Multiple Personalities

"The door has opened..." Lin Yue said softly, her voice tinged with a hint of nervousness.

Shen Jingqi took a deep breath, gripping his longsword tightly. "Let's go in and take a look."

They walked cautiously into the temple. Inside, it was very dim, with only a few faint oil lamps casting a yellow glow. The surrounding walls were covered with murals, which, though colorful, exuded a mysterious and eerie atmosphere.

"These murals... what do they depict?" Lin Yue asked curiously, stepping forward to examine the murals closely.

Shen Jingqi also moved closer, his gaze sweeping over the murals. They depicted strange scenes: people in bizarre costumes performing mysterious rituals, enormous beasts soaring in the sky, and some creatures they'd never seen before battling.

"These images... seem to describe an ancient story," Shen Jingqi said, his eyes filled with contemplation.

They continued forward and suddenly a gigantic figure appeared before them. The figure was over three meters tall, emanating a powerful aura. It stood with its back to them, as if guarding something.

"What... what is this?" Lin Yue asked in horror, unintentionally stepping back a few steps.

Shen Jingqi also grew tense, his hand gripping the sword hilt tightly, ready to confront any potential danger. "I don't know, but it looks very dangerous."

As they stared nervously at the figure, it slowly turned around. When they finally saw its face, they couldn't help but gasp. It was a giant stone man, expressionless, with eyes gleaming an eerie green light.

The stone man let out a low growl, striding towards Shen Jingqi and Lin Yue. Each step made the ground tremble, as if a moving mountain.

"Run!" Shen Jingqi shouted, pulling Lin Yue as they turned to flee.

They ran desperately through the temple, with the stone man close on their heels. The temple's passages were complex, twisting left and right as they tried to shake off the stone man's pursuit.

"This stone man is terrifying, what do we do?" Lin Yue asked while running, her breathing becoming very rapid.

Shen Jingqi thought quickly while running. "Don't panic, see if there's a place we can hide."

Just then, they noticed a small room ahead. The door was half ajar, and a faint glimmer of light shone from within.

"Let's check it out!" Shen Jingqi said, pulling Lin Yue into the room.

As soon as they entered, they hurriedly shut the door. The stone man reached the door, pounding it with loud bangs. The door shook under its blows, seemingly about to give way at any moment.

"The stone man's strength is too great, the door won't hold for long," Lin Yue said anxiously.

Shen Jingqi looked around and spotted some ancient artifacts in the room. In the center stood a massive stone platform, upon which lay a book emitting a mysterious glow.

"That book... it might have to do with the stone man and the statues," Shen Jingqi said as he approached the stone platform.

"Be careful, there might be danger," Lin Yue warned.

Shen Jingqi nodded, cautiously reaching the stone platform and extending his hand to take the book. The moment he touched it, a beam of light shot out, enveloping him completely.

"Shen Jingqi!" Lin Yue shouted in terror, trying to rush over but was stopped by an invisible force.

Shen Jingqi felt his vision dazzled by the light, his consciousness gradually blurring. When he regained consciousness, he saw the content within the book, murmuring to himself: "Long ago, this world faced a tremendous disaster. To save it, a group of warriors sacrificed their lives to seal away an evil force. This temple, the statues, and the stone man exist to guard this seal."

Lin Yue was startled. "I understand, but what should we do?"

Suddenly, a light appeared in the distance. It was faint but provided a glimmer of hope. They hastened their pace towards it.

As they approached the light, they discovered a spacious hall. In the center stood a large stone platform, atop which rested a box emitting a strange glow.

They slowly approached the stone platform, but as they reached it, the ground began to shake violently as if struck by an earthquake.

"Not good, a trap!" Shen Jingqi shouted.

Simultaneously, numerous stone gargoyles emerged from the hall's surroundings. These gargoyles were exquisitely carved, almost lifelike, their eyes glowing red with black smoke spewing from their mouths.

"Watch out!" Shen Jingqi shouted again, swinging his sword at the gargoyles.

The gargoyles pounced toward them, agile with claws sharp as knives. Shen Jingqi and Lin Yue found themselves in battle once more.

During the fight, Shen Jingqi noticed the gargoyles seemed controlled by the box on the platform. Whenever they neared the box, the gargoyles' attacks intensified.

"It seems the box is key; we must find a way to grab it while dealing with these gargoyles," Shen Jingqi shouted amidst the battle.

Lin Yue nodded, coordinating with him to break through the gargoyle defenses and approach the box. However, the number of gargoyles increased, mounting pressure on them.

When they began to feel overwhelmed, Shen Jingqi observed a pattern in the gargoyles' attacks — they paused briefly after each assault.

"Pay attention, when they pause after attacking, let's charge," Shen Jingqi shouted.

They awaited the perfect moment, and after the gargoyles' next assault, during the pause, they lunged together towards the box.

Successfully evading the gargoyles, they reached the stone platform. Shen Jingqi extended his hand to take the box. But the moment he touched it, an overwhelming force surged out, pushing him back repeatedly.

"This box is strange!" Shen Jingqi exclaimed in shock.

At this time, those pursuing them also reached the cave. Seeing Shen Jingqi and Lin Yue at the stone platform, the leading figure in black sneered, "So you are here after all. Hand over the box, and perhaps I'll spare your lives."