Yan Xiang turned his head to see the retreat blocked, his shock and anger surging simultaneously.

The temperature in the square continued to rise, and without a retreat, even if they found treasures, they would all be trapped alive here.

With this thought, he unhesitatingly summoned the Red Orb he had obtained earlier, and the red light from the orb intensified, conjuring hundreds of fireballs the size of millstones out of thin air above Yan Xiang's head.

Yuan Ming swept the fireballs with his Divine Sense, a flash of astonishment crossing his eyes, and he immediately stepped back a few paces from Yan Xiang.

Almost simultaneously, Golden Cloud Fairy made the same move.

Yan Xiang pointed a finger, and all the fireballs rained down like a torrent on the stone cave's door, exploding with a bang!

A string of deafening booms followed, one by one, as sizzling mushroom clouds rose, and surging waves of fire engulfed the walls near the door before exploding in flames and smoke, shaking the entire square.

Waves of impact caused all the Nascent Soul cultivators to falter, while Long Chong and Daoist Qian Bao, two Core Formation cultivators, staggered back several steps before stabilizing themselves.

Yuan Ming and Golden Cloud Fairy had already retreated and were thus not affected by the impact waves.

Yuan Ming wasn't surprised; when those fireballs appeared, he sensed their potent explosive nature. His own Fire Cloud Secret Technique's fireballs also possessed explosive properties, but they paled in comparison to these.

However, despite the remarkable power of the Red Orb, as the smoke cleared, everyone saw that the gate remained unscathed, without even a trace of scorching, let alone pits or cracks.

Now, with the exception of Jin Chao Clone and Golden Cloud Fairy, everyone's faces darkened.

Yan Xiang had not anticipated that his barrage would have no effect, and with a grim expression, he stared at the door for a moment before leaping up, attempting to bypass the gate and flee over the surrounding wall out of the square.

Just as his feet left the ground, a sharp whoosh of arrows suddenly came from the sky.

Everyone hastily looked up, only to see seven huge suns hanging directly above the square, and in this moment, numerous Blazing Flames Arrows poured down from the suns, quickly reaching the space above Yan Xiang.

Yan Xiang's expression drastically changed, and he hurriedly summoned a red gauze magic treasure, forming a translucent, crimson protective shield around himself.

Yet, the Blazing Flames Arrows easily pierced through the crimson protective shield.

Yan Xiang screamed as numerous arrows penetrated his body, his fate unknown.

The cultivators on the ground, struck by fear, quickly summoned their protective magic treasures.

Suddenly, a burst of golden spirit light shot into the sky, enveloped Yan Xiang, and dragged him out of the arrow rain, dropping him on the ground.

The subsequent Blazing Flames Arrows halted and did not pursue further, dissipating slowly after a few breaths.

People on the ground let out a breath of relief and put away their protective magic treasures.

The golden spirit light spit out Yan Xiang, then flew back into Jin Chao Clone.

Yan Xiang's body had numerous charred wounds, looking like a torn bag, but fortunately, his Dantian and other vital areas like his head had not been penetrated by arrows, and he still had a faint breath.

Jin Chao Clone turned his head to glance at Lei He and the others, speaking indifferently, "Don't you quickly heal him, or do you wish to see him pass away here?"

Golden Transformation Master and Lei He came to their senses and hurried forward, taking out various elixirs and applying spells to treat him, but to no avail.

"That Flat Peach we just had not only extends life and enhances cultivation but also has significant healing effects," Jin Chao Clone said.

Realizing this, Golden Transformation Master hurriedly took Yan Xiang's storage magic tool, fetched the Flat Peach, and fed it to him.

The Flat Peach, worthy of being an Immortal Spiritual Fruit, swiftly restored Yan Xiang's breath, and he awoke from his near-death state at Ghost Gate.

"I, cough, cough, cough..." As Yan Xiang woke up and barely uttered a word, he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, then couldn't stop coughing.

Golden Transformation Master and Lei He hurriedly stuffed another Healing Pill into his mouth, helping to disseminate its medicinal effect, finally stopping the cough.

Gu Xuanyang, witnessing this scene, suddenly looked up at Jin Chao Clone, "Senior Jin Chao seemed to have anticipated this situation, didn't he?"

At this remark, Golden Transformation Master and Lei He also looked towards Jin Chao Clone, their eyes filled with questions.

The appearance of the arrow rain was too sudden, even for those with higher cultivation, there should be a reaction time, but Jin Chao Clone managed to act just in time, it seemed unlikely he wasn't prepared.

Earlier at the wall, Jin Chao's action of stopping everyone was also suspicious.

Facing the questioning, Jin Chao Clone expressed no intent to defend himself, "Indeed, I don't hide it from you anymore. Years ago, I had the fortune of coming to Three Immortals Island, and I am somewhat familiar with the situation here."

With that statement, the others couldn't help but look perturbed.

"This square is surrounded by the Nine Palaces Fine Fire Array; now that the Array door is sealed, we are all trapped inside. We cannot escape by force alone; we must find the Array node and break it in order to leave with our lives," Jin Chao Clone continued without waiting for questions from the others.

Upon hearing this, everyone hurriedly looked around, trying to locate traces of the Array.

The square was wide and empty, with only nine identical ruby palaces standing tall, and the ruby-built floor and walls seamlessly fused, showing no visible Array marks, making it seem as if there was no Array present.

But soon, everyone discovered that the positions of the nine palaces on the square were somewhat peculiar.

Of the nine palaces, only one was located in the center of the square, directly under the seven suns, while the other eight were located at the edges of the square, close to the surrounding walls, and were also arranged according to the positions of the Bagua.

While observing, Yuan Ming secretly contacted the first soul inside the Stealing Heaven Tripod, instructing it to ascend the Lotus Platform and extend its Divine Sense towards the suns in the sky.

The rain of arrows attacking Yan Xiang had fallen from the suns, which also indicated that the seven suns above the square might also be part of the Nine Palaces Fine Fire Array.

The first soul's Divine Sense soon made contact with the fierce sun in the sky. A fire poison, even more intense than the red mist in the Stone Forest, instantly invaded the Divine Sense, but the Stealing Heaven Tripod blocked it, preventing any harm to the first soul.

It quickly discovered that the seven suns seemed to be subtly connected to the seven palaces on the square, except for the central palace and the one located at the position of Deviation, which had no connection to the suns in the sky.

"Ladies and gentlemen, there's no need to search any longer," Jin Chao Clone hurriedly explained. "The key to the array actually lies within these nine palaces. By breaking all of them, we can easily escape this formation. However, the core of the array inside the central palace in the middle is the most powerful. Even if all of us join forces, we cannot break it. Fortunately, we don't need to deal with it if we just resolve the other eight keys, which will allow us to escape the peril."

At that moment, Yan Xiang had temporarily suppressed his injuries and regained some strength. Hearing Jin Chao speak so lightly yet recalling the recent desperate situation, he couldn't help but question, "Since you knew the situation here, why did you still lead us into this deadly trap?"

"Heh, even if I had informed and stopped you beforehand, would you really not have entered?" Jin Chao Clone sneered back, questioning in return.

Yan Xiang opened his mouth but found himself at a loss for words.

"Senior Jin Chao, why did you have us wait outside for a while before entering only when the seven suns were aloft?" Yuan Ming suddenly asked.

Hearing this, everyone turned their gaze towards Jin Chao Clone.

"The seven suns in the sky are also a derivative of the Nine Palaces Fine Fire Array. Although the seven suns being aloft will make this place hotter, it also concentrates most of the power in the sky, giving us a greater chance of breaking the array," Jin Chao Clone explained.

"I see, I spoke too soon," Yuan Ming said, nodding in understanding.

Gu Xuanyang frowned, "Enough, now is not the time to argue about this matter. We must break the Nine Palaces Fine Fire Array quickly. If we delay longer, we may all perish here."

"Indeed, but since the person who laid the array dared to place the nodes in plain sight, breaking them certainly won't be easy. Senior Jin Chao, do you have any advice on this?" Golden Transformation Master chimed in, turning to inquire.

Jin Chao Clone nodded his head and flipped his right palm, revealing a golden light in his hand, from which eight red talismans flew out and landed in front of everyone.

"These are Forbidden-breaking Talismans I refined specifically for breaking the Nine Palaces Fine Fire Array. They can shatter the barriers surrounding the palaces. However, there might be other obstacles inside the palaces, and you will need to resolve those yourselves," Jin Chao Clone explained.

Golden Transformation Master, seeing that Yuan Ming and Long Chong also received a Forbidden-breaking Talisman, immediately furrowed his brows.

"Senior Jin Chao, do you intend for the juniors in Core Formation to also handle a palace's forbidden barriers?" he cautiously asked.

"Time is pressing, and every moment we delay, our hope for breaking the array fades a little more. I am aware of the capabilities of Jin Yun and Daoist Qian Bao; each can handle a palace on their own. As for your son and Yuan, the two together might be able to break through a node," Jin Chao glanced at Yuan Ming and Long Chong.

Golden Transformation Master expressed some concern: "That may be so, but their cultivation is still inadequate. We cannot even assure we can break a node, let alone them."

"Don't worry, I have made preparations for this as well," Jin Chao Clone reassured.

As he said this, Jin Chao Clone waved his hand, prompting Golden Cloud Fairy, who was standing quietly by the side, to take two Fire Feathers from her Storage Bag and distribute them to Yuan Ming and Daoist Qian Bao.

The Fire Feathers were soft and warm to the touch, fluttering gently even without any wind, resembling a living flame. Although they appeared delicate and powerless, they contained intense evil energy, causing even Gu Xuanyang to feel somewhat daunted.

"These are Evil Feathers I have condensed over a hundred years. Once sacrificed, they can unleash a blow equivalent to that of a Nascent Soul Middle Stage Cultivator, ample for breaking the array," Jin Chao Clone explained.

Seeing him so thoroughly prepared, Golden Transformation Master had no further arguments to offer, taking Long Chong aside to carefully instruct him.

Yuan Ming stored the Fire Feather, and while he wasn't particularly nervous, he thoughtfully glanced at Golden Cloud Fairy.

For Jin Chao to entrust such a valuable item to Golden Cloud Fairy, there must be some relationship between them.

Could they be father and daughter? Yet since Jin Yun exhibited no demon energy, she likely wasn't a demon beast transformation.

Jin Yun felt Yuan Ming's scrutiny and glared back at him. Seeing this, Yuan Ming chuckled awkwardly and immediately averted his gaze.

Having decided to break the array, the group wasted no further time, quickly determining their targets and dispersing to act.

Yuan Ming and Long Chong were assigned to the Exchange palace. They quickly arrived at the palace doors which, upon their approach, manifested a crimson array that blocked their path.

Upon seeing this, Yuan Ming immediately took out the Forbidden-breaking Talisman given by Jin Chao, infused it with Mana, and threw it towards the door.

The talisman transformed into a streak of light that burrowed into the door. Immediately afterward, Yuan Ming and Long Chong heard a muffled bang. The array on the door instantaneously shattered, and the door itself showed dozens of cracks of various sizes, then burst inward, crumbling into countless fragments.

Yuan Ming and Long Chong exchanged a glance, each extracting their Magic Treasures, and cautiously stepped into the palace.

In the center of the palace, a large array slowly revolved, with countless red runes emerging from it, intertwining in the air into a spherical shape that seemed to envelop something. Intense heat surged towards them, making the temperature inside the hall even hotter than on the square.

"Is this the node of the array that Senior Jin Chao mentioned? We just need to attack it? Is it really that simple?" Long Chong couldn't believe his own words.

Yuan Ming didn't respond and extended his Divine Sense to cover the surroundings, yet he detected no hidden dangers.

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