After days of tireless searching, the brothers of the Starry Alliance finally unearthed some clues about the ruins. Word had it that an old, dilapidated temple in the northern part of Jiangcheng concealed the entrance to the next relic site.
Upon hearing this, Lin Li gave a bold wave of his hand and led a team of elites charging off like a gang of bandits descending from a mountain. When they arrived, the temple was a ruin, a sight so wretched it was hard to bear. Weeds grew taller than a man, as if the place had been entirely forgotten by the heavens. Like thieves, Lin Li and his men crept into the temple, their eyes darting everywhere as they scavenged for signs of the entrance.
Suddenly, as if he had discovered a new world, Lin Li pointed behind the Buddha statue in the main hall and shouted, "Hey, come look at this! Don’t these carvings look familiar?" He leaned in for a closer look—by golly, they were identical to the symbols they had seen at the abandoned factory. Lin Li rejoiced inwardly, muttering to himself, "Heh, we’re in business now!" Following the trail of the carvings, he reached out and turned a mechanism on the statue, chanting, "Spin it around, bring me good luck, and let the treasure fall right into my lap!"
With a thunderous rumble, the ground beneath the statue seemed to explode, revealing a pitch-black tunnel entrance. Lin Li took the lead and marched straight in, calling out, "Keep up, don't be a bunch of cowards! With me here, I guarantee you'll be safe!" The tunnel was filled with a musty, suffocating stench, and the walls glimmered with a faint, eerie light, much like will-o'-the-wisps.
As they pressed on, a stone gate blocked their path. It was covered in dense, ancient scripts. Lin Li tilted his head to inspect it and gave a dismissive laugh. "What's so hard about this? Watch the System work its magic!" He immediately activated the System's translation function. Moments later, the text appeared: "Only those with justice in their hearts may enter. Those with evil intent shall face eternal ruin." Lin Li scoffed, "I, Lin Li, am the very embodiment of justice. Do you really think this spooky nonsense can scare me?" With that, he took a deep breath and shoved the stone gate open with the force of a bank robber.
Beyond the gate lay a vast chamber overflowing with treasures. Rare jewels and precious items were piled high like small hills, and various ancient books glowed with mysterious light. Lin Li’s eyes widened, and he rubbed his hands in excitement. "Wow! We’re rich! Brothers, we’re going to have everything we ever wanted!" But before they could revel in their victory, a Guardian Beast as massive as a mountain lunged from the shadows. It let out a deafening roar that shook the very foundation of the chamber, sounding like a maddened bull.
The Guardian Beast was absurdly large, like a moving mountain, and exuded a power that made one’s legs turn to jelly. It opened its cavernous maw, claws bared, and charged at them. Lin Li bellowed, "Damn! This thing is ferocious! Everyone, look out! Spread out and don’t fight it head-on—let’s use some tactics and divide its focus!"
The team scattered like a startled flock of birds, launching attacks from every direction. Lin Li unleashed the Stellar Illuminating the World Formula. A burst of brilliant light erupted, as if the sun had fallen into the room, and streams of Astral Power shot toward the beast like a meteor shower. However, the Guardian Beast had a hide as tough as a city wall and ignored their attacks completely. It swatted its massive, fan-like claws, casually batting the approaching team members away; they went flying through the air like kites with snapped strings.
"Oh, sweet mercy! This beast is too strong! If we keep this up, we’re going to be flattened into meat patties!" one team member shrieked, his face deathly pale.
Lin Li’s brow knitted together. *This brute looks dim-witted; it must have a weakness. I refuse to believe I can't find it!* Suddenly, his eyes lit up. The beast’s eyes appeared to be its only point of vulnerability. Seizing the moment, Lin Li lunged forward like a man possessed. Just as the beast's claw swiped toward him, he dodged like a nimble monkey, leaped onto its body, and shouted, "Time for me to put out your lights!" He drove his weapon deep into the beast’s eye.
The Guardian Beast let out an earth-shattering roar of agony, thrashing wildly to shake Lin Li off. But Lin Li clung to its fur like a persistent leech. He saw his chance, gathered all his strength, and drove his blade into the eye again, cursing, "That’s for being arrogant! Keep it up, and I’ll blind your other eye too!" This final blow completely destroyed the beast's eye. Blood gushed out like a fountain, its movements slowed significantly, and it let out pained, guttural groans.
Seeing this, the other members rallied, shouting in unison, "Brother Lin is mighty! Brothers, attack together! Take this monster down!" They seized the chance to launch even fiercer assaults. For a moment, a dazzling display of skills rained down on the beast. With their combined effort, the Guardian Beast finally collapsed with a thunderous "boom," hitting the ground like a crumbling mountain and sending up a massive cloud of dust.
Lin Li jumped off the beast, brushed the dust off his clothes, and said smugly, "Hmph, you’re still too green to mess with me! You should’ve done your research on who Brother Lin is!" The team gathered around, showering him with praise: "Brother Lin, if you hadn't found that weak spot, we would've been done for!" "Exactly! Brother Lin is too amazing; with him around, there's no problem we can't solve!"
Lin Li waved them off with a coy smile. "Don't be so modest, guys. This was a collective effort. Without you drawing its attention, I never would’ve had the chance to strike." He then turned his gaze toward a book in the chamber that radiated a mysterious glow. He strode over in two steps and picked it up. As soon as he opened the book, a torrential flow of knowledge surged into his mind, nearly bursting his skull.
Lin Li was pleasantly surprised to find that this was a high-level Cultivation Manual—the Astral Sacred Scripture. It promised that when mastered, one could control Astral Power at will, leaving the entire world to tremble at his feet. Lin Li couldn't help but look up and laugh, "Hahahaha! Perfect! With this 'Astral Sacred Scripture,' that 'Dark Star' organization and that other mysterious group can all go ahead and step aside! I'll beat them until they're crawling and begging me for mercy!"