Han Li certainly wouldn't display these feelings on his face. Yet upon taking a glance, he was struck with astonishment. The depth of the cavern was not as profound as he had imagined—it was only about twenty or thirty zhang. With his Jie Dan stage cultivation, he clearly saw at the bottom a brilliant blue light in the form of flames, roaring vigorously. Within this blue flame, faint movements of dark objects were subtly shimmering. It seemed this was none other than the famed Xutian Ding. However, as he extended his body into the cavern, he immediately sensed an intense, piercing cold. Had it not been for his Lingxi companion effectively blocking half of the cold, he would have been instantly frozen by the oncoming chill. The blue flame at the bottom clearly radiated heat, yet it emitted an opposite, unusual coldness. Han Li was utterly amazed. Yet after merely glancing at the blue flame for a few moments, he felt a dizzying sensation and quickly drew back his gaze, steadying himself. "How is it?" That was the Dry Azure Ice Flame—a fire of the utmost cold and Yin. Even cultivators at the Condensation Stage would hesitate to touch it, let alone us seasoned Yuan-Ying Masters. A single exposure to this cold flame would easily dissolve a Yuan-Ying. It's said this fire is not native to our realm, and we still don't know how the ancient cultivators discovered it. Master Jiyin stood beside Han Li, gazing steadily at the cave as he slowly spoke. "Even a Yuan-Ying can be dissolved?" Han Li gasped at this. Yet soon after, his expression settled into calm. If that weren't the case, the Xutian Ding would have been taken long ago—how could it still be here? Though the Dry Azure Ice Flame poses a great threat to us cultivators, certain things remain unscathed—such as the golden silk spun by the Golden-Silk Silkworm, the spider silk of the Blood Jade Spider, and my two fire pythons. Now, summon your Blood Jade Spider and let us examine it carefully. "The Master of Extreme Yin commanded with an unyielding tone. Under the attentive gaze of the bearded man and the elder behind him, Han Li, without further hesitation or delay, pressed his hand against the spirit beast bag at his waist. A beam of white light shot forth from the bag, spiraled once, and then settled before the gathered onlookers. As the light faded, the medium-sized form of the Blood Jade Spider came into view. Seeing so many strangers, the spider rapidly ground its fang-like teeth, its eyes filled with hostility. Yet the bearded man, the Master of Extreme Yin, and the others paid no mind to these displays, instead gazing upon the spirit beast as if it were a precious treasure. "Hm, hm! This Blood Jade Spider is quite large—clearly at the peak of the fourth-tier beast, about to ascend to fifth-tier status. The chances of successfully retrieving a treasure are truly promising!" The bearded man's expression brightened as the spider first appeared. "Heh! When it comes to sheer strength, my disciple's Blood Jade Spider may not quite match some of the more primitive, exotic species from the wild." "But when it comes to retrieving this Xitian Ding, this spiritual beast is undoubtedly the best choice." Jiyin stared intently at the Xueyu Spider, his eyes glowing with excitement. "Exactly what Master Wu has said! Moreover, this spider's rank far surpasses that of the golden silk silkworms just beginning to reach the second-tier spirit beasts. Even this single spider outshines the entire group of silkworms." The scholar-clad elder beamed with satisfaction. After all, the task of obtaining the treasure now no longer seemed like a mere dream. "Let's begin right away! Otherwise, delays may bring about unforeseen changes! Han-li, have your spider spew out a web to encase the Xitian Ding, and then have it pull and strain on it later. I'll have two fire pythons assist the Xueyu Spider simultaneously." Seeing that the Xueyu Spider showed no issues, Master Jiyin promptly issued his instructions to Han-li. "Yes!" Though somewhat reluctant, Han-li could only nod and respond formally. "You both go down to the altar platform." As the Qing-blue ice flame from the Xuting Ding approached the entrance, it would simply be impossible for you and your companions to sustain it with your current cultivation levels. As for my young disciple Han Li, I shall also have to rely on Qing Brother to protect him a little while yet." The Jiyin Master, after giving a cold command to Wu Chou and Xuan Gu, then smiled warmly at Qing Yì, the resident scholar. "Of course! For the Complementing Heaven Pill within the Xuting Ding, I most certainly won't allow Han Li to suffer any mishap." The elder nodded and cheerfully agreed. Wu Chou and Xuan Gu then quietly descended from the altar, stepped back a few paces, and then stood firm once more. Glancing at the several elder demons who were watching with stern determination, Han Li sighed inwardly and issued his command to the Blood Jade Spider. Instantly, a stream of milky spider silk shot forth and transformed into a beam of white light, entering the cave. At this point, he could only proceed step by step. He hoped that after retrieving the treasure, the Jiyin Master would not immediately withdraw his support upon seeing the other elder demons, thus giving him a chance to In this way, when Xuan Gu's attack against Ji Yin finally came, he would be able to seize the initiative amidst the chaos. As for whether or not he could successfully extract the Xutian Ding, Han Li didn't give it a second thought. He was fully aware that no matter the outcome of the treasure retrieval, his situation would remain unchanged. After Han Li had settled upon his strategy in his mind, Master Ji Yin stepped directly across from him and reached into his cloak, pulling out a black spiritual beast bag. He then held the bag mouth downward and gently shook it. A flash of red light illuminated the ground, and suddenly, two massive red pythons, each several dozen feet long, emerged. These strange serpents were covered in phosphorescent red scales, each the size of fingernails, and bore an unusual, calligraphic pattern of symbols around the seven-inch section beneath their heads. Their four eyes glowed brightly, as if flames were burning within. After circling and stretching out on the ground, the two fire serpents immediately raised their sleeves, and with a flick of their fingers concealed within, two black pills were launched into the air. Two colossal pythons swiftly shook their heads, and one, remarkably agile, promptly swallowed the pill whole. "Go!" Ji Yin pointed firmly at the large opening without ceremony. Heard the command, the two fire pythons slowly drifted near the entrance, appearing languid and relaxed. Observing this, Ji Yin adopted a serious expression, forming an unusual hand seal and uttering a series of obscure incantations, as though activating a hidden spell. A remarkable scene unfolded. As the incantations resonated, the fire pythons' bodies glowed red, their scales turning dark red, and they became lively, shaking their heads and tailing with vigor. "Thud! Thud!" two sharp sounds echoed. The two serpents plunged their tails firmly into the ground near the entrance, penetrating deeply like sharp blades. Then, their upper bodies surged forward, stretching out as if boneless, and swiftly entered the deep opening. Yet their tails remained firmly planted at the edge of the entrance, motionless—now appearing as two slender, dark-red cords. To韩立's astonishment, the two ropes twitched slightly. Seeing this, the Master of Extreme Yin beamed with a touch of relief and immediately shouted vigorously, clenching his fists in both hands: "Done! They've now seized the Virtual Sky Cauldron. Hurry and have your spider pull with all its strength. Though the Fire Python has swallowed my pills, it cannot withstand the Dry Azure Ice Flame for long—success or failure hinges entirely on this!" As he spoke, a hint of fierce determination flickered in his expression. Han Li, observing this, inwardly scoffed. "Success means not only retrieving the treasure, but possibly losing my life. If it fails, I'd rather that." He muttered these thoughts with growing reluctance. Yet he still forced himself to have the Blood Jade Spider begin pulling steadily backward. For beside him, the bearded man and the scholarly elder were watching him closely, their eyes fixed on every move—clearly intent on appearing diligent while actually doing little. With such sharp-eyed observers, any pretense of effort would surely go unnoticed. Under Han Li's helpless command, the fine, milky-white, semi-transparent filaments immediately tightened, and the Blood Jade Spiders began to move slowly backward. At the same time, the two black-and-red ropes opposite the entrance started to twist and contract. A deep, resonant rumble echoed, and then the entire platform began to tremble. The blue light within the cave flickered erratically, dazzling Han Li so much that he had to turn his gaze aside, momentarily shielding himself from the flashes. Yet the Blood Jade Spiders paid no attention, continuing to pull steadily backward. "Well, the Virtual Sky Cauldron has begun to tremble," said Qing Yi-monk, his face showing evident concern, murmuring softly. Clearly, the cauldron was extremely heavy; even with the combined efforts of the Blood Jade Spiders and the two fire serpents, it merely rocked back and forth on the cave floor, showing no sign of being lifted after a while. Master Jie Yin did not show any signs of慌乱, but after a moment's contemplation, exhaled two streams of dark, refined qi, which instantly flowed onto the two fiery serpents. Then he turned to the bearded man and said urgently, "Brother Man, could you please bestow the technique of wild fury upon the blood-jade spider? My disciple's magical energy is still insufficient to manifest this technique." "Don't worry, I've got it covered," the bearded man replied, as if expecting this all along. Then he fixed his gaze on the blood-jade spider, his lips moving continuously, with a subtle red glow gradually emerging from his mouth each time he opened and closed it.