He sighed inwardly. This sixth-tier black panther's strength was terrifying, its speed astonishing. He had no chance to resist, completely overwhelmed.
"Huh? Something's not right!"
Zhou Yan suddenly noticed that the black panther, which had been knocked unconscious, was slowly regaining consciousness.
"Roar!!!"
Immediately after, the black panther let out an angry roar, its muscles tensing like cast iron, filled with explosive power. It suddenly pounced again.
"Damn it, how is this guy so lively again?"
Zhou Yan's scalp tingled with fear.
Bang!
He was sent flying, landing in a patch of grass three to four hundred meters away.
"No! I have to leave this place quickly."
Zhou Yan got up and ran towards the depths of the mountains.
This mountain forest was too dangerous; one wrong move and he would lose his life here.
He had personally witnessed the terror of this sixth-tier demon tiger, which definitely had the strength to rival a peak fifth-tier demonic beast.
"This beast's sense of smell is too keen. I can't escape."
Zhou Yan frowned, thinking of a solution.
He didn't know that at this very moment, the sixth-tier demon tiger was also anxiously searching for Zhou Yan's tracks.
It sensed that Zhou Yan had disappeared, as if he had vanished into thin air.
"Damn human, no matter where you hide, I will find you." The sixth-tier demon tiger was incredibly agitated, wishing it could devour Zhou Yan and tear him to shreds.
A short while later.
A figure ran out from the depths of the forest; it was Zhou Yan.
His face was pale, his clothes tattered, and he looked utterly disheveled. There were claw marks on his chest and abdomen, clearly wounds inflicted by the sixth-tier demon tiger.
He glanced behind him, confirmed that no demon tiger was pursuing, and breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"Hoo..." Zhou Yan panted for a moment, his gaze sweeping around. Suddenly, a joyful smile appeared on his face.
"Good luck! I didn't encounter that monster, but I found a Crimson Fruit!"
"Heh heh, with the Crimson Fruit, when I get back, I will definitely go into seclusion and refine this Crimson Fruit."
"As long as I break through to the second-tier Martial Master realm, I will have the power to protect myself!"
"Then I won't fear any monsters or beasts, and I'll be able to walk sideways!"
Zhou Yan grinned. He was in a good mood and quickly sped away, soon leaving that area behind.
...
Night fell.
Zhou Yan stood at the edge of a cliff, gazing at the vast sea of clouds, his eyes shimmering, full of spirit.
"There are still over two hundred kilometers to Qingyang Town."
"Tonight, I'll rest in this valley for one night, and then continue tomorrow."
He decided to hunt some demon birds, rabbits, and deer for food nearby.
After all, he only had ten energy points left and had to use them sparingly.
"Hmm?"
Just as he was about to move, he suddenly stopped.
In his sight, about thirty meters in front of him, a peculiar tree stood rooted in the ground. Its trunk was over a zhang tall, entirely green. Its canopy covered an area of dozens of meters, with lush branches and leaves resembling an opened umbrella.
The trunk was thick and straight, like a spear.
One section of its branches faintly emitted a metallic silver glow, like a giant axe carrying a fierce pressure.
"That is..."
Zhou Yan's eyes lit up, filled with surprise and uncertainty.
He felt that this tree was extraordinary, containing some mysterious power.
"Could it be..."
Zhou Yan's pupils contracted, his heart leaped to his throat. He held his breath, afraid to make any rash moves.
He observed carefully and found three bright red, tempting fruits hanging on the tree.
These three fruits were each about the size of an egg, their surfaces emitting a soft glow and a tempting fragrance.
Crimson Fruit!
This was a Crimson Fruit!
Zhou Yan's heart pounded, his eyes shining.
Once mature, Crimson Fruit could help a martial artist transform into a Martial Master.
Any martial apprentice who consumed a Crimson Fruit could undergo a complete transformation and progress at an astonishing rate.
"This is an extremely rare treasure."
Zhou Yan licked his lips, becoming somewhat excited.
If he could swallow one Crimson Fruit, his cultivation would surely advance by leaps and bounds, reaching the second-tier Martial Master level, and he might even have a chance to enter the Martial Scholar realm.
"Roar!"
Suddenly, a deafening tiger roar echoed from the dense forest at the foot of the slope, sharp and loud.
Instantly, Zhou Yan's pores stood on end, and he felt an intense sense of crisis.
Swish swish swish—
He quickly turned and ran.
This was a sixth-tier demon tiger, two realms stronger than him.
If he encountered it, he would have no chance of survival!
"Ah!"
He had only taken two steps when he heard a scream from behind him.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Blood splattered, dyeing the ground red.
Zhou Yan gritted his teeth and ran for his life.
Everything happened too suddenly; he had no time to rescue.
"Damn it, my potions!"
"I knew I shouldn't have stayed; I should have taken the pill formula and left immediately!"
Zhou Yan cursed inwardly.
"Roar—"
Suddenly, the demon tiger emerged from the dense forest, letting out an enraged roar.
"Damn ant, you can't escape!"
Its eyes were cold and dark, fixated on Zhou Yan. Its massive body exuded a terrifying aura that made one's blood run cold.
"I'm finished!"
Zhou Yan's face turned pale.
A sixth-tier demon tiger was a true ferocious beast, equivalent to a human Martial Scholar.
If an ordinary second-tier Martial Master encountered a sixth-tier demon tiger, they would surely perish.
However, he was not an ordinary second-tier Martial Master.
"Whoosh!"
The next moment, Zhou Yan flicked his finger, and a wisp of pale blue flame appeared, hovering in mid-air, burning fiercely.
"Rumble..."
Zhou Yan fueled the flame, making it burn more and more vigorously, eventually forming the shape of a fire lotus. It floated beside him, swaying in the wind, blooming with magnificent colors, beautiful and exquisite.
This was a martial skill recorded in the Heaven Burning Art, named "Burning Lotus."
It was said that once Burning Lotus was unleashed, it possessed a terrifying temperature capable of instantly melting anything, even hard rock could not withstand its scorching heat.
"What is this thing?"
The sixth-tier demon tiger was stunned. Feeling the terrifying heat radiating from the flame, it became extremely wary and retreated several steps.
It stared at the fire lotus, extremely vigilant, not daring to attack rashly.
"Roar!" It let out a low growl, its lantern-like scarlet eyes fixed on Zhou Yan, filled with intense malevolence and ferocity.
"Heh heh! This beast is actually scared?"
"Since that's the case, I'll take advantage of your fear and take your life!"
Zhou Yan sneered and, without hesitation, charged towards the sixth-tier demon tiger, intending to launch a surprise attack.
"Roar!"
The sixth-tier demon tiger roared, its body lunging forward like a lion, attacking ferociously.
Zhou Yan's mind stirred. He channeled the last bit of energy within him, controlling the fire lotus to explode, transforming into a giant flaming lotus and smashing down towards the sixth-tier demon tiger's head.