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--- Chapter 324 ---
"Phew, we almost got caught red-handed there," Zi Yan said, her nose twitching slightly as she sighed in relief that the elder hadn't pursued them. "That would have been dangerous."
Han Yuan chuckled in response. "Heh, you say that as if you ever get caught by the elders."
"Hmph, what do you know?" Zi Yan retorted, crossing her arms.
"I can traverse anywhere easily with my spatial power, but some elders are just beyond my abilities. They seem to have eyes in the back of their heads or something."
"Tch, so annoying!"
"Hmm?" Han Yuan glanced at the little dragon girl, perplexed. She didn't seem to understand the concept of Spiritual Power (Mental Force) and its wide range of applications.
While Spatial Power is strong, it's not omnipotent; many other forces can still detect its disturbances. One of those forces is Spiritual Power, which is adept at sensing the slightest changes in the atmosphere and can even manipulate Spatial Power to its own advantage.
'Well, I'll teach her about it slowly,' Han Yuan thought to himself.
After knowing Zi Yan for months now, he recognized that this mischievous and gluttonous little dragon girl was worth bringing into his group.
Then again, Zi Yan's simple-minded and adorable nature made it difficult for Han Yuan not to want to recruit her. If she knew what he thought of her, she would undoubtedly throw a tantrum.
Zi Yan: "You're simple-minded! Your whole family is simple-minded, aaahh!"
After flying for a while, they finally arrived at the cliff wall where the Snow Demon Sky Ape's lair resided. Han Yuan halted and loosened Zi Yan's collar, letting her jump off.
Zi Yan sniffed the air before pointing at a rock formation that clearly concealed something. "Core Quenching Body Milk should be here!"
"Pfft, sure," Han Yuan rolled his eyes. Even he didn't need the Eyes of Truth to see that.
"You!" Zi Yan pouted, feeling annoyed.
Ignoring her pout, Han Yuan rearranged the rock formation with his Earth Dou Qi, revealing a cave entrance. A rush of cold air hit both him and Zi Yan in the face.
"Oh, there might be more interesting things in the cave. Core Quenching Body Milk is a product of Earth's condensation; in simple terms, it's a very pure essence of Earth," he commented. "However, this coldness shouldn't come from Earth's condensation, which means there must be something additional here."
Zi Yan's eyes sparkled with excitement. "More treasure!"
"Yes, more treasure," Han Yuan confirmed casually.
They entered the cave enthusiastically and discovered a reasonably sized cavern, its ceiling and floor adorned with stalactites and stalagmites.
"Mine, all mine! Hahaha!" Zi Yan laughed as she dashed toward the nearest stalagmite, drooling like a waterfall.
"This girl..." Han Yuan facepalmed.
Even so, he understood Zi Yan's excitement. Refining a large amount of Core Quenching Body Milk would definitely strengthen her foundation as both a transformed human and a pure-blooded True Dragon, and her body would grow a little as a result.
Hey, growing a little is better than not growing at all.
Han Yuan wasn't in a rush to collect the Core Quenching Body Milk, as it wouldn't go anywhere. The true essences lay within the stalactites and stalagmites, and seeing Zi Yan licking the outer layer like candy assured him she wouldn't be going anywhere near the real thing.
Not to mention, the Sky Poison Pearl could easily refine this precious treasure perfectly, without impurities or waste. Since Zi Yan enjoyed licking, he figured he might as well let her enjoy it.
Wait, that sounds wrong for various reasons.
Anyway, Han Yuan noticed a narrow path in the corner of the cave and stepped into it, discovering a small spring. His Eyes of Truth revealed that this spring was called the Chilling Heart Spring, a byproduct of leaking Pure Yin Essence.
'Pure Yin Essence, huh?' Honestly, aside from Han Yuan and Xiao Yixian, very few could utilize this substance effectively. Xiao Yixian naturally needed it to cultivate faster, but Han Yuan would require Pure Yang Essence to unlock its full potential.
Han Yuan casually plunged his hand into the cold Chilling Heart Spring, reaching for several deep-blue crystals at the bottom.
"Not bad. The spring water is a Rank 5 Earthly Treasure, and the Pure Yin Essence Crystals are Rank 6," he said, nodding in satisfaction.
After gathering the remaining deep-blue crystals, he refined them into a single mass and transformed them into a handful of Pure Yin Essence Pills.
He also refined the spring water before storing it in his White Emperor Gourd, intending to see if he could use it to make good wine.
Han Yuan glanced back at the cave and saw Zi Yan still licking the stalactites, shaking his head helplessly.
"Alright, that's enough."
He snapped his fingers, using his Spiritual Power to perform precise and flexible telekinesis. With a series of mental images, he broke off several stalactites and stalagmites, bringing them to his side, including the one Zi Yan had just bitten.
He quickly refined them with the Sky Poison Pearl, producing a massive bubble of milky white liquid.
"Here, have some." He flicked some drops and fused them with the Chilling Heart Spring, making a popsicle for Zi Yan.
Zi Yan, who felt wronged because Han Yuan stopped her licking, happily accepted the refreshing popsicle and watched Han Yuan refine the Core Quenching Body Milk effortlessly.
'He's becoming more and more difficult to read...' The little dragon girl thought to herself. 'Ah, whatever, it's too damn confusing to think about this guy anyway.'
'Better lick this popsicle before it melts...' She groaned while licking the refreshing treat.
Han Yuan created a barrier around the Core Quenching Body Milk and stored it in the Sky Poison Pearl for later use. Then, he remembered that the Snow Demon Sky Ape was still inside, too.
He brought out the dying Magical Beast and performed a healing art with the assistance of Ultimate Life, allowing the ape to see another day like he used to be. Even then, there are still scars left, like the cross scar on the ape's chest.
Furthermore, the Snow Demon Sky Ape's eyes were still closed tight, unconscious. Or pretend to be dead?
After all, Han Yuan has etched trauma into the Snow Demon Sky Ape's very bones.
He smiled wryly, "If you wanted to pretend to be asleep, then pretend until we left."
"Here, take this pill." He put down a crimson pill. "I made this pill with Ten Thousand Beast Flame, and the ingredients used are also beneficial to purify Magical Beast's bloodline to a certain degree."
"Ah, also, a reminder. If any of Jia Nan Academy's students entered your territory, I hope you don't attack them unprovoked like today."
"Well, then, Zi Yan, let's leave."
Zi Yan glanced at the fraud ape and snorted, "Hmph, I'll be generous today and let you leave."
Han Yuan was speechless, 'I was the one letting him leave. Why are you the one all smug about it?'
Without saying much more, Han Yuan and Zi Yan left the cave. The Snow Demon Sky Ape didn't move, however, even after those demons left for hours.
It's not until night comes and moonlight hits the entrance that the Snow Demon Sky Ape opens his eyes warily.
He glanced at the crimson pill the demonic human had left and cautiously sniffed it, feeling his blood boil in excitement.
The Magical Beast felt conflicted for a while before picking the pill and then closed the cave, preparing to enter a deep sleep.
---
Meanwhile, in the First Elder's office, Su Qian massaged his wrinkled temple in helplessness when he received a report from the elder about the Snow Demon Sky Ape's attack on the Inner Court's students.
Thankfully, someone saved the student from danger, but the student refused to say her savior's identity.
Su Qian could somehow guess who it was, but he's still doubtful.
"How troublesome..." He sighed.