Chapter 154: Zhou Qian's Lair Appears

The aura emanating from these zombies was gloomy and evil, violent, filled with deathly stillness—far stronger than the combined aura of the shadow guards and rotting mud dogs we encountered at the altar before, and it made our hearts race!

Hehehe… hehehe…

A chilling, dry laugh filled with bone-deep resentment and madness drifted from behind those zombies.

Zhou Qian's gaunt, skeleton-like figure slowly emerged.

His complexion remained ashen and awful, even worse than at the altar, but his eyes burned with madness and fierce killing intent, and in his hand he now held a small banner about the size of a palm, fluttering in the wind and exuding thick ghostly qi!

Dark qi swirled over the banner, where countless anguished, twisted faces struggled and floated, emitting silent wails.

It was precisely that incredibly vicious Soul-Devouring Banner!

"Run? Why aren't you running?" Zhou Qian's murky old eyes locked onto Zhang Jun and Lin Xue, the muscles on his face twisting violently from utter hatred, "I knew you two bastards would come here! This feng shui treasure land is a burial ground I prepared especially for you! Today I will use your two living souls to properly refine my treasure!"

As soon as his words fell, he fiercely waved the ghostly qi-filled small banner in his hand!

"Roar——!"

Those several ancient zombies, as if injected with violent power, jerked their heads back and let out a roar utterly inhuman, brimming with violent fury!

Their black qi instantly surged, the ghostly fire in their eyes blazing brighter, bringing a nauseating stench as they lunged wildly at Zhang Jun and Lin Xue!

Their speed was such that afterimages almost lingered in place; their heavy footsteps struck the ground with a muffled "thud-thud," their force seeming capable of splitting mountains and shattering stone!

"Courting death!" Zhang Jun exploded in anger, not dodging or evading, he pushed off the ground, his whole body shooting forward like a cannonball as he recklessly charged at the leading tall zombie!

Pure Yang energy burst forth without reservation; his right fist became like a blazing small sun, carrying unmatched momentum as he smashed it hard into the zombie's black-qi-covered chest!

"Bang!"

A deafening boom echoed through the forest!

That zombie was hit by Zhang Jun's all-out punch and flew backward like a torn sack, smashing through several thick trees before crashing heavily to the ground, its shattered armor dented badly and its black qi dissipating considerably.

But it merely shook its stiff head, then staggered up from the ground; aside from moving a bit slower, it seemed to have suffered no mortal wound!

"What hard bones!" Zhang Jun's heart skipped a beat; these ancient zombies refined by Zhou Qian were far tougher than he expected, practically harder than steel!

Meanwhile, Lin Xue also moved at the same time.

She chose not to clash head-on with these immensely powerful, astonishingly defended zombies; her figure fluttered like an elf dancing in snow, evading their strikes.

Her fingertips tapped repeatedly, sending out icy-blue Profound Yin energy like the sharpest, most condensed ice blades, piercing with bone-chilling cold and pinpoint accuracy at the joints and core energy nodes of several other zombies!

"Crack! Crack!"

The ice blades pierced the zombies' bodies, emitting a grating shattering sound.

The zombies struck by Profound Yin energy instantly became noticeably sluggish and stiff, a thick layer of deathly white frost quickly forming on their bodies, their joints even emitting cracking sounds, greatly reducing their mobility.

"Hmph! You two brats really inherited something, you've got some skill! But just this much is nowhere near enough!" Seeing this, Zhou Qian flashed a sinister smile and shook his Soul-Devouring Banner vigorously again!

Woo—— woo——!

A wail like that from the depths of the Nine Netherworld Hell, horribly mournful, suddenly rang out!

Dark qi roiled violently over the Soul-Devouring Banner, like boiling ink, as more and more substantial black shadows struggled and shrieked their way out from its surface!

This time they were not zombies, but dozens of twisted, ferocious vengeful spirits and ghouls of various forms!

The resentment and negative emotions emanating from these vengeful spirits were several levels stronger than those we had encountered around the altar before, almost solidifying into substance; they emitted silent shrieks and surged wildly like a flood toward Zhang Jun and Lin Xue!

For a moment, the entire mountain forest was filled with howling yin wind, layers of ghostly shadows, the temperature plummeting, as if it had instantly become the underworld!

Zhang Jun and Lin Xue quickly stood back to back, their faces turning grave.

Zhou Qian had obviously gone all out this time, possibly paying a considerable price; the evil things he summoned—whether zombies or ghouls—were each tougher than the last, and there were so many of them.

"These things are too many; I can't kill them all!" Zhang Jun punched, scattering the few ghouls that lunged close; the yang qi from his fist made the surrounding ghostly illusions flicker, but more ghouls immediately filled the gaps, he said solemnly to Lin Xue.

"Then freeze them!" Lin Xue's eyes flashed with killing cold, her tone decisive!

She drew a deep breath, holding nothing back; her Profound Yin internal energy, having found its ultimate outlet, erupted with unprecedented mighty force!

A visible, bone-chilling icy-blue cold surge, centered on her petite frame, rolled out like a world-ending tsunami, wildly sweeping in all directions!

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The very air seemed to be completely frozen in that instant!

Wherever the icy-blue cold surge passed, whether it was the painless, fearless ancient zombies or the clawing, terrifying ghouls, the moment they touched the surge they were completely encased in a thick layer of glimmering, icy frost!

Their movements froze instantly in the instant of their lunge and howl, the ferocity and madness on their faces permanently locked in place!

Across the battlefield, except for Zhang Jun and the distant Zhou Qian, nearly all the evil things, in this sudden, overpowering domain of extreme cold, turned into vivid ice sculptures!

Lin Xue's cheeks turned slightly pale from the sudden burst of such immense Profound Yin energy, but her eyes shone amazingly, filled with unprecedented powerful confidence and perfect mastery of her strength!

"Now!" Zhang Jun seized this once-in-a-lifetime perfect opportunity, his eyes flashing with lethal intent!

He stomped the ground hard, sending stone chips flying, and shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, his speed at its peak, aiming straight at Zhou Qian, who had momentarily staggered and stared in shock at the stunning scene before him!