Su Yao and Ling Yu had barely recovered from their exhaustion when the system issued another alarm. It turned out that the death of the sandworms had triggered an even more intense energy reaction deep within the desert, seemingly indicating that some ancient seal had been activated.

They got up and walked deeper into the desert, the wind howling and carrying fine sand and gravel that stung their faces. The further they went, the hotter the air became, as if they were in a giant furnace.

In the heart of the desert, they came across the ruins of an ancient pyramid. The pyramid emitted a mysterious light, and the surrounding air was distorted by the intense heat. A ring of flames encircled the ruins, flickering as if alive, preventing outsiders from approaching.

“There must be something important inside to warrant such protection,” Su Yao said. Ling Yu tried to suppress the surrounding flames with his ice-type ability, but the flames were too hot, and his ice-type ability was vaporized as soon as it came into contact with them.

“We need to think of another way.” Su Yao began using her spatial abilities to probe the energy structure of the flames and discovered that they were maintained by an ancient magic circle. Through system analysis, she found several key nodes of the magic circle.

"If we can destroy these nodes, we might be able to open a passage," Su Yao told Ling Yu. So, they began searching for a way to destroy the nodes. In the nearby sand, they discovered some special crystals containing powerful energy that seemed capable of affecting the magic circle.

Su Yao used her spatial abilities to move the crystal near a key node of the magic circle, then used the power of spatial compression to cause the crystal to explode. With a series of explosions, the flames of the magic circle fluctuated, and some of the flames began to weaken.

They seized the opportunity to rush through the flames and enter the pyramid's interior. Inside, the pyramid was dark and damp, its walls covered with various murals and runes. The murals depicted the battle between an ancient civilization and an evil force, while the runes exuded a mysterious aura.

Suddenly, a group of ghostly monsters sprang from the darkness. These monsters were transparent and exuded a chilling aura as they lunged at Su Yao and Ling Yu. Su Yao activated her spatial ability, creating a spatial barrier around them, but the ghostly monsters easily passed through it. Their attacks directly targeted their mental state, causing Su Yao and Ling Yu excruciating headaches.

Ling Yu endured the pain and used his ice-type ability to create a cold environment around him, attempting to weaken the ghost monsters' power. The ghost monsters became sluggish in the cold environment, and Su Yao took the opportunity to use her spatial ability to trap them in individual spatial bubbles. She then teleported the spatial bubbles to a distant wall, causing the ghost monsters to collide with the wall and dissipate.

Continuing deeper into the pyramid, they came to a vast hall. In the center of the hall was a stone platform, upon which rested a box emitting an eerie light. As they approached the platform, the surrounding air seemed to freeze, and an immense sense of oppression washed over them.

“This box is no ordinary box; it might contain the source of all this trouble,” Su Yao said. Just as they were about to open the box, the entire hall began to shake violently, and more ghostly monsters appeared on the surrounding walls, these monsters being far more powerful than before.

These powerful ghostly monsters merged together, forming a gigantic ghostly phantom. The ghostly phantom opened its maw and let out a piercing scream; the powerful mental impact almost made Su Yao and Ling Yu lose their footing.

Ling Yu used his ice-based abilities to create a massive ice shield to protect himself and Su Yao. Su Yao, meanwhile, focused her attention on using the system to find the ghostly phantom's weakness. The system indicated that the ghostly phantom's core was located on its forehead, where a point was flashing with red light.

They decided to take the initiative. Su Yao used her spatial abilities to constantly disrupt the phantom's movements, while Ling Yu seized the opportunity to gather his ice-based abilities into a powerful ice spear, aiming it at the red dot on the phantom's forehead. In the fierce battle, could they successfully defeat the phantom, open the box, and resolve this new crisis? Everything remained to be seen.