"No, I must find my elder brother as soon as possible and report this matter to my father!"
"Once my father knows about this, he will definitely dispatch strong individuals to annihilate our entire Zhou clan!"
The young man muttered to himself, then looked around.
His figure instantly appeared at the location where Zhou Yan had just fought.
"Rumble!"
Just then, a rumbling sound echoed, shaking the earth.
"Rumble!"
Within the dense forest of towering trees, terrifying waves of energy surged, and then, horrifying vines rose from the ground, like towering mountain ranges, sealing off that area, preventing the young man from taking even half a step forward.
"Hmm?"
The young man knitted his brows, a look of surprise in his eyes.
"Who is playing tricks? Who dares to disrupt the cooperation between our two clans?"
The young man's gaze turned cold as he searched his surroundings.
However, beneath the giant trees, it was empty, with no trace found.
"In this world, there is actually someone who can shield my detection?"
"It seems I'll have to enlist a powerful ally this time!"
"No, I must return to the Zhou clan immediately and tell my father that someone wants to provoke my Zhou clan and make them pay a heavy price!"
The young man roared, then turned to leave.
...
"Whoosh!"
The young man moved rapidly through the forest, his movements unpredictably swift, like a wisp of smoke, making him impossible to track.
After the time it takes to brew a cup of tea.
The young man had entered an ancient and mysterious palace.
Deep within the palace sat a man in white.
This man was exceptionally handsome, his eyes as bright as stars, shimmering with a mysterious radiance that inspired awe in all who beheld him.
The young man approached the man in white and said respectfully.
"By whose hand were you killed?"
The man in white nodded slightly, the brilliance in his eyes growing sharper.
A hint of surprise flashed across the man in white's face, and he then said coldly.
"I didn't expect this little beast to have advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage so quickly. It seems I underestimated him!"
"However, his luck is quite good to have encountered an alchemist who could save him."
"But this incident has touched my bottom line. I will never forgive him!"
"I will not let this matter slide. I will make the entire Eastern Continent tremble because of it!"
"Zhou Yan, is it?"
A sharp killing intent flared in the man in white's eyes as he clenched his palm slightly.
"Bang!"
A terrifying ripple of energy suddenly erupted from the man in white's palm.
This energy ripple spread out like a tide, reducing the surrounding trees to dust.
"As long as I can obtain all the treasures on Zhou Yan, what does it matter if I offend the Heavenly Martial Academy? As long as I can become an elder of the Heavenly Martial Academy, I can get my hands on those treasures!"
The man in white rejoiced in his heart.
Although he was the young master of Azure Dragon City, he was not highly regarded. After all, his aptitude was too poor, and he had no background or influence, which led to his current situation.
However, he possessed incredible talent, and his cultivation speed was astonishing.
In such a short period, he had reached the peak of the fifth level of Qi Refining, even on the verge of a breakthrough.
This was precisely his greatest reliance at present.
"Boom!"
Just then, above the firmament, dark clouds began to churn, and a fierce wind howled.
An extremely terrifying aura permeated the air, like a colossal mountain, pressing down with immense force.
"Boom!"
The heavens and earth shook, and the entire ground began to tremble, as if something terrifying was descending from the nine abysses.
"What... what is happening?"
"This pressure is simply horrifying!"
"Could it be that a master from the Heavenly Martial Academy has arrived?"
"No way, I heard that the higher-ups of the Heavenly Martial Academy haven't set foot in this realm for a while!"
"But I can clearly feel this pressure emanating from the south!"
"Could it be that a powerhouse has emerged in the Southern Wasteland?"
"This... this is too frightening!"
"Quick, let's go! I can't withstand this aura!"
Cultivators, one by one, fled in panic towards the distance.
And at this moment, an aura that made the soul tremble swept over.
This was an aura of indescribable power, like Mount Tai, crushing down, instilling a deep sense of dread and despair in everyone's hearts.
"Not good, those people are about to escape! Let's follow them, we absolutely cannot let them get away!"
The young man also sensed something and immediately leaped up.
"Swish!"
At this moment, a man in a black robe appeared before them, blocking their path.
This man in black robes was tall and straight, like a sharp dagger, exuding a formidable aura.
Moreover, judging by the aura emanating from him, this man in black robes had clearly become a True Qi realm expert, and a True Qi realm expert at the eighth level of Qi Refining.
"Hmph, who are you? Why are you blocking our way?"
The young man's expression turned grim as he looked at the man in black robes and asked in a deep voice.
"Heh heh, are you by any chance Zhou Yan?"
The man in black robes chuckled.
Zhou Yan's face immediately showed shock and horror: "You, you know me?"
The man in black robes nodded slightly: "Of course, I know you. I am Zhou Yan. We've met a few times!"
"My name is Qin Xiao!"
The man in black robes smiled slightly and continued: "However, we are not enemies at the moment, so I hope you can stop dealing with Zhou Yan, as we should have no grievances between us."
"I didn't expect you to be Zhou Yan!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan couldn't help but feel relieved and said, "I didn't expect you to be Qin Xiao. It seems we won't have any more enmity between us. If you're willing, I'm also willing to help you deal with Zhou Yan!"
"Oh, you want to deal with Zhou Yan too? Then you've come to the wrong person."
A sinister curve appeared on Qin Xiao's lips.
Zhou Yan blinked in confusion and looked at Qin Xiao.
"I am a master refiner, and every artifact I craft is a masterpiece, worth a fortune. Even those old fellows at the Heavenly Martial Academy might not possess my skills, so I naturally wouldn't pass up such an opportunity!"
"Therefore, you'd better leave as soon as possible!"
"You..."
Zhou Yan's expression changed slightly. He hadn't expected this man in black robes to be a grandmaster refiner, which explained his formidable strength.
"Since that's the case, then we have nothing more to say. I just hope you won't regret it when the time comes."