The flame that scorched the world erupted, annihilating the hundreds of miles of dark mist in but an instant.

Everything here was laid bare, visible to the eye, with no power left to obstruct the probing of spiritual senses.

The source of the gaze fixed upon this scene was Lu Hanyan, beneath the demonic tree, her beautiful eyes a mixture of astonishment and concern.

Jue Yan smiled, then with a swift flash, arrived beside the demonic tree.

With a casual wave of his sleeve, the vines that had tightly bound Lu Hanyan instantly shattered into dust. All bindings, along with the tree itself, crumbled into fine powder!

Jue Yan then regarded Zong Shou, whom he held, with a slight headache.

After a moment’s thought, he tossed Zong Shou aside as if discarding trash.

Lu Hanyan had been in a state of stunned surprise, wondering why Jue Yan would destroy the confinement.

Seeing this, she could spare no thought for herself. With a shimmering movement, she caught Zong Shou’s falling body.

Then, her gaze fixed upon Jue Yan, her expression tinged with reproach.

“Venerable Saint, what is the meaning of this behavior? What are your intentions?”

“What else could they be? Your Hanyan was fortunate to bear a fine son. A merit outweighing any fault! The penalty handed down by the Hall of Punishment back then was far too hasty. A few days ago, this old man and Yan Yuan mutually decided to remit the remainder of your sentence—”

Jue Yan chuckled, hands clasped behind his back: “You have already served over twenty years in this Eighth Level Death Prison. This matter, this old man will surely compensate. I have only one question for you: Being detained here, do you hold any resentment?”

Lu Hanyan’s delicate eyebrows furrowed. She had been asking why Jue Yan treated Zong Shou in such a manner.

He clearly valued the boy immensely, even sparing the treasure that was the Jade Bone Spirit-Restoring Marrow. Yet, he inflicted such ‘torment.’

Hearing the rest, however, she could not help but be moved.

Fortunate enough to bear a good son? What did that imply? The remaining twenty years of her sentence were simply dismissed?

Before her stood an Ultimate Realm Saint, one of the most honored figures in the Lu Clan. She naturally would not believe casual words, but what was the reason?

Listening to his tone, her own release seemed to be contingent upon Shou’er?

A silence followed. To ask if she held any grievance against the Lu Clan was truly difficult to answer.

Indeed, she did. Back then, she had never anticipated such consequences. She was far too young then, her thoughts too simple, believing it would merely be a normal punishment.

She never imagined the outcome would involve a combined attack from several Sovereign Elders.

Confined within the Death Prison, she had certainly nurtured hatred.

Yet, over these decades, she had come to see things with detachment. The only feeling that brought deep shame and remorse was towards her grandfather, the current Incinerating Void Saint Emperor—

Jue Yan’s smile widened: “Roughly a thousand years ago, our Lu Clan acquired a top-tier Divine Treasure. Though it lacked the power to sever Heaven and realize the Dao, by harnessing its energy, a Saint Realm cultivator with even moderate divine abilities could step effortlessly into the Ultimate Realm. For this object, our Lu Family’s Incinerating Void Holy Court engaged in decades of internal struggle across several generations. The outcome was decided only thirty years ago. The three of us gradually favored your grandfather.”

Lu Hanyan’s body trembled slightly, her back unconsciously straightening. She stared fixedly at Jue Yan, her eyes filled with disbelief.

“However, subsequent events took a sudden turn with the emergence of your mixed bloodline with the Cloud Realm Fox. In the matter of the secret union, the Huaxuan Sovereign, who controlled the Incinerating Punishment Hall, struck first. He argued that since your grandfather’s only descendant was you, and you had connected with an external race, the descendant’s bloodline was impure. If he were to ascend to the Ultimate Realm using the Divine Treasure’s power, it would yield no benefit to the continuation of our entire Incinerating Void Lu Clan’s bloodline. With this accusation, seven-tenths of the Sovereigns and Elders in the Holy Court followed his lead. The outcry was overwhelming; even we Saints could not defy the consensus, lest the Lu Clan fall into disarray—”

Lu Hanyan’s complexion shifted rapidly, from pale to ashen. She only knew that the circumstances of her punishment and imprisonment in the Ninefold Absolute Death Prison were strange.

But she had no idea such a staggering secret lay beneath it all.

A struggle for the position of the Ultimate Realm was naturally a matter of life and death, relentless until the end.

It was a profound stroke of luck that the Incinerating Void Saint Emperor managed to retreat whole.

“At that time, North Wu had two alternatives before the Ultimate Realm: taking another concubine to exhaust some Yang Essence and produce other heirs. This would only postpone his entry into the Ultimate Realm by a few hundred years. However, your grandfather and grandmother had always shared a deep, harmonious bond, a love so profound they never considered this path. The other option was forcing you to abandon that hybrid boy and marry someone else within the clan.”

Lu Hanyan gritted her silver teeth, her hands clenched so tightly that thin trickles of scarlet blood seeped out.

Lu North Wu—that was the name of her grandfather, the current Incinerating Void Saint Emperor!

She knew clearer than anyone that from beginning to end, the Incinerating Void Saint Emperor had never spoken a single word of coercion.

Instead, he stood silently like a towering tree, sheltering her from the storm.

“Your grandfather was a man of considerable pride. He exchanged the authority and responsibilities in his hands for the support of several clan Elders to guarantee your life remained safe. Afterward, he entered seclusion, ceasing to involve himself in Holy Court affairs, and withdrew from the Divine Treasure competition. I perceive his intention was to enter the Great Dao’s Ultimate Realm without relying on external objects—”

At this point, Jue Yan paused his speech: “In retrospect, the events of that year were too coincidental. Thinking on it now, it is conceivable that someone secretly manipulated the situation. It is a pity for North Wu; among all his descendants across these thousands of years, he is the one I value most highly.”

Lu Hanyan’s gaze was vacant. If this was true, was her romance with Zong Weiran merely a predetermined conspiracy?

Then, she immediately shook her head with conviction. Her devotion to Weiran was deep, and Weiran’s feeling for her was the same.

Regardless of whether their meeting held any ulterior motives, that affection was genuine.

She was also perplexed as to why Jue Yan would suddenly choose to reveal such secrets to her now.

Then, Jue Yan gave a strange laugh: “North Wu’s current situation is likely not ideal. Having not managed Holy Court politics for decades, he should have long since yielded the position of Saint Emperor. It is only because the struggle between those vying for power remains undecided that things have been drawn out. Yet, while the strife in the Holy Court has continued over these twenty years, calls to replace the Saint Emperor have gradually arisen. Your grandfather has made countless enemies; his authority served as a deterrent while he held the Imperial Seat. Once he steps down, retribution is sure to follow. Even if he does not fear it, he will be endlessly harassed, unable to find the peace needed to prepare for the tribulation of the Ultimate Realm—”

“Then I ask Hanyan one more time: Are you willing to return to the Incinerating Void Holy Court to lend your grandfather a hand? This decision rests entirely upon your will; it is your own affair. Choose as you see fit.”

The voice seemed to carry a magic that pierced directly into Lu Hanyan’s spirit.

After a brief moment of bewilderment, Lu Hanyan’s expression settled back into calm.

“Twenty years ago, it was Hanyan who implicated Grandfather. Now, I cannot continue being an unfilial person who turns a blind eye—”

A sense of wistfulness washed over her. Her original plan was to seek out her son immediately upon release from prison.

But knowing her grandfather’s plight, how could she stand aside now that the information was known?

Upon hearing this, Jue Yan burst into a great roar of laughter that shook the three thousand miles of the azure sky.

His triumphant satisfaction was utterly undisguised.

Lu Hanyan stared at him in astonishment, completely bewildered by Jue Yan’s reaction.

But she recalled that this Saint’s temperament was known to be consistently eccentric and unpredictable.

A thought struck her: Jue Yan had mentioned her son; did he perhaps already know Shou’er’s whereabouts? Was his speech just now, following her release, also connected to Zong Shou?

Jue Yan did not allow her further contemplation, immediately sending a mental tether to seize hold of Lu Hanyan’s form.

“Since it is so, then let us depart! Coincidentally, this old man also needs to flee this Ninefold Absolute Death Prison to avoid trouble, so I shall take you back to the Incinerating Void Holy Court en route.”

However, Lu Hanyan did not comply immediately. She struggled slightly, clutching Zong Shou to her chest.

Jue Yan, knowing her concerns, flicked his finger, sending three drops of jade-colored marrow toward the still-unconscious Zong Shou. “This child need not come along. He has other reasons to remain in this Death Prison for a few more days. You need not worry; I cherish him as a treasure, a thousand times more than you do. I will not allow him to suffer the slightest harm here. Are you reassured now?”

The faint hint of mockery in his eyes caused Lu Hanyan’s face to flush. She complied, placing Zong Shou down.

Zong Shou’s injuries this time were not severe.

Yet, Jue Yan was willing to expend three full drops of the Jade Bone Spirit-Restoring Marrow for his healing.

It seemed his affection was truly extraordinary—

And with these three drops entering his body, Zong Shou would likely awaken in an instant.

Having spent ten days in his company, Lu Hanyan knew he was protected by several powerful guardian spirit beasts; his safety was assured.

For such an astonishingly talented figure, how could the Incinerating Void Lu Clan simply abandon him here, unattended?

Her heart settled, and she followed Jue Yan, departing the world of the nether prison.

As the scenery before her shifted, and she found herself standing within the Starfire Dust Formation, Lu Hanyan felt the pain that had constantly tormented her—the agony of scraped bone and devoured soul—vanish entirely.

A sense of profound relief washed over her, so complete that it became a momentary discomfort. She looked ahead with complex emotions: overwhelming joy, desperate anticipation, yet tinged with a hint of melancholy.

Jue Yan paid no mind to her state, leading her onward through the void.

He then stood quietly in an expanse of emptiness, seemingly awaiting someone.

Lu Hanyan was filled with suspicion but dared not question rashly.

Moments later, a plume of flame suddenly materialized behind Jue Yan, accompanied by a light, silver-bell-like laugh.

“That person has arrived. Ten days exactly; how punctual!”

Lu Hanyan grew even more perplexed. That person—who was that person?

She only saw Jue Yan curl his lip in derision. The unknown young woman’s eyes, however, were filled with schadenfreude and pity.

A short while later, a figure cloaked in cyan strode through the void from the distance.

It was Venerable Tianqing—

Recognizing the figure’s appearance, Lu Hanyan suddenly understood. This was one of the Lu Clan’s Saint Realm Elders, currently in charge of the Death Prison.

She was even more confused by the expressions worn by Jue Yan and the young woman.

Lu Tianqing approached, holding a jade casket, and displayed a degree of surprise upon seeing Saint Hanyan.

A flicker of calculation and unease crossed his pupils, instantly smoothing over to reveal nothing.

Arriving before Jue Yan, he bowed respectfully, presenting the jade casket before him.

“I have finally fulfilled the Saint Venerable’s request, arriving within ten days—”

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