Flames of scorching fire erupted from Shi Yan’s palms, all pouring into the mouth of the stone cave before him.

For a long time, under the burning of the Heavenly Fire, the barrier at the entrance of Yin Beast Mountain’s cave finally showed signs of collapse, revealing a scorched, tiny aperture.

The expressions of those watching grew exhilarated.

Shi Yan’s eyes also lit up, as if he could see the dawn of victory through that small hole; he poured the scorching heat of the Heavenly Fire into the aperture with all his might.

As the strands of Heavenly Fire turned into flames and drilled into the opening, slowly eroding it and rapidly enlarging the void, Di Shan, Yu Rou, and the other leaders of the various alien races showed expressions of extreme delight.

Anyone could see that if Shi Yan continued burning at this pace, the breach in the mountain cave would soon rip open wide enough for them all to rush through.

A flash of lightning sparked in Di Shan’s eyes. After a moment of contemplation, he began to quietly approach Shi Yan’s location.

The group led by Duolong followed without much hesitation, gathering in the air about thirty meters from Shi Yan, watching his every move intently.

As long as no one stepped into Yin Beast Mountain, the thunder and lightning in the firmament above the peak would not shoot down.

The mysterious restriction in the high clouds seemed to possess its own consciousness and boundaries; it only forbade the masters of these two major alien races from entering Yin Beast Mountain. The moment their bodies touched the mountain, those restrictions would immediately activate, raining down terrifying bolts of lightning and thunder.

“Wait a moment. Once that opening tears wide enough, we all go in together,” Di Shan said solemnly. He glanced back at the five beside him and spoke in a deep voice, “Everyone be careful. There must be anomalies inside the mountain, perhaps great dangers lurking. Do not take this lightly.”

Yu Rou, Yi Tianmo, and the other four all nodded in understanding.

The peak powerhouses of the six major alien races hovered thirty meters away, coldly watching Shi Yan’s actions, fully prepared to enter at any second.

Faint beads of sweat glistened on Shi Yan’s forehead, and his back was already soaked—a result of excessive expenditure of power.

His body, long tempered by Heavenly Fire, had muscles and flesh that had mostly adapted to its heat. However, the fire energy flowing from the Blood Pattern Ring this time was far more scorching than any previous emission. This truly evolved Heart-Core Fire’s intense heat was several times greater than before!

Only now did Shi Yan realize that the previous Heart-Core Fire could barely be called Heavenly Fire; at best, it was a mutation of Earth Fire, not yet reaching the level of Heavenly Fire.

But the current Heart-Core Fire, after absorbing the essence of the sun, had undergone a tremendous transformation. Not only had it formed a complete soul and achieved a perfect life form, but its fiery energy had also increased significantly.

Vaguely, the Ten Thousand Year Heart-Core Fire now possessed the capital to contend with the Profound Ice Cold Flame, seemingly capable of the world-destroying, magnificent powers similar to it.

Because the power of the Heart-Core Fire had increased, the fiery energy it released was far more ferocious than in the past, causing Shi Yan to struggle to bear it. When channeling his vital essence into the strands of flame, he needed to consume much more power, which also led to a huge depletion of his spiritual consciousness.

The sweat covering his body would quickly evaporate under the Heavenly Fire, only to reappear again.

Shi Yan endured the discomfort, his attention focused, constantly releasing his spiritual sense, channeling an endless supply of vital essence from within his body—fusing it with the strands of Heavenly Fire in his palms to form Heavenly Fire energy with super-impact force.

Hiss, hiss!

The Heavenly Fire burned fiercely, and the aperture before him grew larger, gradually reaching the size of a human head.

A flicker of joy crossed his face, but Shi Yan dared not relax. He quickly urged the vital essence in his body again, extending both hands, which were burning with crimson flames, directly into the aperture.

Rolling torrents of Heavenly Fire enveloped his hands. Fire snakes flickered restlessly from his fingertips, eerily strange and mysterious. Within the deep red flames, a faint hint of purple emerged—a unique color formed by the mixture of Heavenly Fire, spiritual consciousness, and vital essence.

With both hands inside the void, controlling the fierce heat of the Heavenly Fire, Shi Yan channeled power into his arms, forcefully tearing at the aperture.

More Heavenly Fire flames streamed out from the back and palms of his hands. The Ten Thousand Year Heart-Core Fire sensed Shi Yan’s urgency, surging forth even more flame to help him tear open the barrier in one go.

Fzzzzzt!

A slightly sharp sound echoed suddenly from within the aperture. Shi Yan pulled with both hands, managing to rip the opening, which was only the size of a human head, until it matched the size of the cave entrance, large enough for any adult to enter.

“Go!” Di Shan roared. His black wings flapped, and he vanished like a bolt of black lightning.

Shi Yan was only stunned for a moment. Before he could get a proper look, he saw Di Shan had already passed through the barrier and entered the interior of Yin Beast Mountain.

Not far away, Yu Rou, Yi Tianmo, and the others saw Di Shan make his move. Without further hesitation, they all activated their speed, transforming into streaks of light, entering the mountain’s interior one after another at a speed that made Shi Yan’s eyes blur.

At the foot of Yin Beast Mountain, the numerous tribesmen of the Yin Fiend Race and the Winged Race suddenly burst into loud cheers, each filled with immense elation.

In this sudden burst of immense joy, these people saw hope, believing the destruction of the barrier guaranteed their departure from this desolate place.

Some people even raised their cups in celebration, toasting prematurely.

Furthermore, several highly skilled powerhouses broke through the air, soaring into the sky and rushing directly towards Shi Yan’s location. In an instant, the entire vicinity of Yin Beast Mountain was filled with sounds of ecstatic joy.

Shi Yan had only been stunned for a moment before he noticed dozens of powerhouses from the two races were about to approach and rush into the opening where he stood.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, deafening roars of thunder erupted from the depths of the clouds.

Terrifying bolts of lightning, like dense curtains of rain, suddenly enveloped the entire Yin Beast Mountain.

In an instant, the surroundings of Yin Beast Mountain were entirely covered by that dense, horrifying lightning. Looking out, those terrifying bolts resembled hanging beaded curtains.

Wailing cries of ghosts and howling wolves immediately reached their ears.

Under the continuous bombardment of that terrifying lightning, the charging powerhouses of the Yin Fiend Race and the Winged Race instantly turned into charred lumps of black charcoal. Their faces frozen in terror, they swayed precariously in mid-air. After not even a brief moment, they all plummeted downward. Midway, their bodies suddenly exploded, sending fragments of flesh flying.

A dozen or so powerhouses from the two races were instantly annihilated, leaving no remains.

All the alien onlookers around Yin Beast Mountain were stunned into silence, their cheers abruptly cut off.

No one had anticipated that in that single instant, more than a dozen powerhouses, at least at the Heaven Rank, would be killed so swiftly.

Without any warning, without any preparation, those dozen or so individuals were finished.

The celebrating aliens stared blankly at the chunks of flesh falling from the sky, at the misty rain of blood descending, and all became quiet.

Several alien masters who had been preparing to enter had already ascended halfway into the air, but they hastily froze in place, not daring to approach Yin Beast Mountain any further.

Shi Yan’s expression darkened. The next moment, he discovered that the torn barrier was slowly beginning to contract again during his moment of distraction.

Frowning, after a moment of hesitation, he abruptly passed through the barrier and entered the cave.

Howl! Howl! Howl! Deafening roars of the Yin Beasts immediately echoed from within the mountain as he entered.

The resounding bellows of those Yin Beasts were no less formidable than the thunder outside, shaking heaven and earth. Amidst those roars, the figures of Di Shan and the other five gradually receded into the distance, all charging toward the mountain’s interior.

Yu Rou lagged slightly behind.

After the figures of Di Shan and the first five disappeared, the beautiful silhouette of the White-Winged Clan leader gradually appeared in the distance. She looked at Shi Yan from afar, then suddenly invited him softly, “Come in together.”

Shi Yan paused, hesitating before asking, “Don’t I need to control the healing of this barrier?”

Yu Rou smiled lightly and shook her head, “Since you could tear it open once, you can do so again from the inside next time. You can tear the barrier open after the situation inside is resolved. The lightning outside seals the mountain walls, and no one else can enter. Staying there will only result in wasting your strength. We don’t know how long we’ll be inside. If we finish dealing with things inside only to find you’ve wasted all your power, that would be awkward.”

Shi Yan nodded, decisively giving up maintaining the barrier’s opening, and flew toward Yu Rou.

“Shi Yan…” As he reached her side, Yu Rou suddenly lowered her voice and called out softly.

“What is it?” Shi Yan asked quietly, his face full of confusion.

“Be careful,” Yu Rou said softly after a moment’s hesitation. “Later, try not to stray too far from me, lest some accident occurs. Also, keep an eye on Duolong and the three commanders of the Yin Fiend Race; those four might target you inside…”

Shi Yan’s brows furrowed deeply, and he said in a low voice, “Don’t they need me to break the external barrier anymore?”

“Hard to say…” Yu Rou’s charming face was etched with gravity. “You might have noticed it too. While the external lightning seals the mountain, the barrier power inside Yin Beast Mountain has already begun to weaken. Since we have entered, it means the barrier’s function is less critical. Perhaps, once the matters inside the mountain are settled, the barrier strength binding our two races might vanish entirely. By then, you will hold little value to them…”

Shi Yan’s expression changed drastically. After a moment of silence, he nodded heavily, “I understand.”

“I promised you that as long as you broke the barrier, I would do my best to protect you. I keep my word,” the White-Winged Clan leader said, her beautiful eyes shining brightly in the dim cave. “I will try my absolute best, but if things become truly unbearable, don’t blame me…”

Deep within the stone cave, Shi Yan felt a warmth in his heart. He boldly reached out and gently stroked Yu Rou’s snow-white wing, saying sincerely, “I will still thank you.”

The White-Winged Clan leader suddenly flushed entirely red. Her delicate cheeks turned charmingly crimson, and her beautiful eyes became hazy. Her voluptuous, mature body trembled in a marvelous way.

Her snow-white wings exuded a faint, smooth white sheen, feeling soft and wonderful to the touch, like silk.

“Eh?” Shi Yan looked surprised. “What is this?”

“You brute!” Yu Rou glared at him fiercely, but it lacked any real intimidation; instead, she appeared overwhelmingly charming and temptingly beautiful.

Gritting her teeth, Yu Rou scolded in a low voice, “Don’t you know that the wings of a woman from the Winged Race are a taboo zone even more sensitive than our breasts, strictly forbidden for any male to touch?”

“I didn’t know,” Shi Yan replied with a blank, innocent shake of his head.