In the next moment, Zhou Yan's gaze sharpened. He flicked his index finger, and a brilliant light erupted, as dazzling as a scorching sun.
"Whoosh."
Zhou Yan's speed was incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, his fingertip collided with the old butler's frost.
Immediately, a scorching aura exploded, melting all the frost and forming a light red mist.
Swish.
Seizing this opportunity, Zhou Yan's figure flickered, and he passed the old butler, disappearing from the room.
"Damn it, that brat escaped again." The old butler gritted his teeth in hatred.
He knew that Zhou Yan had deliberately lured him into making a move, waiting for an opportunity to escape. The young man was truly unscrupulous.
At the same time.
Zhou Yan had already left the Zhou family and arrived in the suburbs.
"Hmm?"
Zhou Yan's brows suddenly furrowed. He sensed a powerful aura rapidly approaching.
Not long after, a burly and imposing man appeared before Zhou Yan.
This person was dressed in a gray-brown tight-fitting outfit, with dark skin. His eyes were piercing and filled with a solemn aura.
"Dark Guard Commander?"
Zhou Yan frowned slightly.
The Dark Guards were the empire's exclusive escort force, responsible for protecting the imperial family's safety, possessing extremely formidable combat power.
"Kid, who are you? How dare you trespass into the forbidden grounds of my Zhou Manor?"
The Dark Guard Commander spoke coldly, emanating a chilling aura of killing intent. "If you know what's good for you, surrender quickly. I might consider leaving you a complete corpse!"
"Heh heh, the Dark Guard Commander of the Zhou family, is this all you've got?" Zhou Yan sneered repeatedly.
"Presumptuous!"
The Dark Guard Commander was furious.
This brat dared to look down on him?
How preposterous.
"Kid, I'll ask you one last time, who exactly are you?" the Dark Guard Commander asked coldly.
"Zhou Yan!" Zhou Yan said coldly, "I've come to the Zhou family to reclaim what belongs to me!"
With that, he said no more. He spread his right hand, palm facing down, and pressed it down forcefully, letting out a low cry: "Fire Flame Seal!"
Boom!
Instantly, scorching flames erupted, condensing into a giant fire seal, carrying immense power as it suppressed downwards.
"A mere trick!"
The Dark Guard Commander's face showed disdain. He wrapped his arms in a thick layer of ice armor, and as he extended his arms, he charged upwards like a dragon, fiercely colliding with the giant fire seal.
Bang!
The giant fire seal immediately exploded, turning into scattered sparks that drifted everywhere.
The Dark Guard Commander fell from mid-air. After regaining his balance, his face showed a look of horror.
If he hadn't used his ice-elemental techniques to block most of the Fire Flame Seal's attack just now, he would have likely been burned to a crisp.
"Kid, who exactly are you?"
The Dark Guard Commander, his face full of surprise, questioned him sternly.
"Zhou Yan, my father was the supposedly useless Third Young Master back in the day. You wouldn't have forgotten, would you?"
Zhou Yan snorted coldly and continued, "You servants, betraying your masters, colluding with the Zhao family, and harming the legitimate bloodline, are guilty of grave sins!"
"What? You..."
Upon hearing this, the Dark Guard Commander's eyes widened.
He never expected that the other party was the illegitimate son who was presumed dead long ago.
This was treason!
"Zhou Yan, you scoundrel! How dare you slander the matriarch!"
The Dark Guard Commander was enraged, emitting a dense killing intent that surged outwards like a tide.
These Dark Guards were loyal retainers of the family, sworn to protect their masters until death.
Furthermore, they harbored deep affection for the Zhou family and held a sense of reverence and resentment towards the legitimate bloodline.
Now, Zhou Yan was actually slandering his matriarch.
"I slandered her?"
Zhou Yan let out a mocking laugh and said disdainfully, "I'd like to see who is slandering whom?"
"Come out, all of you!"
In the next moment, Zhou Yan roared, his gaze extremely sharp as he scanned his surroundings.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Immediately, several sounds of rushing wind were heard, and several masked figures in black leaped forward.
Each of them possessed a powerful aura, and they were clearly Innate Grandmasters!
"Dark Guard Commander, long time no see."
The masked man at the forefront, his gaze profound, sized up Zhou Yan and said with a half-smile.
"So it's you!" The Dark Guard Commander's pupils contracted, and he exclaimed in shock.
This masked man was the former Dark Guard Commander, Li Hu.
"Dark Guard Commander, we meet again." Li Hu said faintly.
"Are you here to find me on the family head's orders?" the Dark Guard Commander asked warily.
He knew Li Hu's character – ruthless, narrow-minded, and definitely not one to let things go.
"That's right."
Li Hu nodded. "Originally, I was planning to seek justice from the Zhou family. But I didn't expect your Zhou family to have embezzled that fortune and refused to return it."
"Our Zhou family did not embezzle it!"
Zhou Yan's expression turned cold, and he said sternly, "The Zhou family's assets were all built by Grandpa. Although my father was useless, he was still my father."
"This foundation, I must reclaim."
"Heh heh, enough nonsense!"
Li Hu said coldly, "Your Zhou family owes a debt and refuses to pay, that's a fact. I advise you to be sensible and return the money yourself. Otherwise, I guarantee you'll wish you were dead!"
"Heh heh, the money of your Zhou family is worthless."
Zhou Yan sneered and said impolitely.
"Worthless?" Li Hu's face darkened.
At this moment, Zhou Yan walked to a stone tablet, pointed at it, and said faintly, "Dark Guard Commander, do you recognize this stone tablet?"
"This stone tablet is..."
Li Hu observed it closely for a few seconds and his expression immediately changed drastically.
Because he discovered that this stone tablet was exactly the same as the one recorded in the family's ancestral instructions!
However, the stone tablet before him was more ancient and weathered, exuding an aura of ancient desolation.
"Kid, what exactly do you want?" the Dark Guard Commander asked solemnly.
"It's very simple. This stone tablet bears eight characters: 'Zhou family descendants, prosperous and thriving.'"
Zhou Yan smiled faintly and continued, "As far as I know, my father has been dead for more than twenty years. Therefore, this stone tablet should find a new owner."
"What do you mean?" the Dark Guard Commander asked, confused.
"I believe that with your intelligence, you should understand what I mean." Zhou Yan's lips curved into a strange arc.
"You... you are Zhou Haotian's son?"
Upon hearing this, the Dark Guard Commander's expression changed dramatically. He cried out in disbelief, his face instantly turning deathly pale.
At this moment, he was completely flustered, sweat beading on his forehead, his steps faltering, and he almost fell to the ground.
He never dreamed that this unknown, decadent young man before him was actually Zhou Haotian's son?
"Dark Guard Commander, do you still believe this matter has nothing to do with my mother?" Zhou Yan asked coldly.
"No... impossible! Your father died over twenty years ago. This is definitely fake." the Dark Guard Commander trembled.
"Fake?"
Zhou Yan burst into laughter, mocking, "In this world, what ghosts are there?"