Han Li naturally would not show these feelings on his face. Instead, he took a few steps to the edge of the hole and peered inside.
Upon looking inside, Han Li was startled.
The hole was not nearly as deep as he had imagined — only twenty or thirty zhang at most. With his Core Formation cultivation, he could clearly see a blinding blue light in the shape of flames blazing fiercely at the bottom. Within the blue flames, something dark flickered vaguely.
So this was the legendary Void Heaven Cauldron.
But as he leaned forward, a bone-piercing chill rushed up from the hole. Had the Spirit Rhino Pendant not blocked most of the cold, a single glance would have frozen him solid on the spot.
The blue light at the bottom was clearly in the shape of flames, yet it radiated the exact opposite — an extraordinary cold.
Han Li was utterly astonished.
But after just a few more glances at the blue flames, he felt a wave of dizziness wash over his mind. He hastily withdrew his gaze in alarm and straightened up.
"How is it? Those are the Heavenly Blue Ice Flames — the ultimate expression of yin and cold. Forget about Core Formation cultivators; even old monsters like us who have formed Nascent Souls wouldn't dare let a single wisp touch us. If this cold flame so much as singed you, even your Nascent Soul would be easily refined. Legend has it that this fire doesn't belong to our realm, and no one knows how those ancient cultivators came to possess this cluster." Patriarch Ji Yin stood at Han Li's side, his gaze also fixed on the hole as he spoke slowly.
"Refined even a Nascent Soul?" Han Li inhaled sharply at these words. But shortly after, his expression returned to calm.
If that weren't the case, the Void Heaven Cauldron would have been claimed long ago — how could it still be here?
"Although the Heavenly Blue Ice Flames are extremely dangerous to us cultivators, there are certain things they cannot burn — such as the golden thread spun by the Golden Silk Silkworm, the silk of the Blood Jade Spider, and my two Fire Pythons, among other special existences."
"Now summon your Blood Jade Spider! Let us take another careful look." Patriarch Ji Yin commanded in a tone that brooked no refusal.
Under the watchful eyes of Ji Yin, Barbarian Beard, and the elder behind him, Han Li did not waste time with futile stalling. He pressed one hand against the spirit beast pouch at his waist, and a streak of white light shot out from the opening, circled once, and landed before the group.
As the light faded, the not-so-large form of the Blood Jade Spider appeared. Seeing so many unfamiliar faces before it, its fangs began to grind together rapidly, its eyes seemingly filled with hostility.
But Barbarian Beard, Ji Yin, and the others paid no mind to this, gazing at the spirit beast as though beholding a precious treasure.
"Tsk tsk! The Blood Jade Spider has grown this large. It seems to be at the peak of a fourth-grade spirit beast, on the verge of breaking through to the fifth grade. There's real hope for retrieving the treasure!" Barbarian Beard's expression shifted the moment the Blood Jade Spider appeared, and he spoke with some surprise.
"Heh heh! In terms of raw strength, my disciple's Blood Jade Spider may fall short compared to some exotic beasts from the primordial wilderness. But when it comes to retrieving the Void Heaven Cauldron, this spirit beast is the best possible choice." Ji Yin likewise fixed his gaze on the Blood Jade Spider, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"What Brother Wu says is quite right! Moreover, this spider's grade is far higher than those Golden Silk Silkworms that have barely reached the second-grade level. Even just this one is worth more than a whole bunch of them." The elder in the scholar's robe also spoke with a pleased expression. After all, retrieving the treasure no longer seemed like a fool's errand.
"Let's begin now! Any delay could invite trouble. Han Li, have your spider spin a web to wrap around the Void Heaven Cauldron. Then have it pull with all its strength. I'll have my two Fire Pythons assist the Blood Jade Spider at the same time." Seeing that the Blood Jade Spider was in good condition, Patriarch Ji Yin instructed Han Li without ceremony.
"Yes!"
Although he was somewhat unwilling in his heart, Han Li could only obediently agree aloud.
"Both of you, go down below the altar. When the Heavenly Blue Ice Flames accompanying the Void Heaven Cauldron approach the opening, your cultivation won't be enough to withstand them. As for my disciple Han Li, I'll have to trouble Brother Qing to provide some protection for him in a moment." After issuing his cold orders to Wu Chou and Xuan Gu, Patriarch Ji Yin turned to Scholar Qingyi with a smile.
"That goes without saying! For the sake of that Heaven Mending Pill inside the Void Heaven Cauldron, I certainly won't let anything happen to young friend Han." The old man chuckled and readily agreed.
Wu Chou and Xuan Gu obediently descended the altar and retreated several steps before standing still.
Glancing at the watchful old devils eyeing him like prey, Han Li sighed inwardly and issued his command to the Blood Jade Spider.
Immediately, a milky-white spider web shot forth, transforming into a streak of white light that flew into the hole.
At this point, he could only take things one step at a time.
He hoped that after the treasure was retrieved, Patriarch Ji Yin would be too embarrassed to burn the bridge right away in front of the other old devils, giving him at least a moment to catch his breath.
That way, when Xuan Gu made his move against Ji Yin, he could fish in troubled waters and find his chance.
As for whether the Void Heaven Cauldron could actually be retrieved, Han Li didn't care at all.
He knew full well that whether the treasure retrieval succeeded or not, his situation would not change in the slightest.