Several people proceeded along the eastern passage. To prevent any unforeseen incidents, it was customary for three to enter the cave while the others remained at the entrance, guarding against the shadowed unicorn horse escaping at any moment. Not long after, they reached the spot where the Yuan-named Han had first discovered the shadowed unicorn horse. It was a small cave. This time, the black-robed woman and Bai Yaoyi stayed outside, while Han Li and the elder, along with others, entered to inspect the interior. As soon as they stepped inside, they noticed several unusual features—though the wind within was remarkably gentle, there was even a warm, pleasant sensation. Besides the soft, sandy deposits scattered throughout, they found several rare warm jade ore blocks piled in one corner of the cave. A faint, lingering fragrance lingered in the air, reminiscent of both medicinal and sandalwood scents, as though blended together. Upon scanning the ground, they clearly observed a series of hoof prints, though noticeably smaller in size. "Indeed," said Han Li, "it is unmistakably the shadowed unicorn horse." After circling the footprints twice and inhaling the fragrant air, the elder named Fu rubbed his hands excitedly, clearly thrilled. "Since Brother Yuan has also confirmed it, there's no doubt now. Then we should immediately follow up. This passage isn't very wide—it's likely a branching corridor. By proceeding step by step, we'll surely be able to corner this object." Yuan, the tall man, also flushed slightly and added. "Agreed. Then we shall—" Fu nodded, but as he had just finished half of his sentence, a deep rumbling sound suddenly erupted, and at once, all three of them felt their feet grow unsteady. The cavern began to tremble. Then, waves of thunderous roars came rolling in from outside the cavern, as though the sounds were coming from mere steps away. Startled, all three simultaneously emitted flashes of luminous energy, transforming into three streaks of light and swiftly departing. In a moment's time, they appeared within the corridor, where the two women stared in astonishment toward the front. One after another, footsteps echoed from that direction, as though some colossal creature were shaking the entire passage with every step. At the same time, a thunderous roar came from the same source, clearly emanating from the same entity. They exchanged glances and, without any further prompting, each summoned their own法宝, their faces growing serious as they gazed intently. While others could barely see far due to the black, gusting winds, Han Li had already seen a spectral being over a hundred paces away, his pupils glowing blue. He gasped in astonishment. It was a giant wolf covered entirely in green fur. Standing on four legs, the wolf was three zhang tall, with a head as large as a small house. Its massive, blood-red eyes gleamed like crimson, and its four paw-like limbs were jet-black and sharp, resembling blades. But what most startled Han Li was that, as the giant wolf roared, clumps of green corpse-fire periodically erupted from its mouth. Occasionally, when these green vapors brushed against the icy walls on either side, deep, uneven circular grooves appeared, shimmering with jade-like light, as if melting. "Corpse wolf!" Han Li instantly recalled the name of this spectral creature. However, ordinary corpse wolves were merely common spirits—despite their larger size, they never exhibited such extraordinary features. This particular wolf was vastly larger than anything recorded in any ancient texts. Moreover, the aura emanating from its body far surpassed that of any ordinary spirit. Han Li was about to speak to alert the other four, but upon turning his gaze, he suddenly noticed something half-concealed on the wolf’s head, and gasped in surprise. "Look—this is... the Spirit Horse!" "What? Han brother, what exactly are you referring to?" the elder with the surname Fu turned slightly, puzzled. "A powerful spectral creature arrived earlier. The Yin Spirit Horse should have been accompanying him." Han Li replied briefly. "Yin Zhi's horse?" Upon hearing this, the others immediately beamed with relief. Now, the massive form of the giant wolf gradually became visible in the gathering wind. Though they had not yet seen the wolf's true appearance clearly, its sheer size immediately caused the wealthy elder and the tall Han man to feel a sense of awe, their smiles fading instantly. The black-clad beauty, her expression darkening, suddenly snapped her fingers ten times, launching十余 white orbs that shot out and soared upward, bursting into a dazzling display in the sky. A brilliant white light spread out, illuminating the area ahead with exceptional clarity, and now the others could clearly see the fierce and terrifying appearance of the giant wolf—each of them involuntarily stiffened. They were all seasoned individuals with vast experience, and it was immediately evident that this wolf was indeed formidable. Yet, in that very moment, they also noticed a white, rounded object lying on top of the fallen wolf's head. Although the lower half of his body was completely submerged in the green moss, the exposed portion revealed a pure, delicate horse's head, with two bright green eyes fixed intently on the group. This development left everyone both surprised and delighted. "Everyone take care," the elder with the wealthy surname advised, "and make sure not to let the Yin Zhi horse slip away. This尸wolf appears to be a mutated spirit creature—though it's quite challenging, we five Yuan-Ying cultivators can easily defeat it. White friend, you just need to focus on holding onto the Yin Zhi horse." He then tapped his waist pouch, and a chain-shaped artifact, glowing darkly, shot out like a venomous python, swiftly encircling the giant wolf across the field. The others responded promptly. The black-robed woman flicked her sleeve, launching three crimson flying swords; the tall man raised a jade plaque before him, and instantly several winged, strange scorpions burst forth, charging forward; while Han Li gently blew a breath, causing several flying swords to radiate brilliant light, expanding into sheets of golden radiance that surged ahead. At the same time, Bai Yaoyi flipped her hand, and a semi-transparent gauze net appeared in her grasp. With a gentle shake, shimmering cold light flashed as the net expanded into a misty white vapor, directly covering the shadow mushroom atop the giant wolf's head. Though it was their first coordinated effort, the combined power of all the treasures unleashed was truly impressive. The shadow mushroom seemed particularly perceptive—upon sensing the attack, it instantly lowered its body further, burying itself deeply within the wolf's fur and refusing to emerge. The corpse wolf, witnessing so many attacks, flashed a flash of fierce determination in its eyes, then paused its roar. Instead, it opened its mouth wide, continuously spewing out a steady stream of emerald phosphorescent flames, which instantly surged into a towering wave of green flame, rushing toward the various treasures. For a moment, the green flames and radiant light of the artifacts intertwined and danced in harmony. As a result, neither Han Li's flying sword nor the other participants' treasures could advance within a step of the giant wolf. The flying scorpions summoned from the jade tablets, attempting to evade, were instantly engulfed by the green flame and vanished into wisps of vapor—clearly demonstrating the The white silk net, which should have been targeting Yin Zhi Ma, was likewise lifted by the green flame and could not descend. At this sight, Bai Yao Yi could not help but emit a cold sigh. The Northern Night Xiao Ji Palace had always been situated in a region of icy, snowy terrain, and this woman's talismans and cultivation techniques were naturally dominated by cold properties, making her utterly indifferent to this modest corpse fire. Before anyone else from Han Li's party could react, she swiftly pressed her palms together, then gave a sharp, graceful cry, causing a brilliant glow to surge from her body, with a layer of pale, misty cold aura rising up around her. A resplendent, crystalline radiance enveloped her, making her appear as ethereal and graceful as a goddess of ice from the heavens. The temperature in the surrounding air dropped sharply at once. While Han Li and the elderly man of the Fu family remained relatively unaffected, the black-clad woman and the bearded man, unprepared, could not help but shiver. The great wolf also sensed something amiss; after taking a deep breath, it suddenly expelled a greater volume of corpse fire from its mouth. At the same time, Bai Yao Yi launched the ice fan from her mouth, spinning it once before it settled into Yu's hands. With her entire body radiating a brilliant cold glow, she gently swept it downward toward the corpse-wolf. This time, instead of the yellow wind that Han Li had previously witnessed, a piercing snow wind laden with countless ice crystals surged forth, sweeping across the battlefield. The vibrant green and white lights surged forth, quickly overwhelming the glow of the other artifacts, with thunderous bursts of crackling sound echoing from their collisions. The corpse-wolf's emitted corpse-fire proved remarkably sharp—facing a specialized ice-based technique, it held its own without faltering at all. Seeing this, Bai Yao Yi's face flushed slightly, and her mind grew increasingly frustrated. With a subtle flick of her hand, the ice fan expanded dramatically, and the icy wind emanating from it grew significantly more powerful. Meanwhile, the elders who had previously tested the corpse-wolf's strength naturally did not view Bai Yao Yi's single confrontation with the spectral creature as sufficient. The elder instantly pointed at the chain he had previously cast out, and with a light "pop," black flames surged violently along the chain. Then, as the chain swayed, it transformed into dozens of identical fiery chains, instantly forming a vast network of fire that materialized above the giant wolf's head and plunged downward with force, resembling a celestial and terrestrial web. With so many attacks pressing down simultaneously, even the mighty wolf found itself growing weary despite its considerable prowess. Once the fiery chains and the blazing great sword joined the assault, the corpse-fire was driven back step by step, and the thick purple mist was soon poised to surge forward. Though the corpse-wolf possessed only moderate intelligence, its innate wolf instincts immediately sensed the threat. At once, a flash of green light rippled across its body, causing it to shrink in size, and then the coarse hairs on its back stood rigidly upright. With a low roar, a dense stream of green glimmers burst forth, enveloping all five of them instantly. This development came as a surprise to several of them, yet none dared to underestimate the green radiance, each swiftly summoning their own powers to counter it, thus slightly slowing their offensive momentum. In this brief pause, however, the mutated corpse-wolf suddenly turned around and dashed back toward its origin. The elders and others were all left momentarily stunned.