Zhou Yan's body swayed slightly, retreating several steps.
The giant lizard, however, shook its body and stumbled back four or five steps before regaining its footing. Its eyes became vigilant, fixed on Zhou Yan.
Zhou Yan frowned slightly.
He could sense that this giant lizard possessed a strength comparable to the eighth layer of Body Tempering.
"This monster is much stronger than the cannibal group I encountered before..."
Zhou Yan mused inwardly, "I must finish this quickly."
"Whoosh!"
His figure flickered, and he charged forward, throwing a punch.
In this punch, Zhou Yan employed the "Tiger Demon Marrow Refining Fist."
As the punch was unleashed, its momentum was fierce, its pressure immense, like a mountain descending to suppress the void.
"Boom!"
The giant lizard, caught off guard, was struck in the chest by Zhou Yan's punch.
Instantly, the giant lizard's chest cavity caved in, its bones shattered, blood spewed from its mouth, and it was sent flying horizontally, crashing heavily into the wall, collapsing it, and falling outside, unconscious.
"This giant lizard's strength is already comparable to a sixth-layer Divine Marquis Grandmaster!"
Brilliant light flashed in Zhou Yan's eyes.
Such a giant beast was incredibly valuable. If he could subdue it, it would be a tremendous benefit to him.
Furthermore, this giant lizard was enormous. If he could eat it, its flesh would surely be delicious.
"Roar!"
At this moment, a piercing roar echoed from another passage.
Following it, a crocodile, emanating a green mist, emerged. Its body was over three feet long, massive, with a pair of lantern-like blood-red eyes fixed on Zhou Yan.
This crocodile, much like the cannibal leader from before, possessed a strength at the peak of the ninth layer of Body Tempering, only a hair's breadth away from a half-step Divine Marquis Grandmaster.
"Roar!"
The two monstrous beasts roared in unison and lunged at him simultaneously.
"Heh, since these two beasts want to snatch this ten-thousand-year Jadeite Jade Fruit Tree, I'll kill you first!"
A smile curved Zhou Yan's lips.
"Roar!"
"Roar!"
In an instant, the two beasts opened their gaping mouths and lunged at Zhou Yan from the left and right.
Zhou Yan let out a disdainful laugh.
He stamped his foot on the ground.
With a rumble, he soared into the air. From above, he unleashed a punch.
"Bang!"
It instantly struck the head of one of the giant lizards.
"Crack!"
With a crisp sound, the giant lizard's head exploded. Brain matter mixed with blood splattered. It let out a pained cry, fell to the ground, twitched a few times, and ceased to breathe.
The other giant lizard, terrified to its core, dared not linger. It turned and fled.
"Hmph!"
Zhou Yan snorted coldly.
His figure moved faster than thunder, like a ghost. He caught up to the fleeing giant lizard, punched through its belly, plucked the ten-thousand-year Jadeite Jade Fruit, and then quickly returned to his original spot.
"Roar!"
From the distant cave, the giant lizard heard the mournful cries of its companion and became enraged.
It opened its mouth and spat out a stream of venom.
"Whoosh!"
Zhou Yan raised his hand, and a gust of wind swept out, forming a long sword. It met the venom, intercepting it.
"Roar!"
Seeing this, the giant lizard let out an angry roar. It abandoned the ten-thousand-year Jadeite Jade Fruit Tree and lunged at Zhou Yan.
"Kill!"
Zhou Yan grunted, his punch shattering the sound barrier, and struck the giant lizard fiercely.
"Boom!"
With a thunderous sound, the giant lizard's spine snapped. It collapsed limply to the ground.
Zhou Yan did not stop. He charged forward again, using grappling techniques, grabbed the giant lizard by the neck, lifted it, and prepared to slay it. But at this moment, something unexpected happened!
Buzz!
A strange ripple spread out.
Zhou Yan's body suddenly stiffened, unable to move.
"What's happening?"
His heart tightened.
Immediately, he saw faint wisps of azure energy appearing within his field of vision, gathering together to form a pale golden rune.
This rune emitted an eerie fluctuation.
Zhou Yan's consciousness seemed to be pulled, falling into an illusion.
"This is... an illusion?"
Zhou Yan murmured.
He knew he had fallen victim to an illusion.
Not only him, but the giant lizards, pythons, and others were also trapped in the illusion, staring blankly ahead.
"Rumble!"
Suddenly, the heavens and earth changed color.
The originally clear night sky was suddenly covered by dark clouds.
The black clouds churned, and a storm descended instantly.
Torrential rain poured down, drenching Zhou Yan's clothes.
"Hmm?"
Zhou Yan was surprised. He looked towards the horizon, and faintly, something seemed to be approaching at breakneck speed, obscuring the sky and earth, instilling a sense of dread.
Moments later, a colossal figure appeared in everyone's sight.
"Is that... an island?"
Everyone looked up at the sky, their faces filled with shock.
In the heavens, a giant meteorite, trailing scorching flames, descended from the sky.
The meteorite fell with extreme speed, tearing through the long sky like a shooting star.
"Bang!"
A deafening roar echoed as the meteorite hit the ground, creating a terrifying shockwave. Smoke and dust billowed, and the earth cracked.
On the ground, the corpses and blood were all dissolved by this shockwave.
"So terrifying..."
Zhou Yan's eyes widened.
"Boom!"
The meteorite continued to move slowly, heading towards this region, and finally crashed onto the ground.
Immediately, a deep pit with a diameter of ten meters appeared.
"Awoo!"
A roar of extreme indignation came from the pit.
The giant lizard struggled to its feet, covered in blood, its eyes filled with resentment as it looked at Zhou Yan.
It was this human who had destroyed the ten-thousand-year Jadeite Jade Fruit Tree it had painstakingly guarded, causing it heavy losses, even almost costing it its life.
"Hiss—"
Zhou Yan gasped.
At this moment, the giant lizard was dripping with blood, but it appeared even more ferocious.
"Roar!"
It roared at the sky, and its body suddenly expanded, its size growing explosibly. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a giant crocodile over twenty meters long.
The crocodile's back was covered in black scales, which gleamed with a cold metallic luster. Its head was conical, with a prominent forehead resembling a sharp spike.
A foul odor wafted over.
"This aura... could it be an Alligator Dragon?" Zhou Yan's eyes narrowed.
Alligator Dragons were creatures born in highly toxic swamps. Although it was still a far cry from a true Alligator Dragon, it was nearly there.
"Roar!"
The giant lizard roared and whipped its tail, lashing out at Zhou Yan.
"You're seeking death!"
Zhou Yan's expression changed slightly.
But he quickly regained his composure.
He couldn't panic.
If he lost his composure, he might truly perish here.
After all, he now only possessed an ordinary mortal body. Even if he could activate martial techniques, he would gain no advantage against this giant lizard.
He couldn't fight head-on, or he would die miserably.
He took a deep breath and calmed himself.
"Boom!"
Simultaneously, a vast wave of energy surged from his dantian into his arm. He clenched his iron fist and slammed it out forcefully.