Zi Linling was frantically deducing within the Goddess Hall.
Time ticked by, and soon an hour had passed.
Zi Linling, inside the Goddess Hall, was already drenched in sweat. Although she had broken through to become an Imperial level Formation Master, deducing a method to break the barrier still required considerable mental effort.
Inside the barrier, Yue Wumei watched with worry, fearing that Zi Linling might get injured from pushing herself too hard.
When it rains, it pours.
Just then, the sound of footsteps on white bones echoed from outside.
Soon, a figure appeared outside the barrier. This person was none other than Mo Fang's father, Mo Qi.
Mo Qi searched the surroundings as if looking for someone.
Yue Wumei's heart tightened.
Although the spatial artifact was not easily detected, it would be disastrous if Zi Linling were to emerge at this very moment.
"Where is Fang'er?" Mo Qi asked haughtily.
If it were before, he would have held Yue Wumei in some regard. But now, a fallen phoenix was less than a chicken. Yue Wumei, who was about to be executed, posed no threat to him.
Yue Wumei initially wanted to ignore him. However, thinking that Zi Linling might come out at any moment, she changed her mind, wanting to get rid of Mo Qi as quickly as possible.
She said coldly, "You mean your lecherous son? Sorry, I haven't seen him!"
Mo Qi detested hearing his son called lecherous the most, so his expression immediately soured. "Those guards all said Fang'er came here. How could you possibly not have seen him?"
Yue Wumei snorted and said, "Mo Qi, this is the Demon Prison, not a place for me to babysit your child! If I haven't seen him, I haven't seen him. Get out of my sight immediately! Scram!"
Mo Qi's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. He sneered, "Scram? Yue Wumei, do you still think you are the high and mighty Saintess? If you reveal the whereabouts of your illegitimate daughter, I might put in a good word for you with the other elders, and spare your life. But if you remain obstinate, three days from now will be your death day!"
Yue Wumei shouted, "Scram!"
Mo Qi chuckled sinisterly, "Yue Wumei, I wonder how long you can remain stubborn. Let me tell you, after you die, we will use your blood to activate the Bloodline Tracking Technique. By then, your illegitimate daughter will still not escape being captured!"
Killing intent erupted from Yue Wumei. If not for the barrier, she would have fought Mo Qi to the death.
"If you dare to lay a hand on my daughter, I, Yue Wumei, even if I do not enter reincarnation, will use my soul as a curse and activate the ancient Demon Annihilation Array, destroying the entire Heavenly Demon Domain!"
Mo Qi snorted, "Destroy the entire Heavenly Demon Domain? Yue Wumei, are you insane? Since we are killing you, will we leave your soul behind? Annihilation of the soul is your fate!"
"Annihilation of the soul?"
Yue Wumei let out a cold laugh and said mockingly, "Then we shall see! Scram!"
Annihilation of her soul was impossible for her.
Unless someone could obtain the Tear of the Other Shore, the Ancestral Demon Blood, and the Flower of Ultimate Love, or if she willingly dissipated her soul, her soul would forever exist between heaven and earth.
Mo Qi had intended to make Yue Wumei despair, but he was chilled by the mockery on her face.
He furiously flicked his sleeves and turned to leave in a huff, which allowed Yue Wumei to breathe a sigh of relief.
Not long after Mo Qi left, Zi Linling emerged from the Goddess Hall.
She excitedly shouted to Yue Wumei, "Mother, I've deduced it! I've deduced it!"
"That's wonderful! Lin'er, you're amazing!" Yue Wumei exclaimed joyfully.
If before, she had already resigned herself to death and planned to escape the Heavenly Demon Domain in soul form to find Zi Guochang and Zi Linling, then upon seeing Zi Linling, she had a strong desire to live and stay by Zi Linling's side.
Therefore, when she heard that Zi Linling had deduced the same-frequency formation, she was truly overjoyed.
"Mother, please step back a bit and let me come in!"
As Zi Linling spoke, she took out several formation plates and began setting up the formation.
Soon, under the cover of the formation, she passed through the barrier and stood before Yue Wumei.
"Mother!"
Zi Linling cried out joyfully and leaped into Yue Wumei's embrace.
The two held each other tightly, feeling the tangible touch and warmth.
Zi Linling greedily inhaled her mother's scent, as if she had returned to Yan Country on the Water Blue Star.
Warmth washed over her heart, and tears flowed down again.
"Lin'er!"
Yue Wumei wept uncontrollably.
For the first time in twenty years, she held her daughter in her arms, truly and tangibly.
This was the embrace and warmth she had yearned for countless times in her dreams.
But at that moment, the surrounding demonic energy suddenly erupted.
Yue Wumei was greatly alarmed and quickly pushed Zi Linling away, saying anxiously, "Lin'er, quickly hide inside your spatial artifact!"
Zi Linling asked, confused, "Mother, what's happening!"
"Ah..."
As soon as Zi Linling finished speaking, she heard Yue Wumei's pained scream.
Immediately after, Yue Wumei was flung out, crashing heavily against the wall, and then bounced onto the ground.
"Lin'er, get away!"
Yue Wumei, ignoring her own injuries, flew forward to shield Zi Linling.
"Ah..."
She let out another pained scream and was sent flying out again, as if whipped.
The image of the "Demon Whipping Rod" instantly flashed in Zi Linling's mind.
Recalling the information about the Demon Whipping Rod from Mo Fang's memories, she quickly calculated the time and realized it was now midnight.
It seemed that Yue Wumei was currently enduring the torture of the Demon Whipping Rod.
"Mother, don't resist, I'll take you to the Goddess Hall!"
As Zi Linling spoke, she moved her mind and teleported Yue Wumei away from their original spot.
The Demon Whipping Rod continued to rage, but it could not find its target.
Inside the Goddess Hall, Zi Linling looked at the whip marks on Yue Wumei's body, her fists clenched, her knuckles cracking.
"Still!"
The Hall Spirit, Still, appeared before Zi Linling.
Zi Linling instructed, "Take good care of my mother!"
Then, she reappeared in the Demon Prison with the Heaven and Earth Demon Orb.
"Demon Orb, are you sure?"
Zi Linling asked.
The reason she returned was because the Heaven and Earth Demon Orb said it wanted to absorb the demonic energy here.
The Heaven and Earth Demon Orb said haughtily, "Piece of cake!"
Then, it blocked in front of Zi Linling, directly shattering the Demon Whipping Rods formed from condensed demonic energy into pure demonic energy and rapidly absorbing it.
While the Heaven and Earth Demon Orb was absorbing the demonic energy, Zi Linling quickly set up the same-frequency formation again, enveloped herself in it, and slipped out of the barrier.
The Heaven and Earth Demon Orb furiously absorbed the demonic energy, quickly depleting all the demonic energy in the Demon Prison.
The Demon Whipping Rod that had been raging in the Demon Prison, having lost its source of power, naturally could no longer condense.
After the Heaven and Earth Demon Orb finished absorbing, it directly slammed into the barrier.