Looking down, he saw a poisonous snake as thick as a bowl, staring at him with its pitch-black eyes, while a bloody tail was wrapped around Zhou Yan's leg.
Zhou Yan's expression turned cold, and he immediately kicked towards the snake. However, the snake's reaction speed was far beyond Zhou Yan's expectation. The moment he kicked, the snake's body shot upwards, dodging his foot. Then, its forked tongue flicked out, heading straight for Zhou Yan's throat.
"Hmph!"
Seeing the snake attack him, Zhou Yan snorted coldly, grabbed the snake's body, and twisted it with a flick of his wrist.
*Crack!*
With a crisp snap, the snake's head was directly twisted off by Zhou Yan, who then tossed it aside.
Zhou Yan's gaze then settled on the black stone. He brought the stone to his nose and sniffed, then said with a solemn expression, "This stone is definitely not simple. It might be related to the dragon脈 (mài - pulse/vein), but it's now occupied by a poisonous snake. I must take this stone away now, otherwise, it will eventually be corrupted by the potent poison and become a废石 (fèi shí - useless stone), rendering it completely worthless."
Zhou Yan looked at the stone in his hand, his eyes gleaming with determination.
He then took out a dagger from his怀 (huái - bosom/pocket) and carefully pried open the stone, digging out the black rock.
The moment the black stone was dug out, Zhou Yan felt the entire space become significantly colder. It was as if countless ice cones were piercing his heart, making it difficult for him to breathe.
"Such potent poison!"
Zhou Yan's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly threw the stone into his space ring and turned to run.
Zhou Yan was worried that the stone's poison had not fully dissipated. If he were to be contaminated, he might die even faster.
...
"Squeak squeak!"
"Woof woof!"
Not long after Zhou Yan left, a white figure suddenly darted out. This monkey glared ferociously in the direction Zhou Yan had fled, then shook its body and gave chase.
Zhou Yan didn't know how far he had run until he was so tired that he could barely breathe, and he sat down leaning against a pine tree.
After resting for a moment, Zhou Yan stood up and continued walking forward.
Zhou Yan left markers along the way, believing that when he encountered these creatures again, he would be able to find their hiding places.
Zhou Yan went through several caves in succession, each one deep and very well-hidden. Many areas were camouflaged with trees, making them impossible to spot at a glance. In fact, many places were inaccessible due to the presence of poisonous creatures.
Continuing this way, walking and stopping, for about another half hour, Zhou Yan finally saw a towering mountain peak ahead. On the peak was a massive canyon, and above the canyon were several large red characters: Dragon Spring Mountain!
"Dragon Spring Mountain?" Zhou Yan was stunned upon hearing these words.
He never expected to end up here. He thought he would definitely miss the villagers of Dragon Spring Village this time.
Zhou Yan carefully recalled the black stone he had just seen, then used his soul power to sense it. He finally confirmed that this black stone was the Dragon Spring Stone he was looking for.
This Dragon Spring Stone was originally obtained by Zhou Yan from a divine physician. That divine physician was a Chinese man, and his master was a martial arts grandmaster. When Zhou Yan obtained this Dragon Spring Stone, he had already guessed that it was a treasure left behind by the ancestors of Dragon Spring Village, but he had never dared to speculate further, fearing he might disturb the peace of the ancestors.
However, this time, Zhou Yan did not want to disturb the peaceful life of the Dragon Spring Village ancestors, who had lived for hundreds of years. This was a true titan of the cultivation world, a genuine martial arts grandmaster. How could such a figure merely be sleeping here? He must have set up powerful formations and restrictions within this mountain cave to protect the place and prevent anyone from disturbing his tranquility.
"Dragon Spring Mountain, Dragon Spring Village," Zhou Yan murmured to himself. "Don't these two words combined just mean a village? I must find you and wake you up, and tell you that these scumbags were all killed by me."
Zhou Yan's heart was filled with resolute determination.
...
Zhou Yan walked around Dragon Spring Mountain for about half an hour, then found a hidden cave.
Zhou Yan entered the cave. The interior was dry, and there were several large rocks on the walls that could block wind and rain. In a corner of the cave, there was a bedstead. Zhou Yan moved the bedstead aside and sat down cross-legged, beginning to circulate his energy to recover his stamina, aiming to reach the peak of the sixth level before tomorrow.
Zhou Yan didn't know how long he had been unconscious, nor how good his current condition was.
All he knew was that he felt exhausted, his muscles ached, and if he didn't recover his strength quickly, it would be difficult to cultivate to the seventh level tomorrow.
Zhou Yan dared not delay. He immediately activated the Nine Yang Art and began to recover his stamina and energy. In less than a minute, Zhou Yan felt the impurities in his body being expelled, his energy returned, and his body felt unprecedentedly light and comfortable.
Zhou Yan opened his eyes, a joyful smile appearing on his face. He then stood up, stretched, and walked outside.
By the time he left the cave, it was already past nine o'clock in the evening.
The sky had darkened, and a dense mist permeated the entire Dragon Spring Mountain, blurring visibility. Furthermore, Zhou Yan smelled a strong, putrid odor, like that of decaying corpses.
Zhou Yan frowned. Although the smell of rotten flesh was unpleasant, it somehow felt familiar, giving Zhou Yan a sense of returning home.
"What kind of hellish place is this?" Zhou Yan wondered. "I just saw the villagers of Dragon Spring Village. Why were all their houses burned down? And they have this foul smell. Could they have been eaten?"
"Were they eaten by these cannibals?" Zhou Yan guessed.
Thinking of this, Zhou Yan felt a wave of nausea and shivered. He truly did not want to witness such a scene; it was too gruesome.
Zhou Yan took a deep breath, trying to calm his emotions and settle himself, not to overthink.
However, the more he tried, the worse he felt, as this scene reminded him of being captured by the Dragon Emperor. The brutality of the cannibals was still vivid in his memory, and the situation was almost identical. The more he thought about it, the more his mood soured.
But he quickly adjusted. He looked around and found no traces of animals nearby, which put him slightly at ease. However, Zhou Yan did not let his guard down. After all, the Dragon Emperor was different from the cannibals. The Dragon Emperor, like himself, possessed special abilities. Zhou Yan was unsure if the Dragon Emperor had a way to track his presence, so it was better to be cautious.