Along the edge of the molten lava lake, several peculiar beast carcasses resembling wolves but not quite wolves lay quietly, each severed into seven or eight pieces, clearly cut through by some manner of sharp blade.
"Golden Boy."
Han Li withdrew his gaze and called out in an even tone.
With a soft "pfft," a ripple of fluctuations arose nearby, and a small figure no more than a few inches tall materialized in a flash of purple-gold light. It bowed deeply to Han Li, all the while letting out a series of babbling sounds, as though explaining something to him.
Han Li's expression was solemn, yet he appeared to understand every word.
"So they showed up not long after I left. It seems the Asura Spiders sent them. It's a good thing I left you behind here — who knows what schemes that clan might still be plotting. Golden Boy, come back." After listening, Han Li nodded with a satisfied look and called to the little figure, flicking his sleeve toward it.
Golden Boy was a name Han Li had coined on a whim for this Gold Devouring Beetle King, and he thought it was rather fitting.
The moment the little figure heard Han Li call its name, it launched itself forward, transforming into a ball of golden light that shot toward him. After a single flicker, it vanished into his sleeve.
Only then did Han Li flick a finger toward the carcasses below. Several scarlet fireballs shot forth, and with a roar of blazing flames, everything was reduced to ashes.
It was only after this that Han Li retracted his gaze, looked back toward the lava lake, and allowed a faint smile to trace the corner of his lips.
He abruptly flipped his free hand, and a jade box sealed with talisman paper appeared in his palm. Inside sat the blue crystal bead he had previously confined.
Han Li held the jade box aloft and swept two fingers across its surface. The talisman paper drifted away of its own accord, and the lid opened simultaneously, revealing the crystal bead within.
The moment the bead was exposed, an intense surge of law fluctuations erupted outward, and under the channeling of Han Li's Magical Power, most of that energy streamed toward the lava lake below.
When Han Li had first encountered the blue stone and this crystal bead in the cold cavern, he had noticed that both items contained not only a powerful law force but also a faintly familiar aura intermingled within.
After carefully reflecting on it, he realized the aura was identical to that of the Void Fish Tribe he had encountered earlier.
However, the aura on these two items was extremely faint — so faint as to be nearly imperceptible.
Had he not seen the Void Fish Tribe members just a few days ago, he likely never would have detected its presence at all.
Han Li did not know that the treasure from the cold cavern was the so-called "Holy Relic of the Void Fish Tribe," but he had guessed that it must have some connection to that clan.
Moreover, though he had no clear evidence, he had a vague intuition that the treasure in his hands still harbored some unknown secret.
That was why, the very moment he had obtained the crystal bead, he had made straight for this Land of Dried Fire without hesitation.
The pale blue crystal bead flickered wildly inside the jade box, its emitted law fluctuations growing ever more intense. The surrounding void began emitting a low, resonant hum, and strand after strand of hazy light bands condensed into existence in the air, writhing and dancing furiously.
The entire underground cavern rumbled and shook in sympathy with the dancing light bands, as countless fragments of rock tumbled down from above in torrents.
Had this been an ordinary person, they might not have died outright under the barrage of falling stone, but a bloodied head would have been unavoidable.
Yet to Han Li, a Mahayana cultivator, all of this was utterly trivial.
A faint sweep of azure light from his body caused every rock that touched his head to vanish without a trace.
Several muffled thuds rang out below.
The churning lava parted, and several figures of varying builds shot forth from within.
Half-human, half-fish, wielding an assortment of weapons — they were members of the Void Fish Tribe, both men and women.
They surrounded Han Li in an instant, each regarding the unfamiliar stranger with eyes full of suspicion and unease.
Among them, a powerfully built Void Fish tribesman was none other than the clan leader who had appeared here once a few days prior.
His gaze alone was locked rigidly on the jade box in Han Li's hand, and beneath the wariness flickered a trace of indescribable excitement.
Han Li, for his part, regarded the group of fish demons with a half-smile, showing not the slightest inclination to speak first.
"Senior, who are you? Why are you unleashing such great power here? Could it be that you've come for our tribe?" the fish demon with the burly build finally spoke, though his words were thick with wariness toward Han Li.
And well they might be!
Among the entire Void Fish Tribe, he possessed the highest cultivation — yet he had only just entered the Void Refining stage. He could not even discern the true depth of his opponent's realm, so naturally, his heart was in a state of considerable turmoil.
"I wish to see the one who leads your tribe. Lead the way." Han Li's hand flashed with white light, and the jade box along with the crystal bead within it silently disappeared. Only then did he speak in an even voice.
His words carried the unmistakable weight of a command that brooked no refusal.
"Understood. Senior wishes to see the Patriarch. This junior will lead the way." The burly tribesman's expression shifted at these words, and after a long pause, he forced a thin smile of agreement.
It was clear he understood perfectly that against someone so powerful, refusal was simply not an option.
Even so, the burly man first shot a meaningful glance to a man and woman at his side, transmitting two silent messages to them via voice transmission. Only then did he make a respectful gesture of invitation toward Han Li.
The two Void Fish Tribe members understood his intent at once. With a flash of red light, they dove into the lava lake ahead of the group.
Han Li paid all of this no heed, drifting unhurriedly downward toward the surface of the lava lake.