After defeating the guardian beast, the exploration team continued deeper into the cave. A faint mist permeated the interior, appearing mysterious and hazy under the glow of the group's spiritual energy. The surrounding walls were covered with even more intricate runes and strange patterns, seemingly telling a long and hidden history.

The experts from the Spirit Union Merchant Guild dispersed, carefully studying the runes and patterns. They deciphered them in hushed tones, attempting to find clues about the secrets of the ruins. As their exploration deepened, they discovered that the runes seemed to be pointing in a specific direction.

"Follow me, everyone. According to the runes, the treasure or key clues may be deep within the cave." A merchant guild expert beckoned for everyone to follow. The exploration team proceeded along the winding passage, which gradually widened, and small stone chambers began to appear on both sides.

In one of the stone chambers, the disciples of Wanbaoge discovered an ancient bookshelf. Several ancient books, exuding a worn aura, were displayed on it. The disciples carefully picked up the books, brushing away the thick layer of dust. They saw ancient characters inscribed on the covers. Although the characters were obscure and difficult to understand, thanks to Wanbaoge's profound knowledge, they were able to barely decipher that these ancient books were related to a long-lost method of spiritual cultivation.

"Perhaps these ancient texts contain methods to enhance our strength, which will greatly help us in our fight against the 'Shadow Society'," said Zhao Wanbao, the head of the Wanbao Pavilion, excitedly. Hearing this, everyone gathered around, carefully examining the ancient texts. However, the contents of the texts were profound and unfathomable, requiring a great deal of time to study.

Continuing their journey, the sword cultivators of the Spirit Sword Sect discovered a precious sword stuck in a stone platform in another stone chamber. The sword's blade was ancient and simple, engraved with mysterious patterns, and faintly emanated a powerful sword aura. The sword cultivators tried to pull out the sword, but it seemed to be integrated with the stone platform, remaining completely unmoved.

Experts from the Linghe Chamber of Commerce rushed to investigate. After some research, they discovered that a specific fluctuation of spiritual energy was required to draw the sword. The disciples of the Wanbao Pavilion once again used their expertise, manipulating magical artifacts to simulate various fluctuations of spiritual energy. After numerous attempts, they finally found the correct frequency of these fluctuations.

With a flash of spiritual energy, the sword was slowly drawn from the stone platform. The moment the sword was fully unsheathed, a dazzling light illuminated the entire stone chamber, and powerful sword energy spread out. The elder of the Spirit Sword Sect took the sword and gently swung it; sword energy crisscrossed, and the stones in the chamber were cut in half.

"This is an unparalleled sword. With it, our strength will greatly increase," the elder of the Spirit Sword Sect said excitedly. The discovery of this sword greatly boosted the morale of the exploration team.

At the end of the cave, the group discovered a huge circular stone platform. The platform was covered in intricate runes, and in the center was a recess, seemingly used to hold something. The experts from the Linghe Merchant Guild studied the platform for a long time, finally discovering some clues.

"This stone platform appears to be part of a teleportation array, but to activate it, we need to find the crucial activation item," said the expert from the merchant guild. The group began a thorough search of the surrounding area, hoping to find the item needed to activate the teleportation array.

Just then, a member of the Spirit Harmony Merchant Guild discovered a small crystal ball in the corner of the stone platform. The crystal ball emitted a soft light, and there seemed to be flowing light and shadow inside. The moment he picked up the crystal ball, its light intensified, and the runes on the stone platform also lit up.

"It seems this is the activation item," Lin Yang said. As the crystal ball was placed into the recessed area in the center of the stone platform, the teleportation array began to activate. A beam of light shot into the sky, enveloping the exploration team. In a flash of light, everyone felt a dizzying sensation before disappearing from their original spot.

As the light faded, the exploration team found themselves in a completely new space. This space was filled with dense spiritual energy, like an ocean of spiritual power. In the center of the space, a floating palace appeared before them. The palace exuded a mysterious aura, with faint but powerful fluctuations emanating from it. The exploration team knew they were one step closer to the core secrets of the ruins, but what dangers and opportunities lay hidden within this palace?