Chapter 207: Edge of Despair

The black beam was like a death ray from hell, carrying an aura that would destroy everything, locking firmly onto Zhang Cheng. Amidst the violent roar, the red barrier Mo Yi had erected trembled violently, its light rapidly dimming, on the verge of being completely devoured.

"Mo Yi!" Zhang Cheng's eyes were about to split with rage. He wanted to step forward to help, but despaired to find himself frozen in place, utterly unable to move. The Envoy of the Blood Night Demon Family's power had sealed off the entire energy maze; he was like prey trapped in a spider web, able only to watch helplessly as death descended.

"Overestimating yourself!" The Envoy of the Blood Night Demon Family sneered viciously, pressed his hands together, and poured all the dark power in his body into the black beam. The black beam instantly blazed brighter, and the surrounding space seemed unable to withstand this terrifying power, beginning to warp violently.

"Boom!"

With a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering explosion, the red barrier finally could not withstand this world-destroying power and shattered with a crash. Mo Yi grunted, spraying blood wildly, his entire body flying backward like a kite with a severed string, crashing heavily into the ruins in the distance.

"Mo Yi!" Zhang Cheng roared in agony, the corners of his eyes nearly tearing apart. He knew Mo Yi had given everything to protect him, yet he was powerless to help.

"Now, it's your turn!" The Envoy of the Blood Night Demon Family turned toward Zhang Cheng with a vicious grin, his eyes filled with cruelty and mockery.

"If you want to kill me, let's see if you have the ability!" Zhang Cheng took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the anger and despair in his heart, and drove all the spiritual energy in his body to its utmost limit.

"Stubbornly defiant!" The Envoy of the Blood Night Demon Family gave a cold laugh, controlling the black beam as it shot toward Zhang Cheng with overwhelming, destructive force.

The black beam's speed was so extreme that Zhang Cheng did not even have time to react before he felt a world-destroying power sweeping toward him.

"Am I really going to die here?" At this life-and-death moment, Kelinda, Mo Yi, Xiao Dian... those familiar faces suddenly flashed through Zhang Cheng's mind, and his eyes gradually grew resolute.

"No! I cannot die! I still have to find Kelinda, I still have to protect my friends, I still have to..."

Just as the black beam was about to strike Zhang Cheng, the spatial rift before him that had already begun to close suddenly blazed with brilliant light!

The Dragon Star Sage, who had been standing in the distance watching the battle, now slightly raised the corners of his mouth and murmured in a low voice, "It's here..."

The black beam, like a roaring behemoth carrying an aura of total destruction, slammed viciously into Zhang Cheng. In that instant, time seemed to stand still, and the entire energy maze was awed by this terrifying power.

Amidst the tremendous roar, Zhang Cheng's figure was devoured by the black light. He did not even have time to let out a scream before he was sent flying by this powerful force, crashing heavily into the energy barrier in the distance, then sliding down powerlessly, lying motionless on the ground.

"It's over..." The Envoy of the Blood Night Demon Family slowly lowered his hands, a cruel satisfaction on his face, and walked step by step toward Zhang Cheng. In his view, no one could withstand his strongest strike, and Zhang Cheng was no exception.

However, the Dragon Star Sage, standing in the distance watching the battle, showed not the slightest worry. Instead, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, revealing a thought-provoking smile. With his hands behind his back, his profound gaze seemed to pierce through layer upon layer of space, seeing something interesting, and he murmured in a low voice, "This has only just begun..."

The black light gradually dissipated, revealing Zhang Cheng's figure. He was now in tattered clothes, covered in blood, his originally resolute face pale and bloodless, blood continuously seeping from the corners of his mouth, his breath faint—clearly, he had suffered severe injuries.

"Cough, cough..."

Zhang Cheng struggled to open his eyes. His vision was a blur, and he could only vaguely make out a tall figure walking toward him step by step. He wanted to struggle to his feet, but found that there was not a single part of his body that did not ache, as if he had fallen apart, unable to muster the slightest bit of strength.

"Is this your strength? How disappointing..." The Envoy of the Blood Night Demon Family looked down at Zhang Cheng, his tone full of mockery and ridicule. "I thought you were so powerful, but it turns out you're nothing more than this..."

"You..." Zhang Cheng wanted to retort, but found he did not even have the strength to speak. He could only watch helplessly as the Envoy of the Blood Night Demon Family approached step by step, his eyes filled with unwillingness and despair.

"Don't worry, I won't let you die so easily." The Envoy of the Blood Night Demon Family said with a vicious grin, "I will take you back and make you watch as I torture your friends, your loved ones, to death! Hahaha..."

"Don't even think about it!" Zhang Cheng used the last thread of his strength to roar. Yet his voice was so faint, so powerless in the vast energy maze.

The Envoy of the Blood Night Demon Family ignored Zhang Cheng's furious roar, slowly raised his right hand, dark energy gathering in his palm to form a blade that radiated an eerie chill, and slowly thrust it toward Zhang Cheng's chest...

"Stop!"

At this critical moment, a cold, clear voice suddenly rang out in the energy maze.

"Hmm?"

The Envoy of the Blood Night Demon Family paused slightly, snapped his head up, and looked toward the direction of the voice, his eyes filled with wariness and suspicion.

"Who's there?!"

The shadow of death loomed over his heart, yet Zhang Cheng felt no fear—only a deep sense of powerlessness and unwillingness. The vicious grin of the Envoy of the Blood Night Demon Family magnified infinitely before his eyes, like an evil spirit from the abyss about to devour his soul.

His consciousness gradually blurred, but Kelinda's figure surfaced in his mind. That kind, beautiful girl running across the fields of Lan Xing, her silvery laughter echoing in his ears. He still remembered the look of delighted surprise on Kelinda's face when she tasted candied hawthorn for the first time. Those beautiful memories surged like a tide, crashing against Zhang Cheng's heart.

"No! I can't fall like this! Kelinda is still waiting for me, I still have to bring her home..."

The instinct to survive, his love for Kelinda, transformed into a powerful force that struck at Zhang Cheng's consciousness. He struggled to clench his fist—even if he could only move a single finger, he would resist!

Just then, an aged figure abruptly appeared in the energy maze, soundless and traceless, as if walking out from the void. His frame was hunched, wearing a robe of ancient style, streaked gray hair draped over his shoulders, his face covered with the marks of time, yet a pair of cloudy eyes shimmered with the light of wisdom, as if seeing through everything in the world.

"Who are you?" The Envoy of the Blood Night Demon Family was startled by this sudden turn of events and demanded sternly. He had never seen this person before, nor could he sense any energy fluctuation from him—it was as if he were a wisp of air, a nonexistent phantom.

The mysterious old man paid no attention to the Envoy of the Blood Night Demon Family. He only walked slowly to Zhang Cheng's side, looked down at this gravely injured young man, and a complex glint flashed through his eyes.

"Senior, save him..." Zhang Cheng used the last thread of his strength to force out a few words, his voice so hoarse it was nearly inaudible.

The mysterious old man said nothing, only gently shook his head, his profound gaze looking into the distance, as if piercing through space and time, seeing some unpredictable future.

"The turning point of fate is about to arrive..."

Before the words had faded, the mysterious old man's figure shattered like foam, vanishing into the air, as if he had never appeared.

"Playing tricks!" The Envoy of the Blood Night Demon Family snorted coldly at the sight, raised the black blade in his hand once more, and thrust it toward Zhang Cheng's chest.

This time, no one stopped him. The blade tore through the air, carrying the breath of death, driving straight for Zhang Cheng's heart...

The black blade, carrying the breath of death, pierced mercilessly toward Zhang Cheng's heart. Time seemed to stand still in this moment, the air suffused with a suffocating oppression.

Zhang Cheng closed his eyes in despair, awaiting the final judgment of fate. Countless images flashed through his mind—Kelinda's radiant smile, the hot blood of fighting side by side with comrades, and that azure sky of his homeland... These beautiful memories streaked across the night sky like shooting stars, brief and dazzling, ultimately returning to silence.

However, the expected agony did not come. Zhang Cheng opened his eyes in confusion, only to see the black blade stopped less than a centimeter from his chest. The sharp tip had even touched his clothes, yet it could not advance a fraction further.

"What's going on?" The Envoy of the Blood Night Demon Family's expression changed drastically. He sensed an invisible force blocking his attack, as if an invisible wall stood before Zhang Cheng. He roared and poured all the energy in his body into the blade, attempting to break through this mysterious force.

However, no matter how hard he pushed, the blade could not advance a fraction further. That invisible force was as impenetrable as walls of bronze and iron; no matter how he attacked, it could not be shaken.

"This is impossible!" The Envoy of the Blood Night Demon Family stared in disbelief, fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead. He had never encountered such a bizarre situation—where did this force come from?

Just then, a sudden change occurred.

In the previously empty energy maze, countless runes flickering with golden light suddenly appeared. These runes seemed to possess life, dancing and spiraling in the air, ultimately converging before Zhang Cheng to form an enormous golden light shield.

The golden light shield radiated dazzling light, enveloping Zhang Cheng, like a deity descending from heaven, sacred and inviolable. And the invisible force that had blocked the Envoy of the Blood Night Demon Family came precisely from this golden light shield.

"What is this?" The Envoy of the Blood Night Demon Family recoiled several steps in horror, his eyes filled with disbelief. He had never seen such a powerful defense—this golden light shield seemed to be condensed from the power of heaven and earth, utterly beyond what human power could contend with.

Zhang Cheng also watched everything happening before him in astonishment. He did not know where this golden light shield came from, nor who was secretly protecting him. But he knew that he had survived—at least, he was still alive for now.

The golden light shield's glow gradually dissipated, and the mysterious golden runes vanished along with it, as if they had never appeared. The energy maze returned to calm once more, leaving only Zhang Cheng and the Envoy of the Blood Night Demon Family.

"Cough, cough..." Zhang Cheng coughed violently, a thread of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. Though he had narrowly escaped death, the injuries he had sustained earlier still remained, and his body had reached the brink of collapse.

The Envoy of the Blood Night Demon Family looked at Zhang Cheng, gravely injured and collapsed on the ground, a glint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes. He took a deep breath, slowly raised the black blade in his hand, and sneered, "Kid, let's see who can save you this time!"

He violently swung the blade, thrusting toward Zhang Cheng's chest. This time, he held nothing back, determined to slay Zhang Cheng completely!

However, just as the blade was about to touch Zhang Cheng's body, an icy voice suddenly rang out:

"Stop."