In an instant, the silver phoenix shook its wings once, and its form expanded dramatically, growing to hundreds of zhang in height. Its feathers glowed with roaring flames, illuminating the upper half of the valley in a brilliant silver light. Han Li watched this scene, his eyes flashing with keen light, and then began chanting a series of gestures, murmuring the character "Ji." Immediately, the phoenix lowered its head and breathed out a jet of flame toward the ground. A wave of silver flame surged downward, submerging the surrounding pyramidal ice. The ice melted at an astonishing pace, with delicate streaks of silver light shooting out from within and swiftly merging into the flame. Within just one breath, all the ice vanished completely, revealing the cold spring once more. The silver flame then flowed steadily downward, enveloping the surface of the spring. Amid the blazing flames, the cold qi rising from the spring transformed into delicate streaks of silver mist, which were easily absorbed and blended into the flame, causing the fire's intensity to grow even stronger. The Shenglin True Flame was originally a mutated true fire embodying the unity of yin and yang. After several successive refinements and assimilations facilitated by various external aids employed by Han Li, it had evolved into a peculiar existence in the realm of heaven and earth—capable of absorbing and integrating the most extreme cold and yang substances, thereby enhancing its power. At the very moment when the Shurō Spiders and their companions first opened the seal on the cold spring, the Shenglin True Flame within Han Li surged with intense agitation, displaying an overwhelming yearning to consume the surrounding cold air. This left Han Li both astonished and delighted. Over the years, he had never witnessed such a strong reaction from the Shenglin True Flame before. When he had previously traveled through several exceptionally cold regions within the Spirit Realm, encountering various phenomena capable of consuming such extreme cold, the Shenglin True Flame had never responded with such intensity. Moreover, Han Li believed that the peculiar cold that had stumped the Shurō Spiders could be effortlessly resolved simply through the unique capabilities of the Shenglin True Flame. He naturally could not readily reveal the ability of the Spirit-Consuming True Flame to absorb other cold energies, nor did he wish to display it before others. That was why he had allowed the women and the Shura Spider beings to continue relying on the power of the magical array to recover the precious artifact. Now, Han Li floated above the Shang谷, silently observing everything below, with a faint sense of anticipation on his face. Yet as time passed, the cold energies rising from the pool gradually weakened, as though the cold energy above had been nearly entirely consumed by the Spirit-Consuming True Word. Han Li furrowed his brows, then pointed his finger at the Spirit-Flame Bird. The bird spun in the air, rapidly shrinking in size, and within moments transformed into a sphere of one zhang in diameter. After a clear call, it shot downward as a blazing fire ball. "Pffft!" As soon as the bird touched the silver flames below, the entire silver flame surged suddenly, like a gale, and instantly solidified, completely vanishing into the body of the bird. A flash of silver light, and the phoenix plunged into the water, vanishing without a trace. Only faint rumbling sounds and shimmering streaks of silver could be heard from deep within the cold spring. Han Li kept his eyes closed, still chanting a mysterious incantation in a low, steady voice. At this point, the cold mist rising from the spring began to dissipate more rapidly. After one hour, when the silver phoenix surged forth once more with a long, resonant cry from the depths, all the cold mist had vanished completely, leaving no trace of chill at all. The spring now resembled a regular water pool. Han Li opened his eyes, his gaze upon the phoenix filled with a touch of satisfaction. The phoenix, though its entire body glowed with a flowing silver flame, now appeared translucent and solid, as if taking on a tangible form. Clearly, after absorbing the spring's remarkable cold energy, the phoenix had undergone a transformation. Of course, this transformation is merely the beginning. This cold pool is so frigid that even ordinary stage-three cultivators hesitate to venture deep into it, testifying to its extraordinary chill. Although the Spirit-Eating Fire Bird is profoundly marvelous, it cannot possibly absorb and transform all this intense cold within such a short span—thus, it first forcibly draws it into its body, intending to refine it gradually over time. Han Li gently inhaled, subtly adjusting his hand seals, preparing to retrieve the Fire Bird. Yet at that moment, the Fire Bird opened its beak and expelled a sphere of white light, rushing straight toward Han Li. Han Li was momentarily startled, instinctively raising his arm and catching the light sphere in his hand. Peering down, he saw a translucent, perfectly round orb the size of an egg—clear and pure, yet astonishingly cold. Had it not been for its sufficiently dense protective aura and his exceptionally strong physical constitution, the moment his hand made contact, the orb would have already injured him. "Interesting! This was found down below?" Han Li was somewhat astonished, glanced at the Spirit-Fire Phoenix, and asked in surprise. Yet the silver phoenix remained quietly hovering before him, showing no reaction at all. "I must be mistaken," he said, "with your rather limited spirit, how could you possibly respond?" Han Li was first taken aback, then broke into a quiet chuckle. He then looked again at the crystal orb in Yan's palm, focused his consciousness, and sent it toward the orb. But at that very moment, Han Li's face changed, and he softly murmured, "Huh." As soon as his consciousness touched the surface of the orb, it naturally slid past, as though his hand were empty and bare. Han Li was utterly amazed. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly pressed his finger against his brow, and with a soft "shush," a strand of crystalline filament shot out, flashed briefly, and then vanished into the orb—exactly his crystallized consciousness. "Ah, so that's it." This time, Han Li's face brightened with sudden clarity. After a brief hesitation, he suddenly threw the crystal sphere downward and pressed his finger with added weight. A thunderous crack echoed, and a golden arc shot forth from his fingertip, striking the object in mid-air with solid force. The crystal sphere immediately spun wildly in the air, its surface covered in countless electric filaments, and finally shattered with a crisp sound, cracking into fragments. A surge of astonishing cold spread out, revealing a pale blue orb pulsating with steady waves. Within this cold crystal sphere, another orb—about the size of a thumb—was clearly enclosed. The waves emanating from this inner orb clearly carried an exceptionally strong spatial energy. Han Li quickly pondered the matter in his mind and gradually grasped the full picture. The sacred artifact of the Empty-Fish Clan hidden in the cold pond was not a single item, but rather two—one large and one small. The larger item, naturally, was the pale blue stone taken by the woman, while the smaller one was this crystal orb. On the surface, the spatial law fluctuations emitted by both items appeared quite similar. Yet since the orb had been deliberately concealed behind other treasures and even managed to evade the divine awareness of transcendental beings, it must have been far more significant in the eyes of the Kōyū clan than the stone. The precise reasons, however, were likely known only to the Kōyū clan themselves. Han Li stomped his foot again, and as the light emanating from his body surged, he transformed into a streak of jade-green light, soaring upward. After a spiral, he shot off in a straight line toward a specific direction—precisely the dry-heat region where the Kongyu clan resided. Previously, we only needed their crystalline nuclei, hoping that by absorbing their power, we might gain the potential to manipulate spatial forces. However, after years of our daughter's persistent efforts, we've found this method to be largely ineffective. In fact, our daughter has actually grasped the principles of spatial laws not through this method, but rather by following a completely different path—otherwise, she would likely still be unable to comprehend the laws of space and time today. "The blood-draped maiden spoke calmly. "A different path?" the mother of the Shura Spider Clan asked, slightly surprised. "Indeed. Now that we have the creatures of the Skyfish Clan, we no longer require such large quantities of their crystalline nuclei. With the amount we previously stored, we are well sufficient. We no longer need to clash with these outsiders over this matter. Upon returning, my daughter will first seal herself in meditation to refine that person's true essence, then proceed to deepen her understanding of the laws of space and time. After I emerge from my cultivation retreat, I will pass on a strand of the temporal-spatial law seed that has grown within me to my mother. In this way, both you and I—mother and daughter—will have the potential to master this supreme law power. And from then on, no realm will be able to hold us back as we freely dominate across the multiverse." The blood-draped young woman smiled brightly. "Indeed, with your current cultivation level, even a mere infusion of temporal-spatial power allows you to match and even surpass a fully perfected cultivator. Should you further advance into the perfected realm, you would surely rise to the very pinnacle of the true spiritual elite. Aside from beings like the True Dragon Tian Feng, few would be able to stand against you." Hearing this, the mother of the Shura Spider Clan beamed with profound delight. The young woman chuckled lightly, offering no further comment, yet her expression clearly affirmed the elder's words.