Chen Yan's gaze lingered on the young man in the yellow shirt for a moment.
This person is clever and knows how to assess the situation.
No matter where you are, those who live the longest are often not the strongest, but those who are most self-aware.
"What's your name?" Chen Yan asked casually.
The young man in the yellow shirt shuddered and quickly lowered his head, replying in a trembling voice, "Replying to... replying to senior, my name is Zhou Kang."
Do you want to live?
Chen Yan's voice was flat, revealing no emotion.
Zhou Kang's heart leaped into his throat. He had no doubt that if he answered even one wrong word, his fate would be exactly the same as those puddles of fresh minced meat on the ground.
"Yes! This junior wants to live!" He kowtowed repeatedly, "This junior is willing to serve you like a slave, even unto death!"
Chen Yan was about to speak, intending to imitate how he dealt with Meng Ran and place restrictions on these sensible fellows, thus bringing them under his control.
Just then--
"Boom!"
A dull, loud thud came from the stone wall beside us without warning!
The ground beneath their feet trembled violently.
Zhou Kang and his companions, who had just slowly woken up from their coma, turned pale again in fright and stared in horror at the source of the sound.
The smooth stone wall that was originally covered with Dragon Blood Vine now looked as if it had been pounded from the inside by an invisible giant fist, with dense spiderweb-like cracks appearing on its surface.
"Click... click..."
The cracks spread and widened rapidly, large chunks of rock crumbled off, and dust filled the air.
A deep, dark cave entrance appeared in the center of the stone wall.
A chilling, violent aura burst forth from the cave entrance, carrying with it a strong smell of blood and decay.
"What... what is that?" A cultivator who had just woken up pointed at the cave entrance, his teeth chattering.
Zhou Kang and the others also looked terrified, and subconsciously shrank back behind Chen Yan.
They had been in the Secret Realm for so long, and had never heard of anything hidden inside the stone wall!
Under the horrified gazes of the crowd, a claw, entirely black as if formed from concentrated ink, slowly emerged from the cave entrance.
The claws were enormous, covered in a layer of oily, seemingly intangible slime, with five sharp claws that gleamed with a cold, eerie light.
Then, a huge, indescribable monster slowly emerged from the cave.
It has no fixed shape; it's like a pool of constantly writhing, flowing black liquid with bubbles bubbling on its surface.
Within the liquid, a distorted, pained face could be vaguely seen, appearing and disappearing intermittently.
"Ink... Ink Monster!"
Zhou Kang screamed in shock, all color draining from his face.
This thing is exactly the same as the description of the most dangerous creature in this Secret Realm that they had seen in the ancient texts before!
It is said that this monster has no physical form, is immune to most physical attacks and True Essence damage, appears and disappears unpredictably, and specializes in devouring the souls of living beings.
If you encounter it, your chance of survival is slim!
Chen Yan looked at the newly appeared monster and raised an eyebrow.
This aura is from the same source as the one we encountered before near the Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus, but it is much weaker.
"Roar--!"
The Ink Monster seemed to sense the presence of living beings, especially the Dragon Blood Vine that had been completely harvested, which thoroughly enraged it.
It let out an invisible, piercing roar that went straight to the soul. The sound didn't just ring in their ears; it exploded deep within everyone's soul, making Zhou Kang and the others dizzy and almost faint!
Immediately afterwards, its massive body sprang up, transforming into a black shadow that blotted out the sky, and swooped down towards Zhou Kang and the others who were closest to it!
The speed was unbelievable. The air along the way was corroded by that strange force, emitting a piercing "sizzling" sound, and even faintly twisted and deformed, leaving a dark trail that lingered for a long time.
Zhou Kang and the others were instantly locked onto by that terrifying pressure.
It was a crushing force born of the instinct for survival—like an ant looking up at an eagle, or a lamb facing a tiger.
Their bodies were stiff, their blood had frozen, and they couldn't even move a finger; only endless despair remained in their eyes.
It's over.
They're doomed.
The thought had barely crossed my mind when the dark shadow loomed over the sky, blocking out all light.
However, just before the darkness was about to engulf them...
A slender, fair hand, arriving late but arriving early, lightly blocked their path.
It's Chen Yan.
No one saw how he appeared. It was as if he had always been standing there, but no one had noticed him.
He stood there, still with that calm and collected demeanor, his clothes fluttering slightly in the strong wind that the Ink Monster was rushing towards him. His face remained completely expressionless, as if what was rushing towards him was not some terrifying monster that would make even Heavenly Human expert tremble with fear, but rather a gentle breeze that brushed past his face.
"Noisy."
Chen Yan uttered two words.
The sound was not loud; it could even be described as calm.
But the moment those two words were uttered, his aura changed!
An indescribable pressure, originating from the very essence of life, erupted from him like an ancient god suddenly opening his eyes!
That oppressive aura wasn't deliberately released; it was more like a natural, inherent presence, just as everything naturally feels the light and heat when the sun rises.
Immediately afterwards, a pale golden phantom silently materialized behind him.
That was a Dharma image.
A gigantic phantom, ten zhang tall, reaching to the sky and standing upright.
The image of the Dharma was indistinct, as if shrouded in a layer of chaotic mist, making it impossible to see its true form. But the mere presence of that illusory figure seemed to freeze the entire space.
Its eyes were lowered, its gaze piercing through the void, landing on the menacing black shadow before it.
There was no murderous intent, no anger, and not even any emotion in his eyes.
It's like a deity looking down on a moth trying to fly towards incense.
Then, Chen Yan made a move.
He simply raised his hand, and the Dharma image behind him also raised its hand at the same instant.
The colossal hand, formed from pure golden light, blotted out the sky and slowly pressed down from the void.
The movement was so slow that everyone could clearly see its trajectory.
But the Ink Monster seemed to be nailed to the spot. Its huge body struggled frantically, but it could not move an inch no matter what it did. It was as if the entire space was completely suppressed by some supreme law as the giant hand fell!
"Smack!"
A crisp sound.
The dark shadow, which was so imposing that it could make any Heavenly Human expert's scalp tingle, suddenly froze the moment it came into contact with the giant golden hand.
Then, starting from the point of contact, the entire massive body disintegrated and dissolved at a speed visible to the naked eye!
"Bang!"
It exploded in mid-air!
Countless tiny ink droplets scattered and flew everywhere, but before they hit the ground, they were ignited by an extremely powerful force, turning into wisps of green smoke that completely dissipated between heaven and earth.
From the appearance of the Ink Monster to Chen Yan's intervention, to its complete eradication.
The entire process should not exceed three breaths.
The Dharma image slowly dissipated, and the pale golden light receded back into Chen Yan's body like a tide.
He withdrew his hand, remaining standing in the same spot, still with that nonchalant demeanor, as if he had merely brushed away a speck of dust that had landed on his shoulder.
Zhou Kang and the others remained frozen in terror, staring blankly at the scene before them, their minds completely blank.
Chen Yan withdrew his hand, seemingly lost in thought.
It seems my guess was correct.
The natural wonders within this Secret Realm seem to possess some kind of inherent protective mechanism.
Once the spirit creature is harvested, the guardian will be alerted.
The Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus, a treasure of the highest caliber, is accompanied by an incomparably powerful Ink Monster.
While the Dragon Blood Vine is considered precious, it is still inferior to the Snow Lotus, so the accompanying Ink Monster is much weaker.
However, even at its weakest, it is still beyond the capabilities of ordinary Heavenly Human.
If it weren't for me, those rogue cultivators would have been devoured by this Ink Monster the moment they tried to pick the Dragon Blood Vine, leaving not even a trace behind.
Having figured this out, Chen Yan stopped worrying about it.
He slowly closed his eyes, carefully sensing the immense energy within his body transformed from the Dragon Blood Vine.
The next moment.
He opened his mouth and exhaled a long breath.
"Call--"
This breath was not ordinary foul air, but rather carried a faint reddish-gold hue, scorching and pure, as if it were a wisp of essence extracted from the core of the sun.
Wherever his breath passed, the air in front of him distorted slightly.
The moment he exhaled completely, Chen Yan's body shuddered violently!
A power far deeper and more concentrated than before surged forth from the very depths of his soul!
This power is completely different from the ultimate physical body and extreme yang power brought by the Indestructible Body.
It is more introspective, more fundamental.
It was as if an invisible furnace was quietly igniting within him, beginning to refine and purify his already surging True Essence to a higher level.
Each wisp of True Essence became heavier, more penetrating, and more explosive.
At the same time, his control over energy, his upper limit of energy tolerance, and the speed of physical recovery are all increasing at an unbelievable rate!
"Is this... the real benefit after the First Decay of the Heavenly Human?"
Chen Yan clenched his fist, savoring the new experience brought about by the dual transformation of his soul and body.
This improvement is so obvious.
The next realm of the Indestructible Body is called the " Indestructible Soul ".
As the name suggests, it is a supreme method that directly affects the soul.
There seems to be a strange correspondence between the Five Decays of Heavenly Humans and the celestial beings.
"Perhaps, once I have overcome the tribulation of the Five Decays of Heavenly Humans," Chen Yan realized, "That will be the time when I truly enter the realm of the Indestructible Soul!"
With this thought in mind, his confidence grew even stronger.
He opened his eyes, a flash of crimson-gold Fire Authority appearing and disappearing in them. His aura was more restrained than before, yet even more unfathomable.
His gaze swept casually across the stone wall.
There, some broken branches of Dragon Blood Vine, either damaged by the earlier battle or of less desirable quality, hung on the ground.
At this moment, Zhou Kang and his companions were staring longingly at the remaining vines, their Adam's apples bobbing, their eyes filled with desire, yet they were also afraid of Chen Yan's presence and dared not take a step forward.
Its expression of wanting to eat but not daring to was just like a lapdog waiting for its owner's reward.
Chen Yan found it somewhat amusing.
He had no interest in these leftovers.
The next moment, his figure left a faint afterimage in the spot, and he disappeared completely.
Now that we've confirmed the direction, there's no need to waste any more time.
The core area of the Secret Realm, with its aura originating from the same source as the Myriad Phenomena Painting Brush, is his true objective for this journey.
Only when Chen Yan's presence completely disappeared from their senses did Zhou Kang and the others snap out of their daze, their bodies going limp as they collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.
"They... they've left?" a companion asked in a trembling voice.
"It seems... he's gone." Zhou Kang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, feeling as if he had just escaped death.
The group looked at each other, their faces filled with relief at surviving the ordeal.
Suddenly, Zhou Kang's gaze fell once again on the remaining branches of the Dragon Blood Vine on the stone wall.
He swallowed hard, his heart pounding uncontrollably.
That senior colleague... didn't say we couldn't take them!
Chen Yan's figure transformed into a streak of light amidst the mountains and forests, speeding towards the increasingly clear aura deep within the Secret Realm.
He pushed the speed to its limit.
The scenery along the way rushed past me, turning into blurry patches of color.
About half an hour later, he slowed his pace.
The journey was unusually quiet.
The silence was eerily quiet.
Forget about the Ink Monster that are companions and guardians of some kind of spiritual creature; we haven't even encountered a single living, breathing one since.
This is very abnormal.
Logically, the closer one gets to the core of the Secret Realm, the greater the danger should be.
But along the way, apart from the sound of the wind and his own footsteps, there was nothing else.
Chen Yan stopped, his brows furrowing slightly.
He quickly found the answer.
Two corpses lay beneath a giant tree not far away.
A body dressed in the style of the Blood Moon Realm had a hole pierced through its chest, the edges of the wound smooth, as if it had been killed instantly.
The other body was dressed in the combat uniform of a Blue Star warrior, half of its body had been torn apart by some kind of sharp weapon, its death was gruesome, and its face was still frozen with terror and resentment.
A faint smell of blood filled the air.
Chen Yan glanced at it only once before continuing on his way.
For the rest of the journey, similar scenes became more and more frequent.
Corpses lay scattered about, and you could see one or two every now and then.
Some were in groups of three or five, seemingly having just experienced a fierce battle where they all perished.
Some lay alone by the roadside, without any obvious injuries, but their souls had been completely annihilated, clearly indicating they had been poisoned by the Ink Monster.
There are warriors on Blue Star, but even more natives of the Blood Moon Realm.
It seems that anyone who got the key to enter this place is no pushover.
In the struggle for resources, or simply to eliminate rivals, a bloody elimination tournament has already quietly begun deep within this Secret Realm.
Chen Yan was completely unmoved by these things.
In his view, these people were simply helping him clear away minor troubles along the way.
It saved him a lot of trouble.
After walking a while longer, the view ahead suddenly opened up.
A massive stone wall, tens of meters high and seemingly carved by a knife and axe, stood before him, completely blocking his path.
The stone wall is smooth as a mirror, stretching endlessly upwards, like a natural chasm separating two worlds.
On one side of the stone wall, an ancient bronze gate stands quietly.
The gate was about three zhang tall, covered with bluish-green patina and engraved with countless intricate and twisted patterns. These were not any known characters or runes, but rather a primitive totem full of mystery.
A desolate, ancient aura wafted from the door.
At this moment, the bronze door, which should have been tightly closed, was open inwards with a gap large enough to allow several people to walk side by side.
Inside the door was a deep darkness, where nothing could be seen, like the gaping maw of Beast ready to devour its prey.
Clearly, someone had already gotten inside before him.