Han Li naturally didn’t let these feelings show on his face. Instead, he took a few steps to the edge of the hole and peered inside. What he saw left him astonished.
The depth of this large hole wasn’t unimaginably profound as he had expected—it was only about twenty to thirty zhang deep. With his Core Formation cultivation, he could clearly see a blinding blue flame-shaped light fiercely burning at the bottom. Within the blue flames, something black flickered faintly. This must be the legendary Void Heaven Cauldron.
However, as he leaned in, he was met with a piercing, extreme cold emanating from the hole. If not for the Lingxi Pendant blocking most of the chill, a single glance might have frozen him solid from the overwhelming cold air.
The blue light at the bottom clearly took the form of flames, yet it radiated an opposite, extreme cold. Han Li was utterly shocked!
But after just a couple more glances at the blue flames, he felt dizzy and quickly withdrew his gaze in alarm, straightening up.
“Well? That’s the Dry Blue Ice Flame, an ultimate Yin and extreme cold fire. Not to mention Core Formation cultivators, even us old-timers with formed Nascent Souls dare not touch a single wisp of it. If this cold flame so much as grazes you, even a Nascent Soul would be easily refined away. Legend says this flame shouldn’t exist in our realm; who knows how those ancient cultivators found this cluster,” the Venerable Ultraviolet said, standing beside Han Li and also staring into the hole. “It can refine even a Nascent Soul?” Han Li gasped at these words but quickly regained his composure.
If it weren’t for this, the Void Heaven Cauldron would have been taken long ago—how could it remain here until now?
“Although the Dry Blue Ice Flame is extremely dangerous to us cultivators, there are still some things it can’t burn—like the golden silk spun by Golden Silk Worms, the silk of Bloodjade Spiders, and special existences such as my two Fire Pythons.”
“Now, summon your Bloodjade Spider. Let’s take a closer look,” the Venerable Ultraviolet commanded in a tone that brooked no refusal.
Under the watchful eyes of the Venerable Ultraviolet, the Barbarian Taoist, and the old man, Han Li made no unnecessary delays. He pressed a hand against the spirit beast pouch at his waist, and a white beam shot out, circling once before landing before the group.
As the light faded, the Bloodjade Spider’s modest form was revealed. Seeing so many strangers, it ground its fangs rapidly, its eyes filled with hostility.
The Barbarian Taoist, Venerable Ultraviolet, and the others paid no mind, instead gazing at the spirit beast as if it were a treasure.
“Tsk, tsk! This Bloodjade Spider is already so large—it seems to be at the peak of a grade-four demon beast, about to break through to grade five. There’s real hope for retrieving the treasure!” the Barbarian Taoist exclaimed, visibly moved as soon as the spider appeared.
“Hehe! In terms of strength, my disciple’s Bloodjade Spider might not compare to some ancient exotic species. But when it comes to retrieving the Void Heaven Cauldron, this spirit beast is the best choice,” the Venerable Ultraviolet said, also staring at the spider with excitement in his eyes.
“Brother Wu is absolutely right! Moreover, this spider’s grade is much higher than those Golden Silk Worms that have just reached grade two. Even this single spider far surpasses a whole group of them,” the scholar-robed old man added with a pleased expression. After all, retrieving the treasure no longer seemed like an impossible dream.
“Let’s get started now! Otherwise, delays might bring complications! Han Li, have your spider spray a web to envelop the Void Heaven Cauldron, then have it pull with all its strength. I’ll have my two Fire Pythons assist the Bloodjade Spider at the same time.” Seeing that the Bloodjade Spider was in good condition, the Venerable Ultraviolet issued orders to Han Li without ceremony.
“Yes!” Though reluctant, Han Li could only comply obediently.
“You two, go down below the altar. When the Dry Blue Ice Flame near the Void Heaven Cauldron approaches the hole, your cultivation won’t be enough to withstand it. As for my disciple Han Li, I’ll trouble Brother Qing to protect him later,” the Venerable Ultraviolet coldly ordered Wu Chou and Xuan Gu before turning to the Green Iridescence Taoist with a smile.
“Of course! For the Heaven Mending Pill inside the Void Heaven Cauldron, I won’t let anything happen to young friend Han,” the old man chuckled, readily agreeing.
Wu Chou and Xuan Gu obediently descended the altar and stepped back a few paces before standing still again.
Glancing at the several old demons watching him like hawks, Han Li sighed inwardly and issued a command to the Bloodjade Spider. Immediately, a milky-white spider web shot out, transforming into a white beam that flew into the hole.
At this point, he could only take things one step at a time. He hoped that after retrieving the treasure, the Venerable Ultraviolet would be too embarrassed to immediately discard him in front of the other old demons, giving him a moment to catch his breath. Then, when Xuan Gu made his move against the Venerable Ultraviolet, he could take advantage of the chaos for a turnaround. As for whether the Void Heaven Cauldron could actually be retrieved, Han Li didn’t care at all.
He knew all too well that whether the retrieval succeeded or not, his situation wouldn’t change in the slightest.
Just as Han Li settled on this strategy, the Venerable Ultraviolet walked to the opposite side of the hole, reached into his robe, and pulled out a black spirit beast pouch. He turned it upside down and gave it a light shake. With a red flash, two fiery-red giant pythons, each four to five zhang long, suddenly appeared on the ground.
These bizarre pythons were covered in fiery scales the size of fingernails. Below their heads, around the seven-inch mark, were rings of peculiar patterns resembling runes. Their four serpentine eyes glowed crimson, as if flames burned within them.
After the Fire Pythons coiled and stretched on the ground, the Venerable Ultraviolet raised his sleeve, and his hidden fingers flicked. Two black pills shot out, and the giant pythons swung their heads, each swallowing a pill with astonishing agility.
“Go!” the Venerable Ultraviolet commanded sharply, pointing at the large hole.
The two Fire Pythons slowly slithered to the edge of the hole, appearing rather lethargic.
Seeing this, the Venerable Ultraviolet adopted a solemn expression, forming a strange hand seal with both hands while uttering a series of obscure incantations, as if activating some secret technique. An astonishing scene unfolded: under the chant, the pythons’ red light shifted, their scales turning blackish-red, and they began shaking their heads and tails with renewed vigor.
*Thump! Thump!* Two sounds echoed as the pythons’ tails stabbed into the ground near the hole like sharp blades, sinking several feet deep. Then, their front halves lunged forward, their bodies stretching bonelessly as they plunged into the deep hole. Their tails remained firmly embedded at the edge, unmoving, making them look like two black-red ropes.
As Han Li watched dumbfounded, the two ropes twisted slightly. The Venerable Ultraviolet’s face lit up with joy, and he urgently clenched his fists, shouting sharply at Han Li, “Good! They’ve bitten onto the Void Heaven Cauldron. Quickly, have your spider pull with all its strength! Even after swallowing my pills, the Fire Pythons can’t last long in the Dry Blue Ice Flame. Success or failure hinges on this!” After saying this, a trace of ferocity flickered in the Venerable Ultraviolet’s eyes. Han Li snorted coldly inwardly.
“If retrieving the treasure succeeds, I’m more likely to lose my life. If it fails, I’d be happier.” Han Li grumbled unwillingly to himself.
But he forced himself to rally and commanded the Bloodjade Spider to start pulling backward. Beside him, the Barbarian Taoist and the scholar-robed old man were watching his every move like hawks. Even if he tried to fake effort, he doubted he could deceive these two old foxes.
Under Han Li’s reluctant command, the milky-white, semi-transparent silk tightened immediately, and the Bloodjade Spider began slowly moving backward. Simultaneously, the two black-red ropes opposite the hole started twisting and contracting.
A low rumbling sound echoed, and the entire platform began to shake. The blue light in the hole flickered wildly, dazzling Han Li and forcing him to avert his eyes temporarily to avoid the glare. The Bloodjade Spider, however, seemed unaffected and continued pulling with all its might.
“Good, the Void Heaven Cauldron is shaking,” the Green Iridescence Taoist murmured nervously upon seeing this.
Clearly, the Void Heaven Cauldron was extremely heavy. Even with the combined efforts of the Bloodjade Spider and the two Fire Pythons, the cauldron only swayed back and forth at the bottom of the hole. After a moment, it showed no signs of being lifted.
The Venerable Ultraviolet, however, showed no panic. After a moment of contemplation, he spat out two mouthfuls of black essence, which attached to the two Fire Pythons. Then, he turned to the Barbarian Taoist and said urgently, “Brother Barbarian, please cast the Berserk Art on the Bloodjade Spider. My disciple’s cultivation isn’t sufficient to perform this technique.”
“Don’t worry, leave it to me,” the Barbarian Taoist replied, as if he had anticipated this, agreeing without surprise. He then fixed his gaze on the Bloodjade Spider, his lips moving slightly. With each opening and closing, a faint red light seemed to emanate from his mouth.
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