Taking the opportunity of traveling through books

Bravely enter the vortex to explore the crisis

"Together." Hao Yang's voice was firm and powerful, like a reassurance, calming my anxiety. He held my hand tightly, the warmth of his palm conveying strength to me. I took a deep breath and nodded.

Hao Yang took his first step toward the vortex. In that instant, a powerful force pulled him in. He lurched, nearly being sucked into the center. I watched him struggle to steady himself, his forehead veins bulging, his clothes rustling as he fought against an invisible force.

"Hao Yang!" I exclaimed, and without caring about anything else, I immediately followed him in.

As soon as I entered the vortex, I felt as if all my strength had been stripped away. I felt powerless and overwhelmed by a strong sense of weightlessness, making it almost impossible to stand. Everything around me was spinning, the world was spinning, and I felt my internal organs were tangled up in a mess.

Hao Yang's condition didn't look much better than mine. He was pale, his lips were tightly pursed, and beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down his forehead.

"Are you okay?" I asked, suppressing my discomfort.

He shook his head and forced a smile: "I'm fine, just... a little dizzy."

At that moment, a nimble figure darted into the vortex. It was the mysterious spirit. She seemed much more adaptable than we were, weaving and sliding freely through the swirling energy stream like a nimble fish.

"The space in here is distorted," the elf explained, "so you will feel your sense of direction is lost and your strength is suppressed."

I tried to mobilize the power of the spirit bead to stabilize the surrounding space, but the power of the spirit bead was also limited here. It could only barely maintain a small range and could not completely offset the influence of the vortex.

"It seems that we have to find a way to leave here as soon as possible," I said, "otherwise, we will be trapped here and die."

Hao Yang nodded and looked around. The light was dim, and the air was filled with a strange, nauseating smell. The space was distorted, and all the scenery was deformed and elongated, looking strange and terrifying.

Suddenly, the elf cried out: "Be careful!"

Before I could react, I felt a cold breath approaching...

An icy chill instantly touched my back. I instinctively tried to dodge, but found my body heavy as lead, unable to move. At the critical moment, Hao Yang suddenly pushed me away, and he himself faced the cold attack.

I saw a translucent, human-shaped phantom, with a sharp whistle, suddenly crashing into Hao Yang's chest. Hao Yang groaned, his body flying backwards like a kite with a broken string, and fell heavily to the ground, motionless.

"Hao Yang!" I screamed and rushed to his side. My heart felt like it was being tightly grasped by an invisible hand, almost suffocating. His face was frighteningly pale, his eyes were closed, and his breathing was weak.

"He was simply stunned by the phantom's energy shockwave," the elf's voice echoed in my ears, "but if he continues to stay here, he will soon be swallowed by the vortex's power."

I gritted my teeth, fought back my tears, and helped Hao Yang up. Damn it! I have to find a way to get out of here!

At this moment, more phantoms emerged from the distorted space, emitting sharp roars and rushing towards us like a group of bloodthirsty beasts. I protected Hao Yang behind me and mobilized the weak power of the spirit pearl to form a weak barrier in front of me.

"These are the guardians of the ruins," the elf explained as he nimbly dodged the phantom's attacks. "They are afterimages of energy, guarding the core secrets of the ruins."

Guardians? In other words, only by finding their core can we stop the attacks?

While fending off the phantom's attacks, I diligently observed my surroundings, hoping to find some clue. However, the space within the vortex was distorted, everything warped and stretched, making it difficult to discern. Every time I approached what looked like a clue, I was pushed away by an invisible force.

A feeling of despair began to spread. Are we really going to be trapped here and die?

I looked down at the unconscious Hao Yang. His face was getting paler and his lips were cracked. No, I can't give up!

Just as I was about to despair, I suddenly noticed a faint glow emanating from Hao Yang's body. This light flickered, and it resonated strangely with the phantoms attacking us. I reached out and gently touched the light, and a warm feeling came from my fingertips.

What on earth is this light?

I straightened Hao Yang and carefully observed the light around him, realizing it seemed to be emanating from a jade pendant on his chest. The jade pendant was of a simple, ancient style, engraved with runes I couldn't decipher. My heart was struck. These runes... seemed very similar to the ones I'd seen at the entrance to the ruins!

Could it be... that this jade pendant is the key to unlocking all this?

I reached out and grasped the jade pendant, and a strange energy flowed through my fingertips into my body. I felt the spirit pearl in my body tremble slightly, as if responding to this energy.

"This..." I muttered to myself, an inexplicable premonition welling up in my heart. This jade pendant might be more important than I thought...

I began to carefully study the light on Hao Yang's body. This light...