Chapter 482: Golden Silkworm Seeks Treasure

**Volume Four: Winds of the Outer Seas**

Han Li didn't act immediately. Instead, he carefully extended his spiritual sense to survey the surroundings. Once he confirmed that Grandmaster Jiyin and the other old monsters weren't observing him, he no longer hesitated. He extended a finger, and with a flash of green light, a fluctuating sword aura, several inches long, appeared at its tip.

Calmly, Han Li used the sword aura to draw a fist-sized circle on the bluestone. Then, with a wave of his hand, the sword aura vanished.

His other hand swiftly touched the circle. Immediately, a hole appeared in the bluestone.

Knowing he had little time, Han Li reached his hand inside without hesitation.

The space inside wasn't large. After fumbling around, an item came into his hand.

Han Li's expression shifted.

The object was slender, cylindrical, and soft, feeling somewhat like a stick.

However, when he withdrew his arm from the bluestone, he clearly saw that it was an old, yellowed scroll.

Han Li was about to open it with some surprise when his expression suddenly changed. He quickly tucked the scroll into his bosom, then swiftly moved to lean against the bluestone wall, completely concealing the exposed hole. He adopted the posture of someone resting.

Just as Han Li finished his actions, Grandmaster Jiyin's grim voice echoed in his ears.

"Han Li, come back quickly. We are about to enter."

Hearing this, a hint of surprise appeared in Han Li's eyes.

"Didn't they say they would rest first? They changed their minds so quickly! Have the three old devils sensed something amiss?"

Thinking this, he waited for Jiyin's spiritual sense to vanish from the vicinity. He then immediately turned around, re-sealed the hole, restoring it to its original state. Afterward, he casually walked toward the high platform.

When he reached the front, the old devils were standing gravely on the steps, looking toward the high platform. Behind them, Wuchou and Xuan Gu were doing the same.

Han Li glanced up with some surprise, and his expression subtly changed.

On the high platform, the blue light was flashing dazzlingly and incessantly. Amidst its fluctuations, faint streaks of golden light were also reflecting.

The area around the stone platform had thickened by several inches in that short time. Only because of the separating white light barrier had Han Li not sensed any unusual changes.

Upon seeing Han Li arrive, Jiyin nodded to him, then turned to Man Huizi beside him and said:

"Brother Man, my disciple has arrived. Let's go up. I didn't expect Wan Tianming's Golden Silkworms could actually shake the Void Heaven Cauldron. Although I don't know what's happening, it's best to go and see."

Hearing this, Man Huizi said nothing. However, he leaped upwards, responding with his actions.

Jiyin and the others immediately followed him up the steps.

With a loud "boom."

Man Huizi reached the light barrier at the steps and, without a word, smashed his fist, wrapped in demonic power, against it. The barrier immediately split open with a massive crack several *zhang* wide. Man Huizi walked in with his head held high.

Jiyin and the old scholar, however, moved swiftly, sandwiching Han Li between them. They enveloped Han Li and pulled him inside without giving him a chance to object.

Xuan Gu and Wuchou entered the light barrier last.

So cold! Although Han Li had mentally prepared himself while outside the light barrier, upon entering, he was still chilled to the bone by the surrounding cold air and shivered. He quickly released his protective spiritual light, which significantly reduced the chill.

Man Huizi showed no intention of waiting for the others. Without even looking, he strode directly towards the center where the blue light was most intense.

The old scholar and Jiyin exchanged a glance, then could only give a wry smile as they quickly followed a few steps behind.

Even so, Jiyin didn't forget to glance back at Han Li, who was lagging slightly behind, and meaningfully urged him to speed up.

Han Li inwardly cursed Grandmaster Jiyin fiercely.

It wasn't that he was foolishly trying to escape; he simply intended to stay a bit further back. This would allow him to steal a moment to examine the scroll in his bosom, to find out what it truly was.

After all, the place where this object was found was quite peculiar. Perhaps it could offer some help with his current situation!

But now, with Grandmaster Jiyin's urging, Wuchou seemed to have been reminded of something. His eyes began to vigilantly fix on Han Li, not shifting away in the slightest. Even Xuan Gu cast a glance at him, a hint of doubt on his face.

Han Li could only grit his teeth and quicken his pace. However, before he had walked more than a few steps, his speed slowed again.

This time, it wasn't Han Li's intention.

Rather, under the extremely frigid blue light, even with the protective spiritual light, Han Li felt his body grow colder with each step forward. After just a few steps, his face turned pale, and he quickly held his breath, fearing that the intense cold entering his body would damage his internal organs.

"The White Spiritual Rhinoceros I gave you can not only ward off fire but also cold. Why aren't you using it now?"

At that moment, Grandmaster Jiyin's voice echoed in Han Li's ears again.

Han Li then realized his mistake and quickly took out the item, re-hanging it on his waist.

As expected, when the White Spiritual Rhinoceros pendant's light shone, the surroundings immediately warmed up.

Only then did Han Li have the leisure to observe how the others were coping with this extreme cold while he continued walking.

As for Man Huizi and the other Nascent Soul stage cultivators, it went without saying that they simply continued walking ahead nonchalantly, relying solely on the protective spiritual light enveloping their bodies.

Xuan Gu, on the other hand, had a string of shimmering red beads around his neck, and he also felt no cold whatsoever.

As for Wuchou, who had somehow ended up behind him, he wore a strangely patterned snake-shaped armlet on his arm, which emitted a pink light barrier, protecting him within it.

At this point, Han Li withdrew his gaze.

For ahead, they had reached the center of the high platform, where a raised, small altar stood. On the altar, seven or eight clusters of golden light pulsed continuously. In the center of these golden lights was a large hole from which blinding blue light was emanating.

Han Li's spirits lifted, and he quickly focused intently.

Within each golden cluster was a several-feet-long jade-green giant silkworm, spitting out thumb-thick golden threads directly into the hole. Their bodies swayed as they desperately pulled backward. Each tremor caused the blue light in the hole to flicker wildly.

Standing upright beside the altar were three figures: Wan Tianming and his two companions.

The righteous cultivators were clearly aware of Man Huizi and the others' arrival, yet these three ignored them completely, merely staring fixedly at the golden light in front of them, their faces full of tension.

Seeing this, a cold glint flashed in Man Huizi's eyes. Without a word, he raised his hand, and two streaks of golden light immediately transformed into long rainbows, shooting towards the three figures.

"Cold Flood Dragon!"

"Li Tortoise!"

As Man Huizi's golden light left his hand, Wan Tianming and Tianwuzi suddenly looked their way and coldly uttered their respective calls.

Instantly, an unusual movement came from above; a streak of green light and a streak of blue light shot down, simultaneously intercepting the golden lights and engaging in a fierce struggle.

"Return!"

Man Huizi was slightly stunned at this sight. He waved his hand forward, and the two golden rainbows flew back, transforming once more into two small golden knives that landed in his hand.

The green and blue lights, not pursuing, circled in place once before revealing their true forms.

They were actually a white small flood dragon several *zhang* in size and a strange, semi-transparent giant tortoise.

After Man Huizi clearly saw the two creatures, his expression suddenly changed.

"The Madwoman's Cold Flood Dragon, and Tianyuanzi's Li Tortoise!" the old scholar, who had walked up from behind, exclaimed, equally shocked.

"No wonder Wan Tianming and the others are so arrogant," Grandmaster Jiyin said, also looking aghast at the scene, with a hint of annoyance. "They actually borrowed the spiritual beasts of those two old monsters. But as far as I know, those two old monsters cherish these spiritual beasts exceptionally and never lend them to others. How did these guys get them?"

"Hmph! Whether they lend them depends on *who* asks," Man Huizi said grimly. "Wan Tianming is the Madwoman's biological nephew. Tianwuzi is Tianyuanzi's junior fellow disciple. What's strange about them being able to borrow these two spiritual beasts?"

"Then this is a bit tricky!" Qingyi Jushi said, staring at the white flood dragon and the giant tortoise with some concern. "These two beasts possess considerable divine abilities. If they fight with all their might, the three of us won't be able to shake them off for a while."

"Qingyi, Xuanyin! What are you saving your Green Thorn Bird and Heavenly Corpse for?" Man Huizi said with a sinister grin and a dark tone. "Although they are no match for these two beasts, they can at least entangle them for a while, can't they? We don't necessarily have to defeat Wan Tianming and the others; we just need to casually kill one Golden Silkworm, and that will be enough."

Hearing Man Huizi's words, the old scholar and Grandmaster Jiyin exchanged glances, showing hesitation.

"Don't worry, I'll also send my spiritual beast to battle. Cooperating with you two is such a hassle!" Man Huizi said, glancing sideways at Jiyin and the other, a hint of disdain in his expression.

Hearing this, the old scholar and Jiyin finally relaxed their expressions and agreed.