Chapter 146: Trapped in Darkness

Darkness, boundless darkness.

Ji Chen felt as if he had fallen into a pool of viscous ink, his body becoming heavier and heavier, as if filled with lead.

He tried hard to open his eyes, but only saw a chaotic gray-black, like the static screen of an old television losing its signal, buzzing and annoying.

Fear wrapped around his heart like vines, tightening more and more, almost making him unable to breathe.

"What the hell is going on?" Ji Chen gritted his teeth, trying hard to stay awake.

This feeling was terrible, worse than working overtime until 3 AM and having to squeeze onto the subway during rush hour the next day.

He tried to mobilize his Supernatural Ability, just like usual, gathering energy in his palms; however, he was met with a piercing, bone-deep pain.

"Hiss—" Ji Chen gasped, feeling as if his Supernatural Ability had been thrown into a meat grinder, mercilessly torn and crushed.

In the darkness, it felt as if countless eyes were peeping at him, giggling at his powerlessness and mocking his struggle.

This Dark Power greedily devoured his Supernatural Ability, like a hungry beast gnawing at his bone marrow.

Ji Chen's face turned pale, beads of sweat the size of beans rolling down his forehead, his heart gradually filled with despair.

"Could it be... that I'm going to die here?" This thought flashed through Ji Chen's chaotic consciousness like lightning.

He was not reconciled!

He hadn't yet stood at the peak of Ability Users, hadn't yet...

Wait!

Ji Chen suddenly thought of something, a glimmer of light flashing in his eyes. "I still have..."

"I still have the Rune Space!" Ji Chen suddenly remembered the Golden Finger that had been gathering dust for a long time.

That mysterious space had unique energy rules; perhaps...

It could be the key to breaking his predicament!

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his chaotic Supernatural Ability, and according to the rules of the Rune Space, carefully guided the remaining energy in his body.

This felt like walking a tightrope; a slight carelessness would lead to falling into an abyss.

But Ji Chen had no retreat; he could only bite the bullet and move forward.

Gradually, he felt that the Supernatural Ability in his body was no longer being crazily devoured as before; instead, it began to slowly recover.

A faint glimmer of light radiated from his body, illuminating a small area of darkness around him.

"It worked!" Ji Chen felt a surge of joy, hope reigniting in his eyes.

The surrounding darkness seemed to sense his change, like a startled beast, becoming restless.

A loosening appeared in the darkness; that was the weakest point of the Dark Power!

Ji Chen did not hesitate, gathering all his Supernatural Ability and smashing it hard toward that weak point!

"Boom—"

A loud noise, as if the heavens and earth were opening, shook the entire space.

The Dark Power began to counterattack, surging toward Ji Chen like a tide.

"Come on! Let's hurt each other!" Ji Chen gritted his teeth, crazily driving his Supernatural Ability.

The collision of the two forces produced violent fluctuations.

The surrounding space shook constantly, as if it would collapse at any moment.

"Break for me!" Ji Chen roared, erupting with the last bit of energy in his body.

In the darkness, a crack suddenly appeared...

"Ji Chen!" An anxious voice came...

Ceng Yue was anxious, like an ant on a hot pan, her pretty face full of anxiety.

She rushed toward Ji Chen's direction regardless of everything, the silver light on her body like the brightest star in the night sky, piercing through the boundless darkness.

"Ji Chen, are you okay? I'm here to help you!" Her voice carried a hint of trembling, but more of it was firmness and concern.

The love contained in her eyes was like a flame, warming Ji Chen's heart, which had been eroded by darkness.

Ji Chen felt Ceng Yue approaching, and a warm current surged in his heart.

This woman, usually cold, was still reliable at critical moments!

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, revealing a look of relief.

"Don't just stand there, let's go together! This black thing looks infuriating!"

Ceng Yue did not hesitate at all; she extended her fair hand, her palm gathering powerful energy, the silver light and the faint light radiating from Ji Chen reflecting off each other.

The two forces began to collide, then miraculously merged together, just like connecting the positive and negative poles of a battery, producing an unexpected chemical reaction.

The surrounding Dark Power seemed to sense the threat of this merged force, becoming restless and letting out harsh hisses, like a roaring beast.

The merged Supernatural Ability erupted with unprecedented energy fluctuations, making the surrounding space buzz.

Ji Chen felt as if his body had been injected with powerful force, the energy that had been devoured by the darkness recovering rapidly, and even reaching a higher level.

He couldn't help but roar at the sky, as if releasing the pent-up frustration in his heart.

"Now is the time! Take it down!"

The two joined forces, aiming at the weakest point of the Dark Power, and launched their strongest strike.

"Booming—" Like a volcanic eruption, or a meteorite hitting the earth, the powerful energy wave instantly spread out, the surrounding Dark Power retreating steadily, and the originally thick darkness beginning to thin.

Just when they thought they were about to break through the darkness and achieve victory, an unexpected turn occurred.

The Dark Power seemed to have been enraged, suddenly rolling violently and forming a massive black vortex.

In the center of the vortex, a massive black tentacle, carrying a foul stench, suddenly lashed out toward Ji Chen and Ceng Yue, moving with astonishing speed, as if opening a gaping maw to swallow them whole.

"Damn, is this for real?" Ji Chen exclaimed, watching the tentacle approach rapidly, his pupils shrinking sharply.

Before the two could react, they were swept into it.

In the darkness, Ceng Yue leaned tightly against Ji Chen, both of them feeling the other's body temperature. ===== CHAPTER 147 =====