"Uncle," Zhou Qing said softly, "even putting that aside, are you... really ready? In your current state?"

Gao Xuan looked down at his unfamiliar body, then at the unchanged sleeping face of his daughter in his arms, and finally, he collapsed and released her.

Zhou Qing took Nannan from him and held her in his arms once more.

"Uncle, if you trust me, leave Nannan to me!" Zhou Qing looked directly at Gao Xuan, his voice steady and firm.

Gao Xuan lifted his head, his bloodshot eyes fixed intently on Zhou Qing.

After a long while, he nodded heavily, as if using all his strength.

"What, what should I do?" Gao Xuan's lips trembled, his voice hoarse beyond recognition.

Zhou Qing looked at him and suddenly smiled: "Welcome Nannan with your best self."

After speaking, he turned with Nannan in his arms, quietly facing the blood-red barrier before them.

Soon, the array rippled.

Zhou Qing took a deep breath and stepped into it without hesitation.

Behind him, Gao Xuan staggered to his feet, his withered hand reaching into the void, as if still trying to grasp something.

Cao Zhengyang and Mo Xingjian rushed forward to support him, whispering comforting words.

But those words had already become indistinct, isolated by the closing barrier.

Inside the barrier, Wu Sha was already standing silently in wait.

He gestured once more, leading Zhou Qing back to the grand hall.

Zhou Qing carefully placed Nannan back in the center of the array.

As Nannan's body made contact with the core, countless black patterns suddenly appeared on the ground.

The vanished black-robed puppets surged out from the earth once more, turning into wisps of gray air and flowing into the array.

"I've thought of the conditions!" Sikong Yan walked out from the darkness, arms crossed.

Zhou Qing was a bit surprised.

Back then, you pondered for so long but couldn't decide, saying you'd mention it later.

I just went back and forth, and you've decided again?

This leap in thinking caught him off guard.

Zhou Qing shook his head helplessly.

He realized that trying to follow this madman's thought process with normal reasoning was futile.

"What conditions?"

Sikong Yan didn't immediately reply but instead took out an imaging stone from his sleeve and tossed it to Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing caught it, and as spiritual power flowed into it, his pupils contracted sharply when the scene unfolded.

In the image, Sikong Yan and the white-robed Lin Jin joined forces to kill a young man in fancy attire and his guardian.

Blood splattered, screams echoed.

Although Zhou Qing had never seen the Fifth Prince, he immediately understood the young man's identity.

"I killed the Fifth Prince," Sikong Yan said casually, "and now I've killed his mother, Princess Consort Ying, too."

Zhou Qing's brows furrowed, not understanding why the other party was suddenly telling him these things.

After all, in the Divine Ruins Celestial Palace, he had informed him first after the initial kill.

Truly shameless, yet somehow proud.

"The Golden Thunder Sect is just carrying the blame," Sikong Yan grinned, baring his white teeth.

"Of course, right now we're all in the same boat. You Taiqing Sect folks also played a part in the assassination of Princess Consort Ying and the Royal Guards, so it doesn't matter if I tell you."

Zhou Qing said in a deep voice, "You're truly insane."

"Perhaps." Sikong Yan shrugged indifferently.

"Do you have a grudge against them or something?" Zhou Qing couldn't help but ask.

"Not really," Sikong Yan replied nonchalantly, fiddling with his fingers, "I just can't stand the sight of them."

Zhou Qing took a deep breath: "What does this have to do with the conditions?"

Sikong Yan's expression suddenly turned serious: "I have three conditions."

"Speak, as long as it's within my capability."

"First," Sikong Yan raised one finger, "I need to do something significant in the capital, something that might involve array restrictions, and I need your help."

Zhou Qing's frown deepened.

The capital is the heart of the Imperial City, heavily guarded by restrictions. What on earth is this guy planning?