Beast Taming Star Journey

We passed through the shimmering, illusory walls and entered a narrow passage. The air was thick with the scent of ancient dust, making us hold our breath. The walls on either side of the passage were covered with strange runes, shimmering with an eerie light, like some ancient script telling a story of forgotten history. I couldn't resist reaching out to touch them, and a cool sensation ran through my fingertips.

"careful!"

Su Yao grabbed my hand and scanned our surroundings warily. "Something feels off here."

I nodded, also feeling a strange sense of oppression. The passage was eerily quiet, with only the faint echoes of our footsteps, adding to the unsettling atmosphere.

At the end of the passage was a huge stone door, carved with intricate patterns. A powerful energy fluctuation seeped out from the cracks in the door, making one's heart tremble.

"This is the entrance to the treasure chamber."

Wu Gang's voice trembled slightly, his eyes gleaming with excitement. We walked to the stone gate, and Wu Gang carefully examined the patterns on it, trying to figure out how to open it.

He tried pushing with his hands, hacking with his sword, and even trying to use the power of his beasts, but the stone gate remained unmoved, as if it were integrated with the entire mountain range.

"No, this door is sealed by some powerful force."

Wu Gang shook his head helplessly, his face even paler. His attempt to forcefully open the stone door seemed to have aggravated his old injuries, and large beads of sweat slid down his forehead.

"Let me try."

Su Yao stepped forward and summoned her tamed beast, a male lion engulfed in flames.

The lion let out a deafening roar and rammed into the stone gate, but the result was the same as Wu Gang's: the stone gate remained unresponsive.

We fell silent, and the atmosphere grew heavy. Lin Wan'er clutched her rag doll tightly, her eyes filled with fear.

I also felt a sense of powerlessness. Were we going to go back empty-handed like this? Just then, I noticed that the patterns on the stone gate seemed to be flickering slightly, as if they were breathing.

I went closer to observe and found that these patterns were not static, but were slowly moving and combining into different shapes.

"Wait, these patterns..."

I pointed to the patterns on the stone gate, and a bold idea suddenly popped into my head: "They look like... a key!"

I placed my hand on the stone door and tried to infuse my spiritual power into it, following the movement of the pattern.

A strange energy surged from my palm, flowing along the patterns on the stone door, and finally converging into a circular groove in the center of the stone door.

The stone door trembled slightly, but still did not open.

"It seems my thinking was wrong."

I withdrew my hand somewhat disappointedly and sighed.

No, you are not wrong.

Su Yao walked to my side, her eyes sparkling. "You've found a way, but... you're still missing one thing."

She reached out and placed a crystal-clear stone in my hand.

"This is……"

I looked at the stone in my hand and felt a powerful energy surging within it.

“This is something I brought from my family; it’s said to be able to unlock some ancient seals.”

Su Yao explained.

I placed the stone into the groove in the center of the stone gate. The stone emitted a dazzling light, and the patterns on the stone gate began to spin rapidly, emitting a buzzing sound.

Just then, a clear voice came from deep within the passage: "Who, who has disturbed my slumber?"

The stone in my hand shone even brighter, and the stone door opened with a loud bang. An ancient and powerful aura rushed out, causing me to involuntarily take a few steps back.

Deep within the passage, a figure gradually emerged. It was a semi-transparent elf, petite in stature, with a pair of shimmering wings on its back, like a creature from a dream.

It floated in the air, curiously observing us with a hint of wariness on its face.

"I am the guardian spirit of these ruins," its clear voice echoed through the passage. "Who are you? Why do you disturb my slumber?"

I took a deep breath and tried to keep myself calm.

“Respected elf, we mean no harm. We simply wish to explore these ruins and learn more about the history of this world.”

The elf tilted its head, seemingly pondering my words.

"History? You mortals are always full of curiosity about the past. However, the secrets of this ruin are not something that just anyone can know."

“We know,” I said sincerely, “we respect the history of this land, and we respect you. We just hope to get your guidance so that we can understand this site more deeply.”

I noticed a flicker of hesitation in the elf's eyes.

I pressed my advantage and continued, "We know you've been guarding this site for a long time and must be very lonely. Perhaps we can become your friends and listen to your story."

My words seemed to touch the elf's heartstrings.

It paused for a moment, then slowly said, "Friend... it's been a long time since anyone has said that."

It flew around us once and finally stopped in front of me. "Alright, I can feel your sincerity. I can tell you some secrets about this ruin, but you must promise me that you will not reveal these secrets."

I agreed without hesitation. The elf nodded in satisfaction, then extended a slender finger and pointed to a pattern on the stone gate.

"This pattern is the key to unlocking the treasure chamber. However, it requires a special kind of energy to activate."

It paused, then continued, "This kind of energy can only be possessed by those with pure hearts."

It looked at me, its eyes sparkling.

"You possess this energy."

I felt a jolt in my heart, and a warm current surged through my body. I reached out and infused my spiritual power into the pattern.

This time, the pattern did not resist; instead, it emitted a dazzling light, reflecting off the stone in my hand. The stone door roared and opened completely.

Just as we were about to enter the secret room, a commotion erupted at the entrance of the passage. A group of people, armed with weapons, stormed in menacingly.

"They're Chen Fushang's men!"

Lin Wan'er exclaimed in surprise and hid behind Su Yao.

The leader was a burly man who glared at us fiercely and sneered, "I didn't expect you to find this place. Hand over the clues, and I'll spare your lives!"

Su Yao sneered and stood in front of me.

"You'd better see if you have the ability to steal our things!"

The tension was palpable, with both sides on the verge of conflict. The secret treasure chamber was right before them; how could they break the deadlock and enter?

I gripped the stone tightly, feeling the energy surging within it, and whispered to Su Yao, "It seems we need to deal with these troubles first..."