The forest was silent again.
Moments earlier it had been filled with killing intent, but now only the sound of wind moving through the ancient trees remained.
Several miles away—
Two figures burst out of the forest at full speed.
Lin Ye finally stopped running and leaned against a massive stone pillar half-buried in the ground.
"Alright… I think we lost them."
Beside him, Su Qingyue slowly pulled her hand away from his grip.
Her face was calm.
But her eyes were cold.
"Explain."
Lin Ye blinked.
"Explain what?"
She crossed her arms.
"You grabbed my hand without permission."
Lin Ye rubbed the back of his head.
"Emergency situation?"
Su Qingyue stared at him silently.
"…Shameless."
Lin Ye grinned.
"Thank you."
Before she could say anything else—
A playful voice suddenly came from above.
"You two look very intimate."
Both of them froze.
Lin Ye slowly raised his head.
Sitting casually on top of a broken stone statue was Mu Ling'er.
Her red robe fluttered in the wind as she smiled mischievously.
Lin Ye sighed.
"…You followed us?"
Mu Ling'er jumped down lightly.
"I wouldn't miss something interesting."
She walked closer, her eyes examining both of them.
"Besides…"
She tilted her head.
"I was curious about this handsome young master."
Su Qingyue's gaze sharpened.
"And why should we tolerate a demon sect member?"
Mu Ling'er smiled sweetly.
"Oh?"
"You think you can stop me?"
The tension instantly rose.
Lin Ye quickly stepped between them.
"Ladies, ladies."
"No need to fight."
Su Qingyue and Mu Ling'er both looked at him.
He smiled brightly.
"We should fight for treasure instead."
The two women exchanged a glance.
Then suddenly—
The ground beneath them trembled.
RUMBLE.
Dust fell from the ancient stone structures around them.
Lin Ye frowned.
"What now?"
Behind them stood a massive ancient ruin.
Half-broken pillars surrounded a giant stone gate covered in strange runes.
It looked like an ancient palace buried underground for thousands of years.
Mu Ling'er's eyes sparkled.
"Oh…"
"A treasure ruin."
Su Qingyue nodded slowly.
"This place must be from an ancient sect."
Lin Ye grinned.
"Jackpot."
The System Reacts
Inside Lin Ye's mind—
DING!
The system notification appeared.
LEGENDARY TREASURE MISSION
Objective: Obtain the treasure hidden inside the ancient ruin.
Conditions:
Compete against other geniuses
Survive traps and guardians
Reward:
Legendary Weapon
15,000 EXP
+20 Luck
Failure: Host loses 30% charm permanently.
Lin Ye almost screamed.
"…Absolutely not."
He turned toward the ruin immediately.
"We're going inside."
Mu Ling'er laughed.
"You're quite eager."
Su Qingyue nodded.
"Ancient ruins usually contain powerful inheritance."
Lin Ye rubbed his hands together.
"And powerful inheritance means powerful treasure."
Entering the Ruins
The stone gate slowly creaked open.
A dark staircase descended into the earth.
Ancient torches suddenly ignited along the walls.
The underground hall looked enormous.
Stone statues lined the corridor.
Each statue held a sword.
The atmosphere felt ancient…
and dangerous.
Mu Ling'er walked ahead confidently.
"You two look nervous."
Lin Ye pointed forward.
"You go first then."
She laughed.
"Coward."
Su Qingyue remained cautious.
"Stay alert."
They slowly moved deeper into the ruins.
Suddenly—
CLICK.
Lin Ye froze.
"Uh…"
"Did anyone hear that?"
A second later—
WHOOSH!
Hundreds of arrows shot from the walls.
Su Qingyue reacted instantly.
Her sword flashed.
CLANG CLANG CLANG.
She deflected the arrows skillfully.
Mu Ling'er jumped lightly across the corridor walls like a dancer.
Lin Ye?
He simply hid behind a statue.
After the trap stopped—
Mu Ling'er looked at him.
"You're quite brave."
Lin Ye coughed.
"Strategic positioning."
Su Qingyue sighed quietly.
The Rival Appears Again
Meanwhile—
Far away inside the secret realm.
Zhao Tianlong stood with several disciples.
His face was dark with anger.
"That bastard escaped again."
One disciple bowed respectfully.
"Senior Brother, we discovered an ancient ruin nearby."
Zhao Tianlong's eyes flashed.
"Good."
He smiled coldly.
"Lin Ye loves treasure."
"If he's there…"
His killing intent rose.
"This time he won't escape."
Soon—
A hunting party of elite disciples began moving toward the ruins.
Deeper in the Ruins
Back inside the ruin—
Lin Ye and the two women reached a massive underground chamber.
In the center stood a huge stone throne.
On top of the throne rested a glowing black spear.
Ancient runes floated around it.
The weapon pulsed with terrifying power.
Su Qingyue whispered,
"A legendary weapon…"
Mu Ling'er's eyes sparkled.
"Interesting."
Lin Ye's heart raced.
"That thing is definitely expensive."
Suddenly—
A stone guardian awakened beside the throne.
A massive armored statue rose slowly.
Its eyes glowed red.
"INTRUDERS…"
The guardian raised its giant sword.
"LEAVE… OR DIE."
Mu Ling'er laughed.
"Well that's dramatic."
The guardian attacked instantly.
Its sword slammed down like a falling mountain.
BOOM!
The ground shattered.
Su Qingyue rushed forward.
Her sword flashed like lightning.
CLANG!
The impact shook the chamber.
Mu Ling'er joined the battle with graceful movements.
Dark energy surrounded her palms.
Together they fought the stone guardian.
Meanwhile—
Lin Ye carefully walked toward the throne.
Mu Ling'er noticed immediately.
"You thief!"
Lin Ye grinned.
"Teamwork!"
"Keep it busy!"
He reached the throne.
The black spear floated in the air.
The moment he grabbed it—
BOOM.
A powerful aura exploded from the weapon.
Ancient energy surged through his body.
Inside his mind—
DING!
LEGENDARY WEAPON OBTAINED
Shadow Dragon Spear
A legendary weapon once used by the ancient warlord Heaven King Long.
Special Ability: Devours enemy energy during battle.
Lin Ye's eyes widened.
"…This thing is insane."
But suddenly—
A cold voice echoed from the chamber entrance.
"Hand it over."
Everyone turned.
Standing there was Zhao Tianlong.
Behind him were ten disciples.
Su Qingyue's expression darkened.
"You again."
Zhao Tianlong's eyes burned with hatred.
"Lin Ye."
"You stole my opportunity again."
Lin Ye shrugged.
"Finders keepers."
Zhao Tianlong raised his sword slowly.
"Kill him."
The disciples rushed forward.
The chamber filled with killing intent.
Mu Ling'er laughed excitedly.
"Oh?"
"This is getting fun."
Su Qingyue stepped beside Lin Ye.
"Looks like we're surrounded."
Lin Ye twirled the Shadow Dragon Spear.
His smile widened.
"Good."
"Let's test the new weapon."
But far above the ruins—
Hidden in darkness—
The mysterious black-robed man watched everything through a floating mirror.
His lips curved into a quiet smile.
"Yes…"
"Fight."
"The stronger you become…"
"The better the sacrifice will be."
The ancient ruins trembled again.
Something far more terrifying was slowly awakening deep beneath the secret realm.
And Lin Ye had no idea…
that he had just stepped into a much larger conspiracy.