System Quest, Opportunity for Advancement

Hu Shu took a deep breath, looking at the human warriors who had voluntarily signed up before him, their eyes filled with determination. A warm current surged through his heart. But he also knew that the mysterious ruins ahead were bound to be fraught with danger. "Set off!" Hu Shu commanded, and everyone took firm steps forward. But what kind of crisis lay hidden within those unknown ruins? Could they really obtain the Divine Artifact smoothly? Hu Shu felt a faint worry in his heart.

Just as everyone had finished preparing their gear and was about to further discuss specific defense and expansion plans, the emotionless voice of the Invincible Domain System suddenly sounded in Hu Shu's mind: "Quest issued: Obtain the Divine Artifact from the nearby mysterious ruins. This Divine Artifact can enhance the Human Race's fortune. Upon quest completion, the Invincible Domain's range will expand by two thousand five hundred miles, and a new domain skill will be added. If the quest fails, the domain's range will shrink by one thousand miles."

Hu Shu was stunned at first, then overjoyed. Increasing the domain's range and functions would be a godsend for the Human Race at this time. But upon hearing the penalty for failure, he couldn't help but frown.

The surrounding human warriors saw Hu Shu's expression change. Though they didn't know what had happened, they quietly waited for him to speak. Hu Shu steadied himself and informed everyone about the system's quest. Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent. The risk of this quest was immense, but if successful, the benefits to the Human Race would be immeasurable.

"Clan Leader, we'll go with you! No matter what, for the Human Race, this risk is worth taking!" a burly human warrior shouted first.

"Yes, we'll go!" the other human warriors responded one after another, their eyes filled with resolve.

Hu Shu looked at everyone, deeply moved. "Alright, since everyone has this determination, then we shall set off. But everyone must be extremely careful and listen to my commands."

Hu Shu led thirty selected human warriors, following the general direction given by the system, towards the mysterious ruins. On Shouyang Mountain, other unselected humans were busy preparing supplies or reinforcing defensive structures, working in a busy yet orderly fashion.

Along the way, Hu Shu continuously explained potential dangers and countermeasures to the warriors. He himself repeatedly pondered the various details of the quest in his mind. This mission concerned the future of the Human Race and could not afford any mistakes.

After half a day's journey, they arrived at a valley. The valley was unusually quiet, with only the occasional chirping of birds. Hu Shu cautiously observed his surroundings, feeling that the silence was somewhat eerie. He signaled his companions to slow down and proceed with caution.

Suddenly, a warrior's foot sank, and he instantly fell into the ground. Hu Shu's heart leaped, and he shouted, "Everyone be careful, there's a trap!" As soon as he spoke, various sized pits began to appear on the ground around them, and many warriors nearly stumbled.

Hu Shu activated his Invincible Domain, pulling the warriors near the traps back to his side. He crouched down and carefully examined the edge of a trap, finding it covered with sharp stone spikes. If one fell in, they would be severely injured, if not killed.

"These traps are set up very cleverly. It seems the dangers around these ruins far exceed our imagination," Hu Shu said with a grave expression.

Everyone carefully bypassed the trapped area and continued forward. After walking a bit further, they encountered a dense jungle ahead. A faint mist permeated the jungle, giving it a sinister feel.

As soon as they stepped into the jungle, a rustling sound came from all directions. Hu Shu's heart tightened, and he shouted, "Prepare for battle!" A group of agile black panthers leaped out from the trees. Their eyes gleamed with a faint light, and they let out low growls, clearly seeing everyone as prey.

Hu Shu struck first. With a flash of movement, he appeared before a black panther and unleashed a punch. The panther was struck as if by lightning, flying backward and crashing heavily against a tree, motionless.

The human warriors also showed no fear, drawing their weapons and engaging the black panthers in combat. For a time, shouts of battle and roars of beasts mingled together.

A warrior was pounced on by a black panther and fell to the ground. The panther opened its bloody maw, about to bite his throat. At this critical moment, another warrior from the side flew in, thrusting his long saber fiercely into the black panther's flank. The panther cried out in pain, released its claws, and turned to pounce on this warrior.

Seeing this, Hu Shu condensed a surge of Spiritual Energy in his hand and shot it towards the attacking black panther. The panther, struck by the Spiritual Energy, collapsed to the ground. After a fierce battle, they finally repelled the pack of black panthers.

Hu Shu looked at the somewhat weary warriors and said, "Everyone take a break and recover your strength. The road ahead will likely be even more difficult." Everyone nodded, found a relatively safe spot to sit down, ate some dry rations, and recovered their strength.

After a short rest, they continued their advance. As they went deeper into the jungle, the mist grew thicker, and visibility became extremely low. Hu Shu could only grope his way forward based on the general direction given by the system.

Suddenly, an ancient stone gate appeared ahead, covered in strange runes. The runes flickered with a faint light, as if recounting the vicissitudes of time.

"It seems this is the entrance to the ruins," Hu Shu said. He walked forward and carefully examined the runes on the stone gate, trying to find a way to open it.

As he was studying the runes, a warrior accidentally touched a nearby stone. Instantly, several arrows shot out from the stone towards them. Hu Shu reacted extremely quickly, activating his Invincible Domain and blocking all the arrows.

"Everyone be careful, there are many mechanisms around this stone gate," Hu Shu warned. After some research, Hu Shu finally found a pattern in the runes and gently pressed a few of them. The stone gate slowly opened.

Inside, a stale, musty scent wafted out, carrying a hint of decay. Hu Shu stepped through the stone gate first, followed closely by everyone else. Inside was a narrow passage. The walls on both sides of the passage were inlaid with some glowing stones, emitting a faint light that barely illuminated the path forward.

The passage was very quiet, so quiet that they could hear their own breathing and heartbeats. Hu Shu always felt as if pairs of eyes were watching them from the darkness, a feeling that made him uneasy.

As they walked, a fork appeared ahead. One passage was wide and bright, while the other was narrow and dark. Hu Shu pondered for a moment and decided to choose the narrow, dark one. He felt that the place where the Divine Artifact was located would not be easily found, and the more dangerous the place, the closer they might be to their goal.

Everyone proceeded along the narrow passage, which grew progressively narrower until it could only accommodate one person passing sideways. Suddenly, a buzzing sound came from ahead, like countless insects flying.

Hu Shu's heart tensed, and he signaled everyone to stop. He took out a stone and threw it in the direction of the sound. As soon as the stone landed, a swarm of fist-sized flying insects surged out from the darkness and swarmed towards it. In an instant, the stone was gnawed down to nothing but powder.

"They're Gold-Devouring Insects, everyone be careful not to touch them," Hu Shu said in a low voice. He channeled Spiritual Energy, forming a barrier in front of him to block the flying insects.

The human warriors followed suit, each using their own methods to resist the insects. However, the number of insects was too great, and gradually, some warriors began to falter. A flying insect broke through a barrier and flew towards a warrior, about to sting him. Hu Shu reacted swiftly, shooting a surge of Spiritual Energy to knock the insect away.

Under Hu Shu's leadership, they struggled to resist the insects' attacks, slowly moving forward. After a difficult battle, they finally passed through the insect-infested area.

At this point, everyone was somewhat disheveled, with minor injuries here and there. But no one complained; they all understood the importance of this mission.

Continuing forward, they reached a huge stone chamber at the end of the passage. In the center of the chamber stood a stone platform, emitting a soft glow. The Divine Artifact should be on this platform.

However, the chamber was surrounded by stone figures. These stone figures were varied in form, holding weapons, as if guarding the Divine Artifact.

As soon as Hu Shu stepped into the chamber, the stone figures began to move, charging towards them. Hu Shu let out a great roar and charged at the stone figures. He engaged in fierce combat with them, each punch he threw carrying immense power, smashing the stone figures into pieces.

The human warriors were not to be outdone, and they also began fighting the stone figures. For a time, the stone chamber was filled with deafening battle cries.

A warrior was struck by a stone figure and fell to the ground. Seeing this, Hu Shu rushed over, punched the stone figure attacking the warrior away, and helped the warrior up. "Are you alright?"

"Clan Leader, I'm fine, I can still fight!" the warrior said through gritted teeth.

Through the efforts of Hu Shu and the others, the stone figures were gradually eliminated. They walked towards the stone platform, their hearts filled with excitement as they looked at the glowing Divine Artifact.

Hu Shu reached out and picked up the Divine Artifact. As it entered his hand, a warm power spread throughout his body. At that moment, the system notification sounded: "Quest complete. Invincible Domain range expanded by two thousand five hundred miles. New domain skill 'Domain Guardian' added, which can form a powerful defensive shield within the domain."

Hu Shu was overjoyed, knowing that the strength of the Human Race had increased once more. But he also understood that this was only the first step in dealing with the threat from the Heavenly Origin Sect, and the road ahead was still long.

Hu Shu, carrying the Divine Artifact and his companions, began their journey back to Shouyang Mountain. Outside the mysterious ruins, the area remained tranquil, but no one knew what life-and-death trials Hu Shu and his group had endured within. And upon returning to Shouyang Mountain, how would they use this Divine Artifact and the enhanced Invincible Domain to counter the Heavenly Origin Sect's schemes? All of it remained an unknown.