"Thump!"
As the massive rock collapsed, Zhou Yan's figure plummeted from mid-air.
Unbeknownst to him, his clothes were now splattered with mud. He looked up into the sky. It seemed the Red Scaled Python had discovered him and launched an attack without hesitation. Fortunately, he reacted with lightning speed and evaded it, otherwise, he would have been crushed to death beneath the boulder. Even so, he felt utterly disoriented.
"Hmph, as expected, snake-kin are all insidious and cunning creatures. No wonder this Red Scaled Python dared to ambush me. It must have relied on its combat strength. However, since I dared to come up here, I was naturally prepared. These things are far more ferocious than ordinary wild dogs," Zhou Yan sneered. He waved his arm, and a series of talismans flew from his storage ring, landing on some spiritual talismans.
"Swish, swish, swish!"
As the talismans touched the spiritual talismans, they instantly transformed into streams of light and vanished into the sky. Under Zhou Yan's control, they all floated in the void.
"Buzz, buzz, buzz..."
These talismans trembled incessantly, as if alive. Then, from each talisman, a dense white mist emanated. The mist condensed, quickly forming chains that wrapped around the Red Scaled Python's body, binding it tightly.
"Roar!"
The Red Scaled Python struggled furiously, but the more it thrashed, the tighter the chains became. Furthermore, a faint green mist began to rise from the chains, causing the python's body to gradually stiffen. This made it increasingly agitated.
"This mist is poisonous miasma!" Zhou Yan exclaimed. "These chains are specifically designed to deal with demonic beasts or humans. They are imbued with potent venom. If caught by these chains, even a God King level martial artist would perish!"
"This poison is enough to kill any Red Scaled Python, even a God King."
Zhou Yan's gaze fell upon a patch of grass where a black flower bloomed. The flower was purplish-brown, with thick leaves, and its stem bore several dark yellow fruits. Zhou Yan reached out and touched them. To his surprise, the fruits exuded a wonderful fragrance that refreshed the spirit and dispelled fatigue with a single whiff.
"A treasure!"
Zhou Yan licked his lips. Although he was a cultivator, he was also a carnivore. These spiritual herbs were a great tonic for him. Moreover, having just broken through his cultivation, consuming this Purple Cloud Spiritual Grass would undoubtedly boost his power significantly!
Regardless, this spiritual grass was his.
"Whoosh!"
Zhou Yan flicked his right hand slightly, and a surge of powerful attraction erupted. In an instant, the Purple Cloud Spiritual Grass was snatched into his hand and put away.
"These spiritual herbs are also suitable for Lin Yuxuan and the other two women. After all, these are not ordinary herbs."
"However..."
Zhou Yan frowned. The spiritual energy here was far more potent than in the outside world. This spiritual herb was found deep beneath the Abyss of the Scarlet Flame Island, where the spiritual energy was exceptionally pure. Cultivating here would increase efficiency by at least fifty percent compared to the outside, an advantage unmatched by external environments.
"Hmm?"
Just as Zhou Yan was about to take out the spiritual talismans to test the Red Scaled Python King's combat power, he suddenly felt a slight tremor beneath his feet.
"Thump, thump, thump!"
With a violent rumbling sound, Zhou Yan's expression changed to shock. "Holy crap, the Red Scaled Python King is coming out! It recovered its strength so quickly? It seems this beast is indeed quite intelligent!"
But the next moment, a peculiar smile curved Zhou Yan's lips. With a thought, the dense array of spiritual talismans suspended in mid-air flew down and burrowed into the Red Scaled Python's limbs.
"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle..."
Fierce flames suddenly erupted from the Red Scaled Python's limbs. It thrashed wildly, but it was utterly useless. Under the scorching flames, its skin gradually melted away, revealing its flesh and blood.
"Roar!"
The Red Scaled Python let out a pained roar and struggled desperately, but the chains held it fast, preventing any escape.
Zhou Yan watched the scene with a cold expression. He knew the Red Scaled Python was on its last legs. However, before it died, it was determined to spill its blood across the entire sea area. In this way, upon its death, its soul would completely detach from the island, and its remains would surely rot, turning into a pool of foul pus.
"Bang!"
Finally, with a muffled thud, the Red Scaled Python's massive body crashed heavily onto the beach. Simultaneously, beside the python, a crystalline bone structure, resembling jade, appeared before Zhou Yan's eyes.
These were the remains of the Red Scaled Python King. Only its skeletal structure remained. Yet, the owner of these bones had been quite terrifying, possessing the strength of a ninth-grade martial apprentice. This was no small feat; such strength was already equivalent to a true martial master.
However, even a martial master did not faze Zhou Yan. He walked forward and picked up the Red Scaled Python King's skeletal remains.
"Snap!"
Suddenly, just as Zhou Yan was about to leave with the Red Scaled Python King's corpse, the skeletal structure's eyes flickered open, and a suffocating chill instantly permeated Zhou Yan's mind.
The next moment, a crimson light shot out from the Red Scaled Python King's skeleton, directly piercing Zhou Yan's body. Instantly, Zhou Yan felt his internal true essence boil, and a surging heatwave raged within him.
"This... this is the Red Scaled Python King's true essence! This Red Scaled Python King left behind a true essence seed. It's trying to possess me!"
Zhou Yan's heart tightened. He hurriedly circulated his cultivation technique, attempting to suppress the Red Scaled Python King's true essence. Unfortunately, he had underestimated its true essence. After absorbing the spiritual energy from the other second-tier spiritual medicines, the Red Scaled Python King's true essence had reached a terrifying level.
"Squelch—"
Just as Zhou Yan was preparing to fully resist the Red Scaled Python King's true essence, a ball of green flame suddenly leaped out. The moment the green flame appeared, it completely incinerated all of the Red Scaled Python King's true essence.
"What is this?"
Zhou Yan's heart lurched. This situation was something he had never anticipated.