The tearing pain completely vanished the moment the Azure Dragon Divine Stone's consciousness fell silent, and Zhou Yan finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Finally, it's done."
At this moment, Zhou Yan's forehead was covered in dense beads of sweat. He looked at the Azure Dragon Divine Stone before him, a radiant smile on his face. The crisis was now completely resolved.
"Hoo..."
Zhou Yan took a deep breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and then slumped onto the ground. He began to recover the Yuan Power within his body, while also secretly marveling at his luck. Had he not produced the Azure Dragon Divine Stone in time just now, he would likely be dead by now.
However, Zhou Yan did not become disheartened by this. He sat cross-legged on the ground, carefully examining the Azure Dragon Divine Stone on his wrist.
This Azure Dragon Divine Stone was cylindrical in shape, about the size of a baby's fist. There was a groove at the bottom of the cylinder. Zhou Yan had noticed earlier that after he crushed the Azure Dragon Divine Stone, its energy surged into this stone, and then he was able to control it.
"No wonder those martial artists fought to the death for this divine stone!"
Zhou Yan's gaze fell upon the divine stone, and he couldn't help but marvel.
This divine stone was an Azure Dragon Stone, containing immense energy. If he could refine this Azure Dragon Stone, he would undoubtedly be able to enhance his cultivation and raise it further.
"En?"
As soon as Zhou Yan's thought arose, a sensation of softness spread throughout his entire body. Immediately, he felt the Yuan Power within him boiling, and then streams of warmth flowed into his limbs and bones, nourishing his blood and giving him a feeling of ecstatic comfort.
"What a wondrous feeling. The energy stored in this divine stone is more than ten times more potent than the Yuan Crystal energy I've absorbed and refined!"
Zhou Yan astonishingly felt the changes in his body and then thought to himself, "How much energy is contained within this divine stone? No, I must find an opportunity to figure it out!"
A moment later, Zhou Yan's Yuan Power gradually stabilized.
Zhou Yan opened his eyes and looked towards the upper left side of his shoulder. There lay a black bead, its surface covered with ancient and weathered patterns.
It was a black bead, with wisps of hazy mist on its surface, seemingly containing some incredibly profound power. This power was somewhat similar to the fiery red energy Zhou Yan had previously absorbed, but it was more potent and vast. Moreover, this power was exceptionally compatible with Zhou Yan's physique.
"This must be that fiery red bead. By absorbing it, I gained this peculiar energy?" Zhou Yan muttered to himself.
Then, with a thought, the energy from the bead was activated and flowed along his meridians into his Dantian. Wherever it passed, the previously depleted Yuan Power lakes in his Dantian surprisingly surged with new waves of Yuan Power.
However, Zhou Yan also knew that replenishing these Yuan Power lakes would require a large amount of spirit herbs. Therefore, the thing he lacked most at the moment was spirit herbs. After all, the higher his cultivation, the more Yuan Power he would require.
Without further hesitation, Zhou Yan reached out and grabbed the Azure Dragon Divine Stone beside him, pulling it with force. The Azure Dragon Divine Stone easily fell into his hand.
"The energy contained within this Azure Dragon Divine Stone should be enough for me to break through to the third or even fourth layer of the Divine King realm!"
Zhou Yan held the Azure Dragon Divine Stone in his hand, feeling the energy within, and a faint smile curved the corners of his mouth.
"Rumble..."
At this moment, the entire cave trembled violently. Then, at the end of the cave, an enormous bronze gate appeared. Etched onto the bronze gate was a majestic dragon pattern. This Azure Dragon was lifelike, as if it were real. It bared its fangs and claws, roaring at the heavens, as if it could destroy the firmament with a single sweep of its paw.
"Azure Dragon Divine Palace?"
The moment he saw the bronze gate, Zhou Yan was slightly stunned. He had never expected that a hidden Azure Dragon Divine Palace would be within this cave. This was the imperial tomb of the Azure Dragon Empire, and it appeared to have been abandoned for thousands of years. However, the existence of the Azure Dragon Divine Palace within the Azure Dragon Divine Stone did surprise him.
"So, does this mean I've cleared the level?" Zhou Yan murmured to himself. His gaze then shifted to his right arm. This right arm, which had transformed into the Azure Dragon phantom from the Azure Dragon Divine Stone, had now completely solidified. The power of this Azure Dragon Divine Stone was immense; it was a mysterious treasure, and it could also help others advance rapidly.
"When I break through to the Divine King realm, I should gain the ability to control the Azure Dragon Divine Stone and unleash the Azure Dragon phantom," Zhou Yan thought to himself.
He attempted to activate this Azure Dragon phantom. Immediately, the phantom detached from his right arm, transforming into a blur and flying several feet before crashing fiercely against the mountain wall, causing the entire wall to shake violently.
Following that, the Azure Dragon phantom actually penetrated the hard rock wall and shot out. The surrounding space seemed to shatter under the impact of this Azure Dragon phantom.
"Hiss!"
Zhou Yan inhaled sharply. This Azure Dragon Divine Stone was surprisingly formidable! It could even penetrate mountain walls directly? This meant that in the future, anyone who wanted to harm him would have to destroy the mountain wall to kill him. He was practically invincible.
"Hahahaha..."
At this moment, Zhou Yan was so excited he almost jumped up. With this Azure Dragon Divine Stone, he no longer had to worry about his safety.
However, as Zhou Yan was laughing wildly, a furious shout suddenly came from a distance.
"Hmph, brat, how dare you sneak attack me! Take your life!" a roar erupted.
Immediately after, Zhou Yan saw a group of people rushing towards him from the passage behind him. These people were all wearing uniform attire, with a full moon embroidered on their chests, clearly belonging to a sect.
"Damn it!"
Zhou Yan's expression instantly turned grim. He never expected to encounter trouble right after opening a tomb.
However, despite feeling somewhat frustrated, Zhou Yan remained calm and unhurried, because he had already planned for this. If any problems arose, he would immediately escape and would not fight these people. His True Qi had been significantly depleted, and continuing to fight would only put him at a disadvantage.