Under the Stars: The Hermit's Path

As the dark force gradually receded, Lin Yi and the mysterious man finally emerged from the endless darkness. They gasped for breath, as if trying to replenish the oxygen they had just lost. Their bodies felt incredibly heavy from the excessive exertion, as if every cell had been drained of energy, barely holding themselves up to prevent collapse.

"We succeeded!" Lin Yi's voice was filled with the joy of surviving a disaster, but more of it was exhaustion and depletion. He took a deep breath, trying to get his heartbeat back to normal.

The mysterious man was also breathing heavily, his eyes gleaming with relief. He nodded slightly and said to Lin Yi, "Yes, son, we succeeded. Thanks to you, I can regain my freedom."

The two looked at each other, their eyes revealing an inexplicable emotion. Although this battle was extremely difficult, it forged a deep friendship between them.

At this moment, they once again turned their gaze towards the unsealed book. The black light on the book had completely vanished, replaced by a soft golden light. That light was as warm as sunlight, bringing a feeling of immense comfort.

Lin Yi cautiously reached out and gently flipped open the first page of the book. As the pages turned, the words and images clearly appeared before their eyes. The words were ancient and complex, bearing the marks of time; the images were filled with mystery, seemingly imbued with endless wisdom.

However, these words and images were so unfamiliar to Lin Yi. They were like an unbridgeable chasm that stood before him. Although he tried hard to decipher their meaning, it was ultimately in vain.

"What... does this mean?" Lin Yi muttered to himself, frowning tightly.

The mysterious man shook his head, indicating he didn't know either. However, he told Lin Yi that the knowledge contained in this book might require further study to fully understand. So, Lin Yi decided to take the book home and study it carefully. Perhaps one day, he would be able to uncover the secrets behind this mysterious book.

"Don't worry, we can take it slow." The mysterious man comforted softly.

The two sat on the ground together, focusing their attention on the ancient book, and began to carefully read the text, trying to unravel the mystery within. As time passed, their eyes became more and more focused, as if they had forgotten everything around them.

After a period of effort, they finally found some clues in the book. It turned out that this ancient book recorded the origin of the dark power and the method of restraining it, but to fully master this knowledge, they needed more time to study and practice.

Just as they were fully immersed in the study of the book, a strong vibration suddenly came from inside the ruins, and the entire space began to tremble.

"Not good! This may be because our action of lifting the seal just now triggered other mechanisms within the ruins." The mysterious man's face instantly became solemn.

Lin Yi and the mysterious man quickly stood up, looked around vigilantly, and prepared to deal with any emergency.

The tremors grew more intense, and rocks kept falling from overhead, as if the entire world was about to collapse. Lin Yi and the mysterious man fled throughout the ruins, hoping to find a safe place.

However, fate always seemed to like playing jokes on them. Just as they were about to reach the exit, a huge crack appeared in front of them, blocking their way. A low roaring sound could be heard faintly from the crack, making people's hair stand on end.

"What...what is this sound?" Lin Yi asked nervously, with an ominous premonition in his heart.

The mysterious man's expression grew serious, and he whispered, "I'm afraid the powerful monster guarding the ruins has been awakened."

Before he could finish his words, a gigantic monster crawled out of the crack. It was massive, covered in sharp thorns, and exuded a terrifying aura. Its eyes flashed a fierce red light, revealing endless murderous intent.

As soon as the monster appeared, it rushed towards Lin Yi and the mysterious man without hesitation. They hurriedly cast magic to resist, but the monster was too powerful and their attacks were almost ineffective against it.

"We can't go on like this! We must find a way to find the monster's weakness, otherwise we will never be able to defeat it." The mysterious man shouted anxiously.

Lin Yi dodged the monster's attacks while observing its movements, trying to find a flaw. Finally, he discovered that the spikes on one part of the monster were sparser than on other parts. Perhaps that was its weak point.

"Look here!" Lin Yi pointed at the monster's belly and shouted, while firing a fireball in that direction. The fireball hit the monster's belly, causing a sharp pain and making it roar angrily.

Seeing this, the mysterious man immediately understood Lin Yi's intention. He quickly cast a spell and worked with Lin Yi to attack the monster's weak spot. After a hard fight, they finally found the monster's fatal spot and successfully defeated it.

As the monster fell to the ground, the tremors in the ruins gradually subsided. Lin Yi and the mysterious man breathed a sigh of relief, feeling fortunate that they had finally survived this crisis. However, they knew that this adventure had only just begun, and that many more unknown challenges awaited them.

Lin Yi dodged the monster's attacks while observing its movements. He discovered a lighter area on the left side of the monster's abdomen, which might be its weak point. He told the mysterious man about this discovery and made a plan.

"I'll attract the monster's attention, and you take the opportunity to attack its weakness." Lin Yi said.

The mysterious man nodded in agreement.

Lin Yi mustered his courage and rushed towards the monster. The monster, enraged by Lin Yi's actions, chased him closely. Lin Yi used his agility to constantly dodge the monster's attacks while keeping it as close to him as possible.

The mysterious man seized the opportunity and cast a powerful magic, hitting the monster's weak spot. The monster roared in pain and fell to the ground.

Lin Yi and the mysterious man took the opportunity to cross the crack and continue looking for a way out. They walked along a passage, hoping to find a way out of the ruins.

In the process of advancing, they encountered some traps and obstacles, but with Lin Yi's wit and the strength of the mysterious man, they successfully overcame these difficulties.

Finally, they arrived in front of a huge stone gate. The stone gate was tightly closed, and it seemed that some special method was needed to open it.

Lin Yi and the mysterious man searched for clues, trying to find a way to open the stone door. After some effort, they finally found a stone slab with strange symbols engraved on it.

The mysterious man carefully studied the symbols on the stone tablet, trying to decipher their meaning. After a period of thinking, he finally found the answer.

According to the instructions on the stone slab, they needed to touch several places on the door in a specific order. Lin Yi and the mysterious man carefully followed the instructions, and sure enough, the stone door slowly opened.

Behind the door was a narrow passage, at the end of which was a bright light. Lin Yi and the mysterious man were extremely excited, as they knew that this light meant the exit was just ahead.

They quickened their pace and walked towards the light. When they reached the end of the passage, they were shocked by the sight before them.