My brother is Shi Hao

"Found it?" Shi Hao looked in the direction Shi Yi pointed. It was a deep cave hidden behind vines. Without careful observation, it would be difficult to detect. "Let's go!" Shi Yi shouted and rushed towards the cave first.

The closer he got to the cave, the stronger the uneasiness in Shi Yi's heart grew. The cave entrance looked ordinary, but it was filled with an ancient and mysterious aura, as if it had crossed the river of time and flowed from ancient times.

The two entered the cave, and the view suddenly opened up. In the center of the cave stood an ancient altar. The stone walls surrounding the altar were covered with densely packed runes. These runes were obscure and difficult to understand, but emitted a faint glow.

"These runes..." Shi Yi frowned. He found that these runes were different from those he had seen in the valley before. These runes were more complex and contained some more profound power.

"Could this be the key to breaking the formation?" Shi Hao curiously reached out and touched the runes on the stone wall. Suddenly, those runes seemed to come alive, shining brightly, and then the entire cave began to vibrate violently.

"Not good!" Shi Yi's face changed. He reached out and pulled Shi Hao behind him. The ground around the altar began to slowly collapse, revealing a bottomless abyss. The runes originally carved into the stone wall began to flow like water, eventually converging onto the altar, forming an even more complex pattern.

"It seems we've triggered something," Shi Yi said in a deep voice, his eyes fixed on the rune pattern on the altar. He knew that the real test had just begun.

"What do these patterns mean?" Shi Hao also realized the seriousness of the matter and asked anxiously.

"I don't know." Shi Yi shook his head, "But I can feel that these patterns contain extremely powerful power. If we are not careful, we will be doomed."

Shi Yi calmed down and began to carefully observe the rune patterns, trying to find a way to decipher them. However, as time went on, his expression grew increasingly solemn. These rune patterns were like a bottomless abyss, drawing him in deeply, yet he could find no clue.

"Damn it!" Shi Yi couldn't help but curse under his breath. He found himself trapped in a maze. Every step he took would bring him to a new puzzle, and these puzzles were interconnected, leaving him with no idea where to start.

At this moment, Shi Hao suddenly exclaimed, "Brother Shi Yi, look over there!" He pointed at the bottom of the altar, where a line of small words had appeared: "To break the formation, you need to use your essence and blood as a guide, and your soul as a sacrifice..."

Shi Hao's face turned pale instantly, and he muttered to himself: "This...this is too..."

"No!" Shi Yi flatly refused, "We can't do this!" He knew that this so-called "method of breaking the formation" was simply a trap, a trap that could cost them their lives!

However, Shi Hao seemed possessed, his eyes fixed on the small characters, his breathing rapid, his eyes flashing with madness. Suddenly, he pushed Shi Yi aside and leaped towards the altar...

"Shi Hao! Don't!" Shi Yi's eyes were bloodshot as he reached out to grab something, but his grasp was empty. Shi Hao was already standing on the altar, his hands forming seals as golden light surged around him. The powerful wave of power made the entire cave tremble.

"I don't believe that I can't break you!" Shi Hao roared angrily, pouring all his strength into his fists, and smashed them hard into the altar.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, the altar did not move at all. Instead, Shi Hao was bounced away by an invisible force, and fell heavily at Shi Yi's feet, spitting out blood from his mouth.

"Puff!" Shi Hao struggled to stand up, but found that his body seemed to be falling apart, and the severe pain made him unable to move.

"Don't waste your energy, Shi Hao." Shi Yi's voice was filled with worry and helplessness. "The formation on this altar cannot be broken by brute force."

Shi Hao gritted his teeth unwillingly, his eyes bloodshot, "Could it be... could it be that we can only be trapped here and die?"

Shi Yi did not answer. His eyes were fixed on the rune pattern on the altar. His mind kept recalling all the knowledge he had learned, trying to find a way to crack it.

As time passed, Shi Yi's face became paler and paler, and his pupils ached slightly due to overuse, but he still gritted his teeth and persisted, refusing to give up any hope.

"There must be a way... There must be a way..." Shi Yi told himself over and over again in his heart. He couldn't give up, nor could he let Shi Hao die like this.

Suddenly, Shi Yi's mind flashed with inspiration, and he recalled a long-forgotten memory. It was a secret recorded in an ancient book that he accidentally found in the family's scripture library when he was a child.

"In ancient times, there was a mysterious rune called the 'Heavenly Evolution Rune'. This rune contained the ultimate principles of heaven and earth, and could evolve all things and break all formations..."

"Tian Yan Rune..." Shi Yi muttered to himself, a glimmer of hope gradually glittering in his eyes, "Could it be... Could it be that the rune on this altar is the legendary Tian Yan Rune?"

Thinking of this, Shi Yi's heartbeat quickened. If it was really the Tianyan Rune, then they might still have a chance of survival.

He took a deep breath, endured the severe pain in his pupils, and began to carefully observe the rune patterns, trying to find traces of the Tianyan runes.

However, at this moment, Shi Yi suddenly felt a cold breath coming from under the altar. This breath was full of evil and ominousness, which made him shudder.

"Not good! There's danger!" Shi Yi's face changed drastically. He suddenly looked up at the altar and saw that the previously calm rune pattern was now violently distorting, as if some terrifying existence was about to break out of the ground...

"Shi Hao, hurry up!" Shi Yi pulled Shi Hao up and turned to run out of the cave. Behind them, the altar collapsed with a loud bang, and a blood-red light shot up into the sky...

At the same time, the originally peaceful valley began to tremble violently, with howling winds, flying sand and rocks, and the sky covered with dark clouds, lightning and thunder, as if the end of the world had arrived...

A blood-red light ripped through the sky like a sharp blade, and a thick smell of blood mixed with a sickening stench of decay filled the air. Shi Yi dragged Shi Hao along, running as fast as he could, but the tremors behind them grew more intense, as if some terrifying being was about to burst forth from the earth, a heart-pounding sense of oppression following them everywhere.

"Brother, can we... can we escape?" Shi Hao's voice trembled slightly because of fear. He had never seen such a horrible scene, as if the heaven and earth were about to collapse.

Shi Yi didn't answer. His face was terribly gloomy, his double pupils reflecting the blood-red behind him. His heart was filled with unease and doubt. What exactly was this altar? Why did it contain such terrifying power?

They ran all the way, but the terrain of the valley became more and more complicated. The rugged mountain roads, bottomless ravines, and the blood-red mist that kept emerging from the ground all hindered their progress.

"No, if we go on like this we will be caught up sooner or later!" Shi Yi stopped and looked around, trying to find a safe hiding place.

"Then what should we do?" Shi Hao's voice was already tinged with tears, and emotions of fear and despair were spreading in his heart.

Shi Yi gritted his teeth, a hint of determination flashing in his pupils, "We must find a way to solve the puzzle. Only in this way can we completely escape danger!"

He pulled Shi Hao into a hidden cave. With the faint light, Shi Yi once again took out the ancient book that recorded the Tianyan Runes and read it carefully.

Time passed minute by minute, the wind howled outside the cave and the earth shook, but Shi Yi seemed to be completely immersed in the world of ancient books, turning a deaf ear to everything in the outside world.

However, no matter how he read or deduced, he could not find a way to decipher the Tianyan Runes. Those ancient symbols seemed to mock his ignorance and powerlessness, gradually shattering his hope.

"Could it be... Are we really going to die here?" Shi Hao's voice trembled, and the emotion of despair completely overwhelmed him.

Shi Yi put down the ancient book in his hand. His face was as pale as paper, and the light in his pupils dimmed a lot. He could feel Shi Hao's fear and despair, but he didn't know how to comfort him because he himself fell into deep confusion and helplessness.

Are they really going to die here? Are all their efforts going to be in vain?

Just as they fell into despair, an ethereal and ancient voice, as if coming from the sky, echoed in the valley:

"Lost in appearance, trapped in the heart, the answer..."

"...The answer lies in your blood." The voice was ethereal and vague, as if it came from ancient times, yet it seemed to echo in the ears.

Shi Yi and Shi Hao suddenly looked up, their eyes meeting, each filled with shock and confusion. Bloodline? Could it be that the key to deciphering the Tianyan Rune was in their own blood?

"Brother, this voice..." Shi Hao opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Shi Yi didn't say anything, but frowned, lost in thought. He could sense that this voice contained a powerful force, but this force was not evil, but rather a hint of guidance and enlightenment.

"Buzz!"

At this moment, Shi Yi felt a sudden burning sensation in his chest. He subconsciously reached out to touch it, but instead felt something as smooth as jade. The jade pendant he had worn on his chest since he arrived here was now emitting a faint golden glow, echoing the blood-red glow outside the cave.

"This is..." Shi Yi's heart moved and he quickly took off the jade pendant.

At the same time, Shi Hao also exclaimed, because he found that the bone pendant he was wearing on his chest was also emitting a dazzling light. The light was hot and sacred, as if it contained infinite power.

The two rays of light intertwined, forming a mysterious rune that floated in the air. The rune was ancient and profound, emitting a heart-pounding aura. It was exactly the Tianyan rune that Shi Yi had been thinking about!

"Could it be... this is the answer?" Shi Yi muttered to himself, his eyes full of disbelief.

The next moment, the rune suddenly shone brightly, enveloping Shi Yi and Shi Hao. They only felt their eyes flash before the surrounding scene changed drastically.

The cave disappeared, replaced by a vast starry sky. Countless stars were shining brightly, as if they were within reach.

"Brother, look!" Shi Hao pointed ahead and exclaimed in surprise.

Shi Yi looked in the direction of Shi Hao's finger and saw a magnificent palace at the end of the starry sky. The palace was emitting colorful rays of light, as illusory and beautiful as a mirage...

Shi Yi's heart suddenly surged with an inexplicable throbbing. He reached out his hand, wanting to touch the palace, but felt his body drifting forward uncontrollably...