Chapter 191: A Huge Harvest
Deep within the forest, Lin Xiuya and the other three had finally put enough distance behind them to stop and catch their breath.
"I didn't expect that beast to suddenly increase its strength. That last attack… it was easily at five-star Dou Wang level. Good thing it didn't chase me—otherwise, I'd probably be a corpse by now," Lin Xiuya said, still shaken.
"Yeah, thank heavens Xiao Yuan stayed behind. If not, I think none of us would've made it out alive," Yan Hao nodded, a flicker of gratitude flashing in his eyes.
"With Xiao Yuan's current speed and strength, I doubt even Lin Xiuya would be his match in the Strong Ranking tournament four months from now," the yellow-robed youth added with admiration.
Han Yue's dazzling silver hair was messy from the hurried retreat, and strands clung to her forehead from sweat. Her lightly furrowed brows revealed her growing worry for Xiao Yuan's safety.
After all, she was the one who initiated this mission, yet Xiao Yuan had taken on the most dangerous role. She understood logically that going back wouldn't help—but her heart still urged her to return.
Clutching the jade bottle Xiao Yuan had handed her, Han Yue's unease deepened.
They had been resting here for quite some time. Given Xiao Yuan's speed, he should've caught up by now.
"Strange… the sky over the valley suddenly got darker," Lin Xiuya murmured, his eyes scanning the horizon.
"Yeah… and thunder?" Yan Hao frowned, puzzled.
Han Yue looked up toward the rumbling clouds in the valley and suddenly felt slightly relieved.
She had a keen sense. From earlier, she had noticed lightning patterns in Xiao Yuan's movement techniques. If his Dou Techniques were thunder-type, then a thunderstorm would actually empower him.
The thought that Xiao Yuan might have summoned the weather never crossed their minds.
After all, influencing the weather required at least high-tier Dou Zong strength. Some Dou Huang could achieve it through profound techniques or secret arts, but it consumed massive energy—nothing like what Dou Wangs could manage.
But Xiao Yuan had pulled it off by combining a heaven-tier battle skill's energy-drawing feature, his secret technique's amplification, and—most critically—the destructive force of Black Devil Lightning.
And the result was clear: he killed a magical beast equivalent to a five-star Dou Wang.
According to Xiao Yuan's estimates, if he truly pushed himself, he might even go toe-to-toe with a Dou Huang. Maybe not win, but fight? Absolutely.
Still, if he could avoid gambling his life, he wouldn't. He understood deeply that if you didn't risk your life to train, you'd be risking it in battle.
Cough! Cough!
Xiao Yuan spat out a mouthful of blood, took a Recovery Pill, and sat down to recuperate.
At this point, he wasn't worried about ambushes. The energy ripples from his battle had already scared off any magical beasts below rank five. Besides, the Snow Demon Ape was an infamous territorial tyrant. In its domain, no beast dared approach.
Of course, keeping the Earth Core Body Milk secret from beasts was easier than hiding it from humans. In the end, the Snow Demon Ape died at Xiao Yuan's hand.
Extracting its bloodline wouldn't be easy, so after recovering, Xiao Yuan stored the beast's body in his storage ring.
Next—he went to claim the true prize.
Summoning his Purple Cloud Wings, Xiao Yuan flew back into the valley. His soul perception spread out like a wave, scanning every inch of terrain.
The valley was spacious, littered with bleached bones—clearly from magical beasts.
Obviously, even beasts had coveted the Earth Core Body Milk. Its ability to cleanse bones and purify essence was even more desirable to them. For a beast, obtaining it could simplify their path to humanoid transformation.
Even a rank six beast like the Amethyst Winged Lion King had once asked Yun Yun for a Transformation Pill, all to make future breakthroughs easier.
That name suddenly jolted Xiao Yuan. He paused mid-air, a graceful, regal face surfacing from his memories.
He hadn't seen her in a while… and he did kind of miss her.
But he quickly snapped out of it. He had more important things to do and dove into the hidden cave.
The cavern was large, naturally—fit to house the Snow Demon Ape. The ceiling rose ten meters high, stalactites hung from above, and patches of white fur lay scattered about.
Xiao Yuan moved quickly and stopped at the cave's end, frowning.
No sign of the Earth Core Body Milk.
Not with the eye, at least. But what about his soul power?
He sent his soul sense forward—and bingo! Something unusual in a corner.
Beneath that section of rock was a hollow cavity.
The ground there was sunken, covered in white fur, and trampled with oversized footprints. At first glance, it looked like the ape's sleeping spot—but really, it was hiding something.
Without hesitation, Xiao Yuan summoned wind-attribute Dou Qi and drilled into the ground.
BOOM!
A deep pit opened up, revealing a dark tunnel.
With a snap of his fingers, he summoned the yang flame of his Yin-Yang Flame—its warm glow lit the darkness.
Then, he jumped in.
After traversing a long path, he emerged into an underground world filled with stalactites. Glowing white stone spikes draped from the ceiling, illuminating the chamber in an ethereal glow.
From above, milky droplets of liquid fell, splashing softly onto the stone floor.
The underground world was vast—too big even for his soul power to cover.
But that was fine. He had more tools.
He activated his earth-attribute Dou Qi. Soon, he sensed a powerful concentration of earth energy and moved toward it.
He wasn't worried about dangers. Even if his combat strength was down a bit, the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python was still a powerful trump card.
After about ten minutes of traversing the stone forest, he finally stopped, staring in awe at a colossal stalactite.
It stretched from the cavern ceiling down nearly a hundred meters. Two men couldn't wrap their arms around it. It glowed faintly like a massive crystal pillar—clearly the monarch of all the other stalactites nearby.
At its base sat a massive green stone, mostly buried underground. A shallow bowl-shaped depression on top was positioned directly beneath the stalactite's tip. In it, two inches of milky liquid shimmered, releasing a faint white mist that never dispersed.
Xiao Yuan took a sniff—his entire body tingled from the inside out.
Still, he quickly calmed down. This was just the diluted Earth Core Body Milk. He wanted the pure stuff.
Spreading his wings, he soared upward.
Soon, he reached the ceiling. The other stalactites, once massive, now looked like ants.
After inspecting the stalactite's base and scanning with soul power, he carefully drew a circle on the underside with a fine jade blade.
Click.
With a final cut, a small disk fell. Xiao Yuan snatched it midair.
A blinding light burst forth. He instinctively shielded his eyes with Heavenly Flame.
And then he saw it—a floating cluster of emerald-green, viscous liquid. It shimmered with life, swirling gently inside the stalactite.
This was it. Pure, undiluted Earth Core Body Milk.
Ten times more potent than the watered-down version below.
He scooped most of it into a jade bottle, resealed the stalactite, and left just enough to nourish the stalactite and prevent it from dying.
This was an unspoken rule in alchemy—never destroy the source.
Satisfied, he glided down.
He also collected all the diluted milk. No sense in leaving it behind for wild beasts.
Besides, he could use it to feed the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python… or help Xiao Yan break through.
On his way out, he unexpectedly ran into Lin Xiuya.
"Senior Lin? Why are you back?"
Xiao Yuan asked with a smile.
"No one felt right leaving without you. They were afraid they'd only get in the way, so I came back alone. I recovered enough to protect myself. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Actually, I had quite the harvest."
Xiao Yuan smiled cryptically.
"I can see that. Your aura's a little weak, but you're far less injured than I am. I can't believe how powerful you've become already."
Lin Xiuya shook his head with a bitter smile. Xiao Yuan's strength had clearly surpassed his expectations.
That terrifying speed alone was a nightmare to deal with—let alone his power, which rivaled a Dou Wang.
"I still can't believe someone stronger than Yan Hao is only a Da Dou Shi…"
"Anyway, this isn't a good place to stay. Let's regroup with the others and talk there."
Lin Xiuya grabbed Xiao Yuan and flew back toward the others' hiding spot.
(END CHAPTER)
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