Han Li did not immediately act. Only after confirming that the old masters, such as Ji Yin, had truly ceased monitoring him, did he hesitate no longer and extend a single finger. A shimmer of green light flashed upon his fingertip, and a sword-like glow, several inches long, swayed and fluctuated there. With calm precision, Han Li traced a circular mark of fist-sized area on the smooth stone with the sword glow, then waved his hand, causing the glow to vanish. At the same time, his other hand swiftly lightly tapped the circle. Instantly, a hole appeared in the stone. Knowing that time was short, Han Li moved without hesitation and reached inside. The space within was not large; after a hasty grasp, he managed to retrieve an object. Han Li's expression changed slightly. The object was slender, rounded, and soft, resembling a staff. But only when he withdrew his arm did he realize it was actually an old, yellowed scroll. Han Li was surprised and was about to unfold it when his face suddenly changed. Then, he quickly tucked the scroll into his cloak, flashed forward, and leaned against the green stone wall, neatly covering the opening with his body, pretending to be resting. At the very moment he finished this, a deep, solemn voice from Master Jiyin resonated in his ears. "Han Li, come back quickly. We need to enter now." Hearing this, Han Li's eyes widened slightly in surprise. Didn't he say they were going to rest a while? How could the decision have changed so swiftly? Could it be that the three elder demons sensed something amiss? With these thoughts running through his mind, as soon as Master Jiyin's divine awareness faded from the vicinity, Han Li immediately turned around, sealed the opening once again, restored the original appearance, and then walked calmly toward the dais. When he reached the front, the several elder demons were standing at the steps, gazing intently toward the dais, and the two figures, Wu Chou and Xuan Gu, were doing the same. Han Li looked up in mild surprise, his expression subtly shifting. The blue light on the high platform flashed rapidly, almost blindingly, with occasional golden glimmers reflecting faintly amidst the movement. The stone platform itself had thickened by several inches within this short time, though due to the white light shield separating it, Han Li had not sensed any unusual changes. Upon seeing Han Li arrive, Ji Yin nodded slightly and then turned to the burly man beside him, saying, "Brother Man, my disciple has arrived. Let's go up. I didn't expect Wan Tianming's golden silk silkworm to actually cause the virtual heaven cauldron to tremble. Though I don't understand exactly why, it's still better to go and take a look." The burly man said nothing, but leapt upward with a swift motion, silently responding. Ji Yin and the others followed closely up the steps. A tremendous roar echoed—then, without a word, the burly man struck the light shield at the foot of the steps with a fist wrapped in his magical power. As a result, a massive crack several dozen paces wide immediately appeared in the light shield, and the bearded man turned his head and stepped inside. Jiyin and the erudite elder briefly shifted their postures, with Han Li caught between them, and proceeded without further hesitation. Xuan Gu and Wu Chou entered last. How cold! Though Han Li had anticipated the chill even before entering the shield, the moment he stepped inside, the cold air froze him to the core, and he quickly cast out his protective aura to ease the chill. The bearded man paid no attention to the others, simply strode steadily toward the center where the blue light was most intense. After exchanging glances, the elder and Jiyin could only sigh and hurried after him. Yet even so, Jiyin paused to glance back at Han Li, who was slightly behind, with a meaningful expression, urging him to move faster. Han Li could hardly bear the silent scolding from Master Jiyin. He wasn't exactly eager to flee out of self-awareness—he simply intended to stay a little longer, so he could take a moment to examine the scroll now cradled in his arms. After all, the place where this object was placed seemed rather unusual; perhaps it could prove beneficial to his current situation! However, now that the Jiyin Master had urged him so insistently, the dark, ugly figure seemed to have been reminded of something, fixing his gaze steadily on Han Li without so much as shifting an inch. Even the Xuan Gu bone seemed to cast a questioning glance his way. Han Li could only press on, forcing himself to move faster. Yet, just as he took a few steps ahead, his pace slowed again. This time, it wasn't his own intention. Under the intensely cold blue light surrounding him, despite the protective glow of his own treasures, each step forward made him feel colder and colder. After only a short distance, he grew pale and quickly sealed off his breath, fearing that the biting chill at the entrance would damage his lungs. "The Bai Lingxi I gave you not only resists fire but also protects against cold." "You don't need to wait any longer!" At this moment, Han Li once again heard the voice of the Ancient Master of Extreme Yin. Only then did Han Li suddenly realize and quickly produce the item, reattaching it to his waist. Indeed, as soon as the luminous glow from the Lingxi matched, warmth immediately spread throughout the surroundings. Now, with the warmth settling in, Han Li had the leisure to walk on, observing how the others were coping with this unusual cold. The bearded cultivators at the Yuan Ying stage didn't need much explanation—just relying on their protective aura, the three of them moved steadily ahead without any disturbance. Xuan Gu's neck now bore a string of shimmering red beads, yet he felt no chill at all. As for Wu Chou, who had appeared behind him at some point, he now wore a strange serpentine armband that emitted a soft pink protective aura, shielding him entirely. Han Li then turned his gaze back, as the path had now reached the center of the platform, where a small raised altar stood. There were seven or eight golden glows pulsating steadily on the altar, and at the center of these glows, a large, glaring blue opening was radiating outward. Han Li stirred with renewed alertness and quickly focused his attention. Within each golden glow, a massive, emerald-green silkworm several feet long was steadily spitting out golden filaments the thickness of a thumb, stretching them toward the blue opening. As the silkworms swayed and pulled back vigorously, each movement caused the blue light within the opening to flash violently. At the very moment the bearded man, Jin Guang, released his golden light, Wan Tianming and Tian Wu Zi suddenly turned toward them and coldly called out. Instantly, a surge of unusual activity occurred above—two streaks of green and blue light shot down, intercepting Jin Guang’s golden light and engaging in a fierce struggle. As far as I know, these two old masters have always cherished these two spiritual beasts, never lending them to anyone else. How could they have managed to secure these two creatures? The same scene also struck the Jade Yin Master, who was both astonished and visibly annoyed. "Hmph! Even if they don't lend them, it depends on who they're lending to. Wanshengming is the nephew of the mad aunt. Tian Wuzi is the junior brother of Tian Yuanzi. Isn't it natural that they could obtain these two spiritual beasts?" said the bearded elder with a gloomy expression. "Then this situation is indeed troublesome! These two creatures possess considerable powers. Should they fight fiercely, we three may find ourselves unable to dislodge them for quite some time," said Qingyi, the resident, anxiously gazing at the white dragon and the giant turtle. "Qingyi, Xuan Yin! What good is it to keep your Qingji bird and Tiandushen corpse if they can't hold their own against these two? Though they may not be able to defeat these two, they can at least keep them occupied for a while. We don't necessarily have to defeat Wanshengming and the others. The burly man with a beard spoke in a low, grim tone, smiling with a fierce expression. Upon hearing his words, the scholar-dressed elder and the Master of Extreme Yin exchanged glances, their expressions filled with hesitation. "Don't worry—I'll also send my spiritual beast into battle. Working with you two is a hassle!" The burly man glanced disdainfully at the two from the Yin sect, revealing a touch of contempt. Upon hearing this, the scholar-dressed elder and the Yin masters finally relaxed and agreed.