Han Li's brows furrowed as soon as his feet stepped onto the plaza. A wave of scalding heat immediately surged from below, and despite the protection of his magical boots, he felt as if he were treading barefoot on burning coals.

However, after a few steps, he noticed that there was nothing else amiss, and he quickly adjusted.

He soon reached the end of the plaza, which stretched for several hundred zhang.

Han Li lifted his foot and stepped onto the stone steps leading up to the crimson palace, gazing upwards.

A plaque hung above the tall doorway, bearing the three ancient seal characters for "Fire Origin Palace." Above the plaque was a bronze plate emblazoned with a strange flame rune.

Han Li's expression abruptly shifted as he glanced at it, and he quickly sidestepped as if to evade something.

In the next instant, the rune on the bronze plate flashed brightly, and a beam of crimson fire, as thick as a thumb, shot straight down from it, aimed directly at the space between Han Li's eyebrows.

Although Han Li had sensed the danger, he was unable to dodge it completely and was struck on his forehead by the fire beam.

A sharp, burning pain immediately erupted from the center of his forehead. Despite the toughness of Han Li's bones and skin, the skin on his forehead instantly split open, revealing bare white bone.

"Ugh..."

Han Li felt as though his forehead was about to be incinerated, as if his skull was about to melt.

At the critical moment, a silver light flared up from between his eyebrows, and a ball of silver flame emerged, clashing against the crimson fire beam.

Only when the Essence Flame Firebird appeared did Han Li feel the intense pain in his forehead subside, and his flesh began to heal rapidly.

His gaze sharpened, and the mental turmoil caused by the burning was quelled.

The Essence Flame Firebird emitted a sharp cry, and the silver flames surged in all directions, converging upwards like blooming lotus petals, engulfing the fire beam and slamming into the palace doorway, swallowing the bronze plate whole.

Within moments, the bronze plate was gradually melted away by the silver flames. The fire power contained within was completely devoured by the Essence Flame Firebird, and the remaining residue turned into a pool of molten copper, which flowed down the plaque.

Afterward, the Essence Flame Firebird flew back, circling around Han Li as if seeking praise.

Han Li smiled and waved his hand,收起it.

He raised a hand to rub his forehead, where the flesh and skin had been completely restored, leaving only a reddish-brown mark the size of a thumb that had not yet completely faded.

He glanced at the palace gate again, pushed it with his hand, and the two heavy crimson doors slowly swung open.

Han Li stepped across the threshold and into the main hall, his eyes scanning the interior.

The interior was sparsely decorated. Two rows of wooden shelves were placed against the walls on either side, each holding a lotus-shaped lampstand, with a bean-sized flame flickering inside.

In the center of the hall was a circular altar, similar in style to the altar in the Golden Palace, but entirely crimson. It seemed to be constructed of some kind of red crystal, and it was also topped with two objects.

At the top of the altar, on the left, a white orb the size of a dragon's eye floated in the air. It bore no inscriptions or runes, but was enveloped in a layer of nearly transparent white flame, emitting waves of incredibly dense fire-attribute law power.

On one side of it, as usual, floated a ball of golden flame.

Han Li's heart stirred slightly as he swept his gaze over it. The Great Five Elements Illusory World Art within his body was activated. He raised his hand and released the Time Domain, enveloping the surroundings.

Waves of time law power emanated from his body, and he reached out toward the golden flame on the altar.

The golden flame seemed to sense the call of the same attribute law power and flickered slightly, but that was all. It quickly returned to its original state and stopped moving.

Han Li smiled wryly at the sight.

"It seems I won't be able to get anything until I break the altar's array..." he muttered to himself as he收起ed the Domain and his magic power.

With that, he circled around the altar, carefully examining it.

After a moment, Han Li stopped, his brows furrowed, and he stroked his chin, lost in thought.

Soon, however, he seemed to have reached a decision. With a flip of his hand, he took out array flags and array disks and began placing them around the altar.

Before long, an octagonal array appeared around the altar.

Han Li carefully examined the array again, his brows still furrowed, and after determining that there were no omissions, he made a hand seal and began to activate the array before him.

With a buzzing sound, all the array flags and array disks on the ground lit up. The octagonal array projected a brilliant golden light, connecting to form a layer of golden light curtain, like an octagonal golden wall built around the altar, enveloping it entirely.

As soon as the array began to operate, the altar shook violently. The white fire orb floating above it flashed, and the nearly transparent flames on it surged and seeped into the altar below.

Countless fire runes lit up on the altar. With a roar, a wave of crimson fire surged out, rushing toward Han Li.

However, the flames were immediately blocked by the golden "wall." The rolling heat waves could not break through and could only rise violently, like a huge pillar of fire reaching to the top of the hall, blowing it open with a "boom."

Han Li watched the huge opening that appeared above his head, his eyes flickering slightly, but he felt much more at ease.

As long as he could use the array he had set up to prevent the altar's power from dissipating, and allow it to expend some of its energy into the void, its power would naturally weaken a lot. Then, he could safely enter the array and retrieve the treasure.

But at that moment, an unexpected turn of events occurred!

The walls on both sides of the hall seemed to have turned red under the intense heat. Circles of strange fire runes appeared on them, emitting waves of bizarre aura.

"Damn it, the restrictions here aren't just on the altar..." Han Li exclaimed, raising an eyebrow at the sight.

As soon as he finished speaking, a red light flashed within the circles of runes, and a hideous head emerged from each of them. They had deer antlers, ox-like faces, and long, serpent-like bodies trailing behind them.

As the two monsters charged out, they flew past the two rows of wooden shelves, and the flames from the lotus lampstands flew up and attached themselves to their bodies.

With a "boom,"

Intense flames erupted from the bodies of the two ox-headed serpent monsters, transforming them into two clawless fire dragons, opening their bloody mouths and charging towards Han Li.

Han Li reacted swiftly, dodging left and right, barely managing to pass between the two fire serpents.

Seeing that their attack had missed, the two fire serpents circled around from both sides, enclosing Han Li in the center.

Han Li smiled wryly. Just as he had built high walls around the altar, these two fire serpents were now doing the same around him.

The two fire serpents raised their heads high, and their pairs of flame-condensed eyes stared at Han Li below. Surprisingly, their eyes, which should not have possessed any emotion, held a hint of coldness.

"Roar..."

A roar seemed to emanate from the mouths of both serpents simultaneously, and torrents of flame surged from their gaping jaws.

As the rolling crimson flames shot out, Han Li was instantly engulfed. The incredibly hard ground beneath his feet could not withstand the extreme heat and was immediately cracked with countless web-like fissures.

Then, with a "bang," it shattered.

The ground suddenly sank, and the rocks beneath his feet instantly turned into red magma, rising and falling in waves, splashing like water. Han Li stood unsteadily on it, shrouded in a layer of golden light, struggling to keep himself from sinking into it.

Flames were everywhere around him. He felt as if he had been thrown into an alchemical furnace, almost suffocating.

Han Li's mind focused. Enduring the scorching heat, he silently activated the Heavenly Fiend Suppressing Prison Skill within his body. His hands changed from fists to open palms, and he suddenly spun around, striking out with his palms at the surroundings.

As he spun faster and faster, his palms struck out continuously, wave after wave. Each strike brought a burst of star power, pushing back the surrounding flames.

As he spun faster and faster, and the palm strikes he unleashed became more and more continuous, often one strike had not yet subsided before another arrived. The power of each strike increased as they stacked upon each other.

The range of his palm strikes was very limited, only extending a few zhang from his body. The power of the palm strikes did not spread out, but was instead suppressed in the center by the surrounding flames, gradually condensing into a circular vacuum wall that enveloped Han Li.

At this moment, Han Li secretly reversed the True Words Treasure Wheel within his body, and his figure instantly became blurred. The palm prints he unleashed became more and more dense, layer upon layer.

Finally, the curtain wall that enveloped Han Li's surroundings exploded after being suppressed to the extreme.

There was a deafening "boom!"

The vacuum curtain wall suddenly shattered, and thousands upon thousands of dense palm prints, wrapped in star power, slammed into all directions.

It was as if a tornado had suddenly risen from the ground. All the magma was the first to be swept up, turning into a torrent that surged faster and faster. The incredibly hot air above it was also drawn into the tornado, tearing at the surrounding fire serpents.

First, the crimson flames spewing from their mouths were instantly torn apart. Then, their bodies were swept into it and shattered inch by inch under the pounding of the palm prints, turning into a huge vortex of flame.

Han Li's figure flew out from the center, striking out with a punch in both directions.

With another series of "boom" sounds, two huge holes were blasted open in the walls on both sides of the hall. The fire runes that had appeared on them were completely destroyed, and even the two rows of wooden shelves holding the lotus lampstands were shattered.

As soon as he had escaped and stabilized himself, he saw that the flames on the altar were still rising, but were three points weaker than at the beginning. Clearly, the array he had set up had worked.