Han Li wasn't quite sure about Xuan Gu's intentions, so he turned his gaze. At this moment, the red glow on the spirit beast's body had become increasingly brilliant. Though the creature's body slightly trembled, it was gradually contracting the pale, silken thread that now reflected a faint, shimmering blue light—cold and fluctuating, creating an eerie sensation. However, as the blue light approached the red glow on the Blood Jade Spider's body, it burst into scattered points of white light and was immediately repelled, unable to come within half a foot of the spider's core. Han Li furrowed his brows. Without needing to ask, this strange light must be closely related to the Qianlan Ice Flame. That's why none of the elder immortals had gone to assist the spirit beasts in retrieving their treasures—perhaps they were deeply wary of this blue light! Just as he reached this conclusion, a tremendous roar echoed from above, interwoven with the hearty shouts and laughter of the bearded man. His attention was once again drawn to the center of the battle. At this moment, the bearded man's form had swollen to a height of three to four zhang. The garments on his upper body had seemingly vanished, revealing a dense array of scales across his chest, gleaming like golden armor, so bright they were almost blinding. More strangely, several shimmering silver ribbons floated and danced around his massive form. These ribbons, ethereal and elusive, consistently blocked the advancing purple dragon of Wàn Tiānmíng’s Tiānluó Power, preventing it from drawing near even a single step—always just in time to intercept the surging waves of purple flame. Though the bearded warrior claimed his Tàotiān Mó Gōng was the foremost among the Lùn Xīng Hǎi school, he would never willingly endure the relentless blaze of Wàn Tiānmíng’s true fire with it. Moreover, he now held a pair of dark, dull iron gauntlets on his hands, each studded with sharp spikes several inches long, their appearance grotesque and fearsome. With these gauntlets, he swung them in fierce combat against a massive, serpentine purple sword. With every strike, a colossal golden hand erupted from the gauntlets and slammed the sword, sending it flying several zhangs away. Wan Tianming, manipulating the giant sword in the air, summoned two streams of purple flame dragons that spiraled through the heavens, aiming to uncover the weaknesses in the silver light band and encircle his adversary, the bearded warrior, in one decisive move. On the other side, Tian Wu Zi and Qing Yi Resident clearly valued their own safety, standing at a distance from each other. One continuously unleashed the green sparrow and his own treasures to press the other, while the other defended with steady strength, relying on the distant turtle and a short, gleaming white ruler, remaining unbroken against the onslaught. Their battle was calm and measured, resembling a refined exchange of skills. The most intense confrontation, however, unfolded between the ancient master of extreme yin and the lean elder. In the vast area where they clashed, the cries of ghosts and the calls of phoenixes intertwined, while green shadows and dark energies surged and flowed, forming a massive vortex. Only occasionally could one glimpse the silhouettes of heavenly corpse spirits flickering briefly outside, or see thick green tendrils bursting violently from the vortex, dancing wildly—signs of an exceptionally fierce struggle. As for the transformed three-eyed spirit leopard, highly valued by the magical path, it was continuously engaged in a fierce struggle and pursuit with the white cold dragon. The dragon was clearly at a disadvantage, forced to dart and weave through the sky as it was pressed by the unusual golden light emitted by the leopard. Whenever the dragon breathed out its white, icy beams, they instantly turned into ordinary fragments of stone upon contact with the golden light, making it impossible for the dragon to approach the leopard. Nevertheless, the dragon managed to hold its own, successfully keeping the transformed leopard occupied and preventing it from launching attacks on the three defenders from the orthodox faction. It seemed the dragon could still sustain its current position for a while. Observing this, Han Li felt a strange sense of unease. Though the combat between the parties was lively, with spells and artifacts flying everywhere, he sensed that it was not a life-or-death struggle, but rather more like a mere display of skill and technique. Was that how a battle between Yuan-Embryo stage cultivators typically unfolded? Han Li pondered this quietly. Suddenly, he recalled something and glanced again at Xuan Gu. Xuan Gu's expression, previously composed, now carried a subtle undercurrent of cold amusement. But he immediately sensed Han Li's gaze, straightened his expression, and then resumed his calm demeanor. Han Li was struck with sudden awareness, as though he had caught something significant in his heart. Yet before he could ponder it further, the hollow celestial tripod at the entrance erupted in a sharp, intense roar, followed by a sharp, grating sound. Han Li was startled, quickly turning to face the entrance and adopting a cautious, alert posture. Suddenly, the blue light on the altar trembled, and a dragon's roar echoed through the air. A beam of fiery light shot out from within the cave. This light swiftly spiraled around the altar before forming into a massive, two-headed flame wolf, which hovered in mid-air. The entire wolf was blazing with fierce, roaring flames. Upon seeing the gathered crowd, it immediately leapt and stretched its limbs, preparing to take flight. Both the righteous and the demonic forces, who had been engaged in fierce combat, paused simultaneously, stunned by this sight. The closest Confucian-clad elder immediately snapped his temple, and a great hand of jade-green light shot forth from his head, rushing straight toward the fire wolf. "You're dreaming! This treasure is meant for our master!" Upon seeing this, Wan Tianming grew anxious and roared, then spun around swiftly, manifesting two identical duplicates of himself. As the purple flames surged on both bodies of Wan Tianming, two purple arcs merged and pursued the jade-green hand. The others—especially the bearded ones—also suddenly realized what was happening and quickly summoned their powers, sending beams of light toward the same target. A dazzling array of colors converged instantly on a single focal point. The others clearly arrived a little later than Master Qing Yi and Wan Tianming. Particularly notable was the first-arriving jade-green hand, which moved with astonishing speed. In an instant, it reached the fire wolf's upper region and plunged downward to grasp it. Just as everyone expected the Confucian-clad elder to succeed, the fire wolf simultaneously tilted its two heads, and suddenly, translucent red-and-yellow light shields appeared on its body. The azure hand, upon its first grasp, failed to make an impact, rebounding with a dull thud. The Confucian-robed elder was first startled, then immediately beamed with satisfaction. As the azure glow intensified, the hand struck again with renewed force, only for the purple rainbow to swiftly close the gap and arrive in its wake. Still just a little short of the azure hand's reach, unable to intercept its advance in time, the purple rainbow suddenly changed course, transforming into a vibrant purple fire dragon that lunged directly at the hand with a powerful breath. Upon witnessing this, the elder who had been manipulating the azure hand to retrieve the treasure broke into furious curses at Wentai Ming's treachery. Though this specially summoned, spiritually detached hand of Xuanhua was both highly convenient and potent, he dared not risk taking a direct hit from the fire dragon forged by Tian Luo's True Power. After all, even if he succeeded in securing the treasure, the cost to his own spiritual focus would be significant—far from a worthwhile investment. With no choice, the azure hand abruptly halted its downward motion and reversed its direction, now facing the incoming purple fire dragon. The Qingguang and Ziyan burst forth, exploding simultaneously. In the brief pause, the bearded warriors and Tian Wu Zi and others had also arrived. Gathering around the fiery wolf, they attacked their respective opponents without hesitation. This time, their assaults were far more fierce and deadly than before—various secret techniques and spells flowed continuously, causing the combatants to become entangled, each unable to free their hands to attend to the fiery wolf. The wolf proved remarkably agile, sensing the prowess of the several Yuan-Ying stage elders. It suddenly lowered its form and darted downward, fleeing swiftly. Its path led directly toward where Xuan Gu and Han Li stood. Han Li, initially stunned, now had a clear understanding of what was unfolding. This dual-headed fiery wolf must have been formed by a treasure within the Xuting Cauldron. He only wondered how it had already broken through the cauldron and fled before the cauldron itself was even extracted. Though he still did not know the nature of the treasure or its specific powers. Yet merely observing its ability to manifest spiritual essence, withstand the single strike of that large, jade-colored hand, and act independently, one could already discern its extreme rarity. Now, this precious object was suddenly charging straight toward these Jin Dan stage cultivators. Without hesitation, Han Li swiftly slapped his storage scroll, and instantly a white vapor appeared in his hands. With one hand, he reached into the vapor and grasped a classic, ancient floral basket that materialized in his grasp. Before he could even begin to cast a spell, two massive serpents composed of black vapor shot forth from below, swiftly coiling around the fire wolf and immediately winding around it several times, then tightening sharply. Han Li cursed under his breath, turning to see that the dark-faced figure, with a look of satisfied pride, was now hand-casting a series of gestures—clearly the serpents were manifestations of his Yin Qi. Han Li's face slightly darkened with frustration. He hesitated internally, wondering whether he should now intervene to seize the object, as it had not yet been claimed by the other party. Yet if this displeased the protective Master of the Extremes of Yin, and if, right after retrieving the treasure, he were to launch an immediate attack, things would surely go badly—perhaps even to a loss. Thoughts raced through Han Li’s mind as he weighed the pros and cons, but before he could reach a decision, Xuan Gu directly intervened. A flash of cold light flashed in Xuan Gu’s eyes. Without a word, he opened his mouth and expelled a stream of green light. Instantly, the glow intensified, forming a vast, emerald silk net that swiftly enveloped both the black serpent and the fiery wolf.