"Phoo!" The burly man roared, spewing a column of crimson light from his mouth. As the column struck the body of the Blood Jade Spider, it burst with a soft "pffft," spreading a thick wave of red mist that instantly enveloped the spirit beast. The spider emitted a series of hissing sounds, appearing agitated and restless, as though stirred to irritation. Han Li watched the scene, silently indignant. Hearing the name of the spell—"Frenzied Surge"—he immediately sensed it was a spell of ill omen, one of the more troublesome magical secrets from the demonic schools. The old magi had not even informed him of it, and yet they had applied it without hesitation, completely disregarding its potential impact on the Blood Jade Spider. Clearly, they had not taken him, a Condensation Stage cultivator, seriously at all. Though he had anticipated this development, the way they had treated him now truly stung. By now, the red mist had been fully absorbed by the spider. The luminous, transparent body of the spirit beast had completely turned blood red, as if it were a massive ruby. "This...," Han Li immediately recalled the scene when the blood jade spider had erupted in fury during his stay in the underground caverns of Tiannan. The same vivid, crimson hue—this was clearly the appearance of the spider in a state of intense rage. Han Li sent a subtle spiritual awareness toward it, only to feel an overwhelming sense of frenzy and agitation, as though the creature was losing its composure. Startled, Han Li was about to exert his will to calm the spider when the burly man suddenly roared. "What are you waiting for? Quickly command your blood jade spider to pull outward—this method of violent surge has a time limit!" he barked, eyes blazing. Han Li found himself quietly annoyed by this, yet he could only allow the blood jade spider to continue exerting its strength. Fortunately, though the spider had entered a state of fury, it faithfully obeyed his commands as its master. Immediately, a surge of crimson light flashed within the green eyes, and the several pointed feet wriggled wildly, actually pulling the taut spider silk slightly backward. A stronger vibration than before emerged, accompanied by deep, resonant thunder sounds emanating from within the cave. Seeing this, the bearded men and others all expressed relief simultaneously. Then, a brilliant blue light erupted suddenly from the cave, shooting straight upward for over ten zhang, reaching the altar. Han Li felt a sudden chill, followed by warmth. A radiant, shimmering green glow formed a protective dome around him. Han Li was startled to realize that the elderly scholar in the scholar's robe had amplified his own luminous aura several times over, thus shielding him as well. "Be careful! At the very moment the Virtual Heaven Cauldron is lifted, an even more intense wave of cold will surge forth—several times stronger than before. Back then, countless treasure-seekers unprepared for such a sudden occurrence suffered serious setbacks," the elder said solemnly. What the speaker said seemed to be directed at Han Li, yet this person's gaze never once turned toward Han Li, remaining fixed firmly on the entrance. At this moment, Qing Yi-monk appeared unusually tense! Han Li, upon hearing this, was momentarily startled. Could it be that many people before had attempted to move this cauldron? If so, why had they all failed? Though he harbored this question in his mind, he knew now was not the time to ask. He simply turned his face back, focusing once again on the scene at the center of the altar. Clearly, the Virtual Sky Cauldron was extraordinarily heavy; even with the full effort of several spiritual beasts, it only managed to shift and contract slightly, and the blue light at the entrance grew increasingly brilliant. Even the others—Ji Yin and the two beneath the altar, Wu Chou and Xuan Gu—remained completely still, their eyes fixed on the proceedings. Wu Chou clutched his hands tightly, his face glowing with excitement and eagerness. Xuan Gu, on the other hand, displayed a complex expression—both hopeful and hesitating. As the Xuting Ding was gradually pulled upward, everyone else besides those on the altar held their breath, intently watching the opening. Han Li, however, did not look toward the entrance but instead kept a concerned eye on his Blood Jade Spiders. After all, no matter how excellent the Xuting Ding might be, it could never truly come into his hands—these Blood Jade Spiders were the result of his own diligent cultivation. To his surprise, he noticed that the originally milky-white spider silk had begun to reflect a faint blue glow, though the glow was very subtle and barely noticeable unless one paid close attention—it was clearly not the natural color of the silk. As Han Li pondered this observation, a soft, crisp sound—like a subtle crack—echoed from behind the group. Though the sound was not loud, the entire gathering on the high platform was utterly silent, making the sound stand out prominently. Han Li was first startled, then quickly brightened with relief, and hurried to turn around. The sound heard was that of the protective veil being violently torn apart, coming from the stone steps of the elevated platform. Of course, the others—especially the bearded barbarian—had also heard it. The barbarian immediately frowned and roared, then struck his spiritual beast pouch at the waist. A beam of yellow light shot forth. Upon the light fading, a spirit beast resembling a leopard appeared before him—its body several times larger than that of a typical leopard, and atop its head, a third set of eyes had formed, with a faint yellow glow pulsing within. The scholarly elder turned around, his eyes flashing with cold resolve, and said coldly: "It's Wan Tianming and his group who came. My Qingji Bird and Master Wu's two spirit corpses have both been eliminated. They truly don't trust us to secure the treasures and have returned once again." "Try to delay as long as possible. Though the Virtual Sky Cauldron has already risen significantly, the suction force within the cave grows stronger as we progress. It won't be possible to extricate ourselves from the cave in a short time." The Jiyin Master wore a chill demeanor but showed no signs of alarm. The return of the orthodox disciples seemed already foreseen by him. "Then it shall be as Wu brother has said!" the elder replied, knowing a great battle was imminent—his response was both clear and decisive. His sleeves fluttered, and a surge of bright green light erupted, forming a host of small, green spiny birds, each the size of a sparrow. These agile, slender birds, with sharp beaks and steel-like feathers, floated silently above the elder, creating a formidable presence. Han Li frowned slightly upon hearing Xuan Gu's explanation, but soon smoothed out his expression and regained composure. For several streaks of long-rising rainbow light had already sped forth from afar, moving with astonishing velocity and arriving at the altar in the blink of an eye. After the霞light receded, Wan Tianming and the other Zhengdao cultivators appeared before everyone. "Good! Excellent!" Wan Tianming glanced at the blood jade spiders dragging the Virtual Sky Cauldron across the altar and the trembling blue glow of the cave entrance, yet spoke these words with calm composure. The Magian figures exchanged puzzled glances, unsure of the meaning behind his remark. "Good? Of course I'm good. But if you hadn't come, I'd feel even better," the bearded giant replied, looking directly at him with an unyielding gaze. "Wan, I didn't intend to come at all. But just after we stepped out, we discovered this young friend possessing the Blood Jade Spiders—a species that has long since vanished. With that, how could I possibly just walk away without making a move?" Wan Tianming said quietly. But as soon as he had finished speaking, his lips moved slightly, emitting a strange, low hum. The rough-bearded companions were momentarily startled, unsure of what was going on. At the very spot where Wan Tianming stood, a stone floor suddenly flashed with white light, and then a small blue creature, no larger than a mouse, burst forth, darting swiftly to land on Wan Tianming's arm. At this moment, the master of the Wan Fa Sect only regarded the rough-bearded companions with a smile of quiet contempt, saying nothing. "A fossilized beast!" exclaimed Qing Yi, the resident monk, upon seeing the creature. "Heh! If it hadn't been for my having kept this creature on standby to monitor the several of you, how could I have arrived just in time? This fossilized beast may not possess many remarkable abilities, but as long as it burrows into stone and hides, even if your powers are profoundly refined, you won't be able to detect it immediately. Now, it seems my contingency move has truly been well-placed." "Currently, Wan has presented us with two options. Either we wait until the Blood Jade Spider is slain, allowing the Xitian Ding to remain dormant within the cave, or we divide the treasure equally between us—our master absolutely won't permit the Mo Dao to monopolize the precious contents of the Ding alone." Wan Tianming slowly said, gently stroking the fossilized beast on his arm and then circling the Blood Void Spider several times before speaking. At this moment, Wan Tianming appeared confident, as if unshaken by the possibility of the rough-hewn men refusing to yield.