From cannon fodder villain to beloved heroine

The symbol hovered in mid-air, its entire body pure white, yet it was not flawless. Instead, it was interwoven with countless fine lines, like an ancient incantation or some unknown script, exuding an aura of mystery.

It slowly rotates, with distorted light swirling around it, dazzling and mesmerizing, making it difficult to capture its true form.

Yan Ruyu and Xu Lin'an stared at the strange symbol, trying to decipher its meaning.

The two men frowned, completely focused, as if trying to etch the symbol into their minds.

The surroundings were completely silent, with only the faint sounds of each other's breathing and the subtle hum of the rotating symbols, like an ancient ballad or the whisper of death.

The air was filled with tension, like a taut string that could break at any moment.

Yan Ruyu subconsciously gripped Xu Lin'an's hand tightly; her fingertips were icy cold, but her palms were slightly sweaty.

Xu Lin'an grasped her hand in return, offering her silent comfort.

Suddenly, the surrounding space began to collapse.

The once still scenery began to distort and deform, and the earth cracked open with bottomless fissures, emitting a teeth-grinding grinding sound.

The distant mountains began to tilt, as if they might collapse at any moment.

The sky turned gloomy, with dark clouds and thunder and lightning, as if the end of the world had arrived.

"Oh no! The space is about to collapse!" Xu Lin'an's expression changed.

Yan Ruyu's heart was in her throat.

Time seemed to stretch out infinitely, and every second became incredibly long.

The surrounding environment grew darker and darker, and darkness surged in like a tide, engulfing everything around it.

"Yu'er, hold my hand tightly." Xu Lin'an's voice was exceptionally clear in the darkness, carrying an undeniable firmness.

“Lin’an…” Yan Ruyu grasped his hand tightly, feeling the warmth of his palm, and a strange power surged in her heart.

“Wait…” Yan Ruyu’s gaze suddenly fixed on the center of the symbol, and a subtle change made her heart skip a beat.

"I feel like I've seen this structure somewhere before..."

Yan Ruyu's almond-shaped eyes suddenly lit up, like fireworks exploding in the night sky, dazzling and brilliant.

“I remember now! The structure of this symbol is extremely similar to the star chart on the Starry Chessboard! Could it be…” Her excited voice trembled slightly, as if she had grasped a lifeline.

Upon hearing this, Xu Lin'an's previously tense handsome face relaxed. "Starry Chessboard? You mean, this symbol is the key to unlocking the Starry Chessboard?" His tone was filled with disbelief, yet also with hope.

The two looked at each other and saw the same excitement and determination in each other's eyes.

The initial dejected atmosphere vanished, replaced by a do-or-die courage and determination.

"Let's take a gamble!" Yan Ruyu said firmly, her eyes gleaming with confidence.

Xu Lin'an held Yan Ruyu's hand tightly with his strong hand, the warmth of his palm passing to her like a warm current flowing into her heart, dispelling her fear and unease.

His deep eyes were filled with trust and love as he said, “Yu’er,” as if to say that no matter what happens, he will face it with her.

Yan Ruyu gripped his hand tightly, her fingertips pressing down as she felt the strength in his palm, a strange sense of emotion welling up inside her.

Her resolute gaze seemed to echo his words, showing that she would not back down no matter what lay ahead.

Miraculously, the speed of the surrounding collapse seemed to slow down, and the distorted space gradually stabilized, as if infected by their determination and tacit understanding.

The deafening roar gradually subsided, leaving only a soft hum from the rotating symbols, like a requiem soothing their tense nerves.

Yan Ruyu took a deep breath, concentrated, and focused all her attention on the symbols in front of her.

She slowly reached out her hand, her fingertips lightly touching the center of the symbol, and a strange energy instantly surged into her body...

"Wait..." Xu Lin'an suddenly spoke, his eyes looking warily into the distance, his voice low and urgent.

Just as Yan Ruyu's fingertip touched the center of the symbol, preparing to unveil the mystery, a suffocating pressure suddenly descended.

The oppressive aura was like an invisible mountain, making it hard to breathe, and the surrounding space seemed to tremble.

"Hehehe..." A sinister laugh, like the roar of a demon from hell, echoed all around, making people's eardrums ache.

In the darkness, a blurry figure slowly emerged, like a ghost, exuding a chilling aura.

This aura is more than a hundred times stronger than before!

The mysterious figure blurred into a black lightning bolt and pounced towards Yan Ruyu and Xu Lin'an.

Its speed is so fast, it's like teleportation, making it impossible to defend against.

He conjured clusters of black energy balls in his hands, like the scythe of death, carrying an aura of destruction, and hurled them madly at the two of them.

"Damn, is this guy cheating?!" Yan Ruyu couldn't help but curse, and quickly pulled Xu Lin'an aside to avoid him.

Those energy balls crashed onto the ground, instantly corroding deep, bottomless pits that sent chills down one's spine.

Xu Lin'an dared not be careless at all. He brandished his long sword, the sword light like a rainbow, cutting through the darkness and colliding with the black energy ball, bursting out a series of ear-piercing roars.

He and Yan Ruyu stood back to back, cooperating perfectly to withstand wave after wave of fierce attacks from the mysterious man.

The aftershocks of the energy explosion turned the surrounding space upside down. The already precarious space became even more unbearable, cracking open with huge fissures, as if it would collapse completely at any moment.

The wind howled, and rocks flew everywhere. The entire space was like a giant meat grinder, ready to devour them at any moment.

"Yu'er, we can't keep taking this beating like this!" Xu Lin'an said to Yan Ruyu while parrying the attacks, his voice filled with anxiety.

Yan Ruyu knew she could no longer sit idly by and wait for her fate. She took a deep breath, and her eyes sharpened, like a drawn sword.

She concentrated the power within her body into her palm, and a powerful energy surged forth like a tide.

Xu Lin'an also released his own power at the same time, and the two powers merged together, emitting a dazzling light.

The light was dazzling, as radiant as the sun, instantly illuminating the entire dark space and sweeping away the surrounding darkness.

In the light, their power, love, and the power of the treasures they had previously acquired merged perfectly, unleashing an unprecedentedly powerful force.

This power, like a volcanic eruption, instantly shattered the black energy ball emitted by the mysterious man and recoiled back towards him.

Caught off guard, the mysterious man was forced to retreat by the powerful force, letting out a series of miserable howls.

"Wow, that was a great move!" Yan Ruyu exclaimed excitedly, a long-lost smile appearing on her face.

Xu Lin'an's lips also curled up slightly.

As their power increased, the symbol suspended in mid-air began to tremble, as if summoned by some force, emitting an even more dazzling light.

In an instant, the symbol transformed into a white beam of light, shooting into the sky and instantly engulfing the mysterious man's body.

"Ah! No!" The mysterious man let out a desperate scream, then vanished without a trace, as if he had never existed.

The symbols slowly dissipated, turning into specks of starlight that drifted into the air.

At the same time, the collapsed space around them gradually returned to calm, and everything returned to normal, as if everything that had just happened was just an illusion.

Yan Ruyu and Xu Lin'an looked at the world gradually returning to peace, their faces showing solemn and gratified expressions.

They knew they had succeeded; they had not only defeated the mysterious man but also unlocked the secrets of the symbols.

Next, they will make a crucial decision about the fate of the world, deciding its future.

The surrounding environment became peaceful and tranquil, and sunlight shone through the clouds, dispelling the previous darkness and oppression.

The entire space was filled with vitality and hope, as if foreshadowing a bright future.

But the story of Yan Ruyu and Xu Lin'an has only just begun...