"Frater Han, what do you think? However, I still have some concerns. For safety's sake, shall we stand or fall together? As for Lady Long, I understand she has a certain connection with Xiao Ji Palace—perhaps we should remain cautious." The gray-robed monk silently transmitted his words to Han Li. Han Li's expression tightened, his gaze shifting to glance at the monk, who was now smiling gently at him. As Han Li rapidly weighed the truth of the monk's words, a deep, resonant roar suddenly erupted from the Xuanyu Cavern above, causing the entire cavern to tremble slightly, as though struck by a powerful impact. Everyone's faces changed instantly. If they had been stationed atop the great mountain of Xiao Ji Palace, they would have seen a snow-white phoenix, several dozen zhang in height, gracefully circling just outside the mountain's magical barrier. With a single spread of its wings, a gust of cold wind swept past, and beneath it, the cold air coalesced into a towering ice mountain over a hundred zhang in height. Then, it gently released its talons. At once, the mountain descended like a great weight pressing down, crashing straight into the luminous barrier with a thunderous roar. Countless flashes of white light erupted and burst. The originally thick and solid barrier twisted strangely, yet ultimately remained intact. Even so, the colossal mountain trembled under the impact, and several buildings on the mountain, not firmly constructed, collapsed entirely. This great phoenix was none other than the silver-robed woman transformed into it. Due to the heavy losses suffered by the lower-tier ice sea demon clans earlier, her anger burned fiercely. She, as a celestial spiritual beast of cold and icy nature, chose to disregard the outer layer of cold-sealing defensive arrays and tore through the spatial fabric, directly reaching the sky above the ice city, unleashing her divine powers to strike at the protective barriers of Xiao Ji Palace. Though her initial assault succeeded and sent the cultivators within the mountain into a state of panic, the high-level cultivators beneath at Xiao Ji Palace would not allow her to continue launching such relentless attacks. At the very moment the white aura on the mythical bird shimmered and began to gather another ice mountain, a silver arch and a sphere of white light burst forth from within the lower light screen, figures wavering inside—precisely Bai Yao Yi and the gray-haired elder. Before reaching the icy wind, Bai Yao Yi roared with a delicate cry, launching her two silver swords in swift succession. Meanwhile, the gray-haired elder frowned, then clenched his palms, and from within his sleeves, a magnificent, translucent jade bottle surged upward, expanding rapidly in the wind. The bottle pulsed with luminous light, yet a deep rumbling echoed within its mouth, creating an unusually mysterious effect. The ice phoenix, its pale green eyes flashing, suddenly spread its massive wings with a powerful motion, and from beneath, dozens of towering ice spears—each over ten zhang in length—emerged and shot toward the two figures. Upon seeing this, the gray-haired elder emitted a cold exhalation, then pressed his palms together in a series of gestures. Instantly, the jade bottle trembled violently, and from its mouth burst out several streaks of light—alternating between black and white—fading swiftly, yet strangely ensn It was unclear what magic lay behind these shimmering light halos. Upon contact with the ice spears, all of them shivered and rapidly contracted, shrinking to the size of chopsticks within moments, then being drawn in and absorbed by the white and black light halos into the jade vial. The Ice Phoenix's eyes flashed with surprise, yet without further thought, she flickered and transformed into a vast gust of wind and snow, sweeping over the two figures across the battlefield. White Yao Yi and the gray-haired elder did not hesitate either, sending forth two streaks of silver light and a swirling mass of white and black energy to meet the assault head-on. The mountain's summit roared with successive thunderous impacts as wind and snow collided, and flashes of luminous energy surged continuously. Yet strangely, neither the beautiful woman nor any of the other junior palace elders appeared to assist—either they were not overseeing the spell array, or they had already gone to face off against other high-ranking beasts. While the battle raged fiercely outside, the members of the Xuan Yu Pavilion within the hollow of the spiritual hall, including Han Li, exchanged glances, visibly affected by the intensity of the clash. Master Han Li also glanced toward the "It seems the beasts have truly begun to take action. Under such circumstances, this entrance will be difficult to open easily. Should we be disturbed at the critical moment of breakthrough, our efforts might well come to nothing. I had originally planned to rely on the support of several of my fellow Daoist friends to resist the onslaught of the beasts, and I make no intention of doing anything detrimental to any of the three esteemed Daoist friends." The senior elder of Xiao Ji Gong spoke with a serious tone, carrying a subtle determination. "Your remarks, Brother Han Li, are fully understandable. Yet, should we succeed in helping you overcome your current bottleneck, while you advance in cultivation, we ourselves may suffer significant exhaustion. In such a case, finding ourselves confined in this enclosed underground setting would surely be deeply unsettling. The saying goes: 'A gentleman does not stand beneath a precarious wall.' We must also remain vigilant—our concern for mutual safety cannot be overlooked. Despite our longstanding relationship with your palace, we cannot simply entrust our very lives to your good judgment based merely on a few words." The monk furrowed his brow and spoke slowly. "It is indeed natural that your friends are so cautious. If it were me, I would not place myself in such a precarious But does Master Moji have any solution that would satisfy both parties?" Master Hanli asked, somewhat helpless. "How about this: if you have no other concerns, why don't you temporarily entrust this Qianlan Cauldron to us three for safekeeping? Once this matter is settled, we will return it to you. With that arrangement, we can then focus fully on helping you break through your current bottleneck." The gray-robed monk's eyes flashed with sudden insight as he said this. Upon hearing this, both Han Li and the elderly woman standing in the light beam were momentarily startled, but soon grew enlightened. "Very well—that truly is a solution that serves both sides," Han Li agreed immediately. The elderly woman also slowly nodded in agreement. Yet the young man in the green robe frowned, interrupting with a voice of concern: "Master Moji, this doesn't seem right. You must know the origins of this Qianlan Cauldron—it is our palace's exclusive artifact for cultivating the Qianlan Ice Flame. It should not be easily handed over to others." As he spoke, he shook his head repeatedly. "We merely intend to temporarily hold it. We will return it in full, unaltered, before we leave this place—absolutely with no intention of claiming it for ourselves. Is there anything unreasonable about that? Master Ou has perhaps been a little too cautious." The gray-robed monk, who had always been courteous and amiable, now stood firm and unyielding. "But..." The middle-aged man in blue robes still wanted to speak further when Master Han Li interrupted him. "Alright, Master Ou. The Master Moju's words are indeed well-founded. Very well, I agree to this matter. But as for the Qinglan Cauldron, which of the three of you shall it be entrusted to?" The senior abbot had readily agreed, yet his final question left Han Li somewhat hesitant, prompting him to glance at the other two. Both the monk and the elderly woman responded in the same way, remaining silent for a moment. "Since this matter was proposed by Master Moju, then let the Cauldron be entrusted to Master Moju. I have always placed great trust in Master Moju's character." The old nun nodded with a subtle expression of interest, and thus said. Han Li's eyes half-closed, his thoughts flashing rapidly as he pondered, and finally, without much intention, he also inclined his head. "Since both of you place such trust in me, I shall temporarily keep this cauldron." The gray-robed monk did not hesitate, and solemnly agreed. Seeing that all three had reached a decision, Han Li the Elder did not delay further, and immediately pointed upward at the small cauldron floating in the sky. The cauldron spun gently, its blue flames gradually contracting, and then descended steadily. Seeing this, the gray-robed monk did not slacken his efforts either, brushing his sleeve and sending out a streak of green radiance that instantly enveloped the cauldron, temporarily sealing it within. Though the cauldron could generate dry, azure flames, the monk himself possessed a particularly cold flame, so there was no fear of any mishap. This time, however, Han Li took the initiative and surged forward, transforming into a streak of light, racing toward the purple light column. To be honest, after observing the secret technique over the past several days, Han Li had indeed gained a solid understanding of its intricacies. However, the final breakthrough method remained the most crucial aspect—only by personally witnessing it could he fully integrate and master the entire technique. Thus, although Han Li felt a slight unease about the cave being sealed, his confidence as a divine cultivator remained strong. Even if the young elder of Xiaoji Palace truly achieved the stage of Divine Immortal, he would still pose no real threat until he stabilized his cultivation level. Moreover, the limitations of the Divine Immortal stage in the current human realm were mentioned in the jade scroll left behind by Linglong when she departed, and after gaining a clearer understanding, Han Li's sense of apprehension had significantly eased. For safety's sake, however, he quietly summoned the True Yin Fire into the spell array and concealed it beneath a nearby disordered stone block with a mere mental gesture—this process went unnoticed by the others. At that moment, the gray-robed monk smiled and then ascended to the platform, followed by the others who soon joined the spell array. Han Li then immediately pressed ten fingers in rapid succession, reactivating the spell array. Instantly, radiant hues spread around, and a new layer of luminous veil materialized, enclosing all present. A white, misty gale rose up, sweeping over and partially concealing the veil. Han Li blinked, carefully observing his surroundings. Although the activated seals appeared identical to those from a few days ago, the fluctuations in spiritual energy were clearly different. With his near-master-level expertise in array techniques, he quickly discerned subtle nuances, silently analyzing them while maintaining a composed expression. "Let's begin!" said Han Li, emitting a deep, warm chuckle in the milky blue glow. As he pressed his palms together in a series of gestures, the blue ice flames on his body flickered rapidly and then transformed into a deep, vivid blue—so intense and expansive it resembled the vastness of the ocean, so captivating that one couldn't help but remain transfixed. "Hm!" It's surprising how refined Master Han Li's dry blue cold flame has become—this might well be the pinnacle of purity achievable within our human realm." The old woman, witnessing the scene, murmured with admiration. "Is this truly the completely refined extreme cold flame?" Han Li's mind stirred, and he glanced at Master Han Li with renewed interest. At that moment, the other several figures began to settle into meditation posture, their bodies gradually unfolding vast, radiant lotus blooms. Han Li, with a composed smile, settled himself gracefully and gently pressed his fingers to initiate his spell. As the various cold flames simultaneously manifested upon their bodies, Han Li and his companions did not immediately act—they instead began to softly chant incantations. Under the rhythm of the spell chants, the lotus blooms beneath them steadily expanded, soon growing to several times their original size. The cold flames on their bodies, enhanced by the radiance of the lotus, shone brilliantly, growing in intensity and brilliance. Han Li only felt a steady warmth spreading through his body, as though he had suddenly been enveloped in a blazing sun, and his inner Ziluo Jihuo flame was fully awakened. 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