Ye Lingyun led his squad on an arduous trek toward the temple deep within the ruins. As they ventured farther in, their surroundings grew increasingly eerie. Mysterious runes surfaced on the ground from time to time, flickering with faint light as though warning them of the dangers ahead. An oppressive atmosphere hung in the air, making it hard to breathe.
Suddenly, the ground began to shake violently, and cracks spread across it like a spiderweb. Enormous Burrowing Beasts emerged from the fissures. Hard stone armor covered their bodies, and their pointed heads resembled sharp blades. They let out low roars and charged straight at Ye Lingyun and the others.
"Watch out! These Burrowing Beasts have extremely tough armor. Aim for their eyes and bellies!" Ye Lingyun shouted. At the same time, he unleashed Breeze Phantom Steps, weaving among the beasts like a phantom. His sword flashed with cold light as he seized openings to thrust at their vital points.
Li Hao swung his broadsword, engaging the Burrowing Beasts at close quarters. Every swing stirred a powerful gust, but their armor was so hard that his blade left only shallow marks. "This armor is way too tough! We can't keep this up!" he shouted as he struggled to fend them off.
Wang Li quickly prepared several corrosive pills and hurled them at the Burrowing Beasts. The pills burst, releasing pungent smoke that ate away at their armor. "Attack now!" she shouted.
Chen Yao stood at the rear, firing arrows imbued with spiritual power and aiming precisely at the beasts' eyes. Meanwhile, Zhang Feng watched their movements from the side, searching for patterns and openings.
Under their coordinated assault, one Burrowing Beast finally fell. Yet more kept pouring out of the cracks in an endless stream, and the situation grew increasingly dire. Ye Lingyun knew they could not afford to remain entangled here. They had to break through as quickly as possible.
He focused his mind, circulated the spiritual power throughout his body, and unleashed the strongest move of the Star-Splitting Void Sword Technique, infused with Star-Palm Illusion Sword Intent. His sword blazed with light, and a brilliant streak of sword energy soared skyward before shooting toward the beasts like a meteor. Wherever it passed, Burrowing Beasts were hurled aside, opening a brief gap in their ranks.
"Go!" Ye Lingyun shouted, leading his squad through the opening. They sprinted onward until they finally shook off the pursuing beasts.
After these setbacks, they finally reached the temple. It towered before them, majestic and imposing, radiating an ancient, mysterious aura. Its doors were tightly shut, their surfaces covered in intricate runes and patterns that seemed to recount a forgotten history.
Ye Lingyun carefully studied the runes on the doors, trying to find a way to open them. He discovered a connection between these markings and the runes they had seen earlier in the ruins. After working through a series of calculations, he finally located the mechanism that would open the doors.
With a rumble, the temple doors slowly swung open. A powerful surge of spiritual power washed over them, invigorating everyone. Before they could step inside, however, a group of Guardian Spirit Guards poured out of the temple. Their bodies glowed an eerie blue, and they carried long spears, their gazes icy.
"Looks like these are the temple's guardians. Everyone, prepare for battle!" Ye Lingyun said, drawing his sword and settling into a fighting stance.
The Guardian Spirit Guards swiftly formed a circle, trapping Ye Lingyun and the others in the middle. They attacked in unison, their spears stabbing down like a rainstorm. Ye Lingyun employed exquisite sword techniques, parrying every spear thrust aimed at him. Beside him, Li Hao swung his broadsword, creating a defensive barrier to protect their teammates.
At the rear, Wang Li continually cast strengthening spells on her teammates, enhancing their fighting strength. Chen Yao seized openings to fire arrows imbued with powerful spiritual power at the guards' vital points. Meanwhile, Zhang Feng searched for flaws in their formation, trying to find a way to break it.
The battle reached a stalemate. The Guardian Spirit Guards worked together seamlessly, and their spiritual power seemed inexhaustible. Ye Lingyun and the others gradually began to struggle. Just then, Zhang Feng spotted a weakness in the guards' formation. "Ye Lingyun, attack their left rear! That's the formation's weak point!" he shouted.
Hearing him, Ye Lingyun immediately struck with all his strength, sending a powerful streak of sword energy toward the guards' left rear. When it hit the weak point, their formation loosened slightly. Everyone seized the chance to attack, finally breaking through the encirclement.
Once inside the temple, they discovered that its interior was filled with ancient bookshelves and treasure chests. Ye Lingyun and the others searched everywhere, hoping to find clues that would help them leave the ruins. In one corner, Ye Lingyun found an ancient tome. It recorded the history of the ruins, along with ways to overcome their various mechanisms and predicaments.
Reading the tome, Ye Lingyun learned that to leave the ruins, they needed to find the Mystic Crystal at their core and use it to shut down the spiritual power source that had gone out of control. Only then would the dangerous creatures stop pouring forth.
Following the tome's guidance, they headed toward the core of the ruins. Along the way, they encountered all manner of dangers, but with Ye Lingyun's understanding of the tome and the squad's united efforts, they turned peril into safety time and again.
At last, they reached the core. An enormous crystal radiated dazzling light, while the spiritual power around it surged like raging ocean waves. Yet powerful spiritual power traps surrounded the crystal. A single careless move could shatter their bodies and grind their bones to dust.
Ye Lingyun carefully observed the traps' patterns. Drawing on his precise control of spiritual power and his proficiency in spirit array studies, he cautiously guided his squad around them. After considerable effort, they finally stood before the crystal.
Ye Lingyun reached out and touched the crystal, and a powerful force surged into his body. Gritting his teeth, he circulated his spiritual power and tried to bring the crystal under control. Through his efforts, its light gradually dimmed, and the runaway spiritual power source within the ruins slowly shut down.
As the spiritual power source shut down, the dangerous creatures throughout the ruins ceased their attacks, and calm gradually returned. Ye Lingyun and the others found a passage leading out and safely escaped the perilous ruins.
Their appearance at the entrance caused an uproar. The other teams were astonished to see that Ye Lingyun and his companions had emerged alive from the most dangerous area. Meanwhile, the members of the Fengyun Club and the Proud World Alliance were filled with resentment and fury at the sight of Ye Lingyun unharmed.
Ye Lingyun knew that although they had escaped this predicament, his struggle against the Fengyun Club, the Proud World Alliance, and the long-established factions was far from over. Yet this expedition had further strengthened him and deepened the bonds among his squad. He believed that as long as he kept striving, he would overcome every obstacle and secure his footing at Lingxi Academy...
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