that period of unconsciousness several days ago, the nether energy of this death-prison had thinned considerably. In the heavens, the sight of the great sun had returned.

Zong Shou sat beneath the great tree, though he kept a significant distance from the woman—at least a hundred zhang away. He didn't know why, but whenever he was near this woman, an urge to draw close, to nestle beside her, surfaced. Her aura was something he yearned for intensely. Zong Shou felt deeply ashamed; was he merely an overgrown child? It was fortunate no one else knew; otherwise, the embarrassment would have been total. He then wondered how wonderful it would be if this woman were his mother. From what she had said, her Fuzi (Master/Husband) was now scattered across the Cloud Realm. If he could ever manage to leave the Death Prison, he would certainly seek news of him. A strange thought surfaced in his mind: the Cloud Realm? A Fuzi? Wasn't that similar to his own situation? His mother, Lu Hanyan, was also trapped in the Death Prison. Without dwelling too deeply, he felt as if an obstruction lay within his mind, preventing further thought.

At this moment, he could afford no other distracting thoughts. A soft whirring sound emanated from all around him. The forty-two Imperial Dao Dragon Fang Swords vibrated in unison. Eight days had passed since his pupils underwent that strange transformation, granting him mastery over the mid-level Soul Realm's Unity Sword Intent. And since then, Zong Shou had felt a change in his Sky-Burning Flame. It was purer, and naturally, its flame power had surged dramatically. Refining the Dragon Fangs had become significantly easier. Dragon Fangs left behind by a Divine-Ranked Instant-Space Dragon still required a considerable amount of time. However, for those below the Divine Rank, only about a day was needed to smelt them to a point where the edge could be shaped by mere thought, allowing restrictive formations to be inscribed.

His skill in carving weapon formations had also progressed well. Recently, he had become increasingly adept, handling it smoothly and effortlessly. Besides the forty-two Imperial Dao Dragon Fang Swords, a full eighty-one Star Dao Seeds hovered there. The number hadn't increased much, but upon close inspection now, the arrangement of these Instant-Space Dragon Pills mirrored the actual starry sky almost exactly; every position corresponded to a specific star. This was something Zong Shou had labored over for several days to achieve, barely succeeding.

And once this Void Dharma Body reformed, Zong Shou’s first sensation was one of ease. The Instant-Space Dao Seeds all corresponded to stars, faintly echoing each other, and they now possessed their own circulating flow of soul power. There was no longer a need for him to meticulously control and regulate them. Even when he switched their state between real and illusory daily, manifesting them outside his body, they would automatically draw corresponding starlight from the cosmos to continuously strengthen and temper the Dragon Pill Dao Seeds. This saved Zong Shou an untold amount of refinement effort.

However, he hadn't really paid much heed to these things; what mattered most was the perfect unity of all the Star Dao Seeds. If they couldn't form a combined force, what good were any number of Dragon Pills? Only when the five fingers clench together and strike can they truly hurt someone!

At this moment, Zong Shou was weaving intricate hand seals, still making minute adjustments to these eighty-one stars. The starry sky Dharma Body within his Sea of Consciousness was merely a rough framework completed in broad strokes. To achieve true perfection, to overlap entirely with the genuine cosmos, was far from something achievable in just ten days. It might take thousands or tens of thousands of years, until the day he reached the realm of True Unity. At that time, Zong Shou would be the very universe made manifest!

In addition to that, there was the sword array, to truly allow the Imperial Dao Dragon Fang Swords and the Three Thousand Star Drops to mutually reinforce each other, and at the critical moment, to fuse these two divine abilities into one! When the sword hilts rang out and the starlight shimmered, Zong Shou knew he had succeeded—it was a sign of mutual induction; the connection between them was now inseparable. Though the change was small, the resulting might had increased once more!

He coldly glanced at the black mist ahead before returning to his internal contemplation. After a day of regulating his breath, the injuries from the previous night were completely restored; flesh, blood, bones—all were as good as new. For these eight days, Zong Shou had attempted to plunge into the mist almost daily to contend with the essence-blood clone of Jue Yan. But apart from the second day, when he grasped the Unity Sword Intent and nearly stepped into the Abyss Gate, Zong Shou had been soundly defeated on the following days. Fortunately, Zong Shou made progress every single day; the Unity Sword Intent grew steadier, and he was no longer completely defenseless. Thus, despite the crushing defeats, Zong Shou did not feel disheartened.

And today was the final attempt! It was the last chance within the ten-day limit Jue Yan had stipulated. Having lived through two lifetimes, he deeply understood the principle that haste makes waste, so even knowing the deadline approached, Zong Shou felt no agitation. He silently organized himself, eliminating every factor that might lead to his defeat.

“These injuries... they really heal so fast—” A flash of surprise crossed Zong Shou's eyes. Each time he fell unconscious, the nameless woman beneath the tree would use the Meridian-Guiding Decree of Salvation on him, applying acupuncture, massage, and regulating his Qi meridians. Often, upon waking, the previously blocked circulation channels would already be more than halfway cleared. However, with the woman’s power, it was impossible for his injuries to heal by half in a single day—

This happened every day for ten days. Either some astonishing rare treasure was involved, or it was the highest-grade spiritual elixir for recuperation. His physical body and soul, instead of weakening after severe injury, had been strengthening day by day, already exceeding his condition when he first entered the Nine Desolations Death Prison by a full fifteen percent! Such an extraordinary treasure not only mended injuries but also possessed the power to temper the immortal body!

The woman’s words had subtly hinted that the recovery of his injuries stemmed from another reason. So, what was the cause? Zong Shou was puzzled, then shook his head. Regardless of that person’s motives, it had nothing to do with him. The only thing requiring his focus right now was how to step inside that Abyss Gate. Everything else could be ignored.

The Illusion Heart Mirror refocused on the front. He heard the woman’s voice from beneath the tree, smiling, “You are awake already?” Zong Shou grunted. The mirror light flowed, shining towards the base of the demonic tree. The reflection in the Illusion Heart Mirror deeply imprinted the woman’s appearance into the core of his heart. A sudden wave of melancholy washed over him—a deep reluctance to part. He showed no sign of it on his face, merely nodding slightly. “Thank you for your care these past few days, Senior. Zong Shou is deeply grateful. If fortune favors me and I survive, I shall never forget this kindness!”

Lu Hanyan originally shook her head with a faint smile. Why was he calling her ‘Senior’ now? Helping Zong Shou heal was because this child inspired affection, reminding her of her own son. It wasn't done with any expectation of repayment—

She was about to correct him when her expression changed. She sensed a tone of resolute departure in Zong Shou’s words. “You are still going to force your way into that Abyss Gate? Do you have confidence this time?” Recalling that Jue Yan had only given her ten drops of Jade Bone Spirit-Restoring Marrow, a chill crept into her heart. “That is the Holy Venerable; how could a junior like me possibly have confidence? However, Zong Shou cannot refuse this fight, nor can he refuse to give his all!” Zong Shou shook his head slightly; he had accepted the possibility of death. If he couldn't enter the Abyss Gate, he would die fighting in this black mist. Today was the final deadline. Once this time passed, it was hard to say how Jue Yan would deal with him. His entire life, Zong Shou had never yielded to adversity! Only this time, he could not accept failure! “Can you not go?”

As Lu Hanyan spoke the words, she saw Zong Shou’s face was as cold as ice, completely unchanged. Disappointed, yet inexplicably, her chest tightened painfully. Her heart filled with sudden confusion— She couldn’t bear to let him go!

From the moment they first met, she felt a profound connection between this youth and herself. Ten days of companionship, healing him daily, watching him meticulously study his divine abilities and sword techniques with intense focus—she found an unusual sense of contentment and warmth, treating this youth as if he were her own child. Sometimes, she even thought, rather shamefully, how wonderful it would be if this youth couldn't pass the Abyss Gate and stayed here in the Nether Prison to accompany her. These thoughts had seemed normal before, but now, hearing the intent of farewell in Zong Shou’s voice, a wave of reluctance and worry flooded her entire being.

After a moment of silence, Lu Hanyan gave a self-mocking laugh. In the end, he was not her child; how could she stop him? Furthermore, this youth’s mind was set; he would never listen to her words, nor did she have the standing to persuade him. What right did she have to advise him, since they were merely strangers who met by chance?

After pondering for a few more moments, Lu Hanyan suddenly pulled out three pale violet talismans from her sleeve. She levitated them with mystical power towards Zong Shou’s face. “These three talismans were personally drawn with the essence blood of the current Sky-Burning Emperor. Their power is extraordinary and might assist you.”

Zong Shou started, startled, observing them with the Illusion Heart Mirror, and a slight shock resonated in his chest. He felt the spiritual light within them contained, the precious brilliance hidden, faintly carrying an aura of danger. The talisman inscriptions were simple, yet they were the most concise and precise structures Zong Shou had ever seen, utterly devoid of any redundancy. Truly, these were the highest-tier immortal talismans! Crafted from the essence blood of a Saint-Realm powerhouse, the might of these talismans likely equaled one full-strength strike from the Sky-Burning Emperor!

Frowning, Zong Shou subconsciously tried to refuse. Lu Hanyan seemed to read his mind and smiled softly, “Since I have these top-grade immortal talismans in my possession, how could I lack other means of self-defense? Take them without hesitation; it is no matter—”

The three immortal talismans had been refined by her own grandfather twenty years ago, specifically to guard against any unforeseen circumstances within the Nine Desolations Death Prison. But back then, the Sky-Burning Emperor had been deeply disappointed in her. Beyond these, there was nothing else. However, she had no intention of escaping her criminal sentence now; after the forty-year term was up, she would be released. Thus, possessing these talismans was useless to her now; it was better to gift them to the youth.

Zong Shou was half-convinced and carefully watched the area beneath the demonic