Chapter 266: Secret Ruins

Dust settled, gravel piled up like a mountain.

Where the maze originally stood, an ancient ruin appeared.

Mottled stone pillars, covered in unknown vines, exuded an ancient and mysterious aura.

The air was filled with the smell of damp soil, mixed with a trace of indescribable decay.

Ji Chen narrowed his eyes, curiously sizing up this sudden ruin.

"Damn, won't it be another hidden dungeon?" He muttered in a low voice, excitement flashing in his eyes.

This sudden surprise was more exciting than clearing a shopping cart!

Ceng Yue stood beside him, still expressionless, but the slightly furrowed brow showed her inner vigilance.

"Be careful." She reminded concisely.

"Rest assured, Madam." Ji Chen grinned, took Ceng Yue's hand, and stepped into the ruin.

However, the moment they stepped into the ruin, a powerful force separated them violently.

Ji Chen only felt a blur before his eyes, the surrounding scene changed abruptly, and Ceng Yue, who had been holding hands with him, actually disappeared out of thin air!

"Ceng Yue!" Ji Chen's heart tightened, and he shouted anxiously.

Responding to him was only the empty echo, and the increasingly rich oppression around him.

The surrounding space became dim, unable to see one's fingers.

A cold aura surged from all directions, as if countless eyes were hidden in the darkness, peeking at his every move.

Ji Chen felt a chill on his back, goosebumps instantly popping out.

"What's the situation? Playing with me?" Ji Chen cursed in a low voice, clenched his fists, and the supernatural energy within his body began to surge.

"Come if you want, afraid of you? Little master, I am an existence like a bug!"

In the darkness, something seemed to be wriggling, making a hair-raising sound.

Ji Chen held his breath, vigilantly watching the surroundings.

"Who? Sneaky, get out for Grandpa!" Ji Chen roared violently, the sound echoing in the darkness, like a thunderclap.

Responding to him was a low roar, getting closer and closer...

"A bit interesting." Ji Chen raised the corners of his mouth slightly, the figures wriggling in the darkness gradually becoming clear, one after another spider-like mechanical puppets, flashing with ghostly green light, surrounded Ji Chen from all directions.

They made click sounds, sharp metal limbs rubbing against the ground, making teeth ache.

The air was filled with a pungent smell of machine oil, mixed with the previous smell of decay, even more nauseating.

"Damn, Spider-Man vs. mechanical spiders? This setting is too cool!" Ji Chen complained, but his heart didn't dare to relax in the slightest.

These mechanical puppets, although looking clumsy, had unusually swift movement speeds, the flashing green light like ghost fires, floating in the darkness, making it hard to capture their movement trajectories.

Ji Chen took a deep breath, quickly mobilizing the ability of the golden finger, greedily absorbing the supernatural energy wandering around.

A warm current instantly surged through his whole body, and his originally slightly tired body was filled with power.

He felt like a dried-up sponge, crazily absorbing water, rapidly expanding.

Dazzling light emanated from Ji Chen, like a lamp in the darkness, dispelling the haze around.

His figure appeared exceptionally tall in the light, like a god descending to earth, majestic.

A confident smile returned to his face, as if the uneasiness and fear just now were just illusions.

"That's it? I thought you were some formidable character; turns out you're just a bunch of scrap metal!" Ji Chen curled his lip in disdain, his tone filled with contempt.

Just at this moment, Ceng Yue's face appeared in his mind.

Her cold eyes, tightly pursed lips, and that short "Be careful," were all deeply imprinted in his mind.

"Don't know how Madam is doing now..." Ji Chen's eyes became gentle, his heart filled with longing for her.

The loneliness around him eased because of this longing, as if Ceng Yue were by his side, silently guarding him.

"Wait for me, I will definitely find you!" Ji Chen swore silently in his heart, his eyes becoming firm again.

He clenched his fists, feeling the surging power within his body, a confident smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Come on, let me see what abilities you scrap things have!" Ji Chen provoked the mechanical puppets, beckoning with his fingers, his tone filled with teasing.

"Click, click, click..." The activity sounds of the mechanical puppets became denser, as if responding to his provocation.

They slowly raised their metal limbs, aiming at Ji Chen...

"Wait," Ji Chen suddenly opened his mouth, "Did you hear..."

"Click, click, click..." The mechanical puppets didn't hesitate anymore, sharp metal limbs rubbing against the ground, making a teeth-aching sound, rushing toward Ji Chen like a tide.

They brandished sharp sickle-like limbs, drawing cold light in the air, like the sickle of death, ruthlessly harvesting life.

Ji Chen raised a cold sneer at the corner of his mouth, his figure swayed, disappearing in place like a ghost.

The mechanical puppets' attacks missed, smashing on the ground one after another, stirring up a piece of dust.

Gravel splashed, as if in a battlefield with artillery fire everywhere.

The air was filled with the harsh sound of metal collisions, mixed with the sound of gravel impacts, making people's eardrums numb.

"Just this ability?" Ji Chen's voice echoed in the darkness, carrying a trace of disdain.

He shuttled flexibly among the mechanical puppets, every dodge perfectly timed, like an elf dancing on the tip of a knife, relaxed and comfortable.

His figure was as fast as lightning, making the mechanical puppets' attacks completely lose their accuracy, only able to wave their limbs in the air in vain.

Suddenly, Ji Chen seized a gap, his eyes condensed, and the supernatural energy within his body instantly erupted.

He clenched his right fist, condensed terrifying power, and smashed it hard against the chest of a mechanical puppet in front of him.

Only hearing a crisp sound of metal breaking, the mechanical puppet's chest instantly collapsed, like an egg smashed by a giant hammer, shattering into countless fragments, scattered on the ground, emitting a crisp collision sound, also like its silent wail.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Ji Chen's attacks were like a storm, every strike containing powerful force, mercilessly shattering the defense of the mechanical puppets.

Broken metal parts scattered all over the ground, flashing with dark light, like a pile of scrap metal.

Those mechanical puppets that were fierce just now lay quietly on the ground like puppets that had lost their souls, unable to move anymore.

Ji Chen stood proudly in the ruins, light emanating from his whole body, like a god of war descending, majestic.

He patted the dust off his body and looked around; these mechanical puppets in his eyes were just a group of vulnerable toys, unable to pose any threat to him at all.

He just wanted to continue exploring deeper, but heard a faint whispering sound echoing in the darkness.

That sound was like some ancient spell, low and mysterious, carrying a trace of strange oppression, every syllable seeming to beat on his heart.

Ji Chen frowned, vigilantly stopping his steps.

He heard... ===== CHAPTER 267 =====