As the white-robed figure suddenly appeared upon the column of molten lava, the entire space fell instantly silent. A stream of eager, fervent gazes turned toward him, each one clearly recognizing—by their own discernment—that the figure before them was the true essence of the Pure Lotus Immortal Flame. "Pure Lotus Immortal Flame," the black-robed Master of the Soul Palace remarked, lifting his head with a slightly displeased expression, fixing his gaze upon the flame. "I never thought, over the course of a millennium, you'd refined the Dream-Enveloping Mist of the Pure Lotus Immortal Saint to such a degree. Truly impressive." Earlier, he too had been trapped within the illusion; had it not been for the sudden, spontaneous rupture of the realm at the very last moment, he would have remained unaware that he was still within the illusion. "This flame is growing more enigmatic by the day. This time, there's no way we can allow it to continue escaping unchallenged. If it succeeds in making its way out, the Central Province will suffer utter devastation." The senior elder of the Pharmacology Clan, Yao Wangui, was fixated on Jinglian Spirit Fire with an intense, burning gaze, his hunger for it spreading steadily from deep within his heart. To his knowledge, no unusual fire had ever been capable of creating such an eerie, undetectable illusion—something even he himself could not perceive. The previous experience had made him clearly aware of the terrifying power of Jinglian Spirit Fire, and precisely because of that, his hunger had multiplied exponentially. Xiao Yan spread his hands. Naturally, he couldn't reveal the truth. The entire realm of the phoenix fire felt strange and eerie, and the pure lotus phoenix fire itself clearly proved to be an exceptionally difficult opponent. At present, he had no confidence in being able to subdue it. The peculiar luminous orb in his mind remained his only hope—he would certainly not expose it. "Was it really this young man who broke through the illusion?" The figures surrounding them, listening to the pure lotus phoenix fire's words, turned their astonished gazes toward Xiao Yan. It seemed surprising that, despite having only two-star Supreme Saint status, he had managed to be the first to penetrate the illusion cultivated by the pure lotus phoenix fire over a thousand years. "Xiao Yan truly possesses remarkable skill," remarked Huo Xuan, who stood nearby, smiling. "It seems we all owe him a debt of gratitude." Hearing his laughter, the Master of the Soul Pavilion and the members of the Herbs Clan merely sighed—naturally, they would not accept Xiao Yan’s kind offer. After all, the latter merely wanted to survive… The cloaked man stared at Xiao Yan with cold indifference. How could he believe such a reason? If, by luck, Xiao Yan managed to break through the illusion, wouldn’t that make all his decades of cultivating the Nightmare Mist a mere farce? "Well, once I’ve turned you into my fire servant, you’ll surely tell me in detail how your group managed to escape the illusion. Though it’s surprising, the final outcome will inevitably be the same," said the cloaked man, waving his hand. An invisible ripple spread out, and the milky-white circular glow in the distant sky gradually faded away. At this sight, everyone was stunned—how could the Pure Lotus Demon Fire have completely obscured the spatial passage? Clearly, the Demon Fire intended to eliminate them utterly! "Demons of the Heavenly Fire, refining the heavens!" The spatial channels vanished, and then, a fierce surge of luminous white flame erupted suddenly from within the white-robed man, swiftly spreading outward. In the blink of an eye, it enveloped the entire realm, forming a blazing prison that completely enclosed Xiao Yan and the others. Four massive sheets of luminous white flame poured down from the sky, eventually connecting to the molten sea below, creating the appearance of a quadrilateral prison spanning from heaven to earth. Xiao Yan and the others gathered closely, their faces serious, sensing that as the prison took shape, an intense, almost overwhelming heat was rapidly spreading throughout the area. "He intends to fully transmute us," Master Yao said, his expression grave. "The Net Lotus Demon Flame is exceptionally powerful; at this moment, it likely stands at the peak of the five-star Saint rank, and with its unique abilities, even a six-star Saint could be matched in battle. No one here possesses the strength to surpass him..." At this moment, the one who had remained silent throughout, Xiao Chen, slowly spoke. He deeply understood the Net Lotus Demon Flame's current strength. "Peak of five-star..." Hearing this, everyone's expressions subtly shifted. Among the Saint ranks, each level represents a significant gap, and given that the Demon Flame itself ranks third among the rare Demon Flares, it proved especially formidable. "Boom! Boom!" As the crowd remained on alert, a series of deep, resonant explosions suddenly erupted from a distance behind. Xiao Yan and the others quickly turned to see several figures suddenly exploding into swirling clots of blood mist, which were instantly vaporized by the intense heat. This sudden, explosive demise immediately sent many people into panic. They had clearly seen no attack launched, yet these individuals... However, as their panic grew, more and more figures appeared to explode out of nowhere, the deep, resonant thuds sending shivers down people's spines. This method of killing was truly intangible and colorless. As the last syllable of the white-robed man's utterance settled, the entire sky instantly erupted into chaos—nearly eighty percent of the Douzun-level warriors experienced a bizarre, explosive disintegration, as if powerful explosives had been planted deep within their very bodies. "That man is absolutely terrifying," the group of Xue Yan and his companions murmured, their feet growing cold as they watched the sky lose half its strength in mere moments. "Thankfully, we didn't bring in the strongholds of the Tianfu Alliance; otherwise, half of them would have perished instantly under just this single statement." "Ah, only those remaining now have the qualification to become Fire Slaves," the white-robed man smiled, his handsome face finally revealing a touch of warmth. With a wave of his hand, ten columns of molten lava surged upward from the sea floor, then burst into splendor, revealing ten figures clad in pale, fiery armor, now standing around him. "Really... all of them are Divinity Saint-level warriors!" Staring at the ten figures with blank expressions, Xiao Yan took a sharp breath. Clearly, each of these figures was a Fire Slave, but what struck him as astonishing was that every single one had reached the Divinity Saint rank—some even achieving the late stage of a Three-Star Divinity Saint! Facing such a grand display of Net Lotus Fire, everyone present paused momentarily, even the Hall Master of the Soul Palace, whose brows gradually furrowed. "Every time I break through the seals, several self-proclaimed elite figures come rushing in. Unfortunately, in the end, they all become the most obedient Fire Slaves under my command..." The man in white robes smiled gently at the gathering, speaking softly, "This time, my collection will surely be even more abundant." "Hmm..." The Hall Master's gaze was firmly fixed on the distant array. A nearly six-star Dou-Sheng, ten Dou-Shengs ranging from one to three stars—such a lineup was something even the Hall of Souls could scarcely muster. "Regardless of any grievances we may have among ourselves, if we are to survive and defeat Jinglian's妖fire, we must unite. Now, my eyes first go toward Xue Yan and Gu Na Hai—those two are among the strongest here. Should they refuse to join forces, the situation will quickly become complicated." Hearing the Hall Master of the Soul Palace's words, many of the stronger figures had their eyes flicker—so formidable was the Soul Palace's reputation, that no one had ever imagined forming an alliance with these very beings. Seeing the others remain silent, the Hall Master was not surprised at all. He simply said, "Take time to consider your options. Of course, if anyone is confident enough to handle the Pure Lotus Demon Flame alone, I promise to step completely aside." "Though the Soul Palace has a well-earned reputation, your point holds merit—the Pure Lotus Demon Flame seems determined not to let us leave easily," said the elder of the Flame Clan, hesitating before finally speaking. The current situation demanded such a course of action. Upon seeing the Flame Clan's agreement, the elders of the Medicine, Thunder, and Stone Clans also after a brief pause, nodded in affirmation. "What shall we do?" asked Xun'er, softly, as she still cast her gaze toward the Hall Master of the Soul Palace. To cooperate with the Soul Palace was clearly to court danger. Xiao Yan raised his head, locked eyes with the Hall Master for a moment, then offered a gentle smile and spoke softly, "As the Master has said, let us first cooperate to address the Pure Lotus Demon Fire..." Everyone here who agreed to join hands surely harbored ambitions to claim a share of the Pure Lotus Demon Fire. Yet regardless of their individual intentions, their immediate priority now was to defeat the Pure Lotus Demon Fire—because only by doing so could they secure their survival, and only then would they gain the opportunity to seize the core essence of the fire! This cooperation, naturally, came with its own hidden motives.