Immediately, everyone began to scramble and loot, with all sorts of treasures being snatched up.
"There are other treasures in this ruin."
"Hurry and look for them!"
Soon, in a valley, countless corpses lay strewn about, blood staining the grass.
It turned out that within this valley lay a magnificent palace, opulent and extravagant.
"Haha, we're rich! We're rich this time!"
Someone exclaimed.
"So many martial arts manuals, cultivation techniques, and even martial skill classics left by our ancestors! This time, the strength of our Iron Guard Legion will surely improve."
Many soldiers of the Iron Guard Legion's eyes gleamed with greed.
"Hmm?"
However, they were soon stunned.
Beside the corpses lay several weapons and cultivation texts, clearly belonging to members of the Iron Guard Legion.
"You scoundrels, hand those things over!"
Someone roared angrily.
Instantly, all eyes converged on those members of the Iron Guard Legion, their gazes chilling.
"It wasn't us who took them!"
The members of the Iron Guard Legion trembled and quickly explained.
"Not you?"
Upon hearing this, everyone was dumbfounded.
They realized that the Iron Guard Legion did not seem to be lying.
"Could it be that another force has been here?"
Someone asked in surprise.
"That's a possibility!"
At this, everyone's expressions changed, and they became vigilant.
If another force were indeed lurking in the shadows, wouldn't they be in danger?
"Hmph, what are you afraid of? They're just a few petty thieves, not worth mentioning."
Someone sneered. "We have tens of thousands of Iron Guards. Who dares to provoke us?"
"That's right, our Iron Guard Legion is second to none."
The members of the Iron Guard Legion echoed this sentiment one after another.
"Huh? There's some writing over there..."
Suddenly, someone noticed what appeared to be a stone tablet in a corner.
Immediately, a member of the Iron Guard Legion cautiously picked up the stone tablet.
As soon as it was held, the stone tablet emitted a brilliant silver light, illuminating the surroundings.
Then, mysterious runes flickered, and a desolate and vast aura emanated from it.
"This is... Qin Dynasty script?"
Looking at the writing, everyone was stunned.
"This script is different from what I know..."
"Could it be a new script?"
They looked at each other.
Then, their gazes instantly fell upon Zhou Yan.
It was Zhou Yan who had told them about this script.
Could it be that Zhou Yan was deliberately misleading them with these characters to lure them into a trap?
"I have never seen these characters before either..."
Zhou Yan frowned and said slowly.
He was certain that these characters did not belong to any country or ethnic group on Earth.
"Since it's not the script of these two countries, it must be from another world."
"It's strange that script from another world has spread to Earth..."
Zhou Yan rubbed his nose and fell into thought.
"What these characters record is definitely not simple!"
Zhou Yan took a deep breath, his eyes gleaming. He thought to himself, "If we can decipher these characters, the strength of our Iron Guard Legion will undoubtedly increase significantly."
At the thought of this, Zhou Yan's heart surged.
These characters contained astonishing secrets, and if they could be deciphered, the rewards would be immense.
Swish!
Immediately, Zhou Yan leaped into the ravine.
He stepped on the lake and, using the coral trees growing at the bottom, quickly swam towards the lakebed.
A moment later, Zhou Yan approached the lakebed and carefully observed the mud and sand. His pupils suddenly constricted, revealing a look of shock.
This lake was actually burying a spiritual脉!
"A spiritual脉 is a sacred place for cultivation!"
"If we can occupy this place, our strength will advance by leaps and bounds."
"Not only that, but the source of this spiritual脉 must be a powerful martial artist!"
The members of the Iron Guard Legion exclaimed in delight one after another.
Even if a martial arts powerhouse had been dead for a hundred years, their physical body would still be intact, their physique strong, and their entire being a treasure.
If one could obtain a set of bones, skin, dantian, blood, meridians...
These were all priceless treasures.
"Look! This stone tablet is so ancient!"
Suddenly, someone shouted loudly.
Instantly, everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a broken stone tablet standing in the silt at the bottom of the lake.
"This is..."
Zhou Yan's heart trembled, and he couldn't help but gasp.
At this moment, the entire cave began to shake violently, as if an earthquake, making it difficult for anyone to stand steady.
"Oh no!"
Everyone's faces changed, and they quickly gripped their weapons, guarding their surroundings.
The next moment, a crack appeared, spreading out like a spiderweb.
Finally, with a loud roar, the entire mountain wall collapsed and shattered, dust filling the air and making it impossible to open one's eyes.
Simultaneously, a piercing, sharp cry suddenly echoed, tearing through the sky.
Immediately after, a bird's egg, entirely black, appeared in everyone's vision.
It was a dark bird's egg, its surface covered in golden patterns.
Furthermore, a faint rosy glow seemed to emanate from the egg.
"This is... a Black Obsidian Phoenix Egg!"
In an instant, everyone gasped, their eyes fixed on the black bird's egg, revealing an eager glint.
This was a descendant of a phoenix.
Once hatched, it would undoubtedly be a terrifying ferocious beast.
Roar!
The next moment, the black bird's egg suddenly exploded, and a black ferocious bird, the size of a palm, burst forth.
Its wings spread, obscuring the sky.
It was bathed in flames, exuding an overwhelming aura of malevolence that struck fear into the hearts of all.
The black ferocious bird flapped its wings, stirring up waves of fire, and charged towards them.
Everyone's faces changed drastically, and they retreated in haste.
However, they were still a step too slow. In the blink of an eye, some were injured, screaming in agony and on the verge of death.
"Damn it!"
Seeing this, everyone gritted their teeth and glared hatefully at the black ferocious bird.
The next moment, they turned and fled.
This black ferocious bird was too powerful. With their current strength, they were far from its match.
Their only option was to escape.
"Let's go."
Zhou Yan glanced at the black ferocious bird and left with the Iron Guard Legion.
After everyone had departed, the black ferocious bird ceased its attack.
Not long after, it opened its mouth and spat out a figure.
It was Zhou Yan.
At this moment, Zhou Yan's clothes were stained with blood, and he was in a disheveled state.
He raised his head and looked at the empty cave, his heart pounding wildly.
"That was close!"
Zhou Yan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
He had almost capsized in a gutter and met his end here.
Fortunately, he had come to his senses in time.
Otherwise, the consequences would have been unpredictable.
However, even so, it had been enough to give him a good scare.
After all, with his current strength, it was impossible for him to defeat the black ferocious bird.
And the Iron Guards were even less capable.
Unless he could find some help.
"Forget it, let's leave here first."
After a brief thought, Zhou Yan shook his head and prepared to depart.
But at this moment, the ground beneath Zhou Yan's feet suddenly caved in.
In an instant, the entire lake seemed to boil, churning violently.