Zhou Yan's sole purpose in coming here was to seize the Qiankun Ring from Ye Haochuan's hand.
He refused to believe that the Qiankun Ring was ten thousand times more valuable than a storage ring, as such a thing was simply impossible.
However, in reality, Zhou Yan was mistaken.
His guess was correct; the Qiankun Ring in Ye Haochuan's possession was indeed far more precious than a mere storage ring.
The Qiankun Ring was filled with a vast amount of rare treasures, various elixirs, weapons, and martial arts techniques.
The wealth within the Qiankun Ring accounted for nearly thirty percent of the entire Qiankun Realm's total assets.
Of course, although the Qiankun Realm was a small world, it was an incredibly vast planet, and its resources were beyond imagination.
Ye Haochuan had never lacked treasures, which was why he could plunder all these items.
As for spirit crystals, he had no need to worry about them.
The spirit crystals in the Qiankun Ring were enough for Ye Haochuan to squander, and even after he broke through to the Condensing Soul realm, it would still provide ample cultivation resources.
One night, Ye Haochuan finally managed to fully integrate the black longsword.
He held the black longsword in his hand, feeling its heavy weight, as if it could crush a person's arm.
"This longsword truly lives up to its name!" Ye Haochuan murmured.
Zhou Yan, standing nearby, examined the longsword closely, his eyes full of admiration.
"This longsword of yours is called 'Heavenly Fiend Seven Star Slash.' It was forged from the primordial winds of heaven and earth. Its sword technique is immensely powerful, making it a top-grade divine artifact," Zhou Yan said.
"Oh? A top-grade divine artifact?"
Ye Haochuan was slightly taken aback, his heart filled with astonishment.
"You know about divine artifacts?" Zhou Yan looked at Ye Haochuan in surprise.
"Of course, I do. I once saw an introduction to divine artifacts in the memories of a Divine Venerate expert," Ye Haochuan nodded.
"So that's how it is..."
Zhou Yan understood and couldn't help but sigh, realizing why Ye Haochuan, despite his youth, could successfully refine this divine artifact – he had encountered a fortuitous encounter.
"However, although the Heavenly Fiend Seven Star Slash is extraordinary, it does not belong to you!"
"What do you mean?" Ye Haochuan asked.
"The power of the Heavenly Fiend Seven Star Slash, though formidable, requires the wielder to infuse the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into the blade to unleash its full might. Furthermore, it comes with certain drawbacks. Are you willing to try?" Zhou Yan asked, looking at Ye Haochuan.
"Drawbacks? What kind of drawbacks?" Ye Haochuan frowned.
"Once the Heavenly Fiend Seven Star Slash is used, the wielder's cultivation will decrease, and they will fall into a semi-crippled state! Moreover, during the process of wielding it, the wielder will endure endless torment. This pain far surpasses physical torture," Zhou Yan explained.
Ye Haochuan remained silent for a long time before nodding. "Then let's give it a try!"
He didn't know how long this pain would last, but he decided to try!
After all, he was accustomed to enduring pain and believed he could withstand this torment.
"Very well, let's begin!"
"BOOM!"
Zhou Yan let out a sudden roar, and the black longsword in his hand fiercely slashed towards the ground, leaving a deep gash.
"This drawback is quite potent!"
Ye Haochuan nodded. He felt that with his previous sword strike, he could only pierce a two-meter-high rock wall, but he couldn't leave such a deep mark on the ground.
"This drawback is indeed severe. For an ordinary expert at the early Condensing Soul stage, their meridians would likely rupture and they would die instantly. However, your strength is far greater than theirs. You can utilize the Heavenly Thunder Body Tempering Technique to temper yourself and eliminate this drawback!" Zhou Yan said.
"Yes!" Ye Haochuan nodded, then sat down cross-legged and began to cultivate.
His injuries were rapidly healing, and a faint purple-gold halo enveloped his skin, making him appear like a lustrous golden pearl.
On his back, two dragon-like phantom images emerged, emanating extremely concentrated and pure spiritual energy that coursed through his entire body.
This was the effect of cultivating the Heavenly Thunder Body Tempering Technique to its second level. These two dragon phantom images functioned like a cycle, continuously circulating and demonstrating every detail of the technique.
Zhou Yan watched this scene, his eyes filled with envy.
Although Ye Haochuan's talent in this regard was far inferior to his own, Ye Haochuan was still significantly stronger than him, which made Zhou Yan feel unbalanced.
"Ye Haochuan, you're lucky this time. However, the Heavenly Fiend Seven Star Slash is not something you can control!" Zhou Yan grunted and turned to leave the cave.
He no longer bothered with the cave, believing that with Ye Haochuan's current combat strength, he could surely withstand the attacks of the beasts within.
Ye Haochuan meditated in the cave, the outside world already cloaked in darkness. The moon had gradually risen, casting its gentle silver glow over the land.
At this moment, a crackling sound suddenly emanated from Ye Haochuan's body, and streaks of purple lightning surged forth.
With a "crack," a bronze-colored token suddenly appeared on his chest.
This token was the one Zhou Yan had gifted him.
Ye Haochuan's entire body had turned a dark hue, and above his head, a black circle appeared, rotating ceaselessly like a vortex.
"What a peculiar power fluctuation!"
Zhou Yan's eyes flashed with surprise.
"The Heavenly Fiend Seven Star Slash is indeed remarkable, it can even trigger a heavenly tribulation!"
"However, such a heavenly tribulation cannot defeat this old man!"
Zhou Yan sneered, then took a step forward, his figure instantly vanishing. Following this, a powerful aura erupted.
As the heavenly tribulation descended, Zhou Yan directly intervened, forming a series of profound and mystical hand seals. Endless spiritual energy shot forth from his fingertips.
This technique of Zhou Yan's was called "Mysterious Underworld Finger," a unique art created by the Xuan Ming Sect.
Zhou Yan cultivated the "Mysterious Yin True Scripture" and had reached the peak of the mid-stage Condensing Soul realm. Therefore, his "Mysterious Underworld Finger" was far more potent than that of ordinary cultivators.
With this single finger strike, a massive hole appeared in the void.
The hole was a full zhang in diameter, and terrifying spiritual energy fluctuations continuously emanated from it, inspiring awe.
A hint of joy appeared on Zhou Yan's face. He knew that his attack power had surpassed that of ordinary late-stage Condensing Soul experts and reached the level of peak Condensing Soul experts.
Furthermore, that was not all. This ultimate technique had a special characteristic.
It could activate the drawback of the Heavenly Fiend Seven Star Slash when he unleashed his attack.
Suddenly, a brilliant sword light shot up into the sky.