There, by the edge of the lava lake, several strange creatures—neither quite wolves nor entirely wolves—lay motionless, each split into seven or eight pieces, clearly severed by a sharp blade. "Golden Child" Han Li drew his gaze and softly called out. A soft "pffft" sound rippled through the air, and instantly, a small purple-gold figure, only a few inches tall, materialized, bowing deeply to Han Li while emitting a series of "wah-wah" sounds, as though speaking to him. Han Li, his expression serious, seemed genuinely to understand what the figure was saying. "Apparently, these creatures have appeared not long after I left. They must have been dispatched by the Kshatriya Spiders. Thank goodness I kept you here in advance; otherwise, I wouldn't have known what plans this entire clan might have. Golden Child, return here." After listening carefully, Han Li smiled with satisfaction and called out to the figure, then gently shook his sleeve. The name "Golden Child" had been Han Li's own casual designation when he first encountered this golden insect king, and he felt it truly fitting. At once, upon hearing Han Li call his name, the small man leaped forward, transforming into a sphere of golden light that flashed and settled into the sleeve. Han Li then raised a single finger toward the remains below, and several crimson fire balls shot forth, igniting a roaring flame that consumed everything, reducing it all to ashes. Only then did he turn his gaze back to the lava lake, a gentle smile appearing at the corner of his lips. Suddenly, he flipped his hand, and a jade box sealed with a scroll appeared in his palm, containing the previously enchanted blue crystal. He lifted the box slightly, brushing his two fingers upward—whereupon the scroll gently drifted down, the lid automatically opening to reveal the crystal inside. As soon as the crystal emerged, a strong surge of fundamental laws radiated out, and under Han Li's spell, most of them were swiftly cast into the lava lake. When Han Li first saw the blue stone and this crystal orb at the cold pool, he noticed that besides the strong presence of fundamental laws, there was a faint, somewhat familiar aura mingled within. Upon careful reflection, he realized this aura was exactly the same as that he had previously encountered among the Empty Fish Clan. However, on both objects, this aura was extremely subtle, nearly imperceptible. Had it not been for the fact that he had only recently met the members of the Empty Fish Clan, he likely would not have detected its presence at all. Han Li did not know whether the treasures obtained from the cold pool were the so-called "sacred relics" of the Empty Fish Clan, but he instinctively suspected a connection between them and the clan. Although he lacked clear evidence, he felt a vague sense that the object in his hands still concealed some unknown secret. That is why, immediately upon receiving the crystal orb, he had promptly headed straight for the Dry Fire Region without hesitation. The pale blue crystal beads within the jade box flashed wildly, emitting increasingly intense waves of law fluctuations, causing the nearby void to resonate with a low hum. Faint, shimmering ribbons of light gradually coalesced and danced erratically in the air. The entire underground cavern began to tremble, rumbling with each movement, as countless fragments of stone cascaded down from above. For an ordinary person, such a deluge of stones would likely result in serious injury—certainly a head wound and blood loss—but for a Daoist of the Great Perfection stage, such disturbances were utterly insignificant. Stones that struck his head merely glowed with a gentle jade light and vanished into nothingness. A few dull thuds echoed. After the molten rock parted, several figures of varying build emerged—half-human, half-fish, each wielding different weapons. These were members of the Empty Fish Clan, both male and female. They immediately surrounded Han Li, all of them staring at the stranger with expressions of wonder and uncertainty. Among them, a sturdy fish-people warrior—precisely the fish-people chieftain who had appeared here just a few days prior—was now fixed intently on Han Li's jade box, his gaze filled with both astonishment and an unspoken excitement. Han Li, in turn, regarded the group of fish-like beings with a composed, slightly amused expression, showing no inclination to speak. "Who are you, and why have you summoned such great power here? Might it be that you've come specifically for our people?" the fish-people warrior finally spoke, yet his words carried a clear sense of deference and caution. It was only natural! As the highest-ranked among the fish-people in terms of cultivation, he himself had only recently entered the Xianxu stage and could not even discern Han Li's exact level—his heart naturally brimmed with apprehension. "I wish to speak with the leader of your people. Please, show me the way ahead." Han Li flashed a beam of white light in his hand, and the jade box, along with the crystal beads inside, vanished silently. With that, he spoke softly, his tone carrying an unyielding authority. "Yes, senior. I'll go see the clan chief. I'll show you the way right away." Upon hearing this, the sturdy man's face changed instantly. After a moment, he managed to force out a smile and nodded, clearly aware that, given Han Li's strength, he had no choice but to comply. Nevertheless, before finally bowing respectfully to Han Li, he first exchanged a glance with a man and a woman standing to one side, and silently transmitted a few words to them. The two empty-fish clan members immediately understood his intent; their bodies shimmered with red light and stepped forward into the molten rock before Han Li even moved. Han Li, however, remained completely composed, as if all this had happened without his notice, and simply drifted down toward the surface of the molten lake. As soon as Han Li's form touched the molten rock, the lava surged outward like a tide, retreating gracefully to either side and revealing a wide channel several zhang in width. Inside, a vibrant red light pulsed steadily, deep and mysterious, as if extending all the way to the lakebed. The robust man practicing the "Fire-Resisting Technique" was once again stunned by this sight. Though the "Fire-Resisting Technique" wasn't particularly renowned, it was essentially a fundamental skill mastered by most practitioners of cultivation. Yet, to witness such an astonishing phenomenon through merely this simple method was truly astonishing. The man steadied his composure and, with the others hesitating, followed through without further hesitation. Although the molten lake appeared modest in size from above, it proved surprisingly deep when viewed from below. As they descended along the branching passage, Han Li reached a depth of several hundred feet before encountering a shimmering blue light curtain below. Han Li's expression subtly shifted, and with a swift movement, he passed straight through the curtain, stepping into a separate, smaller spatial realm. However, as soon as he entered, sharp, resonant sounds erupted all around him. Several empty-fish族 members on patrol nearby immediately reacted with shock and anger, rushing forward. As Han Li raised an eyebrow, considering whether to show these empty-fish族 people a bit of strength, a surge of movement occurred behind him. A sturdy man darted into the light screen and hurriedly shouted to the others, "Step back! This elder is a distinguished guest of our clan, specially invited to meet the clan chief." "What? To meet the clan chief? That seems inappropriate," the guards were taken aback by the man's words and hesitated visibly. "The clan chief has instructed that we formally invite this guest to the Heavenly Realm Hall. No one is to obstruct them." At the same time, from the other direction, a burst of red light shot forth, and a female empty-fish figure materialized, holding a token-like object high in her hands. "Since the clan chief has personally issued this instruction, then it's quite different," the empty-fish guards remained visibly surprised, yet they all stepped back. Han Li chuckled softly, then carefully surveyed the space around him. It wasn't very large—no more than several dozen li in diameter—and featured hundreds of triangular buildings of varying heights. On the surfaces of these buildings, curved, arc-like characters were inscribed, appearing quite primitive and simple at first glance. Yet upon closer reflection, they conveyed an unusually profound and subtle sense of elegance. Although he didn't know exactly how many Kōyū族 people lived within the buildings, the number of Kōyū族 members active outside was no more than two hundred, most of whom were elderly, women, or children, with only a fraction of young adults. It seemed that even if some Kōyū族 people remained inside the buildings, the entire community would barely reach six or seven hundred, far from thriving. "Master, please," said the sturdy man beside him, slightly uneasy as Han Li merely stared around in quiet contemplation. "Allow me to show you the way." "Very well, you go ahead." Han Li glanced at the sturdy man and said nothing more. "Senior, please follow me." The man immediately bowed and soared into the air, flying swiftly toward the distance. Han Li lifted one leg and materialized a few dozen feet away, following steadily behind the man's flight. However, after only a few such movements, both of them landed in front of a seemingly ordinary building. There were no guards stationed at the entrance. "Senior, the clan chief is inside. As for me, I cannot enter, so I shall wait here." The man stopped at the doorway and turned to bow respectfully to Han Li. Han Li nodded and then entered with a composed air. Beyond the main gate lay a hall about ten or twenty feet in size, furnished only with simple tables and chairs. But seated in a chair at the far end of the hall was an elder with gray-white hair, his face lean and his lower body not fish-like, but rather resembling a typical human. His spiritual cultivation was barely at the early stage of harmonization. "Are you the chieftain of the Kongyú clan?" Han Li glanced at the elder and asked calmly. Upon seeing Han Li enter, the elder had already risen from his seat and, after carefully observing him, his face slightly changed before he bowed respectfully and replied, "My name is Liu Shuo. Indeed, I am the chieftain of the Kongyú clan. May I ask, where did you come from? Are you a senior cultivator at the stage of Great Multiplication?" Though respectful, a subtle undercurrent of excitement could be detected in his tone. "You have good eyes," Han Li smiled lightly before replying smoothly, "I indeed came from outside the realm and am a cultivator at the Great Multiplication stage." "Excellent! At last, our clan has awaited a strong external cultivator of your caliber." Please, Master, absolutely save our entire clan! As long as we can free ourselves from the grasp of the Shurō Spiders, we shall make you our lord, and from generation to generation, our descendants shall serve you faithfully. "Poof!" The elder suddenly bowed deeply to Han Li, then knelt and bowed his head with both sorrow and joy.