Zhou Yan finally arrived at the desolate outskirts of Tianji City after crossing Tianji Mountain. Through this wilderness, he could enter Tianji City.
Tianji City and Canglan City were neighboring cities. Zhou Yan's previous words were not lies but facts.
This time, with his father's departure, he had to settle unresolved matters left by his father while also undergoing training.
The Xiao Family in Tianji City wasn't a large family, but it wasn't considered small either. Xiao Zhan and his father once had a great relationship. Later, when his father went on a journey, that connection broke.
Afterwards, when his father returned, they still maintained contact, but his father's situation had changed. He had little power and status in the Zhou Family, and the Xiao Family faced some internal and external troubles, making their interactions less frequent.
His father didn't contact Xiao Zhan, and Zhou Yan knew it wasn't because he didn't care about the friendship. It was precisely because he cared that he didn't display it unnecessarily when his father was down and out, to avoid bringing misfortune to the Xiao Family.
But now, with his father's situation as it was, Zhou Yan no longer cared about such matters.
He walked step by step through the wind. As night passed and day arrived once more, even the wild beasts dared not approach him due to his invisible Sword Qi aura.
The journey was relatively calm.
Until he arrived at the heart of the wilderness.
In the morning, no sunrise appeared, only a gloomy sky overhead.
The overcast sky was bleak and dark, and the wilderness in the morning felt like nightfall, appearing somewhat blackened.
Occasionally, a few streaks of Sword Light flashed across the sky, swiftly departing without stopping.
Zhou Yan walked swiftly step by step. Here, he didn't use Sword Qi to propel his Broken Worry Sword in flight because this was a dangerous area, and he had to face any potential danger with complete focus.
A gentle drizzle suddenly began to fall inexplicably, accompanied by a chilly wind that made it hard for Zhou Yan to open his eyes.
He squinted, gazing ahead at the curtain of rain, still walking step by step across the barren grasslands.
In the distant horizon, there seemed to be purple Thunder Light flickering, creating an eerie purple dawn in the dark sky.
Zhou Yan squinted, his eyes blurred by rain, deeply staring into the distance.
At the edge of the horizon, he seemed to see two shadowy figures moving through the lightning, engaging in a fierce battle with Thunder-like light beams.
Zhou Yan suddenly stood still, letting the rain soak him without resistance, just deeply staring at that scene in the distance.
"Clouds follow the dragon, dragons soar to the heavens, dragons take to the sky, dragons are seen in the fields, flying dragons are in the heavens."
Zhou Yan murmured to himself, and that lightning seemed to open up an epiphany in his mind, like a flash of lightning across the depths of his brain, captured by him.
"Since it is a fist, and cannot be a fist, then let the sword be the fist, why change too much. The sword is not the sword, the fist is not the fist! The fist is the sword, the sword is also the sword!"
Zhou Yan mused once more, and suddenly, his entire brain felt like it exploded with a thunderous roar. He felt a surge of energy coursing through him.
He had an impulsive urge to practice his sword skills wildly!
"Boom!"
In the distance, two purple Sword Lights collided like thunder, followed by an earth-shattering explosion, and a shadow retreated far away, looking extremely beleaguered.
The other Thunder Light vanished instantly, its whereabouts unknown.
Zhou Yan let out a loud shout, leaping into the air, Sword Qi beneath his feet, and the Broken Worry Sword in his hand exuding an overwhelming Sword Energy, absorbing numerous Thunder Elements from the void.
"Sizzle—"
A streak of purple Thunder Light attacked, and Zhou Yan did not dodge, allowing this lightning strike to hit him!
At that moment, Zhou Yan simply called out, "Dragon Soul Sword!"
"Roar—"
Countless Sword Qi suddenly drained away, concentrated into a single will. It was a will so powerful that it spontaneously coalesced into a phantom of a Divine Dragon!
The Divine Dragon's phantom, even before fully forming its head, let out a roar and shattered abruptly.
Zhou Yan's entire being felt drained as he plummeted from the void.
Yet, he did not panic. Instead, he steadied his waist, using his body's absolute strength to perform two flips and land securely on the ground.
His legs trembled, and blood oozed from his palms. That momentary impulse, that explosion, seemed to ignite endless vigor in his body, coalescing an indescribable will and partially deriving the Dragon Form Swordsmanship.
Zhou Yan knew his thoughts had aligned, and this practice was on its course. Until one day, when he could derive the complete Dragon Form Swordsmanship, only then would he have fully realized the transformation!
For now, he had only succeeded in forming a rudimentary shape, but Zhou Yan knew the power of this move could be enormous. The energy potential within him had been drained, indicating the move's destructive power was indeed formidable!
As a Grandmaster's inheritance capable of shattering the void, such a cultivation technique must have undergone countless derivations and held this kind of power, as expected by Zhou Yan.
He took a deep breath, took out two Qi Condensing Pills, and consumed them, standing silently in Breathing Control to recover.
At this moment, he realized the terrifying regenerative power of his transformed body—the two pills he had just swallowed instantly turned into energy, and almost simultaneously, the Qi Column within him refined it, restoring about a fifth of its energy!
This transformation shocked Zhou Yan. Clearly, his body's condition was extremely unique and extraordinary!
He had never heard of anyone capable of instantly refining an Elixir!
As he thought about it, he took out a Crystal Stone. Surprisingly, he discovered he could also directly absorb this impure Mortal Crystal!
He was astonished to find his Qi Column was far more unique than that of the average cultivator!
Absorbing several pieces of Mid Grade Mortal Crystals, Zhou Yan completely restored his condition and resumed his steps.
However, just then, a shadow, carrying an immense pressure, suddenly approached, leaving Zhou Yan horrified, his scalp tingling, and chills running down his spine!
He instinctively leaped to the side almost immediately to evade.
At the instant he dodged, a streak of purple light struck where he had just stood.
"Boom!"
With a muffled sound, Zhou Yan felt the ground beneath him quake, and the drizzling rain seemed to disperse due to the tremors.
An invisible Energy, like a wave, radiated out powerfully. Zhou Yan's face changed dramatically. He swiftly rode the Broken Worry Sword to escape, but it was too late. He was struck by the Energy and sent flying like a kite with its string cut.
He remained calm, continuously controlling his body, grabbing a handful of Qi Condensing Pills, and swallowing them before regaining his breath.
Standing on the ground, his brand-new Ling Yi now showed faint cracks—yet the Spirit Armor's outstanding ability for self-repair prevented Zhou Yan from being exposed.
His expression was cold and uncertain. As he looked toward the source of the purple light, his face turned grim.
There, unknown since when, stood a purple-clothed woman, drenched in blood.
Her blood-stained hands held a sword, silver with purple Thunder Light flickering on its blade.
"Who are you? What is this place?"
The woman pointed her Silver Blood Sword at him and asked, her tone icy, with a killing intent.
This was a woman with a powerful realm. Facing this enigmatic woman, Zhou Yan found it challenging to speak, but intuitively felt her strength was somewhat weaker than the Palace Master of Bixue Palace. The pressure he felt facing her wasn't as intense as when facing the Palace Master.
"This is the Heavenly Mechanism Wilderness. It doesn't matter who I am."
Zhou Yan slightly moved his hand, and the Broken Worry Sword fell into his grasp.
"Huh? Extreme Cold Sword Soul? Since you are associated with Bixue Palace, having the Palace Master personally imbue you with a Sword Soul, you are not considered an outsider."
Surprised flashed in the woman's eyes, quickly concealed, and her face eased a little.
Yet, as soon as her body relaxed, it seemed the excruciating pain became uncontrollable, causing her to cough up blood and collapse into the barren grass.