In Zhou Yan's memory, the Yin energy lingering in the Zhou family's ancestral grave was denser and purer than before, perhaps capable of birthing a corpse king.
However, corpse kings were too powerful. With Zhou Yan's current strength, he was completely unable to control one. Moreover, corpse kings possessed a certain level of intelligence.
Zhou Yan feared that a corpse king would possess Qin Haoran's body, which was why he proposed an alliance, hoping to join forces with Qin Haoran to suppress the corpse king.
"Haha..."
Upon hearing this, Qin Haoran burst into laughter, his eyes filled with mockery as he glanced at Zhou Yan a few times. He said coldly, "Your Zhou family was annihilated long ago. Even if there are survivors, they are merely lingering on borrowed time. What do you have to recruit me?"
"Besides, don't you know? My Qin family and your Zhou family are sworn enemies, irreconcilably opposed!"
Zhou Yan remained silent, cursing them internally. Indeed, they were ungrateful wretches, coveting even the possessions of his ancestors.
Rumble...
Just as Zhou Yan was about to persuade him again, a towering ancient altar suddenly appeared in his sight.
"Finally found it!" Qin Haoran's face lit up with joy, and he quickened his pace, rushing into the altar.
Instantly, a terrifying pressure struck, causing Qin Haoran to tremble violently. He spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed onto the ground.
"This is..." Zhou Yan looked up and was instantly stunned.
Around the ancient altar, dense arrays of runes covered the area like a spiderweb, spread across the entire altar, emitting chilling fluctuations that made one's heart palpitate.
"Roar—"
A world-shaking roar echoed from within the altar, as if a primeval beast had awakened, exuding a demonic might.
"Not good!"
"Roar—"
In an instant, a cloud of gray mist spewed from the altar, coalescing into a ferocious iron-armored corpse.
Veins bulged on its body. The iron-armored corpse's arms were bent, its fingernails as sharp as swords, gleaming with a keen edge.
Following that, the iron-armored corpse lunged out, like a meteor, directly at Zhou Yan.
Bang!
Zhou Yan unleashed a punch, smashing heavily into the iron-armored corpse's chest. His fist was like thunder, shaking the void.
However, the iron-armored corpse's body was sturdy and unharmed. It merely paused for a moment before striking out with a claw, a fierce wind blade whistling, tearing through the air.
Whoosh!
Zhou Yan's expression changed. He sidestepped half a step, narrowly dodging the attack.
"This iron-armored corpse's strength is beyond ordinary, comparable to a Divine King fifth-stage martial apprentice. Its speed is also incredibly fast. I'm no match for it."
Zhou Yan's thoughts raced as he quickly assessed the situation. He immediately changed direction and fled into the distance.
"You can't escape."
Seeing this, the iron-armored corpse let out a cold smile, stomped its foot forcefully, and charged forward, chasing after Zhou Yan.
"Damn it, why is it chasing me..."
Zhou Yan was greatly alarmed and increasingly anxious. Scenes flashed through his mind.
In the past, when he was practicing martial arts, he had encountered a ferocious beast that had wounded him, almost costing him his life.
Later, his father took him and fled. They passed by a tomb and discovered that the skeletal remains buried within were his ancestor, a martial patriarch of the Xiantian realm.
That skeletal remains were perfectly preserved, crystal clear throughout, as if carved from jade.
From then on, Zhou Yan learned that his ancestor was a martial saint, whose cultivation had reached the peak of the Xiantian realm, just a hair's breadth away from breaking through to the Martial King level.
Alas, Zhou Yan's parents met with misfortune, and his ancestor died in anger, leaving only his lineage behind.
Due to various reasons, Zhou Yan's lineage withered and declined, eventually fading into obscurity, unable to even pass down a single martial arts manual.
"This map is extremely important to me..."
Zhou Yan mused, gritting his teeth. Since he had encountered it, he couldn't possibly miss it.
"Zhou Yan, don't get any wild ideas. This is the resting place of our ancestor. How can you trespass?"
Suddenly, Qin Haoran shouted coldly, "If you dare to offend our ancestor, you will surely face heavenly retribution, endure countless tortures, and wish you were dead..."
Hearing this, Zhou Yan's face turned ugly, and he felt indignant but dared not show it.
Zhou Yan knew that throughout history, many imperial family members and nobles had offended their ancestors' resting places out of greed, only to invite heavenly punishment and be annihilated in the end.
Before the ancestors of the Qin family, no one could resist; they could only retreat and ignore it.
"Zhou Yan, don't dream!" Qin Haoran continued to clamor, "Today, our ancestor's resting place belongs to my Qin family. You can't have a share."
"Get lost!" Zhou Yan roared in fury, but he was helpless and could only choose to back down.
"Heh heh... Trying to leave? Too late."
Abruptly, Qin Haoran let out a series of strange laughs and reached out to grasp the ancient altar.
Boom!
In an instant, a brilliant spiritual light rose from the top of the altar, transforming into a spiritual pattern that enveloped Qin Haoran.
"Spirit array?"
Zhou Yan's heart trembled, and he exclaimed in shock, recognizing the profoundness of the spiritual pattern. This was a high-level spirit array, specifically designed to defend against foreign invaders, and was extremely rare.
"This is bad, this altar actually hides a spirit array!"
A moment later, Qin Haoran reacted, his face etched with bitterness. This spirit array was extremely bizarre and contained unfathomable power.
"Qin Haoran, didn't you want to obtain your ancestor's inheritance? Now, the opportunity is before you, and you reject it. This is utter foolishness."
The next second, the brilliant spiritual pattern at the top of the altar vibrated, emitting a dazzling light. Strands of radiance flowed and spread like a tide in all directions, forming a light screen that firmly locked Qin Haoran in place.
Following that, a beam of light shot out and landed on Qin Haoran's shoulder. It seemed to exert a pulling force, attempting to drag him forward.
"Ah, help me..." Qin Haoran wailed repeatedly, struggling with all his might, but to no avail.
"Heh heh..."
Witnessing this scene, Zhou Yan sneered, cold light flashing in his eyes.
In Zhou Yan's heart, Qin Haoran was a good-for-nothing who was unworthy of his ancestor's inheritance; only he was qualified.
As long as Qin Haoran was trapped in the tomb, death awaited Zhou Yan.
"Hmph, a good-for-nothing like you dares to call yourself a disciple of my Zhou family. You've truly disgraced our ancestors," Zhou Yan cursed maliciously in his heart.
Zhou Yan knew very well that although he was the eldest son of the family head, he was a concubine's son with a lowly status, completely different from Qin Haoran.
In the past, the two of them had fought for many years, their hatred as deep as the sea, wishing for nothing more than the other's demise.
"Huh!?"
As he was walking, Zhou Yan's eyebrows twitched. His gaze fell upon a nearby hill, and a meaningful smile appeared on his face.
On the hill grew several spiritual herbs, emitting a strong fragrance.
"It's truly a case of finding what you weren't looking for without even searching!"
Zhou Yan's eyes burned, and he licked his lips, murmuring to himself, "I didn't expect to find spiritual herbs here. They've come to me cheaply..."
As his voice fell, Zhou Yan took out a dagger and carefully picked several spiritual herbs, storing them in his embrace.
Afterward, he swept his gaze around and fixed his eyes on another spiritual grass, his gaze burning with ardor.