Zhou Yan pondered for a long time, still with no clue.
"Alas, forget it, let's go find food first..."
Helplessly, Zhou Yan had to give up and chose to leave.
"Huh? Someone?"
Suddenly, Zhou Yan's ears twitched, and he vaguely caught a trace of an abnormal fluctuation.
Swish!
In an instant, Zhou Yan's gaze sharpened, and he looked in the direction of the sound. Not far away, two figures, in a sorry state, were fleeing rapidly.
"Who's there?"
Zhou Yan shouted sternly.
Whoosh!
Immediately, his body flickered, and he rushed straight towards them.
These two were obviously injured, their steps unsteady, and their speed slowed down.
Soon, the two were intercepted by Zhou Yan and fell before him.
"You little beast, you dare to ruin our good deed?"
Seeing Zhou Yan, the two were furious, berating him sharply with ferocious expressions.
These two wore black robes, their faces were cold, and they exuded a bloodthirsty aura.
"Two wastes!"
Seeing their appearance, Zhou Yan sneered disdainfully, "People from Black Wind寨, sending you here to die..."
"You little beast, how dare you insult us?"
Upon hearing this, the two were enraged, trembling all over.
"Scum from Black Wind寨, sending you to die, then I will fulfill your wish!" Zhou Yan sneered, raising his right palm to strike.
"Wait a moment!"
Suddenly, one of them hurriedly shouted.
"What? Scared?" Zhou Yan sneered.
"Hmph! Scared?"
The faces of the two twitched. They snorted coldly and said proudly, "We are from 'Blood Fiend Sect', under the command of Black Wind寨, sent specifically to kill you."
Blood Fiend Sect!
Zhou Yan's face stiffened, and his heart skipped a beat. Blood Fiend Sect, a first-class sect in the martial world, with profound heritage. It was said that its sect master had already reached the peak of the fifth level of Foundation Establishment, a true martial arts master. Such a powerful figure was undoubtedly at the top tier within Qingyang County.
"Since you're here, why are you still dawdling? Hurry up and make your move."
After a moment of thought, Zhou Yan waved his hand, signaling the two to attack.
"Kid, you're asking for death yourself..."
Hearing this, the eyes of the two flashed with ferocity. They both circulated their true qi, unleashed various secret techniques, and attacked with rumbling force.
"Tricks of the trade..."
Seeing this, Zhou Yan merely sneered, not taking the two seriously at all.
Bang! Bang! Bang...
In an instant, dull thuds echoed through the wilderness. Zhou Yan, relying solely on his bare-handed skills, easily dealt with the two.
"How can this be?"
"You clearly haven't broken through your realm, how can your strength have increased so much?"
Feeling the crisp fist prints on their chests, the two's eyes widened in shock.
"Not only have I not broken through my realm, but my martial talent has also decreased!"
Zhou Yan's face was pale, and he had unspoken grievances. Originally, his martial talent was extremely excellent, having already reached the perfect stage of innate cultivation, only a step away from the realm of a martial arts master. However, due to consuming the Dragon Tiger Pill, his martial talent declined, and he eventually became a cripple.
"Is this retribution?"
Zhou Yan gave a bitter smile.
"Kid, I advise you to surrender obediently, kneel down and beg for mercy, and perhaps we can spare your life!"
At this time, the thin man on the left, his lips moving, said in a hoarse voice.
"Spare my life?" Zhou Yan chuckled, shaking his head, "If I surrender, I will surely lose my life!"
"You two, since you want me dead, why pretend..."
Zhou Yan's gaze was indifferent.
"Kid, you're stubborn!"
The other burly man roared, brandishing his saber and slashing down fiercely.
Clang~
The next moment, a harsh clang of metal on metal echoed.
Thump! Thump!
The bodies of the two shook violently. Like kites with broken strings, they were sent flying several feet away, crashing heavily onto the ground. After struggling a few times, they could no longer get up.
"How is this possible?"
The two were aghast, their minds blank. This was a second-grade war weapon, incredibly sharp, yet Zhou Yan blocked it with his bare hands! This scene simply shattered their worldview.
"Kid, who exactly are you..."
After a brief moment of shock, their faces turned pale, and their bodies trembled as they shouted in terror. They could never have imagined that such a young lad possessed such terrifying strength!
"Who am I? Heh heh, you are not qualified to know!"
Zhou Yan's expression was icy, and he slowly approached the two. Although these two were ordinary martial artists, they could not be left alive! After all, the identities of these masked men in black were unknown. Zhou Yan's mind raced, wanting to seize the opportunity to kill them to silence them.
"Kid, don't do anything rash!"
Sensing danger, the two were so frightened that their souls nearly left their bodies. They immediately invoked their backing, threatening, "Let us tell you, Black Wind寨 is not to be trifled with. If you kill us, they will surely kill your entire family..."
"Oh? So what?"
Zhou Yan raised an eyebrow and said dismissively, "I, Zhou Yan, have always acted as I please, doing whatever I want, why would I care about others?"
"Kid, you..."
Upon hearing this, the two were immediately speechless, their faces flushed with anger, unable to speak.
"Kill!"
The next moment, Zhou Yan's eyes were cold, unwilling to waste any more time, and he struck suddenly.
Bang! Bang!
Two palm strikes were delivered, and two heads flew off, blood spraying and staining the ground red.
Hoo~
Zhou Yan exhaled, his expression calming down.
"My martial talent has decreased, leading to a deficiency in internal true qi, and I can't even mobilize my true qi..."
Zhou Yan frowned, feeling a great obstruction. Originally, he possessed a physique and true qi three times that of martial artists of the same level, coupled with higher martial arts attainments. Once he used martial skills, he could instantly kill martial artists of the same level. However, today, his martial talent had dropped by thirty percent, his true qi was thin, and his combat strength was greatly reduced.
"No matter what, my cultivation speed now is like a snail compared to before..."
Zhou Yan sighed inwardly, but he was not discouraged. Anyway, his lifespan was long. As long as he cultivated patiently, he would eventually recover his cultivation.
"Eh?"
Suddenly, Zhou Yan's eyebrows shot up, noticing something.
"This is..."
Following his gaze, he saw a faint silver light emanating from the corpse of the thin man. The silver light was brilliant, illuminating the surroundings.
"Silver light?"
Zhou Yan looked bewildered.
"No... this silver light is strange!"
Staring intently at the silver light for a long time, Zhou Yan's expression became solemn. This ball of silver light seemed to possess some special energy.
"Could this be a Profound-grade pill?"
A flash of inspiration struck Zhou Yan's mind, and he blurted it out. Previously, Zhou Yan had obtained a Silver Vein Grass. Silver Vein Grass could temper muscles and bones and increase physical strength. Logically speaking, the medicinal effect contained within Silver Vein Grass should not be so potent. Unfortunately, Zhou Yan was just a martial arts cripple and could not absorb the medicinal effect.
"It seems there's a treasure here!"
"My luck is truly heaven-defying!"
Zhou Yan licked his lips, his eyes shining.
Whoosh!
The next moment, Zhou Yan leaped out, turning into an afterimage, and pounced towards the wisp of silver light.
"Haha... I knew it! These people have peculiar identities and must be carrying something good!"