Chapter 2334: Cold Pool Treasure

A flash of green silk vanished instantly, silently disappearing into the rune sphere.

The woman then chanted incantations, her ten fingers rapidly gesturing towards the sky above the cold pond.

With a soft "puff."

The rune sphere's surface radiated a myriad of colors. After spinning rapidly, it suddenly transformed into a funnel-shaped, five-colored cloud mass.

Runes flickered within the cloud, its aura shifting constantly, and something vaguely began to rapidly coalesce within it.

Following a low cry from the Asura Spider Matriarch, the cloud blurred. Simultaneously, a flash of light appeared at its base, from which five brilliant, thumb-thick crystal threads emerged and descended towards the cold pond's surface.

"Sizzle!"

The moment the crystal threads touched the frigid water, a layer of milky-white cold mist swirled up, and a coating of white frost appeared on their surfaces.

The woman raised her delicate eyebrows and, without a word, solemnly pointed her finger at the cloud once more.

With a muffled rumble like thunder, a stream of five-colored light rolled down the crystal threads. Upon contact, the milky-white cold mist instantly dissipated.

The white frost on the crystal threads immediately vanished.

The crystal threads then sank, re-submerging into the cold pond.

A cautious expression appeared on the Asura Spider Matriarch's face as she continuously changed her hand seals for incantations.

The five crystal threads continued to sink deeper into the cold pond.

Han Li stood on the stone pillar, his gaze flickering slightly as he observed the scene. Simultaneously, his internal spiritual power surged, continuously pouring into the formation beneath him.

Although the woman had urged them to give their all, Han Li's profound spiritual power meant that only a fraction of it was sufficient for the task.

Instead, he quietly used a secret technique to calculate the precise depth the crystal threads were sinking into the frigid pond.

Ten *zhang*, thirty *zhang*, one hundred *zhang*, three hundred *zhang*...

As time slowly passed, Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly.

By this point, the crystal threads were hindered by the extreme cold of the depths, and their descent speed had significantly diminished.

Once the threads surpassed a depth of one thousand *zhang*, the woman couldn't help but let out a soft breath, her face etched with caution.

Now, with each breath, the crystal threads could only descend a few inches, their progress becoming incredibly sluggish.

Previously, even with the aid of treasures, the Asura Spider Matriarch could only detect this depth, thwarted by the formidable cold.

Consequently, below this point, the crystal threads could reach the bottom of the cold pond at any moment, compelling the woman to remain constantly vigilant.

At this moment, the blood-robed maiden's entire figure was enveloped in a cloud of blood mist. Behind her, a vague, indistinct phantom flickered faintly.

Although the specific secret technique she employed was unknown, the aura emanating from her was indeed no weaker than that of a typical Mahayana cultivator.

Her earlier claim that a secret technique could directly elevate one's cultivation by an entire realm proved to be no exaggeration.

This drew frequent gazes from Xue Ran, Mo Jianli, and the others.

Half an hour passed.

The portions of the crystal threads exposed above the water surface, despite the circulating five-colored light, began to re-accumulate a thin layer of frost. Their descent speed had become so slow it was almost imperceptible to the naked eye.

Mo Jianli and the others had been continuously injecting spiritual power for a considerable time. Though they could still persevere, their expressions were no longer as relaxed as they had been at the start.

With a deep frown, Xue Ran discreetly communicated a few words to Hei Lin, seemingly discussing something.

As for the Asura Spider clan members outside the formation, their faces had all turned pale, showing clear signs of exhaustion.

The woman observed all this, her heart filling with urgency.

If, under these circumstances, she still couldn't retrieve the treasure from the pond, it would likely become completely impossible in the future.

With this thought, the Asura Spider Matriarch hardened her resolve. She suddenly slapped the top of her head, and a misty green light flashed as a jade spider, about a foot long, flew out.

The spider was translucent, glowing with jade-green light, its compound eyes on either side flickering with strange purple flames. The moment it appeared, it opened its mouth towards the sky above the cold pond, spitting out a fist-sized green light that faintly encased a white crystal core. After a brief flicker, it vanished into the funnel-shaped cloud mass.

Seeing this, Han Li and the others felt a chill in their hearts.

The woman had released her natal crystal core, indicating she was truly prepared to go all out.

Once the cloud absorbed the crystal core, a mighty roar erupted within it, and a blinding stream of light aggressively surged down along the crystal threads.

The frost condensed on the crystal threads was once again dispelled, and their descent speed suddenly increased by more than tenfold. In just a moment, they plunged several dozen *zhang* deeper before slowing down again.

Seeing this, the woman's expression subtly darkened.

But just then, a soft sigh emanated from the blood mist. After the mist churned for a moment, a silvery light beam abruptly shot out, also flashing and disappearing into the cloud.

The light within the cloud immediately intensified, and the crystal threads' descent quickened once more.

This time, however, after sinking another seven or eight *zhang*, the five crystal threads simultaneously trembled slightly and ceased to move.

"It's reached the bottom," the woman quickly exclaimed, her spirits greatly lifted. "Fellow Daoists, please bear with it a little longer. I will now pinpoint the exact location of the treasure." As she spoke, she changed her hand seals and closed her eyes.

A formidable wave of divine sense radiated from the woman's brow, sweeping down along the five crystal threads. It instantly reached the bottom of the cold pond and swiftly scanned the surroundings.

A moment later, a joyous expression appeared on the woman's face, and she exclaimed, "Found it!" Her eyes snapped open, and simultaneously, she continuously pointed a finger at the five crystal threads in the air, while her incantation grew more urgent.

Almost simultaneously, Han Li felt his internal spiritual power suddenly constrict, surging towards the stone pillar below at a rate more than double his previous consumption.

He frowned, and after a slight adjustment to his internal spiritual power, he fixed his gaze on the cold pond's surface, remaining motionless.

At this point, the five crystal threads first swayed, then began to tremble violently, emitting a humming sound as they were slowly drawn upwards towards the cloud mass.

One inch, two inches, half a foot, one foot...

Their ascent was incredibly slow, as if they were pulling up something extraordinarily heavy and with great difficulty.

Meanwhile, the previously calm water surface began to spin wildly. Amidst deafening roars, it formed an unfathomably deep, pitch-black vortex, seemingly intending to crush everything in its path.

Only the five crystal threads remained rigidly upright in the center of the cold pond.

Waves of cold qi, several times more intense than before, surged from the vortex but were entirely blocked by the surrounding restrictions.

This impressive display stirred Xue Ran, Mo Jianli, and the others, who stared intently, unblinking.

However, the time it took to pull the crystal threads up was even longer than their descent.

After an unknown period, following a tremendous muffled sound from within the vortex, a light blue stone the size of a human head was forcibly pulled out. Simultaneously, a powerful wave of law fluctuations emanated from it.

"The power of space!"

Hei Lin, upon sensing the law power contained within the fluctuations, couldn't help but murmur with a hint of greed.

While the power of space isn't as mysterious as the power of time, truly powerful beings who have mastered this law are exceedingly rare.

While most Mahayana cultivators can also tear through space and teleport directly, they usually achieve this through powerful True Essence and certain spatial treasures. This pales in comparison to those who have genuinely mastered the law of space.

For Mahayana cultivators, a treasure that allows one to comprehend the law of space is naturally an exceptionally rare and invaluable find.

Han Li observed this, smiled faintly, and remained silent.

As he himself could transform into a Heavenly Phoenix proficient in spatial power, he knew that with sufficient time, he could naturally gain insight into the law of space. Thus, he held no particular interest in this treasure.

Xue Ran's gaze towards the blue stone also held a faint spark of fervent desire.

Mo Jianli, however, appeared as calm as ever, seemingly unaffected by the stone that contained the laws of heaven and earth.

However, just as both Xue Ran and Hei Lin showed a hint of hesitation, the maiden within the blood mist let out a low cry. With a single raised hand, a cluster of crystal threads shot forth, and with a flash of green light, they enveloped the pale blue stone.

With a "thud," the stone shot like a crossbow bolt towards the blood-robed maiden.

Xue Ran's expression remained somewhat indecisive, but his hand, concealed within his sleeve, unconsciously clenched slightly.

But just then, an icy gaze, sharp as daggers, pierced him, causing a slight stinging sensation on his face.

Xue Ran stiffened and couldn't help but meet that gaze with a quick glance.

The Asura Spider Matriarch was fixating on him with a chilling gaze, clearly conveying a warning.

Xue Ran felt a slight jolt of alarm. His gaze quickly swept to Han Li and Mo Jianli, finding them both standing calmly on their stone pillars without any unusual movements. His mind swiftly turned, and he forced a smile, relaxing his fingers hidden in his sleeve.

Nearby, Hei Lin felt a pang of reluctance but could only watch as the blue stone vanished into the blood mist.

"Thank you for your assistance," the maiden said, a hint of joy on her face, as the blood mist churned and then dispersed, revealing her true form once more. She held the pale blue stone in one hand. "This matter is complete; the treasure has finally reached our clan's hands."

"We've retrieved the item for you," Han Li said calmly, having already slowly withdrawn his internal spiritual power, "What about the remaining crystal cores?"

"That's simple," the blood-robed maiden said with a sweet smile. A blue light flashed in her hand; the stone vanished, replaced by a white jade box. With a flick, she tossed it towards Han Li.

"Whoosh!" Xue Ran and the others' gazes immediately fixed on the box.

Han Li's expression remained unchanged. With a flick of his sleeve, he caught the jade box, then opened its lid.

"Excellent, your clan truly upholds its word," Han Li said, a slight smile playing on his lips after glancing into the box. "Fellow Daoist Xue, let's divide them."

"Alright, with the remaining crystal cores, our objective for this journey has been met," Xue Ran said with a hearty laugh, rubbing his hands together. "We can finally truly rest easy."

Clearly, compared to the pale blue stone in the maiden's hand, the thunder talisman, capable of mitigating the power of lightning tribulations, was more significant in his eyes.

Hei Lin and Mo Jianli likewise struggled to conceal a trace of excitement on their faces.

Han Li smiled faintly. With a gentle flick of his sleeve towards the box, four crystal cores immediately flew out, each shooting towards one of the three individuals.