The land of magma surged with crimson flames. Xiao Yan crossed his arms, gazing at the dense array of strange creatures surrounding him, then smiled gently. "Since there are guardians, I wonder—what exactly are they guarding?" "Humans! Leave now or perish!" Two flame lizard beings with pale, porcelain bodies and cold, piercing eyes fixed steadily on Xiao Yan, their hesitant voices slowly unfolding. As their words settled, the expressions of the surrounding lizard beings instantly darkened with menace, their scales growing noticeably duller and more somber. Xiao Yan remained calm, unbothered by the rising tension. If this had happened back then, he would have been utterly startled—yet now, with only two half-Saints and a few mediocre warriors, he felt no sense of intimidation at all. "Today, I've settled this magma realm!" Xiao Yan chuckled softly, his form remaining still. A vast surge of soul energy radiated forth from his brow, spreading rapidly like a lightning bolt. "Hum!" As the soul surge expanded, the molten rock beneath it trembled violently, emitting a resonant hum. Immediately, the numerous flame lizard humans surrounding him were struck by a sudden shock—powerful soul pressure surged from their inner souls, causing their very souls to tremble. Their formation became disordered in an instant. "Thousands of feet of molten tidal waves rapidly spread out, and those two white-flame lizard humanoid figures were instantly blasted away, spewing out streams of blood from their mouths. Their eyes, filled with profound shock, fixed upon Xiao Yan. "Get out!" Xiao Yan's face was stern, and his thunderous command erupted from his tongue like an explosion. Vast soul waves subtly surged beneath the sound, expanding powerfully and sending waves of turbulence rippling across the entire molten sea within a ten-thousand-foot radius. "Thump, thump, thump!" The sound waves reverberated, and the countless lizard humanoid figures surrounding him were all knocked back, yet Xiao Yan had precisely controlled the force—though he had driven them away, none of them were injured. After all, he was unfamiliar with this place, and no one could predict what unforeseen consequences might arise from such a large-scale engagement. Nevertheless, it was likely that this very location had been left behind by the last Great Emperor of the Qi Continent. Being cautious and careful, as he was, was undoubtedly the right course of action. At the very core of this molten expanse, Xiao Yan had stirred chaos and upheaval. The flame lizard beings, who had initially carried fierce expressions, now stood in stunned awe, retreating far away and gazing at the figure that loomed like a divine demigod. The sheer soul-pressure radiating from him caused their very souls to tremble. "By daring to intrude upon the sacred resting place of the gods, you shall surely be condemned by the divine!" the two flame lizard beings, whose bodies shone with a pale hue, choked out, their blood tasting metallic as they strained to speak. Yet, Xiao Yan merely smiled calmly. In his heart, he felt confident—there must be something of great significance at the very bottom of this molten realm. The beings' mention of the "sacred resting place of the gods" likely pointed directly to the ancient abode of Todhe, the former emperor. As this thought formed, a warmth surged in Xiao Yan's eyes. He gently licked his lips, his gaze fixed upon the dark, flowing lava below. At the far horizon, something terrifying seemed to sprawl, as if coiled and guarding its secrets—profoundly ominous. "I hope I'm not mistaken..." Xiao Yan softly murmured, then moved swiftly, transforming into a streak of flame and darting toward the depths of the molten rock. Watching his form, the flame lizard beings hesitated briefly before ultimately deciding not to intervene—having observed the earlier events, they now understood that if Xiao Yan hadn't held back, they would likely have been wiped out entirely. "Stupid humans, seeking their own demise!" The two flame lizard beings with pale bodies exchanged glances, then snorted, moving swiftly into the molten rock and swiftly gliding toward the distance. ... With these flame creatures no longer obstructing his path, Xiao Yan's speed further increased. Yet, no matter how astonishingly fast he moved, he still seemed unable to reach the far end of the molten rock. The path ahead remained hazy and indistinct, constantly blurred by the waves of the molten flow. For this situation, Xiao Yan's brow furrowed slightly, yet he did not give up. The depth of the magma sea far exceeded his expectations—such a feat simply couldn't be achieved by human effort. Perhaps only when one reached that level of mastery could one truly possess such abilities. "I still don't believe you," Xiao Yan murmured, chuckling coldly. "Your magma truly has no end?" His body surged forward like a meteor, sweeping past, and in his wake, a vacuum emerged—where the magma was shattered and vanished entirely. "Boom! Boom! Boom!" Rushing ahead with unyielding momentum, the color of the surrounding magma gradually shifted from deep crimson to dark crimson over time. And when the magma turned to this hue, Xiao Yan's speed was also forced to slow down considerably. It seemed as though the magma concealed a peculiar heat—so intense that even the purifying power of Jinlian Demon Fire could not easily cleanse it at first. As the surroundings changed, Xiao Yan's gaze flickered rapidly. Yet, as his growing alertness intensified, a sudden sensation emerged within him, causing his body, which had just descended into the depths, to instantly stiffen. "Pfft!" The rapid sudden halt shook the surrounding magma into explosive bursts. Yet Xiao Yan's eyes remained fixed ahead. In his soul perception, it seemed as though the magma had reached its end—yet what lay before him remained an endless expanse of molten rock. Xiao Yan's eyes flashed uncertainly. Then, he slowly extended his palm, where the Jinlian Demon Fire surged, and gently touched it to the magma before him. "Hum—" "As Xiao Yan's hand touched the molten rock, the latter rippled and surged, while Xiao Yan's hand itself seemed to vanish entirely—like as though he had penetrated a spatial layer. 'Hidden beneath the molten rock lies a space...' Watching this scene, Xiao Yan couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath. Though he now possessed the ability to create spatial constructs, actually forming one beneath this molten rock would surely have been a formidable challenge—even for the Heavenly Soul Emperor or Gu Yu, such a feat would have been difficult. 'Tosha, the Ancient Emperor, truly lives up to his reputation!' Xiao Yan smiled gently, calming the surge of excitement within him. Over the millennia, few could achieve such a feat—besides the sole Emperor of Battle—so who else could there be? By now, Xiao Yan was confident with eight out of ten certainties: Tosha's ancestral hall must indeed lie beneath this very rock." In his pitch-black eyes, passion surged. With only a brief hesitation, Xiao Yan bit his teeth and took a decisive step forward, stepping directly into the space beneath the molten rock. "Shh!" As his entire body entered the mysterious realm, the constant sound of molten rock flowing abruptly ceased. Before Xiao Yan, stretched an endless space of darkness and stillness—an ancient, serene silence that had persisted for countless ages. The atmosphere within radiated a deep sense of timelessness and maturity. His gaze slowly swept across the space, which appeared empty and unremarkable. With no notable wonders in sight, he furrowed his brows and advanced cautiously. After flying through this vast, silent expanse for several minutes, Xiao Yan's steps finally slowed. His eyes fixed on a distant spot, where a faint glow began to emerge. Gazing at the luminous orb, Xiao Yan hesitated for a moment before finally biting his teeth and soaring forward. As he gradually approached the orb, the scene within it came into clear view. It was a stone gate—an immense gate stretching tens of thousands of li in scale! The gate stood quietly within this vast expanse, as if eternal and unchanging, radiating a deep, primordial aura that slowly spread and rippled throughout the heavens and earth. Before the gate lay a vast plaza of equal magnitude. Xiao Yan remained at a distance, far from the ancient stone gate, his eyes wide with wonder at this strange sight within the dark space, so completely entranced that he could not utter a word. Before the magnificent and vast stone gate, Xiao Yan felt like a mere insect, his heart naturally filled with reverence. Yet soon after, he became suddenly aware of a sense of alertness—just this single stone gate stirred within him a sense of difficulty in maintaining composure. This place truly was strange and unpredictable. Xiao Yan's gaze swept across the stone gate, finally settling on its top, where four ancient characters were inscribed. As his eyes caught sight of these characters, his pupils narrowed sharply and his heart surged with a powerful beat. "The Ancient Emperor's Mansion!" Though the characters were not particularly ornate, their simplicity carried an unparalleled dignity, as though they had descended from the heavens. "At last, I've found you..." With these ancient characters before him, a broad smile spread across Xiao Yan's lips. Yet the smile on his lips did not last long. Suddenly, a cold sensation surged through Xiao Yan's heart, as though something were watching him intently. This feeling caused his expression to grow steadily more serious. He scanned the surroundings, but found nothing out of the ordinary. Then, after a moment, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he slowly lowered his gaze. At that instant, a column of flame erupted from his fingertips! The fire blossomed brilliantly in the dark space, yet at that very moment, Xiao Yan's gaze froze. He stared blankly at the space beneath him, as if his blood had turned to ice. "What is this?" His scalp began to tingle in the quiet space.