Chapter 228: Hidden Expert

The dazzling white light lasted but an instant, vanishing like a fleeting bloom. The trap remained the same trap—no miracle occurred, and the expected change did not appear.

"Hahaha, it's useless! You think you can break my trap?" The evil creature's arrogant voice came from above, accompanied by a nauseating stench of blood as a large mass of dark green liquid sprayed from the opening, shooting straight toward Zhang Cheng's position.

"Careful!" The Lan Xing Guardian forced out a warning through intense pain, but was powerless to stop it.

Zhang Cheng's thoughts raced as he agilely rolled to the side, narrowly dodging the dark green liquid. The liquid struck the ground with a sizzling corrosive sound, billowing white smoke as it ate a pit into the floor at a visible rate.

"Damn it!" Zhang Cheng cursed inwardly. The liquid clearly possessed extremely potent corrosive properties; once it touched the skin, the consequences would be unthinkable. He quickly hid his figure behind a boulder and tensely observed his surroundings.

"Kid, you can't hide! Be a good boy and become my nourishment!" The evil creature's voice seemed to come from all directions, making it impossible to pinpoint its exact location.

Zhang Cheng took a deep breath, striving to calm himself. He looked again at the stone tablet in his hand, then at the groove the Elf had pointed out—could he have operated it incorrectly? But apart from the method the Elf had described, he truly could not think of any other way to break the trap.

"Kid, what are you spacing out for? Surrender now!" The evil creature's voice drew ever closer; it seemed to have lost patience and wanted to end the fight quickly.

Zhang Cheng clenched his teeth. He knew he had no way left to retreat—he had to find a way to break the trap as quickly as possible, or he and the Lan Xing Guardian would both perish here.

Just then, the Lan Xing Guardian, who had been struggling to hold on, let out a muffled groan and dropped to one knee. The protective barrier that had once shone with golden light dimmed by several degrees. The prolonged battle and overuse of power had left him utterly exhausted, and his injuries worsened from the strain. He no longer had the strength to help Zhang Cheng and could only watch helplessly as the evil creature closed in once more.

"Kid, die!" The evil creature let out a furious roar, opened its massive blood-red maw, and lunged fiercely at Zhang Cheng.

At the same time, in a cave thousands of miles away, Kelinda suddenly let out a muffled groan, a trace of fresh blood spilling from the corner of her mouth…

Kelinda's slender frame trembled slightly, a fine layer of sweat seeping through her pale face. She clutched her chest, feeling the demonic power within her draining away drop by drop like a spring on the verge of drying up. Ever since learning that Zhang Cheng was in grave danger, she had recklessly burned her life essence, forcibly channeling her demonic power to open a Space Channel for Zhang Cheng.

"Pfft—"

A mouthful of blood gushed out, and Kelinda's vision went black as she nearly fainted. But she forced herself to stay conscious through sheer will, refusing to fall. She knew she could not collapse—Zhang Cheng was still waiting for her, and she still had to save him!

"Hmph, overestimating yourself!"

A cold voice sounded beside her ear as the Blood Night Demon Family's hidden expert appeared once more. He had originally planned to strike and kill Kelinda during her moment of weakness from opening the Space Channel, but unexpectedly was stopped in time by the mysterious old man. However, two consecutive interventions had already left this centuries-old monster somewhat strained.

"Old fool, your power has run dry, hasn't it? Now, who can still stop me?" The hidden expert sneered as he stepped toward Kelinda step by step. His blood-red eyes gleamed with cruel light, as if he had already foreseen the scene of Kelinda's demise.

Kelinda clenched her teeth and forced herself to stand. She knew she had no way left to retreat—only a Life-or-Death Duel might offer a sliver of hope.

"Demon's Fury!"

Kelinda let out a furious roar, burning the last of her life essence and unleashing every remaining ounce of demonic power within her. Instantly, a violent wave of energy erupted outward with her at its center, sweeping in all directions.

"Parlor tricks!"

The hidden expert scoffed disdainfully and, with a casual wave of his hand, dissolved Kelinda's attack into nothingness.

"It's over!"

He raised his hand again, his sharp claws glinting with cold light as he clawed toward Kelinda's chest. At this critical juncture, the mysterious old man wanted to intervene once more, only to find that his power was too depleted to cast any effective spell in such a short time.

"Damn it!"

He could only watch helplessly as the hidden expert's attack was about to land on Kelinda, his heart filled with a sense of powerlessness.

But at this moment, the mysterious Elf, who had been standing quietly by the stone tablet observing everything, suddenly moved. A flash of resolve crossed her eyes as her tiny figure transformed into a streak of light, flying toward Zhang Cheng's direction…

The mysterious Elf's slender body traced a golden arc, her clear eyes shining with unwavering determination as she charged resolutely toward the surging mass of evil power. Yet her strength compared to the evil creature was like a firefly trying to outshine the bright moon.

"Overestimating yourself!" The evil creature let out a scoff, its tone filled with disdain.

With a casual flick of its tentacle, a powerful force sent the mysterious Elf flying. Her petite body traced a poignant arc through the air before crashing heavily against the stone wall, fresh red blood slowly trickling from the corner of her mouth.

"Elf!" Kelinda cried out in anguish, wanting to rush forward to check on her, but was pinned down by the hidden expert, unable to move.

"Hahaha, how truly touching!" The hidden expert laughed wildly, his voice brimming with mockery and smugness. "But soon enough, you'll all go down to join her!"

The evil creature seemed to sense the despair of Zhang Cheng and the others as well. It let out a series of bloodcurdling shrieks, its attacks growing even more ferocious. The surrounding stone walls crumbled continuously under its violent power, shattered rocks flying in all directions, as though the entire space were about to be torn apart.

Zhang Cheng and the others were trapped at the bottom of the trap, surrounded on all sides by the encroaching evil power—they had nowhere left to retreat. The Lan Xing Guardian was gravely injured and had nearly lost all combat ability; Kelinda and the mysterious old man were pinned down, unable to move; and the mysterious Elf now lay weakly on the ground, powerless to fight on.

"Are we… really going to die here?" Zhang Cheng looked at everything around him, his heart filled with despair and powerlessness.

Just then, he suddenly noticed that at the bottom of the trap, there seemed to be a strange symbol…

"What is that?"

Despair coiled around Zhang Cheng's heart like a venomous serpent. He watched helplessly as the Lan Xing Guardian spat blood and collapsed feebly to the ground—a powerhouse who once guarded an entire domain, now so fragile before evil. Kelinda's eyes were filled with worry and pain; she tried to struggle to her feet but was firmly imprisoned by the hidden expert, unable to move.

"Give up. You have no hope left." The hidden expert let out a spine-chilling laugh, his voice like a death knell from hell, proclaiming that their doom was imminent.

The evil creature let out a series of nauseating roars as its massive body drew ever closer, like a moving mountain peak, intent on crushing them completely. It lashed its tentacles, each strike carrying earth-shattering force, shattering the surrounding stone walls to pieces.

At this critical juncture, Zhang Cheng's gaze suddenly fell on the bottom of the trap, where there seemed to be a strange symbol, glimmering faintly in the dim light.

"What is that?" A spark of hope ignited in Zhang Cheng's heart. He struggled to crawl over and carefully observed the symbol.

It was a complex pattern composed of many strange lines and symbols, resembling some kind of ancient script, yet also like some kind of mysterious array. Zhang Cheng had never seen such a symbol before, but he could sense that powerful energy was hidden within it—perhaps this was their last hope.

"Zhang Cheng, be careful!" Kelinda's voice was filled with worry. She did not know what Zhang Cheng had discovered, but she could sense that a powerful force was awakening.

Zhang Cheng ignored Kelinda's warning. His gaze was fixed firmly on the symbol, his mind constantly replaying everything he had experienced before. He had a premonition that this symbol might be connected to the surrounding spatial energy—if he could unlock its secret, perhaps he could find a way to escape from here.

He reached out and gently touched the symbol. A powerful wave of energy instantly rippled outward from it, enveloping him and everything around him. Zhang Cheng felt his body being pulled by an invisible force as the surrounding space began to warp and distort.

"Not good!" The hidden expert seemed to sense something wrong as well. He cried out in alarm and tried to stop Zhang Cheng, but it was already too late…