Zong Shou, however, felt only a heavy fog clouding his mind. When Lu Tianqing finally spoke, the barrier of perception shattered.
Everything from those ten days immediately flooded back into his consciousness. Mother, Lu Hanyan— She had been right before his eyes all along!
Caring for him devotedly day after day for those ten days, tending to his wounds, worrying for him. Zong Shou’s first reaction was not anger, but an indescribable surge of joy and warmth within his chest.
He had seen her all along—it was her. This is so good— No wonder he felt such an intimate closeness, an unwillingness to part!
Only after these thoughts did Lu Tianqing’s subsequent words flash through his awareness. Mother was imprisoned by Lu Jueyan in the ninth level?
Communicating with outsiders, attempting to escape? Was it because of him?
He instantly realized: No! If Jueyan intended such a thing, he wouldn't have wasted all that useless effort.
He didn't know how, but his mind at this moment was clear as a mirror. Every time the blood surged within his body, he could faintly glimpse the thoughts of this Lu Tianqing before him.
Yet, even though he knew this person's words were not entirely true and his intentions were sinister, Zong Shou still felt an unquenchable rage surging through his heart! A fierce, absolute malice gathered in his chest, like a sword plunged deep into the core of his heart!
The demonic tree entwined around her! Sucking away his vital essence and blood energy!
The Forbidden Art of the Death Prison forces one to endure the pain of bone-scraping and heart-corroding torment daily, even if reduced to a mindless husk! The essence of bleak death meant that for every year his mother spent in the Death Prison, ten years of her lifespan were consumed.
And then there were the Crimson-Feathered Birds, millions of vile beasts pecking at her day after day, feeding on her flesh and blood. The agony was no less than the Death Prison Forbidden Art—it was tantamount to slow execution by dismemberment!
All she did was form an illicit union with an outsider. In the Lu Family’s view, even if guilty, it hardly warranted such cruel torture!
How dare you! How dare you!
Something seemed to explode within his mind. Zong Shou’s will was almost completely unchained.
Those blood-colored eyes flared momentarily, countless runes reappearing, dazzling and overwhelming. Crimson flames erupted with a roar, instantly sweeping across a thousand miles.
Using the void as tinder, burning this world! Yet, deep within his pupils, a sliver of clarity returned.
Zong Shou looked back at the figure before him, seeing a slender silver thread hovering before his brow. It was originally formless and invisible, but the crimson flames forced its shape into existence.
It seemed commanded by someone, yet it trembled in fear, coiling seven feet from his forehead, daring not to approach closer. A Gu worm?
With a faint flicker of confusion, Zong Shou’s spirit snapped awake. Not just a Gu, but a deadly one!
It was meant to take his life, to kill him? His fury intensified beyond restraint, a flicker of blood-light dancing in his pupils, as if a black and white vortex appeared deep within his eyes.
Then, the invisible Gu worm’s body was seized by an immense force and violently twisted, contorted into the shape of a pretzel. Die!
With a slight movement of Zong Shou’s will, that invisible Gu suddenly shattered! The scattered flesh and blood scattered everywhere, then were consumed into fine ash within the crimson flames!
Lu Tianqing’s face was now contorted, his hands trembling slightly. His eyes stared vacantly at the pair of crimson eyes opposite him.
“World-Burning Fire? World-Burning Blood Eyes?
How? This is impossible—” Muttering these words, Lu Tianqing’s pupils contracted violently.
No, it wasn't just the World-Burning Blood Eyes! It had fused with other powers!
It had integrated several bloodline strengths no inferior to the World-Burning Lu Clan’s. Was he hallucinating?
The transformation wasn't even complete, yet the mere light from these eyes could savagely strangle the formless God-Swallowing Thread, a power comparable to an initial Divine Realm cultivator! How could this be merely the Lu Clan’s World-Burning Blood Eyes?
One thing was certain: the youth before him possessed the pinnacle bloodline of their Void-Burning Lu Family. It was something Lu Tianqing could only gaze upon with envy, second only to a few Limit-Reaching Sacred Venerables.
He was the only pure-blooded descendant in the Lu Clan at this moment! Boundless panic mingled with profound doubt.
How could this be? Wasn’t this Zong Shou’s father a Nine-Tailed Fox Clan member?
He had personally arranged everything twenty years ago. Zong Weiran was certainly an outstanding figure, otherwise Lu Hanyan wouldn't have fallen for him so completely, disregarding everything.
However, the fact that this man's bloodline had degenerated and become mixed was undeniable. Why then could Zong Shou manifest the World-Burning Blood that the Lu Family hadn't seen in ages?
A dual-vein body, a broken remnant soul—that he could cultivate to this current level was already a miracle! Why would this child also undergo the mutation to possess the World-Burning Eyes?
Why was the Heavens so generous to him? Having eliminated the Gu worm, Zong Shou fixed his gaze upon Lu Tianqing.
With every pulse of his vital energy and blood, he gleaned fragments of information from the opposing soul-thought. Thus, he easily identified the owner of the Formless God-Swallowing Thread.
Was this man also the one who plotted against his mother twenty years ago? Though the specific reasons were still unknown, it did not prevent the towering hatred in Zong Shou’s heart!
At this moment, even the waters of all rivers and lakes combined could not extinguish the raging fire in his chest! The light in his eyes shifted again, locking onto Lu Tianqing afar, the millions of scattered runes in his blood-red pupils rapidly converging at an extreme speed.
This man also must die! Lu Tianqing instantly sensed it, feeling a tide-like killing intent strike his spirit like a blade, accompanied by an oppressive weight bearing down on him.
His limbs felt torn and twisted by an unseen force. He was stunned for a moment, then realization dawned.
This brat not only intended to kill him! He also wanted him to bow down and submit before him!
At first, he found it laughable. This Zong Shou truly didn't know his place!
With only Immortal Realm-level World-Burning Blood Eyes, did he think he could slay a Sacred Venerable like himself? But immediately, his expression changed, Lu Tianqing turning ashen-faced.
This child certainly couldn't destroy him, but if Zong Shou was determined to take Lu Tianqing’s life, then half the elders and venerable ones in the Void-Burning Sacred Court would be willing to step forward for his sake! Whether to resolve past grievances or to curry favor with this youth, who was almost certainly—the future Sacred Venerable of the Lu Family!
He was the undisputed First Heir of the Void-Burning Sacred Court, the future Void-Burning Sacred Emperor in a few decades! Possessing the World-Burning Blood Eyes at the Immortal Realm, without suffering premature death from being unable to withstand the bloodline power.
For the sake of this prodigy, what was Lu Tianqing? Merely a Sacred Realm cultivator at the bottom rung of combat strength— “Young Master, please forgive me.
What happened back then was not my will. I was coerced, it was Xuan Hua—” Fear gripped him, and Lu Tianqing gradually lost his composure.
He lost control of his body for a moment, and under an invisible force, his frame involuntarily sank, kneeling on one knee before Zong Shou! The force originated from within his bloodline; it wasn't overwhelmingly strong, yet it carried an authority that inspired awe and made resistance impossible.
It was as if he was inherently placed above him, looking down on him! His body’s qi and blood boiled.
Every limb and every bone, those Void-Burning bloodlines, were being refined and purified anew. This was a bloodline regression, already benefiting him physically.
Yet, Lu Tianqing felt no joy in this moment. Every fiber of his being was permeated with an icy chill to the bone.
“It was Xuan Hua who seduced me. Lu Tianqing’s will was obscured!
I beg the Young Master for mercy—” Mid-sentence, Lu Tianqing suddenly froze. How could this be?
Why was he thinking of kneeling and begging Zong Shou for mercy? He was, after all, a Sacred Realm Venerable.
Where was his dignity? Begging a mere successor like a dog—wouldn't that make him a laughingstock?
He sharply bit his tongue. Under the sharp pain, Lu Tianqing felt the chaotic thoughts and fear recede like a tide.
It truly was an illusionary technique aimed directly at his consciousness! It was when his shock overwhelmed him that Zong Shou’s blood eyes had subtly controlled and influenced his mind.
That’s right! This Zong Shou possessed the Nine-Tailed Mystic Fox bloodline himself!
It seemed his illusionary divine abilities had also been integrated into these Blood Eye powers. His vigilance heightened, yet if these words of supplication and apology could earn the Crown Prince’s forgiveness, it might be worth it.
However, when his gaze traveled upwards, his heart sank again. Zong Shou looked down upon him with a look of utter indifference, his gaze containing only one meaning.
—Go die! Go die!
Die for me! An overwhelming killing intent saturated his thoughts.
Lu Tianqing was first disappointed, then furious. How dare this impudent child!
Before he could react, he felt a sudden intuition and looked around. Beyond the crimson flames, countless invisible fires were burning in every spatial gap.
They caused the primordial essence of heaven and earth to tremble. Laws were fracturing.
The ground beneath his feet shook incessantly— What was he doing? Right!
How could he forget, the World-Burning Flame enraged the mortal world. Although Zong Shou was only at the Immortal Realm, his top-tier Void-Burning bloodline, once unleashed, was sufficient to completely destroy this Nether Prison!
And if things worsened, it could spread to the other eight Death Prisons— As the keeper of the Death Prison, he would surely bear the blame! If it were any other time, it might not matter.
But he had recently offended Jueyan. And this pure-blooded scion of the Lu Family, the First Heir, hated him to the bone!
With this offense, Lu Tianqing was guaranteed death, with no chance of survival. “Stop!
Stop! Zong Shou, do you hear me?
Stop this! Stop it now—” The vast power of a Sacred Realm cultivator spread madly throughout the Nether Prison, pouring its utmost effort into maintaining this world that was constantly shattering under the assault of the World-Burning Flames.
Zong Shou did not understand at first, but after a moment, he noticed the strangeness around him. It was just like the previous two times before he lost consciousness, when the intense pain in his eyes subsided.
Looking around, Zong Shou finally realized. The Nether Prison was on the verge of collapse, about to crumble— And it was because of the rootless fires emanating from him.
How had Lu Tianqing called them just now? Right, the World-Burning Flame!
Zong Shou let out a soft, mocking laugh. What did it matter if this Nether Prison world was destroyed?
What concern was it of Zong Shou? This place had tortured his mother for over twenty years.
He truly wished he could shatter it with his own hands! It would be good to destroy it!
As this thought arose, the resentment in his chest, the boundless hostility, seemed to find an outlet. The runes flashing in his Blood Eyes instantly condensed, forming a single, profoundly mysterious character pattern.
It seemed like water, like fire, like lightning, like illusion, yet it contained the power of beginning and end. Faintly, it resembled the character ‘Dao.’ The next instant, several cracking sounds echoed— The entire Nether Prison world began to fracture and scatter, like broken glass.
The World-Burning Eyes were complete!