Instantly, under that punch, a football-sized fireball of cyan and blue flames took shape and fiercely struck the middle-aged man's chest.
*Boom!*
With a muffled thud, the middle-aged man's body was sent flying backward.
"Ah..."
A piercing scream suddenly echoed through the sky.
*Splat!*
The middle-aged man coughed up another mouthful of blood and then passed out.
"Boss, he's fainted!"
Seeing this, the guards exclaimed in shock.
They hadn't expected Zhou Yan's strength to be so formidable, defeating the middle-aged man with just one punch. It was truly unbelievable.
"What cultivation level does this guy have? How can he be so powerful? Could he be a warrior in the Wu Wang realm?" someone muttered in disbelief.
"Hmph, a mere Wu Zong realm martial artist dares to challenge me? I'll show him what true despair means."
The middle-aged man's voice suddenly rang out, and then, several wisps of flame shot from his body, transforming into a fire snake that burrowed into him.
"Ah, no!"
"Boss, how could you do this!"
"Help!"
In the space where Zhou Yan was, heart-wrenching screams erupted. Then, everyone watched as the middle-aged man's skin shriveled at a visible rate. His once smooth skin turned pitch-black, like dried bark. Wrapped in these dark leathery casings, the middle-aged man's body gradually emaciated.
In just a few minutes, the middle-aged man who had been full of vigor transformed into a withered skeleton, with even his bones clearly visible.
Zhou Yan shivered at the sight.
He had anticipated that these black-robed figures were formidable, but he hadn't expected them to be this terrifying.
In the blink of an eye, this middle-aged man, at the peak of the Wu Huang ninth stage, had become like this. Such terrifying power was truly astonishing.
"Boss..."
The others looked at the dried corpse, their eyes tearing up.
"I told you, I won't let you off."
The middle-aged man's voice rang out again. His eyes widened, filled with venom, staring fiercely at Zhou Yan as if he wanted to devour his flesh and drink his blood.
"I know you're all birds of a feather, but you want my life? That's a pipe dream."
Zhou Yan shook his head disdainfully, then slowly extended his arm, forming a hook with his fingers. With a sudden suction, the dried corpse's head was pulled directly into his throat.
*Gulp.*
After swallowing the head, Zhou Yan's complexion became much more ruddy.
"Second brother!"
"Third brother!"
"Fourth brother!"
Seeing this, everyone turned pale with shock.
They hadn't expected the middle-aged man to actually be killed. They had thought he would at most be severely injured.
"Let's go!"
A solemn expression flickered in Zhou Yan's eyes, and he gave a low command.
Hearing Zhou Yan's order, everyone was stunned, and then they quickly followed.
...
*Hoo!*
After Zhou Yan left, the man called "Boss" let out a long sigh of relief.
"Fortunately, that guy didn't pursue us further. Otherwise, we would have been dead for sure!"
The Boss said, "However, with just that move just now, even if he had reached the Wu Di realm, he would definitely not be our match."
The other four nodded in agreement.
"Boss, there's something I want to ask, I don't know if I should." At this moment, a man in black suddenly spoke.
Hearing this, the Boss nodded and said, "Speak, what do you want to say?"
"Boss, I suspect that young man just now might be a master from the Xuanyuan Domain. We should try to avoid them. Otherwise, if we anger these two malevolent stars, we'll be doomed."
Hearing these words, the Boss fell silent.
Indeed, that young man just now was too terrifying. That single flame punch had reduced the middle-aged man to such a state. If lightning power were added, he probably wouldn't be able to withstand it either.
"How about this, I, along with second brother and your three brothers, will stay behind to cover the retreat. If you detect that young man nearby, report to me immediately!" the Boss said.
"No problem, leave it to me and fourth brother!" the fourth brother said.
The Boss nodded, and then the five of them sped away into the distance, with Zhou Yan and his group following closely behind.
They traveled swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, the five had disappeared into the jungle.
"Who are those people? Why are they so terrifying?"
Zhou Yan furrowed his brow and muttered to himself.
The middle-aged man's strength had reached the Wu Huang ninth stage, yet he was instantly killed by that black-robed man. Such power was beyond what a martial artist in the early Wu Huang ninth stage could possess. Unless it was a Wu Di realm expert, it would be impossible to defeat him.
"Who was that person?" Zhou Yan took a deep breath, his eyes shifting unpredictably.
As Zhou Yan was lost in thought, suddenly, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth around them converged wildly toward the center. Then, a colossal vortex appeared out of thin air.
"What's going on?" Zhou Yan looked puzzled.
He then looked up at the massive vortex, his eyes filled with deep confusion.
"Could it be... a teleportation gate?"
"No wonder those black-robed men were looking for trouble. It turns out they wanted to leave here through the teleportation gate, but this gate seems to be accessible only to Wu Sheng. How could I be an exception?"
Zhou Yan guessed inwardly.
"It seems I can only go to the Xuanyuan Domain after I break through to the Wu Huang realm," Zhou Yan murmured to himself.
Then, he no longer hesitated. His figure flashed, and he directly darted into the colossal vortex.
...
"Finally escaped that guy. Now I can peacefully go into seclusion."
"Yes, the harvest from this trip is substantial enough for me to break through to the Wu Huang realm, and I even have a chance to break through to the Wu Di realm in one go."
At the summit of a mountain peak, a black-robed figure sat cross-legged in the void, forming hand seals. A vast torrent of martial energy surged from his body like a tide.
Within his body, a layer of faint golden light was emanating.
It was a pill!
This pill was none other than the Wu Wang Pill.
At this moment, after Zhou Yan consumed that pill, he fell into a peculiar state. The surrounding heavenly and earthly energy poured into him crazily, and his realm was rapidly improving!