"Equal shares?" Upon hearing this, the deeply somber expression on Jiyin's face furrowed slightly. To Jiyin, as long as he claimed even a share from his nominal disciple Han Li, no matter how the treasures were divided, his portion would always be substantial. Yet before Jiyin could fully consider whether this proposal was feasible, the bearded man leading the group suddenly burst into loud, confident laughter. "Equal shares of the Xutian Ding? Wan Tianming, you're dreaming! If you wish to take what's mine, first prove that your claws are strong enough!" With that, the bearded man gave a single command, and the giant leopard, which had been crouching before him, suddenly rose to its feet. A low roar erupted, and immediately, the third eye atop the leopard's head opened wide, projecting a beam of earth-yellow light straight toward Wan Tianming. "You brute! You're going to die!" Wan Tianming roared in outrage. He hadn't expected the bearded man to disregard his suggestion and immediately launch into action. No matter how one looked at it, his side, with the Cold Dragon and the Separated Tortoise aiding them, was clearly stronger than the opposing forces. This left Wan Tianming somewhat flustered, launching a beam of purple light precisely to intercept the yellow light column. As the two beams touched, the yellow glow instantly burst into fragments. Then came a sharp "clang," and the purple light vanished completely, leaving behind a pale, white object that fell from the sky. Before the onlookers could identify what it was, the object shattered upon impact. Only then did they take a closer look, and realized it was merely an ordinary fragment of stone. Most of the audience were momentarily stunned, expressing some confusion. Yet upon seeing this, Wan Tianming's face changed several times, his eyes narrowing with disbelief. He exclaimed, "The Transmutation Technique—your three-eyed leopard is a mutated spiritual beast!" The moment the words "mutated spiritual beast" were spoken, both the positive and negative factions present were struck with astonishment. Variants of immortal beasts and wild, primitive species may initially sound very similar, yet they are in fact quite different. "Wild, primitive species" refers to certain rare immortal beasts from ancient times that, over the course of time, due to various reasons, have altered their habits and appearances, evolving into a new group that retains some characteristics of ancient immortal beasts but is otherwise entirely distinct. However, such beasts are typically extremely rare, with only a small number existing, making them difficult to encounter. In contrast, variant immortal beasts are each unique in their own right. They are immortal beasts that undergo unexpected mutations during their progression to higher stages, resulting in significant changes in their abilities. While the outcomes of these mutations vary in quality—some being beneficial, others less so—some of the resulting abilities are truly exceptional and powerful, even surpassing what ordinary spells can achieve. For instance, the ability to transform most artifacts and divine tools into stone is one of the more well-known examples. This ability is truly sharp. Once, a cultivator at the Jiadian stage used the unique capability of his mutated spirit beast to eliminate three or four fellow Jiadian cultivators in a single blow, creating a ripple effect throughout the Luan Xing Hai. Since then, the cultivation world has uniformly referred to such unusual abilities of mutated spirit beasts as "the Art of Transformation," distinguishing them from ordinary spells. The three-eyed leopard belonging to Man-Hair had previously only emitted fire-based attacks through its third eye. However, now it projects luminous beams that transform unknown artifacts or法宝 of Wan Tianming directly into stone—a phenomenon undoubtedly arising only after the spirit beast itself has undergone mutation. This sudden development left everyone present stunned. After all, the emergence of mutated spirit beasts is a rare occurrence, happening only among spirit beasts of fourth-level or higher. Since the discovery of spirit beast mutation, only about a dozen notable cases have been recorded in the Luan Xing Hai. Yet only a small portion of the mutated beasts possess abilities that prove truly useful. Thus, the rarity of such mutated creatures becomes even more striking. The last time a mutated creature appeared in the Luoxing Sea was over a thousand years ago—so far back that it had become a dream for cultivators to even imagine that their spiritual beasts would undergo mutation upon reaching a higher stage. Now, both the magical and the demonic sects are closely observing this three-eyed leopard, each displaying a range of expressions. Only now does Wan Tianming fully grasp why the bearded man so firmly refused the proposal to divide the treasures equally—this very three-eyed leopard is the very foundation of his leverage. With this single mutation alone, he may well neutralize the presence of his cold-jade and distant-turtle beasts. As this realization dawns on Wan Tianming, his expression grows serious, and he raises his gaze toward Jiyin and the scholar in the scholar's robe. Both of them display astonishment and delight, clearly having abandoned any hope of sharing the Virtual Sky Cauldron with them. Wan Tianming's conjecture proved correct. Upon learning that the wild-bearded master's three-eyed leopard was a mutated spiritual beast, the ancient master of extreme yin naturally set aside his intention to yield. As a towering figure in the demonic school, he was far from a mild or accommodating one—once he could claim the treasure for himself, he would certainly not be willing to share it with the orthodox sects. After exchanging a significant, thoughtful glance with the scholar-dressed elder, he promptly spun his body with fluid grace. From his form surged countless waves of dark yin energy, while the dozen or so Tian Du Shi creatures at his side twisted and vanished into the black light, leaving no trace. The elder, with a mere sweep of his sleeves, sent forth countless strands of silvery hair from the folds of his sleeves, which surged tightly behind the flock of birds, racing forward. Seeing the magicians move first, Wan Tianming no longer hesitated. Though the mutated spirit beasts posed a challenge, he was not truly afraid. After all, no matter how formidable these beasts were, they were still mere animals. Moreover, he was well aware that the peculiar technique of transforming objects into stone had little effect on the practitioners themselves. As long as he avoided having his treasures struck by the yellow light, he could certainly manage this spirit beast. With this thought in mind, Wan Tianming emitted a sharp exhalation and uttered two concise words. "Let's go!" Immediately, he released the white cold dragon, then brought both hands together in a firm palm strike in front of his chest. A surge of purple flame erupted across his body, and in an instant, he transformed into a blazing figure of purple fire, soaring upward and charging straight toward the bearded barbarian. At the same time, Tian Wu Zi swiftly summoned Li Gui and struck hard upon its shell without hesitation. Instantly, the giant turtle's pair of green eyes flashed with fierce intensity, and as its mouth slowly opened, a dense wave of cold mist surged forth, spreading out in all directions, transforming into a towering surge of white, billowing waves that surged toward the approaching flock of green birds. The green birds, equally determined, snapped their beaks and launched out slender streams of bright green flame, which quickly coalesced into a massive column of green fire, colliding and intertwining with the white mist. The green flames and white mist splashed against each other, appearing evenly matched for the moment. But as two streaks of black light flashed within the green glow, three iron-clad yōji skeletons suddenly emerged. The countless green filaments surrounding them instantly came to life, shooting out in all directions, and in a matter of eyeblinks, numerous strands tightly bound several tian-dou yōji skeletons. These yōji skeletons, originally powerful and strong, were now completely unable to break free under the seemingly delicate green filaments, causing the two monstrous beasts to roar in agitation. Though he knew clearly that even if he managed to retreat a hundred paces, it would be merely a matter of little consequence,韩立 still instinctively wanted to run farther. Should any of the righteous-minded cultivators develop a sudden ill will and be willing to sacrifice the Virtual Sky Cauldron itself to eliminate him, the master of the Blood Jade Spider, he would surely be dead. He couldn't be certain that the bearded men and others would be able to rescue him in time. After all, this vast platform, spanning over a hundred paces, was already a narrow space for him to reach in an instant. At this moment, Jie Yin was being held up by another Yuan婴 cultivator, making it the perfect time for Xuan Gu to launch a surprise attack. It remained to be seen whether the old demon would be willing to sacrifice his own advantage to the righteous faction in order to avenge himself first. Thinking of this, Han Li glanced toward Xuan Gu, who was observing the battle from below the altar. The old man's face remained expressionless, showing no emotional fluctuations, and his inner thoughts remained completely opaque. "Old fox!" Han Li muttered under his breath, somewhat frustrated.