Chapter 484: Picking Up the Treasure

A Mortal's Journey to Immortality – Volume 4: The Sea Rises

Han Li naturally didn't show his true feelings. Instead, he took a few steps towards the cave and peered inside.

To his surprise, Han Li was astonished by what he saw.

The large cave wasn't as deep as he had imagined, only about twenty to thirty zhang. With his Core Formation stage cultivation, he could clearly see a dazzling blue light, shaped like a flame, fiercely burning at the bottom of the cave. Within the blue flame, something black was faintly flickering.

It seemed this was the renowned Heavenvoid Cauldron.

However, as he leaned in, he felt an unusual, bone-chilling cold emanating from the cave. If it weren't for his Spirit Rhino Pendant blocking most of the cold air, he might have been frozen solid by the blast of frigid air just from peering in.

The blue light at the bottom of the cave clearly had the form of fire, yet it emitted an unusually extreme cold, the complete opposite.

Han Li was utterly astonished!

Yet, after just two extra glances at the blue flame, he felt a wave of dizziness in his head. Startled, he quickly averted his gaze and straightened himself.

"How is it? That's the Azure Essence Ice Flame, the ultimate Yin and extreme cold fire. Not to mention Core Formation cultivators, even old fellows like us, who are already at the Nascent Soul stage, wouldn't dare to touch even a wisp of it. Just a tiny burn from this cold flame can easily refine away even a Nascent Soul. Legend has it that this fire doesn't belong to our realm, and it's unknown how those ancient cultivators found this mass of it," Ancestor Extreme Yin said slowly, standing beside Han Li and also staring at the cave. "It can refine a Nascent Soul?" Han Li gasped, drawing a sharp breath. However, he quickly regained his composure.

If that weren't the case, the Heavenvoid Cauldron would have been taken long ago; it wouldn't still be here!

"Although the Azure Essence Ice Flame is extremely dangerous to us cultivators, there are still some things it cannot burn away. For instance, the golden silk spun by the Golden Silkworm, the silk of the Bloodjade Spider, and my two fire pythons — special existences like these."

"Now, summon your Bloodjade Spider! Let us take a closer look," Ancestor Extreme Yin commanded in an unquestionable tone.

Under the gaze of Ancestor Extreme Yin, the Barbarian, and the elderly man behind him, Han Li made no unnecessary delay. He pressed a hand to the spirit beast pouch at his waist, and a beam of white light shot out from its opening, circled once, and landed before everyone.

As the light receded, the not-so-large form of the Bloodjade Spider appeared. Seeing so many unfamiliar people, its fangs gnashed rapidly, and its eyes seemed filled with hostility.

The Barbarian, Ancestor Extreme Yin, and the others paid no heed to its demeanor. Instead, they watched the spirit beast as if it were a precious treasure.

"Tsk, tsk! This Bloodjade Spider has grown so large. It seems to be at the peak of a Level 4 demonic beast, on the verge of breaking through to Level 5. There's real hope for retrieving the treasure!" The Barbarian's expression shifted slightly as the Bloodjade Spider first appeared, and he spoke with some surprise.

"Hehe! In terms of strength, my disciple's Bloodjade Spider might be inferior to some wild exotic beasts, but when it comes to retrieving this Heavenvoid Cauldron, this spirit beast is the best choice," Ancestor Extreme Yin said, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he also stared at the Bloodjade Spider.

"Brother Wu is right! Furthermore, this spider's level is much higher than those Golden Silkworms that have just reached Level 2 demonic beasts. Even this single one far surpasses a whole group of them," the old man in the Confucian robe said with a joyous expression. After all, retrieving the treasure no longer seemed like an impossible feat.

"Let's start now! Otherwise, delays can lead to complications! Han Li, have your spider spray out its web to wrap around the Heavenvoid Cauldron. Then, in a moment, have it pull with all its might. I'll also have my two fire pythons assist the Bloodjade Spider," Ancestor Extreme Yin commanded Han Li unceremoniously, having seen that the Bloodjade Spider was suitable for the task.

"Yes!"

Although somewhat unwilling, Han Li could only honestly agree verbally.

"You two, go down below the altar. When the Azure Essence Ice Flame accompanying the Heavenvoid Cauldron approaches the cave entrance, your cultivation won't be able to withstand it. As for my disciple Han Li, I'll have to trouble Brother Qing to protect him for a while," Ancestor Extreme Yin coldly instructed Wu Chou and Xuan Gu, then turned to Reverend Qing Yi with a smile.

"No problem! For the Heaven-Mending Pill inside that Heavenvoid Cauldron, I, Qing, will certainly not allow any harm to come to young friend Han," the elder chuckled, agreeing readily.

Wu Chou and Xuan Gu obediently descended from the altar and stood firm after retreating a few steps.

Han Li sighed inwardly, looking at the several old devils eyeing him like tigers, then issued a command to the Bloodjade Spider.

Immediately, a milky-white spider web shot out, transforming into a beam of white light that flew into the cave.

At this point, he could only take things one step at a time.

He hoped that after the treasure was retrieved, Ancestor Extreme Yin would be too embarrassed to immediately discard him in front of the other old devils, thus giving him a moment to breathe.

This way, when Xuan Gu made his move against Ancestor Extreme Yin, Han Li would have an opportunity to fish in troubled waters.

As for whether the Heavenvoid Cauldron could be retrieved, Han Li wasn't concerned in the slightest.

Because he clearly knew that his situation wouldn't change at all, whether the treasure retrieval succeeded or not.

Just as Han Li secretly formulated his strategy, Ancestor Extreme Yin walked over to face him. He reached into his robes and pulled out a jet-black spirit beast pouch.

He simply pointed the pouch opening downwards and gave it a gentle shake.

After a flash of red light, two fiery-red giant pythons, four to five zhang long, suddenly appeared on the ground.

These two strange pythons were covered in fiery-red scales, about the size of fingernails. Seven inches below their snake heads, there was a circle of bizarre, rune-like patterns. Their four python eyes gleamed with red light, as if flames were burning within them.

After the fire pythons coiled and stretched their bodies on the ground, Ancestor Extreme Yin immediately raised his sleeve and flicked his concealed fingers.

Two black pills shot out. The two giant pythons, with an astonishing swiftness, each swallowed a pill.

"Go," Ancestor Extreme Yin commanded impolitely, pointing a finger at the large cave.

Hearing the command, the two fire pythons slowly slithered near the cave entrance, appearing rather sluggish.

Seeing this, Ancestor Extreme Yin solemnly formed a strange incantation hand seal with both hands, and a series of obscure chants emerged from his mouth, as if he was activating some secret art.

An astonishing scene unfolded.

Amidst the chanting, the fire pythons' red glow transformed, and their scales turned black and red. Their spirits greatly invigorated, they began to shake their heads and flick their tails.

Two thudding sounds, "Bang!" "Bang!", echoed.

The two fire pythons' tails forcefully plunged into the ground near the cave entrance, sinking several feet deep like sharp blades.

Then their front halves lunged forward, their bodies elongating as if boneless, and plunged into the deep cave.

However, their tails remained firmly embedded at the edge of the cave entrance, completely still, appearing entirely like two slender black and red ropes.

To Han Li's dumbfounded gaze, the two "ropes" twisted. Seeing this, Ancestor Extreme Yin showed a hint of joy on his face and immediately clenched his fists, sharply calling out to Han Li:

"Alright! They've bitten onto the Heavenvoid Cauldron. Quickly, make your spider pull with all its might! Although the fire pythons swallowed my pills, they can't withstand the Azure Essence Ice Flame for long. Success or failure depends on this one attempt!" After Ancestor Extreme Yin spoke, a hint of ferocity subtly appeared on his face. Seeing this, Han Li inwardly scoffed.

"Succeeding in getting the treasure might mean losing my life. Failing, I'd be happier," Han Li grumbled begrudgingly to himself.

Nevertheless, he forced himself to give the Bloodjade Spider the command to start pulling backward with force. This was because beside him, the Barbarian and the old man in the Confucian robe were watching his every move like tigers, so even if he wanted to feign effort or slack off, he certainly wouldn't be able to fool the two old foxes.

Under Han Li's helpless command, the milky-white, semi-transparent silk immediately tensed, and the Bloodjade Spider began to slowly move backward.

At the same time, the two black and red ropes on the opposite side of the cave entrance also began to twist and contract.

With a dull rumbling sound, the entire high platform began to shake.

The blue light in the cave flickered wildly, dazzling Han Li. He couldn't help but immediately look away, momentarily avoiding the glare. But the Bloodjade Spider seemed oblivious to it, continuing to drag with all its might.

"Good, the Heavenvoid Cauldron is shaking," Reverend Qing Yi muttered tensely upon seeing this scene.

Clearly, the Heavenvoid Cauldron was extremely heavy. Even with the combined strength of the Bloodjade Spider and the two fire pythons, the cauldron merely swayed back and forth at the bottom of the cave, showing no signs of being lifted after a moment.

Ancestor Extreme Yin, however, showed no sign of panic. After a moment of contemplation, he opened his mouth and spat out two streams of dark black vital energy, which instantly attached themselves to the two fire pythons.

Then he turned his head and urgently spoke to the Barbarian:

"Brother Man, please cast the Berserker Art on the Bloodjade Spider. My disciple's magic power isn't sufficient to cast this spell yet."

"Don't worry, leave it to me," the Barbarian replied without surprise, as if he had already anticipated this.

Then he stared at the Bloodjade Spider, his lips moving incessantly. Between their opening and closing, a faint red light could be seen in his mouth.