“Pah!” Barbarian Roar bellowed, a crimson beam shooting from his mouth to strike the Jadeblood Spider. With a “thump,” the beam exploded upon contact, enveloping the spirit beast in a dense red mist. The spider hissed in agitation, clearly irritated by the assault.
Han Li seethed inwardly at the sight.
“Berserk Art”—the name alone hinted at a demonic technique with severe repercussions. These old demons had applied it without a word of warning, showing no regard for the consequences to his Jadeblood Spider. It was clear they never took him, a Core Formation cultivator, seriously! Though he had anticipated such treatment, having it so blatantly displayed still darkened his expression.
By now, the blood mist had been fully absorbed by the spider. Its once crystalline body had turned a deep, bloody red, like a massive crimson gem.
“This is…” Han Li’s mind flashed back to the Jadeblood Spider’s frenzy in the underground caverns of Tiannan. The same vivid crimson hue—this was the spider in a state of violent rage.
Worried, Han Li sent a thread of divine sense toward it, only to be met with a torrent of wild, furious rage, as if it were on the verge of losing all reason.
Just as Han Li considered forcefully calming the spider, Barbarian Roar roared again, “What are you waiting for? Order your spider to pull! The Berserk Art has a time limit!” he barked, glaring.
Though inwardly furious, Han Li had no choice but to command the spider to continue pulling.
Fortunately, even in its berserk state, the spider still obeyed its master. After a flash of red light in its green eyes, its sharp legs scrabbled wildly, gradually inching the taut silk backward.
A tremor, three times stronger than before, shook the ground, accompanied by low rumbles of thunder from the cave.
At this, Barbarian Roar and the others brightened almost simultaneously.
Then, a blinding blue light erupted from the cave, shooting over ten zhang above the altar.
Han Li felt a sudden chill, then warmth, as a glowing green barrier enveloped him. He realized the scholar-robed elder had expanded his protective glow to cover him as well.
“Be careful! The moment the Void Heaven Cauldron is lifted, it will release a cold wave several times stronger than before. Many treasure-seekers have been caught off guard by this in the past,” the elder murmured gravely.
Though the words seemed directed at Han Li, the elder’s gaze remained fixed on the cave entrance. Qing Yi, the Elegant Scholar, appeared extremely tense.
Han Li was puzzled. Had many others tried to lift this cauldron before? If so, why had they all failed?
Knowing it wasn’t the time for questions, Han Li turned back to watch the scene on the altar.
Clearly, the Void Heaven Cauldron was immensely heavy. Despite the spirit beasts’ full efforts, it moved only incrementally. The blue light at the cave entrance grew ever more dazzling.
By now, not only were Jie Yin and the others watching intently, but even Wu Chou and Xuan Gu below the altar were fixated. Wu Chou clenched his fists, face alight with excitement and greed, while Xuan Gu’s eyes held a complex mix of anticipation and hesitation.
As the cauldron was slowly pulled upward, everyone held their breath, eyes locked on the cave entrance—except Han Li, who worriedly watched his Jadeblood Spider. After all, no matter how precious the cauldron, it wouldn’t end up in his hands, whereas the spider was his hard-earned companion.
To his surprise, he noticed the originally milky-white spider silk now reflected a faint blue glow. Though subtle, it was unmistakably not the silk’s natural color.
Just as Han Li pondered this, a faint “rip” sounded from behind them. Though soft, in the silence it was starkly audible.
Startled but inwardly pleased, Han Li turned toward the sound—the direction of the altar’s stone steps. Jie Yin, Barbarian Roar, and the others heard it too.
Barbarian Roar cursed, slapping his spirit beast bag to release a yellow light that resolved into a leopard-like beast covered in yellow spots. It was several times larger than a normal leopard, with a third eye on its head glowing faintly yellow.
The scholar-robed elder turned, cold light flashing in his eyes. “It’s Wan Tianming and his group. My Thornbirds and Fellow Daoist Wu’s two corpse demons have already been destroyed. They’ve come back, uneasy about us retrieving the treasure.”
“Buy as much time as possible. Though the cauldron is more than halfway out, the cave’s suction grows stronger the further it’s pulled. It won’t be out soon,” Jie Yin said calmly, seemingly unsurprised by the return of the righteous path.
“Agreed!” the elder replied succinctly, sleeves billowing as he released a swarm of green light—over a hundred fist-sized Thornbirds with sharp beaks and steel feathers, silently floating above him.
Meanwhile, Jie Yin formed hand seals, black mist swirling around him until it dissipated to reveal fourteen or fifteen armored, green corpse demons.
Barbarian Roar watched coldly without a word. Below, Wu Chou edged closer to the altar, anxiety on his face. Xuan Gu remained still, eyes shifting as if deep in thought.
Han Li frowned at Xuan Gu’s inaction but quickly smoothed his expression as several rainbows shot toward them, arriving swiftly before the altar.
As the light faded, Wan Tianming and the other righteous cultivators appeared.
“Good, very good!” Wan Tianming said calmly, glancing at the spider pulling the cauldron and the glowing cave entrance. The demonic cultivators exchanged puzzled looks.
“Good? I’m fine, but I’d feel even better if you hadn’t come,” Barbarian Roar retorted rudely.
“I didn’t want to return, but how could I leave after discovering this young friend possesses a Jadeblood Spider, thought extinct for years?” Wan Tianming replied mildly. Then, he emitted a strange, low chirp.
Before the demons could react, a mouse-sized blue beast emerged from the stone at Wan Tianming’s feet, darting up to his arm. The leader of the Wanfa Sect smirked mockingly.
“Petrifying Beast!” the Elegant Scholar exclaimed in recognition.
“Heh! If I hadn’t left this beast to spy on you, I wouldn’t have returned so timely. Though it has no other skills, once it hides within stone, even you couldn’t detect it easily. It seems my precaution was wise.”
“Now, I offer you two choices: let us destroy the Jadeblood Spider, leaving the cauldron dormant, or share its treasures equally. I won’t allow you demons to monopolize it,” Wan Tianming said, stroking the beast on his arm and glancing at the spider, exuding confidence.
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