Chapter 20: Dangerous Traps

As the stone gate slowly opened, an ancient and mysterious aura rushed towards them, carrying the weight of the years and the danger of the unknown. Kyle, Alicia, and the mysterious person exchanged a look, took a deep breath, and stepped into the depths of the ruin.

Inside the ruin, the light was dim. Strange lights flickered on the walls, coming from the glowing crystals inlaid on them. These crystals were arranged irregularly, as if telling ancient stories. The passage was narrow and deep. The ground under their feet was paved with huge stone slabs, and every step they took echoed dully.

Kyle walked in the front, his eyes full of vigilance. He tightly held the weapon condensed with the stardust power in his hand. Alicia followed closely behind, her energy gun ready, prepared to deal with any unexpected situation at any time. The mysterious person quietly trailed them, his eyes deep, as if observing everything around him or thinking about something.

They moved forward cautiously along the passage, and the atmosphere around them became more and more oppressive. Suddenly, Kyle felt an unusual energy fluctuation. He immediately stopped and looked around warily. "Everyone, be careful. I sense danger," he said in a low voice, and his voice echoed in the silent passage.

Alicia and the mysterious person also stopped and took up defensive postures. At that moment, numerous small holes suddenly appeared on the walls on both sides of the passage. Rays of energy beams shot out from the holes, heading straight for the three of them. These energy beams were extremely fast, accompanied by sharp whistling sounds, instantly enveloping them.

"Quick, dodge!" Kyle shouted. At the same time, he quickly mobilized the stardust power. The stardust power surged in his body and instantly condensed into a solid shield, tightly protecting him. Alicia reacted quickly. She sidestepped and hid behind a huge rock. Then, she raised her energy gun and counterattacked in the direction where the energy beams were coming from. The mysterious person's figure flashed and disappeared in an instant, like a ghost. When he reappeared, he was already on the other side of the passage. A weapon that emitted a faint light appeared in his hand somehow. He shot strange rays at those small holes, trying to interfere with the launch of the energy beams.

Kyle tried his best to maintain the stardust shield. The energy beams kept hitting the shield, splashing sparks and making ear - piercing noises. Each impact made Kyle feel a powerful force, causing his arms to tremble slightly and his forehead to be covered in sweat. But he gritted his teeth, his eyes firm. There was only one thought in his mind: he couldn't be trapped by this trap.

"Kyle, hold on! I'll help you!" Alicia shouted. She leaned out from behind the rock and continuously fired powerful energy bullets from her energy gun. These energy bullets hit the small holes on the wall, triggering a series of explosions and temporarily suppressing the launch of the energy beams.

However, this was only a short - lived respite. Soon, more small holes appeared on the walls, and the energy beams shot out like a rainstorm, even more intense than before. Kyle felt that the pressure on the stardust shield was getting greater and greater, and it might break at any moment. He took a deep breath, concentrated all his mental power, and tried to push the stardust power to its limit.

In this critical moment, Kyle suddenly remembered his new understanding of the stardust power in the ruin's maze. He closed his eyes. Instead of just using the stardust power for defense, he tried to establish a connection with the surrounding energy. He felt that there was an ancient and mysterious power in those energy beams, and this power seemed to have a subtle connection with the stardust power.

Kyle tried to guide the stardust power to assimilate the power in those energy beams. His hands began to shine more brightly, and the stardust shield also changed. Some mysterious symbols began to appear on the originally transparent shield. These symbols flickered faintly, echoing the power in the energy beams. The originally fierce energy beams, when they touched the symbols on the shield, were actually gradually absorbed and transformed into part of the stardust power.

"What... What's going on?" Alicia looked at Kyle in surprise. She had never seen such a strange sight. The mysterious person also stopped his actions, and a flash of surprise and relief appeared in his eyes.

Kyle opened his eyes, his eyes shining. "I did it! I can absorb these energies and turn them into my own power," he shouted, his voice full of joy and confidence.

As Kyle continued to absorb the energy, the stardust shield became stronger and stronger, and the energy beams could no longer pose a threat to them. Taking this opportunity, Kyle launched a counterattack. He pushed his hands forward, and the stardust power, combined with the absorbed energy, rushed towards the walls on both sides of the passage like a surging tide. The powerful energy impact caused violent explosions on the walls. The small holes on the walls were destroyed one by one, and the energy beams stopped shooting.

The passage was filled with smoke. Kyle, Alicia, and the mysterious person coughed in the smoke. They watched their surroundings warily in case there were other dangers. After a while, the smoke gradually dissipated, and they found a new stone gate in front of the passage. The stone gate was closed tightly, engraved with mysterious symbols similar to the previous ones.

Kyle walked towards the stone gate and carefully observed the symbols. He found that these symbols seemed to tell an ancient legend about the stardust power. In the legend, there was a powerful being that held the ultimate secret of the stardust power. But this secret was sealed in a dangerous place, and only those who passed through numerous tests could find it.

"It seems we're on the right track. There might be the answers we've been looking for behind this stone gate," Kyle said, his eyes full of anticipation.

Alicia and the mysterious person walked up to Kyle and looked at the symbols on the stone gate. "But how do we open this stone gate?" Alicia asked.

Kyle pondered for a moment and then mobilized the stardust power again. He injected the stardust power into the symbols on the stone gate, trying to interpret the information they contained. As the stardust power was injected, the symbols began to flicker and move slowly, rearranging themselves.

With Kyle's efforts, the symbols on the stone gate gradually formed a new pattern, which looked like a huge keyhole. An idea flashed through Kyle's mind. He stretched out his hand, and a key made of stardust power condensed in his hand. He inserted the key into the keyhole and turned it gently.

With a dull rumble, the stone gate slowly opened. An even more powerful mysterious aura rushed out from behind the door. Kyle, Alicia, and the mysterious person exchanged a look, summoned up their courage, and stepped into the space behind the stone gate.

The space behind the door was a huge circular hall. In the center of the hall, there was a large stone platform. On the stone platform was placed an object that emitted a dazzling light. When Kyle's gaze fell on that object, he felt the stardust power in his body surging violently, as if responding to something.

"What is that?" Alicia asked in surprise.

Kyle didn't answer. He slowly walked towards the stone platform, his eyes fixed on the glowing object. As he got closer to the stone platform, he found that the object was actually a huge stardust crystal. Inside the crystal, countless stars were twinkling, as if containing the mysteries of the entire universe.

Kyle reached out his hand, wanting to touch the stardust crystal. Just as his hand was about to touch the crystal, a sharp alarm suddenly sounded in the hall. The stardust crystal on the stone platform shone brightly, and a powerful repulsive force sent Kyle flying.

Kyle fell heavily to the ground. He struggled to get up, his eyes filled with confusion and unwillingness. "What's going on? Why can't I get close to it?" he asked.

The mysterious person walked forward, looking at the stardust crystal on the stone platform. A hint of worry appeared in his eyes. "This stardust crystal seems to be sealed by some powerful force. If we touch it rashly, it might lead to more serious consequences," he said.

At that moment, numerous illusory figures suddenly appeared around the hall. These figures were like ancient guardians, holding weapons and approaching Kyle and the others.