I walk sideways in the game world

Chapter 243: Dangerous Ruins, Few Clues

"Boom!" A resounding explosion shook the ancient ruins, sending rubble flying and clouds of dust billowing. The guardian pet's attack missed, creating a massive crater in the ground. Ren Xiaoyao didn't dare delay, his form flickering like a ghost, dodging the incoming attacks.

"Their attacks are haphazard, but their speed and power are astonishing." Ren Xiaoyao fended off the attacks while analyzing the situation, feeling a surge of anxiety. He had to find a way out to get Xia Lin safely away.

"Xiaoyao, look at the runes on the wall!" Xia Lin's clear voice rang out amid the chaos. She pointed at the ancient runes shimmering on the walls of the ruins, her eyes gleaming with hope. "These runes seem to be related to the awakening of spirit pets. Perhaps we can find a breakthrough from them."

Ren Xiaoyao's heart stirred when he heard this. He allocated some of his mental energy to observe the runes and found that they were not without pattern. Instead, they resembled some kind of ancient formation, containing powerful power.

"You concentrate on studying the runes, I'll hold them back!" Ren Xiaoyao made a quick decision, buying time for Xia Lin. With a low roar, he pushed his spiritual power to its limit, transforming the longsword in his hand into dazzling flashes of sword light, engaging in a battle with the guardian spirit pet.

"Roar!" Enraged by Ren Xiaoyao, the guardian spirit pets attacked with increasing ferocity. Their massive bodies were like moving mountains, and each attack carried a devastating force that shook the entire ruins.

Ren Xiaoyao relied on his exquisite footwork and powerful strength to resolve crises time and time again. However, the large number of guardian spirit pets and their continuous attacks gradually made Ren Xiaoyao feel a little tired.

"These runes seem to be a seal..." Xia Lin's voice suddenly rang out, a hint of solemnity in her tone. "I feel that the awakening of the Spirit Pet King is likely related to this seal..."

Hearing Xia Lin's words, Ren Xiaoyao's heart trembled, and a feeling of unease washed over him. He suddenly looked up at Xia Lin, who was surrounded by her guardian spirit pets, only to find her engrossed in studying the runes on the wall. Her slender figure looked particularly thin against the flickering firelight.

"Xia Lin, be careful!" Ren Xiaoyao roared, shooting out like an arrow, attempting to break through the encirclement of the guardian spirit pets. However, the guardian spirit pets reacted with remarkable swiftness, roaring in unison, their massive bodies blocking Ren Xiaoyao like a fortress... The roars of the guardian spirit pets echoed through the ruins like thunder, their massive bodies like a fortress, blocking Ren Xiaoyao's path to Xia Lin. Every swing of his sword, every dodge, drained Ren Xiaoyao's immense physical and spiritual energy. His wounds multiplied, blood staining his clothes red, but he dared not relax. He knew he had to buy time for Xia Lin.

"These runes seem to represent an ancient restriction..." Xia Lin's brow furrowed, beads of sweat forming on her jade-white forehead. Her slender fingers gently traced the ancient runes on the wall, trying to find a clue to deciphering them. However, the runes were obscure, like a heavenly scripture. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't comprehend their mysteries.

Time ticked by, Ren Xiaoyao's physical and spiritual energy rapidly depleting, while Xia Lin's attempts to crack the code made no progress. Despair entwined their hearts like vines, suffocating them.

"Roar!" A guardian spirit pet seized Ren Xiaoyao's weakness and fiercely struck him in the chest with its huge claws, carrying a sharp wind. Ren Xiaoyao was unable to dodge and was sent flying, hitting the wall hard, blood spurting out of his mouth.

"Xiaoyao!" Xia Lin exclaimed, her heart filled with anxiety. She wanted to rush over to help Ren Xiaoyao, but she was trapped by the guardian spirit pets and could not move.

"Don't worry about me, just focus on breaking the rune!" Ren Xiaoyao struggled to his feet, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes gleaming with determination. He knew he had reached his limit, but he couldn't fall down. He had to fight for the last glimmer of hope for Xia Lin.

Charlene bit her lower lip, tears glistening in her beautiful eyes. She took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and focused all her attention on the runes. Her fingers danced rapidly over the runes, her mind constantly recalling all the knowledge and experience she had learned, trying to find a hint of inspiration to decipher it.

Suddenly, her finger stopped on a special rune. This rune was slightly different from the other runes and seemed to be the key to the entire restriction...

At this moment, a cold voice sounded at the entrance of the ruins: "Haha, it's really true that after searching high and low for something, it finally came to me without any effort..."

The cold voice echoed through the empty ruins like a venomous snake, making both Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin's hearts sink. They both realized that danger had come once again.

"Who is it?!" Ren Xiaoyao struggled to stand up, clutching his chest, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily. His physical strength was severely overdrawn, but he still held the sword tightly in his hand, ready to face the upcoming challenge.

"Haha, Ren Xiaoyao, how are you?" With a cold laugh, Lei Hu slowly stepped out from the shadows. He crossed his arms, a playful smile on his face, and his eyes swept greedily over Xia Lin. "It seems you've found a lot of good stuff. Why don't you give it all to me?"

It turned out that Lei Hu learned that Ren Xiaoyao had entered the ancient ruins and quietly followed him in. He hid in the dark, observing Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin's every move, hoping to reap the benefits.

"Lei Hu, you despicable villain!" Seeing Lei Hu appear, Xia Lin suddenly felt a surge of anger in her heart. Her beautiful eyes widened and she shouted angrily.

"Despicable? Haha, in this world, only the strong can have everything, and the weak deserve to be eliminated!" Lei Hu sneered, with a fierce light flashing in his eyes.

At this moment, Ren Xiaoyao moved. He seized a flaw in the guardian spirit pet, concentrated the remaining spiritual power in his body, and launched a thundering attack.

"Roar!" The guardian spirit pet let out a painful roar, and its huge body was knocked back several steps. However, Ren Xiaoyao also fell to one knee on the ground due to the overdrawn spiritual power, and the sword in his hand fell to the ground with a "clang".

"Xiaoyao!" Seeing this, Xia Lin was extremely anxious. She didn't care about anything else and immediately ran to Ren Xiaoyao, wanting to help him up.

"Don't worry about me, let's go!" Ren Xiaoyao grabbed Xia Lin's hand and said hurriedly, "I'll stop them!"

Charlene's eyes were red and tears were welling up in them, but she knew that now was not the time to be sad. She had to complete the mission of cracking the rune, otherwise, they would all be trapped here and die.

She took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and her eyes fell on the runes on the wall again.

"Wait," Xia Lin said, as if she had suddenly discovered something. She pointed at one of the runes and said, "If I understand correctly, this rune should represent..." "This rune should represent... 'balance'." Xia Lin's voice trembled slightly with excitement. She pointed at the rune, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "I remember Elder Feng once said that the awakening of the Spirit Pet King requires finding a delicate balance to unleash its full potential!"

"Balance?" Ren Xiaoyao endured the pain and followed Xia Lin's gaze. The rune had a strange shape, half light and half dark, as if interpreting some kind of opposing yet unified force.

"That's right, it's balance!" Xia Lin became more and more certain of her guess. "Look, the patterns around this rune also appear in pairs: light and darkness, fire and ice, life and destruction..."

Before Charlene could finish her words, she was interrupted by a sudden burst of laughter.

"Hahaha, this is really touching. It's a pity that you don't have time!" Lei Hu's voice seemed to come from the depths of hell, with a biting chill.

Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin were startled and turned around suddenly, only to see that Lei Hu had appeared behind them at some point. He had a sinister smile on his face and a dagger flashing with cold light in his hand.

"Lei Hu, what on earth do you want to do?!" Ren Xiaoyao struggled to stand up, protecting Xia Lin behind him, with flames of anger burning in his eyes.

Lei Hu ignored Ren Xiaoyao's questioning. He approached step by step, staring at Xia Lin greedily, as if admiring a prey that was about to be caught.

"If you know what's good for you, hand over what you found and I may consider sparing your life!" Lei Hu's voice was icy cold, like a death warrant from the Nine Nether Hell.

Ren Xiaoyao's heart sank. He knew that today would not end peacefully. He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, ready to fight to the death.

"What do you want?" Charlene took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. She knew that now was not the time to act on impulse and she had to find a way to delay time.

"You should know what I want!" Lei Hu raised his lips with a cruel smile, "That spirit pet, and..."

His eyes fell on Xia Lin's fair face, and a wicked light flashed in his eyes, "And you!"