"You are a martial artist at the Divine Marquis realm, and this is a killing blow. I am sure to die!"
Zhou Yan's mind trembled, and he felt a sense of fear.
"Burning Flame Art!"
Zhou Yan shouted, his internal true qi boiling, surging and roaring like a river. Streams of crimson flame ignited and burned fiercely.
The temperature in this area rose rapidly, becoming scorching hot.
Simultaneously, within these flames, a spectral image of a Vermilion Bird appeared, majestic and exuding a terrifying aura.
"What kind of technique is this?" The alluring woman's pupils contracted.
The Vermilion Bird phantom cried out and plummeted down, engaging the alluring woman in combat.
"How is this possible? You've only just entered the Divine Marquis realm, yet your true qi is so abundant?"
The alluring woman screamed in terror.
Zhou Yan's true qi was several times more potent than hers.
Furthermore, Zhou Yan's combat experience was incredibly rich, his moves seasoned. Every strike was fraught with peril, leaving her struggling to cope.
Sparks flew amidst the fierce exchange.
In the end, the alluring woman let out a roar of unwillingness and fell into a pool of blood.
"It's over just like that?"
Zhou Yan breathed a sigh of relief, his face pale.
The battle just now had been a massive drain, depleting his internal true qi completely. He felt utterly exhausted.
"Here is a pill. Take it to recover your true qi!"
Zhou Yan took out a pill and popped it into his mouth.
Instantly, the pill transformed into a warm current that flowed down his throat, nourishing his entire body.
"Hoo..."
As the pill's effects took hold, Zhou Yan felt his body fill with strength, and his true qi began to recover slowly.
"Hmm? What's happening? My true qi has actually increased?"
Zhou Yan's expression was one of astonishment.
According to his normal cultivation progression, he should have taken several days to recover.
Yet, after consuming just one pill, his true qi had already recovered more than half.
"Hahaha, I understand!"
Zhou Yan's eyes lit up, and he burst into laughter. "This ruin must be a treasure trove! There must be some kind of pill here that can accelerate cultivation speed!"
This insight aligned perfectly with Zhou Yan's own cultivation technique, the "Azure Emperor Longevity Art."
"The catastrophe a thousand years ago destroyed the entire Eastern Desolate Prefecture, and even the so-called spiritual veins were damaged. However, this ruin has been preserved, clearly indicating that the demon that existed back then built a secret base here!"
"A secret base of this magnitude is definitely not simple!"
Zhou Yan's gaze burned with fervor, and he immediately headed deeper into the secret base.
Along the way, he encountered many demons, but they were no match for his Burning Flame Art. They were all incinerated by its power.
Soon, he arrived at the most central part of the secret base.
Here, there was an altar.
"Such potent malevolent energy!"
Zhou Yan's eyes flickered.
He observed carefully and saw a drop of crimson liquid suspended in mid-air at the center of the altar.
"Such a powerful blood essence fluctuation!"
Zhou Yan's expression grew solemn. He knew it was a drop of blood.
Within the blood lay a vast essence of blood and qi.
"The blood essence contained in this drop is comparable to the pill I took!"
Zhou Yan's eyes changed, his heart pounding erratically.
He could clearly feel that the circulation of his true qi seemed to have accelerated.
"If I absorb this, my strength should increase significantly!"
Zhou Yan licked his dry lips, his eyes filled with longing.
This drop of blood was a drop of essence blood from a Demon King, incredibly precious. It could allow a martial artist at the Divine Marquis realm to directly open acupoints and possess the ability of true qi externalization.
The next moment, he lunged forward without hesitation.
"Hmph!"
The alluring woman let out a cold snort as she saw Zhou Yan's action. "Overestimating yourself!"
Instantly, numerous short swords shot out, unleashing sharp sword energy that filled the sky and rained down upon Zhou Yan.
These short swords were ordinary weapons. Even when infused with true qi, they were no match for the Burning Flame Art.
The power of the Burning Flame Art surpassed that of ordinary low-grade mortal-tier techniques.
"This technique is truly profound and immensely powerful, almost defying the heavens!"
Zhou Yan's gaze was fervent, his heart surging with excitement.
This technique was familiar to him. It was taught to him by his mother, a work of a reclusive master named the "Azure Emperor Longevity Art."
It was said that this technique had nine levels, each capable of increasing his physical body by at least five times. It even held the potential to achieve the realm of diamond-hard indestructibility.
However, cultivating such a heaven-defying technique required immense resources. Moreover, the resources needed for each advancement were astronomical.
But, once he overcame these challenges, the benefits would be boundless.
"This drop of essence blood is enough for me to cultivate to the Divine Lord realm, or even higher!" Zhou Yan thought excitedly, continuously channeling the Burning Flame Art to absorb the blood.
As his true qi grew, a tremor ran through Zhou Yan's mind.
Suddenly, a dull thud echoed from Zhou Yan's dantian, like a dam bursting.
Within Zhou Yan's dantian, a bronze ancient cauldron, thirty feet in size, materialized, emitting a faint, radiant glow.
The next moment, a powerful energy emanated from the ancient cauldron, integrating into Zhou Yan's muscles, bones, and skin.
"This is..."
Zhou Yan's eyes widened in disbelief.
He realized that his skin had become crystal clear, pure and clean like glazed glass, and his true qi had become even more condensed.
"I've broken through already?" Zhou Yan was stunned.
However, Zhou Yan quickly came to his senses.
"So, this is the effect of the 'Azure Emperor Longevity Art'!"
"Cultivating this technique, the quality and condensation of true qi far surpass that of ordinary individuals."
"No wonder this technique is considered forbidden. Apart from the harsh cultivation requirements, it's also because its cultivation requires the continuous absorption of heaven and earth origin energy!"
"My cultivated 'Burning Flame Art' is a high-grade mortal-tier technique, yet it can defeat opponents in the Divine Marquis realm. If I cultivate the Burning Flame Art to the sixth level, I might be able to defeat a Divine Lord!"
Zhou Yan was overcome with excitement. He hadn't expected that simply obtaining a drop of blood would lead to such a significant leap in his strength.
However, for now, it was best to leave this place quickly!
Zhou Yan's figure flickered, and he darted towards the outside of the cave.
However, at this moment—
A sharp arrow suddenly shot out from the void, accompanied by an astonishing whistling sound.
In an instant, it pierced Zhou Yan's shoulder, pinning him to the rock wall.
"Who's there?"
Pain surged through him, and Zhou Yan gritted his teeth, his eyes scanning his surroundings.
Suddenly, one arrow after another rained down like a swarm of locusts.
The targets of these arrows were none other than Zhou Yan!
"Not good!"
Zhou Yan's pupils constricted, a sense of premonition of danger surging within him.
"Fire Cloud Palm!"
Zhou Yan roared, raising his arm and unleashing a palm strike.
Fierce flames erupted, shattering the incoming arrows.