The Heart of the Ruins

### Chapter 26: The Heart of the Ruins After breaking through the final barrier under the onslaught of evil power that surged like a black tsunami, Mu Chen and the others stood exhausted, pausing to catch their breath. They gazed at the passage ahead leading into the Core Area of the ruins, their eyes holding both wariness of the unknown and irrepressible excitement. "We finally made it. Let's go." Mu Chen took a deep breath and led the way into the passage. As they ventured deeper, their surroundings began to undergo wondrous changes. The passage walls changed from rough stone into a softly glowing crystal substance. Countless particles of spiritual power seemed to reside within these crystals, twinkling like stars and bathing the entire passage in a dreamlike glow. When they emerged from the passage and stepped into the Core Area of the ruins, everyone was stunned by the sight before them. It was an enormous chamber with a soaring dome that seemed to connect to the sky. At its center stood a Spiritual Power Fountain radiating light in five colors. What poured from it was not ordinary water, but concentrated spiritual power liquid. In midair, the liquid gathered into all manner of wondrous shapes, some resembling Spiritual Birds spreading their wings to take flight, others resembling galloping Spiritual Power Behemoths, before falling back into the fountain in an endless cycle, emanating a powerful, mysterious aura. "This... this is magnificent," a Silver Armor Family Expert murmured. Countless treasure chests and ancient artifacts lay around the Spiritual Power Fountain. Some treasure chests were fashioned from precious metals and inlaid with dazzling gemstones, whose brilliance mingled with the fountain's five-colored light; others were made from special spiritual power materials and emitted distinctive fluctuations of spiritual power themselves. The ancient artifacts were an