"This bee, though lacking in intelligence, excels in speed. At this rate, it may indeed prove troublesome," Zhou Yan mused with a frown.
Just then, beside the bee, small beehives silently emerged. A swarm of tiny bees rapidly poured out and lunged towards Zhou Yan.
"Buzzzzzzz..."
These seven or eight small bees attacked Zhou Yan mid-air.
Zhou Yan let out a cold laugh.
"Swish..."
In the next instant, Zhou Yan stopped abruptly. He flicked his wrist, and a sword gleam flashed out. The sword light instantly transformed into a hundreds-of-feet-long sword shadow, which fiercely struck the bees.
"Bang... Bang... Bang..."
Several dull thuds echoed. In an instant, all the bees were killed by Zhou Yan.
"This fellow..."
"How can he be so powerful?"
"He has only just awakened, why is his strength so much greater than an ordinary third-tier fierce beast?"
The remaining giant pythons stared with wide, shocked eyes, their faces filled with terror as they looked at Zhou Yan.
"Heh heh, you only fear now?"
Zhou Yan smiled faintly and his gaze fell upon the giant pythons. "Since you wish to eat me so badly, have you prepared yourselves to bear my retribution?"
"Hahaha..."
Hearing this, the giant pythons burst into wild laughter. "Kid, you are truly courting death, daring to challenge us. Tonight is your day of death, I will devour you!"
As they spoke, the giant pythons lunged towards Zhou Yan.
"Courting death..."
Zhou Yan snorted coldly. Then, he flipped his palm, and a silver-white crystal core suddenly appeared in his hand. He clenched the core tightly, and in an instant, the mysterious golden core within his body vibrated violently.
Following that, streams of milky white mist erupted from Zhou Yan's body, quickly condensing into a fist-sized ball of milky white mist.
As this milky white mist formed, a vast and terrifying pressure, like a boundless abyss, suddenly permeated the air.
In the next moment, the ball of milky white mist shattered, turning into wisps of milky white mist that merged into Zhou Yan's body.
Instantly, Zhou Yan was enveloped in dazzling golden light.
Within this golden light, Zhou Yan's skin became even more crystal clear, and even the bones in his body exuded a faint metallic luster.
"What is this golden liquid? It seems to contain some strange energy that can temper my physical body, enhancing my skin, bones, and flesh..."
"And this mysterious golden crystal core, could this be the legendary Celestial Origin Pearl?" Zhou Yan muttered to himself.
Memories of the Celestial Origin Pearl from the depths of his mind suddenly surfaced.
"The Celestial Origin Pearl is a heavenly treasure that can help cultivators increase their cultivation, improve their constitution, enhance their aptitude, and boost their combat power."
"However, it is said that the formation of the Celestial Origin Pearl requires extremely harsh environments and a certain amount of luck. Generally, it can only be conceived in areas with abundant spiritual energy. But even with a Celestial Origin Pearl, one must wait ten days before consuming it, and each consumption yields roughly the same effect, with the only difference being its location within the spiritual脉..."
"But now, this Celestial Origin Pearl has clearly been activated by me. Therefore, its effect must be extremely similar to the runes within that lava stone slab. Perhaps this is the opportunity for me to break through the martial artist realm."
"Rumble..."
Just as Zhou Yan was lost in thought, intense rumbling suddenly erupted from the depths of a massive canyon in the distance, followed by a terrifying burst of energy.
"Roar..."
Accompanying this surge of energy, an enraged roar echoed through the air.
This roar carried boundless fury.
"Whoosh..."
In the next moment, a giant python, over five meters long, suddenly rushed out from the depths of the canyon, its crimson snake eyes like lanterns.
This giant python was the three-striped crimson flame python that had appeared first.
"Damn human, how dare you disturb my slumber, you deserve to die!"
The three-striped crimson flame python spoke human words. Simultaneously, it opened its mouth, and a powerful suction force erupted, drawing the surrounding venomous snakes into its maw.
At the same time, it whipped its thick tail, and instantly, a flame-shaped whip, carrying scorching heat, swept towards Zhou Yan.
Zhou Yan reacted with extreme speed, dodging the attack with a flicker of his body.
"Hiss..."
The three-striped crimson flame python roared furiously. Its body suddenly contorted, its coiled form on the ground snapping upwards like an arrow released from a bow, lunging towards Zhou Yan.
"Hmph, courting death!"
Seeing the three-striped crimson flame python lunging at him, a cold arc slowly curved at the corner of Zhou Yan's mouth.
He then raised his hand and unleashed a sword strike. A fierce sword aura, like thunder, slammed into the head of the three-striped crimson flame python.
"Puchi!"
With a muffled sound, the three-striped crimson flame python's head was pierced by the sword, and blood splattered.
The enormous body of the three-striped crimson flame python stiffened for a moment.
"Swoosh..."
Seizing this opportunity, Zhou Yan rapidly retreated, then leaped up, clamping his legs around the three-striped crimson flame python's neck.
"Crack..."
With a crisp sound of bone breaking, the three-striped crimson flame python's neck was snapped by Zhou Yan.
Then, Zhou Yan grabbed the corpse of the three-striped crimson flame python and threw it directly in front of the pack of honey badgers.
"Awoo..."
Upon seeing the corpse of the three-striped crimson flame python thrown by Zhou Yan, the eyes of the honey badgers immediately turned frenzied. They began to fight over it, tearing into the python.
However, the three-striped crimson flame python was too massive. Even though the honey badgers were powerful, they couldn't consume it all. Soon, the python was gnawed clean, leaving only remains.
Just then, Zhou Yan's gaze suddenly locked onto a rock not far away.
This rock was about a foot high, dark red in color, and covered with intricate, mysterious patterns. These patterns resembled lotuses blooming on the rock's surface.