Chapter Forty: The Division of Spoils

"You understand these ancient characters?" Diala exclaimed softly, her face full of astonishment.

"Yes, I recognize a few," Shi Yan nodded, but instead of looking at the contents of the scripture, he tucked it casually into his robe and said naturally, "You keep the Heartfire Essence, and this spirit-level martial technique will be mine."

Diala nodded in agreement, having no objections. That vial of Heartfire Essence was extremely precious to her, and with it, she was already more than satisfied.

"What about these three demon crystals?" After a moment, Diala spoke again, stealing a glance at Mu Yudie, her expression somewhat complicated.

The spirit-level martial technique in Shi Yan's hand was priceless as well, and now only Mu Yudie had received nothing.

The value of the three demon crystals was naturally less than the Heartfire Essence and the martial technique. Diala wanted to offer the crystals to Mu Yudie, but worried Shi Yan might object, so she probed his opinion.

"Let Miss Mu have them," Shi Yan understood her thoughts and said openly, "We can't let Miss Mu leave empty-handed. We all got what we needed; let's not take the crystals as well."

"I certainly have no objections." Diala smiled radiantly, delighted at Shi Yan's generosity.

Surprise flickered in Mu Yudie's beautiful eyes. She looked deeply at Shi Yan, then shook her head with a gentle smile. "I didn't do anything. You both kept protecting me the whole time. I can't accept those demon crystals."

"Little Die..." Diala began, but hesitated.

"I really can't take them," Mu Yudie shook her head firmly, her tone self-mocking. "Because of me, you both almost lost your lives. How could I possibly have the face to accept those crystals? Sister Lan, Ding Yan, I appreciate your kindness, but I truly can't accept them."

"Take one," Shi Yan pondered for a moment, then said, "No matter what, you must take at least one demon crystal. We can't take advantage of you like this."

"Yes, at least one," Diala insisted as well.

With both of them pressing her, Mu Yudie hesitated, but found it hard to refuse any further. At last, she nodded, "Then, thank you both."

Shi Yan said no more, and quietly closed his eyes to continue restoring his strength.

With his breath held and his mind focused, he could clearly sense the changes within his body.

For some reason, just sitting there, he noticed the soreness and fatigue were fading rapidly...

Calming his mind, Shi Yan concentrated fully on the changes within.

In his mind, it was as if a bolt of lightning flashed—his spirit jarred, and he suddenly understood.

It was the Undying Martial Spirit!

His flesh, bones, organs, and meridians were all undergoing subtle transformations.

The Undying Martial Spirit, in ways he could not comprehend, was silently repairing his body, gradually restoring the injuries he had suffered from unleashing "Berserk."

Shi Yan was overjoyed. He realized that the Undying Martial Spirit could not only heal wounds but also greatly offset the side-effects of "Berserk!"

If not for the hidden effects of the Undying Martial Spirit, he was certain that after forcibly activating "Berserk," he would have been unable to fight for at least three days.

But the Undying Martial Spirit seemed to be changing that.

Under its wondrous influence, the soreness and exhaustion within him were slowly receding.

Judging by his body's condition, he estimated that in at most a day, he would be mostly recovered and ready to fight again.

However, just as he was quietly rejoicing, a sudden surge of murderous, violent negative emotions erupted from deep within his heart!

This time, the outburst came like a raging storm, overwhelming and fierce!

Waves of despair, fear, and resentment welled up from every acupoint, transforming into a spiritual force that rushed into his mind, forcibly tempting his thoughts, seeking to twist his principles.

This time, he had absorbed the essence of four Innate-level warriors and two Human-level ones—all six had died in the stone cave.

Thus, all their essence had poured into his acupoints without a drop missed—this absorption was the most potent he had ever experienced!

Consequently, the backlash was also far more intense.

Sitting upright, Shi Yan's breathing grew heavy, his body began to tremble, and a murderous aura swirled around him, making him seem utterly sinister.

After a few minutes, he felt he could suppress it no longer. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open and, burning with intensity, he fixed his gaze on Diala, growling, "My strange affliction is about to strike again!"

Diala was stunned, then her cheeks flushed red. In a low voice, she said to Mu Yudie, "Little Die, don't look—turn around."

Mu Yudie's face turned red as well. Biting her lip, she obediently walked to the cave entrance, turning her back to them. "Keep your voices down. Don't draw any beasts. I'll stand guard here."

"Alright," Diala replied in a voice as soft as a mosquito, then took the initiative to embrace Shi Yan tightly.

Within the stone cave, rhythmic sounds soon began to echo...

Much later—

Shi Yan let out a low growl, his body trembling as he erupted within Diala.

Strands of strange energy surged from his acupoints, coursing chaotically through his body. A small portion, mingled with his essence, poured into Diala, but most of the strange power rampaged through his meridians, flooding his whole being.

Suddenly opening his eyes, Shi Yan pulled up his trousers, ignoring the dazed Diala, and strode toward Mu Yudie, calling, "Miss Mu, quick! Hurry!"

Mu Yudie turned pale with fright and instinctively backed away, exclaiming, "No! Don't come any closer!"

"The medicinal power in my body is suddenly overflowing!" Shi Yan panted, stepping toward her anxiously. "I'm trying to control it and see if I can share some with you to repair your severed meridians!"

"I don't want it!" Mu Yudie screamed. "I'm not ready! I won't do that with you! Stay away!"

"I never said anything about that!" Shi Yan growled.

He could feel the strange energies splitting into many streams, surging through his meridians and flesh, nourishing both his Martial Spirit and the essence in his abdomen.

If this continued, it wouldn't be long before all the strange power dissipated within him.

He focused all his will, forcibly blocking a small portion of this energy in his arms, struggling to channel it outward, planning to infuse it into Mu Yudie's body via essence.

Seeing her retreat step by step, Shi Yan grew impatient and suddenly darted forward, pulling Mu Yudie into his arms.

Her curvaceous figure was engulfed against him, a delicate fragrance drifting into his senses and making his spirit tremble.

"Let go of me!" Mu Yudie didn't believe his explanation and hammered at his chest with her fists, struggling fiercely.

Unfortunately, with her meridians severed and her essence unable to flow, she was little different from an ordinary woman—she couldn't shake him off at all.

"Hold still!" Shi Yan tightened his grip, pressing her soft body firmly against his, leaving her no room to escape.

At that moment, the strange power in his arms quickly surged to his wrists, flowing into his palms, and from there was poured into the meridians of Mu Yudie's back...

"Try to guide this medicinal force into your severed meridians—quick!" Shi Yan whispered urgently into her delicate ear as he held her.

Her ear tingled, causing her body to tremble, and she silently cursed him for his audacity.

Still, she could clearly sense two streams of strange energy flooding from Shi Yan's palms into her body, circulating through the meridians in her back.

At Shi Yan's urging, Mu Yudie finally stopped resisting, focusing all her attention on sensing and controlling the strange power to repair her broken meridians.

Shi Yan held her tightly, savoring her body's delicate curves and inhaling her scent. His mind wandered, and his body responded involuntarily.

"Ah..." Mu Yudie gasped, her face burning red as she cried, "Let me go! Like this, I—I can't calm myself!"

"Alright, I'll let you go," Shi Yan knew this was no time to take advantage, nodded, and planted a kiss on her ear. "Consider that your payment for the medicinal force."

With that, he released her and stepped back to sit against the cave wall, closing his eyes.

Mu Yudie's neck blushed crimson, both ashamed and angry. She glared at him and muttered, "You're a scoundrel!"

Taking several deep breaths, her chest heaving, she finally calmed herself. Knowing time was of the essence, she refrained from further reproach and hurriedly sat down to concentrate on using the strange power Shi Yan had given her to repair her severed meridians.