Chapter 1718: Securing the Treasures in the Cauldron
This was also a shimmering golden object that was rectangular in shape with a dragon's head carved on one end. It resembled a seal, and after inspecting the item for a while, Han Li turned his gaze toward Liu Shui'er.
Liu Shui'er as naturally aware of Han Li's intentions, and she calmly raised a hand to summon an object that was also shimmering with golden light. At first glance, this object appeared to be extremely similar in appearance with the one in Shi Kun's hand.
It was around the same size and shape, but there was an extremely life-like golden phoenix head carved on one end, as opposed to a dragon's head.
A contemplative look appeared on Han Li's face after inspecting these two items.
At this moment, Liu Shui'er began to offer an explanation. "These two objects are known as exquisite keys, and they are the only items that can open this golden cauldron. Furthermore, both of them must be present to accomplish this. We had no knowledge of the situation in the palace prior to coming here, but my master told me that the exquisite keys can open this cauldron, so it's most likely the case that the Spiritvoid Pills are contained within the cauldron."
"Indeed, my master also told me the same thing." Seeing as Liu Shui'er had revealed the truth, Shi Kun no longer tried to hide anything, either.
"In that case, why don't you two open the cauldron to see if the treasures requested by our two seniors are really in there. I wonder how many Spiritvoid Pills are in there; if there's an even number of them, the two of you two will be able to split them rather than argue over ownership," Han Li said with a nonchalant smile.
Liu Shui'er and Shi Kun exchanged a glance upon hearing this, and peculiar looks appeared in both of their eyes.
"Brother Han is right; this cauldron will have to be opened sooner or later, so let's insert our keys, Fellow Daoist Shi. It's quite likely that there's only Spiritvoid Pill in there, but if there really are two or more, then we won't need to fight over them," Liu Shui'er proposed in a calm voice.
Shi Kun seemed to have also made some kind of decision, and he suddenly smirked and said something that came as a slight surprise to Liu Shui'er. "I have no objections against opening the cauldron, but I think we should give our exquisite keys to Brother Han so he can secure the treasures from the cauldron, then decide how to split them among us. What do you think of that, Fairy Liu?"
Liu Shui'er was temporarily at a loss for how to respond.
"Are you doubting Brother Han's abilities?" A peculiar look appeared on Shi Kun's face.
"Of course not. With Brother Han's unfathomable power, it would be ideal for him to secure the treasures for us. Brother Han, please accept my exquisite key."Liu Shui'er reacted quite quickly, and after quickly contemplating the situation, she immediately smiled and made a decision, raising a hand to toss her exquisite key toward Han Li.
Shi Kun also chuckled coldly before tossing his key toward Han Li without any hesitation.
Han Li swept a sleeve through the air, and azure light flashed, upon which both of the exquisite keys appeared in his hand at once.
However, a wry smile appeared on his face as he inspected the pair of keys. "You two sure have a high opinion of me."
"Haha, of course. Only by asking you to secure the treasures in our stead will Fairy Liu and I be able to avoid immediate conflict. Otherwise, neither of us will trust the other to secure the treasures," Shi Kun chuckled.
"I also have full trust in Brother Han." Liu Shui'er's eyes flashed as a smile appeared on her face.
"Hehe, I'm honored to receive your trust, but it's also quite a heavy burden." Han Li appraised the two keys as he shook his head in a resigned manner.
However, he didn't return the keys to Shi Kun and Liu Shui'er. After a brief moment of contemplation, he really did make his way over to the golden cauldron.
He was acting in such a calm and collected manner naturally because he was confident that he possessed more than enough power to dominate these two. In the face of absolute power, there really wasn't much any of them could do.
Tense looks appeared in both Liu Shui'er and Shi Kun's eyes upon seeing this, but both of them acted quite wisely and remained on the spot.
After Han Li reached about 10 feet away from the cauldron, he stopped again before glancing at the two indentations on either side of the cauldron. Immediately thereafter, he injected his magic power into the two keys in his hand before flicking his wrist.
The exquisite keys shot forth, letting loose a clear cry along the way before transforming into a golden wyrm and a golden phoenix amid a flash of golden light.
The two of them revolved around the golden cauldron before flying into the indentations, then vanishing into the cauldron in a flash. Immediately thereafter, the two indentations on the cauldron were filled with unerring accuracy.
The two exquisite keys were completely embedded into the cauldron with only the dragon and phoenix heads revealed. They fit seamlessly into the indentations without any gaps to be seen.
In the instant that the pair of keys entered the golden cauldron, a melodious dragon's roar suddenly rang out.
Brilliant golden light then erupted, and the corkscrew patterns on the surface of the cauldron began to revolve as if they'd sprung to life. Even the golden light being emitted by the cauldron began to take on a peculiar vortex form, and Han Li was struck by a sense of disorientation at the sight of this golden vortex, as if he were going to be drawn directly into it.
His heart immediately jolted in response, but he wasn't actually fearful toward the cauldron as there was no one wielding it, so it surely posed no threat to him.
He hurriedly activated his Great Development Technique and at the same time, blue light flashed through his eyes, upon which his discomfort was instantly alleviated in its entirety.
All of a sudden, he let loose a low cry before making a hand seal, and an azure incantation seal shot forth before vanishing into the cauldron in a flash.
In the next instant, the dragon's roar that was being released by the cauldron transformed into the delightful cry of a phoenix.
From a distance, it appeared as if the dragon and phoenix heads on either side of the golden cauldron had begun to move, as if they had sprung to life.
The scintillating golden lid of the cauldron rose up into the air before disappearing into nothingness.
A loud commotion then rang out from within the cauldron, and following a rumbling boom, several golden balls of light of different sizes shot forth before attempting to escape into the heavens.
However, Han Li was already prepared well in advance, so he certainly wasn't going to let these items slip through his fingers.
As such, he immediately swept a sleeve forward, and grey light surged forth like lightning, instantly enveloping all of the golden balls of light at once.
However, these golden balls of light suddenly dispersed, and the grey light receded in their paths, posing no impediment to them at all.
Han Li was rather alarmed to see this, and he immediately made a hand seal before opening his mouth to expel a ball of azure light. There was a miniature azure cauldron within the azure light, and it was none other than his Heavenvoid Cauldron.
His hand shot forth as a blur and struck the side of the cauldron, upon which its lid flew off of its own accord. Immediately thereafter, a plume of azure threads erupted forth before dispersing through the air.
The countless green threads intertwined to form a giant azure net that encompassed all of the golden balls of light beneath it.
As soon as the golden balls of light struck the net, they were all repelled back, and Han Li made another hand seal before pointing up into the air.
The huge azure net abruptly folded in on itself, and all of the golden balls of light were trapped within it, thereby completely immobilizing them.
Only then did Han Li calmly wave a hand through the air, and the azure threads instantly began to radiate dazzling light, causing Liu Shui'er and Shi Kun to blink involuntarily as they looked on with rapt focus.
The azure net that contained the golden balls of light transformed into a streak of azure light that flew downward, then disappeared into the small cauldron in a flash.
The azure cauldron lid then immediately descended to seal the Heavenvoid Cauldron shut. Han Li made a grabbing motion toward the small cauldron, and azure light immediately flashed, following which the treasure appeared in his hand.
After that, he carried the treasure in one hand before turning around to face his two companions. "Fellow Daoists, the treasures have been secured; you two will have to inspect them in person to see if they include the treasures that our two seniors have requested."
As soon as his voice trailed off, he flicked his wrist again, and the Heavenvoid Cauldron rose up into the air before hovering in a stationary manner before him.
He then crossed his arms and appraised his two companions with a hint of a smile on his face.
Liu Shui'er and Shi Kun exchanged a glance upon hearing this, but Liu Shui'er then immediately chuckled before giving a nod and made her way gracefully over to the cauldron.
Shi Kun rubbed his own chin and glanced at the azure cauldron before also striding toward it. The two of them then stopped around 10 feet away from the cauldron, and before they had even said anything, Han Li waved a hand forward in a calm manner.
The small azure cauldron immediately rotated on the spot, and its lid vanished once again, revealing a burst of azure light flashing incessantly within it.
"Brother Han, this is a spirit treasure, is it not? Does it have a name?" Shi Kun suddenly asked.
"Are you interested in this spirit treasure, Brother Shi?" Han Li's expression remained completely unchanged as he replied with a question of his own.
"Not exactly. It's just that I was fortunate enough to have seen a replica copy of the Chaotic Myriad Spirit Roll in our Stone Cocoon Race, and there seemed to be an item on it that was very similar to your cauldron," Shi Kun explained.
"The Chaotic Myriad Spirit Roll?" Han Li reflexively furrowed his brows slightly.
"Have you not heard of it, Brother Han?" Shi Kun was rather taken aback.
"I've naturally heard of it, but those are all rumors, and I don't really know the exact details of the roll. It would be great if you two could enlighten me on the subject," Han Li replied with a contemplative expression.
"It's actually pretty simple. All of the races that have taken over a certain territory in the Spirit Realm have had a strange rock fall upon their land, and the Chaotic Myriad Spirit Roll is inscribed upon those rocks. The roll keeps a record of all of the most powerful treasures in the Spirit Realm, and it's constantly being updated. Every single item on the roll is quite extraordinary, and even Divine Spirit Treasures are all ranked quite low on the list. I recall that I just so happened to have seen a treasure on the roll's replica copy that bore a resemblance to this cauldron of yours, but it was ranked rather low, so I didn't pay much attention to it. As such, it's quite possible that my memory is merely playing tricks on me," Shi Kun explained in an honest manner.