After speaking, Zhou Yan didn't wait for the young man's consent. He soared into the air, his body shifting positions continuously.
With every punch Zhou Yan threw, a ball of flames erupted, shattering the pale blue defensive formation layer by layer until it completely dissipated, ceasing to exist.
"How is this possible? You actually broke my defensive formation?"
Seeing Zhou Yan shatter the formation, a look of shock washed over Zhou Tianhao's face. He stared at Zhou Yan in disbelief.
"Are you surprised?" Zhou Yan grinned and said, "Actually, you don't need to be so astonished. Your formation is powerful, but it couldn't trap me!"
With that, Zhou Yan leaped and landed directly beside Zhou Tianhao.
"You... what do you want?" Zhou Tianhao looked at Zhou Yan warily, a hint of fear in his eyes.
"Don't worry, I won't kill you. However, you will have to pay the price for your actions!"
Then, Zhou Yan took out a purple crystal stone and began to activate the formation.
"You... what are you doing? Are you going to activate this formation?"
Upon seeing this, Zhou Tianhao's face dramatically changed, and he shouted.
"Of course. I spent a hundred million Ling Yu to buy this!"
With a wave of his right hand, Zhou Yan tossed the purple crystal stone into the formation.
In an instant, the purple light from the crystal stone surged out, growing more intense by the second.
Zhou Tianhao's expression turned extremely grave as he witnessed this.
A scene flashed through his mind.
One night, Zhou Tianhao had encountered a group of bandits. These bandits were all martial artists in the Body Refining realm.
Zhou Tianhao's eyes lit up upon seeing them, and he eagerly approached.
Unfortunately, he ran into an even stronger group of bandits, led by a martial artist in the Soul Refining realm.
A bloody battle erupted instantly. Zhou Tianhao was pursued by hundreds of Soul Refining realm martial artists, with no chance of escape.
At this critical juncture, Zhou Yan suddenly appeared.
He had coincidentally witnessed the scene.
When Zhou Yan appeared, the bandits halted their attack. Instead, they surrounded Zhou Tianhao, refusing to leave. They even threatened Zhou Yan, vowing to kill him.
Faced with their threats, a hint of amusement flickered in Zhou Yan's eyes.
"I advise you to give up resisting. You can't escape anymore. Why not surrender obediently? Perhaps I'll spare your life."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Tianhao's anger could no longer be contained.
"Who do you think you are? Let me tell you, don't act tough in front of me, or I'll definitely kill you!" (This part seems to be an unrelated dialogue snippet inserted from another source, as indicated by "大風小说网". I will translate the original context's intent.)
Zhou Yan couldn't help but chuckle at these words. He then shook his head and said, "I'm indeed not some supreme expert, but here, you can't do anything to me!"
"Hahahaha!"
As Zhou Yan's voice faded, a booming laugh echoed across the mountaintop. Then, a figure slowly appeared at the summit.
"Little fellow, it seems my guess was correct. This maiden is your woman!"
"Not only that, she has a younger brother too. What an interesting situation!"
Hearing the figure's words, Zhou Yan turned and looked. Surprise flickered in his eyes, and a question arose in his mind: who was this man in red, and why did he know Zhou Yan?
"Esteemed elder brother, who are you?"
"Who I am is not important. You only need to remember my words!" The man grinned and said, "My suggestion is for you to hand over the maid beside you!"
"Hand her over? On what grounds?"
"On what grounds? On the grounds that I am stronger than you!"
Zhou Yan's expression darkened. He would never allow anyone to dictate his actions concerning those around him.
"You... you are truly courting death!"
Seeing Zhou Yan's unyielding stance, the man in the red robe snorted coldly. Then, with a clap of his palm, he lunged towards Zhou Yan.
Sensing the man's cultivation aura, a cold glint flashed in Zhou Yan's eyes.
"Just a mere sixth-level Body Refiner, and you dare attempt to harm me! You are truly ignorant of your own limitations!"
With that, Zhou Yan's body trembled. A terrifying surge of primal energy erupted from within him, sweeping outwards like a tide.
"Core Formation fifth level?"
Seeing Zhou Yan's cultivation, the man's face contorted in surprise. Clearly, he had not expected Zhou Yan to be a Core Formation realm expert.
Martial artists of this level were extremely rare throughout the entire Tianyun Kingdom, which explained the man's astonishment.
"Kid, I admit you're formidable, but in the face of absolute strength, your meager cultivation is utterly useless!"
As the words fell, the man in the red robe attacked again, his claw striking out and engulfing Zhou Yan.
"Bang!"
Just as his claw was about to touch Zhou Yan's body, he suddenly found his hand firmly clamped by Zhou Yan's palm.
"How is this possible?"
The man's face was filled with shock, and his gaze towards Zhou Yan was filled with disbelief.
While his physical body had not reached the level of a seventh-level Body Refiner, it was by no means comparable to an ordinary person.
His strength could even contend with a high-level ninth-level Body Refiner, yet now, he discovered his physical body was utterly powerless against Zhou Yan.
"Your physique is not bad, but compared to mine, it's far too inferior!"
Zhou Yan glanced at the man and said calmly.
Hearing this, the man felt a surge of defiance. He was unwilling that he, a peak seventh-level Body Refiner, was so easily suppressed by a mere youngster.
With a sudden roar, the man spat out a spherical bead.
"Whoosh!"
The spherical object instantly transformed into a streak of light, flying directly towards Zhou Yan.
"Careful!"
Zhou Yan exclaimed in alarm upon seeing this.
"A mere trick!"
Zhou Yan sneered disdainfully. He extended his index and thumb, flicking his finger. A sharp and peerless force of qi pierced the streak of light.
"Pfft!"
The next moment, the streak of light exploded, turning into countless fragments that dissipated into the air.
"What?"
"How can this be?"
"I actually lost?"
Zhou Tianhao and the other two's faces changed drastically, their eyes filled with horror.
They had never dreamed that their strength would be so utterly vulnerable against a youth of this age. It was as if they had no ability to resist him at all.