Miler, who has a system for giving up

"Guardian?" I repeated in astonishment, my face full of disbelief. "Then what could have possibly led him to become a guardian of these ruins?"

Tianzang took a deep breath, as if to calm the turmoil in his heart, and then continued, "On his deathbed, Protector Niu made a shocking decision—he resolutely chose to become the guardian of this ruin. He intertwined his life with this ruin, wholeheartedly protecting its secrets. And this key was actually a rare treasure owned by the person he loved most in his life."

Hearing this, the doubts in my heart finally dissipated like a fog. So this is why the Ultimate Guardian was so friendly to us!

This key is not only crucial for unlocking the ruins, but also a bond of affection between the guardian and his beloved, like a shining silver thread connecting the past and the present.

Although the guard had lost consciousness, his inner instincts, like a dormant volcano, continued to drive him to have a special feeling for the key.

"Therefore, he naturally won't attack us."

Tianzang continued, his voice like a sharp sword piercing the darkness and silence, "simply because what we hold tightly in our hands is what he cherishes most."

I nodded emphatically, my heart overflowing with emotion.

At that moment, the surrounding environment began to shake violently without warning, as if the whole world was collapsing and about to fall.

Along with the tremors, mysterious runes began to flash on the wall, like stars twinkling in the night sky.

It emitted a faint light, appearing particularly eerie in the darkness, as if it were a mysterious symbol from the underworld.

"not good!"

Tianzang's expression changed drastically, and he cried out in alarm, his voice like a startled nightingale, "Our fight just now may have triggered a deeper mechanism within the ruins. Everyone, be extremely careful and follow my steps closely. You absolutely cannot make a single wrong step, or something even more terrifying might be released!"

His voice revealed a hint of tension and anxiety, like a cold wind that chilled our hearts and made us feel fear as well.

However, at this critical moment of life and death, we had no choice but to follow closely behind Tianzang as if walking on thin ice, daring not to slacken our efforts in the slightest.

We walked cautiously, each step feeling like we were stepping on a knife's edge, afraid that a single misstep would plunge us into an abyss of no return and trigger unknown dangers.

The guard, however, remained standing quietly to the side, like a statue, seemingly oblivious to the surrounding tremors and runes.

As we ventured deeper into the ruins, the scenery ahead became increasingly breathtaking.

Suddenly, a majestic stone gate stood before us like a giant, towering into the clouds as if reaching the heavens, a bridge connecting heaven and earth.

The stone gate is covered with strange patterns, which are as intricate and dazzling as a maze, seemingly hiding some profound secret, like the code of the universe waiting for us to decipher.

Tianzang stared wide-eyed, observing the stone gate with the focused attention of a hawk, not missing a single detail, as if trying to see through the stone gate.

After careful examination, he finally discovered the key to opening the stone door—it seemed to be closely related to the key in his hand, like a golden key to unlock a mysterious treasure.

We carefully brought the key close to a groove on the stone door, and the moment the key touched the groove, a miracle happened.

The stone gate seemed to come alive, slowly opening with a deep rumble, like a giant beast that had been sleeping for thousands of years being awakened, letting out a roar that shook the heavens and the earth.

As the stone gate opened, an ancient and mysterious aura rushed out like a clear spring.

It has a flavor that has weathered the vicissitudes of time, inspiring awe and making one feel as if they have traveled through time and returned to ancient times.

However, just as we were about to step through the stone gate, an unexpected incident suddenly occurred.

A powerful force, like a surging wave, erupted from the stone gate. Caught off guard, we were violently thrown backward by this force, as powerless as fallen leaves in the wind.

This force came on strong and unstoppable, as if it were the last impregnable line of defense set up by the ruins to protect their deeper secrets.

"What exactly is going on with Tianzang?"

Everyone looked at Tianzang with suspicion, eager to know the whole story.

Tianzang scratched his head blankly, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "I'm so sorry, everyone. I was just a kid back then, and I was so tired and sleepy when I got here. My eyelids felt like they were being weighed down by a thousand pounds, and I just couldn't keep them open. Then I drifted off to sleep. As for what my grandfather and the others did afterward, I really have no idea. But is everyone alright? Has anyone been hurt?"

His gaze swept across the crowd, a look of worry on his face.

Just when everyone was at a loss, the guards who had been standing quietly suddenly moved.

He slowly walked to the stone gate, placed his hands on it, and let out a low roar.

That powerful force miraculously weakened.

Tianzang's eyes lit up, and he shouted, "It seems the guards can help us suppress this force! Everyone, let's rush in now!"

We gritted our teeth and struggled forward with our remaining strength.

As soon as you step through the stone gate, a huge circular space appears before you, with a crystal ball emitting multicolored light floating in the center.

Before we could even get close, the crystal ball suddenly shot out beams of light, forming a huge light curtain that separated us.

After careful observation, Tianzang said, "This light screen may need a key to break through."

We quickly handed over the key, but as soon as it touched the light screen, it was bounced back by a force.

Just then, the guard let out a roar, and the light emanating from his body resonated with the light barrier, causing a crack to appear in the barrier.

We seized the opportunity and squeezed through the gap with all our might...

Once inside the light curtain, the crystal ball's light grew even stronger, almost blinding people.

Suddenly, a phantom image appeared in the crystal ball, which was actually the appearance of the Bull Protector in his previous life.

His voice drifted over: "Intruders, if you can pass my test, you may take away the secrets of this place."

As soon as he finished speaking, countless phantoms appeared all around us, all of them ferocious monsters, baring their fangs and claws as they pounced on us.

Tianzang shouted, "Everyone, fight side by side! Don't panic!"

We quickly formed our battle formation and engaged in a fierce battle with the phantom monsters.

The guard joined in, and his power seemed to be further amplified, causing the phantoms to dissipate wherever he went.

After a fierce battle, we finally defeated the phantom.

The image of the Bull Protector reappeared, revealing a gratified expression: "You have passed the test, and the secrets of this ruin are now entrusted to you to guard."

As soon as the words were spoken, the crystal ball shone brightly, and a surge of information flooded into our minds—the truth about the mysterious power behind the ruins.

At this moment, the entire ruins began to tremble slowly, as if it had completed its mission and was about to close.

Carrying the secret, we quickly left the ruins under the escort of the guards...

However, it is regrettable that this ruin was unexpectedly swept into the spacetime black hole!

It vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.

Faced with such a bizarre situation, people have no idea where it went or whether there is any chance of finding it again.

This spacetime black hole is like a bottomless abyss, swallowing everything and leaving people feeling desperate and helpless.

We were incredibly lucky. If the guard hadn't led us out, even if we had risked being punished by the heavens and stubbornly used our divine power, we might not have been able to get out of that place smoothly.

After landing, Tianzang stared intently and saw that the body of the bull guard was as ethereal and illusory as smoke, as if it could be blown away by a gentle breeze and disappear into nothingness at any moment.

What surprised him even more was that the bull guard's gaze seemed to be drawn to a magnet, remaining fixed on the strangely shaped key in his hand, as if he were under a spell.

Tianzang's heart trembled. He suddenly realized that perhaps Protector Niu had regained his memory and was still thinking about the thing he longed for day and night.

Without the slightest hesitation, he carefully handed the key to the bull guard as if it were a priceless treasure, and said softly, "Bull Guardian, you can leave in peace. Your mission has been successfully completed."

As Tianzang's voice faded, Niu Shouwei's previously blurry body suddenly became clear as if by magic, and his eyes were no longer hazy, but sparkling with gratitude and relief.

His movements were slow and hesitant, as if reaching out would bring endless consequences.

When his fingers finally touched the key that Tianzang handed him, a heavy feeling instantly spread throughout his body, as if he had not received an ordinary key, but a heavy responsibility and mission.

He gripped the key tightly, as if afraid it would suddenly fly away.

The key seemed so small in his hand, yet so important, as if it carried the weight of the entire world.

Niu Shouwei took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, letting out a long sigh of relief.

His shoulders seemed to relax as a result of this movement, and his previously tense body gradually relaxed as well.

Finally, the bull guard raised his head and nodded slightly to Tianzang, a silent farewell.

His figure gradually became transparent in the air, like smoke blown away by a gust of wind, slowly disappearing from people's sight.

As his figure completely disappeared, the surrounding air seemed to become heavy, as if his departure had taken something important with him.

However, what he left behind was not just a mysterious legend, but also an indescribable feeling that lingers in people's memories.

Just as the bull guard's figure completely disappeared, a crisp tinkling sound suddenly rang out in the air. The sound was so abrupt that it startled everyone.

Everyone's gaze followed the direction of the sound, and there lay the key quietly on the hard ground, emitting a faint light.

The falling of the key was like a signal, announcing the end of the bull guard's past.

It lay there, all alone, as if telling a story unknown to anyone.

Tianzang silently walked over, bent down, and picked up the irregularly shaped key.

He gently patted away the nonexistent dust, then carefully put the key away as if it were an incomparably precious treasure.

After Tianzang put away the key, everyone swarmed around him like a tide.

"Since these ruins have fallen into the spacetime black hole, does that mean we've successfully completed our mission?"

Qin Yimeng's beautiful eyes sparkled, her lips parted slightly, and she asked softly.

Tianzang nodded slightly, but then shook his head vigorously, "Logically speaking, that is indeed the case, but there is still the copy that has not been processed, so it cannot be considered a complete success. It can only be said that the most crucial part has been completed."

Just then, a strange light suddenly burst forth in the distance, and a figure appeared faintly within the light.

Everyone was on high alert, adopting defensive stances as solid as an impregnable fortress.

The figure drew closer and closer, as if walking out of a fairyland; it was a woman dressed in ancient costume with two small horns on her head.

Her gaze, like two bolts of lightning, fell directly on the key in Tianzang's hand, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, like a brilliant shooting star in the night sky.

"We've finally found it."

The woman parted her lips slightly, her voice clear and melodious, like a nightingale singing in a valley.

Tianzang gripped the key tightly, as if protecting his own offspring, and asked warily, "Who are you? Why are you looking for this key?"

The woman smiled gently, like a spring flower in bloom. "I am a descendant of the beloved one of Protector Niu. Protector Niu is my great-grandfather. Now that the ruins have disappeared, I was able to sense their presence. You must be Prince Tianzang, one of the candidates from the demon realm this time, right?"

Tianzang and the others exchanged glances, their hearts filled with hesitation and confusion.

But considering the connection between the key and the woman, he ultimately handed it to her as if it were a priceless treasure.

The woman took the key as if it were a priceless treasure. After thanking everyone, she floated away like a fairy, disappearing in a dazzling ray of light.

As everyone gazed in the direction she disappeared, their hearts were filled with emotion. This journey through the ruins, like an epic tale, had finally come to a perfect end.

On our way back to the human world, we learned that the Bull Protector had mistakenly believed his beloved had perished, but a god happened to be passing by and snatched her back from the clutches of death.

By the time his beloved awoke, years had passed in the blink of an eye, and the Bull Protector was already on the verge of death.

She finally awoke from her deep sleep, but unexpectedly, she had completely lost all her memories related to the Bull Protector!

However, the wheels of fate did not stop turning.