Not long after, Zhou Yan arrived at the deepest part of this abandoned ruin.
It was an immensely vast, pitch-black, and eerily silent underground cavern.
Zhou Yan scanned his surroundings, finding nothing.
"Strange, why do I feel a chill?"
He muttered to himself, then placed his hand on the stone wall, circulating his true qi and infusing it within.
Instantly, the entire rock face became crystal clear, like pure crystal.
*Rumble—*
As Zhou Yan’s true qi poured in, the entire rock mass crumbled into dust.
"Boom—"
The next moment, a dazzling, golden beam of light shot up into the sky.
"Hahaha, I'm rich!"
Zhou Yan was overjoyed.
This time, he had truly struck gold.
Within the stone chamber lay a gleaming golden treasure.
This treasure was none other than a gilded alchemical furnace!
This was a spoil of war Zhou Yan had plundered from a cultivator.
The gilded alchemical furnace was a genuine spiritual artifact, imbued with immense spiritual essence and holding immense value.
Furthermore, the gilded alchemical furnace possessed the effect of nourishing the soul and tempering the physical body, capable of making his body stronger, even breaking through bottlenecks and condensing a nascent soul.
Unfortunately, the gilded alchemical furnace only contained three pills, which were utterly unsuitable for him.
Zhou Yan estimated that at least five would be necessary.
This posed a significant problem.
Zhou Yan shook his head, stored the gilded alchemical furnace into his spatial ring, and then departed from the area.
He had not been gone for long.
A young man, accompanied by two elderly servants in green, arrived at the location.
"Young master, are you certain that human scum trespassed here?"
One of the elderly servants in green inquired respectfully, his eyes filled with doubt.
"Yes."
Zhou Yan responded nonchalantly and then left directly.
"Young master, this scoundrel is too weak. Shall this old servant handle him? I guarantee a clean and swift execution, a single strike." the elderly servant in green stated.
"Hmph."
Zhou Yan let out a cold snort, a killing intent flashing in his eyes. He said indifferently, "No need. This young master will personally handle it. I will kill this dog myself."
"Young master, you…" The elderly servant in green was instantly startled.
"Hmph. How can I tolerate this bastard living freely when he wronged my father and mother? I, Zhou Yan, will personally send him to hell today."
A cruel smile curved Zhou Yan's lips.
He intended to personally kill Zhou Yan, to avenge his father and mother.
Moreover, this also concerned his honor.
Zhou Yan knew his father's personality: extremely overbearing and protective of his own.
If he personally slew Zhou Yan, he would undoubtedly receive his father's reward, abundant resources, and an upgrade in his cultivation realm.
At that time, he would soar to the heavens and become the most elite prodigy among the younger generation of the Zhou family.
"Let's go, we'll hunt some demonic beasts," Zhou Yan commanded.
"Yes."
The elderly servant in green quickly nodded in agreement.
...
"Roar—"
Shortly after Zhou Yan and his group departed, roars echoed from the dense forest, deafeningly loud.
Immediately, dozens of Black-Winged Pythons emerged from the ground, baring their fangs and claws, their ferocity undeniable, fixated on the direction Zhou Yan and his companions had vanished.
"Whoosh—"
Suddenly, a colossal Black-Winged Python opened its maw and spewed a torrent of venom towards the front.
*Splat!*
Zhou Yan's steps faltered; he narrowly avoided being doused by the venom, thanks to his timely reaction.
"Hiss—"
The Black-Winged Python let out an enraged hiss, seemingly furious. It violently thrashed its body and instantly pursued.
Zhou Yan's expression changed, and he quickened his pace, rapidly leaving his original spot.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—"
The Black-Winged Python relentlessly chased Zhou Yan.
"Damn it!"
Zhou Yan cursed, feeling a sense of injustice.
These Black-Winged Pythons were too fast; even he found it difficult to shake them off.
"Rumble!"
At this moment, violent tremors erupted from beneath the earth, as if an earthquake was imminent. Massive stones rained down.
Zhou Yan's face drastically changed. Without hesitation, he dodged immediately, running towards the side.
*Thump—*
A dull thud sounded as a colossal stone smashed onto the spot where he had stood moments before, kicking up dust and billowing smoke.
"Rumble, rumble~"
Simultaneously, earthquake-like tremors continuously spread.
With a *swish*, a Black-Winged Python, fully ten meters long, emerged, its scales dark and glistening, emitting a cold sheen.
Clearly, the massive stones that had fallen were its doing.
This Black-Winged Python was a peak second-tier demonic beast, possessing formidable strength.
"Young master, it seems there's another explosion over there."
Suddenly, another elderly servant in green pointed towards the distance and shouted.
"Hm?"
Zhou Yan looked up, his pupils constricting, a hint of joy appearing. "It's the lava lake."
Within the lava lake, fiery red molten lava flowed, occasionally erupting into mushroom-shaped clouds of dense fire.
The scorching heat was palpable and made one's heart palpitate.
"There must be precious spiritual materials within the lava lake."
Zhou Yan's eyes narrowed, his gaze flickering.
For cultivators, a lava lake was an absolute blessed land.
Therefore, many cultivators preferred to lurk near lava lakes to gather spiritual materials and obtain spirit stones.
However, the lava lake was fraught with peril; in addition to ordinary demonic beasts, there were various powerful fire-attribute demonic beasts, as well as venomous creatures, making it impossible to guard against all threats.
"Roar—"
At this moment, a pack of Black-Winged Pythons eyed Zhou Yan menacingly, poised to attack.
"Let's go, we'll take a detour."
Zhou Yan frowned and turned to leave.
"Yes, young master." The elderly servant in green nodded in agreement.
"Whoosh—"
Their figures flashed, quickly disappearing.
...
"Huh?"
In just a moment, Zhou Yan detected something unusual.
"Such a dense spiritual energy fluctuation."
Zhou Yan’s heart tightened, and he quickly followed the spiritual energy fluctuation, dashing forward.
Soon, he stopped, and upon seeing the scene before him, he gasped in awe.
Ahead, a volcano erupted, and scorching heat waves swept outwards.
Beside the lava lake, hundreds of Flame Wolves lived, all of them low-level demonic beasts.
However, these Flame Wolves had clearly entered their breeding season, with fist-sized Blood Red Wolf Eggs gestating within them.
Once hatched, they would form a large pack of Flame Wolves with formidable combat power.
Especially some of the young Flame Wolves were terrifying, comparable to Foundation Establishment stage martial apprentices.
"Why are there so many Flame Wolves here?"
Zhou Yan’s brow furrowed.
He vaguely felt that things were not as simple as they appeared.
"Roar—"
At this moment, Zhou Yan heard an enraged roar.
A colossal Scarlet Flame Wolf, bathed in flames, appeared majestic and charged towards Zhou Yan.
"Vermin, you court death!"
Zhou Yan was furious. He drew his sword and thrust it forward.
"Clang!"
The long sword collided with the Scarlet Flame Wolf's fangs, sparks flying.