Victory! Dividing the Core Body Tempering Milk

"Roar—"

The Snow Demon Heavenly Ape roared madly, spewing out a freezing torrent. The temperature was so low that the torrent had taken on an eerie dark blue hue.

The freezing torrent shielded its chest, instantly layering into an ice armor several feet thick.

Almost at the same moment, the fireball arrived in a flash.

"BOOM!!!"

After a silent expansion came a terrifying, ear-splitting explosion!

Waves of fire, interwoven with transparent and deep crimson flames, seemed poised to devour everything.

The explosion continued for a full ten breaths before the lingering flames in the sky finally dispersed.

The Flame Demon Rage Phase armor around Qin Han had already cracked apart inch by inch and vanished without a trace.

He panted heavily, his face as pale as paper.

This was the first time he had fused flames since advancing to Dou Wang. The process had gone smoothly enough, but in order to defeat the Snow Demon Heavenly Ape, he had nearly drained all the battle qi within him.

Combined with the close-quarters struggle earlier, which had left him wounded in several places, he was nearly exhausted the moment the battle ended.

But the Snow Demon Heavenly Ape was no better off. Its massive body was blasted backward, its chest a charred, mangled mess as it crashed heavily onto the ground.

The blood-red glow brought by the Berserk Bloodline rapidly faded, and its body shrank back to its original size. Its aura had fallen to rock bottom, and even standing upright seemed difficult.

However, the instinct to survive overwhelmed everything else.

The Snow Demon Heavenly Ape let out an unwilling, feeble growl. Ignoring its severe injuries, it staggered toward the cave!

Qin Han's heart tightened. Forcing himself to draw a breath, he shouted at Zi Yan, who was still somewhat dazed nearby, "Zi Yan! Stop it! Don't let it return to the cave—Han Yue is still inside!"

Zi Yan, still stunned by that devastating strike, abruptly snapped back to her senses at Qin Han's shout. "Oh! Oh!"

She answered twice in haste, then flashed in purple light and blocked the path between the Snow Demon Heavenly Ape and the cave.

With its berserk state gone and having suffered such heavy injuries, the Snow Demon Heavenly Ape had less than one-tenth of its strength left. How could it possibly be Zi Yan's match?

"Bang!"

The already staggering Giant Ape was sent flying sideways by that punch.

Zi Yan showed no mercy after gaining the upper hand. Chasing after it, she unleashed another barrage of punches and kicks that rang out with bangs and thuds.

The Snow Demon Heavenly Ape could only endure the beating passively, getting pummeled farther and farther away from the cave.

Seeing that the danger had passed, Qin Han sat down cross-legged on the spot.

He swallowed a Qi Recovery Pill and began circulating his Cultivation Method to recover his strength.

After an unknown amount of time, a streak of purple light swept back.

Zi Yan patted her little hands and landed beside Qin Han. Her small lips were slightly pursed, and her expression was somewhat complicated.

Beating the big monkey that had repeatedly made her suffer until it could not fight back was indeed satisfying and cathartic.

But the crucial strike that had severely wounded the Snow Demon Heavenly Ape had been delivered by Qin Han, who previously had not even dared to fight her.

As the Inner Academy's publicly acknowledged Maniac King, this left her feeling a little sour and unwilling to accept that she had been outdone.

Zi Yan put her hands on her hips and looked down at Qin Han, who was sitting cross-legged and regulating his breath. After hesitating for a moment, she finally asked in a muffled voice, "Hey, are you okay?"

Without waiting for Qin Han to answer, she rather roughly pulled out a medicinal herb that was pure white throughout and handed it to him irritably. "Here, take this!

It's a fifth-grade Jade Marrow Spiritual Fungus. I can barely bring myself to eat it myself!"

Though her words were far from polite, the medicinal fragrance emitted by the herb was undeniable. It truly was a rare treasure for healing injuries and strengthening one's foundation.

Seeing the reluctant expression on Zi Yan's face, Qin Han could not help but laugh. He pushed the Jade Marrow Spiritual Fungus back toward her. "Forget it. Keep it for yourself."

Unexpectedly, Zi Yan curled her lips and instantly appeared in front of Qin Han. Her little hand pinched his chin, and she directly stuffed the fungus into his mouth.

"Quit yapping..."

Before Qin Han could react, the vast yet gentle medicinal power had already begun to dissolve, rapidly nourishing his damaged Meridians and Qi Sea.

He could only hurriedly close his eyes and focus on refining it.

Just as Qin Han refined the medicinal power and his aura gradually steadied, a moon-white figure silently swept out from the cave. It was Han Yue.

When she saw the scene outside the cave, even with her cool temperament, her beautiful eyes widened as she sharply inhaled.

Where was the relatively intact valley from before?

The ground was riddled with craters, charred and frozen marks crisscrossing everywhere. Vast stretches of trees had snapped apart, while violent fire-element energy and icy cold aura still lingered in the air.

Farther away, an alarming trail of drag marks extended deep into the forest. It had clearly been left behind by the Snow Demon Heavenly Ape as it fled in defeat.

"You two... really know how to make a mess."

For once, Han Yue revealed a trace of astonishment and helplessness as her gaze swept over Qin Han, who was regulating his breath, and Zi Yan, who guiltily turned her face away.

Hearing Han Yue's assessment, Zi Yan curled her lips and muttered softly, "It had nothing to do with me..."

Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

"What?"

Han Yue did not hear clearly.

"Cough!" Qin Han opened his eyes at just the right moment, interrupting their conversation.

He exhaled a breath of stale air, some color returning to his face. Rising to his feet, he looked at Han Yue with blazing eyes. "Did you get them?"

Han Yue nodded. With a gentle wave of her jade-like hand, several exquisite, translucent little bottles of cold jade appeared in her palm.

The bottles were icy to the touch, and a jade-like radiance could vaguely be seen rippling within.

"I did not fail my mission."

"Just as you warned us before, the real and fake Core Body Tempering Milk indeed coexisted near the Stalactite Heart.

We took two-thirds each of the thinner Companion Milk and the genuine Core Body Tempering Milk."

She pointed at three of the bottles, whose sheen was clearly warmer and whose contents were almost a semi-solid gel. "These three are genuine."

A flash of delight also passed through Qin Han's eyes.

He stepped forward without ceremony and flicked his finger, dividing the three bottles of Core Body Tempering Milk into three portions.

Of the remaining four bottles of Companion Milk, Qin Han took one for Han Yue and gave the rest to Zi Yan.

Even the finest Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures came with medicinal resistance. Refining a single bottle of this stuff was enough, unless one was a little monster like Zi Yan, who relied on Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures to pile up energy.

With the Core Body Tempering Milk in hand, Zi Yan immediately cast aside her earlier little hesitation. Her small face was filled with excitement.

"I'll have a taste first!"

As she spoke, she pulled out the stopper from the Companion Milk and tipped her head back, gulping it down.

She smacked her lips and frowned slightly. "The taste is so faint, and the energy is nothing special."

Then she opened another small bottle of genuine Body Tempering Milk. An incomparably pure, rich fragrance spread through the air, carrying the heavy solidity of the earth and the spiritual essence of body tempering.

The emerald liquid inside had nearly congealed into a paste, its radiance flowing and shifting.

Zi Yan's eyes lit up at once.

Tilting her head back again, she drained the entire bottle of genuine Core Body Tempering Milk in one gulp!

Vast yet gentle body-tempering energy spread through her tiny body. It felt so good that she narrowed her eyes, unable to resist letting out a small, satisfied burp before licking her lips with lingering longing.

Then, her fox-like, sly and lively gaze drifted involuntarily toward the jade bottles that Qin Han and Han Yue had yet to put away.

Qin Han reacted quickly, immediately putting away his own bottle and helping Han Yue cap hers as well.

"Hey, Gluttonous Dragon, we agreed to split it evenly. You've already gotten extra, so don't even think about coveting ours."

Having her thoughts exposed, Zi Yan glared at Qin Han, yet failed to notice anything wrong with how he had addressed her.

"Cheapskate! Who's coveting them?"

She tossed her long purple hair and waved her fist at Qin Han. "Just wait! When we go to the Fallen Fire Sect this time, I'll find lots and lots of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures that taste even better than this.

Once I've eaten my fill and my strength has soared, I'll beat you until you're crawling around looking for your teeth next time."

"Let's go, let's go! We need to head back and prepare for the Fallen Fire Sect—then clean them out!"