Yuan Qing and the other two stopped what they were doing and stared blankly at Fang Hong, their eyes filled with shock.

Fairy Shi Lan was secretly amazed in her heart.

"This Zhao Wenjun is truly no ordinary person."

"His methods are far more complex than they appear on the surface. We absolutely cannot underestimate him again in the future."

Inside the Icy Passage, the crackling sounds of exploding Shadow Wind Bats constantly echoed.

The four of them struggled to move forward while dealing with the endless stream of bats.

It took a full half hour before they finally completed this perilous journey.

By a rough estimate, they had already traveled nearly three or four li through the passage.

The scene before them suddenly opened up, revealing an enormous Icy Iron Gate blocking their path completely.

Thick frost had condensed on the surface of the iron gate, emanating an ancient and profound aura.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao’s Cold-Avoiding Dao Techniques is truly miraculous, easily neutralizing the Shadow Wind’s assault."

"Could it be that Fellow Daoist is an Elder from a top Dao Lineage?"

Yuan Qing put away his Dao Artifact and asked.

As soon as he spoke, Fairy Shi Lan and Yu Cai also cast inquisitive glances, clearly all three were curious about this mysterious companion.

Hearing this, Fang Hong merely smiled faintly and fabricated an answer: "I, Zhao, am just an ordinary Elder of the Heavenly Palace, nothing worth mentioning."

"The Heavenly Palace!"

"So Fellow Daoist is actually an Elder of the Heavenly Palace, please forgive our discourtesy!"

As soon as those two words were uttered, the expressions of Yuan Qing and the other two changed, and they cried out in surprise.

In the Heaven realm, the Heavenly Palace is the undisputed number one power, wielding immense authority and possessing deep foundations.

How could someone who holds the position of Elder in the Heavenly Palace be an ordinary Immortal Emperor?

Their strength likely far exceeds that of Cultivators in the same realm.

Fairy Shi Lan was secretly even more relieved, fortunate that she had only entertained the thought of attacking at the entrance of the Ancient Tomb and hadn’t actually made a move.

Otherwise, if Fang Hong had managed to escape using his methods, it would have invited a pursuit from the Heavenly Palace, with unthinkable consequences.

Fang Hong waved his hand, smiling as he changed the subject: "Let’s first see what is hidden behind this iron gate."

As he finished speaking, Fang Hong was the first to activate the Immortal Power within him. Yuan Qing and the other two quickly followed suit, gathering their Immortal Power together and pushing toward the massive Icy Iron Gate.

Rumble.

A dull, booming sound echoed in the passage. Unexpectedly, this seemingly imposing iron gate had no restriction set up on it.

Without expending much effort, the four of them slowly pushed the iron gate open, creating a gap.

The moment the iron gate opened, a wisp of scorching red firelight shone through the gap!

Along with the firelight, a wave of scalding, burning aura surged out.

Completely different from the coldness inside the passage, it instantly dispelled the chilling Qi surrounding the four people.

The four exchanged glances, all showing surprise, and then combined their strength to push the massive gate completely open.

A passage paved entirely with fiery red rock suddenly appeared before their eyes.

Inside the passage, blazing red flames burned fiercely, illuminating the entire passage in a crimson glow.

Rolling heat waves rushed toward them like a tide; the air was scorched and distorted, and the temperature was terrifyingly high.

Seeing this, Fairy Shi Lan raised her hand and unleashed a mass of white chilling Qi, attempting to use her Ice Dao Techniques to suppress the flames in the passage and clear a path for everyone.

But as soon as that mass of chilling Qi floated into the Fire Path, it couldn’t last even half a breath before being instantly evaporated by the extreme heat, vanishing without a trace.

Fairy Shi Lan’s expression grew more serious, and she solemnly warned the three of them:

"Everyone, be careful. The flames in this Fire Path are definitely not ordinary mortal fire; their power is exceptionally fierce and they won’t be easy to deal with."

Yuan Qing and Yu Cai both nodded in agreement, preparing to summon their respective defensive Dao Artifacts to resist the flame assault.

But then they saw Fang Hong lift his foot first and walk straight into the Fire Path!

Yuan Qing and the other two all thought Fang Hong would immediately use some Fire-Preventing Dao Techniques, but Fang Hong maintained his calm demeanor.

He didn’t summon a Dao Artifact, but simply strode confidently through the raging flames, allowing the fierce fire to surge and churn around him.

What made the three feel even more incredible was that as soon as the fierce flames touched Fang Hong’s body, they instantly dissolved as if meeting their nemesis, failing to even scorch the corner of his clothes!

"What a powerful method. What kind of Fire-Avoiding Dao Techniques is this?" Yu Cai exclaimed, watching Fang Hong walk easily through the Fire Path.

Yuan Qing did not dare to be careless and quickly took out a completely luminous white jade pendant.

Injecting Immortal Power into his fingertip, the jade pendant immediately released a cool white chilling Qi, tightly wrapping his entire body and forming a thick protective shield.

After setting up his defense, he quickly chased after Fang Hong’s retreating figure.

Seeing that Yuan Qing had already set off, Yu Cai also hurriedly summoned a Fire-Avoiding Cloak and quickly draped it over himself.

As soon as the cloak was put on, a faint white light appeared, isolating the surrounding heat waves.

Fairy Shi Lan raised her hand and released masses of chilling Qi, covering herself tightly. Then, the two of them quickly followed, one after the other.

The flames on the Fire Path were far more formidable than the Shadow Wind restriction in the previous Ice Cave.

Moreover, the deeper they walked into the Fire Path, the fiercer the flames became, and the temperature grew terrifyingly high.

Before long, after Fang Hong and the others had penetrated several hundred *zhang* into the Fire Path, where they could originally still see the stone walls of the passage, it had now completely turned into a sea of fire.

The blazing flames surged endlessly, obscuring almost all vision.

What was even more hair-raising was that the flames seemed to gain sentience, condensing into shape, and Fire Birds, entirely engulfed in fire, emerged from the blaze!

The Fire Birds shrieked, scattering countless sparks as they flapped their wings, surging toward Fang Hong and the four of them in an overwhelming torrent.

Upon seeing this, Fang Hong showed not the slightest panic; instead, a trace of joy flashed in his eyes.

He immediately circulated the Devouring Tribulation Divine Art at full power. A faint layer of black Qi instantly appeared around his body, forming a bizarre vortex.

As soon as the attacking Fire Birds approached, they were violently sucked into the vortex, transforming into pure energy that surged into his body.

Fang Hong could clearly feel his physical body constantly being tempered; he was just one final opportunity away from achieving another breakthrough!

On the other side, Yuan Qing and the other two did not possess a Heaven-Defying body refinement Dao Technique like the Devouring Tribulation Divine Art.

Facing the swarming Fire Birds, they could only drive their respective personal Dao Artifacts to resist fiercely.

Yuan Qing held a long sword, and as the sword light flashed, he cut the Fire Birds into scattered sparks.

Fairy Shi Lan activated a blue bottle, spraying out chilling Qi, continuously extinguishing the attacking Fire Birds.

Yu Cai held a small bronze cauldron; the mouth of the cauldron emitted heavy yellow light, shattering the approaching Fire Birds.

While killing the Fire Birds, the three of them dared not stop for a moment, striving with all their might to quickly move forward.