Chapter 19: Exploration of the Ruins

Kyle, Alicia, and the mysterious person stood on this mysterious planet covered in mist. A strange atmosphere pervaded the surroundings. Gigantic rocks jutted out in various shapes. Under the glow of the faint blue light, they cast mottled shadows, as if countless pairs of eyes were lurking in the dark, watching them. The twisted plants that emitted a faint glow swayed gently in the breeze, making a rustling sound, as if whispering ancient secrets.

Kyle looked at the scene in front of him, feeling both nervous and excited. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "The ruin must be nearby. Let's start looking," he said, clenching his fists, his eyes filled with determination.

Alicia nodded slightly, her eyes scanning the surroundings warily. "Everyone, be careful. The environment here looks dangerous. There might be unknown traps everywhere." Her hand instinctively rested on a device at her waist, her secret weapon for dealing with unexpected situations.

The mysterious person remained silent. His eyes were deep and mysterious, as if he could see through the thick mist. He walked forward slowly, his steps light and steady, as if he was measuring the land with each step. Suddenly, he stopped, his gaze falling on a strange pattern on the ground. The pattern was composed of complex lines and symbols, which looked like some ancient writing or a mysterious guide.

Kyle and Alicia quickly walked over when they saw this. Kyle crouched down and examined the pattern carefully. A sense of familiarity welled up in his heart. "These symbols... I feel like I've seen them somewhere before." He tried hard to recall, and the mysterious symbols that appeared when he was controlling the stardust power flashed through his mind.

The mysterious person didn't speak. He just watched Kyle quietly, with a hint of anticipation in his eyes. After a while, he reached out and gently touched the pattern. The moment his fingers touched the pattern, the ground suddenly started to shake. The surrounding rocks rumbled dully, as if awakened by some huge force.

"Not good! We've triggered a mechanism!" Alicia shouted. She quickly pulled Kyle back. They saw the ground slowly split open, revealing a bottomless black hole. A powerful suction force came from the hole, trying to suck the three of them in.

Kyle steadied himself and concentrated on mobilizing the stardust power. The stardust power surged rapidly in his body, gathering in his hands and emitting a dazzling light. He pushed his hands forward, and a stardust energy barrier formed instantly, blocking the powerful suction force. "Hurry up and think of a way. I can't hold on for long like this!" Kyle said through gritted teeth, his forehead covered in sweat.

The mysterious person still looked calm. He walked around the edge of the black hole, his eyes constantly scanning the surrounding environment. Suddenly, he noticed some twinkling spots on the cave wall. These spots were arranged in a strange order, as if hinting at something. The mysterious person had an idea. He quickly took out a small instrument from his pocket and scanned the spots.

The instrument emitted a faint light, and data scrolled quickly on the screen. Looking at the display on the instrument, the mysterious person's mouth curved slightly, as if he had found the key to cracking the mechanism. He shouted to Kyle and Alicia, "Kyle, keep maintaining the barrier! Alicia, look at these spots. Shoot them in this order with your energy gun!" Then, he showed Alicia the order displayed on the instrument.

Alicia didn't hesitate. She took out her energy gun and shot at the spots on the cave wall one by one according to the order indicated by the mysterious person. Each time a spot was hit, the suction force of the black hole weakened a bit. Kyle felt the pressure gradually ease, but he still gritted his teeth and continued to strengthen the stardust energy barrier.

Finally, as the last spot was hit, the black hole slowly closed, and the ground returned to normal. Kyle let out a sigh of relief and sat down on the ground wearily. The consumption of the stardust power made him feel weak. "Phew, it's finally over," he said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

The mysterious person walked up to Kyle, reached out his hand, and helped him up. "You did a great job, Kyle. But this is just the beginning. The following mechanisms might be even more dangerous." There was a hint of worry in his eyes, but more of it was trust in Kyle.

Kyle nodded and stood up. "I know. I'll be careful," he said. Looking at the mysterious person, he was filled with doubts. This mysterious person seemed to know everything about this place. Who was he? Why was he so familiar with these mechanisms? But now wasn't the time to ask. They had to keep moving forward.

The three of them continued to explore the land. Before long, they discovered a huge stone gate. The stone gate was engraved with all kinds of mysterious symbols and patterns. These symbols and patterns were intertwined, forming mysterious pictures. The pictures seemed to depict the birth of the universe, the origin of the stardust, and the rise and fall of some ancient civilizations.

Kyle walked up to the stone gate and examined these symbols and patterns carefully. He found that some of the symbols were similar to the mysterious symbols of the stardust power he had seen before, as if they were telling the secrets of the stardust power. He concentrated again, trying to use the stardust power to interpret these symbols.

The stardust power flowed in his body, and his eyes sparkled. Gradually, he felt a subtle connection with these symbols. He seemed to be able to understand the information conveyed by these symbols. "These symbols seem to say that only by passing the test can we enter the interior of the ruin," Kyle said.

Alicia and the mysterious person looked at each other and nodded. "It seems we're going to face a new challenge," Alicia said, clenching the weapon in her hand, ready for battle.

The mysterious person walked to the side of the stone gate and began to check the surrounding environment carefully. He found a sunken place next to the stone gate, and its shape fit exactly with an item in his hand. He had an idea. He took out the item and placed it in the depression. Instantly, a beam of light lit up around the stone gate, and an illusory image appeared in front of them.

In the image, an ancient figure appeared. He was wearing a magnificent robe, and his eyes were deep and mysterious. "Outsiders, you've come here in search of the secrets of the stardust. If you want to enter the ruin, you must pass my test," the ancient figure's voice was low and hoarse, as if it had traveled through endless time and space.

Kyle stepped forward and said, "We're willing to take the test!" His eyes were firm, full of courage.

The ancient figure nodded slightly and said, "Very well. Next, you will face a series of puzzles and challenges. Each puzzle is closely related to the stardust power. Only by using the stardust power and your wisdom can you solve them."

After saying that, the ancient figure disappeared, replaced by rays of light shooting out from the stone gate, forming a huge maze in front of them. The walls of the maze were flashing with various mysterious symbols and patterns. These symbols and patterns kept changing, as if trying to interfere with their vision.

Kyle looked at the maze in front of him and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and concentrated on feeling the flow of the stardust power. With the help of the stardust power, he could sense the direction of the energy flow in the maze. The flow of that energy seemed to resonate with the stardust power.

"Follow me. I can sense the right direction," Kyle said, leading the way into the maze. Alicia and the mysterious person followed closely behind him, watching the surroundings warily.

In the maze, they encountered various mechanisms and traps. Sometimes, the ground would suddenly collapse, revealing sharp spikes. Sometimes, the walls would shoot out energy beams to attack them. But Kyle, with his use of the stardust power and keen perception, led them to avoid danger time and time again.

During one of the attempts to avoid a trap, Kyle noticed a strange phenomenon. When he used the stardust power, some of the surrounding symbols would emit a faint light. These lights seemed to be guiding him in the right direction. He had an idea and started to observe these symbols carefully, moving forward along the direction indicated by the lights.

Sure enough, they passed one difficulty after another smoothly. During this process, Kyle's understanding of the stardust power grew deeper. He discovered that the stardust power was not only a powerful force but also a bridge to communicate with everything in the universe. Through the stardust power, he could feel the changes in the surrounding environment and understand the information conveyed by those ancient symbols.

Finally, they reached the end of the maze. At the end, there was a huge stone platform. On the stone platform was placed a glowing crystal ball. A circle of mysterious symbols surrounded the crystal ball. These symbols kept flashing, releasing powerful energy fluctuations.

Kyle walked up to the stone platform and reached out to touch the crystal ball. The moment his hand touched the crystal ball, a powerful force poured into his body, and countless images flashed through his mind. In these images, there were magnificent scenes of stardust flying in the universe, scenes of ancient civilizations creating miracles with the stardust power, and some mysterious knowledge about the stardust power and methods of using its power.

Kyle was immersed in these images. His body trembled slightly, and a look of surprise appeared on his face. Alicia and the mysterious person watched Kyle, filled with curiosity and anticipation. They didn't know what Kyle was seeing, but they could feel that Kyle was going through an important transformation.

When Kyle came back to his senses, his eyes became brighter and full of confidence. "I finally understand. The secrets of the stardust power are even more profound than I thought," he said, looking at Alicia and the mysterious person.

The mysterious person nodded slightly, a glimmer of relief flashing in his eyes. "Very good, Kyle. You've grown a lot during this exploration. But this is just the tip of the iceberg of the secrets of the stardust power. We still have a long way to go." There seemed to be a deeper meaning in his words, as if hinting that there were more challenges and secrets waiting for them to uncover in the future.

Kyle clenched his fists and said firmly, "No matter how many difficulties there are, I won't give up. I will uncover all the secrets of the stardust power and safeguard the peace of the universe!"

At this moment, the stone gate slowly opened, and an ancient and mysterious aura rushed towards them from the inside.