Evan Lin glanced in their direction.
Everyone on that side immediately felt their hearts skip a beat.
Especially Xavier Liu, who thought Evan was about to settle accounts with him.
"About this artifact—did your ancestors ever say where it came from, which Mysterious Ruin it was found in?"
Evan Lin asked.
The Abyssal Sphere that had flown off left Evan feeling strangely unsettled.
He couldn’t even say what it really was.
Since that’s the case, the only option is to look for clues from the ancestors of these Ancient Martial Clans.
Hearing Evan’s question,
the Rowe Patriarch stepped forward, looked at Evan, and said, “According to what our Rowe ancestor told us, that Mysterious Ruin should be in Central Province, located in a field of ruins.”
"But when our ancestor returned home, he was already badly wounded and could die at any moment. Before he passed, he only left a few brief words. As for the exact location of Central Province and the ruins, you’ll need to ask the Qin Patriarch."
At this, the Rowe Patriarch turned and looked toward the Qin Patriarch.
Seeing Evan Lin and the others all turn to him, the Qin Patriarch’s already pale face grew a bit tighter as he frowned.
"Qin Patriarch, if you would, please tell me."
Evan Lin spoke calmly, without any particular pressure.
But today, Master Lin from Seacrest had already earned everyone’s respect with his strength.
When it comes to true powerhouses—
No matter how much the Qin Patriarch didn’t want to answer, in the end, he could only sigh.
"When our Qin ancestor passed away, he left behind a map. That map marks the location of the Mysterious Ruin."
"But the ancestor told us strictly: no matter what, the Qin descendants must never take out the map or disturb that place again. He said that within that Mysterious Ruin sleeps a being we can never hope to reach."
The Qin Patriarch spoke up, looking at Evan Lin. Seeing Evan’s calm, unwavering gaze, he gave a bitter smile: "Master Lin, what if I refuse to hand it over?"
"I'll just take it myself."
Evan Lin replied bluntly, "This matter is important to me."
"Yeah, my Qin Clan couldn’t stop Master Lin from Seacrest from doing anything anyway. So giving you the map doesn’t really violate the ancestor’s instructions."
The Qin Patriarch nodded, then turned to a nearby Qin Elder: "Elder, please go to the Sea-View Pavilion and fetch the Ancestral Offering Box from its deepest part."
After he finished speaking, the Qin Elder agreed and left for the Sea-View Pavilion.
Soon after, he returned, carrying a deep brown wooden box in his hands. The box was simple and unadorned, but just looking at it gave a sense of great age.
"Master Lin."
The Elder presented the Ancestral Offering Box to Evan Lin with both hands.
Everyone looked toward Evan Lin.
Even the heads of the Ancient Martial Clans had never seen that map.
Evan Lin took the box, opened it, and pulled out an aged scroll of hide from inside.
The moment Evan’s hand touched the scroll, he paused in surprise.
It felt very soft.
But under that softness, there was a hint of hardness.
Almost as if there was a layer of metal hidden beneath the fur.
But most importantly...
"Is this Steelhide Ape hide?"
Evan Lin was startled.
Steelhide Ape is a kind of beast from the Immortal Martial Continent.
Because Steelhide Ape hide is famous for being both soft and tough, and for resisting the ravages of time even without any formation reinforcement.
Many cultivators love to use Steelhide Ape hide to record important things.
Especially for techniques and cultivation manuals, Steelhide Ape hide is the top choice.
Evan Lin also noticed that the hide in his hand faintly glimmered with a golden sheen.
It wasn’t just ordinary Steelhide Ape hide.
This was hide from a Steelhide Ape Emperor!
Whoever made this map must have killed a Steelhide Ape Emperor with their own hands!
That’s insane!
Even Evan Lin couldn’t help but be shocked by such craftsmanship.
The Steelhide Ape Emperor is basically on par with a human Tribulation Stage cultivator!