The Secret Prison's Location, Finally Finding His Parents

The heavy black door slowly closed behind them, completely sealing off the wreckage and deathly silence of the sixth underground level.

Tang Wulin carried Gu Yue in his arms and stepped steadily into the passage leading deeper below. Each step was light yet firm, as though he feared disturbing the exhausted girl in his embrace. The air was even colder than above, mixed with a faint smell of mildew and the icy aura of restrictive seals. It seeped through every gap in their skin, filling them with involuntary oppression.

Gu Yue's breathing was shallow. Her black hair lay in disarray across his arms, several damp strands clinging to her pale cheeks. Her once-bright, crystal-clear purple eyes were now gently closed, her long lashes trembling faintly and exposing her weakness. To stop Ghost Poison Douluo earlier, she had forcibly activated the Elemental Origin despite her injuries, draining her soul power to its limit. If Tang Wulin had not dealt with Giant Hammer Douluo and rushed back in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Tang Wulin lowered his head, his gaze falling upon her bloodless face. Pain and self-reproach surged through his golden eyes.

He should have protected her completely, yet time and again, he had allowed her to fall into danger for his sake.

From the Shrek crisis to breaking into the Spirit Pagoda to rescue his parents, she had always stood before him, shielding him from blades and flames, bearing deadly danger in his place without ever uttering a word of complaint. This weighty devotion had long been carved into his bones, becoming a support more important to him than even the Golden Dragon King bloodline.

"Hold on a little longer. We're almost there."

He lowered his voice, his tone so gentle it was nearly a whisper. His arms unconsciously tightened, holding her more securely.

The passage was longer and more winding than before. The walls on either side no longer bore intricate soul guidance patterns, but were covered in icy chains and sealing runes. Every one of them emitted a heart-palpitating pressure, clearly meant to imprison the most important prisoners. The farther he went, the faster Tang Wulin's heart beat. Memories from his previous life overlapped with the perceptions of this one, making him almost certain—his parents were at the deepest point of this area.

This was the seventh underground level of the Spirit Pagoda, and also the secret prison zone with the tightest defenses in the entire Spirit Pagoda.

There were no patrolling guards and no roaring soul guidance cannons, yet the omnipresent sense of oppression was far more terrifying than anything on the previous levels.

This was a place of death, a cage, the final destination of everyone the Spirit Pagoda considered a threat.

Tang Wulin slowed his pace, circulating the Golden Dragon King bloodline with all his strength. Golden aura spread silently through the surroundings like a fine net. He did not dare let his guard down in the slightest. Every inch of space here could conceal deadly restrictions, and every shadow could hide a killing move. Once triggered, not only would they be trapped in a hopeless situation, but his parents' safety could be directly endangered.

He had to be cautious, then even more cautious.

Gu Yue suddenly stirred in his arms. Her purple eyes slowly opened, her gaze still unfocused, but after seeing the worry on Tang Wulin's face, she forced out a faint smile.

"I'm fine... Put me down. I can walk."

Her voice was soft and slightly hoarse, yet still carried her stubbornness.

Tang Wulin shook his head, his tone firm and impossible to refuse. "No. You can barely stand right now. I'm carrying you."

"But..."

"No buts." He lowered his head and gently pressed his forehead against hers. His golden eyes met her purple ones, their breaths mingling. "You were always the one protecting me before. Now, it's my turn to protect you."

Those simple words made Gu Yue's heart tremble fiercely.

A thin sheen of moisture filled her dark eyes. She stopped struggling and merely raised her arms to wrap them around his neck, burying her face in the hollow of his shoulder. She felt his steady, powerful heartbeat and that long-lost sense of security.

After millions of years of waiting and millions of years of guarding him, he had finally turned back to her.

Tang Wulin carried her onward, his bloodline perception reaching deeper and deeper until, at last, he caught two weak yet incomparably familiar auras in the shadows at the end of the passage.

They were the pull of shared blood, a familiarity etched into his soul.

His father, Tang Ziran, and his mother, Lang Yue.

An uncontrollable surge of excitement instantly flooded his heart, making his steps pause slightly as heat rose uncontrollably in his eyes.

Two lifetimes.

He had waited through two entire lifetimes before finally drawing close to them again.

But just as he was about to continue forward, a faint blue glow suddenly lit beneath his feet. Fine patterns spread outward like a spiderweb, and an icy restrictive force abruptly locked onto his position!

"Not good!"

Tang Wulin's expression changed slightly. He immediately stopped, carrying Gu Yue as he rapidly retreated several meters.

Almost at the same time, the walls on either side of the passage split apart with a thunderous crash. Dozens of soul guidance spikes gleaming with cold light extended from within, their tips flashing with deadly radiance. The patterns on the ground lit up completely, forming a massive sealing formation that utterly blocked the road ahead.

This was not a natural passage, but a Trapping Formation meticulously arranged by the Spirit Pagoda.

It had been designed specifically to hunt intruders like him, those so eager to find their loved ones that they lowered their guard.

"Of course it wouldn't be this easy." Tang Wulin muttered, his golden eyes as grave as iron.

He should have anticipated it. Since the Spirit Pagoda had imprisoned his parents in the deepest part of the facility, it would certainly have arranged one final death trap before the secret prison. This barrier was even more dangerous than the two Titled Douluo, the Soul Douluo legion, and the Soul Guidance Killing Formation, because it directly guarded the entrance to the secret prison. There was nowhere to retreat, and advancing meant death.

"It's... a Chain Sealing Formation."

Gu Yue's weak voice sounded. She forced herself to raise her head, narrowing her purple eyes as she studied the patterns on the ground. Although her soul power was depleted, her instinctive sensitivity toward elements and restrictions remained sharp.

"This formation has no formation core and no weakness. It's a complete death formation... If we force our way through, the entire seventh underground level will collapse, and the secret prison will be sealed directly. Then we'll never find Uncle and Auntie again."

Tang Wulin's heart sank sharply.

The situation he feared most had still happened.

The Spirit Pagoda had no intention of allowing anyone the chance to rescue them. It would rather destroy the secret prison and kill the people inside than allow them to be saved.

Ruthless, resolute, leaving no room for compromise.

"Then what do we do?" Tang Wulin asked in a low voice, a trace of barely perceptible anxiety in his tone. He could throw caution to the wind, fight bathed in blood, even be shattered to pieces, but he could not gamble with his parents' lives.

Gu Yue took a soft breath and raised a hand to press against his chest, borrowing the Golden Dragon King's vitality within him to regain a sliver of strength.

"The formation is dead, but people are alive." A sharp gleam flashed through her purple eyes. "This formation relies on the underground soul power to operate. I can use the space element to temporarily distort its patterns and buy you ten breaths of time."

"Ten breaths?"

"That's enough." Gu Yue nodded, her fingers clutching tightly at his clothes. "Remember this. The instant I distort the formation, the seal will open a gap. You must rush through immediately and break open the secret prison door. Before the formation recovers, I'll forcibly hold open space and bring you, Uncle, and Auntie out."

"No, it's too dangerous!" Tang Wulin immediately refused. "Your soul power is already exhausted. If you forcefully use spatial power again, it'll damage your origin!"

"There's no time to hesitate!" Gu Yue looked up, her purple eyes utterly resolute. "Wulin, this is our only chance. If we miss it, we'll never be able to save them again!"

Her words were like a needle stabbing viciously into Tang Wulin's heart.

He knew she was right.

There was no time. Spirit Pagoda reinforcements could arrive at any moment. The longer they delayed, the greater the danger.

"Alright." Tang Wulin gritted his teeth and nodded heavily, his golden eyes filled with determination. "Ten breaths. I'll definitely bring them out."

"I believe you."

Gu Yue gently pushed herself away from him and landed on the ground. Though her body swayed slightly, her back remained straight. Her black hair fluttered softly in the frigid air, while her purple eyes instantly sharpened like blades.

The power of six elements slowly gathered in her palm. Though weak, it still carried the unique pressure of the Silver Dragon King.

"Get ready."

She gave a low shout, her hands rapidly forming seals.

"Space—Distort!"

Buzz—

An invisible spatial ripple exploded outward. The blue patterns on the ground trembled violently, and the originally flawless sealing formation was forcibly torn open with a gap less than half a meter wide!

"Now!"

Tang Wulin did not hesitate in the slightest. His body transformed into a bolt of golden lightning and shot straight through the opening!

One breath, two breaths, three breaths...

His speed erupted to its utmost limit. The Golden Dragon King's vitality surged with all its might. The only things left in his ears were the howling wind, and the only thing left in his eyes was the tightly shut secret prison door ahead.

Seven breaths, eight breaths, nine breaths...

The hum of the formation reconstructing sounded behind him, followed by Gu Yue's muffled groan. She had clearly reached her limit.

Tang Wulin's eyes split with fury. He gathered every ounce of power into his right fist and smashed it brutally toward the secret prison door!

"Open for me—!"

Boom—!!!

A punch powerful enough to shatter mountains crashed down upon the door.

The heavy metal door instantly fractured. The chains snapped apart inch by inch, and the seal shattered completely.

Beyond the door was darkness.

And within that darkness, two weak figures leaned against the wall. They raised their heads in disbelief, staring toward the golden figure at the doorway.

Tang Wulin's gaze fixed directly on them.

For an instant, time seemed to stop.

The white hair at his father's temples, his mother's haggard face, and those eyes filled with shock, disbelief, and boundless heartache...

All of it was clearly reflected in his eyes.

Two lifetimes of waiting, two lifetimes of regret, two lifetimes of obsession.

At this moment, they finally found their destination.

Tang Wulin's throat tightened. Countless words clogged his chest, but in the end, they became only a trembling cry.

"Dad, Mom—

I've come to take you home."