Beast Taming Star Journey

Darkness engulfed me. After a dizzying spin, I crashed heavily to the ground, my body aching all over. When I regained my senses, I found myself in an unfamiliar environment. It was a huge stone chamber, the walls of which were covered with strange runes that emitted a faint glow. A damp, oppressive atmosphere filled the air.

"Nong Yu! Are you alright?"

Su Yao's anxious voice came from the side. I turned my head and saw that Su Yao, Wu Gang, and his companions had also appeared in the stone chamber.

Boss Zhao and his men were nowhere to be seen. It seems we were teleported deep into the ruins and escaped them.

"I am fine."

I rubbed my sore arm and stood up. "Looks like we've entered the ruins."

Wu Gang looked around, his brow furrowed: "This looks like a maze."

As soon as he finished speaking, the floor in the center of the stone chamber suddenly cracked open, and a stone platform rose up, on which was placed an ancient parchment scroll.

Wu Gang carefully picked up the parchment scroll, unfolded it, and saw a complex maze map drawn on it, along with some strange symbols.

"This is a map of the maze."

Wu Gang said, "It seems that if we want to get out, we must unravel the secrets of this maze."

Following the map's directions, we carefully entered the maze. A thick fog filled the air, obscuring our vision.

Every step we took was filled with uncertainty, and the echoing silence only intensified our anxiety.

We could hear the sound of dripping water coming from somewhere in the darkness, a sound so close it was unsettling. The air grew colder, and goosebumps rose on my arms.

We walked for what seemed like hours, the fog seeming to swirl around us, whispering secrets we couldn't understand.

The walls of the labyrinth were smooth and cold, occasionally decorated with the same glowing runes we had seen in the first stone chamber.

The silence was broken only by the sound of our footsteps and the occasional tense cough. Suddenly, a chilling scream ripped through the air.

A young woman, dressed in tattered and dirty clothes, stumbled out of the fog, her eyes wide with fear.

"help me!"

She shouted and charged at us.

"There...there's something there!"

Before we could react, the ground beneath our feet began to tremble. The walls started to move, and a section of the maze in front of us collapsed, revealing a hidden passage.

From inside, we heard a deep roar that sent chills down our spines.

The young woman, who identified herself as Lin Wan'er, is a villager from a nearby village. She explained that she was exploring the ruins when the earthquake struck.

She got separated from her group and had been lost ever since. We continued deeper into the maze, Lin Wan'er gripping Wu Gang's arm tightly, her body trembling.

The fog thickened, making it almost impossible to see more than a few feet ahead. The air grew heavy, filled with an unseen energy.

Suddenly, a clicking sound echoed in the stone chamber. The ground beneath our feet tilted, and we stumbled.

Before we could regain our balance, countless sharp spikes shot out from the wall, whizzing past us.

We scattered, desperately trying to avoid the deadly projectiles.

I pushed Lin Wan'er away from a particularly large, sharp thorn. As the thorn grazed my arm, I felt a sharp pain.

"Everyone, come to the back of me!"

Su Yao shouted and drew her sword. The blade gleamed brightly, deflecting some of the incoming spikes.

"There must be a way to stop this!"

Amid the commotion, Wu Gang shouted, frantically searching the walls for any signs of a trap.

Spikes continued to rain down on us, and the ground was now covered with these deadly projectiles.

My heart was pounding in my chest. I scanned the walls, looking for any signs... and so on.

There, almost invisible in the dim light, was a small dent on the stone…

"Su Yao," I shouted, pointing at the dent, "I think that's the mechanism!"

The spikes continued their relentless assault, making it difficult to even get close to the wall. Su Yao's sword moved like a phantom, managing to carve out a small safe zone around me.

"Come on!"

She called out, her voice tense.

"I'll cover you!"

I crawled toward the dent, the ground slippery from dust and other things...something sticky and slightly sweet.

Ignoring the pervasive stench of blood in the air, I climbed to the wall and reached my hand into the small dent. It was the perfect size.

I turned it, expecting to encounter resistance, but it turned smoothly and returned to its original position with a soft click. The spikes stopped attacking.

A heavy, thick silence enveloped the room, broken only by our heavy breathing. We stood there for a while, panting, our adrenaline slowly subsiding.

Then, there was a soft thud. I turned around and saw Su Yao lying on the ground, her ankle twisted beneath her body.

"Su Yao!"

I rushed to her side and knelt down beside her.

"Are you OK?"

She winced in pain when I gently examined her ankle.

“I think it’s just a sprain,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. “It will be fine.”

When I helped her up, her body brushed against me. Instinctively, I reached out and hugged her to steady her, and for a moment, she was in my arms.

Her body was warm, and her breath was intoxicating. Her face was flushed from exertion or perhaps for other reasons, and it was only inches away from mine.

Her eyes were big and bright, and when our eyes met, my heart pounded in my chest.

The lingering fear brought on by the spikes was replaced by another kind of tension, and a warm current seemed to flow between us.

This moment was stretched out, filled with indescribable emotions. Then, she sighed softly, broke free, and a faint blush crept up her neck.

We helped each other to our feet, the silence thick with unspoken words. Wu Gang, pale-faced, leaned against the wall, his hand covering his side.

He had a long gash on his arm, but otherwise seemed unharmed. Just then, a whimper came from the shadows.

We turned to look in the direction of the sound, our hearts racing again, this time with a different kind of fear.

Lin Wan'er huddled in a corner of the secret room, hiding behind a fallen pillar.

She was trembling, her eyes wide with fear, clutching a tattered little rag doll tightly. Seeing her, we had a horrifying realization.

We are not alone in this maze. Something else has been watching us, waiting in the shadows. It was this thing that made Lin Wan'er scream.

This thing might still be lurking nearby. We cautiously approached her, with Wu Gang leading the way, drawing his sword.

As we approached, we noticed something strange about the wall behind her. It seemed to be shimmering, as if heat was emanating from it.

Wu Gang reached out to touch it, and his hand passed right through the seemingly solid stone. His eyes widened in surprise.

“This…this is an illusion,” he whispered, his voice barely audible.

He pushed hard, and the wall rippled like water, revealing a dark passage behind it.

"The entrance to the treasure vault..."