"That makes it even easier!" the man's lips curved upwards.
......
On the other side, Zhou Yan was unaware that he had become someone's prey. He was resting with his eyes closed, preparing to recover his strength as quickly as possible.
"Hoo!"
Suddenly, Zhou Yan's eyes snapped open, two sharp rays of light bursting forth.
"The medicinal effects of the Spirit Gathering Pill and the Yuan Gathering Pill are quite potent!" Zhou Yan nodded with satisfaction, then immersed himself in his cultivation once more.
......
Those from the Chu family had dispatched strong individuals to search for Zhou Yan's whereabouts.
Unfortunately, Zhou Yan had long since erased all traces of himself. No matter how hard they searched, they could never find the slightest sign of him.
A blink of an eye, and several days passed.
For these past few days, Zhou Yan had been in seclusion in his room, cultivating, without stepping out even once. Even the scouts they had sent out had yielded no results.
One day, Zhou Yan was cultivating in his quiet chamber.
Suddenly, Zhou Yan sensed a powerful aura emanating from afar. Following it, a group of cultivators flew over from a distance, appearing outside his room.
Seeing these powerful individuals, Zhou Yan couldn't help but frown.
He was not unfamiliar with these people; they were the strong practitioners from the Chu family.
"You bunch of trash, you still dare to show up here?" Zhou Yan looked at them coldly.
"Zhou Yan, I advise you to be sensible and hand over everything you have! Otherwise, don't blame us for being impolite!" the leader, a young man, said fiercely.
"Heh heh, do you think I'm scared easily?"
Zhou Yan stood up, brushed off the dust from his clothes, and said indifferently, "Since you want to fight, let's get started. No need to waste time."
"You're courting death!" the leading youth roared. He flipped his palm, and instantly, a long spear appeared in his hand. The void beneath his feet actually cracked.
"Po Jun Style!"
The youth held the spear and fiercely thrust it towards Zhou Yan.
A powerful pressure instantly descended, engulfing Zhou Yan.
Zhou Yan's expression changed drastically. He had already experienced the might of this move before.
His body trembled, golden light flowed across his skin, forming a layer of armor that enveloped him, resisting the pressure of the Po Jun spear. At the same time, he swung his fist and smashed it forward fiercely.
Bang!
Zhou Yan's fist collided with the spear, erupting in a deafening roar, with violent qi surging outwards.
In this exchange, Zhou Yan was sent flying back, taking seven or eight steps before stopping.
"How can they be so strong!"
Zhou Yan was astonished in his heart.
While these people's strength was not as great as his, they were too numerous, and each of them had a strength of at least the peak of the ninth level of Qi Gathering Realm.
And he, although also at the sixth level of Qi Gathering Realm, had only recently advanced and could not yet perfectly fuse his sword intent with its power.
"Their strength should all be around the fifth level of Body Refinement Realm, and they are all proficient in body techniques, making them very formidable," Zhou Yan estimated inwardly.
Body Refinement Realm cultivators had far greater physical strength than Qi Gathering Realm cultivators.
Moreover, due to the martial arts and cultivation methods they practiced, their bodies were even more resilient, and their defense was incredibly terrifying.
Zhou Yan dared not be negligent. He quickly circulated the "Nine Yang Body Tempering Art." The golden light within his body rapidly condensed into a golden armored warrior. The golden armored warrior exuded terrifying fluctuations of power, wielding a long spear and charging towards the group.
"Kill!"
Seeing this, the others dared not be careless. They all unleashed various techniques and fiercely battled the golden armored warrior.
The golden armored warrior's defense was formidable; ordinary weapons could not inflict even the slightest damage.
"Hahaha!"
A man in black let out a laugh. The long staff in his hand swung violently, and a mass of black mist emerged, engulfing Zhou Yan and making his figure appear indistinct within the mist.
"No matter what strange secret methods you possess, you cannot escape today!" the man in black sneered.
"Hmph!"
A cold snort came from within the black mist.
Following that, a halberd suddenly shot out.
The halberd carried a sharp, chilling gleam.
The black mist trembled and immediately dissipated, revealing Zhou Yan's cold face.
Zhou Yan stared at these people coldly and said, "You people are truly becoming more cowardly as you get older! Do you think Zhou Yan is that easy to deal with?"
Hearing Zhou Yan's words, the expressions of everyone present changed slightly.
Zhou Yan had actually not been affected by the black mist. How was this possible?
They had used a special aphrodisiac, and even they themselves had difficulty distinguishing its scent, let alone others.
Yet, Zhou Yan had not been affected at all. This was simply bizarre.
"Zhou Yan, stop putting on airs. Today, we'll let you taste what true strength is," the man in black snorted coldly, wielding his long spear and lunging towards Zhou Yan.
This time, the long spear in his hand carried a sharp killing intent, aiming directly for Zhou Yan's throat, intending to strike a fatal blow.
Zhou Yan sneered. The chilling gleam of the spear was directly shattered by his fist.
"Break!"
Zhou Yan took a step forward, golden light flashing all over his body, and he punched towards the opponent.
With a bang!
The two forces collided, generating a violent hurricane.
Both of them retreated three steps before stabilizing themselves.
"Your strength has grown even more!" the man in black's pupils contracted, and his expression turned grim. "Even united, we are no match for you!"
"So, are you surrendering, or will you fight to the bitter end?" Zhou Yan said with a cold smile.
"We surrender."
These people were not foolish and naturally knew that if they continued to resist, they would be the ones to suffer.
Zhou Yan's strength far surpassed theirs, and they were no match for him.
"I don't like people begging for mercy."
With that, Zhou Yan produced a blood-red saber and swung it towards them.
"You..."
Seeing this, everyone's faces were filled with terror, and they dodged. However, they were all forced back by Zhou Yan's saber energy.
This time, the group's attack had no effect whatsoever. They could only flee in disarray, daring not to continue confronting Zhou Yan head-on.
Zhou Yan did not pursue. He stood in place, coldly watching them escape.
"Damn it, Zhou Yan is too arrogant! Once we return, I will definitely report to the family head and ensure he is severely punished!" the leader said angrily. "And that woman too!"
As he said the last part, his gaze fell upon Chu Rong.
This beautiful woman was his dream lover!
"No, I absolutely cannot let her leave!" the man gritted his teeth, a burning fire rising in his heart.
Just then, a voice rang out.
"Zhou Yan, I've come to lend you a hand!"
As soon as the voice fell, a figure emerged from the void, dressed in a white robe that looked ethereal and refined, as if an immortal had descended to the mortal world.
"Who are you?" Zhou Yan raised an eyebrow.
This person's strength was also considerable, reaching the fourth level of Body Refinement Realm.
"Have you forgotten? I am the young master of the Chen family," the white-robed man said with a smile.