"This...," Tianchan said, pausing slightly. "Indeed, Brother Han, as a top-tier being of the Human race, you must surely be beneficial to our endeavors. Moreover, I originally thought that with only us two stepping forward, our chances were not very strong. Should Brother Han be willing to lend a hand, our success rate would naturally improve considerably." Black Yu, after a moment's contemplation, spoke with remarkable decisiveness. "Actually, both of us came at the behest of the Holy Island, specifically to seek the Yellow Springs Earthfire!" Tian Chan finally spoke openly. "Yellow Springs Earthfire!" Though he had already anticipated this, hearing the monk state it so clearly made Han Li's heart sink slightly. Yet, the next words from the monk brought a sense of relief. "Actually, more precisely, it's a specific rare artifact within the Yellow Springs Earthfire." Noticing Han Li's slightly puzzled expression, Black Yu Shangren added. "Are there any celestial or terrestrial treasures within the Yellow Springs Earthfire? I've never heard of such a thing!" Han Li thought for a moment, then felt even more surprised. "Of course there are—indeed, they are treasures that take five thousand years to form. Have you ever heard of the 'Yellow Rice Dream Stone'?" Tian Chan calmly inquired. "Yellow Rice Dream Stone! Is that a premium material specifically used for setting up large-scale illusion arrays?" Han Li furrowed his brows, asking. "Indeed, it is this material. What we seek is not merely ordinary Yellow-Grain Dream Stones, but Yellow-Grain Stones that have already developed spiritual consciousness. Such stone spirits not only manifest exclusively within Yellow-Grain Stones, but their emergence conditions are no less rigorous than those of renowned celestial and terrestrial beings—thus, the number of people who know of such a spirit is truly limited. This particular stone spirit was discovered by an elder of our clan many thousands of years ago, by chance. Unfortunately, that elder failed to seize the opportunity to capture it; instead, upon being startled, the spirit became frightened and has since refused to rise above the Yellow Springs' earth-fire, barely stirring at all. The Yellow Springs' earth-fire is no ordinary place—even great cultivators at the stage of Great Perfection would hesitate to venture deep within. However, this time is different. A master of the Sacred Island has specifically cast a divination spell, indicating that the recent days are precisely the stone spirit's time of celestial trial and transformation. It can no longer remain hidden beneath the earth-fire. This is therefore our sole opportunity to capture this stone spirit." The heavenly cicada monk explained in detail. "Ah, I see. I had never heard of this before. This Huangliang Stone Spirit has been dwelling deep within the Yuhuan Earthfire for over ten thousand years. Yet, even as a mere Stone Spirit, once it awakened its spiritual intelligence, one would expect only modest abilities. How could even the two of you, my esteemed friends, fail to capture it?" Han Li expressed a look of sudden clarity, yet still harbored some doubt. "Han brother may not be aware, but this Huangliang Stone Spirit is quite unlike ordinary Stone Spirits. In addition to possessing the standard abilities of a typical spiritual stone, it also has the power to cast illusions. These illusions manifest almost instantaneously—whenever it comes into contact with someone, the person finds themselves effortlessly drawn into the illusion, often unaware of what is happening. When the human elder who first discovered it was confronted by this Spirit, despite being a renowned figure in our clan, he was not only unable to succeed in capturing it, but was instead entrapped by the illusion for nearly six months before finally managing to escape. Upon returning, he fell seriously ill and reportedly lost a significant amount of his vital energy." This time, the Stone Spirit must be captured alive—no injury to its life allowed. Even though I and Master Tianchan have specifically prepared several measures for this mission, we still cannot be absolutely certain of a successful outcome." Black Yu explained briefly. "A magical illusion! For a celestial and terrestrial spirit of such refined nature, such innate abilities are indeed no ordinary matter. It's no wonder the two of you have taken such careful measures. By the way, since the Sacred Island has invited you both to capture the Yellow Rice Stone Spirit, do either of you know the reason behind this request?" Han Li nodded and asked further. "Actually, before I departed, I did hear a few details. It seems that the妖crystal within the Stone Spirit is a particularly significant component used by our human race to counter the demonic calamity, and it was personally instructed by Mo Jianli, the esteemed official of the Sacred Island. As for more specific details, however, I remain rather unclear." The elder replied promptly and without hesitation. "The matter entrusted by Master Mo! Han Li's face turned pale, and he involuntarily drew in a deep breath. "Hehe, if it weren't for this, how could we, two relatively well-known and influential human cultivators, have come all the way here with such empty hands?" The elder smiled. "Since this matter concerns the entire human race, I am certain to contribute my share. Please, let me know what assistance you need, and I will gladly provide it." Han Li bowed slightly, pondering for a moment, his expression growing serious. "Hehe, I knew from the start that Brother Han would not remain passive. In fact, for this capture of the spiritual creature, your involvement need not be overly complicated. Simply respond promptly and assist us as needed. Should we make any oversight, I kindly ask that you stay close to the creature and prevent it from retreating back into the earth and fire." The Heavenly Cicada monk heard Han Li's words and beamed with delight. The Black Rain Master, upon hearing this, also expressed his satisfaction, offering heartfelt thanks. "By the way, since the situation in Tianyuan City isn't looking very promising, Brother Han's appearance here mustn't be merely coincidental. Is there perhaps something important at stake?" The Tianchan monk suddenly recalled something and asked. "Brother Han, indeed, has his own matters this time. However, it's only that he wishes to utilize the Yellow Springs' earth-fire to craft a few spiritual artifacts. But now that I've encountered the two of your esteemed friends' affairs, my own minor matter naturally has to take a back seat." Han Li replied calmly. "Thank you so much for your understanding, Brother Han. The Yellow Springs' earth-fire is indeed hard to access these days. Otherwise, the stone spirit would have been quite troubled upon sensing the presence of strangers outside." The Tianchan monk expressed his apology and thanked him again. After a few more polite exchanges with the elder and the monk, Han Li immediately moved forward and joined them, settling cross-legged beside the massive depression. He glanced at the bottom of the great pit and slightly furrowed his brow. The colossal depression spanned several mu in area, yet the entire pit was divided into two distinctly different sections when split down the middle. The upper portion resembled ordinary mountain stone, uniformly gray and white, while the lower section of the pit wall was dark with a greenish hue, exuding a cold, eerie atmosphere, its surface perfectly smooth and gleaming like fine jade. At the base of the pit, swirling masses of pale yellow mist churned incessantly, yet from time to time, deep rumbling sounds emerged, and faint, intermittent glimmers of light pulsed within the mist, as though something living lay concealed beneath it. Han Li narrowed his eyes and, suddenly, flipped his hand once, bringing a white magical disc into view. With a swift motion of his wrist, he sent the disc shooting toward the base of the pit in a flash of white light. As the Dao plate passed through the upper section of the great crater, it showed no unusual signs at all. However, the moment it descended into the lower part, the white light suddenly trembled violently, and a layer of crystalline ice instantly formed on its surface. Before it could fully sink into the mist below, it was completely sealed by ice and plunged heavily into the fog. A moment later, a crisp sound echoed from beneath the mist—seeming as though the ice-encased Dao plate had cracked and shattered once more. "Indeed, the name 'Yellow Springs Earth Fire' is no mere fiction—the cold and damp atmosphere here is truly astonishing!" Han Li murmured to himself, yet his expression remained unchanged. "Ah, it's said that this earth fire rises directly from beneath the Nine-Deep Yellow Springs, though it appears flame-like, its extreme cold is no ordinary matter. Unfortunately, this peculiar cold differs fundamentally from ordinary icy cold—it cannot be absorbed or refined by living beings." For our human race, it's at best sufficient to craft only some special artifacts from it—truly a great pity indeed," said the Tian Chan monk, offering a light smile, clearly also deeply regretful. "Chaos cultivation, Yin-Yang, and the Five Elements—these are among the fundamental forces of the celestial and terrestrial laws. Since this Yellow Spring earth-fire possesses such remarkable coldness, its utilization must inevitably be severely limited. Otherwise, practitioners of cold and icy techniques could freely draw upon this abundant cold energy, and their spiritual power would surely advance at an astonishing pace. How could there be such a fortunate stroke of luck for an entire lineage?" Black Yu added, speaking with a calm tone. "Indeed, that makes excellent sense. However, I've also heard that this Yellow Spring earth-fire might very well serve as one of the entryways to the Underworld. If that's true, then I'm genuinely curious about this cold fire." Han lightly smiled in reply. "Indeed, such a tradition has existed since ancient times." Yet this Yuhuan earth-fire is extraordinarily cold and damp; we can only move within a thousand zhang below, and even the great cultivators undergoing the Great Transformation during their trials can reach no further than ten thousand zhang. Beyond that, the risk of falling is certain. Thus, this tale naturally remains unverified by anyone. Tian Chan glanced thoughtfully and added, "Ah, the two of you are overthinking it. Even if this fire truly reaches the Underworld, wouldn't it be a realm filled with fierce ghosts and grim spirits—something far less suitable for our cultivators? Our ultimate goal, after all, is to ascend to the True Immortal realm, where only then can we achieve true immortality and share the eternal life of heaven and earth." Black Rain Master, however, remained unconvinced. "I hold a different view," the monk said, his expression serious as he shook his head. "Our Buddhist tradition emphasizes cause and effect, karma and retribution—regardless of this life..." Black Rain Master listened with a chuckle, then, upon the monk's conclusion, shared his own insights. These two exchanged remarks back and forth, eventually beginning to argue right there by the massive crater. Han Li was first slightly taken aback, but then broke into a quiet laugh.