Victory! All-You-Can-Drink Spring of Life?

"What! Ugh—"

Ten Thousand Demon King's body was sent flying backward in an instant.

Chuan walked out of the tower with an indifferent expression and snapped her fingers.

The branches wrapped around Bing Jiu instantly shattered. She rolled her slightly sore arms. "I thought you'd drag things out a little longer. So? Have you worked through that knot in your heart?"

"Of course."

"Why?"

"Because... I found the meaning behind using my power? Just like Spirit Hall means something to you."

Chuan looked at the blood trickling from the corner of Bing Jiu's mouth and fell silent for quite a while.

Then she gritted her teeth fiercely. "Besides, I'm not as useless as you think. After all, seeing this kind of bastard really makes my teeth itch!"

"You..."

Terrified, Ten Thousand Demon King hurriedly backed up several steps. "Lord Di Tian, this girl is a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. If she joins the fight too, then I..."

"You cannot transform. Chuan is the little girl's Soul Beast. She has already offered up her soul and is part of her combat strength. Objections are invalid. Continue the battle."

"How am I supposed to fight this?"

Ten Thousand Demon King was practically on the verge of breaking down.

What the hell was this? An Eight-Thousand-Year Soul Beast against a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast—and the other side was even a black dragon. That bastard Di Tian was clearly doing this on purpose!

No matter how much he said now, it was useless. Chuan cracked her knuckles, pounced with all four limbs, and viciously pinned him beneath her fists.

"I'll teach you to bully the weak with your strength! I'll teach you to bully people! I'll teach you to cheat behind the scenes! I'll teach you to call me useless! So how does it feel now? Who's the one getting beaten up?"

Ten Thousand Demon King howled miserably under the beating. Yet, intimidated by Di Tian's authority, he did not dare make a sound and could only beg for mercy helplessly.

"Mercy, granny! Stop hitting me! I was wrong!"

The brutal beating lasted half an hour before Chuan finally stopped. She turned to Bing Jiu. "He's yours."

"Alright."

Bing Jiu stepped forward and swung her sword, severing the only green branch behind Ten Thousand Demon King.

Ten Thousand Demon King was instantly shocked. Throwing caution to the wind, he immediately unleashed his five-hundred-thousand-year cultivation. "Human girl, you're courting death!"

With a thunderous boom, Ten Thousand Demon King staggered back several steps, staring ahead in terror.

Di Tian shook out his hand. "If you lose, you admit it. Ten Thousand Demon King, though you spent thousands of years cultivating this life branch, you brought this upon yourself! You have no one else to blame!"

"I..."

Di Tian's meaning was already very clear. Had Ten Thousand Demon King not cheated and simply lost fair and square, Di Tian would not have allowed Bing Jiu to take away a life branch cultivated in the Lake of Life, for the sake of their fellow kin.

But now, Ten Thousand Demon King had cheated and lost the character expected of a Soul Beast. Naturally, Di Tian would not save him any face.

In other words, if you had no shame, he still did!

With a dark expression, Ten Thousand Demon King ran off to the side.

Di Tian also waved away the other Soul Beasts, leaving only Bi Ji and Bing Jiu behind.

Chuan was still somewhat timid when facing Di Tian directly. Di Tian shook his head, stepped forward, and patted her shoulder.

"I'm sorry."

"Huh?"

Chuan froze, then abruptly looked up. She thought Di Tian had misspoken and stared at him with a face full of confusion.

"I'm sorry. Your father was wrong."

Di Tian repeated himself, smoothing Chuan's somewhat messy hair.

"Perhaps you don't understand, but beneath my wings, you could never truly grow. Don't hate me... I don't dislike you. My Chuan Chuan, you're exceptional."

"I..."

Chuan wiped the sweat from the corner of her eyes, nodded heavily, and threw herself into Di Tian's arms.

Father and daughter clung to each other. Di Tian held Chuan and spun around several times, looking utterly peaceful.

Bing Jiu sat in the distance, smiling at the sight.

The Emerald Swan walked up behind her. Seeing that Bing Jiu said nothing, she looked toward the distant scene and immediately understood.

She sat beside Bing Jiu and handed her a cup of green water. "Drink it."

"Hm?"

Bing Jiu came back to herself. When she saw the cup of green water, she was slightly startled. "Water from the Lake of Life? You're actually willing to take out something this good?"

Bing Jiu brought the cup to her nose and took a sniff. Instantly, an incomparably dense aura of life spread through her entire body, as if every limb and bone had been nourished in a single moment.

Without any hesitation, Bing Jiu drank it all in one gulp.

"Wow, it's delicious!"

"Delicious?"

Bi Ji smiled and turned to bring over an entire box. "Then keep drinking. This is your reward. Drink as much as you want."

Bing Jiu: ???

"No, I'm not some water barrel."

"I know, but once this chance is gone, it's gone, you know? The Spring of Life has an extremely high concentration. Once taken out, it only lasts a few hours. Are you sure you won't drink it?"

Bing Jiu swallowed. "...I'll drink."

There was no helping it. This was top-tier cultivation resource. Following the principle of drinking herself bloated rather than wasting a drop, Bing Jiu forcibly gulped down at least ten jin of Spring of Life.

After letting out a huge burp, Bing Jiu felt as though she had drunk all the water she would ever drink in her life.

She could not waste time. She immediately sat cross-legged and began cultivating.

Faint green light continuously rose from her body. Bi Ji watched her, and before long, Di Tian walked over as well.

"How is it?"

"A full twelve jin of spring water from the core region of the Lake of Life—equivalent to a month's supply for us. The life force contained within it could nurture several Ten Thousand Year Spirit Beasts. It's simply unimaginable that she didn't explode on the spot."

"Hmph. Someone even our lord values is naturally no ordinary person."

Di Tian made a rough estimate. Bing Jiu's cultivation this time would likely last about a week.

During this time, he had no intention of giving Chuan any rest, either.

After all, Chuan's cultivation had already reached a hundred thousand years. It was time for her to learn the unique innate soul skills of the Black Dragon Clan.

Seven days later

That morning, a pillar of green light soared into the sky within the core region.

Bing Jiu exhaled a breath of turbid air, opened her eyes, and sensed her body.

The gains from digesting the Life Water this time were not as great as soaking in the Icefire Yin-Yang Well last time, but she could feel that the life force within her had risen to an entirely different level.

Her physical strength and spiritual sense had also improved to an unimaginable degree.

"You're awake?"

Bi Ji walked over and set down another dozen or so jin of Life Water with a wave of her hand. "This is for you. Drink it on the road. If you don't want it, you can throw it away."

"Thank you."

Bing Jiu stored it in the Jade Beauty Flute. At the same time, Chuan arrived.

But now, she had a pair of dark circles beneath her eyes, unsteady steps, and limp limbs, as though she had suffered some terrible ordeal.

The moment she saw Bing Jiu, she looked as though she had found her savior. She rushed forward, threw herself at her, and immediately began wailing.

"Waaah! Master, you have no idea! My father, he's simply not human..."

"This..."

Bing Jiu listened to Chuan's complaints about Di Tian in a daze, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly.

After listening for so long, she had not understood a single word.

"Alright, stop badmouthing me over there."

Di Tian's voice suddenly rang out. "Little girl, I have trapped that Dark Demon Evil God Tiger in a corner of the outer forest. With the Black Dragon Claw, you can easily sense its presence."

"But you only have three days. If it escapes after three days, that will no longer be my concern."

"Thank you, Senior Di Tian!"

Bing Jiu cupped her hands toward him, cheerfully greeted Bi Ji and the others, picked up Chuan, and left the core region.