Evil Venerable of the Sword Dao

Chapter 1592 - 112: What Is Zhou Yan?

Zhou Yan did not leave this place; instead, he silently refined the souls of the cultivators one by one here.

Their realms were around the Ninth Layer of the Condensing Core Realm, and they cultivated unique inner cores.

In Zhou Yan’s view, these inner cores are the so-called embryonic forms of souls, essentially the early stage of Sword Souls, although they manifest differently due to different cosmic rules.

However, Zhou Yan was completely indifferent to this.

After stripping away the souls of thirty black-robed cultivators and devouring their memories, Zhou Yan felt quite fatigued.

This feeling was unpleasant because many methods were merely relying on some residual strength.

If this strength is to be valued for the future, and if he plans to return to the Emperor Soul Clan one day, he needs to endow the human skin with certain foundational depth.

Having struggled through countless lifetimes to reclaim his physical body, reclaim his original form, it might be a mockery, yet also a form of rebirth.

If one does not give up, no matter how far the road leads, it will eventually reach the end.

Zhou Yan sighed softly, then consumed the small amount of Holy Soul Energy he had stripped away, beginning to refine all the energy he devoured as well as the energy refined from the souls, incorporating it into his physical body.

Subsequently, Zhou Yan searched through these souls and gathered many Qiankun Rings, refining them with his Soul Power to create an ordinary-looking Qiankun Ring.

With the Qiankun Ring, Zhou Yan took out the remaining skull from the Crystal Coffin and, using the few materials he had, crafted a crystal bone sword of ordinary quality.

After that, Zhou Yan took the swords and knives left by the deceased black-robed souls, casually re-refined them, crafting a set of Wind Spirit Dust Avoidance Armor.

Having completed these tasks, Zhou Yan’s soul seemed to have attracted the attention of Heaven and Earth Rules, as clouds began gathering ominously overhead, like Mount Tai pressing down, converging on Zhou Yan’s head.

Zhou Yan sighed, as the last of the Holy Spirit Breath, though reluctant, could only dissipate into the physical body, completing the ultimate fusion with the body.

At that moment, Zhou Yan’s withered body seemed to burst forth with unparalleled vitality, like Withered Wood Spring, instantly rejuvenated.

This transformation was truly astonishing.

However, the realm of the Holy Spirit Evil Venerable, even a single spark of its energy, was enough to shock the world. Although Zhou Yan’s body was remarkable, his foundation had been desiccated for too long, yet with this sliver of energy nurturing it, Zhou Yan was indeed rejuvenated, reaching his physical peak.

Sixteen years old, just reaching adulthood.

Frighteningly young, with blood as rich as an abyss within.

With this fusion, Zhou Yan’s soul was no longer so formidable, like a rebirth after a transformation, starting high yet temporarily losing its realm.

But Zhou Yan was already aware of this; he was not disappointed.

With the understanding of this world’s rules, Zhou Yan’s soul transformation thoroughly altered his body, making his physical form nearly equal to that of cultivators in the Void Soul Realm.

Additionally, Zhou Yan had not cultivated, merely devoured over thirty cultivators from the Condensing Core Realm, yet even without cultivation, his realm was equivalent to the Soul Condensation Realm, merely needing cultivation to advance in this realm.

The soul transformation naturally aligned Zhou Yan with the standards of the Soul Condensation Realm.

After the Qi Condensation Realm comes the Condensing Yuan Realm, Condensing Core Realm, Broken Core Realm, and Soul Condensation Realm.

Each realm consists of nine layers.

The so-called ’Holy Land’ Saints are only at the First Layer to Fifth Level of the Soul Condensation Realm, with few instances of the Void Soul Realm and even fewer cultivators possessing a Soul Spring.

In other respects, many things are similar to the past Sword Burial Ancestor Star.

Time moved on; who rebuilt the Sword Burial Ancestor Star?

Or did Zhou Yan truly perish within the Ten Thousand Ghosts Sword Tomb? How to discern the truth concerning the Emperor Soul Clan?

Zhou Yan harbors a colossal secret in his heart, but in this life, nobody knows he is who he is.

Except Lee Ran.

But Zhou Yan has already understood Lee Ran’s helplessness and knows it well.

Therefore, returning to kill once again is Zhou Yan’s sole objective now.

Zhou Yan rejuvenated, his skin as tender and smooth as an infant’s, akin to congealed fat, enough to incite envy in women.

But this holds little significance for him.

Zhou Yan used the crystal bone sword to shave his half-meter-long beard and the once chaotic now ebony, cascading long hair.

The long hair merely fell to his shoulders; then Zhou Yan tied it with a crystal ribbon and slung the crystal sword diagonally at his waist before turning around, striking out with a palm.

The wasteland stele crumbled into dust, driven into the ground.

The wasteland became a flat surface.

Zhou Yan calmly walked forward, the cold and desolate atmosphere reminiscent of the past.

Things changed, yet many past scenarios remained unchanged, not much altered.

However, time had already passed 134,000 years.

Would those cherished ones still be there after such a long time?

Yanyan, Sisi, Hou Chen, Liu Haoxin, Zhou Gucheng, Zhou Lingyi, Qian Luoshui, Fei Ya, and Suxin, Fu Wanling Long Xianyin — are they all well?

Perhaps only in the future would one intensely yearn for the past.

And humans, only falling from lofty places into the Mortal World, understand the taste of longing and attachment.

Zhou Yan sighed, then grew incredibly resolute; he subdued the imperial peerless aura, trying to appear as ordinary as possible.

His Tao, though this world imposes limitations, remained fundamentally unchanged. Following appropriate adjustments, it could adapt to this world’s rules.

One day after transcendence, these rules can be reused.

Zhou Yan traversed nearly two thousand meters, step by step, not fast, but each step spanned several meters.

Arriving at a very ordinary hilly area, Zhou Yan stopped here. Then his gaze rested on this hilly land, and he froze here, moving no further.

Moments later, Zhou Yan pulled out his long sword from his waist and began to slash at the hilly area.

He did not use any strength, for any force exerted would destroy the structure here.

Here, there was a trace of Primordial Magnetic Pole Light.

Here, there were also remnants of the broken Twelve Magnetic Light Columns.

If it was like it used to be, after the Twelve Magnetic Light Columns broke, there were still some decent materials here.

In the past, Zhou Yan did not value these materials, but now, even a little benefit can be utilized.

Primordial Magnetic Pole Light, paired to modify the Nirvana Rebirth Technique, can perfect this powerful recovery method.

With such a method, there can be more assurance in the future.

Zhou Yan drew his sword, slicing through layers of earth, sending dust flying up, parallel, quietly drifting aside.

Ordinary swordsmanship, ordinary methods, yet possessing such magical techniques.

Soon, as Zhou Yan was about to slice open the hill, revealing a clue inside, a Flying Boat drawn by a Heavenly Pegasus approached from a distance in the Void.

On the Flying Boat, three women in white gauze sat silently, while two handsome youths stood with their hands behind their backs, about to fly past.

However, as the Flying Boat reached just above Zhou Yan, it suddenly stopped.

Then, one youth holding a folding fan arrogantly said, "This place interests our Yun Mountain Sacred Land, scram!"

The youth spoke, his cold, fierce eyes emitting a savage intent.

Waves of overwhelming Soul Energy pressure instantly wrapped around him.

Zhou Yan did not even glance at the man, his hand continued to slash, layer upon layer of hill’s dust flew up, quietly accumulating into a solitary peak on the side.

"Hmm? Little punk, did you hear me, Zuo Lengfeng? Not having any Realm, yet daring to be insolent here? Aren’t you going to scram?!"

With that one sentence, Zuo Lengfeng assumed Zhou Yan would scurry away, but unexpectedly, the latter acted as though he hadn’t heard.

He couldn’t help but raise his voice, coldly rebuking him.

This time, his Soul Energy pressure grew even thicker, nearly touching Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan paused his sword momentarily, then calmly lifted his head, gazing at the Flying Boat.

That moment, Zhou Yan’s gaze was as icy as an Abyss.

Under such eyes, the youth with the folding fan instinctively stepped back, his heart pounding fiercely.

"Hmm?"

"Oh?"

At this time, even the three women on the Flying Boat showed a degree of astonishment.

"Young man, which sect’s disciple are you? We’ve searched for this spot for long, just found it; you’d better move away to avoid unnecessary loss of life."

Among the three women, a particularly beautiful one spoke.

Zhou Yan’s gaze fell on the woman’s face.

Her appearance, to Zhou Yan, seemed plain and unremarkable.

Perhaps in others’ eyes, she was an extremely beautiful fairy.

But, having seen true fairies and Holy Spirits in his life, such a woman, in his eyes, wouldn’t even qualify as an ant.

Even though these cultivators’ Realm was much higher than the black-robed youths, reaching around the First Layer of the Soul Condensation Realm, making them quite famous individuals.

Yet in Zhou Yan’s eyes, they were truly nothing.

Zhou Yan stared at the five and said, "If you do not want to die, leave now. I say this only once."

Zhou Yan’s voice was very calm, his attitude extremely serene, as if when he moved, it would be a blood-stained sky.

"Hmm? Hahaha, what are you? Daring to oppose Yun Mountain Sacred Land? Do you know who these three fairies are? They are the personal maids of Yunshan Saintess of Yun Mountain Sacred Land, and I, Zuo Lengfeng, have a background you cannot even imagine? Little punk, you dare to boast!"

Zhou Yan calmly said, "I am Zhou Yan."

"Zhou Yan? What’s a Zhou Yan, I’ve never heard of it!"

"Zhou Yan? Is there such a person in this world? Some new self-proclaimed genius perhaps?"

"I’ve seen many geniuses, but most are dead."

The white-robed man beside Zuo Lengfeng, along with another white-robed woman, chuckled lightly.

As if such words were an amusing joke to them.

Zhou Yan lifted his head, his gaze locked on that Flying Boat.

He didn’t want to wrangle too much with juniors.

But Zhou Yan knew that as an entity now, he likewise started from the beginning, the heart of a king must not be profaned.