Zhou Yan quickly retreated upon seeing this, keeping his distance from the man in black.
"Hoo..."
Zhou Yan took a deep breath, inwardly thankful. If it hadn't been this guy who was injured, his own situation would have been perilous.
Zhou Yan wasn't inexperienced in combat, but he had never encountered such a formidable opponent. He finally understood what a gap in power meant!
Zhou Yan took a deep breath, then looked at the man in black, sneering. "Now, it's my turn to kill you. Don't worry, I'll make sure you die a painful death. However, you can rest assured, I will avenge you after you're gone!"
Upon hearing Zhou Yan's words, the man in black's face turned ashen. He glared at Zhou Yan in fury, let out a roar, and charged towards him.
"Buzz~!"
Zhou Yan thrust his sword forward with an indomitable momentum, piercing the man in black's heart in an instant.
"Urk~!"
The man in black immediately felt a sharp pain in his chest. He couldn't help but let out a muffled groan. His eyes widened in disbelief, and then, with a look of horror, he closed them.
He died just like that, killed by Zhou Yan, and by the same method.
Zhou Yan's sword had pierced the man in black's heart. Moreover, Zhou Yan didn't stop, but continued to thrust his sword deeper into the man's chest.
"Squelch!"
Another heart was dug out from his chest. He stared at Zhou Yan, his eyes filled with malice, but he was powerless to stop Zhou Yan.
Zhou Yan threw his heart onto a large tree nearby.
Subsequently, Zhou Yan saw a mass of red mist drifting out from the man in black's body. This red mist writhed like a living creature.
"What is this?"
Zhou Yan's brow furrowed as he observed the red mist. He could sense an evil power emanating from it, seemingly attempting to devour his divine sense.
His divine sense was incredibly resilient; ordinary powers couldn't infiltrate it. Yet, this red mist could erode it, astonishing him. He dared not delay, and quickly mobilized his divine energy to expel the red mist from his body.
Zhou Yan's divine sense swept over it, and he immediately discovered the secret of the red mist. He found that this red mist was actually composed of numerous centipedes, furiously gnawing at the man in black, whose blood was being continuously absorbed by them.
"Hiss~!"
These centipedes were only palm-sized and blood-red all over, appearing extremely frightening.
"Is this an exotic centipede?"
Zhou Yan frowned, a guess forming in his mind. These centipedes were extremely rare in the beast realm, and he had never heard of them. Even cultivators who had refined divine energy to the King of Gods level rarely possessed such exotic creatures.
Zhou Yan also knew that these centipedes were terrifying. Once they consumed another's blood, they would mutate, becoming incredibly bloodthirsty. If one encountered them, unless their strength was comparable, there was only one option: flee!
Furthermore, these mutated centipedes would devour each other's blood upon encountering their own kind, eventually mutating into a Centipede King.
Such a mutated Centipede King could absorb the strength of its brethren for its own use, and its body contained toxins. Ordinary people would immediately become paralyzed upon contact, then convulse and die.
Not only that, but the teeth of these centipedes were also formidable weapons. Their fangs could easily tear through human skin, and even crush bone, causing it to shatter.
Yet, now, this centipede had been killed by Zhou Yan!
"I never expected there to be so many mutated centipedes!"
Zhou Yan was astonished. He noticed the ancient locust tree nearby, its branches and leaves had also turned red. This puzzled him. The branches and leaves of this ancient locust tree were also not ordinary.
Zhou Yan leaped onto the trunk and looked around, but he couldn't see the man in black. His gaze then fell upon the ancient locust tree. The canopy of this ancient locust tree was growing taller at an incredibly rapid pace!
This startled Zhou Yan. He noticed a faint scent of decay on the leaves of the ancient locust tree, indicating it was quite old, yet there were no signs of rot. Instead, it exuded a peculiar fragrance that invigorated the spirit and filled the body with strength upon inhalation.
"Such rich spiritual energy!"
Zhou Yan marveled inwardly and quickly took out a pill and consumed it. Instantly, his strength was partially restored.
Meanwhile, the leaves on the ancient locust tree grew more luxuriant, quickly reaching the size of a bowl.
Zhou Yan's heart stirred with excitement. He looked at the ancient locust tree, then leaped upwards, flying towards its summit, intending to find an exit there!
"Whoosh!"
Zhou Yan's speed was incredibly swift. In the blink of an eye, he had reached the top of the ancient locust tree, his fingers about to touch the entrance at the canopy.
Suddenly, Zhou Yan's body swayed violently, and a wave of dizziness washed over him. Then, he tumbled down from the tree.
"Thud!"
Zhou Yan fell to the ground with a heavy sound.
Zhou Yan got up from the ground, rubbing his sore backside, feeling a bit dejected. The top of the ancient locust tree was too steep; he couldn't leap over it.
Zhou Yan looked up and only then realized that the door at the top of the ancient locust tree had already opened.
"It seems I'm lucky, to be able to open this door so easily?"
Zhou Yan looked at the large door, a smile forming on his lips.
Zhou Yan walked up and gently pushed the door. With a soft creak, the door slowly opened. Zhou Yan darted inside, and immediately, a rich fragrance assailed his senses, invigorating him.
"It's indeed this scent!"
Zhou Yan took a deep breath of the aroma, feeling a sense of comfort spread through his entire body.
"Hoo...!"
Zhou Yan exhaled a breath of stale air, a radiant smile appearing on his face. "It's truly delicious!"
"Rumble!"
Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed from the space ahead.
Zhou Yan's expression changed. He quickly turned and looked in the direction of the sound, and his pupils sharply contracted.
In the distance, a blood-red centipede had appeared. Its body was covered in small, hook-like beetle-like tentacles. It was over three meters tall, with two pairs of wings on its back, which it was frantically beating, trying to escape. Furthermore, on the centipede's back, there was a massive centipede head.