At the very moment when everything seemed to hang in the balance, the bearded warrior suddenly lifted his head and stared sharply toward a spot to one side, his face pale with frost, shouting, "Who's there, hiding in the shadows! Come out here, now!" As he spoke, he launched a powerful punch, and suddenly a golden giant hand, stretching over ten feet in height, materialized in the air. A deep "thud" echoed, and a shimmering blue energy shield formed there, holding firm against the golden hand's impact without breaking. Then, a white figure emerged slowly within the shield. "It's you!" "Xing Gong?" Gasps rang out from both the righteous and the demonic factions. The bearded warrior and Wan Tianming exchanged a look of surprise. "Xing Gong, the Head Elder of the Judicial Office, has always claimed never to enter the Inner Hall—what's going on? How could he be hiding here?" the Patriarch of Extreme Yin asked, his expression clearly displeased. "Ah! My luck truly seems to be running out. I never thought that the emergence of the Xutian Ding would stir up such a commotion." In order to defend against these cold energies, I had to resort to a few minor tactics, which is precisely why Brother Man has noticed it. It seems that Brother Man is indeed the most accomplished cultivator here." The white-robed elder did not respond to the words of Master Jiyin, but instead stood motionless, slowly addressing Brother Man. His expression remained calm and composed, as if the people standing beside him were not even there. Seeing this, Master Jiyin naturally grew furious, yet he dared not launch an active attack, knowing the prestige of the Star Palace. As for Wan Tianming and the others, they seemed equally cautious—so many people observing Brother Man from above, that they all fell silent at once. "Wait! There's still one more person! Be careful of the Blood Jade Spiders and Han Li!" Since the white-robed elder had appeared, the scholar in the silk robe had been quietly stroking his beard, deep in thought. Now, seeing the elder's vague and suspicious remarks, he suddenly recalled something important and exclaimed in growing agitation. Han Li, who had been retreating far away, was startled upon hearing this. Before he could fully grasp what was happening, two streaks of white light erupted from the lower airspace on the opposite side of the altar. Radiating intense white light and emitting sharp, piercing cries, they surged forward, cutting through the air to separate Han Li and the Blood Jade Spider. Then, at the very spot, a figure of a white-robed elder materialized. Han Li's face instantly paled. "Quick! It was too fast!" This was the only thought that flashed through his mind after the flash of white light. The only reaction he could muster was to vigorously shield his chest with the jade如意 he had been handling. "Bang!" Han Li's hands trembled violently, and he instantly lost consciousness. Then, a sudden warmth spread across his chest, and his body fell straight backward. Immediately, the wind rushing past his ears and the furious shouts of the others—especially Man Hu Ru—filled his hearing. Before Han Li could steady his retreating form, a sharp pain surged again across his back. His body slammed heavily against the nearby massive shield, pressing steadily against the wall and descending slowly. "Hm!" a voice of surprise issued from the star-palace elder who had been emitting a streak of white light. He glanced at the now helplessly dispatched Han Li, somewhat taken aback. Hit by his divine artifact, the "Day-Through Sword," at such a distance, Han Li had not been cleaved in two—clearly, he must have been protected by some top-tier divine relic. Yet this did not matter much, as the other sword had already proven effective. With this thought, his gaze turned coldly toward the altar. At that moment, the blood jade spider had already been severed into two halves by the second streak of white light, its blood spreading across the ground. The already partially exposed dry-blue flame had also silently sunk further downward. The two unusual fire serpents alone were simply insufficient to lift the Heavenly Cauldron. Only now, satisfied with what he had seen, the white-robed elder raised his hands and summoned both streaks of light, drawing them back together. Then, with a strange smile, he turned toward the two factions—Tian and Zheng—whose faces were now stern and furious. The Yuan Ying-period elders, their minds fully absorbed by others, had no time to react and were thus unexpectedly attacked by this one, who had struck both Han Li and the Blood Jade Spider. Now, seeing the Blood Jade Spider truly slain, they all looked livid, their eyes blazing with anger. The bearded elder, in particular, lost all restraint and launched into a furious outburst, clapping his hands together and radiating a strong golden glow, as if ready to intervene. Yet, with a serene smile, the star-guild elder who had stepped forward dissolved into shimmering white light within the milky, translucent radiance, vanishing completely—leaving behind only a delicate golden scroll, which gently drifted down from the sky. The same scene unfolded with the white-robed elder who was also enclosed within the light shield. Under the watchful eyes of the other elders, his body gently dispersed into white starlight, leaving behind an identical golden scroll. "Ah! The star-guild's embodiment scroll!" Indeed, they weren't truly here—how generous of them to have invested so heavily! With that, it would now be impossible to hold them accountable after the harvest season. The fury on the red-bearded man's face swiftly subsided, and his eyes flashed with various expressions as he murmured continuously. As for the others from both the extreme Yin and Wàn Tiān Míng factions, each of them looked pale and helpless, staring at the golden seal that, upon touching the ground, burned itself out completely, leaving not a single trace behind. "Another voice was somewhat cold, yet carried a touch of regret. "Heh! One shouldn't be too greedy in life. This was already a good outcome—securing the best opportunity to overcome the balance between the Celestial and the Martial sects and recover the treasure. Once our Star Palace recovers from this crisis, when the Void Sky Hall reemerges next time, the Void Sky Cauldron won't be ours anymore." The first speaker chuckled lightly, unconcerned. "That's true, but perhaps we won't be around to witness that day. I'd truly like to see if the Heavenly Healing Pill is truly so miraculous—capable of refining an impure spiritual root into a primordial one. Truly astonishing!" The colder voice responded indifferently. "It's a bit of a pity, indeed. Yet among those of us nearing the end of our lives, even if we truly obtain the Heavenly Healing Pill, it may still come too late. What's more amusing is that some rumor—no one seems to know who started it—claims the Pill has the rare effect of extending lifespan and breaking through the瓶颈 of the Yuan Yin stage. As a result, many Yuan Yin-stage elders have come to believe it wholeheartedly They never stop to think—if such wonders truly exist, why wouldn't the Sixth Path and the Mad Old Woman have come here already? Nevertheless, this pill is of great benefit to cultivators at the Condensation Stage in forming their Yuan Shen, though it is indeed difficult to fully refine it. "The first person said with a touch of irony. "Hmph! Can cultivators at the Condensation Stage even make it here? Moreover, these people, like ourselves, are all those who have practiced for years but still cannot advance further. It's entirely understandable that they place all their hopes on this renowned Pill of Heaven-Completing. If it weren't for the fact that our old Master of the Star Palace, in her youth, tirelessly worked to obtain one such pill, wouldn't we also be equally eager for it?" The second person listened quietly, without speaking, as though convinced by the argument. "Let's hurry and leave! We don't want these old beasts to grow angry and actually come looking for us—then we'd be in serious trouble. They're furious this time, no doubt! As soon as the words were spoken, silence fell in the darkness, with no further sound ensuing. It seemed as though the entire scene had suddenly become deserted, as if everyone had vanished. The two members of the Star Palace were indeed correct—both the Celestial and the Martial factions were deeply frustrated, visibly disheartened and embarrassed. Yet, being seasoned and shrewd, they quickly regained composure, realizing that further outbursts against the Star Palace's interference would now be futile, and thus remained locked in aerial confrontation. Han Li halted his descent at the edge of the light shield, steadied himself, and once again ascended into the air. Now, he stared in astonishment at his hands—sticky and bloodied, with his虎mouth completely cracked open. Yet his gaze did not remain there; instead, it fixed on the jade如意 firmly gripped in his right hand. At that moment, Wan Tianming in the air cleared his throat and seemed ready to speak to the members of the Magian faction. Yet at the same time, the pair of fire serpents of the Extremely Yin Master finally gave out. With a mournful cry, they simultaneously pressed their mouths forward, and their bodies shrunk back to their original forms. The Xutian Ding immediately trembled, emitting a resonant hum, and began to descend swiftly. This scene prompted the Zheng and Mo factions to instinctively lower their heads and gaze downward—even Wan Tianming, who had been preparing to speak. The Master of Extremely Yin grew pale, his expression cold, his eyes filled with resentment. Unexpectedly, something happened! As the Xutian Ding descended, it seemed to be stimulated by an unseen force. Suddenly, the deep resonant hum transformed into a dragon's roar, followed by a deep, thunderous rumble. From the blue flame, a glowing orb of five colors, about the size of a clenched fist, burst forth and soared skyward. "The Heavenly Repair Pill!" Both the Zheng and Mo factions exclaimed the name almost simultaneously, their voices brimming with astonishment.