What was visible was a thin, hazy gray thread writhing within the silver flame, yet no matter how it struggled, it could not escape the palm. "Indeed?" Silver Moon was startled upon seeing this. "This is impure yin energy—though it appears to be a living entity, it has no tangible form and can seep into the body, making it exceptionally harmful when used against an opponent. Even when a combined-phase cultivator encounters it, they usually remain unaware of its presence until a sufficient accumulation builds up within them, at which point the effects become noticeable," said Han Li calmly. "Really? Then I must have already—!" Silver Moon gasped, immediately scanning her inner being with her spiritual awareness. "Rest assured. Since I am aware of this entity's existence, I would not allow it to approach us. I've already used my spiritual awareness to isolate and block it off well in advance," Han Li smiled faintly. "Goodness, that did scare Moon quite a bit! Brother Han, didn't you intentionally keep this from me until now?" "Heard this, Yin Yue finally calmed down, yet could not help but glance at Han Li with a look of striking elegance. Han Li glanced at Yin Yue's vibrant face, even though his inner composure had long been refined to the point of being unaffected by external influences—yet a subtle sense of something unusual stirred within him, which he quickly suppressed and shifted his gaze away. 'I'm not unwilling to reveal this matter earlier. While this entity is indeed venomous, its true strength lies in its intangible, colorless nature. Once it has been detected, it poses no further threat. As long as I maintain my spiritual awareness, even a Lingxu-level being can effortlessly block its effects.' 'Then it must be quite manageable,' Yin Yue exclaimed with relief, promptly extending her own spiritual awareness. 'Given how potent this thing is, surely stepping out of this maze will lead us directly to Qi Ling Elder's treasure vault. Though the two pavilions previously designated as treasure halls contain some valuable items, they can only deceive ordinary magi.'" "We simply can't proceed," silver moon said, her eyes twinkling as she suddenly beamed with a cheerful smile. "Had it been a typical celestial sage of the demonic realm, the measures left behind would likely have been no more than this. But Master Qi Ling's reputation—during the early days of the demonic realm, he was nearly on par with the very first sage. Aside from this enchanted pavilion, there should have been even more powerful reserves left behind, surely." Han Li pondered and replied thus. "What could those more powerful reserves possibly be? Probably just some refined and more potent sealing spells or magical arrays, I'd wager." Silver moon smiled gently. "That sounds plausible," Han Li said, remaining neutral. As they spoke, each of them launched their attacks, eliminating one after another of the phantom beasts that had manifested. At that moment, the dense rows of pillars ahead finally reached their end, and at the edge, a massive crimson gate—tens of zhang in height—emerged, its surface adorned with dark demonic patterns, giving the impression of being impossibly heavy and imposing. After Han Li's divine awareness swept across the magnificent crimson gate, a blue glow flickered in his pupils, and he said with a touch of surprise, "Fire essence crystal—this gate appears to have been crafted from this material. It seems Master Qi Ling's wealth is even greater than I originally anticipated." As he spoke, his finger suddenly pointed toward the crimson gate. "Pffft!" A silver flame burst forth from his fingertip and swiftly vanished into the gate. Initially silent and still, the massive gate suddenly roared, surging forth countless waves of crimson fire, instantly transforming into a colossal flame gate. Yet, the originally closed twin gates slowly began to open, creaking with deep, resonant sounds. A surge of intense heat immediately erupted from behind the gate, sweeping out in a wave. Standing ten or twelve zhang away, Yin Yue instantly reacted—her body's luminous aura flared wildly as her complexion paled, and she hurriedly stepped back several paces to avoid the searing wave. Behind the gate, the red glow spread widely, revealing a vast world of roaring, blazing flames. This fire was clearly no ordinary blaze; its intense heat even compelled the silver moon, a cultivator at the Consolidated Stage, to refrain from letting her physical body come into direct contact, instead fully activating her protective spiritual glow to withstand it. Seeing this, Han Li slightly furrowed his brow, yet remained motionless, his body steadfast in place. With his own cultivation of the Spirit-Eating True Fire, this flame posed no threat at all. However, subtle fluctuations within the fire sea were now becoming apparent—clearly indicating that the situation was far more complex than it first appeared. After a few thoughts, Han Li immediately pressed a hand seal and exhaled at the same time. "Pff!" A silver orb of flame shot forth, swelling in the wind until it suddenly transformed into a large silver fire bird, measuring one zhang in height. The bird's body shimmered with cascading silver flames; upon spreading its wings and emitting a clear call, it swiftly dove headfirst into the fire sea. An unusual scene unfolded! Where the phoenix passed, the originally surging waves of crimson fire suddenly parted, clearing a path several zhang wide. "Silver Moon, if we don't move now, when shall we wait?" Han Li called out, and as he shifted his form, he mysteriously appeared on the path. Seeing this, Silver Moon smiled gently and moved her body to follow. Thus, the two followed the phoenix, stately and unimpeded, weaving through the sea of flames. Beneath the parted waves, clusters of crimson crystalline stones—each the size of a clenched fist—lay spread across the ground, glowing with red light and spouting slender streams of crimson flame. Han Li and Silver Moon floated several zhang above the ground, gliding steadily behind the silver phoenix, and in a moment's time, they reached the heart of the fire sea. A tremendous roar! The crystalline stones beneath the silver phoenix suddenly burst open, and a massive arm, gripping a brilliant, gleaming blade, surged upward from below—then, in a single motion, cleaved the phoenix in two. If an ordinary spirit beast sustained such severe damage, it would inevitably suffer a major wound, even if it did not perish on the spot. However, this firebird was formed from a subtle, slightly sentient true flame nurtured by Han Li—originally not a solid-bodied entity—and thus, after a single assault, its two bodies merely twisted suddenly and instantly reconnected, returning to their original state. Then, the silver firebird suddenly dove downward, flapping both wings simultaneously and forcefully. A series of sharp "shush-shush" sounds erupted! The silver domain transformed into a dense stream of silver sparks, swiftly covering the entire area where the blade-like light had just been projected, enveloping the crystalline ground completely. A continuous series of thunderous explosions followed. The entire ground was now bathed in silver light, and countless crystals shattered and burst outward under the impact of the silver sparks. The crimson arm was instantly torn to pieces, its structure collapsing completely and no longer able to maintain its original form. At that very moment, another massive crimson fist surged forth from a nearby crystalline ground, striking the silver phoenix with tremendous force and causing countless crimson runes to burst forth. The impact scattered the phoenix's body into countless silver flames that could no longer reassemble into its original form. Han Li, witnessing this, momentarily halted his forward motion in the lower air and unconsciously narrowed his eyes. A subtle expression of surprise flickered across the silver moon's surface. The flames within the fire sea began to surge and whirl wildly, and as the crystalline ground trembled violently, a humanoid automaton of about fifteen zhang in height emerged from it. This automaton wore a complete crimson armor that shielded its body from wind and rain, one arm bearing a magnificent, translucent great blade, with streaks of crimson flames winding around its body. A single crimson crystal was embedded prominently in its expressionless brow and forehead. "A magical crystal automaton!" Han Li exclaimed, slightly surprised upon clearly observing the giant figure before him. The puppet's appearance was quite different from the other magical crystal puppets he had seen before, yet the unique aura pulsing from its body unmistakably confirmed it as a magical crystal puppet—clearly not an ordinary one. "Magical crystal puppet!" Silver Moon raised an eyebrow, looking at Han Li with mild surprise. "This is a unique puppet technique native to the Magic Realm. I studied it somewhat when I first entered the realm. However, this puppet has nearly reached the peak of the consolidated late stage—far surpassing any I've encountered before." Han Li quickly explained. At that moment, the massive puppet had fully emerged from the ground. With a flash of cold light in its eyes, its enormous blade surged forward, cutting straight toward Han Li with a blinding flash of frost. Though the puppet was enormous in size, the light from its blade seemed like thunder and lightning—within a single flash, it reached Han Li's head, enveloping him instantly with a chilling sensation that made the blood in one's veins freeze. "The innate cold light—now truly impressive. That's why it could disperse my spirit-consuming phoenix fire birds!" As Han Li's divine awareness touched that chill, his eyes brightened. He lifted one arm slightly upward. A deep rumble echoed, and waves of air surged outward in all directions. The entire sea of flames trembled once more. The massive blade was held steady—just by a fingertip! Han Li allowed the cascading cold light to pour down upon the blade, yet remained composed, as if the strange cold had no effect at all. This was understandable—given Han Li's current physical strength, such mild cold could hardly touch him. Yet the great puppet's abilities far exceeded this. Upon seeing the crystal blade blocked, its gaze flashed with cold resolve. Suddenly, it opened its massive mouth, spewing out a beam of pale light. At the same time, with a sweeping motion of its other arm, a broad, crimson hand materialized in the air, adorned with countless runes, and with a fierce grip, reached down to seize Han Li. Before the great hand had fully descended, an intensely scorching red light surged forth, instantly carrying with it the scent of charred food. This red light seemed to directly pierce and melt the very void around it, demonstrating an astonishing power. Han Li's expression darkened. Suddenly, he swept one sleeve forward, and a broad, hazy glow surged past him. The earlier, milky-white light column vanished in a single flicker, as if instantly transported by the gray glow. At the same time, a hand as pure and white as jade emerged from the sleeve, calm and composed, and gently pressed against the surging red light and the following massive crimson hand.