In a remote mountain range nestled among thousands of acres of forest, a figure plummeted from the sky before crashing heavily to the ground in front of a massive cave. Though his appearance was somewhat disheveled, the force he had displayed was terrifyingly powerful.
The impact created a huge crater in the ground, and at the bottom of the crater, a figure dressed in black robes was kneeling. After the terrifying force dissipated, the figure stood up from the ground, panting.
"Roar! Humans, get out of here!"
Just as the figure stood up, a huge, hostile roar came from the depths of the cave in front of them.
The roar was like thunder, rolling in and stirring up a thick cloud of dust that swept towards the figure in the pit.
"Call..."
Just as the dust and mist were approaching, a gentle breeze suddenly rose around the figure, swirling the dust and mist into the air, where it condensed into the shape of a long dragon and exploded in the distance.
The figure raised its face, its dark eyes gazing calmly into the deepest part of the cave.
His pale face showed signs of exhaustion. After a series of battles, although his body's regenerative abilities had improved considerably, the enormous consumption of his Dou Qi and physical strength had still left Xiao Yan in a weakened state.
Now, he urgently needs to find a quiet place to recover, but before that, he needs to get something first.
Without pausing, Xiao Yan headed straight into the cave, where the angry beast that had just roared was also enraged by Xiao Yan's actions.
"Insignificant humans, how dare you act so presumptuously here! You're courting death!"
A heavy roar came from the depths of the cave, followed by a fierce surge of Dou Qi emanating from the cave. Xiao Yan ignored it completely, his black robes remaining motionless, his steps steady as usual. Then, a colossal beast appeared before Xiao Yan with heavy steps.
"Whoosh!"
However, before the giant beast could make any move, Xiao Yan flicked his finger, and a purple-gold figure shot out, as steady as a cannonball, blasting the giant beast back with a single blow.
"Boom!"
With a loud bang, the mountain above Xiao Yan's head began to shake violently, and the giant beast's massive body was actually blasted deep into the mountain.
"Bang bang bang bang..."
Immediately afterwards, several more loud explosions rang out, the sounds of which were like punches landing on flesh, the dull thuds of the collisions sending a pang of pain through the listener.
Amidst the dull thud of the collision, there were also pitiful roars, revealing the immense pain the giant beast was in.
With a thought, the sounds of collision deep within the cave ceased, followed by a whooshing sound as the Northern King swiftly returned to Xiao Yan's side.
Without stopping, Xiao Yan stopped again when he reached the giant beast's side. He turned his head and saw that the beast was embedded in the mountainside, covered in wounds, and low, painful howls echoed continuously.
"It's just a superficial wound, he won't die."
Xiao Yan's expression was indifferent, and he spoke in a flat tone.
Upon hearing this, the giant beast in front of it trembled violently. Although the voice sounded harmless, it was filled with terror after witnessing the power of the Northern King.
The giant beast's body gradually shrank, and then transformed into the appearance of a middle-aged man. However, this man was now covered in bruises and swelling, and he kept his head down, not daring to look at the person in front of him.
"My lord... I was blind and didn't recognize your Mount Tai. Please, my lord..."
"Alright, I'm not going to waste my breath on you. If you want to live, go outside and keep watch. Don't let anyone near you. Also, could you lend me your ' Tendon-Cleansing Powder '?"
Without hesitation, Xiao Yan quickly gave the order and entered the depths of the cave. The middle-aged man stood there stunned for a long time after hearing Xiao Yan's words, his heart sinking to the bottom. However, under Xiao Yan's strong pressure, he reluctantly withdrew from the cave, but dared not escape alone, so he could only obediently guard the cave entrance.
Helpless, first his cave was broken into, then he was beaten up for no reason, and now they were even asking for his things. Who could bear such a thing? If it weren't for the other party's overwhelming strength, he probably would have fought them to the death long ago.
But in order to survive, he ultimately endured it.
That's life; devastating blows always strike unexpectedly, catching you completely off guard. But that's the price of survival...
Deep inside the cave, Xiao Yan went straight to a seemingly inconspicuous boulder and ordered the Northern King to move it. Soon after, a huge stone pool appeared in front of Xiao Yan beneath the boulder.
The pool was filled with a white powder that looked like lime. As the boulder was moved, a strange smell wafted out from it.
Despite the strange smell in the air, Xiao Yan did not show any unusual expression. Instead, a hint of surprise flashed deep in his eyes.
The amount of this Tendon-Cleansing Powder was much more than he had expected, which meant his needs were met.
After a series of battles, although Xiao Yan's combat strength had increased considerably, the damage to his body was also staggering. While the superficial wounds were manageable, the damage to his internal organs required a considerable period to heal. Furthermore, the meridians in Xiao Yan's body had suffered significant injuries in the previous battles, which couldn't be easily restored by his own healing abilities alone. Although Xiao Yan possessed some meridian-repairing pills, their low grade rendered them ineffective. Therefore, he had come all the way here.
As its name suggests, the Tendon-Cleansing Powder has the miraculous effect of cleansing the meridians and marrow. Its medicinal properties can be integrated into the body's meridians and bones, enhancing physical strength and increasing overall resilience. Many pills used to expand the meridians of a body often choose the Tendon-Cleansing Powder as their main ingredient. Of course, that effect only occurs after Xiao Yan refines Formed Pill. Before that, its function is limited to repairing and increasing the resilience of the meridians.
However, given Xiao Yan's current condition, it is clearly impossible for him to refine it into Formed Pill. Therefore, he can only choose to directly devour and refine it.
With no other choice and without any hesitation, Xiao Yan opened his mouth, and a powerful suction force burst forth, drawing in a large clump of Xiao Yan. Then, like a large clump of sand, he swallowed it with Xiao Yan difficulty, his face extremely pale.
The moment the Tendon-Cleansing Powder Xiao Yan's body, the powder quickly transformed into streams of strange, yellowish-brown energy that surged throughout his body. As the massive energy circulated, it even aggravated Xiao Yan's already unhealed injuries, causing his face to twitch violently.
Clenching his teeth, Xiao Yan endured the waves of pain emanating from his body and began to mobilize the Heavenly Flames within his vortex, driving all the milky-white energy to the locations of the various meridians in his body. Only then did he slowly refine it with the Heavenly Flames.