Han Li heard this and said, "If it's merely delivering a message, then I shall gladly agree." Such a simple task, he naturally could not refuse. The young wife seemed very pleased and, without further words, raised her hand—immediately, the black box was gently lifted by a sphere of green light and floated steadily toward Han Li. Han Li reached out and took the box. With a swift sweep of his consciousness, he found the inner essence vibrant and alive, truly resembling the gem of the spiritual eyes. Given his cautious nature, he naturally wanted to personally inspect it before accepting it. Thus, he flashed a streak of green light on his palm and lightly tapped the lid—the box opened automatically. Inside, the room was filled with a pure, clear, ethereal energy. Han Li was momentarily intrigued and looked closely into the box. Amid the soft white glow, he saw a white jade stone, about several inches in size, continuously shimmering. To Han Li's astonishment, upon a single glance, he saw a small green calf, about the size of a thumb, moving vigorously within the semi-transparent jade—shaking its head and swaying its tail, appearing remarkably lifelike. Han Li's face was filled with shock. "How about this? This jade of my spiritual sight is nearly ready to nurture a fully formed being—ordinary stones of spiritual sight simply cannot compare. With this jade, one can surely achieve remarkable progress in half the time." Seeing Han Li's expression, the young wife's eyes flashed with a subtle surprise, but then she smiled lightly. "Indeed. With this jade, I wouldn't need several decades to reach the state of a young infant; merely a dozen years would suffice." Han Li studied the jade carefully within the box for a moment, then finally closed the lid, lifting his head and speaking calmly. At that moment, he suddenly realized: it was the spiritual essence of the jade that had imbued the Snow Cloud Fox, which was why she carried a faint, clear, ethereal aura. Perhaps its ability to evolve into a fox spirit is also closely tied to this precious artifact. Han Li's composed demeanor caused the young woman to slightly pause, her mind momentarily surprised, and she glanced at him with deeper interest. "The artifact is now yours. Take this jade scroll. Additionally, behind the stone platform beneath my seat, there is another jade box. On the box is a seal scroll. Remove that scroll and hand the box to me. Inside the box is a token that you must also carry with you." The young woman gently tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear, speaking in a calm, seemingly casual tone. "Shall I go and retrieve the items from the elder?" Upon hearing this, Han Li was momentarily taken aback, his expression turning slightly doubtful and more cautious. "Hmph! Do you think I'll harm you? If I could manage it myself, I wouldn't have asked you to assist!" The young woman replied with a sharp, slightly displeased laugh. Then, with a simple gesture, she lifted her long gown from her knees. Upon seeing this, Han Li's face fell. Two thin, bony legs, only as thick as a baby's arm, were crossed and seated there, stripped of all flesh and leaving only dry, papery skin—terribly grotesque and terrifying. What struck Han Li even more was that several slender, silvery, translucent chains were wound around these limbs, one end passing directly through the bones, the other deeply embedded beneath the stone platform. Han Li licked his lips and glanced up at the young woman. Though her face was filled with astonishment, she remained silent, not asking any questions. He knew she would explain soon enough. Indeed, though her expression remained frosty, once she lowered her garments, she spoke in a dry, matter-of-fact tone: "I have constructed this stone chamber out of lapis lazuli within this mountain, and I have bound my own legs with these delicate chains—only to confine myself." "Confining myself?" Han Li was momentarily stunned, puzzled by this. "Indeed, my primary cultivation technique, the 'Yōushā Jué,' differs significantly from ordinary martial arts. Though it is remarkably swift to master and possesses extraordinary power, it has one critical flaw: once it reaches a certain level of proficiency, it tends to blur the cultivator's inner resolve, making them increasingly bloodthirsty. Back then, I had a series of fortunate encounters that gave me confidence in both my mental clarity and spiritual awareness, so I disregarded the advice of others and dedicated myself to this technique. As a result, upon achieving its full potential and entering the Yuan'ing stage, I found myself unable to restrain myself and began launching relentless attacks—causing widespread turmoil throughout the immortal realm and amassing numerous adversaries. Ultimately, I was severely injured and even lost an entire arm, after being besieged and overwhelmed by several Yuan'ing cultivators." The young wife turned her head and glanced at the empty space on the other side of her body, maintaining a composed and expressionless demeanor. "After recovering, I spent countless nights reflecting and contemplating. If I continued to struggle with such uncontrollable impulses, my eventual demise was inevitable." Thus, with a firm resolve, I invited relatives and friends to construct a "Heaven-Fire Divine Chain" and this lapis lazuli pavilion, effectively trapping myself here. Fearing that I might grow weary of solitude and later regret, decide to release the chain and leave, I entrusted the key to the Heaven-Fire Divine Chain to a close friend and agreed to visit periodically to check on my condition. Only upon seeing improvement could he release me. As I speak these words, the lady's expression grows increasingly somber. Unexpectedly, after several visits, my dear friend suddenly vanished without a trace—no further word has been heard from him. Whether he met with some unforeseen misfortune or passed away for another reason remains unknown. Now, I am truly confined here, day after day, year after year. Since the pavilion is crafted from lapis lazuli, even when I have attained the mid-Immortal Elixir stage of cultivation, my consciousness can only extend several hundred zhang beyond the pavilion's walls. Even if I were to find someone to call for help, it would be utterly impossible. This day, the Fire God's chain has been specially refined using a remarkably unusual inner cultivation technique—one that resonates deeply and intimately with my spirit. Though, since my own cultivation has greatly advanced, I can now勉强 use true fire to sever it, the very moment the chain breaks is also the moment I die. It is truly a stroke of fortune that you, my friend, have happened to arrive here at this moment. Finally, I no longer have to endure this stone chamber until my vital energy fades away. The black-robed young woman spoke all this in one breath, recounting her entire background to Han Li, thus easing his concerns. After listening to her account, Han Li was left utterly stunned. If her story were true, it indeed seemed utterly extraordinary. Yet, after a brief pause and thoughtful consideration, he still hesitated, asking with some uncertainty, "Do you mean that I should send a message to your close friend? Yet, after all these years, how likely is it that that friend is still alive?" "Indeed, it was the person who delivered the letter. I asked him to bring the key to the Heavenly Fire Chain. As for whether he has passed away—please rest assured. I have arranged a prior agreement with him. Should anything unforeseen happen, he will personally entrust this item to his descendants. Should you fail to find my friend, you may simply seek out his heirs." The young wife sighed, a wry smile playing on her lips. On the front of the jade box, a golden talisman was affixed, subtly emitting a presence that made Han Li feel uneasy. Without thinking, he furrowed his brows slightly. "That's precisely the item," the black-robed young woman said, her voice excited as she saw the jade box in Han Li's hands, and urged him immediately. "Just tear the talisman off and hand me the box." Han Li had originally intended to tear the talisman off and place his palm upon the box. But upon hearing the woman's voice—shaking slightly, eager and urgent—he felt an unexpected sense of unease. After hesitating, he withdrew his hand and instead raised his head, gazing at her. What he saw then sent a jolt through his heart. Her eyes had turned an intense emerald green, and her face had subtly twisted, conveying a fierce, formidable aura—no longer the composed, senior master demeanor he had just witnessed. The young lady, upon seeing Han Li lift his head to gaze at her, was momentarily startled, then instantly realized what was going on. The green glow in her eyes and the stern expression vanished instantly, and with a softened tone, she said: "What is Han Daojun looking at me for? Why not tear off that scroll and hand me the jade box? Don't forget, I personally entrusted you with that rare jade eye—something truly hard to find in the world. What more could you possibly hesitate about?" Han Li glanced at the black-robed young lady, then down at the jade box sealed tightly by the golden scroll. He said nothing at first. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and suddenly lifted the box with one hand, slowly walking toward her. "Han Daojun! What are you doing? Stop! Don't come this way!" The young lady, who had previously been composed and calm, now grew visibly alarmed upon seeing Han Li carry the scroll-encased jade box toward her. She quickly raised her voice to stop him, her expression filled with urgency and concern.