Chapter 273: Perilous situation

Ji Chen's heart jumped violently; the appearance of that giant eye pattern was like a sudden Boss warning in a game, making one's scalp tingle.

He stared fixedly at the eyeball emitting the ghostly blue light, as if being targeted by an ancient giant beast, his hair standing on end.

The surrounding air seemed to have been sucked away, so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

"This thing, it wouldn't be a hidden level for clearing the dungeon, would it?" Ji Chen muttered, though his face was full of gravity.

He could feel a powerful, unsettling energy hidden in the air, like the calm before a volcanic eruption.

Just as the alarm bells rang in his heart, that giant eye pattern suddenly shot out a blindingly strong light, like the wrath of a god, instantly shrouding Ji Chen and Ceng Yue.

"Holy crap!" Ji Chen couldn't help but curse, feeling an irresistible giant force surging from all directions, his body feeling as if it had been stuffed into a meat grinder, his bones nearly falling apart.

He felt the air in his lungs being squeezed out, breathing becoming incredibly difficult, like a fish stranded on land.

Ceng Yue was also caught off guard by this sudden change; her already cold, thin face was covered in a layer of frost, her brows locked, clearly also bearing immense pressure.

The strong light was like an endless cage, trapping the two tightly; everything around them was swallowed by this blinding light, and even space seemed to distort.

Ji Chen felt like a small boat in a vast ocean, ready to be torn to pieces by this powerful force at any moment.

He looked anxiously at Ceng Yue beside him, only to find her also gritting her teeth, her face pale.

"This wave... is a bit hard to handle!" Ji Chen felt the blood in his body about to boil, a strong sense of crisis making his heart race.

That giant eye pattern continued to emit a suffocating light, like a giant black hole, wanting to swallow everything up.

"Ah!" Ceng Yue let out a muffled groan, her body trembling slightly.

Seeing this, Ji Chen's heart tightened, and an unprecedented anger surged in his heart; he gripped Ceng Yue's hand tightly and whispered: "Don't be afraid, I will protect you."

Just then, Ji Chen felt a familiar power stirring within his body, like a sleeping giant beast about to wake up.

He subconsciously looked at his hands, seeing golden light faintly visible beneath his skin.

"Looks like I can only try one more time..." Ji Chen muttered to himself.

Ji Chen felt the strange energy within his body like a rushing river, madly surging through his entire body.

His skin took on a faint layer of golden light, as if he had put on a golden battle armor.

The pressure brought by the strong light decreased sharply, as if separated by a thick barrier.

He opened his eyes wide, golden light flickering in his pupils, a confident smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

"Just this? I haven't even used my full strength yet!"

Before the words fell, countless mechanical puppets suddenly surged out from the giant eye pattern, rushing toward them like a tide.

These puppets were pitch black, flickering with a metallic luster, holding various weapons and emitting a cold murderous intent.

"Damn, what the hell is this!" Ji Chen pulled Ceng Yue to dodge; the mechanical puppets' attacks grazed his clothes, leaving deep marks on the ground.

The surrounding relic buildings constantly collapsed under this bombardment, dust flying and blocking the sky.

"Careful!" Ceng Yue grabbed Ji Chen, dodging a giant rock falling from the sky.

"Thanks!" Ji Chen smiled back, his eyes full of fighting spirit.

"Looks like I need to stretch my muscles!"

He stopped dodging and took the initiative to meet them.

His figure moved like a phantom among the mechanical puppets, every strike precise, his fists and kicks carrying a whistling wind, smashing heavily onto the mechanical puppets.

The clanging sound of metal colliding echoed throughout the relic, accompanied by the crisp sound of mechanical puppet parts scattering on the ground.

Ceng Yue was not to be outdone; she was agile, condensing ice blades in her hands, taking out a group of mechanical puppets with every swing.

The ice blades cut through the air, emitting a sharp whistling sound, leaving trails of afterimages in the air.

For a time, inside the relic, dust flew and metal fragments splashed; the battle was exceptionally intense.

Although the mechanical puppets were numerous, they gradually showed signs of defeat under the joint attack of Ji Chen and Ceng Yue.

Ji Chen looked at the gradually chaotic mechanical puppet army, a cold sneer appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Looks like it's time to end this farce." He took a deep breath, and the next moment, he suddenly raised his right hand...

"Wait!" Ceng Yue suddenly called out to stop him.

Ji Chen did not choose to clash head-on with these mechanical puppets; he curled his mouth, revealing an evil, charming smile, "Little things, can't I deal with you?" He saw that on his hands, the golden light became even brighter, like two burning golden flames, and an invisible force centered on him spread outward.

Those originally aggressive mechanical puppets seemed to have been hit by a pause button, their movements becoming sluggish, and the scarlet light in their eyes began to flicker uncertainly.

Immediately after, an even more bizarre scene occurred: a portion of the mechanical puppets actually turned their guns and began attacking their companions.

"Holy crap, what's the situation? Infighting?" Ji Chen watched this farce, almost laughing out loud.

He hadn't expected that his "Golden Finger" could be used this way; it was simply an unexpected joy.

The mechanical puppets instantly turned into a mess, metal clashing and sparks flying; the scene was extremely chaotic.

Taking this opportunity, Ji Chen pulled Ceng Yue, dodging attacks while observing the situation.

"Careful!" Suddenly, Ceng Yue exclaimed; Ji Chen felt the world go black, a giant rock carrying great force smashing down toward Ceng Yue.

"Damn!" Ji Chen was quick-witted, pulling Ceng Yue into his arms, taking the hit on his back.

"Hiss—" Ji Chen gasped; although he had golden light protecting his body, he still felt a dull pain.

"Are you okay?" Ceng Yue looked up, seeing Ji Chen's slightly pale face.

"I'm fine, it's nothing." Ji Chen endured the pain, revealing a relaxed smile, his eyes so tender they seemed ready to drip water, "What about you, are you hurt?"

Ceng Yue shook her head, a rare blush appearing on her cold face; in Ji Chen's arms, she actually felt a long-lost sense of peace.

The violent energy and dangerous mechanical puppets around them seemed to become less terrifying because of this warm emotion.

Just as the mechanical puppets were killing each other and about to decide a winner, Ji Chen discovered something strange.

Below that giant eye pattern, on the originally hard rocky ground, a pitch-black passage had appeared; from the passage, bursts of coldness faintly emanated, making one shudder.

Ji Chen's brows locked; he held Ceng Yue, his gaze fixed on that mysterious passage, and whispered: "Looks like the good show has only just begun." ===== CHAPTER 274 =====