Just as Yuan Ming thought he would be trapped on the stone bridge, the number of thunders falling from the sky gradually decreased, eventually disappearing as suddenly as they had appeared.

Seeing this, Yuan Ming immediately transformed his form and quickly ran toward the other end of the stone bridge. But before long, a new round of thunder and fire descended, and Yuan Ming had to transform into the Undying Tree again to withstand it.

After repeating this cycle seven times, Yuan Ming finally saw the end of the stone bridge.

Not daring to delay, he put away the Emperor Yan's Ruyi Scepter and jumped off the stone bridge before the True Fire could surround him, landing on the riverbank on the other side of the fire river.

With Yuan Ming's departure, the True Fire on the bridge subsided and returned to where it came from, disappearing without a trace in an instant as if it had never appeared.

Yuan Ming breathed a sigh of relief, took out a Healing Pill and consumed it, while channeling the power of the Undying Tree Demon to recover from his internal injuries completely.

Only then did he survey his surroundings again when a gentle voice suddenly rang in his ear.

"You finally came."

Yuan Ming's body shivered as he looked toward the voice.

Not far away stood a graceful figure in an indigo long dress, astonishingly it was Xi Ying.

"Xi Ying? How are you here?" Yuan Ming asked in surprise.

"No time to explain, just listen to me. Ahead is where the Pill King Pavilion Inheritance is located. You must take the inheritance before anyone else, and absolutely not let it fall into the hands of Ouyang Qiang and others, or the consequences will be unimaginable!" Xi Ying quickly stepped forward, grabbed Yuan Ming's hand, and pulled him along.

"Wait, explain first. Weren't you in the Central Continent before? Emperor Yan's Tomb is in the Abyss, how did you get here?" Yuan Ming frowned slightly, seeming to grow roots on his feet, unmoving.

"Sigh, at this point, why are you still fussing over small matters? The Pill King Pavilion is a sect from the Central Continent, naturally leaving many Secret Realms there. I came through a Transmission Array in one of those Secret Realms, and when I found out you were here, I specifically stayed to wait for you!" Xi Ying exclaimed, speaking rapidly.

"That's strange, Yun Luo Fairy clearly told me that the Secret Realms of the Pill King Pavilion left in the Central Continent are all broken, completely inaccessible." Yuan Ming showed a look of doubt.

"That Yun Luo Fairy is only a Returning to Void Cultivator, and she left the Su Nu Sect many years ago, how could she know the intelligence about the Pill King Pavilion?" Xi Ying said with a frown.

"Oh, then I must have remembered wrong." Yuan Ming nodded, seeming to believe Xi Ying, about to follow her.

But in the next moment, he suddenly raised his hand, and the Soul Destroying Sword flashed, slicing Xi Ying into two.

"Yuan Ming, what are you doing!" Xi Ying cried out in pain, her eyes full of disbelief.

"I've not been in contact with Xi Ying for some time, nor have I ever talked to her about Yun Luo Fairy, so how do you know Yun Luo Fairy?" Yuan Ming asked leisurely.

Xi Ying's face immediately turned vicious, trying to speak, but Yuan Ming didn't give "her" the chance, directly decapitating "her" with a single sword stroke.

Xi Ying's body shattered into pieces and disappeared in a plume of black smoke.

Yuan Ming sighed, a white light flashed in his hand, producing a white rune, the All Living Beings Dream Rune, buzzing and vibrating.

Even though he spoke with certainty just now, if it weren't for the All Living Beings Dream Rune sensing the aura of an illusion technique, he might not have made the decision to kill Xi Ying.

The surroundings of Yuan Ming quickly shifted, and he found himself back on the stone bridge, just a step away from the end where the red mist was, with countless True Fire rushing at him from behind, about to swallow him up.

Everything that just happened was nothing but an illusion.

Yuan Ming decisively stepped forward off the stone bridge, passing through the red mist, and onto the land across the fire river.

He steadied himself, glancing around the empty surroundings, unsure if he felt lost or pleased.

At this moment, the Shared Fate Talisman on him suddenly trembled, flying out and hovering before him.

"Yuan Ming, immediately tell me your current situation!"

"What danger is on the bridge?"

"What are you doing? Immediately respond!"

The voice of Ouyang Qiang continuously emanated from the Shared Fate Talisman, obviously laced with anger. This translation is powered by the readers at *.

Yuan Ming smiled coldly and suddenly raised his hand, crushing the Shared Fate Talisman, then turned to leave without any intention of lingering.

Soon, a three-story tall Redwood Pavilion appeared in Yuan Ming's vision ahead.

As he approached, he discovered a stele standing outside the pavilion, inscribed with — "Trial takers may enter to exchange Fire Beast Crystal Cores for treasures."

Yuan Ming was stunned, Fire Beast Crystal? Could it be referring to the fiery red crystal cores dropped after hunting those Flame Beasts?

He looked down at the Emperor Yan's Ruyi Scepter in his hand and smiled bitterly.

Along the way, Yuan Ming had fed all the Fire Beast Crystal Cores he had acquired to the Emperor Yan's Ruyi Scepter. Even when traveling with Yun Luo Fairy, he secretly placed the Crystal Cores he obtained into the Emperor Yan's Ruyi Scepter, allowing it to devour them.

Now, all the Crystal Cores had gone into the "belly" of the Emperor Yan's Ruyi Scepter, leaving Yuan Ming with none to use for exchanging for treasures.

Could it be that this journey will be a waste?

Yuan Ming sighed and eventually stepped into the pavilion.

The decorations within the attic were extremely simple, with only a few waist-high redwood tables, and neatly arranged light red candle racks placed against the wall.

Opposite the redwood tables stood a high wall with numerous squares embedded in it, numbering over a hundred.

The surfaces of these squares were shrouded in a thick white curtain of light, appearing indestructible.

Within the squares were all sorts of rare exotic treasures, while outside of the squares was a wooden plaque recording the required number of Fire Beast Crystal Cores, along with an Array Plate used to place the crystals.

Yuan Ming closely observed the treasures within the squares, spotting elixirs, spiritual materials, and various Magic Treasures. Even through the white curtain of light, he could sense the turbulent aura hidden within.

Unfortunately, the number of Fire Beast Crystals required for these treasures was also enormous, and Yuan Ming, with no crystals at hand, could only stare blankly.

As Yuan Ming gazed at the treasures within the squares and then at the Emperor Yan's Ruyi Scepter he held, he felt a wave of frustration, and promptly put it away, preferring not to see it.

Entering a treasure mountain, how could one leave empty-handed?

He gathered the redwood tables and other items within the attic, took out the Exterminating Immortal Sword, and fiercely slashed at the high wall.

A burst of cyan Sword Qi struck it but vanished in a flash, swallowed by the white curtain of light, having no effect whatsoever.

Yuan Ming displayed an expression of surprise, reaching out to touch the white curtain while sensing it carefully.

"Ah, so that's it, it's this kind of Forbidden…" His face soon brightened with joy.

The white curtain surrounding the squares was a highly sophisticated Space Restriction, making it impossible for any attack or method to reach the squares.

Breaking such a restriction would require an indeterminable amount of time given Yuan Ming's current level in Formation.

However, since the restriction could neither be touched nor broken, Yuan Ming simply decided to bypass it, as he had another method.

Yuan Ming beckoned with one hand, summoning the Sky-reaching Demon Pillar.

Through this object's void-breaking ability, it might be possible to directly retrieve treasures from the squares.

Yet whether there were other restrictions at this place, Yuan Ming was unsure, but he decided to give it a try.

Yuan Ming pondered, his Divine Sense roving through the attic, seeking the most worthwhile target to act upon.

Suddenly, he noticed a yellow Stone Talisman quietly lying within a square at the base of the attic's high wall, its shape almost identical to the Heavenly Escape Stone Talisman held by Wulu.

Yuan Ming had long witnessed the power of the Heavenly Escape Stone Talisman, and even though he advanced to Returning Void, he still couldn't see through Wulu's concealment. This item was so similar to Wulu's Heavenly Escape Stone Talisman, could it be a treasure with a similar effect?

With this thought, Yuan Ming decisively made his choice, quickly approached the square containing the yellow Stone Talisman, and activated the Sky-reaching Demon Pillar to break the white curtain of light before the talisman.

The white curtain of light was exceptionally resilient, and while it couldn't match the space barrier of the Stealing Heaven Tripod, he still spent a quarter of an hour just barely breaking through.

A space crack, as big as an adult's arm, instantly appeared before him; through the gap, he could clearly see the yellow Stone Talisman lying on red cloth, seemingly without any restriction covering it.

Yuan Ming immediately reached through the space crack, grabbing the Stone Talisman in a quick grasp.

"The Sky-reaching Demon Pillar indeed broke through this white curtain of light!" He rejoiced, preparing to break other square restrictions.

But just then, he suddenly sensed a Space Restriction enveloping his body. Before he could react, his vision blurred, and he found himself in a strange place surrounded by red walls.

"Only able to take one treasure… what a pity!" Yuan Ming sighed, wiped his sweat, then looked down to see the Stone Talisman still gripped in his hand, his expression brightened into a smile.

He put away the Sky-reaching Demon Pillar, and using his Divine Sense, probed the surroundings to discover that the surrounding red walls seemed to be made from some unknown material, not only emitting a faint glow but also isolating Divine Sense.

The place he was now in was quite cramped, with walls and ceiling tightly enclosing it, leaving only four deep and narrow paths, leading to unknown destinations.

Yuan Ming's Divine Sense extended along a passage, discovering on the other side were similarly small enclosed spaces.

Within those spaces were more paths leading in all directions, connected to other narrow spaces, appearing to be a labyrinth.

Yuan Ming didn't immediately proceed but raised the Stone Talisman, scrutinized it for a moment, then gestured to begin refining it.

Soon, he understood the Stone Talisman's function.

This talisman was called the Transformation Stone Talisman, possessing no attack or defense Divine Skills; its only ability was transformation, and when activated, it could turn the user into a stone.

"Transformation…" Yuan Ming murmured, activating the Stone Talisman.

A yellow glow flickered across his body, rapidly shrinking him until he transformed into a gray stone the size of a washbasin.

All Yuan Ming's Mana, Soul Power, and Qi Blood Power were sealed. The gray stone emitted no aura; it was a genuine stone.

"A great thing indeed, truly marvelous!" Yuan Ming was not disappointed, but rather delighted.

Compared to the Heavenly Escape Stone Talisman, this talisman was more limited in usage, unable to move after transformation, but its concealment effect was equally good, and it consumed very little, allowing for a prolonged transformation without worrying about becoming visible.

Yuan Ming attempted it a few times, satisfied with the talisman's effect, then stored the Transformation Stone Talisman away, selected a passage, and continued onward.