This valley appeared to be a dead end; escaping it alive was a pipe dream.
However, Zhou Yan refused to give up.
Zhou Yan decided to take a gamble. As long as he could escape the valley alive, even at the cost of his life, he would venture deep into the Abyss of Blood Pools to uncover its secrets and obtain its blood.
Zhou Yan's body suddenly vanished from his original spot, transforming into a wisp of blood mist that merged with the lava and flowed towards the depths.
"Swish!"
Zhou Yan swam at a rapid pace and soon reached the end of the passage.
At the end of the passage was a rock face covered in a jumble of rubble. Embedded in the surrounding stone walls were some crystal-clear, water-like droplets that emitted a faint red glow.
Zhou Yan found these stones peculiar and cautiously approached the rock face.
The moment Zhou Yan's palm touched the stone wall, it felt like hitting a steel plate, causing him so much pain he could barely endure it.
However, the pain did not affect him. As soon as his palm made contact with the rock face, he sensed a powerful energy contained within these stones, seemingly capable of resisting his touch.
"Such potent energy. The energy contained within is sufficient for a Martial Master to cultivate for over three years, even five years without issue," Zhou Yan thought, filled with excitement.
"Excellent, this much energy is enough to support my cultivation for a month."
Zhou Yan noticed a large rock at the edge of the stone wall. He walked over, picked it up, and examined it closely. He discovered that the material of this rock was incredibly tough, far more durable than ordinary stones.
If these rocks were brought to market, each stone could be worth tens of millions of purple gold coins.
"So much rock, it must be very precious. Exchanging it for purple gold coins would be enough for me to purchase many elixirs," Zhou Yan mused to himself, looking at the rock in his hand. "However, my most urgent need is to improve my strength. I cannot waste time here."
With a wave of his hand, Zhou Yan tossed the large rock back into the cave and continued swimming deeper into the mountain's core.
This area was home to numerous giant monsters, all far more powerful than Zhou Yan.
Zhou Yan narrowly escaped death in the maw of a colossal black dragon. However, the dragon's strength surpassed his own; its arm directly pierced Zhou Yan's defenses and seized him.
Zhou Yan felt his body tremble violently. This was the first time he had encountered such a situation.
"Boom!"
Zhou Yan was directly flung out of the mountain's core by the black dragon, crashing into the lava.
"Gurgle, gurgle!"
A pungent, foul odor wafted over, causing Zhou Yan to frown involuntarily.
Zhou Yan climbed to his feet, feeling as though his body had suffered severe injuries, seemingly torn apart by the black dragon.
Furthermore, Zhou Yan felt a tremendous pressure bearing down on him. His skin cracked in pieces, and blood flowed out, looking horrifying.
"Damn it, just how powerful is this demonic dragon?" Zhou Yan thought in disbelief.
He now felt completely powerless, as if he had been run over by a train, his entire body falling apart.
Zhou Yan sensed that all his meridians had been shattered by the black dragon.
Lying by the blood pool, Zhou Yan felt his entire body stiffen, rendering him immobile.
"If only I could absorb the energy from these stones, I might be able to break through to the peak of Divine Lord," Zhou Yan thought. With this in mind, he quickly retrieved the large black crystal from his person, placed it in his mouth, and began to lick it with his tongue.
This large crystal was what he had condensed with his divine sense. As long as he could absorb all the energy from this massive crystal, he would be able to advance to the Divine Lord stage.
Zhou Yan crushed a crystal with his teeth, and the energy contained within surged into his body.
Zhou Yan's body quickly returned to normal, but he was now unable to walk.
"It seems I have to find a way myself," Zhou Yan sighed. Although he could move now, he dared not walk, fearing the black dragon would find him.
"It seems I must leave this forsaken place first and then think of other methods."
After considering his options, Zhou Yan decided to leave this location first and return later to search for the purple gold ore.
With that decision made, Zhou Yan stood up and walked step by step towards the depths of the cave.
Inside this cave, in addition to rocks, there were also some giant rock pillars covered in dense runes. These runes appeared extremely mysterious. Zhou Yan felt a slight obstruction to his divine sense, a peculiar sensation as if a stele had been placed before him, making it very difficult.
"What kind of energy is contained within these stones?" Zhou Yan mused, bewildered.
Suddenly, a glint flashed in Zhou Yan's eyes. "The stones in this cave contain immense energy. If I can absorb this energy, I will be able to contend for the Divine Lord stage. Then, I will have the qualifications to compete with this black dragon for treasures."
With this realization, Zhou Yan's eyes narrowed.
"Since that is the case, I shall begin absorbing the energy from these stones."
Zhou Yan said, reaching out to grasp a stone. He circulated the "Nine Heavens Divine Art" and began to furiously absorb the energy from the rock.
"Buzz, buzz, buzz~~"
The stone in Zhou Yan's hand immediately emitted a dazzling light, then rapidly expanded until it was the size of a fist. Zhou Yan held it in his hand, and then the small stone quickly shrank, eventually becoming palm-sized.
"Haha, it's so easy to absorb the stone."
Zhou Yan looked at the palm-sized stone in his hand and a smile appeared on his face.
He then began to furiously absorb the energy from the stone, swallowing it into his belly and assimilating the vast energy.
Streams of immense energy erupted from Zhou Yan's body, enveloping his entire form.
The sheer volume of this energy was so immense that Zhou Yan could barely withstand it. His entire body was filled with the energy, and he felt as though he was about to explode. Zhou Yan's body spasmed uncontrollably, and a thick layer of sweat covered his skin.