Han Li and the others had never witnessed such a spectacle before – a Grand Luo cultivator chasing after a huge golden beetle and pummeling it as if he were a commoner in a marketplace.

Qu Lin tried to beg for mercy several times, but before he could even finish a sentence, Hei Tian Mo Zu would abruptly interrupt with another round of brutal beating.

The onlookers were stunned and could only hastily dodge left and right to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

Since Hei Tian Mo Zu had forbidden them from leaving, they dared not venture too far, lest they incur his displeasure. They could only scramble about, looking utterly pathetic and comical.

Just then, a streak of white light hurtled towards them from afar. As the light faded, it revealed the middle-aged man in the cyan robe whom Han Li and the others had encountered on the sixth floor, riding on a Richima.

Seeing this man appear, Han Li, Hu San, Jiao San, and the others were visibly delighted.

Qi Mozi's face, however, darkened, and his eyes began to flicker.

"Fellow Daoist Hei Tian, please show mercy." The middle-aged man in the cyan robe waved his hand, sending forth a surge of grayish-white light to support the golden beetle, which had been sent flying once again.

However, the force with which the golden beetle had been struck was too great. With a "chi la" sound, it shattered the grayish-white light and crashed heavily into a wall that was already crumbling, causing the entire wall to collapse.

"Liu Zizai, why have you old codgers come too? Are you trying to meddle in my affairs?" Hei Tian Mo Zu, having vented his anger on Qu Lin, seemed much more cheerful. He glanced at the middle-aged man in the cyan robe and said, recognizing him.

"Hehe, now that Fellow Daoist Shi has escaped his confinement, Liu has come to offer his congratulations. Moreover, my Natal Soul Tablet is here. Now that the Time Dao Lamp restriction has been broken, I have come specifically to retrieve it." Liu Zizai said with a cupped fist, his gaze sweeping toward the Five-Colored Altar within the hall. Suddenly, his expression froze.

The Five-Colored Altar was utterly ruined. All that remained was a pile of rubble.

Liu Zizai’s eyes scanned the others in the hall, quickly settling on Qi Mozi, his expression subtly darkening.

His mount, the Richima, also surveyed the crowd, its brow furrowing. It couldn't detect the location of the Natal Soul Tablet.

"I still have matters to attend to here. If you want to find something, there must be a queue. Considering you’re a Corpse Severance of that old codger Liu Qi, I'll let you search in a while. Don't come causing trouble now!" Hei Tian Mo Zu grunted.

"Liu Qi, the Ancestor's Corpse Severance..." Han Li, standing with Hu San, Jiao San, and the others, was startled by Hei Tian Mo Zu's words, but then a sudden realization dawned upon him.

No wonder he had thought of Ancestor Liu Qi when he first saw Liu Zizai, and the laws they used were exactly the same. It seemed that this man was one of the three corpses that Ancestor Liu Qi had severed in the past.

Han Li shook his head, dismissing these trivial matters, and focused on devising a plan to deal with the current situation.

His eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had thought of something. He quietly nudged Hu San beside him and moved his lips slightly.

Hu San looked at Han Li and nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Hehe, then I thank Fellow Daoist Shi." Liu Zizai said, nodding towards Hei Tian Mo Zu, and was about to step aside.

"Fellow Daoist Liu, save me..." Just then, a weak voice came from the side, from the golden beetle.

Although its physical body was nearly indestructible, Hei Tian Mo Zu's cultivation and physical strength were extraordinary. This beating had left it covered in fist marks, uneven and cracked, with golden blood gushing from multiple wounds. Even its seven facial orifices were bleeding golden blood, making it look incredibly miserable.

"Fellow Daoist Shi, you are a Peak Grand Luo, far more powerful than us. Why bother with Qu Lin? Although he secretly spied on the Time Dao Palace before, it was for his own Natal Soul Tablet. I hope Fellow Daoist Shi can forgive him this time." Liu Zizai hesitated slightly and again cupped his fist towards Hei Tian Mo Zu.

"I've been asleep for so long that my body felt stiff. Loosening up my muscles felt great. You can take him away for now. I'll look for him next time." Hei Tian Mo Zu waved his hand dismissively.

Upon hearing that there would be a next time, the golden beetle shuddered.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Shi, for your generosity." Liu Zizai was delighted, bowing once more and waving his hand to summon a ray of grayish-white light that enveloped the golden beetle.

The golden beetle's body flashed with golden light, transforming back into human form, bruised and swollen, looking rather comical.

Liu Zizai was about to walk away again, but he suddenly paused, glancing at Hu San, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He stopped.

"Fellow Daoist Shi, we were sealed here by that Tai Sui Immortal Venerate, which can be considered a form of destiny. Now that the Time Dao Lamp restriction has been broken, we can be considered completely free. I wonder, what are Fellow Daoist Shi's plans? Would you be interested in visiting my Sky Fox Clan as a guest?" Liu Zizai asked, his eyes flickering.

"Hehe, no need. I've already found the whereabouts of my wife and children. Next, I'm going to rescue them and enjoy some family happiness. Your fox den must be too stinky. I'm too lazy to go." Hei Tian Mo Zu rubbed his hands together, a look of excitement on his face, and chuckled.

"Oh, is that so? Fellow Daoist Shi has finally found the whereabouts of Lady Jin Ling and your son. That is truly great news! Liu offers his congratulations. I wonder, how did Fellow Daoist Shi find out about their whereabouts?" Liu Zizai asked, a smile appearing on the corner of his mouth.

Seeing the expression on Liu Zizai's face, Qi Mozi's heart skipped a beat for some reason, and his right hand quietly retreated into his sleeve.

"This Fellow Daoist Qi Mozi told me. He will take me to find Jin Ling and the others later." Hei Tian Mo Zu pointed to Qi Mozi.

"Ah! How could Fellow Daoist Shi let this person lead the way? Don't you know that this man is the current Lord of the Immortal Prison?" Liu Zizai raised an eyebrow, his face showing surprise.

"What? How can you say he's the Lord of the Immortal Prison too? Hey, who exactly are you?" Hei Tian Mo Zu seemed to trust Liu Zizai quite a bit. Looking at Qi Mozi, all warmth had vanished from his eyes.

"Fellow Daoist Shi, don't listen to their nonsense. I am definitely not from the Heavenly Court..." Qi Mozi hurriedly protested.

"Whether you are the Lord of the Immortal Prison or not, there is no need to say much. Just look at this and everything will be clear." Liu Zizai had already raised his hand and waved it, sending forth a ball of grayish-white light, which transformed into a grayish-white sphere.

A scene appeared on the sphere, depicting Qi Mozi trying to win over the White Bone Demon and the Copper Lion Demon. The scene of Qi Mozi taking out the Prison Lord's token was clearly visible, and the voices of the three people could be heard within the light sphere, without a single word omitted.

"Kid, you dare to deceive me?"

Hei Tian Mo Zu's face instantly turned as cold as iron, and he glared at Qi Mozi.

But at that moment, a golden light rose from Qi Mozi's body, instantly spreading out to form a golden domain. The domain was filled with flame-like spiritual light, the Time Severing Fire Domain, enveloping everyone within it.

Everything within the Time Severing Fire Domain suddenly became rigid, and everyone's bodies were immobilized.

Qi Mozi's figure transformed into a ray of golden light, instantly flying out of the ruins of the Tai Sui Palace and shooting rapidly into the distance.

"You think a mere Time Severing Fire Domain can imprison me!" Hei Tian Mo Zu roared, black light radiating from his body, spreading out like a raging tide, instantly tearing apart the Time Severing Fire Domain.

With a single grab in the air, a terrifying black hand, covering half the sky, reappeared in the sky outside the palace with a "rumbling" sound, fiercely grabbing down towards Qi Mozi.

An overwhelming force squeezed in from all directions, and Qi Mozi's speed immediately decreased, looking as if he was about to be caught by the black hand.

Just then, a golden light flashed on his body, suddenly intensifying, sweeping in all directions and illuminating the surrounding void as if it were daytime.

The next moment, a golden ball, several hundred zhang in size, appeared, covered in gilded flames, like a golden sun,迎去the black hand.

With a deafening "boom,"

The black hand was actually blocked by the golden ball. The surrounding void trembled violently after the two collided, and then completely shattered and collapsed.

Qi Mozi's figure fell from within the golden ball, blood streaming from all seven orifices, and he plummeted toward the ground below.

He still clung tightly to the lotus-shaped Time Dao Lamp, the spiritual light it emitted dimmer than before.

Qi Mozi muttered a few words, a golden light flashed on his body, and he immediately stabilized himself, continuing to shoot away into the distance without looking back.

But that golden ball did not disappear or become dim. It still hung there, and then suddenly grew larger.

Countless slender golden flames erupted from within the ball, instantly piercing countless small holes in the black hand.

The originally imposing black hand was riddled with holes in the blink of an eye and collapsed into nothing.

Hei Tian Mo Zu looked at the golden ball, a look of excitement on his face, and ignored the fleeing Qi Mozi, as if he had forgotten him.

The golden ball shrank again, transforming into a golden figure wearing a tall crown, its features indistinct, but still radiating an aura of awe.

Lei Yuce and the others, hiding in a corner of the ruined hall, were greatly encouraged by the appearance of this figure.

"It's the Ancestor!"

"All these years, it turns out that the Ancestor has never truly left this tower that deters all demons and fiends!"

As they spoke, Lei Yuce and the others began to kowtow remotely towards the golden figure.

"So that's how it is. I was wondering why the Time Dao Lamp was so powerful even without anyone controlling it. It turns out that a remnant of your soul is lodged inside, Wen Tai Sui!" Hei Tian Mo Zu's expression was no longer playful or manic, but stern.

The golden figure looked at Hei Tian Mo Zu, his face solemn, forming a sword incantation with one hand, without speaking.

The next moment, black and gold light erupted from the two of them almost simultaneously, and two vast auras collided in the void with a loud crash.

The already ruined Time Dao Palace collapsed and flew away like paper, but the ground of the palace was not destroyed, perhaps because of the Five Elements Annihilation Great Array.

Han Li and the others were also blown away by the two vast auras, taking advantage of the momentum to fly far away, leaving Hei Tian Mo Zu and the others far behind.