My brother is Shi Hao

Shi Yi's fingertips touched the cool stone door, and a strange wave of energy instantly spread throughout his body. He quickly withdrew his hand, brow furrowed, and stared at the intricate runes on the stone door. These runes twisted like tadpoles, flickering with a faint golden light, as if containing some ancient secret.

"What kind of writing is this?" Shi Hao leaned forward and carefully examined the strange symbols, but found nothing. He had never seen such complex runes before, as if they came from another world.

Shi Yi pondered for a moment, then opened his double pupils. Within his golden irises, runes seemed to come alive, slowly flowing and interweaving into mysterious patterns. He had a vague feeling that these runes were not simple words, but a special arrangement of energy that held the key to unlocking the stone gate.

"These runes seem to be a combination of energies." Shi Yi pointed at one of the runes and said, "Look, does this rune look like a Kunpeng with its wings spread?"

Shi Hao looked in the direction of Shi Yi's finger. Sure enough, the rune resembled an abstract Kunpeng pattern, full of power and mystery. "Brother, are you saying that these runes represent different energies?"

"That's right." Shi Yi nodded, "If we can understand the meaning of these runes, perhaps we can find a way to open the stone door."

The two began to carefully study the runes on the stone gate, trying to decipher the secrets within. Shi Yi, with his special ability of double pupils, was able to more clearly perceive the energy fluctuations within the runes, while Shi Hao, with his extraordinary understanding and keen observation, continued to search for the connections between the runes.

Time ticked by, and the runes on the stone gate remained mysterious. They tried various methods, but could not find the correct interpretation. The air around them grew increasingly oppressive, and an invisible pressure enveloped the two men.

"Brother, look!" Shi Hao suddenly exclaimed, pointing at a line of small words under the stone gate.

Shi Yi looked over quickly and saw a line of tiny characters carved below the stone door, completely different from the runes above. Although these characters were ancient, he could still make them out.

"'Blood as guide, heart as key'..." Shi Yi muttered the words, his heart sinking. Using blood as a guide, wouldn't that mean blood would be used to open the stone door?

He looked at Shi Hao and saw that Shi Hao's expression had also grown serious. They both knew that the ruins were fraught with danger and that even the slightest carelessness could lead to death. Using blood to open the stone door was undoubtedly a huge gamble.

"Brother, let me try." Shi Hao said resolutely. He stretched out his finger, ready to cut his finger.

"Wait!" Shi Yi grabbed Shi Hao's hand and said, "Let me do it." He took a deep breath, a look of determination flashing in his eyes. He knew that Shi Hao's body had not fully recovered yet, and if he was injured again, the consequences would be disastrous.

Shi Yi bit his finger and dripped a drop of blood onto the stone door. The blood quickly melted into the stone door, emitting a faint red light. At this moment, the runes on the stone door suddenly flashed violently, and a powerful energy wave spread out in all directions...

Shi Hao subconsciously reached out to touch a flickering rune...

Blood melted into the stone gate, as if awakening a sleeping beast. The runes on the stone gate burst into a dazzling light, and a powerful energy wave spread out from the stone gate. Shi Hao was shocked by this energy and took a step back. Before he could steady himself, he felt a burning breath rushing towards him.

"Be careful!" Shi Yi shouted and pushed Shi Hao away.

The moment Shi Hao was pushed away, a crimson flame erupted from the stone wall beside the stone door, instantly engulfing the spot where Shi Hao had been standing. Although he dodged the fatal blow, Shi Hao's left arm was still grazed by the flames, his sleeve instantly reduced to ash, and his skin was burned black.

"Damn it!" Shi Hao gritted his teeth, enduring the excruciating pain as he quickly tore off a piece of his shirt to wrap around the wound. He looked towards the stone door, his eyes filled with vigilance. This stone door was indeed filled with hidden dangers; the slightest carelessness could lead to death.

"It seems there's a defensive mechanism around this stone gate," Shi Yi said gravely, his gaze fixed on the runes on the stone gate, trying to discern a pattern. He opened his double pupils, and within his golden irises, the runes flickered like dancing flames, gleaming with a dazzling light. However, as time went on, the pain in his eyes grew, as if countless needles were piercing his eyeballs.

"Brother, your eyes..." Shi Hao noticed something strange about Shi Yi and asked with concern.

Shi Yi waved his hand, indicating that he was fine. He took a deep breath, endured the pain in his eyes, and continued to observe the runes. He knew that he had to crack the secret of the stone gate as soon as possible, otherwise they would be in greater danger.

The operation of his double pupils allowed Shi Yi to perceive the flow of energy in the runes more clearly, but he discovered that these runes were not simple arrangements of energy, but contained some complex rules, like a sophisticated formation, interconnected and difficult to grasp.

He tried to combine different runes together, trying to find the connection between them, but every attempt ended in failure. The runes were unpredictable, and each combination would trigger different energy fluctuations, making him dizzy.

Sweat trickled down Shi Yi's forehead, soaking his shirt. His eyes ached unbearably, his vision blurry, but he gritted his teeth and persevered, refusing to give up. He knew their lives depended on this stone gate.

"Is it possible that these runes have no pattern at all?" Shi Yi couldn't help but feel a little confused.

At this moment, the air around the stone gate began to distort, and some vague shadows gradually appeared. These shadows floated in the air like ghosts, emitting bursts of cold air.

Shi Yi and Shi Hao noticed something strange at the same time. They looked around vigilantly and tightened their weapons.

"What are these things?" Shi Hao asked in a low voice, with a hint of uneasiness in his voice.

Shi Yi did not answer. His eyes were fixed on the shadows that were becoming clearer and clearer, and an ominous premonition arose in his heart.

A shadow suddenly pounced towards Shi Yi...

The shadow suddenly lunged at Shi Yi with astonishing speed. Shi Yi dodged the attack by dodging to the side, then swung the bone spear in his hand, creating a gust of wind and piercing the shadow. However, the bone spear pierced the shadow's body, as if it had hit air, causing no damage.

"These shadows are illusory!" Shi Yi said in a deep voice, his heart becoming even more solemn.

More shadows emerged from the distorted air, pouncing on Shi Yi and Shi Hao like hungry wolves. Shi Hao's injured left arm limited his movement, so he could only barely fend off the attack. One shadow bypassed Shi Yi and lunged directly at Shi Hao. Shi Hao swung the beast bone, but his injury prevented him from fully unleashing its power. The shadow struck him in the chest, and he grunted, taking several steps back, a trickle of blood escaping from the corner of his mouth.

"Xiao Hao!" Shi Yi's heart tightened when he saw this. He hurriedly waved his bone spear, forced back the shadows that were besieging him, and rushed to Shi Hao's side.

"I'm fine, brother." Shi Hao wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and forced himself to stand up, but his face was obviously much paler.

Shadows surged in like a tide, endless. Shi Yi and Shi Hao stood back to back, trying to resist. Shi Yi activated his pupils, trying to find the shadows' weaknesses, but he found that these shadows seemed to have no substance, and ordinary attacks were completely ineffective against them.

Shi Hao's injuries grew worse, and his movements became increasingly sluggish. A shadowy figure took advantage of the situation and spun around behind him, striking him hard in the back. Shi Hao screamed in agony and fell to the ground again, his blood staining the ground red.

"Xiao Hao!" Shi Yi's eyes were bloodshot, his heart filled with anger and worry. He brandished his bone spear like a madman, forcing back the surrounding shadows, then picked up Shi Hao, wanting to take him away from this dangerous place.

However, the shadow was like a maggot on their tarsal bones, chasing them closely. Shi Yi resisted the shadow's attack while moving forward with difficulty, but every step he took was extremely difficult.

Shi Hao's breath was getting weaker and weaker, and his face was getting paler and paler, as if he would die at any moment. Shi Yi was extremely anxious, knowing that if he couldn't find a way to break the spell, both of them would probably die here.

He looked at the runes on the stone door again, his eyes filled with resentment. Is there really no other solution?

Suddenly, his mind flashed back to his previous experience of exploring another ruin. That time, they also encountered a similar rune puzzle, and finally solved it by using a special arrangement of runes.

Is it...

A flash of inspiration suddenly struck Shi Yi. He endured the severe pain in his eyes and looked at the runes on the stone gate again. This time, he no longer focused on the energy flow of a single rune, but observed all the runes as a whole.

He discovered that the arrangement of these runes was not random, but rather formed a unique pattern. He had seen this pattern before in another relic, an ancient formation diagram called the "Nine Palaces and Eight Diagrams Formation."

"Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams Formation..." Shi Yi muttered to himself, and a glimmer of hope suddenly rose in his heart.

He gently placed Shi Hao on the ground, then sat down cross-legged, forming seals with his hands and muttering something. As he chanted, the runes on the stone door began to flicker, emitting a dazzling light.

"Brother, what are you doing?" Shi Hao asked weakly, his voice so weak that it was almost inaudible.

Shi Yi did not answer. His eyes were full of determination. His hands moved faster and faster, and the sound of the spell became louder and louder.

Suddenly, the runes on the stone gate glowed brightly, and a powerful energy wave spread out from the stone gate. The surrounding shadows dissipated under the impact of this energy, melting like ice and snow.

The stone door slowly opened, revealing a passage leading to an unknown place...

"It seems that our bet was right..." Shi Yi looked at the opened stone door with a smile on his face, but the smile quickly disappeared, replaced by a solemn expression, "I hope..."

The stone door slowly opened, revealing a deep passage. But this didn't let Shi Yi down. He lifted the frail Shi Hao and let him lean against him. "Xiao Hao, hold on." Shi Yi's voice was deep and firm, his tone carrying undeniable strength.

Shi Hao's face was pale and his lips were chapped, but he still tried to force a smile: "Brother, I'm fine... just a little tired."

Shi Yi did not say anything, but silently activated the runes in his body, slowly injecting a warm power into Shi Hao's body to heal him.

"Those shadows... disappeared?" Shi Hao breathed a sigh of relief, looked around, and found that the originally dense shadows had disappeared, and a trace of doubt arose in his heart.

"Well, the runes on this stone door should be a formation. Once it is opened, it can dispel those shadows." Shi Yi explained, but his eyes were fixed on the runes on the stone door, with a frown on his face.

"Brother, what are you thinking about?" Shi Hao noticed Shi Yi's abnormality and asked with concern.

"I'm thinking... I seem to have seen these runes somewhere before," Shi Yi said slowly after a moment's hesitation. His mind kept flashing back to his previous experience exploring another ruin. That time, they had also encountered a similar rune puzzle, and they had finally solved it by using a unique arrangement of runes.

"Another relic?" Shi Hao tried hard to recall, but couldn't remember anything. "What kind of rune was that?"

Shi Yi closed his eyes and tried to recall the scene. It was an ancient altar, engraved with intricate runes that bore a striking resemblance to the runes before him. The difference was that the runes on the altar were arranged in a complete pattern, while the runes on the stone gate appeared disorganized.

"I remember now!" Shi Yi suddenly opened his eyes, a gleam of light flashing in his eyes, "It's the Nine Palaces and Eight Diagrams Formation!"

"Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams Formation?" Shi Hao looked confused. He had never heard of this name.

"This is an ancient formation that can be used to trap enemies, defend, or even attack," Shi Yi explained. "If I'm not mistaken, these runes should also be arranged according to the rules of the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams, but the order has been disrupted."

"Then...how do we crack it?" Shi Hao asked, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Shi Yi didn't answer immediately. He carefully examined the runes on the stone door again, trying to find a pattern. These runes were like dancing musical notes, flashing a strange light in his eyes. He stretched out his fingers and gently touched them, feeling the energy fluctuations they contained.

"Brother, be careful!" Shi Hao suddenly exclaimed. He saw the rune that Shi Yi touched suddenly light up, and a powerful energy wave came towards him.

Shi Yi quickly retracted his finger, his body swaying slightly to avoid the impact of the energy. His face was solemn, and he thought to himself: "As expected, these runes contain powerful power. If you are not careful, they will trigger the trap."

"Brother, are you okay?" Shi Hao asked with concern.

"I'm fine." Shi Yi shook his head. "Xiao Hao, help me remember the shapes and positions of these runes. I need some time to deduce their arrangement order."

Shi Hao nodded, endured the pain in his body, carefully observed the runes on the stone gate, memorizing their shapes and positions firmly in his mind.

Shi Yi sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to mentally deduce the order of the runes. The Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams Formation was ever-changing, and cracking it quickly was no easy task. But he knew this was their only hope, and he had to find the answer quickly.

As time passed, beads of sweat formed on Shi Yi's forehead, and his face grew paler. Shi Hao sat quietly beside him, protecting him.

Suddenly, Shi Yi opened his eyes sharply, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. "Found it!"

He stood up, walked to the stone gate, stretched out his fingers, and lit up the runes on the stone gate one by one according to the order he deduced in his mind.

As the last rune was lit, the runes on the stone gate glowed brightly, and a powerful energy wave spread out in all directions...

"Wait..." Shi Yi suddenly felt something was wrong. This energy fluctuation was completely different from the one when he opened the stone gate before. It was more violent and more dangerous.

He suddenly turned his head to look at Shi Hao, only to find that Shi Hao's eyes were also filled with fear...

"Big brother..."