Chapter 217: The Truth of the Rune Gate

Ji Chen and Ceng Yue stood side by side before the Runic Giant Gate, staring at the twisted runes on the gate like two statues.

These runes seemed like living creatures, slowly swimming on the surface of the Stone Gate, emitting a heart-palpitating, eerie light.

Ji Chen reached out his hand, his fingertips cautiously touching one of the runes; the sensation was icy yet carried a trace of strange heat, as if touching a piece of ice buried for a thousand years, or holding a ball of flame ready to erupt at any moment.

Ceng Yue's gaze was locked tightly onto those runes, sharp light flickering in her eyes; she seemed to want to carve these mysterious symbols completely into her mind.

The two of them attempted to inject their own Supernatural Ability into the runes.

Ji Chen cautiously guided the Golden Energy within his body, which flowed like a trickling stream toward those ancient runes.

Meanwhile, Ceng Yue released her own unique cold Cold Qi, testing the waters to make contact with the runes.

Just when they thought everything was under control, a sudden change occurred!

"Boom!"

A deafening, thunderous sound erupted suddenly, and the runes on the Stone Gate seemed to have been activated, instantly bursting with blinding light.

A powerful Energy Shockwave, like a raging storm, slammed fiercely into Ji Chen and Ceng Yue.

"Damn it!" Ji Chen cursed inwardly, feeling a massive force strike him; his body instantly lost its balance, and he was thrown away like a kite with a broken string.

Ceng Yue's reaction was slightly faster, but she also appeared powerless in the face of the shockwave; she gritted her teeth, trying to stabilize her figure, but it was all in vain, and she was ultimately blown away as well.

"Thump!"

The two of them fell heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Ji Chen felt as if his internal organs had been displaced, and waves of intense pain surged through his body; he couldn't help but furrow his brows and gasp in cold air.

Ceng Yue's situation was not optimistic either; she supported herself on the ground with one hand, her delicate face filled with a look of pain, and a trace of blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.

A dangerous aura instantly permeated the area, and the surrounding air seemed to have solidified.

Ji Chen and Ceng Yue struggled to climb up from the ground, looked at each other, and saw deep wariness and a trace of unwillingness in each other's eyes.

"This gate... has something to it." Ji Chen rubbed his slightly numb shoulder, his tone carrying a trace of gravity.

He cast his gaze once more toward the giant gate emitting the eerie light, his brows locked tight, the look in his eyes becoming even more profound.

"These runes..." Ji Chen muttered to himself, reaching out his hand again; his fingertips lightly touched the runes on the gate, and a familiar yet strange energy fluctuation came from his fingertips; he stood there stunned, as if he had discovered something incredible.

The energy fluctuation from Ji Chen's fingertips felt exactly like his Golden Finger being activated; familiar warm currents surged, and as if he had found the key, his face revealed wild joy.

"Damn, this Runic energy is interesting!" He was secretly excited and no longer hesitated; he approached the giant gate again, and a powerful suction force came from his palm; those swimming runes seemed to be attracted by a magnet, flowing into his body in wisps.

"Zzz..."

A sound like electric current flowing through a body rang out; Ji Chen felt the energy in his body running crazily, and golden light flickered beneath his skin.

The runes on the gate dimmed visibly, the eerie light gradually dissipated, and the oppressive atmosphere weakened accordingly; excitement flickered in Ji Chen's eyes, like a child about to unwrap a gift.

"Is it opening?!" he shouted in his heart, a strong sense of anticipation surging up.

However, just as the runes were about to disappear completely, the change happened again!

"Roar—!"

An earth-shattering roar came from inside the gate, and immediately following it, a dense mass of Dark Energy surged out like a tidal wave, condensing into a giant black beast shadow in front of the gate in the blink of an eye.

That beast shadow bared its fangs and brandished its claws, its form resembling both a wolf and a tiger, its face ferocious, and its body wreathed in black flames, as if it were a demon from hell.

"What the hell?!" Ji Chen cursed, looking at the behemoth that had suddenly appeared before him, feeling a chill run through his heart.

He could feel the terrifying aura radiating from this black beast, far exceeding any enemy he had encountered before.

Ceng Yue's eyes turned cold, frost covered her pretty face, and she quickly raised both hands, Cold Qi erupting from her body as she attempted to use Ice Frost Power to block the black beast's charge.

However, the black beast let out a light roar, shattering the frost, and the black flames rushed toward the two of them.

"Watch out!" Ji Chen roared, pulling Ceng Yue over and narrowly avoiding the attack of the black flames; the scorching temperature still made his skin feel a stinging pain.

He quickly circulated the energy in his body, forming a layer of Golden Protective Barrier, barely resisting the pressure from the black beast.

The surrounding energy fluctuations were violent, the space seemed to be trembling, and the entire Inheritance Ground let out a groan of being unable to bear the burden; the tense atmosphere was instantly maxed out.

"This thing... is a bit fierce!" Sweat seeped from Ji Chen's forehead, his eyes fixed dead on the black beast before him; he felt unprecedented pressure, and this was not something those small-fry from before could compare to.

He tightened his fists, his internal energy running crazily, preparing to meet the hard battle ahead.

"..." Ceng Yue did not speak, but she gripped the long sword in her hand tightly, her eyes filled with determination.

The two stood back-to-back, facing the powerful black beast; for a moment, everything seemed to stand still, leaving only the sound of their heavy breathing.

"Scared?" Ji Chen turned his head, his low voice appearing exceptionally clear amidst the howling Energy Turbulence.

"Is that all?" Ceng Yue replied coldly, though the corners of her mouth lifted slightly, revealing a faint, imperceptible smile.

At a life-or-death moment, this woman actually still had the mood to act cool!

Ji Chen smiled inwardly, but he held Ceng Yue's hand even tighter.

"Come on, let this beast see what we're made of!" Ji Chen laughed loudly, and Golden Energy erupted like a volcanic explosion, wrapping around him and Ceng Yue to form a giant golden ball of light.

Ceng Yue no longer held back either; her body was frigid with cold, and her Ice Frost Power blended with Ji Chen's Golden Energy; the two completely different energies actually fused perfectly, erupting with even greater power.

"Holy crap, it worked!" Ji Chen shouted excitedly, feeling the surging power within his body, and an unprecedented sense of confidence surged into his heart.

"Fusion Skill, Ice and Fire Heaven!" the two shouted in unison, the golden light and ice-blue Cold Qi intertwining to form a dazzling beam of light that shot straight into the sky!

"Roar—!" The black beast let out a miserable roar, its black flames surging crazily in an attempt to resist this world-destroying strike.

However, it was all in vain.

The beam of light and the black beast collided fiercely, erupting with a deafening, thunderous sound, and the entire Inheritance Ground trembled violently.

The black beast's body shattered inch by inch under the impact of the beam, and the black flames extinguished along with it, finally turning into a wisp of black smoke that dissipated into the air.

"We won!" Ji Chen and Ceng Yue embraced excitedly; they encouraged each other, their eyes filled with love and trust, their tightly clasped hands conveying strength and warmth.

However, just as they were immersed in the joy of victory, Ji Chen suddenly felt a violent shaking beneath his feet; the entire Inheritance Ground was trembling, and cracks began to appear on the stone walls overhead as rubble fell continuously.

"What's going on?" Ji Chen's expression changed, and a sense of foreboding rose in his heart.

"This place... is going to collapse!" Ceng Yue looked at the violently shaking Inheritance Ground, her expression also becoming grave...