The remaining saber cultivators, enraged, lunged at Zhou Yan in unison.
"Seeking death!" Zhou Yan uttered a soft curse, his figure a blur as he instantly closed the distance. His left fist, a whirlwind of shadow, unleashed a barrage that obliterated wave after wave of attackers.
These saber cultivators were utterly outmatched, crumbling before Zhou Yan like dry leaves. In less than the time it takes an incense stick to burn, all of them perished, not a single one surviving to even call for help.
"Ah...!" Bai Yiyi, witnessing this, turned pale with terror.
"This guy is too strong, we need to run!"
"Escape! Retreat quickly!"
The surviving saber cultivators, not foolish, immediately turned and fled, vanishing from the area in an instant. Only Zhou Yan remained, a playful smirk gracing his lips.
"Heh, it seems the Azure Dragon Divine Palace has suffered heavy losses this time. These saber cultivators must have just entered the Azure Dragon Mountain Range to hunt exotic beasts."
"Though these saber cultivators' corpses are now decaying, their identities were clearly not low. They should have something of value on them. Take their Qiankun bags!"
Zhou Yan chuckled softly and, with a single stride, arrived beside the fallen saber cultivators.
A flicker of fiery light emanated from him, rapidly spreading. In an instant, the storage rings on their bodies were incinerated.
However, all of this transpired unnoticed.
Zhou Yan then stripped the saber cultivators of their clothes and donned them, instantly appearing like a completely different person.
"Alright, now, you follow behind me," Zhou Yan said calmly, leading the group further into the depths.
As they ventured deeper, the scattered bones became fewer and fewer, until Zhou Yan and the others reached the lowest level.
This place was no longer filled with corpses. Instead, it was a flat expanse, a plaza where piles of crystal-clear, brilliantly shining ore lay stacked. Each piece of ore bore peculiar markings, rendering them exquisitely beautiful.
"Huh?"
At that moment, Zhou Yan's eyes narrowed. In the very center of the plaza stood a sarcophagus. This sarcophagus, entirely dark red, appeared to be crafted from metal, and was inscribed with numerous runes.
Furthermore, wisps of sinister energy continuously emanated from it.
"Rumble!"
Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed. Immediately after, beside the sarcophagus, an explosion occurred, and a colossal exotic beast slowly crawled out.
It was a ferocious creature resembling a scorpion, at least three meters long, its body covered in sharp spines. A profoundly evil aura emanated from its core, its eyes a pair of crimson flames.
Its appearance caused the temperature within a hundred-zhang radius to plummet, freezing the air into frost. The surrounding trees began to wither.
"Roar!"
The exotic beast let out a furious roar, instantly changing the winds and clouds. Fierce gales howled, and a torrent of demonic energy erupted from its body, condensing into a mist that obscured the entire sky.
"Hahaha..."
Simultaneously, the exotic beast opened its maw and unleashed a world-shattering roar. The sound waves rolled like thunder, shaking the nine heavens and causing the entire world to tremble violently, as if the sky was collapsing and the earth was sinking, heralding the end of days.
"Hmph!"
Zhou Yan snorted coldly, a glint of icy resolve in his eyes. With a beckoning gesture, his Xuan Tie Sword flew into his hand. He then surged skyward, transforming into a streak of sword light, striking the exotic beast with immense force.
"Pfft!"
The sword strike was sharp and domineering, unstoppable. It instantly cleaved the exotic beast in two at the waist, reducing it to mere fragments.
This was an exotic beast at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage. Under Zhou Yan's might, it had no power to retaliate, vanquished in an instant.
Zhou Yan suppressed his aura and landed at the entrance of this tomb. His gaze fell upon the stone tablet, engraved with ancient and weathered characters: "I, Emperor Qinglong, conquered my entire life, slaying tens of thousands of demons, my merits immeasurable. Today, I am bestowed the title Emperor Qinglong, reigning over the Azure Dragon Divine Palace!"
Zhou Yan murmured, "I never imagined that the Azure Dragon Emperor of this world had already perished, and this Azure Dragon Divine Palace was destroyed by the demon race."
"However..." A trace of regret flickered across Zhou Yan's face. "It's a pity. The Azure Dragon Divine Palace was originally a Congenital treasure. It's just that after encountering the demon race's attack, it was completely damaged. If this Azure Dragon Divine Palace were still intact, with this Congenital treasure, Emperor Qinglong would have undoubtedly dominated this region, perhaps even achieved the status of Immortal Emperor."
"A pity, a pity..."
Zhou Yan sighed. A thought suddenly flashed through his mind: if he were to refine this Azure Dragon Divine Palace and integrate it into his own being, would he then possess this Congenital treasure?
"Hmm? Wait!"
Abruptly, Zhou Yan's heart skipped a beat. He suddenly realized he could control this Azure Dragon Divine Palace!
"Buzz..."
In that instant, the Azure Dragon Divine Palace burst forth with dazzling brilliance, illuminating all directions. An immensely powerful pressure swept out, majestic and vast, like a master of heaven and earth, compelling all to kneel.
This feeling was terrifying, as if a deity had awakened.
Moreover, behind Zhou Yan, black chains materialized out of thin air, densely inscribed with numerous runes.
"Rumble!"
As these chains appeared, the surrounding space visibly trembled. A terrifying fluctuation emanated from them, causing the very rules of this realm to shift.
"Swish!"
Subsequently, a formidable suction force suddenly permeated the area.
"Bang bang bang!"
With the appearance of this suction force, massive rocks within this realm floated up, flying towards Zhou Yan, who caught them in his hands.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The next second, he clenched his fists and hurled these rocks, smashing them into the exotic beasts. Instantly, their flesh and skin bore deep indentations, spurting blood.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"
Zhou Yan's speed was astonishing. His movements were like a phantom. Each kick sent an exotic beast flying backward. In the blink of an eye, dozens of carcasses littered the ground.
These were all the remains of the exotic beasts.
At this moment, Zhou Yan wielded his Black Iron Sword, sweeping it in a horizontal arc, carving ghastly wounds across the necks of the exotic beasts, their blood splattering forth.