Chapter 232: The Formation Is About to Break

Ghostly creatures surged like a tide, Zhang Cheng swung his long sword, each swing scattering a spray of blood blossoms. Azure‑blue blood splattered onto his face, cold and bone‑piercing, yet he felt no fear, only endless rage and anxiety. Kelinda and her companions were still struggling to hold on; he had to buy them time!

"Roar!" A ghostly creature opened its gaping maw, flashing sharp fangs, and lunged at Zhang Cheng's neck. Zhang Cheng sidestepped, evading the attack, and his sword sliced down, cleaving the creature in two. Yet more ghostly beings swarmed from all directions, encircling him.

"Damn it!" Zhang Cheng gritted his teeth; he knew this could not continue, but he had no retreat. The number of ghostly creatures was overwhelming, and they were fearless of death— even when shattered, they quickly re‑coalesced to attack again.

Kelinda watched Zhang Cheng surrounded by ghostly creatures, her heart burning. She forced herself to endure her wounds, brandishing her long whip to fling a single ghostly creature away. However, her strength was negligible before these beings; she could only watch helplessly as Zhang Cheng was drawn into a desperate battle.

"There must be a way, there must be a way…" Kelinda fought while anxiously pondering a solution. Suddenly, her gaze fell on a fragment of broken stone on the ground. It was a black ore emitting a faint glow, the special energy ore they had previously discovered at the edge of the ghostly star region.

Kelinda clearly remembered that when she lifted that ore, the surrounding ghostly creatures grew noticeably restless, as if they instinctively feared the ore.

"Zhang Cheng, use the energy ore! Ghostly creatures are afraid of it!" Kelinda shouted recklessly, trying to tell Zhang Cheng of her discovery.

Pressed by the ghostly creatures into a perilous situation, Zhang Cheng heard Kelinda's shout and a spark of hope rose in his heart… Yet his hand groped his body, and his complexion suddenly changed.

Zhang Cheng recalled the energy ore Kelinda had given him earlier; he tried to locate the ore to drive away the ghostly creatures, but his hand searched his body again, and his complexion suddenly changed. Previously Kelinda had given him two pieces of energy ore— one he used in attack but lost during the fight, and the other…

"Damn it!" Zhang Cheng muttered. The other energy ore he had placed in his spatial ring, but at this moment his spatial ring had been damaged in the earlier battle!

Ghostly creatures would not grant Zhang Cheng a moment's respite; they roared, fangs bared, lunging at him. Zhang Cheng swung his sword, struggling to fend them off, but his wounds multiplied and his stamina waned.

"Zhang Cheng!" Kelinda shouted anxiously, powerless. She was entangled by several powerful ghostly creatures, unable to break free to aid him.

At this critical instant, a flash of golden light streaked by, and a tall figure stood before Zhang Cheng.

"Blue Star Guardian!" Zhang Cheng recognized the newcomer, his joy mixing with surprise.

"I'm late." The Blue Star Guardian's voice was low; his complexion was pale, his body bore wounds, clearly having endured a fierce battle earlier.

"Senior, are you alright?" Zhang Cheng's heart tightened upon seeing the Guardian's injuries.

"No problem, these are minor wounds." The Blue Star Guardian waved his hand, his gaze sweeping the dense swarm of ghostly creatures, brow furrowed, "These ghostly beings are extremely troublesome; we must find a way to break through quickly."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Blue Star Guardian let out a muffled hum, a strand of fresh blood spilling from his mouth corner.

"Senior!" Zhang Cheng gasped in shock.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." The Blue Star Guardian inhaled deeply, suppressing the pain, his hands swiftly forming seals while muttering incantations.

With his chant, a golden radiance burst from him, spreading rapidly to form a massive golden shield that enveloped Zhang Cheng, Kelinda, and the others.

Ghostly creatures battered the golden shield, emitting harsh, piercing roars, yet they could not breach its defense.

"Phew…" Zhang Cheng and the others finally exhaled, temporarily safe.

"This formation won't hold for long." The Blue Star Guardian's complexion was pale, his voice weak, "I need time to recover my strength."

"Senior, focus on healing; we'll handle things here." Zhang Cheng said.

Yet at that moment, the mysterious Elf, surrounded by ghostly creatures, suddenly lifted its head, eyes blazing at the central area of the creatures, a faint, meaningful smile curling its lips.

"I see…" she murmured softly, "as long as…"

The mysterious Elf's words struck like lightning, cutting through the oppressive atmosphere on the battlefield. Hearing this, Zhang Cheng felt a flicker of hope ignite within him.

"Are you serious?" the Blue Star Guardian asked weakly, his tone edged with urgency.

The mysterious Elf gave a slight smile, offered no answer, but turned to look at Zhang Cheng, her deep gaze seeming to pierce his soul, and said, "I believe you can do it."

Zhang Cheng inhaled deeply; he knew there was no time for hesitation. He tightened his grip on his long sword, eyes blazing, and began searching the mass of ghostly creatures for the so‑called "core."

The ghostly creatures seemed to sense the threat, attacking more ferociously. They roared, fangs bared, lunging at Zhang Cheng, trying to stop him from reaching the core.

"Get out of my way!" Zhang Cheng roared, swinging his sword, cutting down the approaching ghostly creatures one by one. His sword technique was fierce; each strike carried sharp sword qi, tearing the creatures' bodies, which dissolved into black mist.

Yet the number of ghostly creatures was endless; they could not be fully slain. Every step Zhang Cheng took demanded a huge price. His wounds multiplied, blood staining his clothes, yet he felt no pain, his eyes fixed on the yet‑unfound "core."

"There!" Kelinda shouted, pointing at the densest cluster of ghostly creatures.

Following Kelinda's indication, Zhang Cheng looked and saw, at the center of the swarm, a massive black vortex slowly rotating, exuding a heart‑pounding aura.

"That's the core!" the mysterious Elf's voice rang in Zhang Cheng's ears, "Destroy it, and the ghostly creatures will disperse!"

Zhang Cheng no longer hesitated; he inhaled, gathered all his strength, and charged toward the black vortex. The ghostly creatures surged to block him, but he was undaunted; his sword became bolts of lightning, slashing every creature that approached.

"Boom!"

With a deafening crash, Zhang Cheng cleaved a passage and finally stood before the black vortex. He looked up, seeing the vortex exude a suffocating pressure, as if it would swallow him whole.

"Break it for me!"

Zhang Cheng roared, concentrating all his power into the sword tip, thrusting hard into the black vortex.

"Clack!"

A crisp sound rang out; a crack appeared on the vortex's surface… The Blue Star Guardian, his complexion pale, gazed at the wavering golden shield, muttering, "Time is running out…"

The crack in the black vortex, like a flash of lightning, illuminated Zhang Cheng's eyes. He rejoiced wildly, knowing victory was at hand! Yet as he prepared to deliver the final strike, a massive suction surged from the vortex, pulling his entire body inward.

"Zhang Cheng!" Kelinda cried, reaching out to grab him, but the suction repelled her.

"Don't come!" Zhang Cheng shouted, straining to steady himself. Yet the vortex's pull was overwhelming; he felt his body being torn apart piece by piece.

"Hahaha, give up!" a member of the Blood Night Demon Family, hidden strong one, laughed wildly, "You think you can destroy the core? You'll only become its nourishment!"

Zhang Cheng ignored him, his gaze fixed on the vortex's center—that was the core's location!

"All or nothing!" Zhang Cheng gritted his teeth, no longer resisting the pull, but using it to surge toward the core.

"What is he doing?!" the mysterious Elf asked in surprise.

"He's…," Kelinda said, watching Zhang Cheng's resolute silhouette, eyes full of worry and admiration, "He's using his own power to shatter the core!"

The Blue Star Guardian lifted his head weakly, watching Zhang Cheng's figure, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes: "Perhaps… he really can…"

Zhang Cheng's body spun at high speed within the black vortex, his consciousness gradually blurring, yet he did not give up; his will was as steel, sustaining him as he drew ever closer to the core.

"Just a little more… just a little more…" Zhang Cheng shouted in his mind.

At that moment, he felt the golden shield above his head tremble violently, its surface covered with countless dense cracks.

"Bad, the formation is breaking!" the Blue Star Guardian shouted, despair etched on his face.

Zhang Cheng also sensed the formation's shift; he knew he had no more time!

"What to do… must we fail like this…?" Zhang Cheng's heart filled with unwillingness.

He looked up at the core within reach, a resolute spark flashing in his eyes.

"Give it my all, and leave no regrets!" Zhang Cheng's gaze suddenly hardened; he drew a deep breath, clenched the sword hilt with both hands, and raised it high above his head. At that moment, he suddenly felt a powerful force surge from deep within his body…