"Senior Brother, are you alright?" The blue-robed middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, but still voiced the question while hovering in midair.
"I'm fine, but it was still so close!" The Grand Elder gave a bitter smile and rose to his feet. The lotus of light beneath him instantly collapsed, dissolving into motes of spiritual light that vanished into thin air.
He then drifted gently down onto the massive boulder below.
"What a pity! Grand Elder, your spiritual sense was simply a fraction too weak — otherwise you would have succeeded this time. Regardless, this secret technique you created is truly a viable method for breaking through to the Deity Transformation stage." The old woman sighed softly, clearly full of admiration for the Grand Elder's technique.
"I thank Madam Long for her kind words. Though this method may be effective, beyond this current opportunity, it will not be easy to gather so many cultivators who possess the Extreme Cold Flame in the future." The Grand Elder's expression returned to normal as he spoke in an indifferent tone.
"That is true. Not only is it exceedingly difficult to find fellow cultivators who practice the Extreme Cold Flame, but for the flame wielder to also find an extremely cold location like this Dark Jade Cave — that is truly a near-impossible task. Nevertheless, Grand Elder, your method certainly offers much that others can learn from." The gray-robed monk smiled as he spoke.
Hearing the monk's words, the Grand Elder's mouth twitched slightly, and he could only shake his head helplessly.
He then held out both hands before him, gazing at the lustrous, supple skin. The Minor Extreme Palace Grand Elder's eyes flickered with an uncertain light.
"Grand Elder, now that the ritual is over, shouldn't you deactivate the formation and let us return to the stone chamber to recover our energy?" Han Li furrowed his brows as he spoke, his gaze sweeping over the barriers of light that had reappeared around them.
"There is no rush. I still have some matters to attend to, and it won't be too late to deactivate the formation once they are dealt with." Without even looking up, the Grand Elder replied in an indifferent tone.
The blue-robed middle-aged man and Bai Mengxin exchanged a glance, then hovered above the Grand Elder, their faces expressionless and silent.
"Grand Elder, what do you mean by this?" The monk naturally sensed that something was amiss, and his face darkened immediately. Though the old woman said nothing, a look of wariness appeared on her face at once. Her hand, concealed within her sleeve, seemed to move slightly as though gripping something, and she cast a cold gaze toward the three cultivators from the Minor Extreme Palace.
"There is no need for alarm, fellow Daoists. I bear no ill will. I merely wish for Brother Han to return a certain item to our palace." The Grand Elder finally lowered his hands and raised his head to look at Han Li. The sixteen silver blades embedded in his body suddenly hummed, then shot out and fell away. His eyes instantly blazed with brilliant light, with faint golden flashes within.
It appeared as though his magical power had been completely restored!
"Return something?" The monk and the old woman couldn't help but look at Han Li, surprise showing on their faces.
"Surely you jest, Grand Elder. This is my first time visiting the Minor Extreme Palace — when could I have ever taken anything belonging to your palace?" Han Li slowly rose to his feet and replied calmly.
Hearing Han Li's words, the Grand Elder's face took on a strange expression. After a moment of silence, he suddenly flipped one hand, and a ball of blue light appeared in his palm. Within the blue light sat a small cauldron.
"The Qianlan Cauldron!" The gray-robed monk blurted out upon seeing the cauldron, then immediately panicked and reached into his sleeve, pulling out another identical small cauldron.
His gaze darted back and forth between the two cauldrons, his face full of shock and suspicion.
"No need for alarm, Master Mojiu. Yours is not a fake — it is a genuine Qianlan Cauldron as well. It's simply that these cauldrons were originally a pair, not a single piece. Moreover, this pair of cauldrons are merely imitations of a certain item. What I am asking Friend Han Li to return is the Celestial Spirit Treasure known as the 'Void Heaven Cauldron.' That treasure is on your person, isn't it?" The Grand Elder fixed his gaze on Han Li and spoke lightly, as though it were of no consequence.
"A Celestial Spirit Treasure! Friend Han Li possesses such a treasure?" This time it was the old woman who exclaimed in a low voice, her gaze toward Han Li turning to one of disbelief laced with a hint of greed. The gray-robed old monk was equally shocked and couldn't help sizing Han Li up once more.
Before coming here, the two of them had asked the Grand Elder about Han Li's background and learned that he hailed from the Tianan region. That a cultivator from such a minor place could possess a treasure of the Celestial Spirit Treasure class was truly shocking to them both.
"Oh, the Void Heaven Cauldron! Is that so? I don't mind answering your question, Grand Elder. But before I do, I'd like to ask you something first. How can you be so certain that I possess this cauldron, and what is the relationship between your palace's Void Spirit Hall and this cauldron?" Rather than denying it immediately, Han Li wore an expression that hovered between a smile and something else entirely.