As her gaze swept over the jade vial in Xiao Yan's hands, Mei Du Sha and Xiao Yi Xian both narrowed their eyes, then, one after another, sealed off the entire room. They held a certain respect for the famed Hún Diàn Iron Protector, even though he was now severely wounded—after all, a Dou Zong-level warrior making a resurgence was no small matter and no one dared to ignore him. Seeing their reactions, Xiao Yan smiled gently. With a simple gesture, he brushed the rim of the vial, and the invisible flame waves gradually faded, eventually dissipating entirely. As the flame vanished, a shimmering, ethereal soul surged forth, then shot desperately toward the ceiling. With a quick finger tap, an invisible wall of flame suddenly appeared on the roof. The ethereal soul body collided with it, emitting a series of hissing sounds, followed immediately by a piercing, agonized cry. Xiao Yan gazed at the ethereal soul entity, now trembling and fleeing, and smiled faintly. With a subtle hand gesture, the intangible flame wall flashed downward, precisely encasing the soul and settling gently. "Ha ha, Iron Guardian, why rush so urgently?" He smiled warmly at the Iron Guardian, who was now carefully hiding within the flame shield, hesitating not to let any part of his body touch the surrounding flame barrier. "What exactly do you intend to do? All our soul guardians carry soul imprints registered within the Soul Palace. Should you kill me, your actions would surely be noticed. Then, the Soul Palace's enforcers would never forgive you!" the Iron Guardian shouted, glaring fiercely at Xiao Yan and his companions. "I merely wish to ask a few questions. As long as the Iron Guardian provides truthful answers, I promise you will be spared." Xiao Yan remained calm and composed, smiling gently at the Guardian's concerns. Upon hearing this, the Iron Guardian's eyes flashed with intensity, then he coldly replied, "What would you like to know?" "Tell me everything you know about the Soul Palace." Xiao Yan sat in his chair, speaking softly. "Any news from the Spirit Palace?" The Iron Monastic was taken aback, his eyes filled with astonishment as he gazed at Xiao Yan. Normally, people avoided them at all costs, yet this young man dared to inquire about the news with such boldness. "Boy, you truly have the courage of a lion in the face of a tiger! Don't think that having two Cultivator-level masters at your side makes you invincible. In the eyes of the Spirit Palace, extinguishing you would be nothing short of a mere gesture. If you wish to survive, you had better release me now—otherwise... Ah!" Before the Iron Monastic's words fully concluded, the invisible flame walls surrounding him suddenly contracted and adhered firmly to his spiritual form. The intense heat caused his body to emit continuous hissing sounds, and his piercing cries of agony rang out once more. After about half a minute of intense roasting, the flames gradually receded, leaving behind a profoundly weakened spiritual form. Xiao Yan glanced at the Iron Guardian with a calm, indifferent expression, his voice even and composed. "This is not the answer I was looking for. Don't think I'm afraid to kill you. Before I do, I'll make sure you suffer enough pain..." "You...," the Iron Guardian stared at Xiao Yan with bitter resentment, his eyes widening slightly as he took in the invisible flames burning along the walls around them. After a long pause, he finally said with reluctant determination, "What specific information from the Huan Palace would you like to know?" "How strong is the Huan Palace?" Xiao Yan posed the question he was most concerned about. This enigmatic organization, even the old medicine master holds deep respect for—it must be formidable. Since he intends to eventually rescue both the old medicine master and his father from their grasp, he naturally needed to understand their strength well. Hearing this, the Iron Guardian's eyes flashed a touch of scorn. "Asking this question—doesn't seem to bother you at all. Within the Spirit Palace, ranks are strictly hierarchical. Even among the Guardians, there are three tiers—Heaven, Earth, and Human. I myself am merely a Human-level Guardian. Above the Guardians stand the esteemed Elders, whose prowess is rare even when compared to the entire Continent of Qi. In the eyes of the Spirit Palace, your so-called Toxin Sect—merely a small branch—is sufficient to be completely eradicated." Upon hearing these words, Xiao Yan's expression grew serious. A cultivator of the Douzong level was still only a lower-tier Guardian? Then what of those at even higher ranks? "Have you ever heard of a Guardian named Wu?" Xiao Yan lightly tapped the table, speaking slowly. "Wu Eagle? Have you met him?" This time, it was the Iron Guardian who seemed surprised. "We've clashed several times," Xiao Yan replied calmly. A flicker of astonishment passed through his eyes. The Iron Guardian once again studied the young man before him, and after a moment, said, "He is also a guardian of the Spirit Palace, though one rank higher than me—he is a Ground-Level Guardian." "Ground-Level Guardian, huh..." murmuring to himself, Xiao Yan said solemnly, "Then what is the strength level of the Palace's Master?" Upon hearing Xiao Yan's question, the Iron Guardian's face immediately grew strange. After a while, he coldly remarked, "The Master is enigmatic. Not only have I never seen him, but even the higher-ranked Celestial-Level Guardians rarely have the chance to meet him. Among the entire Spirit Palace, only a few elders and a small number of others know the true strength of the Master." "Ha, well, just by observing how the Spirit Palace has grown into such a vast and powerful institution, even with your backside you could deduce the Master's strength—without any doubt, he is a truly formidable being. To be frank, you all haven't even the qualification to encounter someone of that caliber yet." Noticing Xiao Yan's furrowed brows, the Iron Monastery's protector sneered, "If you don't wish to endure any more scorching, simply answer my questions—everything else, just let it rot in your stomach." Xiao Yan coldly glanced at him before asking again, "Do you know what the Spirit Palace intends to do with so many souls?" "No, our task is merely to locate souls and bring them back to the Spirit Palace. As for what the Spirit Palace actually needs the souls for, no one knows. I'm telling you the truth—I can't fabricate it. If you doubt me, then I have no choice but to stand here and explain." The protector spoke without hesitation, and upon seeing Xiao Yan's expression darken after his words, he quickly added, "Then, where is the Spirit Palace's headquarters?" "This... I don't know," the protector replied, looking utterly helpless. "And when you capture souls regularly, where do you deliver them to?" With a cold gaze fixed on the protector, Xiao Yan only smiled thinly after observing his helpless expression. "We always have a set workload—we must complete it within the specified timeframe to return and settle our dues. Yet this return is not to the main headquarters. The Soul Palace has numerous branch palaces across the continent, and the place where we settle our souls is precisely one of these branch palaces." "Can you tell me how many of these branch palaces are located in specific places?" Xiao Yan pressed on. "One. When a Human-Level Guardian goes out on missions, they are only aware of one branch palace. A Ground-Level Guardian knows two, and a Heavenly-Level Guardian knows three." The Iron Guardian glanced subtly at the flames swirling around him, feeling the intense heat, and his soul trembled slightly before speaking. "Where exactly?" Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly, asking slowly. Upon hearing this, the Iron Guardian clenched his teeth and shook his head. "This is a secret of the Soul Palace. If it becomes known, my fate won't be much better than if I were killed by your hands." A cold gleam flashed in his black eyes. Xuanyin suddenly clenched his hands, and the intangible flame wall instantly contracted, pressing firmly against the iron protector's body. The hissing sounds resumed, and the iron protector's piercing, agonized cries followed. "You have two choices," Xuanyin said calmly, gazing at the protector, who was now steaming with white vapor. "Either endure the searing flames and die now, or pray that your betrayal remains unknown to the Soul Palace." "You—you bastard! Ah! I'm saying—I'm saying—let me go!" The iron protector had just begun to curse when the temperature of the intangible flame suddenly surged, and under the intense pain, he quickly shouted out. As he spoke, the contracted flame wall gradually expanded, revealing the weakened soul form beneath. "The division I know is located far from the Chuyun Empire, within the Tianxin Empire—situated at the junction between the central continent and the northwest region, specifically in a place called Tianzai Gully." The Iron Guardian's soul trembled slightly, and finally sighed in defeat. "The Celestial Heart Empire... the Tianzang Gorge?" He murmured softly to himself, his gaze drifting toward Xiao Yi Xian and Medusa. There were countless empires across the Qi Continent, yet he had never heard of the Celestial Heart Empire. When Xiao Yi Xian's gaze settled upon him, the young healer paused, then spoke with a touch of hesitation, "The Celestial Heart Empire—yes, we've heard of it. As for the Tianzang Gorge within it, however, I'm not entirely certain." Xiao Yan sneered, not waiting for the Iron Monastery's wrath to mount. With a wave of his hand, a surge of suction erupted, once again drawing him into the jade vial. As the intangible flame poured in, it continuously seeped into the sealing process, maintaining a high temperature that kept the Iron Monastery's soul in a state of severe injury. After resealing the Iron Monastery, Xiao Yan exhaled gently, his expression now slightly serious. From what the Iron Monastery had revealed, he could glimpse a mere fraction of the vastness of the Soul Palace—yet even this small slice left him profoundly impressed. Indeed, it was no wonder that even the old medicine master held them in awe. "So, what are your plans now?" Medusa asked softly. "First, we head to the Black Corner Domain. While seeking the unique flames, we'll also conduct some investigations into the Soul Palace. As the Iron Monastery stated, with my current strength, I pose no real threat to them. Therefore, we must accelerate our own development." Xiao Yan sighed lightly, murmuring to himself, then waved his hand and said, "Get everything ready. We'll set off for the Black Corner Domain tomorrow!"