Chapter 1794: Cold Flame and Golden Talisman

“Treasures? Before our ancestor disappeared, he took all his personal treasures with him, leaving nothing for us descendants. As for cultivation techniques, our Xu family has indeed preserved several secret arts that our ancestor used to awe the human race. However, due to their stringent cultivation requirements, only a select few are qualified to practice them. Fortunately, Uncle-Ancestor Yan is one of them. Uncle-Ancestor, please demonstrate a bit for this senior.” Xu Jiao pondered for a moment before turning to the elder beside him and speaking.

“Since you wish to see it, I shall humble myself with a demonstration,” the elder said, nodding slightly after a brief hesitation.

He then raised an arm, revealing a withered hand from his sleeve, and with fingers slightly splayed, he flipped it upwards.

Instantly, a cluster of blue light flames emerged in his palm, swirling with spiritual energy to form a crystal-clear blue lotus of light. This ice lotus was exceptionally delicate, appearing as if naturally formed.

“Profound Azure Ice Flame!” Han Li’s eyes flashed as he couldn’t help but murmur.

“You have excellent insight, senior. This frigid flame is our ancestor’s renowned divine ability. When cultivated to its peak, it can freeze a thousand miles and congeal the void. Of course, I am far from reaching that level.” A smile appeared on Xu Yan’s gaunt face. With a spin of the blue ice lotus in his hand, it suddenly transformed into a wisp of blue mist, which unfurled and surged towards the space in front of him.

As the blue mist swept through, that section of space shimmered with blue light, instantly becoming somewhat blurred and distorted.

At that moment, another elder of the Xu family tacitly tossed the teacup in his hand into the air, and it flashed and vanished into that space.

A bizarre scene unfolded.

The teacup not only instantly transformed into an ice sculpture with a flash of blue light but also became suspended, frozen within that space.

Han Li’s pupils contracted. His expression remained unchanged, but a hint of surprise appeared at the corner of his mouth.

That the Profound Azure Ice Flame could possess such a divine ability when cultivated further was somewhat beyond his expectations.

However, upon closer thought, it was quite normal.

The Profound Azure Ice Flame he had obtained from the Void Heaven Cauldron back then wasn’t cultivated by him; it was directly absorbed and refined from an external source, meaning its power couldn’t improve on its own.

In contrast, Xu Yan’s frigid flame was a divine ability he had cultivated through arduous effort, and with the aid of subsequent incantations and cultivation techniques, its power could naturally be refined and enhanced step by step.

Both approaches had their advantages and disadvantages.

Directly absorbing a pre-existing frigid flame allowed one to immediately gain the divine ability without spending time on cultivation. However, to further enhance its power in the future, one would have to rely on external objects or integrate other extremely cold flames.

For those who cultivated it themselves, like the elder and Ice Soul Fairy, while it took a long time, they could eventually cultivate the frigid flame to its perfected stage by following the cultivation techniques and incantations.

Moreover, the Profound Azure Ice Flame he had absorbed was from the Human Realm.

At that time, the Profound Azure Ice Flame left behind by Ice Soul Fairy was, at most, a Divine Transformation stage ability, naturally incomparable to the elder’s current Void Refinement stage ability.

After a rapid turn of thoughts, Han Li understood the intricacies, and the surprise at the corner of his mouth quickly vanished.

However, the blue presence in the space before the elder only lasted for a few breaths before shattering and dispersing like glass.

The teacup, previously suspended in the void, immediately dropped to the ground.

Another elder named Xu Huo, who had been prepared, with a single gesture, immediately drew the teacup, now encased in blue ice, back into his hand.

Simultaneously, a flash of crimson light from his hand instantly melted and dissolved the layer of blue ice...

The teacup reappeared perfectly intact.

“What do you think, senior? Can Uncle-Ancestor Yan’s divine ability prove that our Xu family is a direct lineage of our ancestor?” the man in white asked Han Li with a smile.

“It is indeed the Profound Azure Ice Flame, no doubt. Furthermore, Fellow Daoist Xu Yan has mastered this divine ability with consummate skill. To control such extreme cold power to the point where not a single trace escapes is truly remarkable,” Han Li said with a smile, nodding slightly.

“Then, senior, you mean...” Xu Jiao’s spirits lifted.

“Hehe, rest assured, Fellow Daoist. Since the Xu family is a direct descendant of Fellow Daoist Ice Soul, I will naturally hand over the items.” Han Li chuckled softly, then suddenly flicked his sleeve across a nearby table.

With a flash of green light, two items appeared on the tabletop.

A light blue jade slip and a pristine white jade box.

Both items were securely sealed with glittering golden talismans, clearly indicating that Han Li had neither opened nor examined them.

The man in white scanned the items, his expression somewhat solemn, but he did not immediately take them. Instead, he cautiously asked another question:

“Senior, may you tell us now, who entrusted these items to you for delivery?”

“It’s not that I’m unwilling to say. It’s just that even if I did, you fellow daoists wouldn’t know them. I can only tell you that this senior is not from our human or demonic races, and their cultivation and divine abilities are such that even I cannot fathom their full extent,” Han Li said slowly, frowning.

“What? An outsider?”

“Even Senior admits inferiority? Could it be...”

The Xu family members gasped in unison. Clearly, this answer was far beyond their expectations.

Xu Qianyu and the elders all showed expressions of shock and doubt.

Han Li, however, was not at all surprised by their reactions, remaining unusually calm.

Xu Jiao’s eyes flashed, and he said thoughtfully:

“When our ancestor departed, it was not long after he had broken through to the Integration Stage. It is quite possible he entered the Savage World to travel across the entire Fengyuan Continent. If that’s the case, then meeting one or two seniors from other races seems normal. Could this hold a clue to our ancestor’s disappearance?”

“That’s not impossible,” Xu Yan and the other two elders exchanged glances, a flash of joy appearing on their faces, and they agreed almost in unison.

After Xu Qianyu and the hulking man exchanged glances, they too showed signs of excitement.

“This is merely speculation; whether it’s true is another matter. Please wait a moment, senior; I will return shortly. Uncle-Ancestor Yan, you and Yu’er please keep the senior company for now.” The man in white took a deep breath, and without further hesitation, drew the two items from the table into his hand, then apologized to Han Li.

“Fellow Daoist Xu, please feel free to do as you wish.” Han Li was completely unconcerned.

So, Xu Jiao, holding the two items, rose and, accompanied by the other elder and the hulking man, bid farewell and departed.

In an instant, only Han Li, Xu Qianyu, and Xu Yan remained in the hall.

“Senior Han, I once heard Yu’er mention that when she was in Tianyuan City, she received much guidance from you. Otherwise, she might not have been able to break through to the Divine Transformation stage so quickly. As her uncle-ancestor, I wish to express my deepest gratitude on her behalf,” the elder said, cupping his hands after chatting with Han Li for a few moments.

“It’s nothing. Fellow Daoist Qianyu’s exceptional talent is largely responsible. I merely offered a little assistance back then,” Han Li replied indifferently.

“Speaking of which, Yu’er mentioned that you seem to have some connection with our ancestor. Is that true?” Xu Yan asked with some curiosity.

“Although I have never met Senior Ice Soul Fairy, there is indeed a connection. Otherwise, that senior wouldn’t have entrusted me with these items. If you have any doubts, fellow daoist, observing this will make it clear.” Han Li glanced at the elder, then, with a slight movement of his lips, suddenly raised a finger before him.

Then, with a soft “poof,” a blue light flame burst forth from his fingertip. It swirled, forming a blue ice flower.

“Profound Azure Ice Flame!” The elder exclaimed, staring intently at the blue ice flower, his face filled with astonishment.

“Could senior also be...” Xu Qianyu, witnessing this, also murmured in shock.

“It’s not what you’re thinking. I merely collected some frigid flames that our ancestor left behind in the lower realms back then,” Han Li said with a faint smile.

“So that’s it!” Xu Yan had a sudden realization, though a hint of doubt remained in his eyes, but he found it inappropriate to press for more details.

After all, Han Li was an Integration Stage cultivator, not someone a Void Refinement stage cultivator like himself dared to interrogate lightly.

Almost simultaneously, in a secret chamber behind the main hall, heavily protected by layers of restrictions, the Xu family patriarch, the hulking man, and another elder were gravely examining the two items placed on the stone table within the chamber.

“These talismans are incredibly potent. With our cultivation, we can’t forcibly remove them with spiritual power. It seems just as Senior Han said, these items are from a Mahayana stage being of another race, intended for our ancestor,” the elder named Xu Huo, who appeared to have already attempted to remove the talismans, said with a hint of helplessness as he looked at the two items.

“If it truly is the work of a Mahayana being, it’s not surprising that these two talismans are so profound. If we were to use the power of a treasure to forcibly destroy them, we might damage the items themselves. There must be some clever method to remove them,” Xu Jiao said, stroking his smooth chin, seemingly having thought of something.

“If the patriarch has a method, he might as well try it first. If not, we can consider other approaches,” Xu Huo said without hesitation, clearly a bit impatient.

“Uncle’s words are very wise. This nephew shall give it a try then,” Xu Jiao finally said, nodding solemnly after a while.

He then suddenly raised an arm and, opening his mouth, a beam of white light shot out.

A stark white, frigid light quickly encircled his wrist, then instantly flashed and was reabsorbed into Xu Jiao’s mouth.

The next moment, a trace of crimson appeared on his wrist, and several drops of vital blood slowly dripped down, landing precisely on the talisman sealing the jade slip.

With a faint flash of blood-red light, the vital blood easily merged into the talisman and vanished.

The previously motionless talisman instantly burst forth with a brilliant golden light, and golden characters of varying sizes rapidly emerged, scrambling to appear on its surface.

However, in a fleeting moment, these golden characters dissipated and vanished. At the same time, the astonishing spiritual energy on the talisman subsided, and all its spiritual radiance disappeared.

Seeing this, Xu Jiao was overjoyed, knowing he had likely guessed correctly. Indeed, only the vital blood of someone who inherited Ice Soul Fairy’s bloodline could safely remove this talisman.

After taking a deep breath, he opened his mouth and gently blew towards the jade slip.

The golden talisman trembled, then silently floated down from the jade slip.