Multiple Personalities

"Could we have chosen the wrong direction?" Lin Yue asked with some concern, a hint of confusion in her eyes. Looking at the desolate scenery around, she couldn't help but feel a little shaken.

Shen Jingqi glanced around, frowned tightly, and said, "I don't know either, but we can only keep moving forward. Perhaps the ruins are not far ahead. If we turn back now, all our previous efforts will be for nothing, and those people in black could catch up with us at any moment."

Just then, a bright light suddenly flashed across the sky. It streaked through the night sky like a meteor, dragging a long tail, falling in a certain direction. The light illuminated a part of the sky around them, making the originally dark world suddenly bright.

Shen Jingqi and Lin Yue exchanged a glance and saw joy in each other's eyes.

"Could that be the direction of the ruins?" Lin Yue said excitedly, a long-lost smile appearing on her face.

Shen Jingqi nodded and said, "It's very possible. Let's hurry over and take a look. This might be the sign leading us to find the ruins."

The two quickened their pace towards the direction where the light fell. Their hearts were filled with anticipation and excitement, as if they had already seen the Divine Artifact beckoning to them.

When they arrived there, they found a giant pit on the ground. The pit was bottomless, surrounded by a thin mist, exuding a mysterious aura, as if hiding countless secrets. Strange sounds continuously emerged from the pit, sounding like the wind, or perhaps the whispers of some creature, making their hair stand on end just from listening.

Shen Jingqi and Lin Yue cautiously approached the pit, taking each step with extra care. As they neared the edge of the pit, a powerful suction force arrived, like an invisible giant hand, tightly gripping them, trying to pull them into the pit. They felt everything go black, and their bodies, beyond control, started falling into the pit.

During the fall, all they could hear was the howling wind in their ears, their bodies tumbling continuously. After who knows how long, they finally hit the ground with a "thud". Fortunately, there seemed to be a layer of soft material at the bottom of the pit, cushioning the impact of their fall, so they were not seriously injured.

When they opened their eyes again, they found themselves in a vast space. In the center of the space stood a massive stone platform, and on it was the Divine Artifact they had envisioned in their minds, radiating holy light.

"We've finally found the Divine Artifact!" Lin Yue said excitedly, her eyes sparkling with excitement, and she couldn't help but move towards the Divine Artifact.

However, Shen Jingqi pulled her back. His eyes revealed vigilance as he said, "Don't rush. Something feels off here. Finding the Divine Artifact this easily... could this be a trap?"

Lin Yue stopped in her tracks, her excitement gradually dissipating, replaced by worry. She looked at Shen Jingqi and said, "You're right. We must be careful. But, with the Divine Artifact right in front of us, we can't just give up like this."

While they were hesitating, the door to the space suddenly slammed shut with a loud "boom". Immediately after, beams of light appeared all around, intertwining to form a massive light curtain, trapping them inside.

"What's going on?" Lin Yue shouted in fear, her eyes filled with terror.

Shen Jingqi gripped his sword tightly, looking around cautiously, and said, "It seems we've really fallen into a trap. But no matter what, we have to find a way out and get the Divine Artifact."

At this moment, a voice echoed in the space: "You must pass my test, or you'll be trapped here forever." The voice was deep and majestic, as if coming from a distant sky, or from deep within the earth.

Shen Jingqi shouted loudly, "Who are you? Come out! Stop hiding! Whatever test you have, bring it on!"

However, the voice did not respond to him and merely continued, "The test consists of three stages. In the first stage, you must find three keys in this palace, each hidden in one of the palace's three different corners. Only by finding all three keys can you open the door to the second stage."

After speaking, strange symbols suddenly appeared on the walls of the palace. These symbols glimmered with a faint light, seemingly hinting at the locations of the keys.

Shen Jingqi and Lin Yue exchanged a glance and said, "Looks like we'll have to follow its instructions. Let's split up and quickly find the keys."

The two quickly parted ways, beginning their search for the keys within the palace. The palace was large, filled with various treasures and rare items, but their eyes were fixed on the places where keys might be hidden. Shen Jingqi discovered a secret compartment behind a massive bookshelf. Carefully opening it, he indeed found a key inside. The key was engraved with some strange patterns, exuding a mysterious aura.

"I found one!" Shen Jingqi shouted excitedly.

Lin Yue also found the second key in the hand of a statue in one corner. Holding the key, she waved at Shen Jingqi and said, "I've found one too, only one more to go."

However, the last key was nowhere to be found. They searched every corner of the palace, turning nearly everything over, but still came up empty-handed.

"Could we have missed a spot?" Lin Yue said anxiously, her forehead covered in beads of sweat.

Shen Jingqi frowned, deep in thought. Suddenly, his gaze fell upon the stone platform in the center of the palace. An idea struck him as he said, "Could the key be right beside the Divine Artifact?"

The two cautiously approached the stone platform, and when they neared it, they discovered something seemingly pressed under the Divine Artifact. Gently moving the Divine Artifact aside, they indeed found the last key beneath it.

"We finally got it!" Lin Yue said excitedly.

Holding the three keys, they arrived at the door to the second stage. There was a peculiar keyhole on the door, whose shape perfectly matched the keys. As they inserted the three keys into the keyhole, they heard a "click", and the door slowly opened.

Upon stepping into the second stage, they found themselves in a massive maze. The maze's walls rose into the clouds, etched with various strange patterns. The passages of the maze were intricate, like a gigantic spider web, dizzying just to look at.

"This maze looks so complicated. How should we proceed?" Lin Yue asked worriedly.

Shen Jingqi looked at the maze and said, "Don't worry. Let's carefully observe these patterns. Maybe we can find some clues."

They started moving along the maze's passages, observing the patterns on the walls as they walked. Suddenly, they noticed the patterns on the walls seemed to change according to a certain rhythm. Following the direction of the pattern changes, however, they soon encountered a dead end.

"What's going on? Did we go the wrong way?" Lin Yue said, disheartened.

Shen Jingqi did not lose heart. Reevaluating the surrounding patterns, he said, "There must be other clues. Let's keep searching carefully."

As they searched for clues, strange illusions suddenly appeared in the maze.