Chapter 229: Protect Them Well

Intense light swallowed everything. Zhang Cheng felt the world spinning around him, his ears filled with a sharp howling. He kept his eyes tightly shut, feeling as though he had been swept into a giant vortex, unable to control his own body.

He did not know how long had passed before the light gradually dissipated and the howling slowly faded away. Zhang Cheng slowly opened his eyes and found himself in an unfamiliar space.

"This is..." Zhang Cheng looked around and discovered that it was a narrow cave. The walls on all sides flickered with a strange light, as if composed of some unknown energy.

"Did we succeed?" Kelinda's voice was somewhat weak. She struggled to climb up from the ground and surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings.

"It looks like it." The Lan Xing Guardian nodded, his gaze falling on the depths of the cave. "But we still can't let our guard down. Everything here is full of unknowns."

Zhang Cheng took a deep breath, fighting through his body's exhaustion, and walked over to that strange symbol. He carefully observed every detail of the symbol, attempting to find some information about this space from it.

"This symbol..." Zhang Cheng pondered for a moment, then pointed to a pattern in the center of the symbol and said, "I seem to have seen a similar pattern somewhere before."

"Where?" the Lan Xing Guardian and Kelinda asked at the same time.

"I remember..." Zhang Cheng tried hard to recall. "In the ancient book I obtained, a similar pattern was once mentioned. It is said to be a kind of array that can manipulate spatial energy."

"Manipulate spatial energy?" Kelinda asked in surprise. "Are you saying we can use this array to leave here?"

"It's possible." Zhang Cheng nodded. "But I need a little time to study this array and see if I can find a way to activate it."

The Lan Xing Guardian looked at the surrounding environment and said in a low voice: "We must hurry. I can sense a powerful force approaching this place."

Zhang Cheng nodded and said no more, focusing entirely on studying that strange symbol. He slowly infused his spiritual power into the symbol, feeling the powerful energy contained within it.

Time passed second by second, and fine beads of sweat seeped from Zhang Cheng's forehead. He felt that he was approaching the core of the symbol, but at the same time, a powerful resistance was also stopping him from going deeper.

Suddenly, Zhang Cheng felt a powerful suction draw his spiritual power into the symbol. His vision went black and he lost consciousness.

"Zhang Cheng!" Kelinda cried out in alarm, wanting to step forward to check on him, but was stopped by the Lan Xing Guardian.

"Don't go over there!" the Lan Xing Guardian said in a low voice. "He is at a critical moment right now. We cannot disturb him."

Kelinda watched the unconscious Zhang Cheng anxiously, her heart filled with worry. She knew that their fate was now all in Zhang Cheng's hands.

Just then, a gentle voice sounded in the cave: "Don't worry, he will be fine..."

Kelinda watched the unconscious Zhang Cheng anxiously, while the Lan Xing Guardian stared gravely into the depths of the cave, where a heart-palpitating surge of energy permeated the air. The aura of the Blood Night Demon Family's hidden expert was drawing ever closer.

Just then, a graceful figure drifted to Zhang Cheng's side, radiating a warm and gentle light. It was a petite Elf with crystalline wings and long hair that shimmered with starlight. A pair of clear blue eyes gazed at Zhang Cheng with concern.

"You are..." Kelinda looked at this suddenly appearing Elf and asked in surprise.

"My name is Ailiya," the Elf said softly. "I am the guardian of this space. I sensed an evil force approaching, and he—" she glanced at Zhang Cheng—"he is our last hope."

With that, Ailiya closed her eyes and began to chant an ancient incantation in a low voice. With her gentle voice, the surrounding space seemed to be enveloped by a thin veil of light, isolating them from the outside world. This veil of light, though seemingly fragile, contained powerful energy, enough to withstand the Blood Night Demon Family's hidden expert for a while.

"Time is running out," the Lan Xing Guardian said in a low voice. "He must wake up soon."

"Don't worry," Ailiya said softly. "I will do everything I can to buy him time."

At this moment, deep within Zhang Cheng's consciousness, he was lost in a chaotic space. All around was boundless darkness, with only that mysterious symbol emitting a faint glow, guiding his direction forward.

Suddenly, a powerful force surged into his consciousness, dispersing the surrounding darkness. He saw an old man standing before him, a trace of exhaustion on his kindly face.

"You are..." Zhang Cheng looked at the old man before him in surprise, feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

"Child, now is not the time for explanations," the old man said gently. "You must concentrate your mind and control that spatial energy. Only then can you leave here."

With that, the old man gently pressed his palm against Zhang Cheng's forehead, and a stream of pure energy slowly flowed into his body. Zhang Cheng felt his consciousness gradually clearing, and his mastery over spatial energy became even more effortless.

"Remember," the old man's voice echoed in his ears, "believe in yourself. You are the one who controls fate..."

Zhang Cheng suddenly opened his eyes, a resolute light flashing in them. He took a deep breath, focused all his attention on that mysterious symbol, and guided the spatial energy according to his understanding of the symbol.

Slowly, a small Space Channel began to form...

"He succeeded!" Ailiya cried out in pleasant surprise. However, before she could finish speaking, her expression suddenly changed. "Oh no, that evil force has grown stronger..."

Fine beads of sweat seeped from Zhang Cheng's forehead. He clenched his teeth and concentrated all his spiritual power on guiding the spatial energy. That mysterious symbol radiated dazzling light from his hands, like a key opening a door to an unknown world.

The entrance of the small Space Channel grew clearer and clearer, gradually forming a swirling blue ring of light that emitted strange spatial fluctuations. Kelinda, the Lan Xing Guardian, and Ailiya all watched this nervously. They knew this was their last chance.

"Roar!"

A deafening roar came from the depths of the cave, shaking the earth and mountains as fragments of rock cascaded down. The Blood Night Demon Family's hidden expert had detected the formation of the Space Channel. It charged over in fury, wanting to stop Zhang Cheng and the others from escaping.

"Hurry! There's no time!" The Lan Xing Guardian pulled Kelinda up and pushed her toward the Space Channel. "Take him and go!"

Kelinda knew this was no time to hesitate. She picked up Zhang Cheng and jumped into the Space Channel without hesitation. Ailiya followed closely behind. The blue ring of light closed instantly behind her and vanished without a trace.

"Damn it!"

The Blood Night Demon Family's hidden expert roared in fury. Its massive body slammed against the empty cave wall, producing a tremendous boom. It searched everywhere, unwilling to give up, but could no longer find any trace of Zhang Cheng and the others.

Inside the Space Channel, Zhang Cheng felt as if he were in a dazzlingly colorful tunnel, surrounded by countless streams of radiant light. Time and space seemed to have lost all meaning. He did not know where he would be transported, but his heart was filled with hope, because he knew that as long as he was still alive, there would always be a chance to defeat evil and return to Kelinda's side.

He did not know how long had passed before the Space Channel finally reached its end. Zhang Cheng and the others were pushed out by a powerful force and fell onto a soft meadow.

"Where is this..." Zhang Cheng struggled to his feet and looked around.

They were in the middle of a vast forest. Towering giant trees blocked out the sky, and sunlight filtered down through the gaps in the leaves, forming dappled patterns of light and shadow. The air was filled with a fresh, moist scent, and the sounds of birdsong and flowing water reached their ears, as if it were a paradise on earth.

"Are we safe?" Kelinda asked, still shaken.

"Safe for now," the Lan Xing Guardian surveyed the surroundings with a grave expression. "But this place..."

Before he could finish his words, an aged voice suddenly sounded beside them: "Welcome to the Holy Spirit Forest..."

A foul, bloody stench assaulted their faces, accompanied by a hair-raising roar. The massive body of the Blood Night Demon Family's hidden expert filled half the cave. Its crimson eyes stared fixedly at the nearly formed Space Channel, its sharp claws leaving deep gouges in the rock.

"Hurry! It's about to charge through!" the Lan Xing Guardian urged anxiously, gathering powerful energy fluctuations in his hands, trying to hold it back for a moment.

Zhang Cheng's face was pale and sweat soaked his clothes, but the light in his hands grew even more dazzling. The entrance of the small Space Channel had already expanded enough for a person to pass through. The blue ring of light spun rapidly, forming a powerful suction force.

"Kelinda, you go first!" Zhang Cheng gave Kelinda a push, signaling her to enter the Space Channel quickly.

"No, we leave together!" Kelinda shook her head firmly, her eyes filled with worry and resolve.

"Don't waste time!" the Lan Xing Guardian shouted, pushing Kelinda and Zhang Cheng into the Space Channel together. "Ailiya, protect them well!"

Before his words had faded, the Blood Night Demon Family's hidden expert had already broken through the Lan Xing Guardian's defense and lunged toward the Space Channel with earth-shattering momentum.

"Go!" the Lan Xing Guardian roared, resolutely turning to face the enemy as powerful energy fluctuations erupted in the cave.

Inside the Space Channel, Zhang Cheng and the others were swept along by a powerful force, as if caught in a violent storm. The world spun around them, and they could not tell direction. Time seemed to stand still, yet also seemed as though millennia had passed.

Finally, the scene before them gradually became clear. They were pushed out of the Space Channel by a gentle force and fell onto a soft meadow.

"Cough…." Zhang Cheng coughed violently a few times, struggled to stand up, and looked around.

This was an unfamiliar forest, towering ancient trees piercing the clouds, sunlight filtering through the leaves and falling down, forming dappled light and shadow. The air was filled with a fresh, moist scent, and the sounds of birds and a stream came to his ears, like a paradise beyond the world.

"Where… are we?" Kelinda asked with confusion.

"I don't know, but it feels very strange here…" Zhang Cheng furrowed his brows; he sensed a bizarre energy fluctuation filling the whole space, yet it was everywhere and left no trace.

"Watch out!" Ailiya suddenly shouted, pulling Kelinda to hide behind a massive tree.

Before Zhang Cheng could react, a dark silhouette descended from the sky, crashing heavily onto the spot where they had just been standing.

"What is this thing?!" Zhang Cheng stared in surprise at the monster before him; it had a humanoid body, but its skin was ink‑green, covered with sharp bone spines, and a pair of blood‑red eyes flashed with ferocious light.

"Roar—" the monster let out a deafening bellow, and lunged at Zhang Cheng again…