The depth of the canyon was not as deep as expected. Before long, Yuan Ming followed in the footsteps of Master Tantai and his group, thoroughly breaking through the blockade of the Blazing White Flames and reaching the canyon floor.

The situation here was very different from above; there were no traces of flames scorching the brown earth here, and the temperature around had decreased significantly, becoming no longer unbearably hot.

And in the center of the valley stood a massive grand palace.

The palace was entirely crimson, with every brick and tile shrouded in what seemed like a fiery red glow. Above the main gate hung a plaque inscribed with the three powerful characters "Xihe Palace," appearing to have witnessed the passage of countless years, exuding an ancient and unsettling aura.

Master Tantai and his party landed in front of the grand palace, like ants standing before a giant tree, unable to see the full extent of the palace even with just their sight.

The main gate of Xihe Palace was tightly closed, with faint phantom runes flickering on it, clearly sealed by some kind of Forbidden seal.

"I didn't expect the canyon to hold such a situation. It seems there must be something good inside this palace, even if it's not the Heavenly Fire, it's an extremely precious secret treasure," said Gan Wenqing somewhat excitedly, looking at the enormous Xihe Palace.

Master Tantai shared the same thought, staying silent while raising a hand to cast a spell to probe the seal on the gate.

But just then, a surge of black energy suddenly rose from behind them, and within the black energy emerged a massive black claw resembling a bear's paw, several meters in size. The palm and nails were covered in strange runes, mercilessly descending upon the group of five.

Master Tantai and the others were still observing the Xihe Palace ahead, completely unaware of the impending danger.

"What's happening?" Yuan Ming wondered to himself.

The speed of the black bear claw was fast, yet not astonishingly so. With Master Tantai's level of Cultivation, he should have sensed it beforehand. Could it be that this black bear claw had some special Divine Skills, completely bypassing the Spiritual Sense of Master Tantai and the others?

The five were on the verge of being crushed when the Emperor Yan's Mysterious Fire Tripod suspended in mid-air suddenly released a bright light, swiftly descending to block the black bear claw.

Without anyone to activate it, the power of the Emperor Yan's Mysterious Fire Tripod was insufficient. With a "bang," it was sent flying.

However, Master Tantai finally sensed the bear claw behind him, his expression changing dramatically, as he fiercely waved his sleeve.

The Emperor Yan's Mysterious Fire Tripod, which had been knocked away, instantly stopped, and a torrent of three-colored flame pillars gushed forth, quickly forming a flame giant fist the size of a house, colliding with the ambushing black bear claw.

Accompanied by a loud "boom," the black bear claw was driven back, retracting into the black energy, while the flame giant fist flew back into the Emperor Yan's Mysterious Fire Tripod.

"Tsk tsk, a Great Perfection Spirit Treasure is indeed troublesome," a voice grumbled from the black energy.

"That's because your Alaya Divine Claw is not fully refined, unable to deceive the Artifact Spirit's senses," another voice replied.

"Black Bear King, since when did you learn to attack from behind!" Master Tantai looked towards the black energy behind him, shouting in a deep voice.

"Tantai, didn't I already tell you not to come? Why do you never heed my warnings? Now it's come to this, I have no choice but to take your life," a tall figure appeared from the black energy, rubbing his head. It was indeed the Black Bear King.

"Did you leak the Empress's plan? After this battle, I will report this matter in detail to the Empress," a flash of red light appeared beside Black Bear King, and the figure of the Flame Wolf King emerged as well.

And behind the two demons, more than a dozen tall demon beasts appeared simultaneously, all Level 5, surrounding Master Tantai's group, clearly having been lying in ambush for a while.

Master Tantai's expression was heavy; raising a hand, the silver duster appeared in his grasp.

Yang Fan and the others also summoned their respective Spiritual Treasures, readying themselves for battle.

"It seems the Ten Thousand Demon Country was indeed prepared early on. Could it be that the Xihe Palace truly holds the Heavenly Fire?" Yuan Ming, having already moved aside, watched the spectacle unfold.

"Brother Wan, our master and the others are in danger. Can you lend a hand?" Nan Shangfeng's voice suddenly resonated in his Sea of Consciousness.

Only then did Yuan Ming realize he forgot to disperse the Circular Light Technique inside the Shura Palace, allowing Nan Shangfeng to observe the situation outside.

"Sorry, I don't have the ability, nor do I want to get involved in this murky water," Yuan Ming refused decisively without a second thought.

Both the Black Bear King and the Flame Wolf King were Sixth Rank Upper Stage Great Demons; helping them would be seeking his own death.

"I'm willing to offer Spirit Stones as compensation, name your price!" Nan Shangfeng said, as generous as ever.

Yuan Ming quickly dispersed the Circular Light Technique inside the Shura Palace, ignoring Nan Shangfeng.

While Yuan Ming and Nan Shangfeng were conversing, a fight was already breaking out on the other side.

"Tantai, it's been hundreds of years since we last sparred. Let me see how much you've progressed over the years!" Black Bear King laughed aloud, clapping his hands together and striking towards Master Tantai.

Master Tantai flicked his wrist, the silver duster transforming into countless silver threads, piercing towards Black Bear King's palms.

The Emperor Yan's Mysterious Fire Tripod also shot out another flame blast, targeting Black Bear King.

The Flame Wolf King did not seize the opportunity to join forces against Master Tantai, instead flashing towards Gan Wenqing and the other four.

As a dignified Sixth Rank Great Demon, just the fierce momentum he released caused Gan Wenqing and the others to tremble all over, their actions delayed by several beats. It wasn't until the Flame Wolf King charged at them that they finally raised their Spiritual Treasures to protect themselves.

Gan Wenqing is a Spoken Witch, but also a concurrently practiced Magic Practitioner, with cultivation reaching the Returning to Void Stage, she raised a yellow umbrella to protect herself.

The two elder men in yellow robes were skilled in Joint Attack Technique, and together they summoned a green mountain-like Spiritual Treasure, several mountain phantom images appeared around them, sheltering them within.

"An ant trying to shake a tree!" The Flame Wolf King sneered, striking out with a large hand.

Two gigantic flaming palms appeared before Gan Wenqing and the two yellow-robed elders, striking harshly against the yellow umbrella and the mountain phantoms.

However, the expected earth-shaking sound did not occur, and the two flaming giant palms disappeared into thin air without a trace.

Gan Wenqing and the two yellow-robed elders were momentarily stunned, not knowing what had happened.

But at that moment, Gan Wenqing's yellow umbrella suddenly exploded, turning into countless tattered pieces, with endless fiery red flames emerging from nowhere, sweeping in all directions.

The green mountain summoned by the two yellow-robed elders similarly exploded, destroyed by the fiery red flames that suddenly emerged from within the mountain.

Both Gan Wenqing and the two yellow-robed elders were blown away by the explosive flames, suffering significant injuries.

The Flame Wolf King seized the chance to pursue, raising both claws as ten sharp red beams shot out, intending to tear the three into pieces.

On the other side, Master Tantai saw the Flame Wolf King's actions but did not even turn his head as he continued to engage with the Black Bear King.

"Something's not right, watch out for treachery!" The Black Bear King, having known Master Tantai for many years, immediately sensed something, yelling urgently.

But just then, the Flame Wolf King heard a sharp "clang" as a white sword light appeared before him, slashing swiftly towards his throat.

At such a distance, it was already unavoidable.

The Flame Wolf King's heart tightened, and he immediately disregarded killing Gan Wenqing and the others, as his red mane around his neck ignited instantly, while countless scarlet red spiritual patterns surfaced on his body. He forcibly twisted his body, crossing his arms just in time to block the incoming sword light.

With a sound of clashing iron, the Flame Wolf King was sliced back, crashing into Xihe Palace behind before stopping.

The Flame Wolf King's arms were marked with a long and deep wound, with his skin split open and pale bones exposed, looking extremely terrifying.

The white sword light also flew backward, but quickly stopped, transforming into a broad, snow-white longsword emitting a piercing Sword Qi that penetrated the void.

A white light flashed over the longsword, and Yang Fan's figure emerged from within, exuding a vast fluctuation of aura, entirely different from before.

"So Yang Fan has reached the Dharma Manifestation Stage and is also an astonishingly powerful Sword Cultivator; no wonder Master Tantai is unconcerned," Yuan Ming nodded silently.

"Good sword, and not a bad person. It's been ages since I encountered a Sword Cultivator that unites man and sword. Today, let's enjoy a good fight!" The Flame Wolf King, extremely angry yet laughing, praised, then raised his arms, licking the wound with his tongue.

The split skin on his arms rapidly healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, soon returning to its original state.

Yang Fan silently flew out, raising an arm to lift his sword, pointing the sword tip slantingly at the Flame Wolf King.

The next moment, both of them exploded out simultaneously, transforming into beams of red and white light colliding together.

On the other side, Gan Wenqing and the two elder men in yellow robes finally stabilized their stances, but before they could catch their breath, the remaining Level 5 Demon Beasts surrounded them, launching a fierce attack on the three.

Yang Fan, having only just entered the Dharma Manifestation Stage, was far from a match for the Flame Wolf King, but being a Sword Cultivator, he could deploy the Divine Skill of Man and Sword Unity, moving nimbly and swiftly, which left the Flame Wolf King unable to do much in a short time.

As for Gan Wenqing and the others, Gan Wenqing utilized her Soul Cultivation Divine Power, her soul manifestation was a clam, puffing her chest and abdomen to spew a large white mist.

This mist had a strong hallucinogenic effect, causing the dozen or so Level 5 Demon Race to not dare to approach closely. Under the cover of the white mist, the trio managed to fight and flee around Xihe Palace, barely holding on.

The situation in front of the palace became chaotic, various spirit lights flickered madly, and demon energy clashed with Mana in the air, erupting in piercing shrieks.

However, no one noticed that amidst their entangled battle, a transparent figure quietly bypassed everyone, gradually making its way to the front of Xihe Palace.

Yuan Ming gripped the Heavenly Escape Stone Talisman tightly, standing long, meticulously observing the grand door before him.

The door of Xihe Palace was of the same color as the bricks and tiles, with a similar texture, all forged from giant stone, exceptionally sturdy. Even when struck by the aftershocks of the Dharma Manifestation battle not far off, it left no marks.

On both sides of the door, there were several brass door nails embedded, arranged from top to bottom, a total of twenty. Each door nail was larger than a human head, with runes continually flashing on them. Yuan Ming tried remembering for a while, only to find out that the runes had hundreds of variations and no discernible pattern.

He attempted to summon the Undying Tree Root, hoping to use its void-piercing Divine Skill to penetrate into the hall.

But the Forbidden on the door had the surrounding space tightly locked. After several attempts, Yuan Ming couldn't open a spatial rift at all.

Finding no shortcuts, Yuan Ming could only honestly try to decode the Forbidden on the door.

But after spending quite a while, Yuan Ming still couldn't grasp the situation, only able to faintly sense that the Forbidden on the door far exceeded the Sixth Level, presumably a Seventh Level Array.