"This also makes your physical body exceptionally tough."
Zhou Yan's eyes flickered, and he suddenly realized, "No wonder I always felt I possessed immense strength. So that's why."
"However, with just this kind of power, it seems insufficient. I still need more primal energy to nourish my physical body!"
Zhou Yan let out a low cry and sat down cross-legged again.
Boom!
A surge of majestic primal energy rushed in, pouring into his body.
In an instant, Zhou Yan felt his physical strength increase significantly once more.
"What a powerful physique!"
Zhou Yan opened his eyes, revealing a look of shock.
"My current combat power probably rivals that of a Sixth Stage Innate expert."
"As expected of the alien races, they are indeed formidable."
Zhou Yan's heart surged with emotion.
Alien races, blessed with extraordinary talent, far surpassed cultivators of the same tier in all aspects.
However, he felt no fear.
Instead, he grew excited.
"Let's go! We'll head towards the peripheral area of the secret realm."
"As long as we cross that river, we should be able to reach the outer reaches of the secret realm."
Zhou Yan's gaze was fervent as he fixed it on the distance. He leaped up and moved along the mountain stream.
Not long after, Zhou Yan successfully crossed the river.
"Hmm?"
However, the moment he set foot into the secret realm, his expression stiffened, and he stood frozen on the spot.
For before him, a colossal beast statue stood towering.
This statue was three zhang tall, entirely black, as if cast from steel.
An extremely terrifying aura of ferocity emanated from it, striking awe into anyone who beheld it.
"Roar!"
Suddenly, the statue let out a furious roar, and a thick claw swept towards Zhou Yan.
With a "bang," the void trembled, and spatial ripples spread out.
With a "crack," Zhou Yan was directly sent flying by the palm strike, crashing heavily against the stone wall, causing it to collapse and him to embed into the earth.
"Pfft..."
Blood splattered, and Zhou Yan vomited blood, utterly battered.
"Oh my goodness."
"What kind of existence is this? Even a mere statue possesses such terrifying offensive power?"
Zhou Yan's face turned pale, his mind violently shaken.
He looked up.
Immediately, his pupils constricted.
He saw the giant beast statue slowly moving, its gaze descending upon him from a commanding height.
"Such dense, malevolent energy!"
Zhou Yan's breath hitched, and he felt a chill envelop him.
The giant beast statue did not seem to be alive but rather a dead object.
Yet, the ferocious aura it exuded was even more potent than that of a living being.
"I wonder what secrets are hidden here?"
Zhou Yan pondered for a moment, then took a step forward, preparing to approach and observe.
"Roar~~"
Abruptly, the giant beast statue seemed to sense his movement, letting out a series of roars.
"Rumble~"
Instantly, a torrential black mist surged forth, transforming into a colossal black hand that blotted out the sky, reaching out to seize Zhou Yan.
This strike was as fast as lightning, almost impossible to dodge.
"Bang!"
The giant beast statue grabbed Zhou Yan, firmly suppressing him.
"This is..."
Zhou Yan's face drained of color in terror.
This giant beast statue could actually mobilize the power of heaven and earth to seal the void!
Such a technique was utterly astonishing!
"It's over!"
Zhou Yan's expression changed wildly.
This giant beast statue undoubtedly possessed terrifying strength, equivalent to an Eighth or Ninth Stage Qi Refining expert.
How could he possibly be its match?
"Presumptuous!"
"A mere ant dares to offend this king?"
However, at this moment, a commanding and sharp voice rang out.
The next instant, Zhou Yan's vision changed drastically.
The dim environment he was in rapidly vanished.
It was replaced by a magnificent palace.
"Where is this place?"
Zhou Yan looked around in bewilderment, his surprise immense.
He found that the palace was incredibly vast, as grand and boundless as a city.
Within the palace, countless powerful individuals gathered.
A burly man stood on the highest platform, clad in a yellow robe, his aura awe-inspiring.
Beside him stood a giant beast statue, lifelike, as if it were alive.
"Rumble!"
Suddenly, the ground trembled, and a rumbling sound emanated from underground.
Immediately after, before the palace, an army charged forth, their might engulfing the heavens and earth.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
"Slay all alien races under the heavens!"
As the legion charged, along their path, corpses piled up, and blood flowed like a river.
One by one, powerful individuals fell, their bodies strewn about, a shocking sight.
"This..."
Zhou Yan's eyes widened, his face filled with shock.
"Could it be that these are the remnants of a fierce battle between the human race and the alien races?"
"This is a clash between two races?"
A tempest of shock churned within him, leaving him utterly astounded.
Such a situation was exceedingly rare.
After all, even in the holy kingdoms of the human race, battles were seldom fought.
"This should be a secret realm of the alien races."
"And it's a secret realm of quite a high grade."
"Otherwise, it wouldn't be possible to encounter even Foundation Establishment stage experts."
Zhou Yan sighed inwardly.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, who would have believed that in a remote place like Nanling, such a secret realm existed?
"Roar!"
As Zhou Yan was contemplating, the statue let out a sky-rending roar, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, lunging at Zhou Yan, seeking to devour him.
With a "hum," Zhou Yan's mind throbbed with a sharp pain.
In an instant, Zhou Yan felt the scene before him distort. When it returned to normal, he had already left the secret realm.
And before him, a majestic, towering mountain stood.
An ancient tree was rooted there.
"Whoosh!"
Zhou Yan's figure flickered as he ascended the branches of the ancient tree, gazing into the distance.
His gaze immediately sent a shiver down his spine.
As far as his eyes could see, there were remnants of ruined walls and broken buildings everywhere.
The corpses of alien race powerhouses were piled up like mountains.
Among them, there was even a humanoid puppet.
Its chest was shattered, and its abdomen was caved in, clearly having suffered a fatal blow.
But, strangely, it still retained its life force.
Its body was simply restrained to the ground, unable to break free.
"How is this possible?"
Zhou Yan was greatly astonished.
Although the wounds on these alien race corpses were hideous and terrifying, they were not fatal.
And this humanoid puppet, its head clearly blown apart, was still alive.
What kind of terrifying defense was this?
"Huh?"
Suddenly, Zhou Yan's brow furrowed, and he discovered something peculiar.
Threads of blood-red light were actually appearing on this puppet, rippling like water waves and converging into runes.
These runes, like a spiderweb, were dense and covered the entire body of the humanoid puppet.
Simultaneously, under the effect of these runes, the injuries on the puppet's surface were gradually healing.
"These runes..."
Zhou Yan's heart grew solemn, his eyes filled with gravity: "They seem to contain some peculiar principle."
"Perhaps, these runes are the key to this puppet possessing sentience."
"Regardless, since I've discovered the mystery of this puppet, I must take it with me!"
With this thought, Zhou Yan's eyes blazed with fervor.