As Wang Peng's eyes fell upon Zhou Yan, his gaze brightened, and a grim expression soon contorted his face.
"Boy, you've got guts, surviving in this environment?" Wang Peng grinned, his eyes brimming with chilling killing intent.
"Foolish!"
As the words left his mouth, Wang Peng took a sudden step forward, his aura surging. Then, with a series of cracking sounds from his bones, dense scales erupted on his arm. He clenched his fist, and a steel saber appeared in his hand.
"Kill him!"
The saber was entirely black, emitting a dark sheen. Its hilt was inlaid with numerous peculiar crystals, and it seemed to be forged from some sort of metal.
"Roar!"
"Roar!"
"Roar..."
The other demonic beasts also let out low growls and then rose from the ground, their sights fixed on Zhou Yan.
"Hmph, these brutes are quite loyal!"
Zhou Yan snorted coldly.
These demonic beasts were likely the mounts or servants of this true dragon. Yet, they now attacked Zhou Yan with utter disregard for their lives, showing a fierce, death-defying spirit.
"Since you seek death, I shall send you to your demise."
Zhou Yan shouted, releasing strands of true essence from his body. These strands rippled outwards like water waves, enveloping the demonic beasts.
As the true essence covered them, the demonic beasts froze stiffly, unable to move an inch, standing motionless in place.
"Huh?"
Zhou Yan was slightly surprised. He then carefully examined his true essence and discovered that his cultivation had indeed advanced by one level, reaching the eighth level of Houtian.
"Haha, with this, won't I be able to sweep through even the ninth level of Divine General, or even experts in the Divine General realm?"
Zhou Yan rejoiced internally, his face once again hardening into a cold expression. "Such an excellent method for tempering the body must not be wasted!"
*Swish!*
With that, Zhou Yan's figure shot before a demonic beast. He raised his hand and unleashed a punch.
*Bang!*
A muffled sound echoed. The demonic beast had its chest pierced by Zhou Yan's punch. Immediately, he sprang his right leg and kicked the beast's head. The beast's massive skull shattered, turning into a pulp.
"Hahaha, exhilarating!"
Zhou Yan's eyes blazed with fervent fighting spirit, as if he had returned to his glorious past, traversing the battlefields.
In this era, experts were as numerous as clouds, and powerful figures like falling rain.
Even a mere Divine General could dominate a region. In such circumstances, only immense strength could secure freedom.
And now, he, Zhou Yan, intended to become such a powerhouse!
With this thought, Zhou Yan wielded his fists, each punch more ferocious, each kick more potent than the last.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
A furious roar shook the heavens and earth, causing the surrounding trees to sway violently. Demonic beasts were continuously slain by Zhou Yan.
In a mere dozen minutes, Zhou Yan was surrounded by the corpses of demonic beasts, over twenty in total.
All these beasts were slaughtered by Zhou Yan alone.
Such a feat was almost unheard of.
"What!?"
At this moment, Wang Peng, who had been observing from a distance, watched with an increasingly grim expression. "How can this kid be so strong?"
Wang Peng had initially believed that with the่้พ he possessed and his own sixth-level Divine General cultivation, taking down a mere Zhou Yan would be effortless. He never expected Zhou Yan to be so formidable. No matter how he attacked, he couldn't even wound the opponent, while his own summoned beasts were being annihilated one by one.
"Retreat! Quickly!"
Ultimately, Wang Peng was an experienced veteran who understood that staying would likely lead to danger. Therefore, he decisively chose to withdraw.
However, just as Wang Peng prepared to leave, an extremely terrifying aura suddenly erupted. Zhou Yan's eyes snapped open, blazing with brilliant light. He threw out a punch, its force burning like raging flames, striking Wang Peng squarely on the back. Instantly, Wang Peng cried out in agony, sent flying by the punch, crashing into a colossal ancient tree.
With a resounding *boom*, the ancient tree toppled, raising a cloud of dust. Wang Peng lay in the ruins, covered in blood, his life hanging by a thread.
"Hoo..."
Zhou Yan let out a long breath. Although he hadn't broken through this time, this battle had been quite rewarding. Especially after absorbing a significant amount of essence, Zhou Yan felt his true essence becoming more condensed.
"Wang Peng, do you remember what I said? I will personally kill you."
Zhou Yan slowly walked over to Wang Peng, crouched down, and looked at him. "Now, I'll give you one last chance. Tell me, who sent you?"
"Heh heh, kill me then. I will never reveal any secrets!"
Wang Peng looked at Zhou Yan coldly.
"In that case, there's no need for you to live."
Zhou Yan's gaze gradually turned indifferent.
At this very moment, his eyelid twitched, and he immediately looked forward.
"There are so many demonic beasts hidden here?"
Zhou Yan was astonished to discover that about a hundred meters away, three colossal demonic beasts were lurking. All three possessed the aura of a seventh-level Divine General. One of them, a Bronze Wolf King, had even reached the ninth level of Divine General.
"As expected of a ninth-level Divine General Wolf King. Its strength is probably equivalent to a human Divine General!"
Seeing the Bronze Wolf King, Zhou Yan couldn't help but lick his lips. If he were to consume a demonic beast of this caliber, it would undoubtedly help him advance to the eighth level of Divine General. Then, he wouldn't fear even encountering some true powerhouses.
After all, the True Qi realm, in the eyes of ordinary people, was akin to immortals. But in the eyes of Divine General realm experts, they were mere ants.
"Kill!"
After a deep glance at the Bronze Wolf King, a strong sense of greed flashed in Zhou Yan's eyes. He knew that hunting for the demon core of a Divine General realm beast wouldn't be easy. These beasts would immediately flee if they sensed danger, so he had to act swiftly, aiming to finish them in the shortest possible time.
"Roar!"
The next second, the Bronze Wolf King struck first. Its claws and fangs were sharp as it lunged, immediately swiping towards Zhou Yan.
*Whoosh!*
However, before it could get close to Zhou Yan, the latter's pupils contracted. He abruptly halted his movement, turned, and prepared to retreat.