"Is it that human?" Zhou Yan asked in confusion.
The man shook his head, "We don't know. They just said that if we didn't hand over the item, they would attack us, so we had to come back."
Zhou Yan nodded and said, "I see. Don't be afraid. I've already lured those monsters away. They won't attack you anymore. You are safe."
The men were overjoyed upon hearing this.
They knew Zhou Yan was telling the truth.
These monsters hadn't attacked them, they were just looking for something.
This time, they were truly lucky. It was great that such a thing had happened.
"Since those monsters don't intend to harm you, you should hide for a while. When this place is completely calm, you can go out, and perhaps you'll be able to escape these monsters," Zhou Yan said.
"Thank you, sir." The men looked at Zhou Yan gratefully.
They hadn't expected Zhou Yan to help them; they truly hadn't.
Zhou Yan waved his hand, "It's nothing. Go back. You can go out when this forest calms down."
The humans cupped their hands at Zhou Yan and quickly fled.
"It seems the monsters here are not as formidable as imagined," Zhou Yan said with a faint sneer.
Without delay, Zhou Yan turned and left the area.
...
Not long after Zhou Yan left, the Tian Yuan Fruit on the strange plant gradually disappeared, eventually turning into a pile of ashes.
In a clearing next to the plant, there was a small hole. A man in white, with his hands behind his back, stood at the entrance, his eyes closed in repose.
"Boss, the humans have left," a voice emanated from the small hole.
Hearing this, the man opened his eyes, revealing a sharp and intelligent gaze.
This person was Zhou Yan's senior brother, Zhou Yan.
Zhou Yan's strength was exceptionally high, having already reached the peak of the second level of the Condensing Soul realm, just one step away from breaking through to the third level.
Zhou Yan's cultivation talent was extraordinary, even superior to Zhou Yan's. However, his cultivation level was too low, which was why he could only be subordinate to his master, Zhou Yan.
"Those monsters really didn't pursue us!" Zhou Yan's face showed a smile, saying, "This way, it saves me a lot of trouble. I don't have to worry about those monsters chasing us."
Zhou Yan turned and looked at the cave.
Inside the cave coiled a behemoth, identical in appearance to the monster encountered earlier, but this monster was clearly much more powerful.
This monster was enormous, the size of a three-story building. Moreover, its skin was extremely tough, like steel, exuding terrifying power.
The monster lay there, in a languid posture, completely unfazed by Zhou Yan.
A cold glint flickered in Zhou Yan's eyes.
"Who exactly is that human?" Zhou Yan pondered in his mind, saying, "This human's strength is not inferior to mine, yet he dares to provoke those monsters. Could he be a disciple of some sect?"
"But why would those monsters choose that human? Could it be that the human possesses some special treasure?"
The more Zhou Yan thought about it, the more he felt that the matter was not simple.
"Boss, what do we do? Do we stay here?" asked the men beside him.
Zhou Yan pondered for a moment and said, "No need. Let's go look elsewhere first."
With that, Zhou Yan led the group and dashed towards the forest's periphery.
...
Time flowed by swiftly, and a hundred days passed.
During these hundred days, apart from Zhou Yan and his companions encountering the mysterious black-clothed youth, no one else disturbed them.
Those humans also did not cause any more trouble.
At this time, the vitality of the Tian Yuan Fruit was close to withering.
Zhou Yan held the Tian Yuan Fruit in his palm, then swallowed it.
As soon as the Tian Yuan Fruit entered his mouth, it transformed into a rich, immeasurable energy that surged into his body. Then, a layer of blue light appeared on his body, growing brighter and brighter, eventually transforming into blue flames that blazed fiercely.
As the blue flames grew more intense, they gradually turned red, with wisps of blue flame drifting out from the red flames.
"Whoosh..."
Zhou Yan exhaled a long breath, the fatigue on his face considerably reduced.
During these hundred days, he had consumed many Tian Yuan Fruits, and his strength had now reached the peak of the eighth level of the God King realm.
"Hoo... Finally broke through to the eighth level of the God King realm!" Zhou Yan sighed in relief in his heart.
Although he had been devouring Tian Yuan Fruits and improving his strength during these hundred days, his mental power had remained in a state of extreme tension, never once relaxing.
This was because the danger in this forest far exceeded imagination. A slight misstep could cost him his life.
At this moment, there was no longer any need to conceal his strength, as those monsters had already left that place.
"Hoo... Finally broke through."
Zhou Yan leaped onto the hillside, looking up at the sun in the sky, and muttered to himself, "I'd like to see what's so remarkable about you monsters."
With that, Zhou Yan's figure disappeared from the hillside.
Zhou Yan flew forward and soon arrived outside the city. He stopped and observed carefully, then leaped onto the top of a city. This was the city Zhou Yan had just entered.
He looked at the city before him with surprise, never expecting so many people to be in this city.
The number of people here was greater than he had imagined.
"It seems there are quite a few people in this world who possess such strength!" Zhou Yan narrowed his eyes.
Around the city were many houses, built of stone. In the center of the city was a vast plaza, and in the middle of the plaza was a large pit. Beneath this pit was a dark expanse of ground, bottomless, like an abyss, giving a sinister feeling that sent chills down one's spine.
And on the city walls hung numerous corpses. Some had died in tragic states, their flesh and blood completely gnawed away, while the remaining bodies were torn to shreds.
These corpses had all died from being drained of their blood.