"This is a dragon!" Zhou Yan thought to himself.
Dragons were the pride of divine beasts, possessing the strongest defense among them. Even cultivators at the Divine Monarch stage would be helpless against them.
The bodies of dragons were extremely resilient. Attacks from cultivators of the same level could hardly injure them, and even weapons of Saint Artifact level struggled to pierce their skin.
"This is serious trouble," Zhou Yan's face showed a grim expression. The dragon's defense was too formidable; he couldn't possibly break through its scales.
Moreover, the golden dragon exuded an aura of immense power, undoubtedly a Divine King level existence.
Zhou Yan was utterly incapable of resisting a Divine King level demonic beast. His only recourse was to flee.
"Swish!"
Zhou Yan turned and fled into the distance. The guards, seeing him escape, gave chase.
"Kid, I advise you to stop immediately, or you might end up with no burial place later on," the young man said.
"Heh, is that so?" Zhou Yan chuckled faintly and continued to flee forward.
"Seeking death!"
The young man stepped into the air, his form teleporting instantaneously. He flashed and appeared beside Zhou Yan in an instant, slashing at him with his sword.
"Swish!"
Zhou Yan felt a strong wind whistle past behind him. He twisted his head sharply, narrowly dodging the sword strike. However, the sword's aura grazed his cheek, leaving a long, thin gash on his face.
Blood flowed from Zhou Yan's face, but he showed no fear. He smiled coldly, clenched his fists, and slammed them fiercely into the young man's abdomen.
"Bang!"
Zhou Yan's punch landed squarely on the young man's stomach. The youth let out a muffled groan, was sent staggering back several meters, and then crashed heavily to the ground, spitting up blood.
Terror flickered across the young man's face.
"Not good, this kid is too strong! If this continues, we're doomed."
The young man cried out in alarm.
"Useless! What are you standing around for? Hurry and act!" the young man snarled.
The young man's two subordinates immediately charged towards Zhou Yan upon hearing his command.
"Boom!"
As the two youths neared Zhou Yan, he swung his fists, landing two heavy blows on their heads. They were sent flying backward and immediately knocked unconscious.
"You, you actually knocked my brothers out!" The young man stared at his two unconscious subordinates on the ground, his eyes wide with disbelief. These two were his strongest trump cards, yet Zhou Yan had knocked them out with a single punch.
"So weak, yet you dare to provoke me? You're truly tired of living," Zhou Yan sneered.
"Hmph, I think *you're* the one tired of living. Since that's the case, don't blame us for being impolite," the young man roared. He flicked his hands, and a talisman appeared. He crushed it, and a ball of flame surged out, coalescing into a firebird in mid-air. The firebird let out a long cry and lunged at Zhou Yan.
This young man was a cultivator at the Divine Venerate realm and wielded fire-attribute techniques. The technique was called the Fiery Phoenix. Once the Fiery Phoenix spread its wings and soared, it could incinerate all things, possessing immense power.
Zhou Yan snorted coldly. He waved his hand, and his Lightning Sword transformed into a massive sword silhouette, slashing towards the firebird. "Boom!"
The sword silhouette collided with the firebird, exploding. Energy ripples spread in all directions, affecting the surrounding guards, who were immediately engulfed in fierce flames.
Zhou Yan's eyes narrowed as he saw his attack so easily repelled. A hint of surprise appeared on his face.
While his Lightning Sword was merely an ordinary magic artifact, he had cultivated the Nine Transformations of the Demonic Heaven and the Heavenly Tribulation Sword, making his combat power comparable to that of a Divine Emperor, even a second-stage Divine Emperor. Yet, he hadn't defeated his opponent in one move and was instead blocked by the enemy's technique. This level of strength astonished Zhou Yan. Indeed, the peak early Divine Monarch realm was incredibly formidable.
"What potent strength. This battle will likely be difficult," Zhou Yan thought to himself.
"Kid, where do you think you're going to run!"
The young man sneered. He produced another talisman, crushed it, and then flipped his palm, throwing a pill into his mouth.
His body rapidly began to swell. His youthful face quickly transformed into one of handsome maturity, his frame grew taller, his muscles became more defined, and his clothes were quickly torn apart, revealing a chiton-like upper body.
At this point, in Zhou Yan's sight, the young man's entire body was encased in fiery red armor. The armor appeared incredibly magnificent, like a suit of armor forged from flames.
"What's happening? What is this?"
Seeing the young man suddenly become so powerful, Zhou Yan felt a surge of caution. The opponent's strength was clearly far greater than he had anticipated. It seemed this fight would not be easy.
"Kid, die!"
The young man roared, stomping his feet heavily on the ground, which immediately caved in. His body then transformed into a red streak of light, charging towards Zhou Yan with lightning speed. In the blink of an eye, he was already in front of Zhou Yan.
With a "whoosh," a red light flashed from the young man's body. Then, on this red light, a piece of red armor appeared. The armor looked stunning, and outside the armor, two fiery feathers, lifelike, seemed like the plumage of a phoenix.
Zhou Yan's pupils contracted. He recognized the battle armor as a Spirit Artifact, a fire-attribute Spirit Artifact! Such items were exceptionally rare in the Immortal Realm and incredibly valuable. He never expected this youth to possess such a precious Spirit Artifact.
"Kid, you die now!"
The young man roared, thrusting his sword towards Zhou Yan.
"Clang!"
Zhou Yan's Lightning Sword collided with the opponent's Fiery Phoenix Sword. Sparks flew. The Fiery Phoenix Sword immediately cracked, shattering into fragments.
However, Zhou Yan's Lightning Sword remained intact, though a crack appeared on its blade.
This made Zhou Yan's expression darken. Although the Fiery Phoenix Sword was merely a common low-grade Spirit Artifact, its material was incredibly sturdy, far tougher than his Lightning Sword. His Lightning Sword had only managed to break through the Spirit Artifact's defense.
This caused Zhou Yan's brow to furrow. This guy's Spirit Artifact was very powerful. He wondered how many Spirit Artifacts he possessed!
"Kid, aren't you very arrogant? Aren't you very cocky? If you have the guts, try fighting me," the young man mocked with a laugh.