The comments said I was deeply affectionate, I just added points by using an alternate account.

Hongyuan tapped her axe on the ground: "Agreed. Let's go, Chen Guan. Continue leading the way. I can't wait to see what treasures are hidden in this dilapidated place that has rendered the entire military's radar ineffective."

Chen Guan didn't say much, turned around and continued walking into the depths of the snowstorm, with the black panther following closely behind.

The team crossed the black boundary marker.

The moment they stepped across the boundary marker, the howling wind and snow around them seemed to be shut out by some invisible force.

The wind was still blowing and the snow was still falling, but the deafening howling sound had disappeared.

What followed was an unsettling, deathly silence.

"The spatial characteristics have changed."

Yin Chen raised his short staff, the pale blue light of which became somewhat distorted here: "The magnetic field here has formed a semi-independent closed field, everyone should try to stay close together."

Looking at the dark night ahead, Long Ao clenched his fist: "It seems the real journey has only just begun."

Chen Guan walked at the front, and the gray energy within his body pulsed more and more clearly.

Black Wind Civilization.

This ancient relic associated with him is finally about to reveal its true form.

"Why is this place like it's on silent mode?" Red Kite slung the double-edged axe over her other shoulder and looked around. "Even my own breathing sounds noisy."

Yin Chen walked in the middle, lowering the short staff in his hand slightly. The light blue frost shield remained, but its light was noticeably dimmer than before.

An Changqing walked beside Su Yuehe, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly, his eyes scanning the surrounding darkness warily.

As the most concerned person in the team, he must remain absolutely clear-headed now.

"Moon Lotus, what changes have you noticed in the magnetic field here?"

Su Yuehe held the tablet, the indicator lights on the screen were completely off, unrelated to the battery level, because even the backup power could not be turned on.

She could only put the tablet into the storage space and close her eyes to perceive her surroundings.

"The magnetic field is completely sealed off. We should now be in an independent folded space. The wind and snow outside can no longer affect us. We are walking on the real ruins passage."

Chen Guan walked at the very front, his steps still steady.

The harsh cold and deathly silence here did not oppress him at all; on the contrary, it gave him a long-lost sense of comfort.

The gray energy within his body seemed to have returned to its source, joyfully flowing through his meridians.

The black panther followed closely at his feet, its tail swishing leisurely. It had clearly sensed its master's relaxation, as its previously bristling fur had become much smoother.

"The ground beneath my feet has changed," Chen Guan said calmly, stopping in his tracks.

Everyone immediately stopped and looked down.

Sometime later, the thick snow beneath their feet had disappeared, and now they were standing on a wide black stone path.

The surface of the stone slab is covered with traces of weathering, and some strange patterns are faintly visible.

Su Yuehe squatted down and reached out to touch the cold stone slabs.

Her fingers slowly traced the indentations of the lines, her brows gradually furrowing.

Su Yuehe squatted on the ground, carefully examining the dents on the stone slab by the faint blue light emanating from Yin Chen's shield.

"These are not just traces of weathering." She stretched out her finger and slowly traced a winding engraving.

"Changqing, look here. These symbols connected together are very similar to the arrangement of the incomplete coordinates from before."

An Changqing walked to her side, carrying his longsword. To see the patterns more clearly, he bent down slightly: "Can you decipher their meaning?"

"It's very difficult; there's too much missing information."

Su Yuehe shook her head and stood up: "However, what is certain is that this is a pilgrimage route. The inscriptions on the stone slabs carry a strong warning, essentially asking visitors to maintain reverence and not deviate from this path even a step."

"Can't we deviate from the road even half a step?"

Hongyuan, carrying her double-edged axe, looked down at the stone path beneath her feet, which was only about three meters wide, and pouted in dissatisfaction: "In such a narrow place, if a fight really breaks out, my axe won't even have a chance to maneuver. This rule is too unreasonable."

Yin Chen stood to the side, holding his short staff steadily to maintain the icy blue barrier.

"Red Kite, please put away your simplistic thinking of solving everything with violence."

He spoke slowly and deliberately, retorting as usual: "In unknown ancient ruins, following the master's rules is the first element of survival. If you want to try your luck in the darkness outside the stone path, I will not stop you, but I will reduce the range of the shield the moment you step out."

"You rascal, you can't stand not finding fault with something, can you?" Hong Yuan glared at him, slamming her axe heavily onto the stone slab, making a dull thud.

"If we really encounter danger, won't it be me who has to hold the line? What's so great about a mage like you hiding in the back and placing ice blocks?"

"Force is not the only way to solve problems, especially in situations that are beyond the realm of reason."

Yin Chen responded softly, "I'm just reminding you not to drag everyone down with your recklessness, and in the process, get yourself killed."

"Alright, you two."

An Changqing sighed and rubbed his forehead, then stepped between the two to interrupt their usual argument: "Yuehe made it very clear just now that this is the sacrificial passage. Everyone, close up the formation. Long Ao, you stay at the rear, I'll walk next to Yuehe. Yin Chen, how long can the shield hold?"

Yin Chen looked down at the frost crystals at the top of his staff: "Because the space here is completely enclosed, without the continuous impact of wind and snow from the outside, the rate of spiritual energy loss has slowed down. At the current rate of consumption, it shouldn't be a problem to maintain this for another four hours. However, I have a feeling that something in this darkness is watching us."

Long Ao walked at the very back of the group, his arms crossed over his chest, his sharp gaze sweeping across the heavy darkness on both sides of the stone path.

"It's not an illusion."

His tone was certain: "The oppressive feeling in the air is increasing; something is approaching. And there are quite a few of them."

As a man who has obtained a Tier 6 experience card, he is not the "prisoner dragon" mentioned in the comments.

Chen Guan walked at the front of the group, his steps steady, unaffected by Long Ao's words.

The environment here might be oppressive to others, but to him, the omnipresent gray energy felt as welcoming as a wanderer returning home.

The power within him flowed smoothly through his meridians without him even needing to consciously mobilize it.