The Void Heaven Cauldron was flat and round, with two ears and three legs, standing about four feet tall and roughly ten feet in diameter—not particularly large.
The top had a slightly raised circular lid, and around its body were carved images of insects, fish, beasts, and numerous landscapes with mountains, waters, and trees. Though the work appeared crude and rough, the carvings were remarkably lifelike, even giving Han Li a sensation of a fierce, ancient wilderness rushing toward him.
The moment the cauldron emerged from the cave opening, it began to emit a faint hum that grew louder by the moment. At the same time, the blue ice flames surrounding it surged several times larger with a series of whooshing sounds.
Han Li and Xuan Gu, who had been standing near the cave opening, both changed expressions almost simultaneously and hurriedly flew backward.
In the blink of an eye, the entire altar—spanning over ten zhang in every direction—was frozen solid beneath a pale blue radiance.
Aside from the cluster of flame at the cave opening that swayed gently, only the Blood Jade Spider and the spider refinement corpse not far from the opening still moved freely within their respective halos of blood light. Everything else had been completely immobilized. Had Han Li and Xuan Gu been even slightly slower in retreating, they would have been frozen inside as well.
The altar at this moment looked as though it had been encased within a massive crystal of blue ice.
"How are we supposed to retrieve the treasure like this?" Han Li asked, his expression shifting drastically at the sight of this astonishing frozen landscape.
This spectacle—which seemed capable of freezing even spiritual energy itself—naturally left Han Li at a loss as to how to approach retrieving the cauldron.
"Don't worry. I have a way to deal with the Azure Blue Ice Flame outside the cauldron. The Xuan Soul Ghost Fire I cultivate is also a substance of extreme Yin and extreme cold. While it cannot compare to this ice flame, I can still temporarily isolate and contain it for a short while. During that time, you should pull the cauldron out of the opening and claim it." Xuan Gu stared at the blue flame without blinking as he spoke, with an air of utmost gravity.
Though his tone was cold, Han Li caught a hint of excitement in his words.
Han Li's expression shifted involuntarily!
The other party had actually offered to deal with the extraordinarily dangerous blue ice flame and let him take the treasure cauldron. This truly surprised him. He couldn't help but give Xuan Gu a strange look.
If he were to believe that this old demon was being so benevolent, Han Li would never buy it.
Yet there seemed to be nothing wrong with what the other was proposing.
Could it be that retrieving the Void Heaven Cauldron was even more dangerous? A thread of suspicion rose in Han Li's heart.
Of course, if Xuan Gu had suggested that Han Li deal with the flame while he himself went to retrieve the treasure, Han Li would never have agreed to that either.
So after a brief moment of deliberation, he steeled himself and agreed.
Now was not the time to be cautious and hesitant—he would have to play it by ear. If there truly was something wrong with retrieving this cauldron, he would naturally abandon the treasure without a second thought if it meant ensuring his own safety.
Having made up his mind, Han Li gave Xuan Gu a few subtle nods of agreement.
Xuan Gu smiled at him with satisfaction upon seeing this.
Then, with a peculiar gleam in his eyes, he gazed at the ice flame for several moments before his body began spinning in midair.
The ghostly aura around him coalesced along with the rotation, forming into an emerald-green whirlwind roughly ten feet in diameter. Yin energy permeated its surroundings, and the faint wailing of ghosts could be heard within.
Then, the whirlwind drove straight down toward the blue crystal below.
A tremendous boom rang out. The spinning whirlwind, as though ignited, burst into raging flames, billowing into a pillar of fire that shot a dozen zhang into the sky.
The pillar of flame was neither red nor white, its color shifting back and forth between black and green. It gave off not the slightest warmth, instead exuding a sensation of bone-piercing cold.
Han Li widened his eyes and watched as the bizarre pillar of flame plunged straight into the blue ice.
In an instant, three different kinds of light intertwined, producing a grating, metallic scraping sound that made Han Li furrow his brows.
However, the furrow between his brows quickly relaxed.
For that black-green pillar of flame had actually forced open a passage, driving straight toward the blue flame at the center of the altar.
Seeing this, Han Li tensed up. He quickly established a mental connection with the Blood Jade Spider.
As long as Xuan Gu truly had the power to separate the Azure Blue Ice Flame from the Void Heaven Cauldron, he would have the Blood Jade Spider exert its strength immediately.
At last, urged on by Xuan Gu, the pillar of flame reached the cave opening.
Facing the dazzling, flowing blue ice flame, it paused only briefly before erupting. In the blink of an eye, the pillar transformed into a massive black-green lotus that enveloped the entire cluster of blue flame and the Void Heaven Cauldron within it.
At this sight, Han Li's heart lurched.
His first thought was that Xuan Gu might have gone back on his word and intended to claim the Void Heaven Cauldron for himself. At that thought, he immediately seized the five-colored copper rings once more, becoming exceptionally vigilant.