After hearing these words, Zhou Yan raised his eyelids and said in surprise, "Could it be that the bones in the ancient tomb are demonic beasts?"
"Yes, precisely," Gu Heng nodded and mused, "The skeleton of this creature was extremely powerful in life. Even after a thousand years of death, it could unleash a strong fluctuation, causing immense impact to the entire cave, leading to landslides, earthquakes, and the collapse of the underground palace, burying me within."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan sighed with emotion. Gu Heng was indeed a cultivator. Even after an unknown number of years, his remains alone could contend with powerful cultivators. This suggested that Gu Heng's combat power in life must have reached the Foundation Establishment stage.
It was a pity that, in the end, he was jointly hunted down by the strong forces of the cultivation world and met a tragic end.
"Don't you find it strange?"
Suddenly, Gu Heng changed the subject and said, "Logically speaking, the bones of a fallen immortal cultivator should turn to dust. Why have they been preserved?"
"Do you mean that Senior Gu is not truly dead, but still alive?" Zhou Yan was stunned.
"My memory is vague, and I only recall this one thing," Gu Heng said in a deep voice. "Perhaps, I can help you awaken this trace of obsession and thus restore control of your physical body."
"Senior Gu, please tell me..." Zhou Yan said excitedly, quickly adding, "If you can help me recover my body, I am willing to serve you like a horse or cow..."
For Zhou Yan, as long as he could regain control of his body, any hardship or difficulty would be worth striving for.
Moreover, if Gu Heng awakened, his guidance alone could save him five hundred years of effort.
"Little fellow, you don't need to worry."
Sensing Zhou Yan's attitude, Gu Heng said with a chuckle, "With your talent and potential, given time, you will surely tread the path of immortal cultivation and even surpass my past achievements..."
"You flatter me, Senior," Zhou Yan shook his head humbly. After getting to know Gu Heng, his mind broadened, and he felt confident about his future.
"Hahaha..." Gu Heng threw his head back and laughed, as if returning to his youthful days.
...
Night fell.
A crescent moon hung in the sky.
Zhou Yan sat before the tomb, his knees crossed, his fists resting on his knees, his face serious, his eyes closed in meditation.
After a long while.
"Hoo..." Zhou Yan opened his eyes and exhaled a turbid breath.
Immediately, Zhou Yan took out a silver needle, pricked his left arm, and squeezed out a drop of blood into the coffin.
Hum!
The silver needle trembled, emitting a red glow, as if it had come alive.
In an instant, the needle vibrated like a living creature, moving and weaving within the coffin, leaving trails of blood, and finally converging on his right hand.
Hum!
Suddenly, blood gushed out, seeping into the coffin.
Bang bang! Bang bang!
The coffin shook violently, as if something was trying to break out from within, rocking intensely.
"Ah..."
Zhou Yan cried out, his face pale with fright, his body trembling uncontrollably.
"Calm down, do not panic..." Gu Heng's voice rang out, sounding somewhat indifferent, yet possessing a magical quality that brought a sense of peace.
Gu Heng, being a cultivator, naturally understood that Zhou Yan's current state was merely a symptom of fear. As long as he could endure this period, he would naturally be able to regulate himself.
As expected, before Zhou Yan could recover, a mass of black mist emerged, quickly spreading and enveloping Zhou Yan's entire body.
"Ah..." Zhou Yan screamed, struggling to dodge, but it was futile. He could only watch helplessly as the black mist coiled towards him.
Ssss...
As soon as the black mist touched Zhou Yan, it immediately corroded his skin, instantly causing countless blood blisters to appear, bringing him excruciating pain.
Pfft...
Following that, flesh and blood split open, emitting a strong, bloody smell.
Zhou Yan grunted, large beads of sweat forming on his forehead, his face contorting in agony.
"Senior Gu, save me..." Zhou Yan wailed incessantly.
At this moment, Gu Heng stood beside the tomb, his hands clasped behind his back, his expression stern and indifferent, as if he saw nothing.
"Senior, save me quickly..." Zhou Yan cried.
"Gu Heng, do not forget the vow you made,"
Gu Heng snorted coldly, his voice icy, "I once said that in this life and this age, you would never leave the ancient tomb. Since you have broken your promise, you must bear the corresponding consequences."
Although Gu Heng was no longer among the living, his reputation still struck deep into people's hearts.
All cultivators revered the strong.
In the cultivation world, strength was paramount, and the law of the jungle prevailed.
"Senior, I was wrong..."
Zhou Yan pleaded, filled with remorse, wishing he could slap himself twice. He clearly knew Gu Heng's temperament, so why did he have to bring up these old grudges?
At this moment, Zhou Yan only hoped that Gu Heng would forgive his slip of the tongue and not take his life.
"Alas..."
Gu Heng sighed. "Youngster, I did make a solemn promise back then. However, I could not bear to see someone go astray, so I decided to cripple your cultivation myself, expel you from this realm, and send you back to your original plane to reincarnate..."
"What?" Zhou Yan was stunned.
"Little fellow, your talent is exceptional, and you are very diligent. I have bestowed upon you opportunities and fortunes, yet you do not cherish them and insist on seeking your own destruction."
Gu Heng said softly, "I have done my best to salvage the situation, but I still could not prevent this tragedy from happening..."
Hearing this, Zhou Yan's face was filled with a blank stupor, his mind bewildered, unable to believe it.
He could not fathom why Gu Heng would give up on him.
Could it be that Gu Heng had long foreseen that he would die an unnatural death?
But how could Gu Heng have such a prediction? Could it be that Gu Heng had calculated this day decades ago? This was simply too exaggerated. Was Gu Heng a monster...?
"Little fellow, rest in peace."
Gu Heng waved his sleeve, and a vast, unfathomable power swept over, restraining Zhou Yan's limbs and pinning him to the ground.
Immediately, Gu Heng extended his withered, emaciated hand and placed it on Zhou Yan's shoulder. Strands of pure vital energy were injected and integrated into Zhou Yan's body.
In an instant, Zhou Yan's entire body stiffened, as if an electric current coursed through him. As the vital energy entered his body, the pain subsided, replaced by a warm and comfortable sensation.
Rumble~~~
A moment later, Zhou Yan heard a thunderous sound in his ears.
Concurrently, a phantom gateway slowly materialized, and a dazzling radiance erupted from its crack.
"The door... has opened."
Zhou Yan's eyes widened, filled with excitement, his heart pounding. He quickly scrambled to his feet and eagerly rushed towards the crack, poking his head out to look.
Swish swish swish...
In an instant, numerous pairs of eyes were fixed upon him.
Hiss!
Zhou Yan gasped, his pupils contracting, his body trembling with terror.
Beyond the crack, in the dark and dim environment, stood densely packed corpse worms.
These corpse worms resembled spiders, entirely black, about three inches long, small in size, with bulging abdomens that glinted with a scarlet luster.
Corpse worms, as their name suggested, were indeed corpse worms!
The sheer number of corpse worms surged forward, covering the sky and obscuring the sun. A chilling wind blew, sending shivers down Zhou Yan's spine, making him tremble with cold.
Roar...
Wooao...
The corpse worms let out low growls and roars, flapping their wings and swooping down to bite Zhou Yan.
"Get lost..." Zhou Yan roared, drawing his sword to slay a few corpse worms. However, it was useless. The corpse worms were endless and fearless.
In just a moment, dozens of corpse worms pounced onto Zhou Yan's body, gnawing at his flesh and skin.