The sky above the Underworld was always the color of dead ash, perpetually shrouded by a never-lifting pall of gloom that blanketed the heavens. For the entire world, daylight was as dim as night, steeped in the eerie, chilling miasma of Nether-Death Qi.
Yet, at this moment, the oppressive, crushing clouds were gone from the sky. It was clear and vast, the scorching sun hanging overhead, and there was no sense of the heavy, suffocating Yin energy that usually permeated the surroundings.
How could this be? What cataclysm had occurred in the ten days since he left?
After staring blankly for a long moment, Lu Tianqing finally came back to himself. Instinctively, his gaze swung toward the direction of the Underworld Abyss.
The Formless Divine Fiend was nowhere to be seen; it had vanished without a trace. And the black mist that had once spread for hundreds of li was equally gone.
This only deepened his confusion— With a flicker, Lu Tianqing arrived beside the Abyss Gate. He stood there, deep in thought, surveying the surroundings.
This area seemed to have been scoured by some immense fire, reducing everything within several hundred li to scorched white earth. Beneath his feet was ground solidified from lava, indicating that the earth several thousand zhang deep had been completely melted away!
Sensing further, Lu Tianqing’s heart clenched with greater alarm. He felt that the power of the laws governing this domain, even the connection to the Death Prison Restricted Formation, had significantly loosened.
It seemed as though this region had recently suffered a massive impact from an external force. "Could it truly be Jueyan?" If a Saint Venerable had acted, such a feat would be simple enough.
But why would this Ancestor Jueyan do something like this? Surely not out of mere boredom.
Finally, Lu Tianqing’s gaze settled on Zongshou, lying near a monstrous demon tree a few hundred li away. After ten days of absence, the feeling Zongshou gave off was subtly different.
His vital energy was deeply contained. He seemed complete and true, leaking nothing outward.
Yet, inexplicably, he also exuded a sense of volatile tension—a faint, unsettling palpitation in the observer’s heart. Lu Tianqing frowned, shifted his ethereal movement, and instantly flashed over.
He watched the youth beneath the tree with complex emotions, focusing intently. Then, he saw Zongshou’s eyelids twitch slightly, as if preparing to open.
Awakening? The thought barely crossed Lu Tianqing’s mind before he was drawn in by Zongshou’s eyes.
What he saw within those pupils was a startling, uniform shade of blood-red, like flawless blood jade, pure without the slightest blemish or impurity. The gaze was so profound that Lu Tianqing’s very consciousness nearly sank into it.
"What an unnervingly demonic pair of eyes—" Lu Tianqing drew a deep breath to steady his mind. He then felt a slight sense of strangeness; how had Zongshou’s eyes changed like this?
He remembered they were not like this before his departure. Those blood pupils seemed vaguely familiar.
He felt a surge in his own vital energy and blood, accompanied by an urge to bow down in submission before the youth. His heart hammered like a war drum, and his own eyes felt a slight itch.
But why? As Lu Tianqing sank into contemplation, Zongshou’s consciousness gradually returned.
His previously blank gaze gradually regained focus. The intense pain in his eyes had vanished completely.
He could see again. The barrier that had long resisted the power of the Blood Spirit Curse had also disappeared.
For the moment, however, he couldn't detect anything unusual about his eyes. It was just that his vision was now far clearer than before.
Within a hundred li, he could see minute particles of dust, even their internal structures, without channeling any spiritual power to his sight. He could even perceive all surrounding spiritual energy fluctuations.
But at this moment, what concerned Zongshou most was not his eyes, but Jueyan and the Abyss Gate that led to the Ninth Layer— Looking into the distance, the Abyss Gate remained, but Jueyan was gone. He subconsciously turned back to the demon tree, only to find that the woman whose name he could never recall was also missing; the ground beneath the tree was empty.
Zongshou immediately felt an emptiness bloom in his heart, as if a vital piece had been violently torn away, causing unbearable distress. Mixed with his melancholy was deep worry.
Where had she gone? Was she safe?
Hadn't she said she would wait here for twenty years, until her term was served, before leaving the Death Prison? Why had she vanished?
Checking himself internally, he found his meridians and physical blood vessels intact, just as before. In fact, his raw physical strength seemed to have increased slightly.
Zongshou shook his head, his gaze finally falling upon the red-robed elder opposite him. Saint Realm!
Another powerhouse he was utterly incapable of confronting. In truth, for him, the Saint Realm and the Ultimate Realm were largely the same; both could crush him effortlessly with a single finger!
"Who are you?" He held no interest in the man's identity; he only needed to know if this person would block his entry into the Death Prison. "Lu Tianqing!
If we count lineage, I am one of your ancestors—" Lu Tianqing paused briefly, understanding from Zongshou’s cold stare that the youth held no respect whatsoever for any so-called Lu family elder. Instead of anger, Lu Tianqing smiled faintly; this attitude suited him well enough.
"Were the recent changes here your doing?" Since Jueyan had departed, this youth was the only one who could be questioned. Zongshou looked around, equally stunned by the transformation of the surroundings.
Finally, he shook his head vaguely, "It was me and Saint Venerable Jueyan—" He vaguely recalled fragments of what happened before he lost consciousness. The black fog here had been incinerated, and it seemed vaguely connected to him.
But how could Zongshou possess such divine power? Saying it was the combined effort of him and Saint Venerable Jueyan was not entirely incorrect.
Lu Tianqing felt a sense of relief. Though he didn't know the exact sequence of events, it was clearly the work of that Saint Venerable Jueyan.
He naturally dismissed Zongshou’s role. A junior who had just entered the Immortal Realm, no matter how astonishing his talent, would require time to accumulate such capabilities.
However, thinking of the youth’s potential still caused a tremor of fear. If this boy survived, he would eventually rise to the very peak—a major threat to his core interests!
A murderous intent flared up, but remembering Jueyan’s prior words, he suppressed it once more. Zongshou remained oblivious and hesitantly spoke, "Saint Venerable Jueyan and I made a pact: if I could defeat his Essence Blood Avatar, he would remit the remainder of my mother’s sentence—" Jueyan had clearly gone back on his word, but Zongshou still clung to a sliver of hope.
A Venerable of the Ultimate Realm should not truly renege on his word and forfeit his prestige. Even if that were the case, he would publicize it widely, letting everyone know of Jueyan's shamelessness!
But the moment these words were spoken, Lu Tianqing’s eyes glazed over in shock. Defeat Jueyan’s Essence Blood Avatar, and the rest of Lu Hanyan's punishment would be lifted?
Was this statement true? According to this youth, he had actually won?
An Ultimate Realm Venerable, even using only a drop of essence blood—one ten-thousandth of his power—could equal an early Divine Realm cultivator— Given his tens of thousands of years of cultivation in spiritual law and martial arts, how could he possibly lose? Even if they were of equal strength, dozens of Divine Realm experts fighting together might not be a match for Jueyan.
But what if this youth spoke the truth? What then?
Terrifying. A deep-seated dread permeated Lu Tianqing’s entire being.
His eyes were filled with caution. If this person were given a few hundred more years, perhaps no one in the entire Lu family could restrain him!
The ruler of Xuanhua, despite his seemingly stable position, would be like a sandcastle against this future figure—easily toppled! While he was far inferior now, his future potential was truly immeasurable!
For a moment, Lu Tianqing felt an extreme cold deep within his chest. The ten days Saint Venerable Jueyan sent him away were likely to test the limits of Zongshou’s potential.
It was probably because he knew this boy’s rare talent that he considered repairing ties with the lineage of the Burning Sky Saint Emperor. At this very moment, that faction was likely still wavering.
One side already controlled a significant portion of the Lu family’s authority and possessed the power to split the Burning Sky Lu Clan. The other side possessed boundless potential, though success in ascending to the Saint Tier remained uncertain.
Instantly, the immense killing intent surged again! He felt an overwhelming, inexpressible urge to destroy this youth!
Even Jueyan’s prior warning was insufficient to suppress it! Zongshou sensed this and frowned.
Perhaps due to the mutation in his bloodline, his sensitivity to human thoughts and intentions was exceptionally acute. He could almost predict parts of what the man before him was thinking every time he spoke.
This was the second time this person had harbored murderous intent toward him, and this time it was deeper than the last. A faint light flickered in his blood-red eyes as he maintained subtle vigilance.
Lu Tianqing then shifted, forcing a smile: "Your mother? Is it Lu Hanyan?
Not long ago, she was confined beneath this very tree. You must have encountered her here several times.
Did Saint Venerable Jueyan fail to keep his promise? If so, that’s true.
Not long ago, Saint Venerable Jueyan relocated your mother to the Ninth Layer of the Death Prison, claiming she was colluding with outsiders and attempting to escape—" Lu Tianqing wasn't sure what motive guided him, but since Lu Yungge had decreed that Zongshou should suffer agony before death, he might as well abide by that wish. It would be best if the youth died with unending regret!
As he spoke, he threw out a crimson-gold flying shuttle that shot off toward the distant void. Connecting with Xuanhua wasn't limited to the Saint Court's sound transmission array.
This single shuttle could instantly transmit a message across millions of worlds; he only possessed one for emergencies. Lu Tianqing knew he would pay a steep price for today's actions, but Xuanhua would certainly have to fight tooth and nail for him in return!
Zongshou opposite him remained stunned, apparently still processing the shock. Lu Tianqing sneered; this was entirely within his expectations.
Knowing that the woman was truly his mother, striving desperately to find her, only to be met with this separation at the very end—any person would react this way. Lu Tianqing raised his hand again, and a tiny worm, exhibiting yellow, purple, and green colors, appeared in his grasp.
This was the Three Spirit Corpse Probing Gu mentioned by Lu Yungge! However, he immediately felt something was amiss and retracted the Gu.
He took out another item instead—an intangible, translucent insect shadow that only revealed its form after Lu Tianqing poured his true power into it! While the Three Spirit Corpse Probing Gu caused unbearable pain, draining the victim's vitality until death, it was difficult to conceal from others.
The Formless God-Swallowing Thread, however, was a naturally occurring aberration born from the Nine Absolute Death Prison, classified as a type of Gu. Though its onset was slow, it was invisible and intangible; even an Ultimate Realm Saint Venerable could hardly detect it.
After a period, suspicion could be diverted. After only a slight hesitation, Lu Tianqing instilled several restrictive seals into it.
Though he was notoriously indecisive and slippery, he understood the necessity of making hard choices. Eliminating this boy now, despite the considerable cost, was unavoidable.
Delaying would only invite complications. It was better to extinguish Saint Venerable Jueyan’s hopes from the outset!
As the thought formed, the Formless God-Swallowing Thread transformed into a silver thread, silently piercing toward the marrow of Zongshou’s brain. At that moment, Lu Tianqing’s expression violently changed.
He felt an intense, blazing aura suddenly erupt from Zongshou. Scarlet flames spread out in an instant.
Lu Tianqing, caught completely off guard, had more than half of his protective gangqi burned away. He froze for a moment, then his face turned deathly pale.
This was unmistakably the Flame of World Destruction! How was this possible?