Chapter 967 Not My Opponent
He looked up and saw a colossal figure faintly emerging from the clouds.
It was a dragon, massive in size, with scales chilling to the bone, exuding a terrifying aura.
"A dragon?"
The old man in the black robe was stunned.
In his understanding, dragons only existed in myths and legends.
Even he had never seen a real dragon. Yet here he was, encountering a living, breathing behemoth!
"Hmph!"
At that moment, a blast of white air, like a thunderclap, erupted from the dragon's nostrils.
"Bang—"
Caught off guard, the old man in the black robe was sent flying backward, landing several meters away, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, his face deathly pale.
"This… how is this possible?"
His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the dragon.
With just a breath, the dragon had injured him!
He had made thorough preparations to kill Zhou Yan this time!
To ensure success, he had even swallowed a demonic pill, leveraging its immense energy to instantly break through to the peak of the ninety-ninth realm!
Yet, even with such power, he was no match?
"Damn it!"
The old man in the black robe gritted his teeth, casting a hateful glance at Zhou Yan in the distance, and turned to flee!
"Roar—"
The dragon seemed to sense the old man's intention to escape. It let out a low growl, opened its maw, and spat out a mass of purplish-gold flames. Like a falling meteor, it streaked across the sky, leaving a long fiery trail as it hurtled towards the fleeing figure.
"Whoosh—"
The fireball shot forward with incredible speed, leaving the old man no time to dodge.
He gritted his teeth, desperately channeling all his magical power into a shield to withstand the attack!
"Crack—"
The shield shattered. The purplish-gold flames continued to burn, engulfing the old man’s entire body in an instant!
"Ahhh!"
His piercing screams echoed through the void, spreading far and wide.
In mere seconds, the old man in the black robe was reduced to ashes.
Zhou Yan stood his ground, watching the black-robed old man he had just vanquished. "Not bad, for strength," he remarked.
After all, the opponent was at the peak of the ninety-ninth realm, just one step away from the divine realm, a top-tier martial arts master on the cusp of transcendence.
"Eh?"
Suddenly, Zhou Yan's gaze flickered as he focused on the distant pile of ashes that was the old man's remains.
There, lay a jade slip!
The old man in the black robe had left behind such a treasure.
Zhou Yan reached out, picked up the jade slip, and examined it carefully.
"A fragment of a cultivation technique?"
Zhou Yan frowned, a hint of disappointment in his expression.
Given that the old man was a super expert at the ninety-ninth realm, this should have been his cultivation insights.
Unfortunately, it wasn't a high-level technique, but a fragmented one.
"It seems he didn't gain much from his ninety-ninth realm peak cultivation," Zhou Yan sighed with regret.
However, he soon perked up.
The value of this fragmented technique was still immense.
The stronger a martial art technique, the greater the potential and the higher the chance of reaching higher realms.
Especially since this fragmented technique could be completed by using the Tai Chi Diagram for deduction.
This was truly an invaluable treasure.
"At least I didn't return empty-handed!"
Zhou Yan was fairly satisfied.
"There should be no other enemies in this Dragon Palace, right? Let's see how much treasure is in here to make these demons so interested," Ye Xun licked his lips.
With newfound excitement, he strode towards the core area of the Dragon Palace.
As soon as he entered this area, Zhou Yan's ears twitched.
His eyes lit up. "Found it?"
As he approached the palace complex, waves of potent medicinal fragrance wafted towards him.
The scent was invigorating, filling Zhou Yan with a sense of comfort.
"This is indeed a treasure trove!"
Zhou Yan's heart pounded with excitement as he quickened his pace and rushed inside.
However, upon reaching the outer perimeter of the palace, he stopped.
For here, twelve stone statues stood guard.
These statues were lifelike, appearing as formidable stone golems, their imposing physiques exuding a chilling aura that instilled awe.
"It seems this is the formation set up by the Lord of the Demon Dragon," Zhou Yan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"However… there seems to be something odd about these statues…"
He observed them closely and noticed that the runes and demonic markings on these statues were subtly different!
Furthermore, Zhou Yan sensed a malevolent energy emanating from the runes on the statues!
"Could it be related to the Lord of the Demon Dragon?" Zhou Yan's eyelids twitched as he speculated.
These statues were clearly a trap.
"Husband, what are these statues?" Chan'er asked Zhou Yan, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"They are the burial objects of the Lord of the Demon Dragon," Zhou Yan replied slowly, taking a deep breath. "Apart from his storage bag and ring, these are what the Lord of the Demon Dragon carried with him."
Zhou Yan's gaze swept over the statues, noticing that they were all adorned with treasures of spirit artifact grade or higher!
This palace was opulent and extraordinarily luxurious!
The spirit artifacts within were countless, ranging from offensive weaponry to enhancement talismans. In short, anything here, if sold, would be enough to sustain an ordinary family for a lifetime.
"These burial objects are all mine."
Zhou Yan grinned, unceremoniously collecting all the spirit artifacts. He then retrieved three magical artifacts.
"Hmm? These magical artifacts are actually made from beast cores."
Zhou Yan expressed mild surprise.
Beast cores contained the energy of demonic beasts and were highly beneficial to human warriors.
He certainly wouldn't pass up such items.
He began to ransack the palace.
As he moved through, Zhou Yan's surroundings became piled with magical artifacts and spirit stones, making his eyes gleam with delight.
"As expected of the Lord of the Demon Dragon, these magical artifacts are all high-grade and possess formidable power!"
"With so many magical artifacts, they will be enough for many of the soldiers in the territory."
Zhou Yan was overjoyed.
He collected these magical artifacts, preparing to depart. Just then, his peripheral vision caught sight of the wall to his side, and he abruptly halted.
There, etched into the wall, were dense runes exuding a profound aura.
"What is this…"
Zhou Yan's heart leaped.
He approached the wall, gazing at the runes, and fell into deep contemplation.
After a long while.
"I see."
Zhou Yan suddenly understood, comprehending the intention of the Lord of the Demon Dragon.
He had left behind a restriction here, sealing a segment of history.
This memory was sealed within this very wall.
Only those who could decipher this restriction would be qualified to glimpse this segment of history!
And this history concerned how many powerful individuals resided in this palace, how they met their demise, and who was responsible for their downfall!