"My cultivation is sealed now, my strength greatly reduced. Even if I escape, I'm afraid I won't be able to avenge her."
Zhou Yan sighed.
"Alas!"
"Forget it, whatever happens, I'll deal with it!"
Zhou Yan sighed again.
Though he was unwilling, he could only accept his current situation.
"Right, I wonder how she's doing now?"
Wang Qingqing's image appeared in Zhou Yan's mind, and a gentle smile graced his face.
"Qingqing, I'm sorry. I couldn't protect you. When my cultivation is restored, I will find you and make you my wife, ensuring you live a life free from worry."
A determined glint flashed in Zhou Yan's eyes.
Before long, the flames in the canyon gradually dissipated, revealing a human figure.
"Is this where I will be buried?"
Zhou Yan looked at the canyon before him, a bitter smile curling his lips.
It was a sheer cliff face, deep and dark, like a bottomless black hole.
"It seems I can only fall and die here."
Zhou Yan sighed, leaped up, and plummeted downwards.
"Plop!"
Zhou Yan landed, his body hitting the ground heavily.
Everything around him was pitch black.
Zhou Yan felt a sense of unease.
This wasn't the first time he had been harmed to the point of death, but it was the second time he had fallen into a ravine.
This ravine was bottomless; if he fell to his death, not even a speck of bone would remain.
"No!"
"There's a pulling force."
Zhou Yan felt it—a force drawing him towards the depths of the ravine.
"What is this?"
Zhou Yan wondered, and with a thought, the runes on his arm lit up. A ball of flame sprang into existence, enveloping his entire body.
Suddenly, Zhou Yan felt the pulling force lessen considerably, no longer as terrifying as it had been initially.
He followed the attraction, swimming towards the depths.
Along the way, Zhou Yan observed carefully and discovered that at the end of the ravine, there was a stone bridge.
The stone bridge was covered in moss, as if eroded by time.
However, the bridge remained intact, not broken.
Zhou Yan's heart leaped with joy, and he swam towards it quickly.
He noticed that this stone bridge was thicker and wider than others.
At the end of the stone bridge, a small courtyard was faintly visible. As Zhou Yan swam over, he saw a few medicinal herbs within the courtyard.
"So that's it!"
Zhou Yan suddenly understood.
The source of the attraction on the stone bridge was the medicinal herbs.
The other end of the stone bridge was the cliff; the two formed a balance point, keeping the bridge and the cliff in equilibrium.
Zhou Yan was overjoyed.
He knew this was because he had been here for too long.
Such a stone bridge required countless years to maintain its balance.
His survival up to this point was entirely due to the nourishment of elixirs and various treasures.
His body, having endured such prolonged tempering, was now incomparable to ordinary people—it was virtually impervious to blades and arrows.
And now, at the end of this stone bridge, a colossal rock blocked his path.
This boulder was several zhang high, wide, and nearly a hundred zhang thick. Zhou Yan's entire body was like a speck of dust before it.
Moreover, this boulder could move at will, leaving Zhou Yan helpless.
"This boulder must be my tomb!"
Zhou Yan's heart felt bitter.
"However, in this world, unless one is a Great Luo Golden Immortal, it is impossible to break this tomb."
Zhou Yan's heart was bitter: "Could it be that I can only wait for death?"
"No! I will never be content to die like this."
Zhou Yan clenched his fists, his eyes filled with anger and malice.
Suddenly, his eyes brightened: "I remember, in Tianxing City, there was a powerful faction that sent ten people to kill me, but I ended up killing them all instead!"
"Now that I am trapped here, what about the corpse within this stone coffin? Perhaps I can use it to break free!"
A sharp glint flashed in Zhou Yan's eyes.
"No matter what, I'll take out this corpse first!"
Zhou Yan's gaze was burning. The fire elemental energy surged from him, enveloping the corpse.
Instantly, fierce flames erupted from the corpse, like a furnace.
Zhou Yan's heart was excited. He quickly took out a dagger from his storage ring, sliced open the corpse, and then extracted the demon core.
"This demon core is a treasure for me at this stage!"
Zhou Yan's eyes lit up, and he quickly stored it in his storage ring.
"I need to recover my strength as soon as possible, otherwise, I won't be able to leave here."
Zhou Yan's gaze was fervent.
"Well, I'll take a healing pill first."
Zhou Yan took out a bottle of healing pills and swallowed them directly.
"Rumble!"
The medicinal effects of the pills quickly spread, circulating through his body, repairing his flesh and spirit.
"These pills also seem to have the effect of replenishing soul power, how peculiar!"
Zhou Yan felt that not only had his soul power increased significantly, but it had also become stronger.
"The spiritual energy concentration here must be far beyond other places!"
Zhou Yan marveled.
This valley not only had spiritual energy but also a dense spiritual aura.
"It seems that cultivators from major forces specifically established their cave dwellings here."
"This place probably breeds many rare heavenly treasures!"
Zhou Yan's heart was thrilled. His figure flashed, and he moved towards the depths of the valley.
The depths of the valley were filled with countless trees and weeds. Zhou Yan dared not barge in recklessly and could only proceed cautiously.
With every step he took, he was extremely careful, lest he disturb any demonic beasts.
"There's a pond here, how peculiar!"
Zhou Yan was shocked.
The water in the pond was not clear, but its color was very deep, like a stagnant pool.
Zhou Yan sensed it carefully and felt that this stagnant water contained a rich life aura, which was extremely suitable for him, a cultivator, to replenish his soul power.
Without hesitation, he swallowed a large gulp.
"Gulp, gulp..."
After swallowing, a stream of pure life force gushed from his throat, flowing into his limbs and bones.
Zhou Yan trembled all over, a look of bliss on his face.
This power was so vast and mighty, as if it could cleanse every inch of his skin, making him clearer and brighter, as if he had undergone a complete transformation, and everything became beautiful.
"As expected of a peak expert of the Great Sage realm, the potential within the body is immense. If nothing unexpected happens, within half a month, my cultivation will break through to the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm!"
Zhou Yan was excited.
In this world, a Great Luo Golden Immortal was already considered a top expert.
"However, I cannot leave here yet. I must find a way out, otherwise, I will die here, and even in death, I won't know where to be reborn."