Chapter 288

The black beam of light shot into the sky, as if about to tear this space apart.

Violent dark energy surged out like a tide, impacting the group's defense line.

The Starry Knight groaned, his already injured body unable to support him any longer, kneeling on one knee, a mouthful of blood gushing from his mouth.

"Knight!" The Messenger of Light exclaimed, hurriedly stepping forward to support him.

"Cough cough... I'm fine..." The Starry Knight struggled to stand up, but his face was pale, clearly at the end of his tether.

The Blue Star Guardian gritted his teeth and persisted, the energy shield trembling violently, as if it would shatter at any moment.

"Haha... struggle! Despair!" The Dark Lord laughed wildly, his voice full of mockery and cruelty.

The Shadow Assassin behind him also let out a sharp, weird laugh, like a death-summoning note.

"The leader's power is invincible!" The gaunt man shouted from afar, his tone full of flattery and fanaticism. "These ants will soon turn to dust!" Other pirates also clamored, as if they had already seen the scene of victory.

Kelinda held Zhang Cheng's arm tightly, her eyes full of worry: "Zhang Cheng, what... what should we do?" Zhang Cheng didn't speak, just stared fixedly at the Dark Lord, his eyes flashing with firm light.

The Nebula Sage frowned, continuously deducing the situation, but could never find a way to break the deadlock.

"His power... is even more powerful than we expected..." The Nebula Sage muttered, his tone full of powerlessness.

Even the usually mysterious Star Spirit showed a solemn expression at this moment.

It circled Zhang Cheng, emitting a low humming sound, seemingly warning of something.

The White-Clothed Elf prayed silently, purification power swirling in her hands, but it couldn't resist this overwhelming darkness.

The dark power grew stronger, and the group's defense line was crumbling.

The Messenger of Light's healing power could no longer counteract the erosion of dark energy, and the Blue Star Guardian's energy shield began to show cracks.

Just as the dark power was about to drown the group, Zhang Cheng suddenly stepped forward... Just as the dark power was about to drown the group, Zhang Cheng stepped forward, took a deep breath, and dazzling golden light erupted from his eyes.

A mysterious and powerful energy erupted from within him, forming a golden light shield that enveloped the group.

This golden light seemed to possess holy purification power, actually forcing back the surrounding surging dark power for the time being.

"What... power is this?" The Messenger of Light looked at Zhang Cheng in surprise, her eyes flashing with the light of hope.

The others also cast their gazes toward Zhang Cheng, and a glimmer of hope appeared on their originally desperate faces.

"Hmph, petty tricks!" Seeing this, a flash of gloom crossed the Dark Lord's eyes.

He had originally thought victory was in his grasp, but didn't expect a sudden intervention.

The power Zhang Cheng displayed made him feel threatened.

He changed his attack target, condensing dark power into countless black spikes, shooting toward Zhang Cheng like a rainstorm, wanting to eliminate this biggest threat first.

"Leader is wise! This kid actually dared to block the leader's path; he really doesn't know what's good for him!" The gaunt man shouted flatteringly from the side, and other pirates followed suit, as if they had already seen the miserable sight of Zhang Cheng being pierced by the spikes.

"Zhang Cheng, careful!" Kelinda exclaimed, her eyes full of worry.

The Nebula Sage also frowned, secretly thinking it was bad.

The Dark Lord's attack was extremely fast and powerful; even he couldn't fully resist it.

"This kid is dead! How can he contend with the leader's power!" The gaunt man continued to clamor, his tone full of schadenfreude.

Other pirates also echoed, as if they had already seen Zhang Cheng's end.

However, at this critical moment, Zhang Cheng's mouth curled slightly, revealing a confident smile.

"You want to hurt me with just this bit of skill?" He whispered, his figure flashing suddenly...

Zhang Cheng's figure flashed suddenly, turning into a golden light, weaving through the dense black spikes.

The spikes were numerous and extremely fast, pouring down like a rainstorm, tearing through the air and making a sharp whistling sound.

Even with Zhang Cheng's movement technique, it was difficult to avoid them completely.

Several spikes flew past his body, leaving shallow wounds.

The Starry Knight endured the pain and struggled to stand up.

He knew he couldn't back down now; he had to buy time for Zhang Cheng.

"Drink!" He roared, wielding the longsword in his hand, blocking the spikes shooting toward Zhang Cheng.

Sword light flickered, spikes and blade colliding, making a harsh metallic clashing sound.

The surrounding space was torn by the spikes and sword energy, leaving traces.

The group watched this thrilling battle nervously, their hearts in their throats.

The Messenger of Light ran to the Starry Knight's side, placing her hand on his wound, and a soft white light slowly flowed into his body.

The knight felt the pain in his wound gradually alleviate, and a warm current surged through his whole body.

He turned to look at the Messenger of Light; her eyes were full of worry and affection, which filled him with power.

"Thank you, Messenger of Light." The Starry Knight said gratefully.

"As long as you're okay." The Messenger of Light smiled gently and continued to heal him.

Zhang Cheng wove flexibly through the gaps in the spikes, looking for an opportunity to counterattack.

He knew this wouldn't work for long and had to find a way to break it as soon as possible.

Suddenly, he noticed that the Dark Lord would have a momentary pause between casting spells.

This was an opportunity!

Just as the Dark Lord was preparing to cast a spell again, Zhang Cheng seized this opportunity, his figure flashing, appearing instantly in front of him.

He condensed all his power and punched the Dark Lord's chest.

"Bang!" With a loud noise, the Dark Lord was pushed back several steps, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

"Damn it!" The Dark Lord roared, his eyes full of murderous intent. He didn't expect Zhang Cheng to be able to hurt him.

Just then, the Star Spirit and the Red-Robed Mage also rushed over.

"How should we cooperate with Zhang Cheng?" The Star Spirit asked.

"Of course, take the initiative and interrupt the Dark Lord's spellcasting!" The Red-Robed Mage said without hesitation.

"No, we should focus on defense and protect Zhang Cheng's safety." The Star Spirit retorted.

"Defense? Are you kidding me? Only offense is the best defense!" The Red-Robed Mage's voice raised a bit.

The Star Spirit's tone also became tough: "You..."

"What about me! Do you want to watch Zhang Cheng get swallowed by the Dark Lord?" The Red-Robed Mage's eyes widened, the staff in his hand flickering with dangerous red light.

"Only by interrupting his spellcasting can we buy a glimmer of hope!"

Starlight swirled around the Star Spirit, its tone cold: "Rash attacks will only put us in a more dangerous situation! Zhang Cheng needs stable defense, not your impulsive actions without any plan!"

Just as the two were arguing, the Dark Lord began chanting again, his low voice like a roar from hell, the surrounding dark aura becoming thicker, the air seemingly freezing, pressing down on the group so they couldn't breathe.

In the darkness, something huge seemed to be taking shape, and a suffocating sense of pressure shrouded the group.

Zhang Cheng frowned; he felt the Dark Lord's power rapidly increasing, the situation becoming more and more critical.

He turned his head abruptly and shouted sternly at the two still arguing: "Enough! Now is not the time for arguing!"

The two were shocked by Zhang Cheng's roar and finally stopped arguing.

The Star Spirit took a deep breath and said first: "My starlight can form a defensive barrier to resist the Dark Lord's attacks."

The Red-Robed Mage snorted coldly and also said: "My fire magic can interfere with his spellcasting, but it needs a suitable opportunity."

Zhang Cheng made a quick decision: "Star Spirit, deploy the defensive barrier immediately! Red-Robed Mage, look for an opportunity to interrupt his spellcasting, and I will cooperate with you!"

The Star Spirit did not hesitate, hands pressed together, and dazzling starlight instantly spread out, forming a huge translucent barrier that enveloped the group.

The surface of the barrier shimmered with light, exuding powerful energy fluctuations.

The Red-Robed Mage held the staff, eyes fixed on the Dark Lord, chanting words, the red gemstone at the tip of the staff flickering with increasingly dazzling light, like a volcano about to erupt.

The Dark Lord's chanting grew louder, something huge seemed to be taking shape in the dark aura, and the group watched the depths of the darkness nervously, their palms full of sweat.

Zhang Cheng clenched his fists, his gaze like a torch, and said in a deep voice: "It's coming..."