Zhou Yan laughed heartily, his heart filled with joy.
But soon, his expression stiffened.
Within Zhou Yan's vision, a silver light gradually spread, engulfing the entire area.
Originally, Zhou Yan had intended to seize the treasures amidst the chaos.
However, he had not expected that as soon as he approached, the silver light would fly towards him.
Boom!
In an instant, Zhou Yan was forced back three steps.
"Huh? How could this be..."
Zhou Yan's face darkened, disbelief etched upon it.
This ball of silver light possessed no offensive power.
On the contrary, it actually chose to protect Zhou Yan, shielding him from harm!
"Eh, what is this..."
Suddenly, Zhou Yan's gaze narrowed, falling upon the depths of the silver light.
Behind the silver light, a fist-sized pill was hidden.
The pill was crimson all over, with fine blood vessels appearing on its surface, imbued with rich life essence.
"Is this... the Vermilion Bird Holy Fruit?"
Zhou Yan's pupils contracted, and he exclaimed in shock.
The Vermilion Bird Holy Fruit was a legendary supreme-grade item, containing boundless vitality, capable of bringing the dead back to life and healing severed limbs!
According to records, those who consumed the Vermilion Bird Holy Fruit could instantly recover even from severed hands and feet.
More importantly, the Vermilion Bird Holy Fruit could elevate a martial artist's cultivation.
"Truly a supreme-grade medicinal pill!"
Zhou Yan took a deep breath, his eyes burning with fervor. "If I swallow this Vermilion Bird Holy Fruit, I will definitely be able to step into the Martial Apprentice realm!"
Martial Apprentice!
Only upon successfully breaking through to the Martial Apprentice realm would a martial path truly begin.
Furthermore, becoming a Martial Apprentice signified that a martial artist possessed power and greatly increased their lifespan.
They could even master various wondrous and mystical techniques.
For example—Wind Control, Flight and Evasion Talismans, Five-Thunder Curse, and so on.
Of course, as an Immortal Venerable in his previous life, Zhou Yan had seen countless treasures.
The mere Martial Apprentice realm would naturally not be of interest to him.
"Hahaha, today, I am destined to rise here and be remembered in history!"
Zhou Yan couldn't help but laugh wildly, his excitement boundless.
Though he didn't know the exact function of the Vermilion Bird Holy Fruit, since it could set him on the path to becoming a Martial Apprentice, it must be extraordinary.
Swish!
In the next moment, Zhou Yan, without any hesitation, reached out and collected the Vermilion Bird Holy Fruit.
Just then, a sudden change occurred!
With a crackling sound, the blood vessels on the surface of the Vermilion Bird Holy Fruit burst.
Following that, an incomparably terrifying pressure erupted.
Zhou Yan could not withstand it, and spat out several mouthfuls of blood on the spot.
Then, Zhou Yan's knees buckled, and he knelt on the ground.
Simultaneously, a giant fireball appeared in the sky.
Blazing flames engulfed the entire firmament.
These flames seemed capable of incinerating the heavens, their aura incredibly potent.
The intense heat caused Zhou Yan to tremble all over, his skin burning.
"Damn it, what on earth is this?"
Zhou Yan gritted his teeth, cold sweat trickling down his forehead.
At this moment, Zhou Yan felt as if he had fallen into purgatory.
The scorching wave of heat surged towards him, threatening to burn him to ashes.
Hum~
Instinctively, Zhou Yan mobilized his soul to resist the searing heat.
However, the burning power was too immense.
In just a few seconds, Zhou Yan's soul was almost completely destroyed.
"Ah!"
Zhou Yan cried out in agony, unable to endure any longer, and fainted.
Whoosh!
As Zhou Yan fainted, the giant fireball in the sky dissipated.
Everything returned to tranquility.
But on the ground, many corpses lay scattered.
There were human, demonic beast, and demon race corpses...
Each corpse was lifelike.
As if they had only just died!
"Roar!"
Suddenly, a dragon's roar resounded, piercing through metal and stone, assaulting everyone's eardrums.
People turned their heads to look, only to see a black dragon, ten meters long, coiled not far away.
"Hiss!"
Upon seeing this, everyone's expressions changed, and they dared not approach.
The black dragon was enormous, like a mountain, its body covered in scales that emitted a chilling cold light, exuding an aura of immense ferocity.
It roared towards the sky, intimidating all directions.
"That's..."
Zhou Yan awoke in a daze, his eyes widening as he recognized the black dragon.
"This is the legendary... Black Dragon!"
Zhou Yan murmured to himself.
According to legend, the Black Dragon was formed from a dragon transforming, and was incomparably fierce.
"No, if this continues, I'll definitely be killed by it."
Zhou Yan sighed inwardly, preparing to leave the area.
"Roar!"
However, at that very moment, the Black Dragon seemed to sense Zhou Yan and immediately turned its head, charging towards him.
Its speed was astonishing, and in the blink of an eye, it was already close to Zhou Yan.
"I'm doomed."
Zhou Yan wailed inwardly.
"Boom!"
But in the next moment, the Black Dragon stopped. Its massive body trembled violently, then it lowered its huge head and affectionately nudged Zhou Yan.
"What?"
This scene made Zhou Yan's eyeballs nearly pop out.
"Could it be..."
Zhou Yan's mind raced, and he quickly deduced a possibility.
"Perhaps... this is the guardian beast of the Black Dragon!"
Zhou Yan's eyes gleamed with surprise.
According to ancient texts, Black Dragons were violent and unpredictable.
Any ordinary person who provoked a Black Dragon would surely meet a terrible end.
Therefore, the tale of the Black Dragon acting as a guardian had circulated for millennia, widely spread.
Everyone knew that Black Dragons detested outsiders and rarely allowed humans to trespass.
"No wonder those mercenaries were unwilling to approach this patch of grass; they probably knew all along that a Black Dragon was guarding it."
Zhou Yan's thoughts raced, and he suddenly understood.
"Aren't you afraid of me?"
Zhou Yan petted the Black Dragon's head, asking curiously.
After all, the Black Dragon was a transformed dragon, possessing immense power.
Even with just a wisp of its residual soul, it still possessed strength surpassing ordinary Martial Apprentices.
Zhou Yan suspected that this Black Dragon might be comparable to a Grandmaster of the Innate realm!
"Roar!"
The Black Dragon raised its head and let out a roar, as if telling Zhou Yan that it feared no human!
"This Black Dragon seems to have a fated connection with me."
Zhou Yan's lips curled into a smile.
Then, steeling his resolve, he took out a Vermilion Bird Holy Fruit from his storage ring and offered it to the Black Dragon.
This was a Vermilion Bird Fruit, containing surging vitality and energy.
For humans, it was a rare resource.
But for a being like the Black Dragon, it was an irresistible temptation!
The Black Dragon froze for a moment, then opened its ferocious maw and swallowed the Vermilion Bird Holy Fruit in one gulp.
"Roar!"
After consuming the Vermilion Bird Holy Fruit, the Black Dragon's body trembled, and it let out a sound of pure satisfaction.
It swung its tail forcefully and then swam away into the distance.
"The Black Dragon has left!"
"It's not going to kill that kid?"
Everyone was astonished.
Clearly, they had not expected this outcome.
However, with this, they also felt a sense of relief.
After all, Zhou Yan's identity was not simple; if he were to die like this, it would cause immense trouble!
...
On the other side, Zhou Yan was unaware of everyone's thoughts. At this moment, his heart was heavy.
"It still hasn't woken up? Could it be..."
Zhou Yan frowned.
According to his calculations, the medicinal efficacy of the Vermilion Bird Holy Fruit should have been sufficient to awaken Zhou Hongyun.
"Hmm? Something's not right!"
Just then, Zhou Yan's expression changed as he felt a surge of heat within his body.
"This is bad, the energy in the Vermilion Bird Holy Fruit is too potent."
Zhou Yan's face paled in alarm.
He quickly closed his meridians and sealed his acupoints, attempting to resist the invasion of the Vermilion Bird Holy Fruit.
"Rumble!"
But the heat was too formidable.